Busan : Where to Eat

Busan , South Korea is my 2nd home.

Busan is where my husband is from. It is also the 2nd largest city in Korea and well known for its long coast – Haeundae beach.

People in Busan speaks their dialect and they also can speak standard Korean too. So you do not need to worry about it. It is just like our Teochew , Hokkien , Cantonese etc. In Korea, they also have their own native dialects. But everyone can speak standard Korean which is the Seoul dialect.

Beside the beaches, Busan is famous for its specialty food like ……

Fish cakes (O-Muk 어묵)

Fresh and live sashimi (회)

Mil-myeon (a kind of spicy cold noodles 밀면 )

Pork Soup (Dwaeji Gukbap 돼지국밥)

These are the must have food!
If you like the restaurant Yooganae in Singapore, you should visit its flagship in Busan. It is a Busan brand and yes it tastes must better in its homeground.

We just had our wedding in Busan in Oct 2016. We go back twice a year usually during Spring and Chu-Seok (Autumn). Some people asked me how many days should they stay in Busan ? Some told me that there is nothing much and just need a full day or two will do. To be honest , if you really want to tour around Busan and its outskirts thoroughly , you need at least 5 days. Just like Seoul , if you want to visit historical places or amusement parks , you need to travel to the outskirts which is about an hour or two via bus/car. There are alot of things to do , eat and shop in Busan. Just that you need to know where and how to get there.

Let’s start with SHOPPING first. And will go on to attractions later !

These are the places i go and the more popular places among tourists.

Places to Shop in Busan !!!

1) Nampo-Underground shopping centre

How to get there : Jagalchi Station (Busan Subway Line 1) Exit 8. Left side of Exit 8

This underground shopping centre linked up Jagalchi Market and Gukje Market.

As usual, underground shopping centres are common sight in Korea. You definitly will not missed it. The moment you come out from gantry and turn left or right , you can see many shops lined up all the way to street level.

I just briefly walked past this stretch before so no pictures here. But it something similar to that of Seomyeon underground shopping centre but i prefer to shop at Seomyeon underground instead of Nampodong underground.

2) Gwangbok Cultural and Fashion Street

How to get there : Nampo Station (Busan subway line 1), Exit 1
Turn right and walk along Gudeongno22beon-gil st for 2 blocks

Busan is famous for the fish cake and Ttaebokki (spicy rice cake). So this entire street you can find alot of streetfood and fashion shops. Crowded place so becareful of your belongings !

The street stalls are inbetween 2 rows and blocks of fashion shops. So you can eat and shop at the same time. If you are going there as a couple , the guys who are bored with shopping can indulge in the street food while your gfs shop inside the shops.

Clothings are cheap and you can find basics at KRW 10,000 and coats at less than KRW 50,000 during SALES.

The famous Gukje Market is just 1-2 lanes away. So they are linked up together. At Gukje market , you can find vintage stuff and traditional. Whereas at Gwangbok fashion street , you can find more fashionable stuff.

3 ) Gukje Market

How to get there : Jagalchi Station (Busan Subway Line 1), Exit 7.
– Go 30m, turn left, and walk straight 5min to arrive at the market.

Gukje market has a long history and you can find alot of shops selling vintage , used and traditional korean wares.
Nothing much there but more of a look-see look-see place. I just briefly walked through and go to Bupyeong market.

This place goes all the way back to Korean war. Where many Koreans fled to Busan and they opened stores and sell their wares for a living. If you are interested to know more about its history , you can watch this movie which was a big hit and was filmed in Busan. It featured a couple of popular places in Busan and abit about its history.

Movie name : Ode to My Father (국제시장)

4) Nampo Street

How to get there : Nampo-dong Station (Busan Subway Line 1)

My favourite place because this is the “Myeongdong” of Busan. Busan Tower is also located here.

Busan tower is like the “Namsan Tower” in Busan. Something similar. You can find an escalator that goes up along the Nampo-dong shopping stretch.

Really crowded and alot of your favourite Korean skincare and beauty brands here.

You can also find street food lining up before the entrance to Nampodong.

That is me “hiding” at one of the street stalls because it was really cold during winter. The soup is free flow and keeps me warm.

1 stick of odeng cost about KRW 1,000 and the soup is free flow.

You will not miss this famus Hoddeok. Long queue and it is just outside an Aritaum stall. Haha..that is how i remembered where it is.

Nampo-dong shopping street is really crowded and bustling at night. Lots of shopping.

Beauty, skincare , fashion shops , international brands and cafe etc. Pretty big place and 1 night to shop here is not enough for me lah.

Come of the MRT and you can find a huge Lotte Department Store selling my favourite brands like Hera , Sulwhasoo , Primera , Laneige , Amore Pacific , S:UM37 etc etc.

5) Seomyeon Underground Shopping

How to get there : Seomyeon Station (Busan Subway Line 1, 2), Exit 12

I can shop the entire day here. Both underground and street level. This place is really awesome. Same as Gangnam station. Clothings are cheap also.

I will suggest that if you see anything that you like , just buy because it is a verrry long stretch and difficult to go back to find the same store again. Somemore it has 2 sides/lanes. I shop here pretty often for clothings because they are cheap.

6) Seomyeon Shopping Street

How to get there : Seomyeon Station (Busan Subway Line 1)

This place has alot of good food and great shopping. I also shop here and have my lunch/coffee here.

If you prefer quality clothings , buy from those shops at street level but it will be abit more expensive.

*For 4) and 5) , alight at Seomyeon station. Come out of station immediately is the underground shops and go to street level is 5) already. Also Lotte Department store is just above MRT.

It can get very hyped up and bustling at night. Alot of youngsters. I have 4 of my favourite fashion shops but i cannot remember the names except i know how and direction. I cut and perm my hair here to.

You can find the Medical and Beauty street at Seomyeon too. That is where all the plastic surgery clinics, aesthetics clinics , hair salons and nail salons are.

7) World’s largest shopping mall in the World – Shinsaegae

How to get there : Centum City Station (Busan Subway Line 2)

They have a rooftop garden spa and jimjibang ( korea’s version of onsen ) and you two can go there and relax , shop and have some coffee. Next to it is Lotte and also Homeplus supermarket and Lotte supermart for you to shop and buy things.

Tax refund is also immediately. It is near the Tiffany or Gucci boutique. Bring your passport when you shop here so you can get your Tax refund immediately when you go to the customer service centre. Super good service here.

Details of spa here :

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/10/travel/busan-spa-land/

8) Busan University Shopping Street of Youth

How to get there : Busan National University Station (Busan Subway Line 1), Exit 1 or 3

Didn’t managed to take pictures here because i went at night so i just grabbed this from the google.

Because this is a common gathering place for uni students , you can find cheap food , restaurants and fashion shops here.

Pretty good buy ! Managed to grab some cheap and good basics here ! And you can find skincares going on sales too.

That’s about it.

Will add on the list if i go to any interesting places again !

Will work on Attractions in Busan soon !

Dec7

Missed the LIVE telecast of Legend of the Blue Sea so i think i have to wake up early to watch the uploaded version at 6am !

So sad…the lipstick used by Jun Ji Hyun in the drama was SOLD OUT !!!!!

These 3 Hera lipsticks were SOLD OUT. Which means have to wait for 2 more weeks or so for the stocks. I asked my MIL and Bro in law for a favour to keep a look out. I like the RED more actually.

Pink one – Rouge Holic #147 and Serum Glow #1

( she mixed these 2 colours )

She is using Rouge Holic #333 here.

Btw , i just finished my vaseline body moisturiser and recently got the Face Shop Fresh Milk Cream moisturiser. I LOVE IT. Review later…after 1 week of use then i review.

Smells really like milk powder. It contains fresh milk from Dae Gwang Ryeong mountain in Korea. Well known for the high mountain goats’ milk. Goats were fed more fresh and green pastures so the milk produced supposedly to be fresh and of high quality. It reminds me of the taiwan sheep farm i went to earlier this year lol.

Dae Gwan Ryeong Sheep Farm : http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264615

Just received my pictures from my photographer for my wedding in Korea. If you are interested in taking your wedding pictures in Busan studio , drop me an email at peonykissblog@gmail.com so i can link you up. Full translation throughout the shoot with a minder accompany , album sending to SG , transport to and fro studio , concierge service , deposit placing with studio to secure your shooting dates and dresses etc and liasing and translation of requirements of selected photos for editing to studio.

If language is a barrier for you esp when you want them to do your style of edits and does not want to be short changed during shoots (didnt get what you paid for or promised) and want a peace of mind and would like to opt for this concierge service , drop me an email so i can link you up with the concierge with the selection of studios.

The studio i went to is the best in BUSAN and one of the best in KR with celebrities doing their shoots there too.

2 months liao..omg time flies man…i wanna travel back time ! Click to view enlarged photos !

Busan : My Wedding in Korea

Nov24

Our Korean wedding was held on 8th October 2016.
It was a beautiful experience and i really like the wedding concerige services in Korea.

The room where i tried my gown few days before the actual day. Because i only arrived a few days before my wedding date , i only have few dresses to choose from so we decided to upgrade the dresses to premium range which just got featured on a wedding show and im the first to wear it ! YAY !

Their make up skill is really..wahhhh …it lasted the whole day and skin still looks dewy and natural. All done with sponges and no brushes even for eyeshadows.

The groom choosing his tuxedo. The service is very bride focus. So the groom one was chop chop and done.

Also before my wedding day , i went to my favourite shopping place Seomyeon to do my nails.

Very shiok. Because i do not need to lift my feet or arm. The lady just press a button and is automated. I rest my arm on a cushioned arm rest and she press a button to lift my arm at a comfortable angle. I just fell asleep there. They also served me some tidbits and drinks and fruits. Shiok.

I cannot remember the name of the place but if im not wrong it is Nail Gallery. Quite big and is 3 storey high because they also do lash extensions etc. But don’t expect cheap price because the service is good.

Plus few mins of foot massage. lol.

My Singapore relatives and parents can for my wedding. So we rented an apartment facing Haeundae beach. 3 bedrooms enough for 9 to 11 pax with big kitchen , rooms , toilets and living room with beach view balcony. All together was only $1000 for a week stay. Drinks , laundry room etc all included so it is very comfortable like living in your own home. The place is really bigggggg…can play catch with my dog there if she is there lol.

And then it was our wedding on 8th Oct.

Our wedding was exceptionally long..took 2 hours and usually Korean weddings only take about 30 mins to an hour at most. We did abit of SG and KR fushion but still keeping the Korean tradition. The only tweak was we added 2 video segments. And he also performed an event for me ( Singing his favourite Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xing song and getting his friends to give me roses one by one ) . Been together for 3 years and this is the first time i received flowers from him..haha our wedding day.

Here are photos taken by my guests.

My father-in-law passed away 15 years ago from heart attack in his sleep. So my father-in-law’s brother took his place during the ceremony.

From today , let’s live happily ever after as Husband and Wife…with alot of naggings , teasing and laughters !

Now need to work hard for our future and have our own mini RJ and mini PL.

Busan : My Family in Korea

Oct24

After uploading the videos , i received several encouragements and good wishes from my readers and clients.

Thank you all for the support and kind words. I was happy to know that some of my readers felt so happy for me that they teared. Some followed me since they were 19 or 20 during their JC/Uni days till now. They have seen me going through many ups and downs in life and happy to know that i am happy now. Thank you all so much for the love 🙂 *Hugs*

Here are some snippets of our ROM in SG taken by my photographer friend Clarence Aw ( http://www.clarenceaw.com/ ) whom i engaged his service for that day.

Bought children Hanboks for my niece and nephews who were my flower girl and boy that day. Bought the Hanboks in Korea and had my brother-in-law to handcarry it to SG when he attended our ROM. It was 2 weeks before Chu Seok ( Thanksgiving Day ) when i ordered the Hanboks online so they were going at 50% off ! Quality was surprising very good and really satisfied with it. Esp the skirting for the flower girl. There are embossed floral patterns and made of silk.

Weather was very hot. My fringe all already stuck to my face and hair flat and cui already.

The baby breath flower ring was inspired by a Korean florist. I followed the florist on Instagram and i always “stalk” her instag to see the beautiful flowers and bouquets she made. Maybe it is the weather issue , the baby breaths in Korea are much more bigger and “denser” . The ribbon tie to it is Ferragamo inspired. Saw it on the instag and i forwarded to my wedding venue stylist to do something similar.

My guest reception table. I bought all the styling and decors for only SGD 80 from taobao including the huge LOVE signage with light bulbs.

This is very funny….he made the chair looked very very small. Whereas i fitted in nicely.

Thank you my dear friends for their help ( Elaine and girls ) for the help. Without them , i would have to do everything myself. I didn’t have bridesmaids for my wedding in SG and KR. LOL Mr Shin says no need only until the day because he doesn’t want to have the gate crash. He doesn’t want to “work” or “exercise” under the hot weather. You can watch from our Pre-wedding video. One thing he doesn’t like about SG is that …it is summer all year round. Lol. The only thing that motivates him to go under the hot sun in SG is BASEBALL practice nia.

Love the packaging from Framewerks for our Pre-wedding videos.

Our precious thumbdrive. Which Tommy rushed to edit and passed it to us at the airport before our flight 🙂
Thank you Tommy from Framewerks for the hardwork and we really love the videos !

You know , the thing i missed about Korea is not just the food or the skincare. But the food !

I just must have my favourite Andong Jjimdak whenever im in Korea. This huge plate..REALLY HUGE PLATE cost only KRW 30,000. Looks small on the picture because i was using my phone to take pictures and the angles. I cannot describe how bigger it was here.

Bong Chu Jjimdak restaurant is my favourite !

My mother-in-law cooked alot of my favourite and delicious food at home. Including my favourite Korean BBQ !

We even had it at home. I like this cozy home. The new apartment is going to be ready in 2018 so my brother-in-law rented a place for 2 years first while waiting for the new apartment.

Pork Bellies !

And my brother-in-law is really good at bbq-ing.

My mother-in-law’s 3 year old kimchi. I got a shocked to know that there is a 5 year old kimchi in the kimchi fridge too. Yes kimchi that she made 3-5 years ago. OH MAN…it tastes sooo good. The older the kimchi , the better it taste.

An earthquake happened when we were bbq-ing. Our dog was barking suddenly and then the news came that there was an earthquake. We couldn’t feel it though.

View from the window beside my bed. Ahhh sun , sea and mountain…. ~~~

This was taken after Typhoon Chiba.

Speaking of which , this is the first time i experienced a Typhoon. It was really scary. The sound of the wind was so loud , the rattling windows beside my bed. I was so afraid that the window will break and the glass will shatter and scratch my face lor . I couldn’t sleep the whole night because the windows kept shaking and made alot of banging sound. The Typhoon happened 3 days before my wedding. And my wedding was at Haeundae Beach which is the affected area.

We taped the windows to prevent it from breaking. A sudden gust of strong wind during the typhoon could have broken it or cracked into pieces.

News of the damage all over the news.
I also received alot of calls, messages and even emails from my relatives , friends and even my readers asking me to report my safety because they are worried. I was really touched by their concerns esp my readers. Im sorry if i cannot reply to everything fast on time because my phone was flooded with incoming calls and messages.

Typhoon started the night before and ended next day 12pm. Suddenly at 12pm , it is the “peak” of the typhoon. Where suddenly the rainfall was very very heavy and the wind was really really strong. Then suddenly once that was over, the sky suddenly just turned clear and sunny and everything was back to normal. Like really sudden. I was surprised also.

This was taken on the afternoon after the typhoon. Infront of my wedding venue. The Busan International Film Festival Village was destroyed and torn by the typhoon , tiles were overturned and wooden stuff and debris all over the beach. Alot of cleaners were picking up the pieces. Even after my wedding day , they were still clearing the beach and the hotels around.

This is the area and buildings you saw on the internet where the water gushed in to the buildings and swept away the cars. This was taken 2 hours after the typhoon.

Hehe Oppa and my brother-in-law always bring me out for nice food !

We had steam pork bellies ( Su Yuk ) at Oppa’s friend’s restaurant. Very very nice. Even my relatives and my brother went there to eat again and again.

This is his restaurant.

부산 해운대구 해운대해변로265번길 11-2 .

The restaurant is beside the BMW showroom along the main stretch at Haeundae. You won’t miss the BMW. So it will be easy to find.

I also had Si Chuan food at Busan University Street.

You must be wondering like..what the..go all the way to Korea to have Si-Chuan food ?
This one tasted really authentic. Same as the one i had in China 2 years ago.

Mapo Tofu

The Mala Xiang Guo is really nice. The wohei flavour was very strong also.
Super nice and i was pestering to go back for more hahaha. There is only one Si Chuan restaurant that sits 10 pax in Busan University Street. If you are nearby you should try.

Add is at 부산 금정구 수림로61번길 49 장성하우스 부산 금정구 장전동 155-16 .

Tel : 010-7474-8385 ( Owner of restaurant is Korean who speaks really fluent chinese ).

Steak from a kiosk in Seomyeon. 7900 won for a pax.

Tonkatsu + Kimbap .

Gosh this is soo sinful.

On the day we “climb” or walked up the mountain to my father-in-law’s , grandfather and grandmother-in-law’s graves.

That’s my MIL with her pet chihuahua Bomi.

After paying respect at the graves , we drove back to Busan and stopped by Changwon which was on the way to have this very famous beef patty. We wanted to go to the famous cold noodle restaurant at Jinju instead but the queue was so long and we have to wait for 1.5 hrs. So we decided to drive upwards and head to Changwon to have this instead.

OMG it is soo good please. Soo good that i didn’t talk and just eat and eat. It was cooked using fire and charcoal or wood.
So there is a very strong “fire” taste. Really very nice.

This is super duper nice.

I miss the food in Korea !

Busan : My Husband

Sep15

Here’s what i was busy with for the past 1 month.

Our ROM in SG.

11 Sep 2016.

We are now husband and wife.

In October , we will be registering our marriage in Busan, South Korea and hold our wedding there.

08 Oct 2016 is the day in Korea.

Haha we have 2 wedding dates so we are using the SG date for our anniversary date. Easier to remember also..911.

The ROM in SG is a cozy and small 80 pax ceremony where we only invite our families and closest friends. The buffet banquet will be in Korea instead.

Pardon for the lack of blog updates. Actually i have written a blog post on #Smartlady and #Kbeauty but the blur me saved it as “private” instead of “public”. So this blog post gonna be a loonnng one !

So my bro-in-law came to SG last week. I think he is quite a popular guy haha cos he is very gentle giant , knows how to cook and is capable eligible bachelor..such that my relatives and friends want to match make him. He is still SINGLE.

His arrival also means my #Kbeauty arrival which i ordered online and sent it to our place in Busan.

Here are some new #Kbeauty i bought and i really like them. There are a few more but won’t be reviewing it now because i have not used them yet or not long enough yet.

Atopalm Real Barrier Intense Moisture Cream.

Price KRW 25,600

It is a moisturiser cream and not very “scenty” like other perfumed moisturiser.

My skin feels dry lately because of late nights and also the air con in office is sooo cold and dry that makes my skin feels so dry and tight. So i opted for something more rich. I really like it because is moisturising and compliments with my base make up. My BB cushion sets very well on it. You know , some creams are too rich and the texture is so thick that when you apply your BB cushion , it sort of mixed in and makes the whole look and feel very gluey and gross.

Is it worth buying ? Yes i think it is . It works on my skin type and i hardly experience dry skin these days. It is not very oily also. It is quite a popular brand among the ladies there and my housemate is using this too ! It is in my stock up list !

If you have oily skin and wants to try this brand , you can try the gel version.

COC Brush Set

I was tempted by the pink colour so i carted out. Also i need brushes. My 3CE brushes already so cui. Used them for 4 years already so it is time to change. This set of brushes are very soft and nice. The powder and make up glides on easily during application.

Also , the packaging is compact and travel friendly. Easy to keep in your handbag or luggage. So compact that i can bring the entire set out.

When you open the casing , the whole case fans out like that with the brushes in their place. So all are neat and tidy. You do not need to dig out from your pouches and arrange them one by one.

Comes with mirror that open up by itself also.

When you close it. Just slot the brushes back into their slots and close the casing..Tadahh.

This is a super good buy i tell you. There is a bigger version but i thought i don’t need soo many brushes. So i got this set instead. It was also featured in Korea beauty show – Get It Beauty.

Price KRW 19,800

Comes with 9 brushes – Blusher brush , foundation brush , 2x eye shadow brush , eyebrow brush , concealer brush , eye liner brush , eyelash comb brush, sponge tip.

This set is super worth it and the brush are so soft and compact to keep in the bag or travel.

CNP Laboratory Milk Toning Peel

My MIL bought me 3 sets of CNP Milk Toning Peel. Yes..im a fan of aesthetic brand CNP now. They also have aesthetic clinics in Korea. Cheaper to have aesthetics done in KR.

This peel is SUPER GOOD ! If there are more than 5 stars , i will rate it more than 5.

As you can see, there is one “lobang” already. because i already used it once.

1 set comes with 4 toning peel and 4 toning masks. My mil bought for me 3 sets and it came with a brush.

You are supposed to use it once a week. So , 1 set = 1 month.

I was told that it is better to use it for 12 weeks ( which is 3 months ) so she got for me 3 sets.

This is the brush you use to apply the toning peel and its texture is similar to that of a serum.

It looks complicated with so many things but actually the whole process took 16 minutes in total only.

Open the Milk Toning Peel and use the brush to apply the “serum” onto your entire face ( avoiding eyes area ). You will feel abit of tingling sensation. I felt it and it felt like someone using a small needle to poke my skin. I felt it on my cheeks and forehead only. Guess that’s where most of my dead skins are ..maybe ? It is not painful but just felt some tingling sensation on some parts of the face. Leave it on for 1min or 1.5 minutes before you wash it off with warm water.

After which , pat dry your face with towel and put on the toning mask for 15 minutes. The mask actually helps to soothe the skin after the peel. The effect is really THUMBS UP ! Cannot praise it even more. My skin felt so soft and radiant. I didn’t even wear make up the next day after i used it the night before. Told my colleague that i didn’t put any make up to work today and they were surprised. Because my skin looks radiant and dewy.

I just used it on my husband (Gosh..not used to call him hubby or Yeobo (Korean version) ). He is very tanned because he plays baseball every week ( 2 times a week ) and have uneven skin tone. This peel evens out his skin tone and his skin suddenly looks so clean. This is my favourite skin peel so far and i really like it. Will definitely stock up more.

Price KRW 28,500 per set ( 4 times for a month use ).

Skin Factory Lip Tattoo

Also i finally tried the lip tattoo. Very easy steps.

Just apply on dry lips , wait for it to dry and peel off.

To be honest , it doesn’t really work well on me. The colour isn’t that obvious. And if you really want to buy and try , buy the one that is bright red in colour. I got 2 colours ( Coral and Red ). The coral one is totally waste of $$ because it doesn’t have any effect. The red one is still ok. Can see that my lips at least have “some colour”.
It is definitely not like what was shown in the picture below. My friend tried it and it doesn’t work on her as well.

I don’t think this is good nor does it worth the $ . It doesn’t work.

Same goes to the brow tattoo. Very messy.

Got some more #Kbeauty products but i have yet to open and use them yet. LOL. Will review more i used them.
Just got 2 BBIA cream eye shadown pencils. Can’t wait to use them. Colours look so gorgeous !

#SGAHJUMMA time !

This week , im going to share recipe to cook Korean Soya Sauce Fried Chicken.

Korean Fried Chicken + Beer = Chi-Mac !

Yes , you do not need to queue and spend $$ at Korean Fried Chicken joints. You can do it at home and it is healthier. Good for parties and for kids too because it is not spicy.

My hubby loves it and always ask for more. I cooked it 2 weeks ago. He loves it so much and i have cooked like 3 times since ? lol

Ingredients

Chicken wings and drumlets.

1 bowl of corn flour.

Sauce ingredients

5 table spoons of Korean Soya Sauce

1 table spoon of brown sugar

3 table spoon of white sugar

1 table spoon of sesame oil

1 tea spoon of black pepper

3 table spoons of honey

1 table spoon of Korean Chilli Powder

4 Table spoons of chopped spring onion

1 Table spoon of minced garlic

How to cook ?

Wash and dry the chicken parts. I use fresh chicken instead of frozen ones. It will taste better because you need to fry it twice.

After drying the chicken , coat them with corn flour.

I used air fryer to air fry the corn flour coated chicken parts. You can use a wok of oil to fry if you don’t have an air fryer.

Air fry for about 25 minutes until it is crispy brown.

After air frying all the chicken, leave them aside on a plate.

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and leave it aside.

Heat up a pan/wok with few spoons of olive oil. Once the pan is heated up , pour the bowl of sauce into the frying pan until it sizzles. Switch from medium to low heat.

Throw in the fried chicken in mix it with the sauce.

Switch off the heat and serve ! Sprinkle some spring onions and sesame seeds to garnish.

Now, here’s your home cooked Korean Soya Sauce Fried Chicken.

Super yummy ! Oppa ate all 22 pieces lol. I only had 4 ????

Also, i just made some Ban Chan ( Korean side dishes ). Will share recipe soon !

Busan : My Family and Wedding in Korea

May15

After i touched down in Busan , the first thing i did was to go for a yummy BBQ lunch and had Korean Beef ( Han-u 한우 ) . You can read about Han-u HERE. That is the reason why you see different prices for different kind of beef sometimes. There are imported beef and local beef. Go for local beef if you want some chewiness and tenderness.

After which , we went to the Hanbok house at Gwanganli for fitting. Need to choose for my pre-wedd shoot and actual wedding day. The lady is a friend of my MIL and she recommended colours that suit my skintone , face and also pink and bright colours are often chosen for young brides. Different colours have different meanings.

So i finally chose 1 set to be custom made for my actual wedding day lunch and rented 2 for the photoshoot.

This trip was quite a busy week so we do not have much time to go sightseeing . Im in the saving mode now so this trip i didn’t shop except to stock up on my skincare and buy masks as gifts for my colleagues , clients and relatives. Now i only buy things i need. Managed to stock up some beauty products and the Laneige lipsticks worn by Song Hye Kyo in Descendents of the Sun drama. It was OOS almost everywhere and so difficult to find lor. Finally found the last stick in one of the Aritaums opposite our place and also renewed my Aritaum VIP card so i can enjoy the 10% off. A new beauty shop just opened and having an event ( storewide 15% off ) so i managed to get Pony effect (by popular Korean make up guru – Korean version of Michelle Phan ) eye shadow because my canmake one cracked cos i stupidly put in my hand carry cabin and i think all the knocks during turbulence causes it to crack into several pieces 😦

Laneige 2 tone lipsticks in #11 Juicy Pop. I already used it for 2 weeks that’s why you see a “curve” from the side.

I like how the yellow part actually helps to “highlight” and “brightens” up my lips.

Price KRW 25,000. I bought at KRW 22,500 because of Aritaum VIP member 10% discount.

Review- Easy to apply and moisturized my lips.

Verdict – MUST BUY !

My bro went with us this trip to have his pre-wedd photos taken too. Yes you can save up to 60% if you just liase directly with Korea side. My bro’s friend paid $5K ++ through a studio here in SG to have his pre-wedd shoot taken in Korea studio excluding air ticket , hotel etc . I was quite surprised it is so expensive because my bro’s air ticket + studio shoot + his shopping and food expenses + hotel rooms for 11 days in Korea = $5K and got $200 change some more. I will recommend Toyoko Inn Hotel in Seomyeon if you are looking for an affordable accommodation in Busan. It is about $70 per night for 2 pax including breakfast for 2. Located conveniently right infront of the shopping street. Cafe street is opposite the hotel. Not a very big room but they have everything you need. They have several branches ( Haeundae , Busan station and Seomyeon ). Because i will be too busy to bring my bro and his gf around so i arranged their stay there. MRT station is just 2 mins walk , Lotte department store is also walking distance etc. Recommended this place to my friends and they like this place.

Club FIX is also nearby so if you are done with clubbing , still can walk back. Don’t ask me how is the club there. By 10 pm my body already automatically going into sleep mode. Old already.

Day 2 was spent whole day at my brother’s pre- wedd shoot and helping him with translation. Oppa is there with my bro with the translation whereas im in the make up and dressing room with my bro’s gf helping her with translation between her and the make up artist and dressing assistant. It is good to have someone who can speaks English with you else can be frustrated because photographer may not understand what you saying and you also don’t understand what the photographer want you to do.

After which we cabbed down to Shinsaegae in Haeundae for dinner and Oppa bought me my birthday present.

Gentle Monster sunglass ! Been wanting to get one since i saw it on some K-celebs. Their sunglasses are all so pretty and tempting to get everything off the shelf (of cos not !) haha. My sunglass broke into 2 and it was time to get one. Cheaper to get it here in Korea.

He was stoning there lol.

I developed a new hobby during this trip.

Gardening and floral arrangement. I spent like hours going from one florist to another.

Flowers there are so soft and pretty. It looks so not real. I thought i was faked flower but they are real. Petals are so soft and moist like tissue-paper.

Their roses bloom until so pretty. Dry flower bouquets are so pretty too. Dry until so not real also.

They looked so not real but they are real and soft flowers.

Im intending to go for floral arrangement classes the next trip. Arrangements are very unique there. Very pastel and french-ish which i like. I bought a pot of flowers for my MIL to thank her for whipping up such good dishes for my bro and his gf at home.

This was from one of my favourite flower shop in Busan. Creative floral arrangements and styles. I love going to flower shop cafes because it is so therapeutic . Felt so relax with all the pretty flowers around. The cafe smells good too. Flowers looks so fresh and pretty. Some can even be used to decorate on cakes and eat lor.

Besides floral arrangement , im also into interiors. Our new place will be ready in 2018 which is near the baseball stadium. I can hang around for 2 hours in this furniture shop. The stuff are affordable. They are surprisingly so pretty and cheap ! Oppa and i were saying that if we have a house in SG , we will buy from Korea and ship to SG instead. There are alot of furniture and wares for different themes ( nautical , french garden , minimalist etc ) . So prettty !

And guess who i saw ?

Alot of eye candies ! LOL .

To be continued….nursing a bad throat now..

Busan : My Wedding in Korea

May11

Im back from Busan !

Busy bee preparing for the wedding , pre-wedd shoots and more.

Received all the unedited pictures and now is shortlisting the pictures for editing and submit to the photographer.

Massive update on my instagram account because i just got back on Sunday and haven’t got time to blog yet. Need to settle some work stuff before i find some spare time. Some new brands and MUST BUY lists to recommend too !

Have a good mid week and hopefully i can blog by this weekend 🙂

Night night !

Busan : My Wedding in Korea

Apr14

Well , in 6 months’ time. I will be known as Mrs Shin and “Hyung-su-nim” or “Ahjumma” in Korea.

“Hyung-su-nim” is like chinese equivalent of “da sao”. His friends who are younger than me ( irregardless if they are older than me) will call me that. And for married woman , must call Ahjumma liao. It is our local equivalent of “auntie”. Lol.

Hmm abit not used to it because his bro used to call me by name but now he called me “Hyung-su-nim”. I used to be served last at the table because i am the youngest but now i am served right after my hubby-to-be before anyone else who is younger than him. This is part of the table manners.

Hmm abit not used to it because everyone is very polite to me and being treated with respect. But this happens when im with people who are younger than him. Whereas if im with his hyungs ( older brother ) , they will call me “jae su ssi” which means younger brother’s wife and i will call them oppa. Hehe and they still dote on me.

Many people asked me “so what is life going to be like marrying a Korean ?”

1) Housework and Cooking – Alot or should i say ALL Singaporeans i know asked me ” So does he expects you to cook and do house work ? “.

To be honest , yes he did. But i told him i will do over the weekend. Because i am working and my appointments end at 9pm sometimes. Housework is easy for me because i do my own housework at home but for cooking , i am still learning to cook chinese food. I find it easier to cook Korean dishes than local dishes. So most of the time i will cook Korean food at home. Not all but i know about 10 dishes only. So why does he expect me to learn how to cook and do housework ? Because in Korea , it is not common to have maids like we do in Singapore. Most women became stay home mum after having babies and the man will be the one bringing the bread home. Women look after their children and the house. The man will be the one outside working. I guess that is one of the reason why family bondings are very strong in Korea. But in Singapore , i don’t think it is possible for one person to work only because our standard of living is very high. Whereas in Korea, education and health care are very cheap due to government subsidies. IV drips cost only $3 so you can imagine how cheap.

2) Will you move to Korea ? – No , our aim is to bring up our children here so they can learn 3 languages – English , Chinese and Korean. So that will be at least 25 years. To be honest if i were to retire , i will retire in Korea. If i have the $ , i will dream to buy a house at a countryside to enjoy the nature and retire peacefully. Being a financial planner , i plan up retirement planning for my clients and figures needed can be quite shocking if you want to retire at a comfortable and simple pace. So yup , at last the next 25-30 years here and then retire in Korea.

3) Korean husbands are MCP – Hmm..sometimes but i find it more like they think it is their responsibility to look after their family and wife. So it makes them look like they want to have alot of control. I am actually quite touched to know that my hubby felt that it is his responsibility to provide for his future family and to work hard so that he can earn enough for me to stop working.

4) Fierce mother-in-law – Maybe it is the way drama portrays Korean mil . But not all are like that. My friends’ mil are very nice to her even though she is a Singaporean. My mil is also very kind and nice. She had 2 sons and always wanted a daughter. So she treats me really well and she is quite open and not conservative. If she is very conservative , i don’t she will even approve this marriage.

If you have a Korean bf/fiance , always remember to have a good relationship with his mother.

Here’s about it…anything else you want to ask or know ? Let me see if i can help to answer that.

Some dos and don’ts here :

Do not act like a spoilt brat. Don’t expect to ORDER your bf/fiance to serve you this and that. Learn to wash your own dishes/cups after use because most household do not have maids or helpers.

Do not SMOKE infront of them. Girls smoking is still a taboo in Korea. That’s why when you go out to the streets , you will see some people hiding along the dark alleys to smoke. Ya , the girls have to “hide” to smoke. Not common to see girls smoking opening on the streets like what you see in SG.

Do not wear too revealing clothes that shows off your shoulders/cleavages or skirts that are sooo short . They are pretty conservative. Wear tights if you are wearing short skirts. I wore tube tops when i went holidaying in Korea back in 2012 and it attracted alot of stares from locals.

Learn to address her properly and always remember to serve her food or “kiap” food for her.

Hook your arms around hers when you walk around or go shopping with her. Girls there lock their arms together if they are very close friends. And you can go to jimjibang with her. Now i know why some girls there have really smooth skin. I ever met a 75 year old grandma and her skin ( hands and legs ) are sooo smooth..they are even smoother than mine !

Learn to aegyo abit. And if she wants to buy you something , let her buy. If you feel paiseh and want to reject , just reject once and if she insisted , just let her buy. After that say thank you in Korean and aegyo abit. They will be very happy that you like her gifts.

Whip up some dishes for HER SON. At least Korean dishes so that she knows are you are trying and learning despite being a foreigner.

Most importantly , LEARN KOREAN and the CULTURE. Bo bian , this one really have to .Not just learn basic table manners sentences but really LEARN to speak and understand. No need to be too fluent. They will find it cute and they can understand you. To be honest , my written , reading and listening is good and much better than my speaking because no one speaks to me here. Now my hub to be is learning Chinese and English , so i speak Chinese and English to him. Nobody converse with me in Korean over here leh. His Busan accent is very strong sometimes i also cannot catch what he says. Haha but when i watched Korean drama or variety shows, i can understand.

As for the culture , ask your bf/fiance to explain to you. Try to visit during their new year or thanks giving. That is when you really can get to experience their traditional cultures , food and meet his relatives.

When his mother is busy doing housework or cooking, try to ask and offer your help. Don’t sit there and do nothing. I think this is quite basic common sense because even in SG , if your SG mother in law is busy , you will also offer your help instead of sitting there and do nothing or watch tv right ? Unless she insist that you do not need to help , then you can do your own things guilt free. I think this is basic manners when you go people house EVERYWHERE YOU GO no matter whether is it Korea , Singapore or anywhere else.

Try not to drink until drunk. Heng i don’t drink and i cannot drink. Does not give a good impression.

Here are somethings and tips i can think of. If i can think of anymore then i will add on next time.

Wedding prep 101 –

Face care is very important. Damn scared got one ugly zit or whataever.

Wah now i put on masks almost twice a day on weekends (Mask sheets and a overnight cream mask) and everynight on weekdays.

Need to find time for new hair colour.

Going with my bro and his fiancee to Busan together this trip. Helped them to arrange their photoshoots there and booked their hotel stay. You can actually check in any time at a nice motel or this hotel. Not expensive. I booked for them 3 days 2 night for KRW 132,000 which works about $150 for 3 days 2 night ( double room ) with breakfast provided.

They have a few branches. The one i booked for them is at Seo-myeon right opposite a shopping mall and the shopping street. If not you can book the one at Haeundae or the one next to Busan Station.

http://www.toyoko-inn.com/e_hotel/00221/

Drafting half way on the “Smart Lady” post…maybe will publish the post tomorrow.

Mar2

Cheongsam – checked. I custom made at one tailor shop in town which will be ready by April 🙂
I did a red one and will try to take a picture here. The tailor is very friendly and her works are good. Can recommend over here.

Hanbok – appointment made and will be done in april in Busan.

I just managed to search for some wedding videos. They are so nicely done in Korea.

Here’s a video of the hotel we are going to . Usually the brides will sit on the chair and everyone will come and take photo with her. The old uncle on the stage is the Justice of Peace reading the vows.

And here’s one that does for international customers in Seoul which i think will be abit expensive because it targets foreigners. I don’t know why but the pricing and packages for most studios (targeted foreigners) are more expensive than for locals. Some charged in Korean won but some charge in USD because some wants you to transfer deposit over first. The package price my friend asked and the one i asked are different pricing.

I quite like the video done by this studio in Seoul. If you are interested and have the budget can check it out.

Flying to Busan in late April with my brother and his fiancee. We will be shooting at 2 different studios and these studios are facing a nice cliff and sea. So we can get great outdoor shoots too. Weather will be just nice. Not too cold and not too hot.

Hehe..im also getting new skin care products. I didn’t really review alot of products for the past few months because i haven’t been getting new ones yet. Im trying to start using anti-aging products already. Will do a review in April after Oppa bring them back from his March trip to Busan. I will getting new Sulwhasoo serum and also serums from Hera’s Signoria range.

Many people emailed me and asked me for places to stay in Seoul and Busan.

For Seoul , i will recommend these places because it is in the shopping district at Myeongdong and also walking distance to the MRT. Super convenient.

a) Ibis Hotel

b) Namsan Guest House

c) Prince Hotel

They are right smack at the shopping area and just separated by a traffic light or underpass. I only stay at these hotels or guest house lah.

For Busan , i will recommend Lotte Hotel located conveniently in the shopping district at Seomyeon ( if you have the spare $$ ) or Toyoko-inn Hotel at Seomyeon. These 2 hotels are located conveniently in the shopping district. Toyoko-Inn is right beside our apartment lol. And opposite our apartment is a shopping mall and the Seomyeon shopping street.

If not , you can just check into any motels. Cheap and good. About $80 per night for a room for 2. You may think that motels are sleazy places but not all are like that. As long as you don’t go to the ones in the red light district. Because some motels are stop over motels for locals who are traveling from city to city especially during festive seasons. My mil’s motel is a stop over motel for locals who are going to Gimhae airport to catch a morning or late night flight and tourists who arrived late at night and need a place to sleep before they take a morning flight or KTX to the next city or to the airport. Her motel is located beside the mrt and 15 mins from airport.

As long as you dont go to one near the red light can liao. Their motels are quite nicely decorated with themes , own jacuzzi in the room and also 2 high speed internet computers. Even my Korean teacher also recommended that because sometimes she also travel to other city to visit relatives and she just book into a motel.

Hope these information helps for those who asked about places to stay in Busan and Seoul !

Busan : My Wedding in Korea

Feb21

Date fixed. October.

Hotel booked.

What caught my attention was the guest reception area lol. I like this kind of interiors. I heard from oppa’s friends and family that the hotel food was quite famous. I went there for Korean semi-fine dining food before and it was really good.

And this is the hall. I wasn’t there to do recce the place so i grabbed these pictures from Naver.com

Wedding photoshoot also booked. I helped my brother to book at the same studio too. He was surprised by the package price. You can save up to 60% if you arranged on your own. The photostudio package includes 3 wedding gowns , 3 suits , albums , make-up artist , framed photographs , soft copies of photos etc.

I decided to go for this studio because of their dresses, photography and studio style. But we are also considering another studio.

I am also thinking of having a photoshoot in SG. Not a full scale one but probably 2-3 hours.

I have shortlisted these local photographers. I knew some of them and i like to work with sincere and down to earth photographers.

Framewerks Photography http://www.framewerks.sg/ . I met the owners before and they are very down-to-earth and happy couple. I like working with sincere people. I like their works because it feels very personable.

Clarence Aw http://www.clarenceaw.com/documentation – A friend of mine who lensed some of Agneselle’s photos and his works are very unique. Looks like postcards and has the tumblr feel which i really like. His clients even pay him to travel overseas to shoot their wedding dinner/ceremony.

Bobby Kiran http://bobbykiranyeo.com/# – I have not met the photographer but have talked to him abit. His work is unique and it looks elegant.

I sort of decided who to go for the SG photoshoot and im just waiting for my hanbok and perhaps my cheongsam to be done.

Im not sure how many international marriage readers i have here but i think most will agree with me.

Marriage preparation is more tiring and stressful. Eg in my case , the main wedding is in Korea and both of us are working here in SG. So there are alot that cannot be done and can only be done if we flew back. We can’t take too many leave and when we are there , we have to make sure we get everything done before we fly back. Cost is also a problem – Air tickets.
Fortunately , Korea isn’t far and Vietnam air has pretty decent and affordable plane tickets to Busan.

There is still so much for me to prepare on my side. I have to understand and learn the Korean wedding culture. They are very different from our local wedding culture. Even the rituals are different. Fortunately i have a supportive fiance who helps me to do most of the planning and his mother to book the venue for us. So this coming trip in April to Korea is pretty important and packed. Photo shoot and also preparing all the necessary in April and the next flight to Korea in Oct is the real deal Damn fast lah.

I haven’t even got time to think about our ROM in SG.

Time flies and it is almost the end of Feb already. The last year i will spend CNY as a single and next year have to give ang bao liao. But next year , we will probably spend it in Korea. My life is so much happier now and so much more relaxed.

I find myself enjoying my overseas trip more. I spend more time relaxing and enjoying the sightseeing and food instead of taking alot of time to take an OOTD picture. That is why my instagram isn’t that active. I enjoyed my work because i met more people and i learnt more new things. Also i learnt to leave things for people to hand and settle on their own ( Agneselle.com ). I used to be a “worry-er” . That was what some of my ex bosses and friends called me because i worry too much. Even when i was overseas , i will call back to SG and check and nag hahaha.

And i also enjoy my work. I met more people from different walks of life.

Who says that you will lose more friends if you go into this line ? I made more friends. instead.

From strangers we met on the street to becoming my client and now a friend.

This is my first CNY kai-gong ang bao from my first cold client who is a CEO of a company. A CNY angbao for good luck when i went to his office.

Tomorrow is the last day of lunar new year . Hope all of you have a good and healthy year ahead !
Btw i replied to almost 50% of the emails regarding the online shop where i bought my winter wears. I still have alot to go but i think i may do a blog post on shopping on Korean sites soon.

Take care and enjoy your weekend !