Busan : My Family in Korea

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 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 !

Dec27

Merry Christmas !

Can’t imagine that it is almost the end of the year. Time flies and can’t believe that im turning 30 next year.

And i just realized that i have been blogging for almost 10 years. I started at blogpost in 2006 before i moved to wordpress in 2008. Few years ago , my facebook newsfeed was updated with all my friends’ Uni activities , clubbing , parties and shopping buys before it moved on to newsfeed about their new work and relationships and then now it is updated with wedding pictures and their baby pictures. Time flies and some of my readers even became mothers. I just met some of them and we were talking about how they read my blog since their uni days and now they are mothers and they still read my blog.
We all have grown up so fast.

Alot to celebrate this season. Me and oppa are still trying to get used to referring each other as Fiancee and Fiance.

Also , i helped a friend of mine to find a place to propose in Seoul and helped him get a photographer who is my friend’s friend. Most people will propose at Nami island or at the palace. Usually those touristy places are crowded with alot of tourists and you can’t capture a good and private photo.

So i recommended him this ice skating rink with a roof top view of Seoul. No tourists and not crowded. Not many people know about this place.

So he proposed to his GF over here.

A friend of mine sent me this picture too. And i wanted to recommend him this place too. But…abit hard to get here if you don’t know how to get there or drive.

It was snowing heavily in Seoul and the mountains were all snowy white.

Congratulations to both ! They are such a lovely couple. Can’t post their photos here. Need their permission though.

Finally im going somewhere besides Korea haha. Can’t wait for my agency trip in Jan to Taipei.

And i just bought these coats for my Taipei trip in Jan and Korea trip in March. I didn’t get the black coat in the previous post because i got something similar already just that it doesn’t have the furry thing. Hmmm..im still deciding though.

I decided to get this wine coat instead because i have quite a number of black coats.

And this padding coat. Looks damn cute right with the white furry hood.

And i got this too in PINK !

I wouldn’t get the coats if they weren’t on SALE. Now everything is on SALE and this furry knit top is only KRW 23,000 ~

Stocking up some warm clothes in Busan and Singapore. So i do not need to bring heavy luggage and coats to Busan and also if i were to travel from Singapore , i also have some warm wear to pack. Buying warm clothes in SG is very expensive so i bought mine all in Korea during sales. It is cheap and also the material is good and keeps me warm which is the most important.

Talking about all things K , i went for Korean eyelash extension at LushLashh .

Wendy is very friendly and she suggested that B curl suits me better. I also prefer B curls. I used to go for C curls but i find them abit too vavavoom and i started changing to B curl after i had mine done in Korea. The lash technician in Korea always do B curl for me too. Lushlashh is located conveniently at The Arcade which is right infront of Raffles MRT . Call or sms them to make an appointment now. You can find their address and contact number on their face book page by clicking HERE.

I gained quite abit of weight lately so i’ve been trying to cook instead of eating out. If you read my earlier posts , Aeon just expanded and they are providing body shaping services and therapy too.

I am quite concerned about my tummy fats because i realized all the weight goes to my face and tummy.

So Dr Kim suggested Ultra Shape. It is an ultrasound treatment to destroy the fats.

The aestheticians used a strap to gather all the fats around my tummy and waist together. The strap squeezed and gather all the fats for optimal results. The process was not painful because ultrasound was used to destroy the fats.

I was quite shocked seeing my fats after they strapped my waist and gather all the fats together. The aestheticians said that my fats (below) was very small compared to others they saw.

Dr Kim will mark on the areas before we start.

The machine used camera to track and for optimal accuracy.

Dr Kim performed the Ultra Shape process. Process took about 20-30 minutes depending on the surface area.

After the treatment , i will feel abit hungry for about 2 days and it is normal to feel that because selective fats were destroyed. It is a no pain , no recovery time and non-invasive treatment.

To be honest , i can see that my tummy because abit smaller after about 1 week. I felt hungry for 2 days and i try not to eat alot just because i feel hungry. This treatment destroy selective fats but you have to eat healthy and exercise too. Of cos , if you don’t take care , you will gain back those fats again after destroying them.

You can call Aeon Aesthetics and Medical Centre at 67332002 to enquire. Mention my name if you are making appointment or enquire on their services.

CNY is just around the corner. Time to make appointment for my laser and facial treatment at Aeon soon !

**psst…i have been cooking this whole festive season. Look out for Korean food recipe coming up soon !

Nov24

K-beauty !

Here’s something i got from Korea 2 months ago and i finally started using it after the Maxclinic one which i got in April finished up.

I used to remove make up with cleansing oil but i switched to Oil to Foam cleansing oil to remove my make up. This is used in the 2nd step after using the Biore cleansing water or Biore Jelly up remover to remove eye make up.

Cleansing = 3 steps for me and that includes thorough make up removals.

First step – Remove with cleansing water or make up remover

2nd step – Remove remaining make up with cleansing oil

3rd step – Foam cleansers.

I love how this cleansing oil turns to foam when you lather your face with water. I don’t like how oil cleansers are soooo hard to remove even with foam cleansers. Some cleansers are too mild and may take longer time or quite hard to remove the cleansing oil on the face. Or the cleansing oil is too oily and too strong for the cleansers.

So it is good to get oil to foam cleansers because they don’t leave that oily feeling and it removes your make up.

The Max Clinic one is good but not sold in SG. Blogged HERE before.

Because it turns to foam after you lather with water , it rinses off easily. YAY !

Im gonna stock on this ON: and Max Clinic ones on my next trip in March/April. I maybe going for a short 5 days in Jan to check on the wedd stuff. Got this at KRW 7,500 after 50% discount from OLIVE and YOUNG. Lucky enough to get this at 50% off because when i want to go back to buy another bottle to stock up , it was back to KRW 15,000 and so i didn’t buy.

Something you can buy and try as a 2nd step make up removal. Or if you are someone who puts on light make up , i think this one can remove your make up base well enough.

Im turning 30 soon and im slowly introducing anti-aging products to my skin. I have sooo many sample bottles of this AGE AWAY range from HERA that i think the samples alone can last me probably 6 months or more. Starting to feel old and can feel the skin is no longer like last time. A little bit different from 4 years ago because now i realized i need to maintain it quite abit more than before. I like this range alot. I haven’t gotten any breakouts yet (not pimple kind of breakouts but rashes). Because when a product is too strong or rough for my skin , rashes will start appearing and they are the abit painful and itchy kind. It will take 2 days for it to go away. But yay to this one.no side effects.

I think im like a K-travel guide. Friends often ask me where to go in Korea. Because they have been to Seoul soooo many times and they want to go elsewhere. They want to travel for 10 days.

Seoul , Jeju and Busan. These are the 3 popular places. To be honest , 3 days in Busan or 3 days in Jeju is not enough. If you have the time , 5 days will be great for you to comb the entire place and go to more places. Most people put a week in Seoul because there are more to see. Actually i find that Seoul is more for shopping. But if you want to have a rich experience of the culture , you can go to these places.

Gyeongju :

It was once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla and you can see many ancient and traditional Korean houses and palaces. Awesome place to go in Spring and Autumn because the trees , leaves and flowers blended in so well with the architectures. 2 days 1 night here will do.

Jeonju :

If you love bibimbap , Jeonju is the place you should try. Jeonju is famous for its bibimbap.

The Jeonju Bibimbap ! Jeonju is famous for its food. So remember to eat and eat and eat your way there.

It is about 5 hours bus ride from Seoul so it will take about 2 or 3 hours via KTX ?

Quite a small town so probably 1 day is enough. You should visit the Hanok Village. If im not wrong , you can book a Hanok stay there.

Tongyeong :

Tongyeong is located at the southern peninsula of South Korea. If you are a fan of K-pop star Song Joong Ki and you watched the movie Innocent man , you will know this place because it was shot here at Tongyeong at this place called Dongpirang. You can find alot of paintings on the wall and the shooting locations. Famous food here is the Ggulbbang ( Honey Bread ). Very cheap. About KRW500 per piece. 1 full day here will do and you can move on to other or take a ferry to Jeju.

Naejangsan :

Good place to go in Autumn is the Naejangsan. it is located at outskirts of Jeonju. You can find temples and beautiful waterfalls here. Don’t wear like me when you go there. I can’t climb up the mountain because of my clothes so i was only at the base. Just half a day here will do unless you want to do mountain hiking or trekking.

Jinhae :

1 day stay will do and you can move on to Busan from here.

Located an hour drive away from Busan. Famous place for its spring blossoms. Crowded with alot of locals during Spring. Best place i have ever been to in Korea in Spring. Super nice and even the mountains have “speckles” of white cherry blossoms. So nice ! I want to go back here again next year in Spring ! Cherry blossoms everywhere. This is the best place in Korea for cherry blossoms.

Gangwon-do :

Best place to go to during Winter because of its ski resots and the snow capped mountains. Damn cold. I have never been there but i want to !!! I was asking Oppa if i can have my honey moon here hahaha he wanted to faint already because i wanted my honeymoon in Jeju island and Gangwon-do !

There are other places also like Daegu , Ulsan , Gwangju and more….i’ve been to Ulsan and 1 full day there will do 🙂 If you were to skip Seoul , Busan or Jeju because you have been there many times , you can go to at least 7 cities for a 10 days trip to Korea.

Oct17

K-Beauty time.

Im gonna introduce these 2 items that i just bought and have been using them for a 2 weeks already. I am not blogging from home now so i did not manage to take real life pictures of these 2 products. So , i grabbed the product pics from google.

These are the first 2 products i am going to review. More to review soon 🙂

1st item was from HERA.

Hera Essential Mousse Treatment.

I really liked it alot because my skin looks more radiant after a week. It is to be used as the last step of your skincare.

1) Shake it well

2) Squeeze a 20cent coin size onto your palm 3

3) Apply it all over your face and massage for better absorption

“Essential Mousse Treatment is a nutrient-rich, mousse-type, anti-aging solution with light, fine air bubbles that leave the skin feeling refreshed. Skin-vitalizing ingredient (Epi-Vitalizing Cycler™) is absorbed fast into the skin to help the skin absorb skincare products used in the previous step of the skincare routine and deliver essential nourishment.

Massage the skin with carbonated bubbles to improve the elasticity of the skin and stimulate blood circulation.

With simple massage using fine, sparkling bubbles, you can get skin that’s firm and supple. Plus, massage using fine, sparkling bubbles simulate the circulation of the skin results in glowing, smooth skin tone.

Effective and fast formation of moisture field – you can see and feel the effect.

Essential Mousse Treatment is absorbed fast into the skin without leaving a residual feeling to form a shield of moisture on the skin and keep the skin healthy by relieving skin stress.”

One reason why im slowly introducing anti-aging products into my usual skincare routine was because im turning 30 next year and it is time i should “anti-age” my skin. To be honest , i really like this product alot because like what HERA’s website describe it “glowing , smooth skin tone”. I can see glowing and smoother skin tone after 2 weeks of usage. I apply it 3 times a week before i go to bed.

The price tag comes a little pricey at about KRW 50,000 for a small bottle but i think it is worth it. I will buy the 2nd bottle next time.

2) Mise En Scene Curling Essence 2X

I just did C-perm and you know most hair stylist will tell you that C perms are easy to maintain. Well , i don’t think so. In fact the Korean stylist told me that the easiest and simple perms are the hardest to maintain because they straighten out easily if you do not know how take care.

The first thing i did after the perm was to look for curling serum or essences. After some recommendation , i decided to get this from Arituam. You can buy it from Lotte Mart or Olive and Young too.

Price tag at KRW 10,000.

I really like this essence alot because it holds my curls very well !

Since im back in SG , i have to wake up at 8am and go to work at 830am. So there is no time to blow dry and twirl my curls properly. I just squeeze a 20cent coin size onto my palm and “scrunch” my hair. The curls looks bouncy and it creates some volume. If i want it to be slightly wavy (natural) , i scrunch my hair with the essence and then let the hair run through my fingers to the hair ends so that the curl looks more wavy.

It is a curl enhancing hair product. I regretted buying only 1 tube. Should have bought the 3 for KRW 20,000 set . Lol.

It has a nice scent too. If you have curls or perms , this is one product you should get to hold and enhance your curls. I think that’s why it was named curling essence 2X. It does enhance my curls.

Here’s how my curl looks like 10 days later i did the C-curl + wave perm. I like it like this more natural and wavy. I spent an hour twirling and blow drying to create this neat wave.

3) Babor Ampoule from Aeon Medical and Aesthetic Clinic.

My skin wasn’t as dry as my last trip to Korea in April. Partly because i applied hydrating ampoules often and i also mask my face often to prevent dryness. The ampoules from Aeon Medical and Aesthetic clinic was nicely packed in a metal casing to prevent breakage.

The first thought and impression people had was that ampoules are very sticky. That is the reason why some make up artists i know doesn’t like to use ampoules on their clients.
But well , things have changed now. You can find ampoules that are easily absorbed and more efficient. It no longer leaves a very sticky and gluey after feel anymore.

This ampoule from Aeon absorbed into my skin pretty fast and my make up stays even longer. This is something i will get before my trip to Korea again in Spring. It is available for purchase at their counter. You can give them a call 67332002 to enquire. There are several ampoules available to suit different skin types.

Of cos , the first thing i did after my Korea trip was to go for facial.

Due to climate changes and also the bad haze in SG , my skin felt abit dry after i came back SG for a couple of days.

So i made an appointment with Aeon Medical and Aesthetic Centre for laser toning treatment ( for lighten my skin tone) because i was exposed to the sun in Busan. The sky was so clear over there and i realized my skin tone looks abit darker.

My favourite laser toning started and i also met Dr Kim.

We had a good chat about all things Korea and also the Angela (aesthetican) asked about my skin condition and if i experienced any dryness lately before they start the laser toning.

The laser toning session ended in about 15 minutes before i went back to the medical treatment room for post care treatment (masking). I heard from Dr Kim that Aeon is expanding and you can look out for body contouring services soon. Can’t wait to see what are the services available once it is ready.

i had eyelash extensions done in Korea and this extension was still so full and luscious even after 1 mth.

Tadahh..after the 1 hour treatment. Ha..my eyelash extensions done in Korea are still so luscious and thick after 1 month.

It is only KRW 50,000 for unlimited mink lashes.

Call 67332002 to make an appointment at Aeon Medical and Aesthetic Centre or you can give them a call to enquire on the services available.

If you are traveling to somewhere cold , you can try their ampoules. They work pretty well for me and help to “lock in” the moisturize and my make up stays.

Busan : My Family in Korea

Oct15

Continue with my Busan trip Day 11 ( i think ? ) lol

It was the day after Chu Seok. Omoni has to rush back to her motel because there are 50 indonesian tourists checking in that day. So Oppa and i continued the night meeting his Uni mates.

It was my first time drinking peach soju. Very nice and better than the original one because it is a little fruity. Girls will like it better. There are grapes , peach and apple flavours. KRW1,200 per bottle. Cheaper than your bottle of coke.

Korean chicken. Beer + Chicken.

This was the 2nd round. We had the first round and after that we moved to the 2nd round and then 3rd round. Never ending. I felt tired after the 2nd round already because in SG , we dont have the habit of going places for drinks and food. It can start at 7pm and ends at 3am in the morning or sometimes 4 am ( eat , drink and talk and it just keeps going on for hours ) . I was quite amazed by this culture at first but after 2 years , im used to it already.

The day after Chu Seok , Omoni , oppa and i had lunch with his paternal uncle at their hometown in Busan which is Haeundae . His mother started to introduce me to their relatives and im supposed to visit his grandmother too.

We had traditional Korean course lunch at a fine dining restaurant.

A traditional course that were used to be served to royalties.

The food just kept coming and coming.

I think we had over 18 dishes. They came in small portions.

Name of restaurant is Ye Yi Je . It means past and present.

We had our lunch near Hotel Paradise.

After which we went to Dalmaji-gil (달맞이길) in Haeundae.

It is like the Montmarte in Paris. Alot of hipster cafes serving nice and affordable food.

You will get to see alot of wedding photoshoot studios there too. Some of which we were eyeing at. This is a good place to go to during autumn and spring. Because you can sit at the alfresco or indoor cafes and admire the maple leaves during autumn or cherry blossoms during spring. The trees along the street and road will look beautiful and colourful during these 2 seasons.

Oppa’s friend opened a shabu shabu restaurant so we decided to pop-by.

His restaurant. We went there abit early so it was empty. But crowd starts streaming in during dinner time.

Self-service dessert bar where you can help yourselves with free flow of coffees , popcorns , sweets , teas , biscuits , cookies etc etc. It is complimentary for all customers.

Our Shabu Shabu beef set which comes with self-service Vietnamese spring roll wrap ( at only KRW 17,000 per pax )

You are supposed to pour the rice into the soup at the last part and stir it so that it will become porridge. It is sooo yummmy ok ! That bowl of yellow stuff was beaten egg which you are supposed to add into the porridge to make it sweet. I can have many bowls of these !

The plastic looking thing is the clear vietnamese rice roll wrap. Texture was like plastic when it was hard.

Just soak into this red solution which i guess is red vinegar . Then the harden wrap will become soft and you can start doing your own vietnamese spring roll wrap with all the veges.

After that , we decided to chill out at a cafe for desserts and some catch up. One of his friend was a Korean air stewardess so i managed to exchanges some travelling tips and places to go in Europe with her.

Dalmaji-gil. You can see some Japanese islands from Dalmaji-gil by sitting at the top floor of the cafes. Imagine these rows of green trees turns red and yellow during autumn or filled with cherry blossoms during spring.

Me , oppa and his friends whom i called Onni because they are older than me.

On the day before we left for SG , his mother brought us to a famous live eel bbq restaurant at the outskirts of Busan. You can see alot of restaurants there serving live eel bbq. Yes , the eels were sliced and cut live before BBQ so you can see the muscles still twitching when they serve the plate below onto the table. I posted a video on my instagram.

To be honest , it tasted better than frozen eels. The meat is very tender , fresh and qq.

If you are traveling to Seoul and Busan , you should travel to the outskirts of Seoul and Busan too. Because you can find many nice , good and cheap food . Not only that , you can enjoy and embrace nature and the fresh air.

Nice and cooling weather at 20 degrees celsius. Eat and eat and eat until looked so chubby and cui in Korea. Lol.

After our hearty meal , we went for a stroll up a little hill near Omma’s house.

Even Bomi joined us too.

I miss our room 😦

We always stayed at the biggest room in Omma’s motel whenever we are there.

Found this on youtube.

This was the room on the 8th floor which we always sleep in whenever we are at Omma’s motel in Gimhae which is 20 mins drive from Busan. It is 10 mins from Gimhae airport. Gimhae and Busan is just like Incheon and Seoul.

Airport of Seoul is in Incheon and airport of Busan is in Gimhae.

Busan is the 2nd largest city in Korea after Seoul. Yes in Busan , you can find the world’s largest shopping mall (Centum City / Shinsaegae ). Will intro more about Busan next time.

And here is another big room.

Room rates range from KRW50,000 to KRW 70,000 depending on the no. of pax.

The airport of Seoul is at Incheon and the airport of Busan is at Gimhae.

Most of the time , we stayed at oppa’s brother’s apartment in Seomyeon, Busan.

We go to Gimhae and help his mum out at her motel over the weekend.

Will talk about about this accommodation next time 🙂 Lotte water park, Lotte premium outlets , Lotte mart , Gimhae airport are just nearby Omma’s motel , that’s why there are foreigners checking in these days 🙂

Hehe finally done documenting my 2nd trip to Busan. Looking forward to the next trip !!

Next up is K-beauty and new posts about financial matters 🙂

Busan Korea

Oct5

Back to work today and i really miss the autumn weather in Korea.

Imagine clear blue sky accompanied with a nice breeze and the air was very fresh especially at the mountains in the day.

The haze condition in SG is getting worst. It was bad before i left and even after 2 weeks , it got even worse. My nose itches and i kept on coughing whenever im outdoors.

This post is going to be lengthy one with my personal thoughts , 2 good news to share and also continued updates on my Korea trip.

A couple of my friends who have been following my blog and instagram asked me why haven’t i been updating my social media platforms as often and why have i not even started snapchat ?

To be honest , i really enjoyed my trip this time without considering so much about taking pictures just to update on my social media accounts. I don’t want to keep thinking about what pictures or visuals to update on my instagram page or other social media platforms. I don’t want to spend time arranging the food nicely on the table for visual purposes. I just snap a simple pic and enjoy eating the food while it is hot and nice. I want my blog to stay true where i jot down all my daily life and memories. I can be abit blunt sometimes but they were straight from my heart and mind..

I want to keep the pictures for memories and document my travels , food i ate , places i have been to and share genuine reviews and tips with people. Sometimes , i even flip back my past posts to refer to when i need to and read my old posts with my bf. Because i forgot how to get to that place or what brand , what address or how it looks like after awhile.

Now that i am turning 30 next year , i just want my life to be simple. Enjoy time with my love ones , document and share my travel experiences , beauty and make-up journeys. I enjoying sharing and exchanging tips and feedbacks with readers too. Just simple and sweet. It is also time for me to settle down.

I know i have some regular and long time readers of my blog who have read about the ups and downs that happened in my life. And i am also glad to have their support. It was really touching to receive their emails with words of encouragement during my down times. During my down times , i was in no mood or in any good condition to reply anyone even though i read their messages because i wish to be alone. But i do felt touched by their words even though i didn’t express it out. And also i made friends with my readers and even customers. Like i said , it is time for me to settle down , so i have 2 good news to share with you especially with people who were there for me and always encouraging me.

First good news is….

Oppa and i are already planning for our wedding in Sept 2016. We are looking for photo studios to shoot our pre-wedding photos in Seoul or Busan and also to look for wedding venue in Busan. Whereas in SG , we are looking for a venue for the ROM ( + event styling and catering ). The main wedding will be in Busan. Planning to do pre-wedding shoot in Spring 2016. It will be nice because of the cherry blossoms.

I will be tailoring my own hanbok for the wedding on my next Korea trip. I am thinking of pastel tones ( Ivory top with Peach/Pink bottom skirting).

It will be a Korean + SG wedding. The ROM in SG will be a small affair. We ever thought of holding it on a yacht with a few of our close knit relatives actually because he was a ship navigation 2nd officer, has license to operate a ship vessel and he loves the sea. We were also considering holding it at a nice cafe or somewhere with a touch of nature because i love gardens and flowers and the budget is more affordable.

Here is one of my shortlisted venue in Busan. Something garden-ish.

For 2 years , this man has never made me worried and he really takes good care of me. He supports me in whatever i do and he understands my fear and bad experiences with trust in relationships so he always assures me. He feels and thinks that it is the responsibility of the man to take care of his woman and his family.

After going through ups and downs in my life and in relationships , i know what i want in a marriage. I only hope for a happy and simple marriage life. Just need someone to be there for me and to be there for me for life and our family. It has been my dream marriage since young which is to have a happy family with my kids and a dog.

I will document down my planning process and hopefully to share and exchange tips with fellow readers who are in SG-KOR relationships or weddings. If you ever held a SG-KOR wedding , please drop me an email at peonykissblog@gmail.com.

Thank you !

Life and work have been exciting and challenging for me these few months. If you were wondering what am I studying for and what industry did I venture into ,

Well, Here comes the 2nd good news !

I am embarking in the Financial Planning career.

I have always been interested in the Finance industry since graduating from SIM with majors in Banking and Finance.

For 3 years, I worked for a Private Bank and I am happy to be back into the finance industry once again. To be back, it is something that I have always wanted to do. And this time, I will be at the front line happy at crossing lives and getting in touch with people at the same time.

So from now instead of just blogging about my make-up and skincare reviews and Korea travels , i will share some of my financial planning work experiences and financial matters too.

If you have any questions or need any suggestions or opinions regarding financial matters , beauty and skincare , you can email at peonykissblog@gmail.com

So what about AE ? I guess this will be what most people will be curious about. It is still running by my family as usual. There were a lot of shifting and moving to a new office for the past 2 months but you can expect a new collection this coming Sunday ( previews are up on facebook page ).

I celebrated Chu Seok ( Korea Thanksgiving Day ) on 27th Sept with Oppa and his family. And that was when i met some of his extended family members. I spent the day in the kitchen helping his mother with the food and to serve the guests. It was a tiring day because the cooking and preparing started as early as 5am. All ended after lunch time and all of us knocked out till evening.

Because Oppa’s dad passed away more than 10 years ago , his relatives will come over to pay respect to his father on Thanksgiving Day. It is the day where Koreans pay respect to their ancestors and family members who passed away. Only the men will be paying respect and the women in the kitchen. Men must be dressed formally in suits , pants and shirts. Managed to snap a pic secretly while preparing to serve lunch.

After the lunch , i helped his mother to clear up before i KOed.

Next day , Jinjae oppa took leave and drove us to a small own near Ulsan for the famous and popular beef BBQ. It is an hour drive from Busan. I just realized that the best food are located at the countryside. Cheap and good.

Supposedly to go to Gyeongju this Sept but Oppa has to renew his driving license because he has not driven for 10 years. So he has to attend a 2 day course and take the driving test again. So we shall bring the Gyeongju trip to next year.

Busan itself is so big. Went there 2 times and stayed there for 1 month in total but i have not been to every corner of Busan or even the outskirts of Busan.

It was a fun car ride chit chatting with each other and Ommoni is happy to have her 2 sons by her side and traveling with her. The BBQ place was so popular that we have to wait for 30 minutes. You can wait at the shelter near the pond.

Saw GDragon and other celebs wearing the Seoul Olympic 1988 cap before. So when i saw it while shopping at a fashion concept shop , i have to get it ! It is the last piece too. He also wore one in the latest Big Bang US world tours concert held few days ago.

I looked at what caps the celebs wear whenever i watch Running Man , Infinity Challenge , Returns of superman or any other variety shows because their caps are all so nice. The HALYANG cap which Kang Gary from Running Man is often seen in is a hot item too. Can see many places selling it when i was shopping in Busan.

Look who joined us that day ? The youngest in the family , Bomi !

We have to hide her in the bag when seated in the restaurant. But she managed to sneak out after smelling the BBQ beef.

While waiting , we went to buy the Hae Bbang ( custard bread ) which is quite a popular snack in this town.

My bf and his bro.

They are my 2 big pillars and bodyguards.

Jinjae oppa is such a good cook ! The pastas and food he cooked are so great.

First time trying Samjang soup and it tasted so nice ! I want to learn to cook this !

After our hearty meal , we drove to this big field which was just 5 minutes away from our lunch place. Popular hangout with the locals. Weather was perfect , grass were green and clean and you can see many families having picnic and chilling out on the field. Ulju is a town in the city of Ulsan located at the easternmost of South Korea.

The first place to see the first sunrise of the year in Ulsan (below)

2nd largest mailbox in the world and you can post your postcards and receive them a year later.

I don’t know is it the angle or my flat hair…why i looks so bah bah here ?

Back to Busan after our trip to Ulju in Ulsan.

We went to cafe street which is just opposite our house. This cafe street is Busan’s version of Dempsey hill + Holland Village + Haji Lane. Alot of concept cafes here and the prices are affordable and cheap.

You can find many interesting cafes with unique decors and concepts.

Fans of lobster rolls can enjoy lobster rolls at only KRW 15,000 with fries. Wanted to try this but it was full house. Saw the rolls from the window and they looked so delicious with generous servings of thick juicy lobsters.

We settled for pizzas.

This big pizza is only KRW 15,000. So huge and we struggle to finish it. Bread and side dishes are free flow. You can toast your own bread at the “SELF” corner. “SELF” in Korea means self-service.