Busan Korea

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.

After our pizzas , it is time for dessert. Saw a promotion and this strawberry ice cream bingsu cost only KRW 3,900.

So yummy with generous servings for strawberries and raspberries.

After which , we went for our favourite bubble tea – Bubble Pong.

It is located across the road from NC Shopping mall’s Lotteria.

My favourite bubble tea place and i have it almost everyday.

Served in a cute little bottle which you can bring home if you order the large size.

That’s how we ended our day 10 !

Just started using some of the new skincare products i bought from Korea. Loving it and shall review it soon.

Busan : Where to go and eat

Oct5

Day 4 , 5 , 6 and 7 in Busan, South Korea.

Here we go !

I came back weighing 54kg. OMG . I went there with my luggage weighing 15kg and came back with almost 30kg because it was filled with food and my skincare stock ups as well as my friends’ stuff which they asked me to help them to buy.

One thing i absolutely looked forward to was the BBQ. I can eat till my heart content and the price was not expensive and the meat were sooo yummy and fresh.

Here we are at one popular BBQ place in Seomyeon , Busan. The place where the talk about marriage started.

The place was huge and really spacious. There are private rooms , traditional floor seatings or table seatings. The decors and interiors are so nice. The toilets are even nicer. I kinda enjoy the toilet tours in big shopping malls like Shinsaegae and big restaurants like this. They looked so grand , bigger and better than some 5 star hotels’ toilets. The interior decors for the make-up area are baroque style.

The name of the restaurant.

After BBQ , Koreans usually have cold noodles or rice.

Oppa’s mum ordered rice whereas both of us had cold noodles and one of them was the North Korean cold noodles.

Saw a couple of restaurants serving North Korean food. Wanted to try but maybe next time. Saw the menu and food looks almost similar to South Korean food.

After our lunch , we went to Seomyeon and that’s when the shopping started. I got only some new make up products ( which i will review soon once i started using them for almost a week. Can’t tell if a product is good after 1 try. Will need a week for me to see if it is good or not ). Didn’t get alot because i know i will be going back again in 7 mths’ time and they will change the packaging and improve their products frequently. So there is no need for massive stock up therefore i just get what i need only. Haha and most of the bulk of the make up buys belong to my friends. Their shopping lists are longer than mine.

I really love Seomyeon . Not because of the shopping but because it is quite a hip place and you can find both expensive and cheap things around easily. To the left of our apartment , you can find wet markets , mountains, cheap and nice food. To the right , is the hip place with all the shoppings , make ups , beauty , bars , food , cafes , supermarkets , aesthetics and plastic surgery clinics and departmental stores. Right infront is a departmental store and i can see people eating yummy buffets everyday in the mall when i do laundry at the balcony. Very convenient. There are 5 aritaums and many other brands just opposite our studio apartment that’s why i have no problem buying stuff for my friends. Also Lotte Department store and hotel are just 1 street away.

Oppa’s hometown is in Haeundae , Busan South Korea. Haeundae is a popular beach place and flooded with tourists and Koreans during summer because of its long coasts and beaches. And the world’s largest department store Shinsaegae is just nearby. Seafood restaurants , bars , chill out cafes and pubs everywhere in Haeundae. It is only 15 minutes drive from Seomyeon. Love these 2 places.

Well on Day 6 , we had Kimchi jiggae at the restaurant right below our apartment. Nice and cheap. I like the concept too.

There is a free flow self-help egg corner where you can fry omelette , scramble eggs or sunny side ups or whatever you want to do. Salt , pepper , oil and ketchup or mustard sauces were provided too.You will see this sign “SELF” in most Korean restaurants or petrol stations. It means self-service and it also means free flow also in restaurants.

Hehe i fried 4 omelette rolls and 1 sunny side up.

Our Kimchi jiggae hotpot. So yummmz !

Our pot of rice.

Our bill came up to KRW 13,000 for 2 pax. Which is approx SGD 14 for 2 pax. Damn cheap right ? Just take a lift down to 2nd floor and we can enjoy yummy food.

Korean drip coffee.

If you travel to Korea and had meals in restaurants , you will often see a coffee machine near the entrances. They are free of charge and are for their customers. Some Korean restaurants in SG do also provide the free coffees but quite rare.

One interesting concept i like about this Korean Kimchi jiggae restaurant was that the rice are free flow too and you get an entire pot from the rice cooker . Lol. It is a “SELF” corner too.

I have been taking the lift up to our apartment so many times since April and i didnt know there is an Amore Pacific office branch just right at the 4th floor of our building . I didnt know it until the lift door opened at the 4th floor because i pressed the lift button wrongly. Heh..it means buying my Hera and Sulwhasoo is so much easier now eh ???

Oh i always go to this restaurant that serves Jjim Ddak (Steam Soya Sauce Chicken) whenever i miss Singapore local home cooked food. It tastes like the chinese version and it is soo nice when served with sweet potato clear noodles.

Actually cooking Korean food can be easy if you know how to mix the sauce well and accurately. Oppa’s mother made Yangnyeom pork ribs and they tasted so good. Very easy , she just mixed the sauce for us in a bottle and we just throw in these ribs and fry with the sauce. I just managed to learn the recipes and how to mix different kind of sauces.

So yummy and i really have to master how to mix the sauces well.

That pork rib was for our lunch and here’s what we had for dinner after meeting his friends.

We spent most of our time in Seomyeon and Haeundae. His hometown was in Haeundae , Busan South Korea. Haeundae , Nampodong , Seomyeons etc are like towns or districts in Busan. Same as Myeongdong , Gangnam , Hongdae etc in Seoul.

So we spent most of our time meeting his friends in Haeundae and Seomyeon during the day and sometimes at night for drinks since he only get to see them twice a year when he goes back.

So we had Tonkatsu for dinner. Tonkatsu was very cheap and only 7500KRW per pax. I seriously need to exercise more soon because i have been eating so much and gaining so much weight !

On Day 7 , i went for my C curl perming. Initially , i wanted to go to Hwamiju in Seomyeon but hmm someone was lazy to walk there ( 10 minutes walk ) so we ended up at Juno Hair in Seomyeon which was just 2 minutes walk from our apartment.

I love getting my hair done in Korea because of the prices and services provided. Salons are spacious and the staff attended to their customers very fast. They will say sorry even if they made me waited for 2 minutes because he dropped the towel and he has to get a new one for me. Koreans don’t like to wait i realized. Alot of my friends complained that the cashiers in SG and staff in SG salons worked too slowly that’s why queuing and waiting time are always that long in SG.

I remembered having my hair dyed , volume rebonded , cut and wash all in 2-2.5 hours . I realized sometimes in SG , i was made to wait because the stylist was attending to other customers at the same time and i have to lie that i have something on so that they can work on me faster and put me as priority. Time is precious and i don’t like to sit there for 4 hours just for something that can be done in 2 hours.

While conditioning my hair , i was served tea and light snacks ( you can even ask for instant cup noodles if you haven’t had your meal ) and was given a crescent shape pillow for me to rest my arms and magazines. The cushion made everything comfy instead of having to bend my neck down to read the magazine or holding it up at a weird angle. You can put this cushion on the chair while getting your hair cut too. It will curve around your chair because of its crescent shape and it makes reading easier. You can also rest your arm comfortably.

Perming starts.

My own locker with keys to keep my belongings so i do not need to worry leaving my things unattended when i wash my hair.

Final touch up and trimming. Because i was the curls to look natural and slightly wavey.

Price tag for perming : KRW 120,000 which is approx SGD 130. I want to talk about maintaining C curls and i will blog about it later and separately.

Sunday , 27th Sept was Chu Seok( Thanksgiving day) and i wanted to buy Eu Yan Sang (bird nests) but can’t bring it into Korea. I brought them in before and they were confiscated at the Korea airport customs. Hmmm it was considered as livestock.

So i ordered from some Korean shopping sites and bought for his mum this set.

During Thanksgiving , Koreans give gifts such as traditional snacks , shampoos and food as gifts. Just like our Mooncake festival , we give out mooncakes and traditional snacks.

It comes with traditional silk scarf wrapping too.

Yay , i managed to wrap it up nicely !

After which , we went to Haeundae to meet his friends for dinner. His friend owned this restaurant so we get to eat alot of yummy food. This is considered first round and after that we went for 2nd and 3rd rounds at different places respectively. Initially i was amazed how Koreans can talk , eat and drink from dinner till early morning. After experiencing it for the past 2 years , i got used to it and kinda enjoy it because the food are always good and so much to eat , learn , talk and listen. That’s how i improve my Korean too. But usually i got tired after the 2nd round and started stoning at the 3rd round.