Meoww's Musings

Lotus

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Wed, 15 May 2013 03:47:00 +0000

The lotus is considered one of the eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism. The lotus flower arises from the mud and reaches high above the water and blooms radiantly in the sun. This is compared to our soul which have to arise from the dirt of materialism and wade through the waters of experience to reach the state of Enlightenment.

According to a Korean Buddhist book, "The spirit of the best of men is spotless, like the lotus in the muddy water which does not adhere to it.

I like the lotus because my father calls me lotus and because it is just too beautiful!

The pristine pink, that i made!

Orange lotus lantern. What a color!

Mixed color with a beautiful finish!

Another style of mixed colors

Now, which one is your favorite?

Pretty lanterns offered at the Jogyesa Temple in Seoul

Pink lotus again!

Cant get enough of the pinks :)

Night Beauty

Lotus Lantern Festival 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Sat, 11 May 2013 15:12:00 +0000

Do you remember the thousands of lanterns that float in the air in Disney's Rapunzel? That's exactly what i am reminded of when i see the lotus lantern festival parade in Seoul. Only, the lanterns are far more bigger, complex, floating through the streets and just so much more beautiful in reality.

Lanterns are an important part of the Buddhist beliefs symbolising enlightenment to the world. Huge, colorful lanterns made of strong Hanji paper, beautiful girls dancing in pretty hanboks, cute kids carrying lanterns with enthusiasm, makes-me-want-to-dance rhythmic music from the instruments, comfortable seats for the spectators arranged by the city and perfect spring weather to watch the show! Just perfect.

The parade started at 7PM from the Heunginjium gate from Dongdaemun and moved towards the Jogyesa Temple, where they are in display. Just outside the Jongno 3-ga station was a perfect place to watch the parade. The parade went on for about two and a half hours. It was a night to remember!

2013 Global Seoul Mate Mission 1- I like! Seoul

Some lanterns were so huge that they had to be moved by trucks

This is my most favorite of all festivals in Seoul. It is a visual treat that i wouldnt mind being a part of, year after year! I like! The Lotus Lantern Parade in Seoul.

Pretty rainbow colored hanboks of the dancers in the festival

Lanterns in captivating designs

White dragon which breathes fire was one of three. See the dragon from last year's parade here.

Colourful butterfly lanterns looked oh! so pretty.

Really huge tortoise-guy lantern

Pretty girls in delicate hanboks

Wonderful sight or what!

Round lanterns

School kids performing with the lanterns

The Buddha lantern for the Buddha's Birthday

Reminds me of the blue light saber :)

Laughing Buddha with a bow :)

Float from our neighbouring country

Just to add a bit of fun!

Two wheeler-powered lantern float

Yet another beautiful lantern float!

Flower festival

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Mon, 06 May 2013 23:42:00 +0000

Spring is all about flowers in Korea. The weather is warm with a pleasant cold tinge, birds are back and the flowers are in full bloom in myriad colors! Perfect time to walk with friends in a field of tulips or hand in hand with the loved one under the cherry blossoms or to click away at the gorgeous blooms with yourself in between. Goyang Horticultural Festival is one beautiful place to do just all of that!

Located close to the Ilsan lake, about an hour's ride on the subway from Itaewon, Seoul, is the Goyang festival. The subway station to look out for is Jeongbalsan on the orange line bound for Daehwa. The horticultural festival, with all the white tents can be easily spotted from the exit 1 and is around 5-10minutes walk from the station.

Fast becoming a grey cloudy sky from a pleasant spring day

The Africa Exhibit of the festival. There were exhibits depicting all the other continents too!

There were pretty pathways all decorated with flowers

And many decorations made with flowers

Adding more interest to the displays by depicting scenes from a Korean day

Pretty places for photo ops! I just discovered the Korean Kraze for pretty backdrops for the pictures they take!

This looked right out off a sci-fi movie. Airplants hanging in glass bubbles. Very pretty and very interesting

I never knew cactus comes in such colors! Wow. More budding cactii pics here.

Airplants dont need soil or water to grow. They can be pretty display pieces and easy to maintain. And hard to kill :)

Clean Ilsan lake with cherry blossom petals.

Tulips in full bloom :)

Cactus come in strikingly different colors and shapes too!

My favorite section- The farmer's market.

This was my favorite! Yellow cactus.

Framed plant. Which can be watered :) What an idea!

Cute carry case for the flowery purchase!

This wel"C"ome display reminded me of Aiyannar statues in my hometown

I spotted this very close to the entrance of the Goyang fair. Who's in for dinner at a Crashed Eagle-Aircraft Restaurant?

Seoul Mate

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:28:00 +0000

A sweet little surprise today! I was selected to be one of the Global Seoul Mates with a medal for my blog :)

I am so looking forward to getting to meet new people and exploring the city even more! Yay!

Spring Flowers in Seoul

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:15:00 +0000

Spring has brought in an explosion of color, sweet scents, and the long missed warmth of the sun. It is just glorious to see the leafless trees bring forth buds and suddenly, all you see is flowers all around!

Another leafless pink!

Cherry Pinks on the floor

Pinks all around!

Can't get enough of cherry blossoms? More pretty cherry blossoms here.

Just the white buds

And now, lo and behold! just white flowers

Oh pink buds looking sooo pretty!

With the just emerging green to contrast with the pink

Just a splash of yellow!

Cactus buds

Azaleas

Tulips

Reds, yellows and a mix

White tops and pure whites!

Bonsai tree flowers

Bonsai tree flowers, who knew?

More pink beauties!

Hairy leaflets


Cactus buds

Budding cactus

Interesting buds of cactus

It's Cherry Blossom time!

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:25:00 +0000

Cherry Blossoms most delicately and bewitchingly herald the onset of Spring in Korea. These gossamer flowers are at their zenith only for three days in a year. An entire road overlooking the Yeouido park, adjoining the National Assembly building of Seoul has around 1400 cherry blossom trees. The entire street is closed for vehicular traffic and is in a festive mood for the Cherry Blossom festival which runs for five days. It is tradition for the couples to walk along the flowery lane, which they feel will strengthen their love and happiness. Today was the last day of the Cherry Blossom festival in Yeouido. More pictures of the next stage of the cherry blossom here.

Entrance of the Cherry Blossom lane at Yeouido

1641 Cherry blossom trees ahead!

Oh! So Beautiful!

Pretty Pretty flowers!

Cherry Blossom trees in full bloom!

What an interesting way to get the perfect shot of the delicate flowers!

Top view

Overlooking the Seoul Boat club

Couldn't have asked for a more perfect day :)

Perfect day for a science experiment. And pretty things to photograph too!

Sketch artists are a standard sight at any and every festival!

Cherry Blossom themed shows :)


Yeouido park overlooking the Han river

To get to the lane with the perfect cherry blossom trees, take the National Assembly station (914) in line 9, exit 1 or 6. Walk for a few minutes along to get to the street over looking the Han River and Yeouido park.

Skywatch Friday

Golden Buddha at the Sanbangsan Mountain

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 04:15:00 +0000

Jeju island, located in the South of South Korea itself was formed due to a volcanic activity. The Sanbangsan Mountain, located in the South West corner of the island, was formed some 800,000 years ago with the cooling down of viscous lava from the volcanic eruption. I loved the unique, almost flaky texture and interesting patterns in the mountain.

Mount Sanbangsan

Having had an eyeful of the beautiful natural formations, we head up a few steps to the two Buddhist temples- the Sangbangsan Temple, which houses the huge golden Buddha and the Bomunsa Temple which houses the Buddhist relics. There is also a grotto which houses another beautiful Buddha statue called the Sanbanggulsa grotto which is located even higher into the mountain than the other temples. There is no fee to visit the temples but there is a few thousand wons entrance fee for the trek up the grotto. This place was just perfect with very less crowd when we visited in late March and was just perfectly situated to gaze at the sea from atop the mountain with a rich surrounding.

Bomunsa Temple

The Gong in the temple

The Smiling Buddha

Golden Buddha of the Sanbangsan temple


The Golden Buddha

Golden Prayer Wheels


So many greenish Buddha statues


Beautiful scenery while driving towards the temple

Thursday Challenge -"RICH" (Money, Gold, Wealth, Expensive Things,...) :Golden Buddha

Island of the Gods- Jeju-do

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 07:11:00 +0000

http://lookatkorea.com/blog/korea/archives/jeju-map-in-english/

Ever since i arrived in Seoul, my number one place to visit has not been glittering lights of Japan, not been Shanghai, Macau or Hong Kong. It has been Jeju Island. I have read almost all of the blogs out there about the island, subscribed to everything about the place, have virtually seen most of the attractions in there, even bought five kgs of mandarins just because it said it was from Jeju. I am just crazy about Jeju.

Quick bits about Jeju-do

Jeju-do, a volcanic island, was shaped due to the volcanic activity of Halla Mountain. Halla-san is the tallest mountain of South Korea measuring 1,950 metres (6,400 ft) Jeju volcanic island and lava tubes is South Korea's first UNESCO World Natural Heritage site.
Jeju is acclaimed to be the "Island of the Gods", "Gift from Gods" and the "Hawaii of Korea". And is still remains one of the top honeymoon destination for the Koreans and for people all around the world.
Jeju city is the capital of this (only) autonomous self-governing province in South Korea. Climate here is warmer than the Korean peninsula because of the warm currents around the island.
Cherry Blossoms bloom in blankets announcing the arrival of Spring first in the Korean peninsula at Jeju. It is also home to the King Cherry blossoms which larger and more luxurious and are open only for 2-3 days.
Matriarchal society of Jeju is home to the female divers (Haenyeo) to stood upto Japanese oppression in 1932.
Jeju has the lowest crime rate in the whole South Korea!

Can't wait to travel to this magical place to get pictures to post on the blog and imprint in my mind.

ABC Wednesday -J for Jeju island

White Day

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 03:54:00 +0000

Following the Valentine's day in February where the girls were crooning over their special boys, March 14th is the White Day where the boys accept the girl's advances by giving them, usually, chocolates or something cute (and thoughtful :p ) of three times the value of what was given by the girl. Do you know that Koreans celebrate a "Day" in each month!

Yesterday, i went over to a store in Seoul, to find cutely dressed and decorated roses selling for 50,000KRW (Which is approximately $50 or Rs 2000) and lot of these pretty pastel baskets filled with sweet goodies. I was also really curious to see a lot of boys browsing through the shelves of the store which usually is deserted during the working hours. There were these bunch of just-out-of-college-boys just stuck in front of the plants section, picking up one pot, replacing it and picking up another flower pot, selecting and de-selecting until they burst out laughing at themselves!

White Day display to remind and help choose gifts for the confused male population!

So much fun to watch the men flock to these display and get overwhelmed by the choices.

White chocolates are a hot item on White Day.

Color Connection

Liebster Award

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 07:25:00 +0000

Thanks Astrid and Ashok for the Award :)

It is so great to be noticed and commended. I want to show my love to these amazing bloggers and present them with the Liebster Award.

Team G Square All about my favorite city in the world- Bangalore. With a lot of amazing snaps!
Farzanaliasmukhtiar Has a wonderful way of conveying a lot without many words but with lots of snaps! Way cool.
Health Benefits Good stuff for a healthy living!
Food, Travel, Living Just so much fun :)
Writing on the Go Awesome Mom on the go!

Shots of Hearts

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 01:33:00 +0000

Hearts :)

Lighted Heart

Heart toppings

Mini metal hearts

ABC Wednesday: H for Hearts

Spring is in the air!

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 12:50:00 +0000

Quite suddenly, things have began to change. Birds are chirping, trees are budding, temperature is rising. Days are longer, skirts are shorter and the moods are much more cheerful. Spring is in the air :)

Birds flocking to the trees during dusk

Magpies chattering together

Skywatch Friday

Snow Fun at the Ttukseom Park

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:18:00 +0000

Ttukseom Hangang Park is a park located on the banks of the Han River in Seoul. Easily accessible by the Jihachul or The Korean subway (Line 7 to Ttukseom Resort Station and exit 2 or 3, it is located right beside the station), it is a public park that transforms according to the seasons. The huge park encompasses a swimming pool, ice-skating rink, tennis courts, soccer fields, motor boating, water skiing, wind surfing activities according to the season. This place also houses a cafe and serves coffee and basic Korean dishes like Ramyeon (noodles in spicy broth). There were also a lot of cotton candy and ice cream to keep the kids filled up.

This winter, it was just a huge field of white dedicated for snow play. The main attraction were the two sliding area -one for adults and other for kids. The idea is simple. Climb all the way up to the slide with the tyre-like thingy and slide sitting on it. (There were helpful staff who kept a watch and let sets of people slide together to prevent collisions) It was the most fun time i had in a long time. Especially since there was none of the usual crowds that is synonymous with Seoul was present because Seoulites were busy with their own family celebrating the Seollal (Chinese / Lunar New Year).

On the left is the slide for adults and on the right of the red carpet is the slide for kids

All good fun sliding in the snow!

The kids tried out the smaller slide first and then stayed at the adults' side

Climbing up with the tyre-thingys

Few other activities were as fun as the slides :)

The Han River view. I could see the river frozen in a few places.

Fields of snow

Jihachul crossing the river to the Ttukseom Resort station

ABC Wednesday- F for Fun in the snow
Skywatch Friday

Snake Year 2013!

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 01:08:00 +0000

Welcome to the Year of the Black Water Snake.

Image from google

If you are like me, you would like to know what is in store for this year, which has been associated with the trickiest animal of the Chinese zodiac. But before that, some of the basics:

There are 12 animals (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse and goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig) in the Chinese Zodiac. Each year in the Chinese zodiac is represented by an animal. (Last year was the year of The Dragon.) And the animal rules the traits of the person born on that year and also defines how the year would be for the rest of us. It also means that all the people born on a particular year in the Chinese zodiac will have similar traits associated with the animals sign but will differ immensely depending on the place, day and hour of their birth.

There are also five different elements that influence a person (metal, water, wood, fire and earth) depending on the year of birth. Moreover, these elements are linked with the celestial planets and each element is identified by a unique color as well. Now, as the same animal sign repeats after 12 years, will a person born on the exact same moment, same place and under the same animal sign differ from the person born 12 years after at the exact same place, moment and under the same animal sign? Yes, very much so, as the last numeral of the year of birth denotes the element sign associated with that person, which will probably provide a different influence. As the Water element is denoted by Black, this year is the Year of the Black Water Snake, also known as the year of the Junior Dragon. Easy way to check out your Chinese zodiac sign and element is here!

Combined with the characteristics of the animal sign for this year and its compatibility with the birth animal sign, along with the birth element, we could determine our luck or the lack of it :) Or we could just sing the Que sera sera song and let whatever will be, will be!

Snake, is a charming, enticing and enigmatic animal which promises a year of turmoil and transformations. Snake years have not been very investor friendly, but research and innovations are sure to flourish this year. Snakes are always associated with cleverness, intelligence and tenacity, it probably will require steadfastness, seriousness, introspection and focus in all walks of life for this year. A slow but steady Snake year, to win the race!

With Oprah Winfrey, Liv Tyler, Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Queen Elizabeth I born under the Snake, this year is sure to be a beautiful one :) More snakes: John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Pablo Picasso, Bob Dylan, James Joyce, Martha Stewart, Kanye West, Pierce Brosnan, Charlie Sheen, Courtney Love, Howard Stern, and Edgar Allan Poe.

Pretty Chinese pics depicting the year of the snake here!

How to celebrate Valentine's Day, Korean Style?

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:16:00 +0000

Valentine's Day, i know of, starts off with the men organizing last minute gifts (do they ever get it right?!), scrambling for the roses which are now exorbitantly priced, standing in long lines to grab something pink off the rack!

Here in Korea, 14th February finds women patiently standing in long lines for chocolates and spending way too much for the flowers for the perfect someone. Confused?

Chocolate of Love
On Valentine's day, it is tradition for the women in South Korea to give chocolates for the men. Store bought, simple chocolates as a courtesy, social obligation for all the men in their life and they go to all lengths to get the chocolates right for the men they love by making their own or customizing to the core. The idea is that the girl shows her love, sincerity and hard work for the guy by giving him personalized chocolate. This is also the day, i hear that the girls profess their love to the special someone by giving him chocolates. Korean guys have it easy, you say?

White Day
One month later, on March 14th, its the guy's turn to show his love and sincerity to his girl by getting her something white- white chocolate, candies, cookies, jewellery, dolls, white lingerie etc. It is an unwritten rule that the guy give a gift three times as expensive as the gift he received from the girl! :D

Black Day
All those sadly single people who did not get to celebrate Valentine's day or the White day, tend to get together and celebrate the Black Day on April 14th. (How thoughtful is the Korean way of life :) They wear black on that day and eat jjajangmyeong, which is- you guessed it- black! It is thick wheat noodles topped with black bean paste with pork and vegetables. And it is generally not advisable for the girls and guys who got gifts on Valentine's day or White day to have jjajangmyeong on the Black day.

If you think there is a ring to the 14th of each month being celebrated in Korea, you are absolutely right! Happily for the retailer, there is "Day" affixed with 14th of each month, mainly for the couples who are crazily in love. Here is the list:

Jan 14: Diary Day- Couples exchange diaries in hopes that the other doesn't forget the important anniversaries, birthdays etc.

Feb 14th: Valentine's Day- when the women stand in lines.

March 14th: White Day- when the men stand in lines.

April 14th: Black Day- standing in lines for the jjajangmyeong!

May 14th: Roses Day - Couples exchange roses on this day! I am guessing there is going to be long lines of both men and women paying mighty bucks for this one too! If you are wondering why the long lines is because of this!

June 14th: Kiss Day -Kiss your significant other on this day! Atleast this doesnt involve long lines and losing money.

July 14th: Silver Day- Exchanging silver gifts. Ka-ching!

August 14th: Green Day- Couples escape to nature to spend some quality time together while the singles wallow in soju.

September 14th: Photo Day- Couples probably remember to print out the digital pics that they have accumulated so far or just go on clicking a few hundred more.

October 14th: Wine Day- I expect lines for this one too.

November 11th: Peppero Day- People exchange the sweet peppero sticks. This day is gaining popularity whereby promoting more lines to the retailer.

November 14th: Movie Day- More lines :)

December 14th: Hug Day- Hugs to ward away the cold. Lines to the obstetrician?

ABC Wednesday- E for Exchanging gifts!

Crowded in Seoul

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:28:00 +0000

The Megacity of Seoul alone houses over 10 million people along with 600,000 foreigners. With Seoul also being the third most visited city in the world after Paris and London, it plays hosts to a 10 million visitors every year. Almost 2/3rd of the country's population lives in Seoul. With all these statistics, it will not be hard to visualize the crowds in Seoul.

The escalators are crowed, the malls are full and apartments overflowing; There is almost always a queue for shopping, wait at the restaurants, lines to get into the subway. People everywhere, at any time. But, even with so many soju (alcohol comparable to vodka)-loving people around, Seoul is a very safe city. Women walk safe wearing whatever they want to even at late nights. Now, thats really Cool!

These are the pictures of the crowded skating rink in City Hall, Seoul.

Why is the sky always grey in Seoul?

The hi-tech gadgets advertising their stuff is found on tall buildings.

ABC Wednesday- C for Crowds in Seoul
Skywatch Friday

Shiny Antiques

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 03:48:00 +0000

Shiny Scooters found at Itaewon

Thursday Challenge- Shiny antiques spotted at Itaewon Festival.

Trees during Winter

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +0000

It was a freezing cold evening in Seoul that i dare not step out of the door, but the magpies were up and about doing their thing. I just couldnt let that magical moment pass me by without capturing it!

Beautiful sunset setting

Bare trees

Trees with a tinge of red

Bare trees during the snowfall

ABC Wednesday- B for Bare trees
Skywatch Friday

Questioning the Life of Pi

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 04:43:00 +0000

To say that i did not understand the Life of Pi is not exactly true. The book was gripping, the story was exciting, the movie was spectacular but the climax was shocking. Whoever heard of having a choice of picking your own version for the story?

I remember reading a particular kind of book when i was a kid, the kind of one which had a choice to make at each step of the way: if you think he opened the door to the right, go to page 32, if you think he opened the door on the left, go to page 45. I was never satisfied with those kinds of books... Made me feel that i was not getting the full picture. Made me feel i had missed out on something exciting. And also, there was the question of what if i felt that he did not open either of the door, what if he left through the window? Anyway, i was never impressed with those kinds of books.

It was not the ending that has to be decided in life of Pi. Pi is alive. He is saved. I just had to come to peace with whether Pi really spent 227 days with the tiger, Richard Parker, or did he survive the 227 days alone and covered up his sad story of murdering his mother's murderer by becoming the tiger Richard Parker himself?

Wont not believing that Pi spent 227 days with the tiger become an insult to the bestseller writer? He did most convincingly and painstakingly explain over the 100 pages how that ready did happen? I did read the whole book, believing that anything is possible in life, if we only put our heart and soul into it? And Richard Parker is a zoo-trained animal. But hold on, didnt his father also say and create a scene that tigers can never actually be tamed or trained? Is that a clue to the second version being the true one?

Should i believe the distraught face Irrfan Khan had when he told the human-version of his story? Is this the true one then? Men like the cook are very much alive and around us just like the devils in the Delhi case. They sadly show us that people are capable of doing anything and everything including that which would be considered inhuman or downright macabre. I can believe that Pi tranforms into Richard Parker too, much like Smeagol becomes Gollum or like Gange becoming Nagavalli under these extreme circumstances.

The book tossed me a real googly when it went for the other blind shipwrecked person with the French accent who admitted killing a man and a woman. I was as blind as Pi was in fixing this piece into the two possible jigsaw puzzles. If Pi is with the tiger, then, is this person the cook who killed Pi's mom and the Buddhist sailor? How does this guy fit in the human version, where the only French guy to whom we are introduced to is already dead?

And what is it about the carnivorous island in the Pacific? Why was this island so important? To show that God is still watching over you, even when it doesnt feel like it? Remember in the movie Signs, Mel Gibson says that there are two kinds of people- People who believe that the occurrences are pure luck, nothing more. And another group of people who believe that these occurrences are more than just luck, they are signs from an Almighty, watching over them. Why give Pi a choice again- to either enjoy the plenty of the island and die slowly at the hands of a faceless enemy or face the mighty Pacific and have a chance at life?

Where in the story does Pi make a person believe in God? The mere fact that he survived 227 days in the Pacific with the tiger within or without? The boundless expanse of the ocean and sky or the tremendous power of the lightning, the spurts of flying fish just falling into the mouth of Richard Parker at the moment of need or just the fact that he is on a lifeboat when countless perished?

And why do i have so many questions regarding the book even after finishing reading it and watching the movie in spectacular 3D? And do these questions arise only because there is a book has an open ending? Will i be thinking so hard, if it had a definitive end?

Korean Veggie Buffet - Garobee

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 01:45:00 +0000

Garobee is a vegetarian and vegan-friendly buffet restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul. While Sanchon in Insadong is classy, unique, spacious and special occasion-worthy (with its 40,000won per person rates), Garobee is cozy, sweet and affordable. Though a decent meal can be got for under 8,000won in Seoul, an all-you-can-eat-vegetarian buffet for those ravenous days can be quite satisfying at Garobee at 15,000won.


Pretty glasses all in a row!

Garobee is quite easy enough to find. Take Gangnam station exit 11. Find CGV movies. Garobee is located behind the CGV in a small alley.

There is decent salad bar with fresh veggies, fruits and kimchi of course, and a special salad dressing each day. It was an interesting and quite tasty peppery pineapple dressing on the day we visited. The soup made with kelp was a bit hit with my younger one. As for me, i am stuck at "there is a smell associated with seaweed."

Though this item looks like a beef dish, it is made totally out of tofu with the bean paste, cabbage, onions, capsicums and sesame seeds. This is used as a gravy to top the rice. But it was good enough to eat it alone too.

Fried Tofu shells with rice filling.

This is one of my favorite food at Korea. So easy to make too. Tofu (soya paneer) is widely used in cooking in Korean food. Tofu is quite versatile and marinates well and can be grilled, sauteed, fried and boiled. Thick triangle chunks of tofu is fried and cut half way on the inside of the base to make a shell. Then, flavored rice is then stuffed into the shell. The shell is quite soft and not so brittle as we would imagine it to be.

Deep fried golden veggies in tempura batter with sweet and sour sauce for the topping

The veggies- potatoes, sweet potatoes, pine mushrooms- were light and crisp while the tangy sauce was a nice accompaniment to it.

Noodles in Soy sauce

Pardon the shake, i guess i was getting pretty hungry by this time!

Fake ham and cheese sandwiches

The good thing about this place is that it does not only serve Korean food. There were these fake ham (tofu, again) and cheese sandwiches and potato fries with ketchup that my kids happily gobbled up! There were also some bread and a variety of spread for those picky eaters.

Silken tofu soup

There was also this whole section dedicated to bibimbap. With a lot of sauteed veggies, pickled veggies, dried and cut seaweed and the red sauce with the option of white Korean rice or the more healthy brown rice.

Plum tea was yummy

And I really enjoyed the refreshing plum tea. Must find out if the store-bought ones are as good as this one...

Korean Dessert

The dessert was not fulfilling though, with just one Korean sweet. (Which has to be eaten with sugar on the side for us sweet-toothed Indians!)

Garobee is a good veggie place but i am told there is a better veggie buffet elsewhere with even more options... Will unearth it soon.

Simple acts of Korean Kindness

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Coming back from India, missing friends and family, the food and noise and the lovely, warm sun, it isn't easy to get back to the normal routine in Korea. Just can't get rid of this homesickness :( Not that i was trying. Fighting the cold, remembering to wear heavy layers before i step out of the door, I decided to venture into the city which would be my home for sometime now, after too many days of self-imposed solitary confinement.

The Very Sweet Iron Man

I decided to do a good deed and get back the clothes that my husband had dropped off for ironing. The iron shop is about a kilometer away from home. I walked cheerfully but the wind was too piercing, too cold. Braving through it, i told the Korean the few words that i hoped he would know in English. "Pickup". "Senthil". The baffled man recovered, quite fast and replied: "Saint hill, 15?" Yeah. Mission accomplished. He picked out all of the right clothes, packed it all for me, got the payment from me, and asked me: "Teksi?". "Anneyo", i replied confidently, "walking". He kept on showing me how heavy the load was. "I can carry 15 pants and shirts", remembering how i had to carry my son on my left hand for 2-3 hours at a time, when he was a baby as he would never be happy except with me and my left hand. Still, he kept on mumbling. He graciously helped me with my back pack, waited until i wore my gloves and cap and handed me the clothes in the compactly packed coat-bag. He even demonstrated the best way to carry it and how my way was wrong. Convinced that i understood, he opened the door, let me out and again made sure i didnt need a teksi. All smiles at the attention and help i got from this man, i walked happily towards home. By the time i reached home, the 15 items seemed very heavy and i was determined that Sainthill should be paying better attention to me or he is not getting any good deeds from me.

The Wonderful Waxer

It is so easy to get the eyebrows tweezed in India. Every corner has a beauty parlor where you could get it done for 20 bucks.
Here, i have to get my eyebrows waxed. It is every bit scary and painful as it sounds. I guess this is a necessary pain. I had made an appointment for this torture and showed up 15 mins early to the place. The moment i start taking off my jacket i find a fellow standing next to me with his arms wide open, perplexed, i look at him and he takes my jacket off my shoulders in one swift movement. I was taken to the small, comfortable room where some one helped me off with my snow boots. My snow boots. She jippered it off for me! I lied down in the bed, visualizing my pain, the lady sweet-talked with me to help ease the tension while ripping off the extra hairs on my eyebrows. The process was excruciating, though she was mumbling "its ok", "its ok" like a mom comforting a baby after the injections. She applied the orange flavored liquid which smelt good more than anything and declared that my eyebrows looked perfect. Again, she jippered on my snow boots, jippered my jacket which the guy was holding with open arms, held the backpack for me to slip my hands in and opened the door for me. Wow! I thanked them profusely while they Annyeonghaseo-ed me. By the time i walked home, Sainthill was in big trouble. He has Never Ever helped me with my jacket- on or off. Never even opened a door for me.

The Pretty Lady in Blue

Seoul's climate is wild. It just takes minutes to see a sunny day turn cloudy and rainy and back to being sunny again. And Koreans are magicians. They whip out an umbrella out of nowhere and slip it into oblivion equally fast. This happened before i had discovered their secret weapon. (The weather app which gives the weather details for each hour of the day.)

We came out of the subway station and had to walk a few hundred metres to reach the mall. It started pouring. Everybody around us popped out an umbrella and kept on walking just as before. I was shivering and trying to push through the crowd to the safety of the mall, without seeming rude. Suddenly, this lady closest to me, pulled me under her umbrella. She held me close, made sure i was dry until we reached the mall entrance. She disappeared just as she appeared close to me, before i could voice my gratitude. "How wonderfully kind people these Koreans are", I think. I turned back to see Sainthill thanking another younger lady fashionably dressed in blue for taking him under her umbrella... I wasn't impressed with this particular lady. "It was not raining too hard, was it?" I started to Sainthill.

Seoul Seasons

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 08:11:00 +0000

Korea has four distinct seasons. Cherry Blossoms in Spring, Sweltering Summer, Fall colors of the leaves in Autumn and Skiing and snowboarding in Winter. These are the shots of the season, conveniently taken from my window :)

Spring from my balcony

Summer showers in Seoul

My window to the Fall colors

Snow show during Winter

Snowfall at night

Snow fall on the pines!


Snowed cars

Just started to snow :)

Skywatch Friday

Jihachul- The Korean Subway system

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:34:00 +0000

Jihachul of Seoul

Jihachul is the Korean subway system whose arms reach each and every corner of Seoul. There are 9 subway lines and also an airport railroad which conveniently runs to the Incheon from Seoul station in 45 mins flat. Each line is color coded, each station numbered, transfer stations clearly marked with directions (both in English and Korean) so that it is very easy to figure out how to get from one part of the city to the other.


Stations in the brown line in Seoul

Subways are the fastest way to reach a place in Seoul, especially during the peak hours. It not only cheap (1,050 won per trip including the transfers and is just 450 won for kids and 900 won for teenagers), but always runs on time, is frequent and the lines reach almost every nook and corner of Seoul. People who live in Korea use the T money card which is almost a debit card used to swipe our way through the subway and also for travelling in buses, taxis. T money cards are even used in buying things in some convenience stores. There are special cards that can be bought in the subway station for one time use by people who visit the city. There are even refund machines in every station to get deposit the card and get the money back.

Ticketing machine to load money on the T money card.

Swipe the card to enter the tracks

There is an information booth close by for assistance.

Travelling by the subway has never been easier except for the fact that:

Seoul subway system runs atleast 6 storeys beneath the ground level. Which means that you have to get down 6 storeys to reach the track and climb up 6 storeys to reach the city :( Well, thats why, i figured, Koreans are healthy and they have lovely legs and almost no thighs :) There are ofcourse elevators, escalators, moving walk ways to help out, but still, there are stations with a lot of steps!

Escalators to the tracks

Light at the end of the stairs!

More info about the station and the exits

Another interesting fact about the subway system in Seoul are the exits. There are so many exits from one station that you can almost reach the doorstep of the destination just by knowing the right exit of the station. Dongmyo station on line 6 has about 12 exits and exit 6 will directly take you to the stationery market of Dongdaemun while exit 3 will take you to the clothes market of Dongdaemun. The exits are marked very clearly both in English and Korean that it is hard to miss. There is also a "neighborhood map" in each and every station that shows a physical map of the area, showing the position of the exits.

Subway stations are always crowded. But this is a rare shot.

Planning where you are and where you need to go.

The subway stations are also shopping paradises where everything, right from the grocery to expensive cosmetics can be found. These shops are very convenient to pick some hot food after a long day and also keeps you from encountering the inclement weather of Seoul. Many apartments and departmental store have doors right from the subway station. Very convenient!

The Jihachul app is perfect and so easy to use. Just click on the destination station and the start station, the app shows you how many minutes it will take to reach it, where to transfer and even the optimal car to hop in so that you can walk less! I use the first and the second subway maps and they are so flawless and in English. These apps are available for iphones too, ofcourse!

ABC Wednesday -U for Underground Subway System
Thursday Challenge- Signs

Sanchon Restaurant - Temple Food

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 01:01:00 +0000

Sanchon is a quaint, very-hard-to-find Temple food restaurant in Insadong, Seoul. Brain-child of Kim Yon Shik, who learned the art of creating Temple Food when he was a Buddhist monk for 18 years.

The myriad tasty and healthy veggie accompaniments to the rice

Temple Food is primarily the cuisine of the Buddhist monks Korea. Since they only prepare food with fresh, healthy vegetables without the stimulants- onions, green onions, garlic, green chilli- Temple Food has become very popular in Korea due to their unique taste and a refuge for vegetarians. Interestingly, the royalty in Korea were also primarily vegetarian and the royal court cuisine also has a lot of influence in the Temple cuisine. Maybe thats why Temple food is so expensive!

You miss this sign to the Sanchon restaurant, no way you are going to find that place!

Sanchon is located in a tiny alley from the Insadong main road. The restaurant itself is an ambience to enjoy and immerse in.

Its all about Ambience- Eating sitting down on the floor was also a nice experience. The place is lit by lotus lanterns and decorated with antiques. Carved chests, painted shelves, huge bronze bells. I was transported to a different century!

You could choose to sit on chairs too!

The lunch is a 20-dish experience starting with a soup and watery kimchi to fried kelp, seasoned wild roots. There was also pajeon and other kinds of seasonal vegetable pancakes. The rice and the accompanying veggies stole the show with the different tastes and presentation.

Glass noodles with jelly and veggies- looks awesome, tastes even more!

Watery Kimchi

Veggie pancakes with seasoned salad

The first course- soup and starters at Sanchon

The hot tofu-mushroom with soy bean paste stew to be eaten with rice

Veggies to top the rice

With veggie fritters to crunch on the side!

Sticky rice pastry was a yummy dessert with the not-so-sweet syrup

With tea and a sweet drink to keep us company, the 33,000 won lunch was a filling affair. The dinner is more expensive has a longer course with more seasonal veggies and also includes a Korean dance show. The menu varies depending on the seasons. Reservations are recommended especially on weekends.

I never get tired of these lotus lanterns!

Entrance and the shoe boxes to store the shoes

Dead end alley where the restaurant is located.

ABC Wednesday- T for Temple Food
Thursday Challenge- Containers, bottles

2 Very Addicting cellphone games

noreply@blogger.com (Meoww) — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 00:40:00 +0000

If Evolution is believed to be, "the gradual process in which something changes to different and usually more complex or better form", our fingers will probably be the first ones to change. They'd probably evolve into more independent, snake-like entities each acquiring the ability to be able extend and reach out more with minimum movement from the arms while having more nerve-endings for sensitivity. All because of their boundless usage on the touch screen of the cellphone.

The touch screens have made our lives so much easier. Just touching, dragging and swiping the fingers and voila! the call is made! Game is won! Minimum movement of the arms and the ball and socket joint. But i have to concede that the games have never been more interesting or addictive. These are the few games that i see people play in the subway, while standing on the bus, waiting in line, waiting for lunch! If you have not played them, download them now.

The games are on the Kakao portal which is very famous here in Korea as it offers free calls and free messages, free games and chat rooms. aka. if you have a phone number, you can make calls and sms for free! The moment you download Kakao on a phone (on apple or android) and authenticate, Kakao happily connects you with all the people on your address book. They might be your best friend. But they are your competitor now.

Anipang was the hot free game which was played by almost everybody- both young and old. It is just another Bejeweled game with a animals replacing the jewels. Get three or more of the same characters in a row/column and you score. More faster the match, more bonus received. It is very common to have the person next to you on the subway or on the bus, here in Seoul to swipe a few critters to give your score a push up! The catch is that the game ends in a minute and all your friends will be able to see your score! The 1-minute deadline is very convenient (one more stop to the destination? Two more games of Anipang), though insufficient during the game itself.

Anipang on Kakao

Bonus after the minute of gaming

Sharing the score :)

Dragon Flight is the latest of the addicting games from Kakao. The aim of the game is to navigate your dragon through the maze of enemy dragons by shooting. Grey dragons take some shots to disappear, gold ones more, pink ones even more and so on. The final score takes into account the distance navigated, dragons destroyed, gold collected, crystals amassed on the way.

The latest of the addictive games

It is pretty easy to navigate through the dragons by fingerpower!

Tip:

The best way to get more gold to upgrade to a higher level is by writing a review. It is worth 3000 gold coins which gets you up to the 8th level atleast!

Hatching an egg takes 4000 gold but also gives you a baby dragon that flies with you and helps by shooting with you. Aww, so cute!

How to get these games:

Both Anipang and Dragon Flight are in English and available in Google play.

ABC Wednesday- A for Addicting cellphone games: Anipang from Korea
Thursday Challenge- Games: Cellphone games from Korea