Monthly Archives: June 2014

20 things to do in Seoul, Korea

Posted in Leisure & Travel by

KOREA

This is honestly a blog entry way overdue since last year. It was a week long trip together with my in laws and no, it was not terrible. In fact, it was uh-may-zing!!

We booked our flight with AirAsiaGo for 5 adults and 2 infants at the time.

We went during Autumn so the weather was just fine for the kids and our dear warga emas = elderly. I decided to just summarize the Top 20 things I  l.o.v.e.d doing in Seoul. 

  1. Eat Kimchi. Enjoy the pickled radish too. Its delicious for a side dish. Enjoy other Korean delicacies as well. Part 1-001
  2. Listen to K-Pop music or any other Korean artists. I was really into Lessang at the time since I was overly infatuated with Kang Gary through his appearances on the Korean variety show – Running Man. I bought one of his albums as a souvenir to bring back home.
  3. Immerse in Korea’s history at the war museum. It was a sad and harrowing time for them yet inspiring as the Koreans manage to build back their country and stand on its own two feet in less than a century.
  4. Lodge at a comfortable Bed & breakfast. Experience the interestingly insulated wooden floors beneath your feet as you walk in the room with your bare feet.
  5. Walk with Seoul. Or if you (more like the kids) are exhausted, use the super efficient public transports. All one needs is the Travel Card.
  6. Order your meal/ticket in Korean language. Greet someone as a start. They get super excited seeing tourists speak the language. They take pride in their language.
  7. Purchase specialised merchandise – Korean silk, brooch and accessories, their cutlery, seaweed, kimchi!!
  8. Wear a Hanbok and take a family photo. _MG_1533-001
  9. Send a postcard to yourself from Seoul Tower.
  10. Smile to an elderly – shake the hands of the young.
  11. Frequent the numerous coffee shops – consider making yourself a Coffee Pasport if you intend to stay in Seoul for a long time.
  12. And if you’re sick of coffee, have a banana milk instead
  13. Taste the spicy Korean food and be prepared to drink lots and lots of plain cold water.
  14. In Nami Island, take a picture with the breastfeeding lady and her two children. Part 2-001
  15. Get beautiful with the specially formulated BB Creams, lip tints and face maskers. I then realized that Etude House was a Korean brand.
  16. In Everland theme park – be a kid. Why so serious huh?
  17. Perform the Salah at Korea’s National Mosque at Itaewon
  18. Lock your own love padlock at Seoul Tower. Part 11
  19. Snap lots of pictures at the 3D Trick eye museum
  20. Take the cruise ship along the River Han – very relaxing with hot coffee on board.

What did you enjoy doing?

Have a bite. Eat at BurgerByte

Posted in Food and Drinks, Places to Eat, Reviews by

“When in doubt, ingest carbs.” 
― Rachel Cohn,

What if I tell you that I was deeply disappointed with my virgin experience at Burgerbyte?

Sadly true.

BurgerByte had all the best mojo for success – a good recipe, a celebrity endorsement, franchises at dense, youthful areas (meaning at places where people eat burger), friendly owners, good chefs, wonderful restaurant ambiance and such. But somehow it failed for one major reason at the branch I went to. I’ll tell you why.

Burgerbyte1-001

I went to BurgerBytes located at Bandar Saujana Putra. I was so excited to taste this famous eatery that I have repeatedly reminded my sister to go there early and book a table – to which she said, no need as there wouldn’t be as many patrons there as those in Damansara or Bangi.

We were a party of 8 (6 adults and 2 toddlers). This is minus Mom who had to attend her social engagements with her ‘women club’.

My younger sister took our orders and proceeded to place it at the counter. And this was when our unpleasant experience began. The young girl at the cashier was … to politely put it, slow and blur. She knows Coke and Ice lemon Tea.. but she somehow has never heard of the 100 plus drink. My sister, a teacher by the way, was at a boiling point mengadap her ‘innocence’ but managed to refrain herself from giving her one of her ‘teacher’s look’ or slamming her hand on the table muttering ‘astarghfirullah’.

The cashier managed to understood the order when my sister finally pointed out the picture to her. We would empathise if she was an OKU but she was not – she was a bimbo.

But the problem did not stop there.

Burgerbyte2-001

When our orders came, instead of the famous NakËd Burger which we wanted in beef, it came as only a NakËd Beef Patty. The waiter apologized for what seems a wrong order but knowing it wasn’t the chef’s fault and we were terribly hungry, we gave in. We took the meal and tried to enjoy it. Obviously, we didn’t like it that much as we were expecting something else.

I wasn’t keen on taking pictures. I just couldn’t. My first time with BurgerByte was ruined. But hey, its like Auntie Anne pretzels. The ones at Sunway Pyramid tasted better than the ones at Aeon Jusco. I like to believe that the same thing applies to BurgerByte  although its quite sad to think ‘where is quality control in this?’

Hence, driven by that optimism we decided to give it a try at Burgerbytes Malacca, located at MITC.

Burgerbyte-001

It was not disappointing although my sister was frustrated that we did not try the ‘proper NakËd Burger’. We ordered other stuff on the menu including the JUMBO size carrot juice! Well well.. next time then – for NakËd Burger!

“Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.” General George S. Patton

Posted in Adult Learning, Everyday Life by

I got home to a bunch of papers on the desk. There was a stack of 3 neatly printed copies of an application form. I went nearer to the desk and held it up. They were Mr Husband’s application letter for the Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan (HLP)

“At least we are heading somewhere” I reassured myself.

Every year thousands of applicants in Malaysia aspiring to pursue their Masters studies in their chosen field of interest would apply for the government scholarship (HLP). Once granted the HLP, one would have to go through either a series of exams or interviews to get into their programme.

I tried it last year out of interest. My colleague and I wanted to see how hard the entrance exam was. We both got the HLP but we both flunked the test as well. It was a half-hearted attempt actually. ironically, we were not saddened at all. in fact, there was a huge sigh of relief – for not getting it. Ha ha. I was not ready to become a specialist. There’s too much responsibility. I was enjoying myself too much as a Medical Officer and a mother.

This year, I gave Mr Husband the greenlights to apply. Knowing the challenge that I’ll be getting myself in – the test of Time, Loyalty, Patience and Love from a distance, I think it is worth a shot.  Getting the HLP would bring him a step closer to the programme and once he succeeds in getting a spot, that is when the real obstacle begins.

Allah is fair. He tests His beings with circumstances that He deems fit. While  Mr Husband and I are lucky to be financially strong to begin with, we have our hiccups in trying to fit some Time with Hazeeq and even of each others company. But we try. We know that it is not going to be easy but the fruits of our sacrifice would be InsyaAllah worthwhile once its ripe.

Good luck to all applicants of HLP. May the force be with you.