founder of this website; Jamie is in her final year of university and is very passionate about Japan and Korea.

Turning Korean in 10 ways

Posted on by Jamie Liew

I’ve never said this on my blog before.. but I am a huge fan of Rocketnews24. and this time around, I read an article that I can truly relate to and I would like to share my experience on how I’m turning Korean after living here for years.

living in a new country where the culture is so different might not be easy at first, but now.. I can’t get out of it.

1. that button attached on the table to call for the waiter.
HOW CONVENIENT! no need to yell at the top of my lungs and listen to weird sounds created by customers just to get the attention of the waiter. now when I go to a huge restaurant without a button (unless it’s some high class restaurant of course haha), it feels weird and I’d find myself looking for it. Continue reading “Turning Korean in 10 ways” →

[Jinhae] Korea’s most beautiful place in Spring: Jinhae Cherry Blossoms

Posted on by Jamie Liew

it’s my 4th year here and I thought.. I might not be able to go to Jinhae next year since it’s going to be my last year and I might be busy. so.. I’ll just go there this year. some of my friends come here every single year but the jam and long hour bus ride is too tiring for me. unless I can afford a KTX ride, I don’t think I want to come to this festival again. 5 hour bus ride one way and the place’s pretty crowded. it wasn’t like super duper crowded. more of a bearable kind of crowded. but maybe because I went there at 630am in the morning and I left at 2pm.

but one thing for sure, the pictures came out really well. like, really really well. indeed the most beautiful place to be at during spring. the whole city’s filled with cherry blossoms as well! but I was too tired to explore it all… I only had 1 hour of sleep the night before hahaha.

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here’s my favourite shot! Neoh told me to “PRETEND TO LOOK AT THE FLOWERS!” I looked like a robot in the first few pictures and then it became better. Continue reading “[Jinhae] Korea’s most beautiful place in Spring: Jinhae Cherry Blossoms” →

25 things I’ve noticed about Japan.

Posted on by Jamie Liew

like the one I’ve wrote about the things I’ve noticed about Korean people, since I hadn’t been in Japan for so long, I don’t have that many things to talk about haha. so here’s the 25 things I’ve noticed about Japan and Japanese people! and please note that it isn’t about ALL of Japan and ALL Japanese people. it’s pretty subjective :). Continue reading “25 things I’ve noticed about Japan.” →

Halal or not?

Posted on by Jamie Liew

okay, to be honest, Korea is probably like.. one of the most difficult when it comes to Halal food; you don’t know the language and you would like to avoid food that’s against your religion. while you can still eat and dine at various halal restaurants in Seoul. Halal food is widely UNAVAILABLE. most shops sell pork. and most Muslims do not know what they can eat or not in Seoul and it made them refrain from trying many things especially when they are not with a guide. (most Muslim friends opt for seafood restaurants or seafood dishes, it may contain pork or non-halal meat sometimes) but through Halal in Korea, you can now know what is halal and what’s haram in Korea. and here’s the list.

I just thought I’d let my fellow Muslim readers know what can be or cannot be eaten in Korea with the list I found online since I find it difficult to come by a list as complete as this one. I tried googling for Halal food when I first came but I had to filter through blogs and websites which was a hassle.

hope this can help my Muslim friends and have a great time in Korea!

[Seoul: Hongdae] KAREÖ 카레오 홍대

Posted on by Jamie Liew

the no.1 Japanese curry shop in Seoul?

that must be Kareo! a restaurant that I frequent a lot in Hongdae. I am not quite a fan of most curry shops in Korea because they are normally too sweet or just.. too bland for my Malaysian taste buds. but what’s good about Kareo you ask?

well.. it’s affordable! while 8,000 and up is the price of a plate of curry at other shops, the curry here has such a big portion that.. you should only order one portion for 2. since I eat a lot, I normally order the huge portion and share it with a friend. while many shops dislike the fact that you share your portion and insist on having each person ordering one portion, in Kareo, they told me that one portion is very huge and I should not order 2 for 2 of us in case we cannot finish it. kind staff yes? they care for their customers more than their profits =D.

가끔식 카레를 땡기신적 있죠? 저두 그런 마음이 있겠죠~ 그래서 카레를 땡길 때마다 홍대 카레오로 찾으러 갑니다!

카레오와 다른 카레집의 다른 점은 보통 달달한 카레와 달리 일본카레라 약간 더 매콤하고 스파이스의 맛이 조금 더 강합니다~ 카레 꼽빼기 하나만 시켜도 2사람 먹기엔 녹녹합니다~ 나누면 생각보다 가격이 되게 착해요!

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here’s an ugly picture of myself =D. I was extra hungry because I spent hours biking before that.

자전거 배운 후에 머리가 엉망진창이네요 @@. Continue reading “[Seoul: Hongdae] KAREÖ 카레오 홍대” →

Clubbing in Korea 2015

Posted on by Jamie Liew

HELLO!

since my old post was.. really old. here’s a new one! many like Vanguard and NB2 Gangnam closed down.. but don’t fret because there are still a handful more! clubs are mainly located at Hongdae, Gangnam and Itaewon.

NOTE : please bring your passports if you want to go to a bar/club in Korea because without it, you will be denied entry. it doesn’t matter if you’re 30, you’ll still have to flash your passport/alien card. some places gives discounts to foreigners too! most clubs in Korea are free for all but if you’re way over 30, you might not blend in with the crowd and some places might deny your entry (it’s sad I know T_T). there are also a bunch of bars who don’t accept foreigners but if you’re going to a club there’s not much problems for foreigners. there are also locker rentals (3,000-5,000won) in most all clubs so don’t worry if you have a huge coat during the winter or an extra backpack. it’ll be safe ;).

NOTE 2 : although most clubs in Hongdae does not have a strict dress code, avoid full suits (black), slippers, training suits when entering a club in Korea as they might deny your entry. they may deny your entry for some stupid reasons sometimes relating to your appearance so it’s better to dress nicely than to get denied for entry.

here’s a helpful site for clubbing in Seoul and I have a list taken from Reddit at the end of my post and I will just state the ones I recommend in detail. I stopped clubbing but anyways, here’s my top 3 clubs!

IMG_2262 copy Continue reading “Clubbing in Korea 2015” →

[Seoul: Samcheongdong] the 2nd best place in Seoul 서울서 둘째로 잘하는 집

Posted on by Jamie Liew

the 2nd best place in Seoul is one of the oldest cafe/dabang around as they are open since 1976. although not as old as Hakrim Dabang, this is actually my.. 3rd time here? and my second post on it. the first post here.

ever since my good friend came with me 3 years ago and I’ve never once came here again since he passed away.. but it’s a cafe filled with our memories and the cafe stayed the same.

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located at the end of Samcheongdong street, the cafe isn’t difficult to find. Continue reading “[Seoul: Samcheongdong] the 2nd best place in Seoul 서울서 둘째로 잘하는 집” →

[Yokohama] Yoyoyoyoyokohama!

Posted on by Jamie Liew

it was actually my second time to Yokohama, the place where all imports and exports in Japan started, a very historical place especially for the development and growth of Japan. the first time I merely explored the place as I only “dropped by” after visiting Kamakura which was amazingly beautiful. so for this Tokyo trip, I spent one whole day at Yokohama.

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meet my tour guide for the day, probably the funniest man in Yonsei University’s language school — BOB!!!

Continue reading “[Yokohama] Yoyoyoyoyokohama!” →

[Hyogo] The castle in the sky– Takedajo

Posted on by Jamie Liew

it’s supposed to look like this. and it’s often labelled as Japan’s Machu Picchu.

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(picture from Google)

but for this view, you’ll need to get there by 5am (or come here in Autumn, Sept-Nov where the clouds will be surrounding the castle till.. later.). but it’s super dreadful for me to pull an all nighters so I decided to just go in the day. Continue reading “[Hyogo] The castle in the sky– Takedajo” →

[Seoul: Bukchon] Keungiwajib Michelin Soy Crab 큰기와집 간장게장

Posted on by Jamie Liew

there is this one thing which I didn’t enjoy at first because I thought it was weird– Ganjang Gejang. but as time passed I opened up my mind to all types of food and when I started to think raw food ain’t that disgusting, I begin to fall deeply in love with it. and because it’s raw in a way, you need to go to a restaurant that does it right. of course, there’s “PRO Ganjang Gejang” at Sinsa but because I live in Jongro, it’s very far for me hehehe.

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Keun Giwa Jip is a famous restaurant for Ganjang Gejang in Seoul and I dare say, it’s one of the best Gejangs in Seoul although I hadn’t had too much of it (it’s expensive!). it even earned a Michelin Star! from reading Korean blogs, I heard that there are very few good gejang places in Seoul. so far, Pro ganjang gejang and Keungiwajip is the best. Continue reading “[Seoul: Bukchon] Keungiwajib Michelin Soy Crab 큰기와집 간장게장” →