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

[Seoul: Itaeweon] Passion 5 패션5

Posted on by Jamie Liew

ever heard of this famous bakery called Passion 5? bet you haven’t. if you’ve not lived in Seoul for a period long enough, you might not even know about the existence of this fabulous cafe/bakery which is ultimately posh; bringing bakery to a whole new level as IT IS THE BEST BAKERY SHOP IN TOWN. the name Passion 5 came from 5 elements namely: bakery, pattiserie, chocolates, cafe and the 5th’s the passion of the pattesiers. and of course, knowing that it is the best, you should already know that it is expensive. there are barely anything that goes under 1,000won. or was there none? forgot. but most of the bread costs around 3,000won and cakes 7,000won. =S.

even though it isn’t very popular amongst foreigners, this place is always packed with people and on the day I went, we had to wait for a seat despite paying so much for just desserts. there’s a posh cafe on the 2nd floor but that cafe’s queue was even longer. you can bring your breads, cakes, chocolate and ice cream to the cafe/restaurant on the 2nd floor =).

if you love cakes. I truly recommend you to stop by this bakery for the ultimate experience!

and here’s a link to the video I took there. you’ll definitely want to go there after watching the video. and.. I am sure you’ll laugh too. D=.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151965745886850&l=4877772332316760093

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from the outside, passion 5 look like every other office building and it definitely do not stand out that much. Continue reading “[Seoul: Itaeweon] Passion 5 패션5” →

Cherry Blossom Sights! SKKU, Everland, and Seoul Land

Posted on by Jamie Liew

okay, the truth is my Uni isn’t exactly the prettiest place to view Cherry Blossoms. Sungkyunkwan University is basically.. not such a bad sight for cherry blossoms but the best would still be Kyunghee University. which I’ve never been because their European style buildings goes really well with the pretty flowers. but really, I felt that SKKU isn’t all that bad for cherry blossoms ^^.

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gotta start my post with a selca. teehee. Continue reading “Cherry Blossom Sights! SKKU, Everland, and Seoul Land” →

Autumn Photoshoot 2013

Posted on by Jamie Liew

These are some serious overdue pictures but the busy photographer got sent to another country for a business trip for a few months so.. I didn’t have a choice hehe. as always, credits goes to Azri, the photographer/engineer. and I edited it. I wouldn’t lie that I look slightly different from my pictures hehehehehhehe. so here’s it. hope you like it!

pictures taken at Samcheongdong and the area outside Gyeongbokgung.

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why studying in Korea is tough.

Posted on by Jamie Liew

hello,

dear everyone who would like to study in South Korea.

I major in Business Administration and thank goodness for that I can have half of my classes in English because they normally have certain classes taught in English for the foreign exchange students. but the thing is, these classes run out. you might think that being able to speak in English would be a plus for you and that you’d definitely score in those classes because Koreans are bad in English.

and that is where you are wrong. Continue reading “why studying in Korea is tough.” →

[Kyoto: Gion] Izuju, the 100 year old Kyoto style sushi

Posted on by Jamie Liew

my friend living in Kyoto didn’t even know about the existence of this fabulous small scaled restaurant. but once he had it, he said it’s amongst the top 10 sushi he had ever eaten. and guess what? he’s from Hokkaido; where all the amazing sushi are.

there’s also another place called Hanaore which is said to serve the best Sabazushi (came here for this!) in Kyoto but I placed my bet on Izuju as it has a longgg history plus it’s more affordable (main point!!!!)

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opposite the shop is Yasaka Jinja  Shrine. a relatively famous shrine at the Gion area. we went near new years day so there were LOADDSSS of people. Continue reading “[Kyoto: Gion] Izuju, the 100 year old Kyoto style sushi” →

[Osaka] Pablo Cheesecake VS. Rikuro Cheesecake

Posted on by Jamie Liew

I’m a big fan of cheese. and cheesecakes.

so there’s this huge hype over cheesecakes in Osaka and if you’re a foodie like me, you’ve probably heard that Pablo and Rikuro Ojisan (grandpa) are the best in Osaka. these shops often have a long queue outside them but I didn’t stand in line too much as I bought them late since I stayed in Kyoto and I didn’t want to carry the cake everywhere I go. they are really popular in Osaka and each time I pass by their shops I feel like buying another one. D=!

BUT the thing is, you gotta buy the whole cake. which.. isn’t too big. but certainly not for one..

I could only have two slices at one time (out of 8). so we left the rest of it at the refrigerator.

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we first tried out Pablo as the advertisement of it drives me gaga. and at 780yen I’d say it’s a steal. I mean, even a slice of cake at Hongdae at a nice place would cost you around 600yen. Continue reading “[Osaka] Pablo Cheesecake VS. Rikuro Cheesecake” →

[Seoul: Sinsa] Dimsum at Goldfish (CLOSED)

Posted on by Jamie Liew

So I was talking to a friend who was missing some Dimsum in Seoul. I’ve never really thought about introducing Chinese food to foreigners because well.. most of my readers are travelers, so I bet most travelers would prefer to eat some Korean or Korean fusion food. or just something special. but this post here, is to all of you who live in Korea and is sick of Korean food.

apparently this place serves the best Dim Sum in the whole of Korea. and I wouldn’t even deny it because their “har gao” was simply the best I’ve ever had. even better than the ones I’ve had in HK and Malaysia (maybe because I’ve not eaten really nice ones before) but the others were good, but not like superb.

but I’m still laughing over its name, Goldfish HAHAHHA. I mean, in Cantonese Goldfish man = Pedobear/Pedophile. so…

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you’ve got to reserve a spot if you’re not coming early since it is a really popular place. and I heard, it’s especially popular for “sogaeting” if you don’t already know what it is, it’s a form of blind date. where your friends set you up instead of getting a date from some agency. it has a very nice ambiance. really liked how it was furnished. Continue reading “[Seoul: Sinsa] Dimsum at Goldfish (CLOSED)” →

[Gyeongju] Taking a step into ancient Korea

Posted on by Jamie Liew

I know I say this many many times but I’ve really always wanted to visit Gyeongju for the longest time.

it is known for being the most ancient looking city in Korea and it is. I heard that they couldn’t build taller buildings because the country is trying to maintain Gyeongju’s ancient image.

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there are a list of places to go to in Gyeongju which would require about 2-3 days to complete but since I only had one, and the weather was awful, I visited two of the most popular landmarks, Bulguksa 불국사 and Seok-gul-am 석굴암. they are located really close to each other but with snow piling so high, it is impossible to walk through the stairs from Bulguksa. I heard some people actually did walk up in the Summer but decided to take the taxi down because it is really such a walk. if you’re planning to take the cab, be reminded that it is actually very near, but far because the roads are winding. viewing the map through satellite is literally jaw dropping. Continue reading “[Gyeongju] Taking a step into ancient Korea” →

[Seoul: Jongro] Gwangjang Market 광장시장

Posted on by Jamie Liew

despite living only a few minutes away by bus from this magnificent market, it was my first time here in 2 years. or just, ever.

it has never hit me that market food can be so enjoyable. it is just simple food. every store selling the same thing, but then there are the “pioneers” and also the fakes. so as lucky as I was, I had a Korean to bring me around eating the 3 must eats in Gwangjang Market.

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so the main eatery street is like above. it sells a variety of stuff and food but you come here for the food. not the stuff. unless you want to buy quilt. I heard it’s pretty reasonably priced here.

and look!!! makgeolli advertisement above! call me an alcoholic but I love my makgeolli. a lot. Continue reading “[Seoul: Jongro] Gwangjang Market 광장시장” →

My Malaysian Affairs

Posted on by Jamie Liew

so when I was in Malaysia, I literally went out everyday with different people until my grandma started nagging at me. for being out more than being home. and I gained 6kgs. I’m not sure how much I lost since I’ve been back to Korea, but probably around 2-3kgs. and it has been 10 days. I need to lose more weight T_T.

Malaysia was hot. when I first got back it was actually pretty cooling and I actually felt cold at night.

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so yeah, Malaysia truly Asia for you =D. the Petronas Twin Towers =3. probably the most attractive building in Malaysia. wait. no. it IS the most attractive building. standing up at 88stories, built by Koreans and Japanese people, this building is the tallest twin towers in the world. not the tallest tower but tallest twin towers. Continue reading “My Malaysian Affairs” →