Plan Trip to South Korea (part 1)

"I really want to go to Korea!!!"

Here is a list of things that you need to think about when you want to plan a trip to Korea:

• What is your budget?
• How long are you going to stay there?
• Where do you plan to go? - Jeju Island? Busan? Seoul?
• Where to stay? - Guest house? Motel? Hotel?
• Where to go?
• What to wear? (depends on the season at that time)
• What to eat?

Does this list overwhelmed you? Not to worry.. You don't have to answer it right away. You have to plan slowly and carefully. 

This is my advice to you: Decide when you are going first! I mean.. What season? 

• Spring    : March to May
• Summer : June to August
• Autumn : September to November
• Winter   : December to February

Spring and Autumn are the two best time to go to Korea, I would say. It's not too cold and not too hot. Plus the scenery would be so picturesque during those seasons. Summer would be scorching hot especially in August. While during the winter season, it's exciting to do winter sports but not so enjoyable to go for sight-seeing (based on my experience). But I am not saying it's impossible to go sight-seeing. If you come from a tropical country (like me), you might be a bit uncomfortable with the cold weather. Your hand and face would freeze! But you are not going to die. Don't worry.. It's a good experience though. Besides, when else can you experience snow.

Second, make sure you have enough budget! 

It's hard to say for certain what is the correct amount you need to have. Sometimes you have to plan your trip based on the amount that you have. 

• No matter what, buy your two-way flight tickets first! If you have enough money to buy the flight tickets and still have a few thousand in your bank account, you are safe. Another thing you could do is save more money after you had bought the flight tickets. I bet you would have a few months of time gap before the actual vacation right?
• Then, choose where to stay. If your focus is just Seoul, you can stay at one place. If you are on a tight budget, opt for guest house. It's really cheap. But take note that some of the guest house required you to share the room and bathroom with other guests. Depending on your preference and budget, check out the guest house's website first. <A list of guest houses>  
• Now, the most exciting part would be to decide where are you going to visit. You can just Google to see the recommendations. Easy-peasy.. However, don't forget to check how to go to (and come back from) this places and check if there's any entry fees and what's the opening hours. 

It's not that bad.. Planning your own vacation is more exciting. Although it is a lot of work, it's worth it! This entry is just meant to make you get started. I'll be posting more stuff! ;-)

[Review] Master's Sun

I have to admit that I was not interested to watch this drama since there's ghost..
But..
I have a lot of free time in between this Monday&Tuesday and the next Monday&Tuesday
So I can't stay still.. I was anxious..
I end up reading Master's Sun recaps from Dramabeans.com
Then I tried watching episode 6 since the recap talks about some romance
Rule of thumb: Good drama involves love and romance
I didn't know the theme is romantic comedy!
I thought it was a horror drama
Plus the ghosts in the trailer ARE scary!

Cha Joong Won (So Ji Sub) is the CEO of Kingdom Mall. He was born with a golden spoon in his mouth. His father is rich and I am not sure since when they were rich. Cha Joong Woon's mother died from when he was little. Not sure when and what happened. Cha Joong Won has a past that still hunted him. His first love died from a car accident. All his marriage arrangements were 'disastrous'. People said it's his first love curse. Also, he has a prickly attitude that kind of explain what's the reason actually. He don't believe that dead spirit exist and he would just 'step on people' to get what he wants.

Tae Gong Shil or Tae Yang (Gong Hyo Jin) on the other hand had lived while seeing dead spirits. She starts seeing dead spirits after some accident happened and she was in coma for 3 years. Before the accident, she was considered a pretty and smart student. Everyone expect her to have a bright future. But now, she is even afraid to go out to the world. She couldn't get a proper job without being bothered by ghosts or being called a lunatic. The ghosts always come to her to ask for a favor and won't leave until she does it.

And then! This two characters' fate crossed.. On a rainy night, the CEO had just convinced a house's owner to sell his house and was on his way back to Seoul. Tae Yang was by the roadside. She needed a lift back to Seoul herself after she had done a favor to a ghost granny. The CEO refused to let Tae Yang to get a lift on his car and asked his Secretary to just keep driving. However Secretary Kim was surprised by a lightning and immediately stopped the car. Tae Yang thought they stopped to give her a lift. So she just jumped in the car. (What a shameless girl.. That's what make her so 'irresistible'.)

Of course she was being chased by another ghost then. The ghost was standing in the middle of the road. She screamed. Secretary Kim was startled and stopped the car. Ok, now the ghost is inside the car looking straight on her face! Gosh.. It's creeping me out. She screamed and touched the CEO by impulse. Puff~ The ghost is gone.. That's weird because that's the first time it happened. Ghost had never leave her alone even when she asked them to. The second time she encountered a ghost, the ghost disappeared again once she hold on to the CEO. The CEO didn't like it at all: people touching him. He abandoned Tae Yang at a train station (if I was not mistaken).

But then.. Taeyang starts to get a job in Kingdom Mall. Somehow, she gets to convince the CEO that she actually sees ghost. One ghost in particular, which caught CEO's attention. His first love, Cha Hee Joo. So, they have an agreement. The CEO becomes Taeyang's shelter while Taeyang provides information about Cha Hee Joo.

What makes this drama is so exciting is that the CEO initially play hard-to-get while he actually enjoys Taeyang being around. He's the bad-guy type of boyfriend. He started to care about Taeyang in a shy-cute-adorable way. Ahh~ Who wouldn't fall for it? Well, Taeyang has already had feeling for the CEO since the beginning. It's so hard to get this two together because they both said the wrong things and misunderstood each other. Gosh... Typically Korean drama that make us hooked!

Let's not spoiled the whole story. It's worth for you to watch and squeal..

[Review] Who Are You

The drama is a story about Inspector Yang Shi On (So Yi Hyun), who was in coma for 6 years and gained the ability to see the dead. She can't remember what happened to her 6 years before. I am not sure how far does she remember. That's the frustrating part. At least she remember her name and house. But she can't remember her own boyfriend.

Inspector Lee Hyung Joon (Kim Jae Wook) was Shi On's partner (and boyfriend). He was seen in the first episode when they where actually on a mission. He was shot dead by one of the bad guys. Shi On saw what happened but can't help out as she was chased by the bad guys. Two important points here: Shi On didn't see the face of the bad guys and her boyfriend was shot within a close distance. I don't understand why Hyung Joon didn't shoot the bad guy first. He has this surprised look on his face before he was shot. Why is that?

Cha Gun Woo (Taecyeon) is Shi On's present partner. They both work at Lost & Found Center. Gun Woo is sometimes mean, sometimes nice to Shi On. Everyone seems to know about what happened to Shi On (being in coma for 6 years). He keeps calling her 'crazy woman'. He has the ambition to go back(?) to the Special Force Unit. He is also forbidden from having a gun. Another mystery to be unfold I guess..

So... After having woken up from coma, Shi On was being interrogated by police officer about the incident that happened 6 years ago. Seriously she can't recalled a thing. When Hyung Joon's picture was shown to her, she said she can't recognize him at all. Not the slightest.. (T_T) U-ri oppa~

First case:
Shi On went for counseling and therapy since she lost her memory. She spent 3 months trying to meet people that she previously known but nothing 'ring the bell'. When she was walking inside the storeroom of the Lost & Found Center, she saw a tracksuit with a name tag 'Dan Oh Reum'. A ghost schoolgirl appeared and keep bothering her since then. She can't seems to avoid her so she decided to ask her classmates and family how she died. The record says she killed herself because she was dumped by her boyfriend. When ask the boyfriend (Kyung Min), he denied that he even in a relationship with the MUTE girl.. After that, he tried to kill himself. What?! Why? Luckily Gun Woo manage to stop him. Shi-On went to her psychiatrist to ask about disabled teenager mental state. Kyung Min finally start to tell GunWoo that he suggested to Oh Reum to seek help from a psychiatrist since she was not confident to be in a relationship with a non-disabled person. Only the psychiatrist ended up molesting her and killed her. Kyung Min saw it but couldn't say a word since the psycho psychiatrist is his own uncle. And guess what.. the psychiatrist is now with Shi On! GunWoo send a text to Shi On and tell her about the identity of the killer. Aaahhh... Too late already because Shi On is going to be his next victim. But our hero GunWoo came to the rescue! After what happened, GunWoo keeps bugging Shi On, asking how she knew it was a suicide case. Shi On keeps her lips zipped. She just said she was lucky. Huhu.. Even if she tells, would he believe? He already sees her as a crazy woman. Why worsen the situation, right?  

Second case:
A briefcase was claimed from the Lost & Found Center. A female ghost started to appear around Shi-On and the atmosphere always become very cold. Shi-On followed the ghost into the forest at night and found a hand was buried there earlier. Then, another separate news reported that a leg was found in a construction area. Prosecutor for this case was a bit fishy. Inspector Choi (GunWoo's sunbae) said that the prosecutor was a nice person until his fiancee called the wedding off. Shi-On found out later on that the ghost was the Prosecutor's fiancee. She suspected him for the killing. (I mean, I would too..) The ghost appeared again in the elevator but this time the atmosphere became very hot. Shi-On ask where is her remaining body now? So the ghost brought her to a cremation center. Shi-On caught the bad guy and he was being questioned later by the Prosecutor. Turns out, the Prosecutor's fiancee has a bad asthma problem. His mother was not keen to have her as a daughter-in-law. When his fiancee had an asthma attack, his mother didn't pass her the inhaler and let her die. She even hired people to get rid of the body. She send a text message to his son (using the fiancee's phone) telling him that the wedding is off and stop finding her (the fiancee). Evil mother-in-law! As for GunWoo, he was so frustrated because he's always a step behind. He wonders how Shi-On figured everything out.

Ok, let's get back to the main case. How Shi-On's boyfriend got killed. I'm more interested in that case now since her ghost boyfriend is starting to make an appearance (since the end of ep 3). Let's just called him 'Hyung Joon'. Hyung Joon is a bit different that the other ghost because he didn't always wander around Shi-On all the time. I think it is because he was an inspector before so he still act like one, even as a ghost. Shi-On seems to recognize him from somewhere but she can't recalled. At the end of episode 6, Hyung Joon helped her a bit by giving her some hint. The photo the police officer showed her when they interrogated her! Now she remembers! She even remember that she saw Hyung Joon was being shot.

There's something really fishy about Inspector Choi. He showed some weird expression starting from when Shi-On was being interrogated actually. As if he knows something  or trying to hide something. I would bet that he's under all those silver smuggling activities on the night Hyung Joon had been killed.

I think I can predict where this story is heading to. Just imagine when you can't remember your own boyfriend. But you see him as a ghost. After the case settled, then your memory will come back, only to realize that you was madly in love with this ghost before. He's a ghost now! He's dead! You won't see him again. You have to let him go and move on with your life. Ah~~ How heart-breaking that can be.. I wish I can see more of Hyung Joon (a.k.a Kim Jae Wook)  

Temuduga SPA Pegawai Sains Kimia Hayat (Gred C41)

First time going for the interview? Fret not! Because I will share with you some tips. Hopefully it will be helpful.

Actually this would be my second time going for the interview.

Preparation before interview:

• Make sure all the original copy and photostat copy are ready. You just need to bring one copy but you can bring extra if you want. Curriculum certificates no need to make any copy. Just bring the original one.
• Bring your interview letter or e-mail that you got from SPA. It's important! The first thing they'll ask for is that letter. It's for your registration.
• Read a lot about the current issue that's going on in Malaysia and overseas.
• Make sure you know about all the 'Dasar-dasar kerajaan'.
• Also, try to find the job description for Pegawai Sains Kimia Hayat. Which Ministry is it under?
• Lastly, it is safer if you could read back your notes in Biochemistry classes. Some of the interviewer do test your knowledge. You don't have to memorize the whole textbook. Just some topics. It's your pick.
• Decide and prepare the clothes that you will wear for the interview. Wear fully-covered shoes. Not too much make-up (for girls).

I would say it is very crucial for you to be prepared before the interview. You need to read, understand and memorize all the facts. Make a small note for you to bring while waiting for your turn. When you know you are well-prepared, you won't be nervous much during the interview. Be confident! They may provoke you, but make sure you stay calm. Watch your tone when speaking. It's a psychological battle. 

Just so you know, different interviewers have different styles. Some of them are serious, some of them are laid-back. Some of them would test your general knowledge, some of them would not. Some would ask you to speak in English, some would not. So don't blame me if you prepared so hard that none of the current issue or 'dasar-dasar kerajaan' are not being asked. It is better for you to prepare for the worst.   

Another important thing.. Are you an overseas graduate? Check if your BSc certificate has "Honors" written on it.. From my own experience, I would advise you to go to JPA (Tingkat 6) and get 'Surat Pengiktirafan' from them to prove that you BSc. certificate is equivalent as 'BSc with Honors' here in Malaysia. What happened to me is that the interviewers stop asking question when they realized that my degree is not awarded with Honors. [EDITED] Well, 'Honors' here means if your CGPA is 2.75 above, you are granted 'Honors'. If below 2.75, then your degree is just a general degree.  Honors degree is granted according to your college/university. In my case, the degree that I have is not in Honors program. So, I ended up getting brush off by the interviewers. Even after I went to JPA and get the 'Surat Pengiktirafan', SPA said I have to wait for next time because they can't give me a second chance for this year interview session. Aish~

I have to admit that I didn't get the offer for the job. I'm just merely sharing what I did wrong and hope to improve next time. The first time around, I think I talked a lot about unrelated stuff. I was just too chatty. Haha.. It's better for you to be straight to the point and act maturely (with less giggling). My second time around, I was 'kicked out' (just being over dramatic here) from the interview room because they said I'm not qualified for this job and my courses are mostly not Biochemistry. (T_T) Never knew that studying in overseas can be such hassle.

p/s: Good luck!

[Review] I Hear Your Voice

Aaaahhh!!! The drama surpassed the 20% viewer rating mark.. It's a bad omen for me. I've already promised myself NOT to start watching any Korean drama to curb my addiction for it. Aish~ So I did checked it out. At first, I just read the recaps posted by Dramabeans. It was not as thrilled as watching the drama itself but I did get some idea. In the end, I just couldn't stop myself from watching it! Muahaha~~

First of all, this drama has amazing actors and actresses line up. Lee Jong Suk and Lee Bo Young are definitely the eye-candy for this drama. Not to forget that their acting ability are excellent as well.

Lee Jong Suk as Park Su-ha



Lee Bo-young as Jang Hye-Sung




Yoon Sang Hyun as Cha Kwan Woo




Summary:

The story starts when Park Su-ha (Lee Jong Suk) and Jang Hyesung (Lee Bo-young) were young.

Su-ha was in a car with his father at night when a truck suddenly crashed into their car, hitting the driver's side of the car. Su-ha and his father were still alive but injured. The truck driver came to checked on them when Su-ha heard his thoughts, "That bastard is still breathing. I need to kill him in one blow". Su-ha urged his father to run away but his father was killed by the truck driver first.

Hyesung was being blamed for causing Seo Do-yeon's (Lee Da-hee) eye injuries while she insisted that she didn't do it. Do-yeon is her classmate and also her mother's boss's daughter. Her mother works as a housekeeper at Do-yeon's house. No one seems to believe Hyesung except her mother. Even Do-yeon's father (her mother's boss) asks her to admit for her wrongdoing. Her mother got fired thereafter.

Hye-sung tried to make Do-yeon tell her father what truly happened and admit it wasn't Hye-sung fault. But while they were arguing with each other, a loud crash stopped them. It's Su-ha's accident. They saw it when the truck driver hit Su-ha's father with a metal pipe. When the truck driver was going after Su-ha, Hye-sung took her phone out and capture a photo. But the phone announced 'Smile!' which caught the murderer's attention. Su-ha is saved but not Hye-sung. Hye-sung and Do-yeon ran away and hide. The murderer ran after them and warned them if they said a word to anyone, they will be dead. Luckily, the police came in time. *fyuuhhh~*

Inside the courtroom, Su-ha almost lost his case since there's no proof to go against the murderer. Su-ha can reads people mind. He said he knows what the murderer's thinking. The judge was unfazed.

Doyeon and Hyesung are both afraid to testify as they still remember the murderer's warning. However, only Hyesung went to testify and brings her phone as the proof. The murderer got agitated and he tried to attack Hyesung by strangling her. *Yikes!* He was stopped by the guard.

Outside the courthouse, Hyesung was seen crying. Su-ha came and thanked her for her help. However, Hyesung regretted her decision to testify since the murderer would be looking for her later when he's released. Su-ha assured Hyesung that he will protect her then. *Kyaaa~*

So, ten years later.. Su-ha is in high school while Hyesung is a lawyer. Hyesung was recently appointed as public defender. She was not interested in defending anyone because she doesn't want to go out of her way to prove someone innocence. It reminds her of the day when she burst into the courtroom as a witness for Su-ha. In a way, she was conflicted. Helping others has cost her; her own life.The only reason she applied to become a public defender is to pleased her mother (plus she owed her mother some money). Su-ha met Hyesung again when she had to handle the case for his classmate, Sungbin, who was wrongly accused for attempted murder.

Su-ha has this 'ridiculous' imagination of Hyesung as a perfect person. A person who would stand for others to revealed their innocence without asking for any pay (definition of a public defender). However, he learned that Hyesung was the opposite of whatever he had imagined before. She's just someone with a prickly attitude, I would say.

Su-ha can't seems to leave Hyesung's side since he found out Min Joong Gook was released from prison. *Yikes!* After a while, Hyesung found out about it too. They started to live together since there were signs that Min Joong Gook did try to get in contact with Hyesung.

Personal review:

The storyline is captivating and thrilling. I would say it was nothing typical about this drama. Each episode is full of twist and turn.

The beginning of the drama was exciting as the past was revealed little by little. The only question you are left with is "Why did Min Joong Gok killed Su-ha's father???" Also, there are some other mysteries revealed also. Judge Seo seems so uneasy when Hwang Dal Joong's name is being mentioned. Why is that? Even his wife didn't know about it? Hul~ I think Do-yeon is accepting the truth well. Finally I can see that she has a good heart. Actually I knew it before also when she said she regretted not testifying against Min Jong Gook 10 years ago. It's just the fact that she didn't apologize for wrongly accusing Hyesung 10 years ago that made me a bit hesitant to believe this girl. But hey! She did apologize to Hyesung after Hyesung saved her biological father. Hurray!!! I have to admit that sometimes it is hard to admit that you are wrong after some time. I am proud that she managed to do that.

This drama is not for entertainment only. I believed you can learn about law, life and love. I am rooting for Cha Kwan Woo character! He is just someone who you can look up to. He always sees thing in a bright side which I do wish such a person do exist in this world. When he has to defend Min Joong Gok for murder charges against the death of Hyesung's mom, I can understand how stressful and conflicted he must be. As a lawyer, he did a great job. As a boyfriend, it's a horrible thing he did. He did try to make up to Hyesung after that. I'm glad Hyesung understand his kind gestures and that she didn't hold grudge or push him aside. It's so strong of her to be able to do so. I don't know if I'll be able to do that if it was me.

As Su-ha and Hyesung relationship.. I'm just very envious. That's all I can say.. Haha.. They are trying to protect each other. Hyesung promised to her mom that she will not hate anyone or seek revenge while Su-ha promised to Hyesung that he will not seek revenge from Min Jong Gook. I guess 'promise' has a strong effect in this story. Moral of the story: Always keep your promise!

I would like to comment a bit about the end of this drama. Hmm.. I was not satisfied with the part when Min Joong Gok called out Su-ha just to make him a killer. I mean, I understand his point.. It's just that I think he didn't plan his mission thoroughly. Did he really thinks that Su-ha will come to the rooftop without any back-up? Shouldn't he has some kind of plan B? Isn't that what we usually see in drama where the villain plan everything so thoroughly that it was almost impossible to catch them. Hmm.. Maybe his plan B is trying to get both him and Su-ha killed. Yeah.. That's it! He just don't have any motive to live on anyway.. So whether killing himself or getting lock up in the prison doesn't make any different anymore. I pity him. He has a weak heart. Blaming someone is easier that blaming yourself, you know. I know how unfair it was for him when his wife's donor heart was taken away. It's a painful moment for him. But that doesn't justify you have the right to kill someone. Moral of the story: Once you commit murder, your reason for seeking revenge become void. You are just a murderer, regardless.

I hope you guys had a great time watching this drama as well. I know I did. I read a lot of comments saying this is the best drama they had ever seen. *Well, some thing along that line* I'm not sure why are you reading my review. Haha.. Just let me know if my review is good enough or if there's anything I missed out.

[Review] Gu Family Book - part 2

Finally.. The drama has ended! T_T

My overall thoughts:

• I love Yeol Wol character! From the beginning, she knows that she or Kang Chi would die if they continue their relationship. Yet, she still follow her heart. I was really touched when she stand up for Kang Chi despite knowing his divine sides. She even remind her father, "There is no bad people but only people who are trapped in bad circumstances. And Kang Chi is in one of them!" Waahh~ *clap clap* 
• Kang Chi was so outgoing when he didn't know who he really is. He still is.. Only with the help of Yeol Wol. Yeol Wol is the only reason he wants to become human anyway. Poor him.. All the people that he loved, left him.. Lord Park, his mother, his father, then Yeol Wol.. It was so heart-breaking to see that.
• I pity Cheong Jo because I know she still love and care about Kang Chi. But it was a big mistake for her when she threw stones to Kang Chi as he showed his divine sides. How heartbroken must Kang Chi felt at that time.. But I do understand that she was full of fear at that time. Fear that she'll lose her brother, who is her only family left..
• I respect Admiral Lee Soon Shin character. He has this aura of a great leader. A very charismatic character. The way he plan strategy and all, was very impressive. He was able to confront challenge with patience. At the beginning, when he sent Kang Chi to Jo Gwan Woong for murder, I can't really predict how he's going to save Kang Chi. But he managed to manipulate the situation and turn things to his advantage. Remember when Jo Gwan Woong killed the 11 listed people? I did expect that actually.. Hehe.. But as I was saying, Admiral Lee Soon Shin knows how to manipulate situation.
• I also like Master Gong Dal character from the first time he appeared. He is a funny guy. Full of wit and wisdom. 

The last episode:

• It was a sad ending and I seriously didn't expect it that way. I thought there would be another twist to the story. Something that can nullify the fate that they have. I guess the monk prediction will always come true. Just like what happen when Lord Park died. 
• The scene when Kang Chi and Yeol Wol were near the river was so heart-breaking. I almost cried.. Plus the lyrics from the song really portrays the feeling Kang Chi was experiencing. T_T

"My tears, my sad memories

My love, whom I miss

I draw your face out, under the same sky

I live in pain like this"

• The future.. Haha.. I was happy to see Ma Bong Chol again. That crazy fella.. And Gon!!! I miss you! It's a pity you never get to express your feeling to Yeol Wol. I was hoping that you might end up with the Mistress, instead. Hihi.. 
• Since Kang Chi met Yeol Wol near the peach tree with the moon on top, would their fate be repeated like last time? Well, I hope not.. But what's the significance of showing that they met near the peach tree again? Can their fate be changed?
• But at the end, where is Gu Family Book? Would there be a sequel? Hmm.. 

Levain Boulangerie & Patisserie

I know how hard it is to pronounce the name of this bakery & pastry shop. But it was worth a visit.

I went there with my colleagues last week, after work.
We stopped at a Petronas station for prayer @7:25pm and continue our journey @7:45pm.
Since we used Federal Highway, it was a looooong journey with the slow traffic.

The shop closes at 9 pm!!! What?! Oh no!
We were in front of MidValley @8:15pm.
Hmmm.. Should we abort our plan and go to MidValley instead?
Luckily, our driver didn't lost hope so he still drove us to the shop.
We arrived there at around 8:30pm, I think.. *fyuuh~*
They said our order would be the last one since the kitchen is closing soon.
That's good enough for us.. =)

From left: Strawberry Yoghurt Cake, Pavlova, Assorted Macaroons

                     

TomYam Spaghetti - Mine!

Chicken Aglio-Olio Spaghetti - The best!

The foods and desserts were nice, plus the atmosphere..
I wish we could have come earlier so we could enjoy our foods slowly.
Definitely would come again soon!