Makeup Brush Cleaners

I have tried cleaning my makeup brushes in different ways. And even though some people say it's okay to use baby shower soaps, mild shampoos etc... but I find using brush cleaners is the best way.... although of course it's not very cheap and hard to find the best one with so many brands out in the market.

I have tried using 2 brush cleaners. The first one I have tried is from Lioele (Korean brand). It's Metome brush shower cleanser. It's approximately $10 per 190ml bottle (image below). Pros and cons... well I didn't really like this cleaner at all. It's quite small, the bottle is hard and the opening on the cap is so small it takes forever to fill a container enough to wash the brushes. I had to remove the cap in order to pour the cleaner into the container. Also it smelled like a bleach cleaner. Really strong scent, I even had to dissolve the cleaner with water because it was too strong. It cleans the brush okay, but even after rinsing it on a running water several times, the smell doesn't go away at all.

Lioele's METOME brush cleaner

The second one I bought is from Missha. It's called the Perfect Brush Cleaner. I was hesitant to buy at first since when I googled it, the first review expressed how she was never going to buy this again and that you get what you paid for. The brush cleaner is about $10 (a little tiny bit cheaper than Lioele) but it contains more since it's a 250ml bottle.

What I liked about this brush cleaner is that the bottle is soft, the opening on the cap is big enough and it smells quite good. Unlike the bleach like smell Lioele had. It does clean the brush well. Another good thing is that this cleaner comes in a refill pack (sold online only) so I don't have to buy a bit more price bottled ones.

Missha's Perfect Brush Cleaner

For now, unless I find some problem with this cleaner, I will stick to it. I have not tried MAC cleaners but I am not willing to spend that much money on a cleaner so this will have to do.


**THIS is just my own opinion, it might be different for every individual and the type of brush one has....

Nami Island

Nami Island is famous setting for the Korean drama "Winter Sonata". If you are a fan of Korean drama you will know what I mean. 

I have came back to Korea after living in the Philippines and it's been 10 years already but I have not traveled around Korea that much. But since my friend came to Korea for a visit, we decided to take a tour in Nami Island.

For the brief history of Nami:

The half-moon shaped island is 4 kilometers in diameter and approximately 400,000 square meters in size. It boasts wide open grassy areas suitable for picnics and recreation surrounded by chestnut and popular trees. For Koreans and international visitors the island is an oasis suitable for leisurely strolls or romantic dates. The name of the island derives from the fact that it is home to the tomb of General Nami (1441-1469), who was appointed minister of the Military Board at age 25 after suppressing Lee Shi-ae’s Revolt during the reign of King Sejo of the Joseon Dynasty but was later branded a traitor and executed at the age of 28.

Ferry ride from the Mainland to the Island

The entrance fee is KRW10,000 (appx US$10) for Koreans and KRW8,000 for foreigners (appx US$8). It included the ferry ride from the mainland to the Nami island.

Oh... before the ferry ride, first how to get to Nami Island. From the city, you have to take the subway (this is the only method I know), and get off at Sangbong Station. And from Sangbong Station, you have to take a cab, a  bus or walk to go to Nami Island. We waited for cab since we had no idea how to get to Nami Island but it's a long line and if you are unlucky, like there's some kind of event nearby, cabs are not easy to find. On our way back from the Island we walked, and it's about 20~30 minutes walk so not really bad if you enjoy walking and the weather is cool.

Once you enter the Nami Island, you are free to roam around the area and take pictures. According to the website, there are quite a few things to do in the island but for us, we had lunch, walked around, ate ice creams, bought souvenir and walked around taking pictures.

Famous spot (seen on the drama)

It was a Sunday, and a cool autumn day so there were a lot of people. AS IN A LOT! According to a friend who went there once before told me that it was better way back. Now it's too commercialized and there are too many cafes and shops. 

We walked around for I think about an hour or so and had to go back since my friend was going back home that night. One thing, if you have some appointment at night, make sure you give yourself enough time. Going back to the mainland was a disaster! The line to take the ferry was super long. I think we waited in line for about 30 mins. And couldn't catch a cab so walked back to the subway station.

It's a nice place, I guess. But not recommended for tourist though, unless you really want to see those pine tree ways. Or if you go there during the weekdays where less people are around, it would be a nice place to go with a loved one to take peaceful walks and enjoy the nature. I hope that the maintenance of the place would be better. There are some galleries where you will find a lot of vandalism. And dirty ponds. 

Anyways, this is just my opinion. I guess for me it wasn't worth the travel and the waiting. 

Let It Snow

It's not the first snow for 2010 winter. It snowed a little about a week ago, where I slipped in front of our gate since the flooring was granite (super slippery). 

It started to snow early afternoon, and stopped and then it's snowing again... and the snowflakes are really big...

I love watching the world when it snows, and am sure other people who have never experienced it would envy, but the reality is that it's worse than rain. At least when it rains the dirt on the streets are somewhat washed away. Snow, on the other hand, piles up on the dirt and leaves very wet, slippery and dirty road. 

I don't like winter, and snow fighting or making snow man is not in my nature even if I have a toddler at home. But it brings back the memory I had with my mom when it snowed so much in Seoul and my aunt mom and I had to walk home after singing at a karaoke. 

Picture taken from our porch

Well, with the weather we are having right now... we are going to have a White Christmas~!!!

2010 Guangzhou Asian Games

I am not much fan of sports, and I only watch games that I like such as swimming, figure skating, and soccer. Oh well sometimes baseball just because Korea won the Gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, defeating the US. But since all you can watch on the local channel are the Asian Games, you can't avoid watching them, especially when your country is playing for the gold.

Current Rankings

Whenever we have such international games, we always want to beat the Japanese. They have always been Korea's rivals ever since the colony. But I wonder, is there any other country that could beat the Chinese other than the US? 

Sikhye

Sikhye (also spelled shikhye or shikeh; also occasionally termed dansul or gamju) is a traditional sweet Korean rice beverage, usually served as a dessert. In addition to its liquid ingredients, sikhye also contains grains of cooked rice, and in some cases pine nuts (From Wikipedia)

Sikhye as the wikipedia says is Korean rice drink. It is made of malt My mom made it really well, actually her mom made it really well and thus the hand-down of the recipe. So I can really say I can make it well since all the people who have tried it said it so. hehehe

It's easier than people think. You just have to diligent and patient. So here goes my recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

500g malt
Sugar
rice
water

PROCEDURE:

First put the malt in a large bowl and pour water, about double the amount of the malt. Let it seat for about 3~4 hours if you are in hot area, but if it's winter you can let is seat overnight.

After letting it seat for a while, squeeze the malt in the water, pour it in another bowl and add some more water to and repeat squeezing.

Once done, let the liquid seat for about 20 mins. then pour the liquid extract into a pot, straining it in a clean piece of cloth. Be careful in pouring since you don't want the dregs to go in.

** For the Rice:

Cook the rice, but not to sticky. Pour the some of the liquid extract, triple the amount of the rice, add some sugar and mix well. If you have rice cooker, keep it in "warm" function for 4 hours or until the rice starts to float. 

Once the rice floats, remove it from heat, wash it with cold water and put it in a container with water. Some mixes it together with the drink but I like to keep it separated.

Boil the liquid extract, and while doing that remove the foams forming. Once it's clear, add sugar and turn the heat to low and keep it boiling for about an hour. 

Add sugar according to your taste but when the drink cools down, it's less sweeter than when it was hot. 

To enjoy this drink, put it in the refrigerator and make it really cold. Add rice in a cup, and then the drink. Pine nuts are for decorations but it tastes good together. ENJOY!

Ashoka Indian Restaurant

On Wednesday, my sister had to go to Yongsan US base to buy some stuff for Chloe so I tagged along with her bringing Chloe with us. Our day was a disaster! It started off when we arrived at the subway station, ready to walk towards the US base, and found out that I was raining so hard. We had to purchase an umbrella from 7-11. And if that wasn't enough, when we were about to enter the base, we realized that my ID wasn't inside my wallet. SHUCKS!!! I can't go in to the base without it so I just sent my sister in, and took Chloe with me. Finally... we wanted to eat at an Indian restaurant, and since I won an event from my credit card service some cash, I was going to treat my sister. So when we went to Itaewon, the restaurant we wanted to go was closed!!!! So we ended up going to this restaurant.. Ashoka. It's on the 3rd floor of Hamilton Hotel, Itaewon.

We ordered several dishes: Chicken Samosa, Chicken Tikka, Beef Masala, and Garlic Naan and sweet Lassi. 

It is quite a lot for just the two of us to eat, but we thought Chloe would enjoy the Lassi. This review is just in my opinion... so don't care what others who has tried this restaurant might think.

Positive Remarks:

• Lovely ambience. Although we weren't able to take a picture of the interior, it was quite cozy and modern at the same time. Of course it has a touch of India to it too.
• Quite good serving size. Compared to the Indian restaurant we tried before, here they served more. 
• Kind staff. The staff was kind, the service was fast enough.
• The Chicken Tikka was very good. The meat wasn't too chewy, it was quite soft. 
•  The sweet Lassi was good though I was too full to finish it and Chloe didn't like it at all.
• The Beef Masala was served with a heat at the bottom (don't know what to call them), so the dish was warm until we finished dining.
• The price was reasonable. 

Negative Remarks:

• I didn't like their Beef Masala. The sauce was too salty, and the meat was like a chewing gum. Our teeth and jaws were aching afterwards.
• The naan was a bit burnt. The naan we had before was soft and cooked right before served.
• Chicken Samosa, well don't know if it is supposed to be that hard, but the outer crust was really hard. I remember trying that in the Philippines once before but it wasn't that hard. 

I would probably never go back to this restaurant ever again. 

Lotte World

Lotte world is one of the famous amusement parks in Korea. I think people who loves watching Korean dramas would want to visit Lotte World when they come to Korea. As for me, am not a fan of amusement parks. The last time I've been to an amusement park was Enchanted Kingdom in Philippines when I was freshman in college. If you compare the rides in Lotte World, you can see that the rides here are more exciting and scary... in my point of view.

Lotte World is a good place to visit 365 days a year since it has indoor and outdoor facilities. The entrance fee is around $25 per person which allows you to enter and view the events held. The hassle is that you have to pay for the ticket each time you want to ride, which is around $3~4 per ride. There's a ticket around $40, which gives you unlimited access to all the rides (except gaming facilities) and entrance. If you enjoy the rides this ticket is better.  

Giant Loop

Balloon Travel

Spain Pirate Ship

Merry Go Round

For the month of July~Aug, they have Rio Samba Festival, you can see dancers in their costumes on a parade and shows.

Lotte world is located near the Jamsil Station (Line no. 2), very convenient to get to from anywhere around Seoul area. 

I plan to take my niece one of these days since I have a 40% discount coupon for free ride ticket. And maybe I will post more pictures. 

Children's Grand Park

It was really a hot day today... obviously since it's summer and the sun is soooooo hot. Unfortunately, Chloe's dad came to Korea to see his daughter so we had to go out in the afternoon. It would be nice if Chloe would just go with her dad willingly and not cry but she's always looking for her mom so that was impossible. 

We went to the Children's Grand Park. It's located in Gwangjin Gu, Seoul. It's very easy to find since the subway station (Children's Grand Park Station line no. 7) is just near the entrance. 

There's no entrance fee to the park itself. But there are other facilities inside where you need to pay some fee to enter or use. You can find animal shows, animal zoo, botanical garden, art hall, design gallery, character world, amusement park, fountain shows and more. 

There are a lot of activities you can do with your child but be sure to check the time because not all facilities stays open. For example, we couldn't see marine animals since they close at 5 pm and we arrived there around 5:15. 

I think the best time to visit the park is during spring or autumn since the sun's really hot in summer but there's water playground for children to play. We weren't able to go around the whole park since we only stayed for about 2~3 hours. I think you need the whole day to actually see everything.

The following pictures, what we've seen but there were a lot to see... will be bringing Chloe again next time and spend more time there to see everything.

Changdeokgung

Changdeokgung, also known as Changdeokgung Palace or Changdeok Palace, is set within a large park in Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the "Five Grand Palaces" built by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty. Because of its location east of Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeokgung, with Changgyeonggung, is also referred to as the East Palace(東闕, Donggwol). The literal meaning of Changdeokgung(昌德宮) is "Palace of Prospering Virtue". (from Wikipedia)

Currently the weather in Korea is getting hotter by the day, and I am busy preparing to move.. so I searched my files for old pictures... and got some pictures taken in Changdeokgung during my friend's visit from Japan.

Well, there are five grand palaces, and one of the famous one is Chagdeokgung. Most of the tourist in Korea visit one of these palaces. Although the Palace has only 30% of its original remains due to the Japanese occupation, it took us about 1 hour and 40 minutes to walk around the entire premise.

The Outer of one of the Palace

Interior

Taken with Friends

The admission fee is around $3~5 depending on the tour you want. There's a English, Japanese, Chinese and Korean guides you can follow. You have to check the time though 'cause there's like 2 English and Japanese guided tours and 1 Chinese tours. Unfortunately for us, we missed the English tour so I had to listen to the Korean and translated it in English to my friend and she had to translate it to her Japanese friend... how easier it would have been if I could speak Japanese or the friend spoke English. :P

One advice is that don't expect too much... you won't be able to go inside the buildings but could only see them through windows... and won't advice you to go during Summer.

Jejudo

Jeju-do[1] (transliterated Korean for Jeju Province, short form of Jeju Special Autonomous Province) is the only special autonomous province of South Korea, situated on and coterminous with the country's largest island. Jeju-do lies in the Korea Strait, southwest of Jeollanam-do Province, of which it was a part before it became a separate province in 1946. Its capital is the city of Jeju. (From Wikipedia)

Living in Korea, I have not traveled around the country as much as I wanted to. I think it's the same thing for me while living in the Philippines that I didn't travel much. I only went out of town trips with my friends and only when I started visiting Philppines on vacations did I really go to beaches and stuff.

I went to Jejudo on a business trip when I worked as interpreter for a certain Korean actor and it was quite short trip. We didn't have much time to go around since it was all work and in Jeju, to go around, you really need to have a car...

One of the sets of the commercial shot was in Yeomiji Botanical Garden. It was established in 1989. The observation platform with 38 m height in the widely spread field - approximately 134,426 square yard(1 : 3.9537 yd²) and the indoor botanical garden - approximately 15,024 square yard(1 : 3.9537 yd²)- shaped into a sunflower, are proudly known as the largest Botanical Garden in the world. (from the website :D). It was really huge and we had to go from one place to another in a car but the place was really beautiful. I just wished I had some free time to be able to walk around.

Yeojimi Botanical Garden

Another famous scenic spot is, if you have watched Korean drama My Name is Kim Sam-Soon, is the Mount Halla. It is one of Korea's famous mountains and unfortunately I have never climbed it. :(. You can also find Teddy Bear Museum. Dol Hareubang is the distinctive cultural artifact in Jeju. If you ever visit Jeju one of the souvenirs to buy is the mini-carvings :D.

Dol Hareubang

Teddy Bear Musuem

My friend went to the Teddy Bear Museum when she traveled to Jeju and she actually enjoyed it. The tickets to Jeju from Seoul is around $60, round trip, by Jeju Air. I think they have ticket sales from time to time. And it takes about an hour to get there. :D

Korea National Museum

I met my grade school friend from Philipppines last Saturday (May 22nd). She is a Opera singer in Phil., and she came to Korea to represent Philippines in Korea-ASEAN Traditional Orchestra. It is hosted by UNESCO and Korea in celebration of 50 years of treaty between Korea and Malaysia.

Anyways... going back to the main topic... my friend Ana, had a day off so we decided to meet. There are a lot of things to do in Seoul and show her but she wanted to see something cultural so I decided to take her to the National Museum.

The National Museum is located in Ichon Dong,  Seoul. It's just a 10 minute walk from the station (the walk from the entrace to the museum is longer than station to the entrance :D).

The museum is bigger than I expected. It's a 3 storey building but it's really long!!! My foot hurt walking around the entire building.. though it was really fun showing my friend around... and looking at the artifacts and artworks of Korea and some other coutries as well.

There's no entrance fee to the main museum, sometimes they have exhibits which you need to pay for. The three storeys have different themes. First floor - pre-historic era, bronze age, Shilla, Goryeo, Balhae ... etc. Second floor -  paintings and donations made to the museum. Third floor - another artworks and Asian artifacts.

The View of The Museum

Some of the things you can see at the museum

Itaewon's Helios

I rarely go to this part of town but since my sister worked here... as a bartender before she became a mom... and her former colleagues wanted to see her. We've decided to go out for dinner.

Helios Pub and Grill

Located in Itaewon, Yong-san. If you want to go out and try different foreign food this is the place to be. You can see people from different races... caucasian, middle east asians, etc.. You can even enjoy exotic cuisines which are hard to find in other parts of Seoul.

The interior of Helios

Back to Helios.. Helios is a Pub and Grill, during the weekdays they sell food and drinks but during the weeekends, it becomes a club. The menu varies from pasta, steaks, burgers and pizza. They have wide selection of cocktails and serve really cool draft beer.

One of the food I recommend is their burgers. They are really good! The patty is thick and one of the reason I like their burgers is the FRIES! It's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside... yummy!!!

Daiquiri

Mango Dairquiri I ordered was good.... recommend for those who can't drink well. I just tried it since it has been a while since I drank. Of course it's not fresh mango since it's expensive in Korea but it was okay. But

I do love their Peach Crush and Blue Hawaiian which I tried years ago :P

If you want to go ther while you are in Korea, just tell the cab driver to go to Itaewon fire station or if you are taking the subway get off at Itaewon station and go out at gate no. 2