Seoul, I'm Loving You

Annyeong haseyo!!!!


Greetings from the land of happy, friendly and kimchi-loving people. My Husband and I are taking a quick break from our Manila vaycay to explore the streets of Seoul, Korea.

SPRING IN SEOUL.  We thought we were too late to see the Cherry Blossoms but lucky that some trees are still abloom.

We've been exploring places, eating Korean cuisine, doing a bit of shopping, exchanging friendly banter with locals (despite our little knowledge of their language), getting lost and finding unexpected gems along the way.


The city is still cold even if it's already Springtime but we feel a warmth while we are here. A city so charming and peaceful, we are wanting to go back and we haven't even left yet.

CHERRY BLOSSOMS IN THE STREETS OF HONGDAE

KOREAN BBQ! Our first dinner in Seoul was at a Korean BBQ restaurant that didn't have any menu.  

YEOUIDO PARK

THE TEDDY BEAR PRINCE!!! The bears seen in the Koreanovela "Princess Hours" can be  found in the TEDDY BEAR MUSEUM.

N SEOUL TOWER

Every night inside our hotel room, we have a cup of tea while we look outside our window and watch Seoul in amazement. We realize how blessed we are to be here, to be together, to be sharing an adventure of a lifetime.

Muji Shopping

Some stores in the Philippines are nonexistent in Australia, one of which is Muji.

Muji is a Japanese lifestyle store that offers stylish and functional quality goods.  They have a branch at Bonifacio High Street so we took the opportunity to check out their store when we had lunch there last Saturday.

Their products range from bags, clothes, shoes, furnitures, storage solutions, kitchen needs and food. It's like IKEA but more!

I immensely enjoyed shopping there!  What made me more happy was that I found the perfect pair of boots for me.

Our loots from our Muji Shopping:

From their food range, I bought a pack of Vegetable Chips.  I just finished it right now as I write and it was good.  It's a bit oily but not salty.

My Husband and I bought two pairs of Muji wooden chopsticks, addition to our growing chopsticks collection at home.

My Husband can't resist getting a few mechanical pens and markers.

I bought these storage boxes to house my accessories and jewellery back home.

We loved their striped shirts because they were thick, perfect for cold weather in Sydney.

And my pair of boots!!!!  It doesn't have heels and the length is perfect for my short legs.  

If ever you are in Bonifacio High Street, Muji is worth checking out.


Muji (Philippines)
2nd Floor, SSI Building, Quadrant 7
Bonifacio High Street
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

R3 Level, Powerplant Mall
Rockwell Center Makati City

Jollibee is Love!

What was my first meal when I arrived in Manila? What else, but Jollibee!!!!!


Jollibee is the most famous and well-loved fastfood restaurant in the Philippines.  I grew up enjoying Jollibee's Chickenjoy and Yum Burger.  


Do you have a favourite Jollibee memory?  I do!  I remember celebrating my 7th birthday in Jollibee Cubao and my favourite mascot, Jollibee, entertained the guests by dancing and playing with the kids at my party.

On the evening we arrived in Manila, our first stop was at a Jollibee branch for dinner.   

We missed Jollibee's Chickenjoy very much!!  When my parents asked us what we wanted, we both said, "Two-piece Chickenjoy, please?" 

After all these years, it is still the same taste of Chickenjoy we are familiar with.  Although, there was a change in chicken size and consistency of their gravy, it is still the same delicious and tasty Chickenjoy we love.

On our second week here, we had dinner again at Jollibee so we can have a taste of their burgers.  

I had the Yum with Cheese which looked smaller but the the taste still the same.

The burger meals came with a small serving of skinny but crunchy French Fries (chips).  



The Husband ordered the Burger Steak rice meal.   The Philippines is known for eating rice in every meal so Jollibee offers this meal for burger and rice lovers.

For snacks, we love the Classic Jolly Hotdog.  Delicious hotdog in a bun with cheese generously sprinkled on top.  

We also love breakfasts at Jollibee.  My favourite is the Longganisa Meal and the Corned Beef Meal.

Going back home will never be complete without indulging in our favourite meals at Jollibee.  My friends and I in Australia always wish that someday, Jollibee will have a branch in Sydney.  



It's a restaurant that means a lot to us because it will always remind us of home, of our childhood, and of good food that brings satisfaction to our tummies and smiles on our faces.

I Love Lea!

I was supposed to write about food tonight BUT today was a very special day for me.  I met Lea Salonga!!!!!  OMG!!!! I was so happy.  If you've been following my tweets this morning, you'd know that I was such a fan girl when I saw her in Mercato Centrale (Fort Bonifacio).


We had early lunch at Mercato Centrale today and after lunch, we went inside one of the tents to have dessert.  When all of a sudden I saw Chuckie Dreyfus and RJ Ledesma and their families.  They were having their photo taken and didn't realize that Lea Salonga's family were with them too.  My Husband was the one who pointed it out to me and I was elated to see Lea in person.  Such a dream come true!!!!


I'm very grateful for my Husband for having very sharp eyes and even took a photo of them.  I was a the back talking to my dad, can you see me?  At this point, I still didn't know that Lea was there. 

After taking this photo, my Husband showed me their photo and said, "see, it's Lea!"  And I immediately shifted to fan girl mode.  I love Lea, as in!!!!  I admire her as a singer, as an artist, a woman, a wife and a mother.  I really love her!


I kept on following her.  I forgot about food, about dessert and even forgot about my family hehe.  I was just watching her from afar.  Too shy to come close because I know that even if she is a public figure, she was at Mercato with her family.  I didn't want to invade her privacy.


But my Husband encouraged me to have a photo with her since people around her were asking for a photo op with her.  So we waited and finally when she wasn't talking to anyone, I shyly approached and asked her if we can have a photo together.  


GRABE!!!! I was in heaven. haha.  She was gracious and said, "Yes."  I even asked her if she will be visiting Sydney soon, she said, "No plans yet."  She even related that she went to Sydney last year for "CATS The Musical".  So I just wished her, "I hope you'll have a concert in Sydney soon."

I was so starstruck!  She's so simple and she seemed like a person that you can easily talk to because she smiles and really talks to people who approach her, but she's Lea Salonga!  How can I not be starstruck??

I'm still mesmerized until now.  I won't ever forget this day.  To finally meet someone I truly admire, got to talk to her and even have a photo with her is a dream come true.

Sydney International Airport and Our PAL Experience

I haven't travelled internationally since 2008 and the Sydney International Airport has changed for the better.

On the day we travelled to Manila, we arrived four hours early at the airport but there were a few people waiting on queue at the PAL check-in counters.  

After we checked-in we immediately had heavy breakfast at Asakaze, a Japanese-Korean resto.  I had my favourite Beef Bibimbap while the Husband had Pork Katsudon. 

I'm grateful that Sydney International Airport has renovated the place.  It's not yet as big as Dubai or Singapore Airport but at least, the place has improved.  They now have a bigger Duty Free.

They now have a bigger lounge for passengers waiting for their next flight.

A spacious lounge as you passed thru Duty Free area surrounded by more shops.

A cafe for those wanting to have coffee and pastries.

More and longer walkators to get thru to your assigned gate.

We flew via Philippine Airlines.  It's been awhile since I flew via PAL and it was a first time for the Husband.  Our departure from Sydney got delayed.  Thank goodness for carpeted waiting areas and available power points.  Husband and I got to charge and play with our gadgets while we waited 40 minutes for our plane to arrive.

We got the old PAL plane.  We didn't have monitors infront of us.  We just had this small TV a few meters infront of us so we can watch whatever's PAL is playing.  The Husband, being his first time to ride PAL, was amused with the plane being old and low-tech.

We had fish for lunch because according to our PAL flight attendant, they've ran out of the beef dish.  When traveling via plane, they always have two options for your main meal.  Since there were so many kids on the plane with us, the beef dish ran out fast.  Good thing, we didn't have any allergy with seafoods.  The dish was ordinary.  Nothing really spectacular.  PAL seriously needs to improve on the food they serve to passengers.

They used to give real cutleries but now they just give cutleries made of hard plastic.

After lunch, they asked if we wanted drinks.  The Husband tried Manila Beer.  I just had tea.

And they gave out Salted Peanuts.  Happy hour!

We napped after we ate.  When we woke up we brought out our tablet and watched the movie "Life As We Know It".  After that,I started my "Modern Family" marathon.  I've seen all the series a couple of times but it never fails to make me laugh.

After an episode or two, the Husband called my attention.  

We knew we were in the area of the Philippines.

We saw water.

And then, we saw land!!!!!

Touchdown was 6:00PM, Philippine Time.  The pilot landed the plane with great ease.  We didn't even feel that we landed already, it was really amazing.

Hello, Manila! We are home.