Michi Photostory: South Korea

Showing posts with label South Korea. Show all posts

March 20, 2023

Unfinished Korean Drama Series

As of this writing, I already finished 179 Korean drama series and I also have a long list of unfinished Korean drama series. I am creating this post so that before starting a new series, I can look at this list and check if my interest has changed already. Kung nasa mood na ba ko ulit ituloy.

My brain can’t remember all of these series so having a list is important. #signsofaging I hope this list won't be long, dapat mas mabawasan. :)

A Witch's Love Epi 7

Beauty Inside Epi 2

Cafe Minamdang Epi 3

Coffee Prince Epi 7

Dali & Cocky Prince Epi 5

Dear My Friends Epi 8

Doctor Prisoner Epi 7

Do You Like Brahms Epi 4

Faith Epi 5

Forest Epi 14

Gaus Electronics Epi 7

Hotel Del Luna Epi 7

Hospital Playlist Season 2 Epi 4

I Have a Lover Epi 12

Little Women Epi 2

Numbers Epi 7

One Spring Night Epi 5

Queen for 7 Days Epi 9

Red Sleeve Epi 8

Run On Epi 6

School 2017 Epi 3

She Would Never Know Epi 1

Strong Girl Nam Soon Epi 6

Summer Strike Epi 10

Tale of the Nine-Tailed Epi 2

The Worst of Evil Epi 6

Thirty-Nine Epi 6

Tomorrow Epi 3

Unlock My Boss Epi 1

Vagabond Epi 4

Wirst of Evil Epi 6

Youth of May Epi 3

Let me know which series is worth watching.

January 16, 2023

No Brand; A Korean Grocery Store

No Brand is a Korean grocery store that started in year 2015 and it has over 200 branches in Korea. It opened its first store in the Philippines, way back on November 22, 2019 but since I live in the province, deadma lang ako sa news. Hehehe! I can buy Korean stuff in grocery and other Korean stores in our place.

But a few weeks ago, we went to Alabang Town Center and I saw No Brand store so I checked it. The branch here is not that big, sharing some pictures of the stuff that you can buy.

I did not buy a lot kasi kakagrocery lang din namin pero nabudol ako ng tea spoon and tea fork kahit marami naman ako ganito sa bahay. Kakaiba yung shape nung tea spoon kasi and mas mahaba yung handle, dinamay ko na yung tea fork para may kapartner. hehehe!

I also bought wipes, frying batter mix, and No Brand Potato Chip Original. Okay yung potato chips and mas mura compared sa Pringles. If ever may makita ko ulit na No Brand Store, I will buy the must-try food like Purple Sweet Potato Chip, Chocolate Chips, and other Korean snacks.

July 22, 2022

DIY Korean Drama Stickers

When the community quarantine started, I rarely watch television because we subscribed to Netflix already and nawala na rin kasi yung ABS-CBN. Parang naging display na nga lang yung TV namin kasi bihira mabuksan except for our play or movie time.

Since I can watch series, movies, and shows anytime and anywhere using my phone. I became more hooked to Korean drama series, mukhang nadoble pa yung number of dramas na napapanood ko every year. You can check my Korean Drama List here and Short Korean Drama List here.

Korean Drama became part of my life because it is one of my relaxations so when I saw this K-Culture Bundle, I immediately bought it so I can make my own Korean Drama stuff. The bundle has graphics for Korean drama and K-Pop fans.

I’m not into K-Pop so I only made Korean Drama Stickers. I uploaded the SVG files on Cricut Design Space, used the offset feature, resized the image, attached, printed, and cut. That’s it!

Just one more episode

I Purple You Korean Hand Symbol

Heart and Seoul

Eat, Sleep, Kdrama, Repeat

KPop Finger Heart Hand Symbol Heartbeat

It’s a K-Drama Thing

I just want to watch k-drama and ignore all of my adult problems.

I paused my K-drama to be here.

I was up all night watching Kdramas

The only drama I want is Korean with English Subtitles

April 21, 2022

Short Korean Drama Series List

I have a lot of unfinished Korean drama series right now and I don’t know if I will continue watching them. Sometimes I feel that I only wasted my time watching several episodes and then suddenly stop because I no longer want the flow of the story. When this happens, I switch to Korean movies, Korean travel variety shows, or Japanese drama series.

“I can’t recycle wasted time” so before starting a new series, I always check how many episodes or how long per episode. I am having second thoughts if I see that there are so many episodes. So recently, I started searching for short Korean drama series that I can watch in one sitting or I can finish during the weekend (max. 8 hours). I’ve only watched a few series so far because it is a challenge to find short drama series on Netflix so sometimes I have to search on other websites.

1. My First First Love 1

2. My First First Love 2

3. You Drive Me Crazy

4. Love Alarm 1

5. D.P.

6. The Silent Sea

7. Soundtrack #1

8. One More Time

9. A Hymn of Death

Among these series, I like "You Drive Me Crazy" and "Soundtrack #1", both stories are about friends turning into lovers.

10. Pachinko

11. The Sound of Magic

12. Seven First Kisses

13. The Boy Next Door

14. We Broke Up

15. One Sunny Day

16. Queen of the Ring

17. Secret Queen Makers

18. Last-Minute Romance

19. Welcome to Wedding Hell

20. Once Upon a Small Town

21. The Island

22. Birthcare Center

23. The Fabulous

September 09, 2021

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha; A Healing Drama

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha is an ongoing Korean drama series starring Kim Seon Ho and Shim Min-a. I have watched the majority of drama series of these two celebrities and they are very versatile actors, they are good at drama and comedy genre. Watching the trailer alone, you can already see their chemistry so I know that this series will be a good one.

I can't wait so even it is a weekly episode, I started watching it kahit alam ko mabibitin ako. As per my research, this is a remake of “Mr. Handy, Mr. Hong, a 2004 South Korean film. The story is about a smart and pretty dentist "Yoon Hye Jin" who moves to Gongjin after she lost her job in the city. She met Hong Du-sik, a jack-of-all-trades who is very special in the neighborhood because he always helps his neighbors especially the elders.

Read: Korean Drama Series List

Korean Movie List

As of this writing, I already watched the 4 episodes and every week there are always quotable lines, so this post will be updated until I finished the series.

"Life isn't fair for all of us. Some spend their whole lives on unpaved roads while some run at full speed only to reach the edge of a cliff." - Hong Du Sik

"The best thing a parent can do for their child is staying healthy for a long time." Yoon Hye Jin

Money and success aren't the only valuable things in life. Happiness, self-contentment, world peace, and love. - Hong Du Sik

Life isn't a mathematical equation. It doesn't have a clear answer. There's no right answer either, you're just given a problem and it's up to you how you solve it. - Hong Du Sik

Surfing is very similar to life. If a good wave comes along, you ride it and slide off it gently, whether the waves are vicious or stagnant, accept it as is - Hong Du Sik

We all have moments we regret in life. Nevertheless, we can never turn back the clock - Yoon Hye Jin

It's okay to get lost or take the long route every now and then. Every time that happened, life took me on an interesting ride. Ji Seong Hyeon

You're bound to meet unexpected situations in life. Even if you use an umbrella, you'll end up getting drenched. Just put your hands up and welcome the rain. - Hong Du Sik

Stop thinking and forget about it. What's done is done. Just press delete, forget about everything, and feel at ease. - Mi Seon

Life may seem so long, but it really isn't. Throw away unnecessary thoughts and be honest with yourself. - Kim Gam Ri

The best meal is one that you have with your family. Yoon Taehwa

Find someone to lean on for once. You spend your life dealing with people's baggage. When do you ever get to lessen yours? - Hong Du Sik

What may be easy for one person can be something difficult for another. - Yeo Hwa Jeong

There's no manual for dating. Just follow your heart. - Mi Seon

Procreating without planning will condemn you to poverty - Mi Seon

Look around yourself closely, and you'll realize that you're surrounded by many precious things. Kim Gam Ri

People should live among other people. Life may seem like a burden to you at times, but if you choose to be among others, someone will carry you on their back. Kim Gam Ri

Just like that, I finished watching Hometown Cha Cha Cha after two months of waiting every weekend for new episodes. And even it is only October, I can definitely say that this is my favorite Korean drama for this year. I like Hometown Cha Cha Cha because it is like "It's Okay Not to Be Okay" that deals with our mental health.

The setting is the countryside so it is such a breath of fresh air especially that we can't travel yet. I like how relaxing the scenery; both landscape and seascape. I love the chemistry of Kim Seon Ho and Shim Min A and I also like all the casts of this series. Each character has their own struggles too and you can learn from their own story. That's why I love the last two episodes because may ending ang bawat character dito.

Losing someone you love is very painful and moving on is not easy too. The challenging part is when there is no one that you can lean on because you lost your family and friend. But Hometown Cha Cha Cha will teach you that you don't have to feel alone because you are surrounded by people who are willing to care and love you.

It will also teach you that there is no problem with grieving but you don't have to stay in that phase. You have to learn to forgive yourself because you deserve to be happy. Your life is precious too and you should not waste it because of what happened in the past.

August 26, 2021

Lessons from Move to Heaven

I’ve first seen Tang Joong Sang in Crash landing on You drama which is one of the highest-rated dramas in South Korea. He is part of Captain Ri’s North Korean soldiers. One year after, he already got a leading role in the Move to Heaven series. It is a Netflix original series but I did not mind this because I don’t like heavy-drama series. But after watching Tang Joong-Sang’s Racket Boys, out of curiosity, I started watching Move to Heaven.

This is number 122 on my Korean drama series list. Move to Heaven is the name of the business of Han-Jeong-U and Han Geu-Ru, they are trauma cleaners who help people in cleaning and sorting out the belongings of the deceased. I have no idea that there is such thing as trauma cleaners and I don’t know if we have this kind of service in the Philippines.

But all I know is, this is a sad reality that we need to face after the wake and interment. Cleaning, organizing, and disposing of the things that our loved ones left behind is a challenge. It is an emotional process where we feel sad and happy at the same time. The pieces of memories that we remember and stay alive in our minds and hearts.

Going back to the story, Han-Jeong-U died and left Han Geu-Ru who has Asperger syndrome to his long-lost uncle Cho Sang-gu. An ex-convict became Geu-Ru's guardian and helper in running the trauma cleaning company. Move to Heaven is not an ordinary trauma cleaning business because they don’t just clean but they also solve some issues of their deceased clients. They believe that things that were left behind can still tell stories and these things help them to uncover and discover the truth.

This series has only 10 episodes but it is full of lessons about family, friendship, life, and death. I have so many realizations after watching Move to Heaven.

1. It confirmed that material things mean nothing. You can’t really bring your treasures to heaven. And shockingly, after the trauma cleaners clean the space, the important things were kept in just a small yellow box.

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21

2. How sad and lonely to die alone with no family members who will organize your funeral. No one even visits you in the wake. Actually, this happened to some people especially now that we are experiencing a global pandemic because of COVID19.

“There’s no greater misfortune than dying alone” - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

3. I love how Namu supports and protects Han Geu-Ru. A true friend that is hard to find.

“There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends that become family.”

4. We all go through loss but we have our own way to deal with our griefs and mournings. Some people will take weeks, months, years, and even forever to heal. Whether we like it or not it is a reality that we cannot escape from, we just need to accept and learn to let go.

“Our grief is a measure of the affection we had and still have for those that have gone to rest in the arms of the Lord. It is the last act of love we can show to those whom we loved but have departed from us.” - Unknown

Ending this post with some of my favorite lines in Move to Heaven

"Although you can't see someone, it doesn't mean they're not with you. As long as you remember, they are not gone"

“Even for the deceased, we can still hear their voice”

“I was told not to say carelessly when you don’t know their story”

“Dad says what makes a good person is how they try to understand others, not how they talk”

“Since I met you, for the first time, I want to live for tomorrow. I want to be a braver man than I was yesterday all because of you. I don’t want to hide anymore like a coward. I’ll never let go of your hand till I die”

August 10, 2021

Korean Enoki Mushroom Omelette

In my previous post, I shared about Korean Egg Roll and because my first gyeran mari was a success, I also tried another Korean egg recipe which is Korean Enoki Mushroom Omelette. It is supposed to be Korean pancake but I removed the flour from the ingredients. I just used whatever ingredients I have at home.

Ingredients

Cooking oil

3 Eggs

Enoki Mushroom

Quickmelt cheese

1 tbsp of spring onion

1 tbsp of bell pepper

Garlic salt

How to Cook Korean Enoki Mushroom Omellete

1. Removed the woody stems of the enoki mushrooms and sliced them.

2. Rinse and pat dried the mushrooms.

3. Crack the eggs and mix all the ingredients.

4. Season with garlic salt.

5. Preheat the pan over medium heat and add cooking oil.

6. I used a 1/4 measuring cup to scoop my enoki mushrooms mixture.

7. Cook the mushrooms until they turn brown or until you can flip them.

8. Cook the other sides and remove them from heat.

9. Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients.

My Korean Enoki Mushroom Omelette was a hit so I will add this to my breakfast menu. I will cook this again kapag may enoki mushroom na ulit kami and next time, I will add flour and see kung may difference ba sa lasa.

And because I was happy with my Neoflam Fika Egg Roll Pan, I also invest in Neoflam Fika Frying Pan but this one, I bought it from SM (online) because it is cheaper. Nakasale kasi sa SM + voucher, ang laki ng tipid. I loved this pan because I did not use a lot of oil to cook my Korean omelet. You can purchase the pan here.

Watch the video here

August 05, 2021

Korean Egg Roll (Gyeran Mari)

I have already watched a lot of Korean drama series, variety shows, and movies so slowly I’m adding Korean foods to our menu. I’m a picky eater so I know for sure that I can only add few dishes to my list. One of the side dishes that I’ve been meaning to cook is Korean Egg Roll or Gyeran Mari. It is a popular Korean side dish that I always see whenever I watch drama series, movies, and even variety shows.

The only thing that hinders me is I know that I am not good at rolling eggs, that is why I rarely cook omelets at home. Then I realized maybe I should invest in Omelet Pan but I was hesitant to buy because it is expensive but after few months, naicheck-out ko na rin sa cart ko. I finally bought Neoflam Fika Egg Roll Pan, I know that there are cheaper versions of egg roll pans pero gusto ko yung design ng Neoflam. Hehehe!

Neoflam Fika Cookwares are also available in SM and it is cheaper compared to other sellers online but SM does not offer Egg Roll Pan so I ordered my pan in South Korea. You can purchase from this store. What I love about this pan, the egg mixture doesn’t stick talaga so you don’t need a lot of oil and rolling an egg is not a problem.

In cooking gyeran mari, you only need eggs, salt, and cooking oil but of course, you can also add other ingredients like carrots, bell pepper, spring onion, ham, cheese, and more. The list goes on depending on your preference. On my first try, I added bell pepper and spring onion. I mixed all the ingredients in a measuring cup so it would be easy for me to pour the egg mixture.

Korean Egg Roll Recipe

4 Eggs

1 tbsp of spring onion

1 tbsp of bell pepper

Garlic salt

1 tbsp of cooking oil

1. Mix the ingredients

2. Heat the pan on low heat and add cooking oil.

3. Pour a thin layer of egg mixture into the pan and spread.

4. If the egg is semi-cooked, start rolling the egg to the other side.

5. Pour a thin layer into the empty space.

6. If the egg is semi-cooked, start rolling the egg again to the other side,

7. Repeat the process until you finish your egg mixture.

8. Remove the rolled egg from the pan and let it cool.

9. Slice the egg for about 1 inch thick.

I'm so happy with my first try of Korean Egg Roll so I have no regrets about purchasing my egg roll pan. Hindi ko nagagawa ito sa round na pan e. Now, I have the confidence in making omelets and egg rolls. The advantage of this, my son can eat vegetables too.