Beauty & Fashion Food & Dining Kap & Me My Kids Staycations & Vacations The GOppets

Korea Day 6

It’s another rainy day today. Been compaining about the sunny weather but now that it’s cooler, frequent light to moderate showers is creating complications with our gala plans, lol. Masyado daw akong reklamador according to the GOppets. 😛 Oo nga naman, sorry na.

Good rainy morning from Korea! It’s a busy start of the day for Kap my Kap (who is already ice-ing his back due to the strain of caring for all of us the past few/his entire life hehe!) Labada – check. Linis – check. Trash – emptied. Bed – fluffed. Meanwhile, his batugan of a wife is napping. #thegoodlife #divisionoflaborWHAT #babaengpinagpala. Thank you my honey. Ang swerte ko talaga! <3

What’s nice about the underground station is it keeps us safe & dry from the rain. Just a little walk above ground upon reaching our Korail stop & we’re right where we wanna be. \m/

Downside though is THIS!!! @_@ We always manage to join the rush hour hay naku. Going & coming, hindi maiwasang mapasabay kami sa dagsa since we’re out & about the whole day & we go to numerous places. Inaabot talaga namin ang peak hours ahuhuhu.

Meeting up with a mommy friend for lunch today. Teree is the sweetest, kindest & most thoughtful person I have ever met in my entire life, I swear. Our kids went to the same school some years back but since then, and even after she, her fambam & furkids have already moved to Korea, she would always send me & the girls pasalubong whenever she’d come home for a short visit. Walang palya.

I don’t know how I always become friends with classy, demure, soft-spoken ladies when I’m such a loud-mouthed jeje-mom lol. I guess opposites do attract! 😛

Baliktad pa. Teree had assorted goodies for us when we’re the ones visiting & should have brought pasalubong from Manila, hehe. Thank you dearest Teree for always being so thoughtful & generous to all of us. <3

But before the meet-up, walang katapusang shopping muna for the kids in Gangnam. It’s hard walking around looking for small specialty shops in the rain but since minsan lang naman maka-alis ng bansa, ibigay na ang hilig. 😛

First order of the day as decreed by Ate who won’t settle for just their stalls in the malls. Destination: GENTLE MONSTER SINSA FLAGSHIP STORE South Korea, Seoul, Gangnam-gu, 533-6 Phone number: +82 70-5080-0194

Gentle Monster, which retails for not less than US$300 a pair, is a South Korean luxury eyewear brand with a growing reputation for combining experimental design (read: WEIRD) with high functionality. The brand, which employs eight in-house eyewear designers, releases 350 to 400 (30 to 40 styles with 5 to 10 color options) new unisex models made of cellulose acetate, titanium steel or stainless steel frames each year. Cellulose acetate frames are easily adjustable for different facial structures because they bend to shape without heat, and without breaking in the process.

Gentle Monster, still considered new to the market, was founded six years ago by former English teacher Hankook Kim. It soared to success and brand name recognition across Asia in the most reliable way possible: when A-list South Korean actress Gianna Jun wore a pair on the popular K-drama, “My Love from the Star.” Ate must like it so much coz this is her 3rd pair. And ever the sibling’s idol, Babyson follows suit & also got a pair. Bagay ba yang mga napili nila? 🙂

The Gangnam District is one of the 25 local government districts which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Gangnam literally means “South of the River”. South Korea is known for its high standard of education and intense competition for university entrance and Gangnam is considered the national capital of education, which is one of the decisive factors to make it the most attractive destination in South Korea.

Gangnam is riddled with shops along the streets. You could easily lose a day just browsing & window shopping. So many interesting things to see & touch! 😛

Passed by this bakeshop that sold beautiful (and hopefully yummy) goodies so we thought of buying some for Teree & her brood. We haven’t had brekky yet so we were ogling & practically drooling with the lovely display! <3

In or out of the country, they never let an opportunity for Kodak moments pass. GIRLS! @_@

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse is located at the Gangnam district. Apgujeong-ro 10-gil, open from 10AM–10:30PM. Phone: +82 2-547-2004 Mr. Holmes Bakehouse is most famous for their cruffins. With its croissant-like texture and muffin-like appearance, t’s definitely more croissant than muffin. We split one to try. It’s soft, flaky and buttery, everything you want in a good croissant. It comes coated in sugar and stuffed with various cream fillings. One is definitely NOT enough, but we were having lunch with friends soon so we restrained ourselves & just bought a box of assortments to take with us.

Hailing all the way from San Fransisco, California, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse has come to Korea to share its cruffiny goodness with the Seoulites. As its first international branch, they want to ensure that the flavor and quality of their baked goods are up to their Sanfo standards, so all of the bakers get basic two months training in San Francisco.

After all the side trips, we finally reached our meeting place with Teree. So funny that we chose Shake Shack out of all places in Korea, lol. It’s because when we were in London last year, Babyson wanted to try this particular burger joint but I insisted on the then-closer-to-us Five Guys Burger kasi nga I didn’t want to walk further anymore. Then we had to leave the country without ever trying, so I owed him one. When we found out there was a Shake Shack in Korea, I made sure makabawi naman ako kay pogi. 😛

The fast-growing Shake Shack already has FOUR branches in South Korea. The one we went to was the one in Gangnam: Daeyeon Building 1F, Gangnamdaero 452, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul +82 02-553-5576. The other branches you can find in: Doota Mall 1F, SGF Cheongdam Tower #1, and AK Plaza 1F Hwangsaeul-ro.

So happy that Teree & Joel didn’t mind us meeting at a fast-food joint. Shake Shack (NYSE: SHAK) is an American fast casual restaurant chain based in New York City. It started out as a food cart inside Madison Square Park in 2004, and its popularity steadily grew. It eventually moved to a stand within the park, expanding its menu from New York-style hotdogs to one with hamburgers, hotdogs, fries and its namesake milkshakes. The company claims to use all-natural 100% Angus beef only and says that its meat has no hormones nor antibiotics.

Our total came out to less than 2k php. Kap may not have been happy with our food choice for lunch, but he was generally happy with the bill hehe. meanwhile, Babyson was happy he finally got to try this, and I was happy for a burger fix. <3

After our late lunch, we ladies split up with the boyz II men. 😛 I had something wicked in mind & my local guide, the lovely Teree, was my accomplice for the day. Kap’s not gonna know what hit him. ;)) Shhhhhhh!

She quickly took me to GUGUS, a reseller chain store that sells brand new & very gently used second hand designer bags & many, many, MANY other lust-worthy things. I only had 2 hours to shop on my own so galit-galit muna kami as I looked around, admired, touched, computed, haggled, begged for discount, haggled some more, begged some more, and finally purchased my first (and probably the last hehe) birkin. Woohoooo! Di bale nang walang pamalengke for the next 10 years, diet nalang muna ang GOppets. ;P A girl’s gotta have what a girl’s gotta have!

My girls advised me to get a birkin in black as it’s my first ever (and most probably last). But you guys know me. My life is so colorful. My heart would not be happy with a mournful black. And this one really popped out & called to me, the Hermes Arlequin Birkin 6-color 35mm bag. The moment I saw it I knew she was THE ONE. <3 Don’t you agree? I fell in love huhu. There’s no going back, I had it wrapped & prepared myself for a year-long sermon from Kap.

When I learned that the design of the bags was inspired by this painting- Picasso’s Paul en Arlequin, aba bongga, I loved it even more. The design has a French humorous way to look at things, and 6 in 1 fun colors in Orange, Etain, Capucine, Sanguin, Taurillon, and Clemen.

My next project, this other color naman para may rainbow na ako trololol. #palosapwet

Walked proudly with my new purchase around the Galleria Department Store right across (which is known as the most popular luxury-brand fashion mall in Seoul) to meet up with the rest of the GOppets before finally heading off to a late dinner. We 3 girls were praying the novena as we waited for Kap & Babyson to arrive for the biggest surprise ever, hehe. Joke lang!

Kap gave me a one-bag-per-country shopping allowance. Ang usapan, no questions asked basta ONE lang per country (sorry nalang sya he didn’t specify brands that were taboo hahaha). So when he saw the orange shopping bag, I knew he really wanted to faint kasi malayo pa lang his chinky eyes rounded to the size of giant saucers. But then he saw my happy, glowing face (and the 10 Hail Marys must’ve worked lol) so he just gulped, asked the price and kung mura ko na daw ba nabili. He gave it a silent but thorough once-over & marked his stamp of approval with a kiss. Sabi ko sa inyo eh, ako na ang babaing pinagpala, wala nang iba! ;))

Mwah! Sealed with a kiss. Sa uulitin? ;P

For dinner, Ate wanted us to experience the local market so we went to Gwangjang Traditional Market for octopus sashimi. Brutal I know coz they keep the octopus alive but cut off the feet so it’s still moving around when they serve it to you. As much as I wanted to try this korean delicacy, my heart just won’t give in. Nakakaawa huhu.

So it was just the boys who tried the slimy delicacy, mga pusong bato, hmp. Kumusta naman ang the great tentacle experience, I asked Kap my Kap. Wala naman daw lasa, medyo malansa na makunat. It’s the hot sauce that brings out the taste. More of “Fear Factor” ang pinaglalaban kaya tumikim. 😛 Yun lang, the tentacles stick daw to your inner cheeks & the roof of your mouth, sucking and resisting while you chew. Gah, nasusuka tuloy ako bigla. 😛 (sorreh)

Gwangjiang Traditional Market

88 Changgyeonggung-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul
How to get there: Take the Metro to Jongno-5 station and take either Exit 9 or 8 which will lead you right to the entrance of the market. Just ask around, the Koreans are a friendly bunch & will sometimes even take you there themselves.

If you love Korean food, you don’t want to miss eating your way through Gwangjang Traditional Market in Seoul. It’s one of the ultimate places to experience traditional Korean street food and culture all under one roof.

First established in 1905, Gwangjang Traditional Market is known to be the oldest continually functioning market in all of South Korea. And it’s one of those places that has not only withstood the test of time, but it’s passed through many generations unchanged. Retaining its Korean cultural heritage, style, and charm. A must visit when you go to Korea. (Dress ruggedly though as it IS a wet market. Thankfully, we brought our shopping packages to the apartment before heading here).

One of the delicacies being sold here is the Soondae (Sundae) or blood sausage. The Korean version of blood sausage contains a mixture of blood and a good amount of sticky and soft mung bean noodles or sticky rice. When you order a plate of soondae, one of the big long sausages is sliced into pieces and arranged onto a plate & served with a few slices of lungs and some perilla leaves & chili salt to taste. I love dinuguan back home but sorry, I have to pass on this one.

There’s a specific lane within Gwangjang Traditional Market where you can get all sorts of fresh seafood including hwareo hoe, Korean sliced raw fish similar to sashimi, an assortment of exquisitely fresh and raw seafood, and the famous live octopus above. But the tinderas are basically friends with one another so you can get food from different stalls & eat in one place. They just bill you separately.

Octopus tenatacles = 15,000 won. Top shell = 15,000 won. Sucking experience = priceless.

We had a full day. Off to bed, another long day tomorrow. Sabi ko pa naman kay Kap pagdating namin ng Korea: Honey sana every month maka-travel tayo. Pero ngayon sa dusang inaabot ko, kahit na magka-pondo pa ayaw ko na umalis every month. Papatayin nila ako sa pagod!! @_@

But waaaaait! Teka lang, may 1-per-country bag allowance nga pala ako!!! Sige, isip-isip muna hahahahaha! ;))

Goodnight everyone. :-*

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10 Comments

  • Reply Candy

    Wahahahahahahaha “his chinky eyes rounded to the size of giant saucers” wahahahahahaha

    How to be you po, Mommy Jane?

    August 17, 2017 at 8:39 am
    • Reply Jane Go

      Hanggang ngayon in shock pa rin si poor Kap my Kap lol. ;))

      August 17, 2017 at 8:51 am
  • Reply michconstantino

    “1 bag per country allowance”

    Alis na ulit next month Mommy Jane? LOL! *long time no comment from good old professor Mich.

    August 17, 2017 at 10:37 am
    • Reply Jane Go

      Yehey full prof ka na Mich?? Congratulations I’m so very proud of you!! :-* Matagal-tagal na rin ang pinagsamahan natin!!

      August 17, 2017 at 11:01 am
  • Reply Erika

    Yan ang love, basta makitang masaya , kiss nalang ok na haha!
    Do you like Shake Shack? Inantok kami after namin kumain. And mas bet pa namin Burger Geek sa Molito. Haha!

    August 17, 2017 at 10:49 am
    • Reply Jane Go

      Hahaha sabi bga nila magkasing-lasa lang daw ang burger geek & shake shack. :))

      August 17, 2017 at 11:01 am
  • Reply Cheska

    Wow Ms. Jane! A brand new Birkin? You are lucky! ???

    August 17, 2017 at 9:06 pm
    • Reply Jane Go

      Hehe fake lang yan. ;P

      August 18, 2017 at 6:13 am
  • Reply med

    Hahahaahahaha! Etong si Kap hindi pa din nahahalata ang modus operandi mo? Kapag humihiwalay kayo ng girls, it means may maitim na balak, LOL. I have been waiting for this post coz I wanna know how you got away with your THE BAG. Luv, luv, luv the color! It’s so you.

    August 21, 2017 at 12:08 pm
    • Reply Jane Go

      hehe he loves me too much, kaya pinababayaan na lang ako. Alam naman nyang hindi nya ako mapipigilan, lol. ;))

      August 21, 2017 at 12:20 pm

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