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Every Single Day on Super K-Pop
Check out the live performances of Every Single Day's songs '에코', Echo from the I Can Hear Your Voice OST and '모래시계' Hourglass from the Golden Time OST.
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Conversations with Koreans: Where are you from?
It doesn't matter how much Korean I speak, or what I'm even doing, this question is bound to come up in every conversation I am having with a Korean. I guess it makes sense; I'm clearly not from here. However, sometimes I just wonder why it's so common. Yesterday, I was just picking up some milk tea in my local convenience store and as I was checking out, the cashier asked...
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Mangwon Market: Budget Friendly Good Food in Mapo-gu
Mangwon Market is our local traditional market. It's nothing fancy like Gwangjang Market downtown with its rows of food stalls, vintage section and Hanbok section but, Mangwon Market has some good eats and it's within close proximity to Hongdae and the Han River so it's easy to stop by, grab some food and be on your way.
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Only 53 Halmoni Remain
In January of this year, two halmoni, or former comfort women, passed away and now there are only 53 remaining. Comfort women is a euphemism for women that were coerced into sexual slavery by Japan during WWII. These women now preferred to be called halmoni, or grandmother in Korean, because they were anything but comfortable or comforted in the situation they were forced to endure.
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A Crazy Multiply Sketch Night Is a Hit!
The Crazy Multiply Art Collective once again hit it big with the recent Transcribe/ Coalesce sketch night. With Crazy Multiply Transcribe/Coalesceeverything from musicians, installations, performance art and craft beer to boot, it would have been difficult not to enjoy the people and the space.
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Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas From My Family to Yours Twas Christmas morning and all through the house were the sounds of laughter and glee from me, to our new baby and even my spouse. Of course we’d awoken a couple times in the night to cries from the little one but nothing would keep us from smiling bright. We’d invited some friends to join us for a drink and a meal and soon they’d be here to eat, sing and squeal. Ornaments were hung in the window with care and a little tree sat on the table just there. Our little babe was dressed anew, got a massage and a clean diaper too. We’d cooked the…
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Basic Survival Rules For A Night Out In Korea
Whether you’re looking for a riotous night out or not, Korean style nights are a lot to handle especially if you don’t know what to expect. The basic game plan for any night out in Korea is to last five rounds which cover five different locations and often cover multiple alcoholic beverages and food across a spectrum of delicacies. There might even be some fun Korean drinking games. Drinking in Korea is serious… make sure you’re ready if you plan to have a night out in Seoul. There are plenty of tips and tricks and even Korean hangover cures for surviving and actually enjoying a night out, so let me…
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Changdeokgung Palace & The Secret Garden Everyone Is Talking About In Seoul
Changdeok Palace (창덕궁), translated to mean the “Palace of Illustrious Virtue”, was the principal palace for many of the Joseon kings and sitting just up the street from the more famous Gyeongbukgung Palace, it warrants a visit any season of the year with one of the most beautiful gardens in the city. This palace in Seoul Korea is actually said to be the most beautiful in each season and needs to be seen in each season… so I hope you’re ready to go at least four times. Looking for some specific information? Skip around: (This page contains affiliate links. That means if you click on them and purchase something, I…
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The Annual Seoul Fireworks Festival: A Guide To The Event & The Views
The Seoul International Fireworks Festival (서울세계불꽃축제) is a yearly event in Seoul that takes place in the Yeouido Han River Park area each autumn and it is stunning! Massive crowds arrive using all modes of transportation and not only is the Yeouido Han River Park packed, but the bridges are as well. Want to know how to see the fireworks in Seoul? Have a picnic before the fire flowers, as they call them in Korean, explode, or just have some fun near Han River? Here is what you should know to plan an amazing outing to see this festival in Seoul that is a must see event each year. Below…
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Saying Goodbye to Summer with Blooming Cosmos
The winds have shifted and the cooler breezes have been blowing in to say autumn is here and winter is on its way. With autumn comes some amazingly colorful mountain views but also to delight, the cosmos bloom. It’s a flower that holds on until the end and seems to wave goodbye to summer and welcomes us in to autumn. It’s one of the last flowers to enjoy before the plants begin to wilt and turn brown winter ice and snow make their own beautiful scenes to view.The pinks and white of the blooms conjure up memories of the recent spring and summer fun we had frolicking outside with bare feet…
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Seokguram Grotto: Seoul’s Version
Seokguram Hermitage (경주 석굴암) is one of those places that makes it onto every list of top 10 temples, Buddhist sites or wondrous views while in Korea. If you haven’t heard about it yet, head over to my friend Dale’s website and read more about it there. As I’ve read the name and heard it again and again, though haven’t yet been the site myself, I recognized it when I came across the name in Korean as I sat on the side of Mt. Inwang in Seoul. Seokguram… Seokguram (인왕산 석굴암), when I realized why I recognized the name it made me all the more confused as to why there…
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A Landscape Revealed
At the foot of Mt. Inwang (인왕산수성동계곡) an interesting thing happened a few years ago. During demolition of the Ogin Sibeom Apartments in 2008, a scene very similar to that of the artist Gyeomjae Jeong Seon’s (1676 – 1759) in his “Eight Scenes of Jang-dong” appeared. During the rapid growth and industrialization of the area, the scene on the side of the mountain had been covered over with an apartment building in 1971 and wasn’t viewed again for more than 30 years. Upon razing the building a stone bridge was uncovered and the city, which had bought the land back for reclamation, decided to turn the area back into the beautiful natural…
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Summer + Live Music = Fun!
Warm weather begs people to head outside and is there a better place to head than one with live music? Check out this list with the top music festivals to get your toes tapping this summer season. Grab some friends, grab some blankets and grab some shades and head outside for some blasting good fun at a music festival near you. (This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a certain percentage of a sale if you purchase after clicking at no cost to you. Thank you for your support.) 1. Greenplugged May 31, 2014 & June 1, 2014 Don’t be confused. This festival was originally slated to be held…
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Rocking Out with a New Member!
Some if you might be thinking it’s about time, while others had no idea this was coming. The last three months have been a compilation of excitement, exhaustion and empathy with a being I haven’t even had the pleasure of meeting yet. The feelings of lethargy overtook me when I would usually be bounding out the door to somewhere or another. Luckily, there wasn’t morning sickness to speak of just some nausea at the smell of… well I’m still not sure what was causing it. My husband was on top of things with iron heavy seaweed soup to help me cope and boost my energy and our cats couldn’t keep away from…
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The Bukchon Hanok Village: Where To Start
Picking a direction and beginning a self guided tour is how most approach the traditional area of Bukchon in the historic center of Seoul, Korea. As a longtime resident of the capital of Korea, I’ve visited the Bukchon Hanok Village numerous times, but I still remember that first time I went and felt like I didn’t really “see” anything. To make your time in the historic city center of Seoul memorable, there’s a lot you can do, and a lot I’ve covered in this guide to the Bukchon Hanok Village if you want to plan your own day in the area. If it’s your first time though, stick around because…