Death of North Korean leader Kim Jong IL

Today , news announced that the leader of North Korea Kim Jong Il died at the age of 69.
I think this is such a turning point in the world politics as we don't know what is going to happened next concerning North Korea.
 Do you think this means the end of any anticipated war against South Korea?
we can just hope so ...

Girlz Talk ♥♥ Korean cosmetics

picture from ISA KNOX website

Makeup is the girl's fun tool to enhance her look and show her natural beauty even more , 

we all need a touch of makeup now and then and I love to play around with makeup since I was a little girls and I think that Korea has one of the best makeup brands but they are so underrated and they need to be marketed more globally.

The Korean makeup look is generally very simple and elegant , it focuses more on the skin beauty and the eyes deep look.Nowadays, people in some countries like US, UAE and many asian countries can get Korean Cosmetics easier especially online

Korean cosmetics market is a very saturated one, you can hardly find a street in Korea without a beauty store around the corner. To be honest , I have never used or even heard of Korean cosmetics lines until I came to Korea 3 years ago .

Now , I use mostly Korean brands because they have good quality , look cute and very affordable .

What I like the most about Korean Cosmetics, is the use of natural ingredients to enhance your natural beauty and improve your skin instead of hiding it .

Today I will share with you some of my favorite Korean cosmetics brands :)

1) ISA KNOX: I love mostly their skin care products , they can be considered a little bit in the higher end products and they have amazing natural ingredient products 

2)Etude house: I can never walk in an Etude house store without buying something , their  products are too cute for words, it is always something new every season , they have great packages and nice products 

3) SKIN FOOD Skin food is very interesting makeup brand, as the name indicated : they have lines of products using natural fruits or vegetable ingredients that beings healthy and beauty to the skin, it is basically food for skin . one of my favorite skin food lines is the carrot line ;)

4) Missha I like mostly their eye products, very cute and good quality .

5) TONY MOLY, IT's Skin , Holika Holika .. they are all great and  you have a lot to chose from , seriously Korean cosmetics Rock ;)

One more thing I love about Korean Cosmetics is the huge sales they have during holidays, you can get great offers especially before Chuseok and New year .

Finally these are just some of the brands that I favorite after trying their products , 

I highly recommend you to get some  Korean cosmetics if they are available in your country and try them out . 

And girls if you like such topics please comment below and I will be posting more about Korean beauty tips and makeup looks as well as fashion ;)

It's Kimchi Making Season !!

If you are a fan of Korea , you already know that
" a Korean man can live without a wife but can never live without his Kimchi " (an old Korean proverb ). Kimchi might be too spicy for you but it is very healthy and beneficial for your body.
In the past , it was hard to get vegetables during winter season , that is why Koreans used to make Kimchi and save it for cold winter days.
There are many types of Kimchi but their main ingredients are radish, green cabbage, green onion , cucumbers and garlic in addition to korean seasoning such as red pepper paste , ginger and salt . What makes Kimchi so great is the use of korean ingredients to give it a special and unique taste.
Kimchi is not only a healthy mix of vegetables, you can aso add the famous Korean fish sauce to provide you with needed proteins which makes it an ideal meal not just a side dish.
Making Kimchi is a great event in Korea , all family members get together to help their moms and if you are a foreigner living in Korea you can always enjoy some fun events where you can experience Kimchi making processes along with other foreigners with the assistance of some nice Korean Ajumas.
So remember that it is getting cold , so keep warm and don't forget to eat your kimchi ;)

The best and easiest ways to learn Korean

Korean language or Hangul is very interesting and not as hard to learn , Even though I'm still stuck in an intermediate level. I can maintain a small conversation easily and it helps me a lot in my daily life.
Even thought it might look hard especially if you are only used to Latin characters (A,B,C .. )
once you learn the Korean alphabet and memorize them everything will be easier for you.
And nowadays it is even easier since there are a lot of great programs and websites that teach Koreans and here is a list of my top favorite Korean learning methods and direct links:

1) www.talktomeinKorean.com : they provide great lessons with PDF files ready to print and use and some audio files as well . You can also like their page on facebook and you can learn a new world everyday just by facebookinh ;)

2) www.livemocha.com you can sign up for free and start your Korean language lessons, what I like the most about this website is that you can also test your knowledge after studying hard

3) If you are like me and you enjoy more watching videos in order to learn faster, a great YouTube channel for Korean language is : lets speak Korean by Arirang Tv , they have different levels and it is very helpful .

I hope you liked this post ^^

Disclaimer: I'm not sponsored by any of the mentioned websites , it is just what I have found great for Learning Korean from my experience ;)

How to get a Korean boyfriend ?

I came across this super funny video and wanted to share with you ;)
if you like it that might cover up for my long absence =)
watch the video girls, learn your lesson and get your tactics ready because you are getting a Korean boyfriend ;) haha
enjoy watching

 
              

Korea's Got Talent !!

I have come across this video today and I was amused by the talent of this young man.
He is not only a great breath taken singer, he is also so humble and down to earth. That is what talent is all about after all. Enjoy it ^.*


                

Cute coffee shops in korea

One of the greatest things about Koreans is that they can make something cute out of everything and anything. Even it is a very simple basic item, Koreans would wrapped in a fancy yet cute style and make it so adorable and believe me you will waste all your money in Korea if you stop and buy everything that seems cute for you :D hhh ( PS: I'm guilty of doing that as well ).
Not only accessories, phone and key chains, blankets, socks and pretty much everything else is so cute in Korea, places such as coffee shops are also turned to an adorable cozy place that you can never resist.
I wouldn't be able to count how many times I was tempted to drink coffee just because is too cute to be missed haha. One more great thing about Korean coffee shops is that they offer some snacks and great homemade sweets in case you were hungry. And  of course I don't need to mention the free high speed wireless  internet , hehe Come On it is Korea !! hh
So if you want to enjoy a nice cup of coffee while finishing your homework in a cozy cute place, take the first plane to Korea :P hh

Here are some pictures of a Hello Kitty Coffee shop in Seoul   but believe me, it is not the cutest out there :)
Enjoy and please let me know what do you think about it in the comment box below ;)

aaawww !! ^_____^

wanna try them all !! yummyy

!!!! hhhhhhh

claim:picture from seoulstyle

Top 10 Cheap and Tasty Korean Food !!

I truly believe that Korean food is very healthy ; I can see that from the general health condition of Korean Ajumas and Ajuchis (old women and men). They remain very healthy and strong even in their 70s. Don't be surprised if you see a Korean old men pushing a very heavy cart. I think that a lifetime of healthy diet is the reason behind this amazing healthy status of Koreans. That is one more reason that makes me love Korean food !!
So moving on to the list of my favorite Korean meals and snacks that are very cheap:

10) Teokbokki 

It is a very popular Korean snack; you can buy it from street vendors or Pojanmacha . A full bowl of Tteokbokki will cost you only arround 3,000 Won\.
The basic ingredients for this dish are Korean rice cake, fish cake, spring onion, eggs, carrots and spices.






9) kimbap 

It looks similar to sushi rolls, you can get it at a kimbap store; there is one nearly in every street corner in Korea.
It is very cheap : starting from 1,500 Won \.
It is basically rice and different other ingredients(eggs, carrots, Tuna, meat, cucumber) rolled in Kim which are sheets of dried laver seaweed)
There are a lot of types of Kimbap , my favorite one is Tuna Kimbap or 참치 김밥 (chamchi kimbap).






8) Galbi Tan 갈비 탕 

It is basically a short rib soup with some vegetables. It is served with rice and Kimchi and costs around 4,500 Won\. It is very good and healthy especially during winter time.

7) Bibimbab 비빔밥

It is one of the popular Korean traditional dishes. It is basically mixed rice dish that is served as a bowl of rice topped with seasoned vegetables along with paste of chilli and pepper, a fried egg and tuna or sliced meat.

You need to stir all the ingredients together to enjoy it. I love this colorful dish and it was actually one of the first dishes that I tried in Korea. It costs 3,500 Won \ and youcan get it everywhere in kimbap chungguk .

6) Cheese rameon 치즈 라면

It is just Rameon with a small amount of sliced vegetables such as onions and carrots topped with a slice of cheese.It is a fast meal that costs you only 2,500 Won \ 

5) Jajangmyeon  짜장면 

It is thick noodles made from white wheat flour toped with a thick sauce that is made with black bean paste, called chunjang. It costs only 2,500 Won \

and you can get it from any local kimbap Nara.

3) Omelet rice  오므라이스

 it is basically fried rice with carrots, onions, ham or shrimp wrapped in an omelet  and topped with ketchup. It is very tasty and costs 4,000 Won \. 

2) cheese rabboki 치즈 라볶이

It is basically a mix of noodles,  Tteokbokki , some onion slices  and eggs, all topped with slices of cheese to make it all a perfect meal !! I love this cheese rabboki and I can never get enough of it !! And the best part is you only need to pay 4,500 Won \ to enjoy it !!

1) saewoo bokkumbap 철판 새우 볶음밥

My all time favorite Korean food. It is simply fried rice with shrimp and diced veggies along with some peas. You can get it for 4,500 Won \ . I'm sure you will like it !!

I hope you enjoyed my list of favorite tasty, fast, cheap Korean food; Have you tried any of these dishes? What are your favorites ? 

Happy New Year !!

Seolnal or the Korean New Year is a major holiday in Korea. It is basically the Chinese lunar new year. Korean get excited for this 3 day-holiday because they get to travel to their hometowns and visit relatives. They share expensive gifts and delicious traditional food .
Most of the Koreans dress up in Hanbok : the korean traditional clothing.
On Seolnal all Korean's eat duck-gook which is rice cake soup. The soup is made by diagonally slicing rice cakes into thin, oval slices. The rice cake slices are soaked in water, then boiled in beef broth. The soup is garnished with chives, seaweed, and egg and is eaten for good luck in the New Year. If you want to wish a happy new lunar year for a Korean; you should say 설날 복 많이 받으세요 (sulnal bok mani badeuseyo). You can also use  새해 복 많이 받으세요 (saehae bok mani badeuseyo) which kids actually say to their grandparents in order to get their Seolnal money :))  .
My favorite thing about being in Korea for the Seolnal is the 3 day off that we get from school and of course sales !! 
Happy Seolnal everybody !!

S.Korea vs Japan.. what a game !!

I have been looking forward to seeing this game and it was worth watching !!!

Both teams were extremely strong and played very well until the last minutes; Korea opened the goals through a penalty in the 23rd minute but Japan was able to equalize it before the break !! The second half didn't change the final scores but it was pretty exciting since the players from both sides were fighting to score a goal and win their place  in the final of the AFC Qatar 2011.

During the first minutes of the extra time; Japan took the lead through Hajime Hosagai. And right when everybody lost hope that Korea would score ,in the very last minute of the second half of the extra time, 

Hwang Jae-won scores an amazing goal to prove that the red devils never give up !!

But sadly ; this spirit wasn't there when the penalties took place; Korean players couldn't score any goal and I should admit my impression by the Japanese goalkeeper . Hard luck for Korean  team,they played wonderfully and that was the best game I've watched since long time . 

In contrast; Uzbekistan vs Australia game was ridiculous. It didn't seem like a semifinal game and I really think that luck was the only thing that qualified the Uzbekistan team to the semifinals ; I actually stopped watching the game when Australia scored their third goal because I thought it was too boring and I was right since obviously the game finished with an astonishing success for Australia 6_0 Uzbekistan. 

I  really don't know what got me into soccer again !! haha 

What to do In korea ?

If you are wondering what should you do in Korea during winter,

 I would suggest you to go for a ski trip .

There are very good ski resorts in Korea but I have only been to Muju twice but I heard from my friends that other ski resorts like Seoul resort are just as great as Muju. It is really a time/money worth experience.We went there 2 weeks ago and we had a fun time and I actually tried to learn how to ski and thanks to my trainer I was able to ski for about 4 min straight without falling down , which is a great achievement considering my very poor ski skills haha. I must admit though that our trainer was REALLY patient with all of us !! haha .. Here are some pics of our ski trip !!

There was so many nice views !! just awesome :) 

...

I liked my outfit kkk soo warm !!

After a long practice we decided to play in kids'section!!haha

♥♥♥♥

our cool trainer !! Thank you haha (^.^)