Let's go Vietnamese

Joo Chiat - Never did like exploring food here, as I thought it's just another 'pok(2x) area' loaded with lots of Malay food. Never a fan of Malay food, never did like spicy food. But yeah, looks like I am wrong. You can get decent authentic Vietnamese food at very reasonable prices, again another one with long queue - Long Phung Vietnamese Restaurant.

Let's not talk about ambience, we're just in a simple restaurant with aircon - that is sufficient enough for me.  You'll get some views of hot Vietnamese 'call girls' strolling across the street. (You can ask for their prices if you want to, but they're not included in the menu. :p)

Vietnamese dishes that will always be on my fave list: beef pho and vietnamese spring rolls. Ooh delicioso! Nothing much to comment, every dish below costs just about 5-6sgd per dish, I'm sold.

New discovery: I again of course went for something not-so-conventional: the nutty tamarind juice, just nice!

Other dishes include Member Chicken (chicken pieces wrapped in wanton wrapper and fried) and some traditional Seafood rice noodle.

3 pax sharing, my overall damage is just 10.50sgd, winner!

Breakfast is a lifestyle!

Never really fancied breakfast. To be exact, never had time to sit down, relax, drink some milk/coffee and eat sandwich for a relaxing breakfast at home.. on a weekday, for the last 4+ years. My typical weekday breakfast would be preparing a sandwich in a hurry, rush to office, then prepare my instant oatmeal drink and eat my sandwich in haste within 5 minutes on my table.

And much to my surprise, breakfast is becoming a fad nowadays. You have breakfast-all-day-concept from new restaurants in Orchard. Most of the food addicts will surely not give these 2 famous breakfast places a miss. So here I am, unfortunately joining the bandwagon. :p

Wild Honey

Interior speaks for itself. Ambience is expensive. White waiting for my food, I was given a Vogue magazine, cool. Been to a few western restaurants and I have made a haste (unreliable) conclusion, when you see menu written with chalk on a blackboard, you are 'in' and you can price high. Wild Honey serves breakfast all day.

Like I normally do, I asked for what's the best-seller. I chose European breakfast which is nothing but Eggs Benedict (18+) paired with their signature Hazelnut Latte. It's the first (and probably the last) time of ordering gourmet coffee. Because unfortunately I could not really differentiate a Starbucks latte with an expensive latte. (actually not really too pricey, just 2-3sgd more than regular Starbucks price)  Pardon my taste buds because I am not really keen on coffee. Coffee for me just serves one purpose: for socializing/for dates. :p I like it, I drink it, I enjoy it, but I am not addicted. Gotta be tough to take me onto addiction level.

Going back to my 'eggs', they were nicely and elegantly done, there were actually 2 of them, 2 egg yolks wrapped with salty bacon placed on top of toasted bread. However it's too late that I somehow realize I'm not really an egg person. It's actualy a little oily to have 2 big egg yolks in one sitting. I guess it's just one of those 'wrong orders' resto moments for me. I'm not putting the restaurant down.


Jones The Grocer
Another Australian resto, interior again is nice, with all those dangling classy glassy stuff. Again you'll see menu written on the blackboard.

This time we were lucky with the orders. Had their signature wagyu beef burger (26+) and jones club sandwich (13+). The beef burger had blue cheese and the beef was cooked medium rare. (blue cheese by the way is expected to taste like rotten sour cheese, well things you pay more usually have some kinda weird taste).  Wagyu beef burger also comes with truffle fries. (again truffle oil is considered gourmet ingredient, tastes something like burnt oil)  I personally prefer the club sandwich, the sourdough bread was quite firm and chewy (or was it just me?). It had some chicken fillet and fresh veggies, tastes quite tasty.    

Next time you happen to pass by Mandarin Gallery in Orchard, you know how to be 'in' by stepping into these 2 breakfast places. Mind you the review comments for these places have circulated like crazy in the small community of Sg.

I Feel Like A Celebrity!

At the ripe age of 29 :p, I feel like a celebrity for the first time. :D

My photographer friend and I have been planning for a photoshoot for quite some time. With the numerous chinese movies and series that I have watched, I've always been curious how I would look like in the olden times of China. So here is the unique theme I have chosen: cheongsam! :D

This is a serious shoot with effort, I went for professional hair and make-up. Setting is at Chinese Garden.

I probably have never been this dolled up all my life. It was a holiday and there were a few tourists in Chinese Garden. While my friend was changing her lens and adjusting lights, a few of the tourist went up to me and asked to be taken photographs with :p. One from China told me 'hen piao liang'. Whew it's the first time I heard that compliment. :)

When I was doing another set for modern theme near the grassland, there was a leisure photographer taking scenery who suddenly change his theme from nature to me. We just let it be. Weird and unethical guy who didnt bother speaking to us for chitchatting or asking permission, basta na lng naki-shoot (nang matagal) at umalis :p.

Another couple asked me 'are you from a modelling agency'.

There were some rain drizzles and fortunately, my friend still managed to capture some good shots for me. Here's a teaser again :)


The shot ended well and I treated my friend for dinner (of course back to normal daily wear). The power of false eyelashes - it is quite strange to be stared at, including a guy on a date with his gf beside our table who kept on glancing every so often. This guy needs some serious spanking!

Everything felt so surreal. I know I am not really pretty or slim, but I am glad for once in my lifetime, I feel like a celebrity! :)

Nothingness

Was so lazy the past few days, or was it the past few months. Failed to update blog in a long time. Toxic days ahead in work, I can already feel it coming.

Pasalubong
Some of my favorite pasalubongs in my last trip:
Mom's blouse - I got attracted by the brooch-like sewn design the first time I saw it and the cut of the blouse, however the blouse was twice my budget so I left without buying (I previously already bought a few pcs for this uwi but not as nice as this one). Few weeks before my flight, I again went to my usual shopping place and saw it again. Cant resist anymore, I know it'll look good on my mom. I specifically told her to reserve that for special occasions only *winks* demanding.

Nephew's shirt - I am not a big fan of any cartoon character but this one really caught my attention. I saw it on sale and dug my hand so fast. Just so cute both graphics and message. I think I better stop buying too kiddie stuff as my nephews are already in grade school

'Lag'
I somehow have a 'lag' in terms of price range and fads nowadays in Manila. I'm still used to what I thought was a 'reasonable/practical' price of commodities and services before. If you're away for 2 years+, then you'd feel the surge in prices, inflation in Philippines. My sister was laughing, 'dapat nga sanay ka sa mahal eh'. I answered 'sa SG oo no choice eh, pero dito parang weird!'

1. I went for dental tooth filling (pasta) and was charged for 1500phhp for 3 teeth. I used to pay only 300-350php for each before. I complained at home and my sister said, ''pasalamat ka, I just had mine for 700php each!"

2. I was asked to treat lunch at Penang Hill. I used to like their food before, but it wasnt on top of my list for the reason that I can taste any of their bestseller dishes in the hawker anyday if I want to. However since my companions seemed to be craving for Makan food: here goes Roti Prata, Beef Rendang, Thai Tom Yum, Char Kway Teow, Fish Curry. Hainanese chicken was out of stock or else 'all present' talaga. And that point in time I was craving for Jerry's Grill hehe, well not really a mega huge fan of Filipino food. Anyway, since I enjoy being in the company of people na nasa mood kumain, so cge pagbigyan. Since there wasnt any expensive seafood at all in the bill, I was a bit surprised that total charge was like more than 1400php. Mahal na rin pla mag-eat out sa Manila.

3. Jollibee - a place I always have to pay 'courtesy call' to.
One-pc chicken spaghetti meal with drinks is now 100php. Gone are the days where 50php was sufficed for a chickenjoy meal. One-pc chickenjoy meal with drinks is 82php. Anyway, I still enjoy eating at Jollibee. As my friend reacted, if a fastfood meal costs 100php, magkano na ba ang allowance ng mga students ngyon sa Manila?

4. I havent received a bday cake in quite some time. Finally got a Mango Bravo from Conti's, which I heard was popular. Lame first-timer. It was good.

5. A friend told me membership at Fitness First's gym is now at 2600php/month. 2 years back, I know it was only 1200-1500php. It doubled.

6. My sister got a free voucher for massage and pedicure from The Spa, which she wont be able to use and gave to me. I havent been there before and I know they charge above average. Anyway it's free so I went there to pamper myself. I checked the worth of the vouchers: pedicure 380php, 1hr swedish massage 820php. Quite high especially the pedicure! After the pampering session, I further walked around the mall and saw a lot of familiar shops that I see in SG: Wade, Aldo, Iora, Topshop/Topman, Dorothy Perkins, Promod, etc - the prices are similar actually at 2K+php. (2k+php seems more exorbitantly high than seeing 70sgd? :p),Seems like spending level has gone up in Manila.

7. Kelan pa nagsulputan ang mga Savory Chicken branches in malls? I havent noticed this before. A briliant step to franchise a classic indeed. I used to order chicken and lomi from their main branch in Escolta. Bigla ako nagcrave, that's what I requested to be ordered in my yummy byebye dinner, with Mom's home-cooked seafood dishes. Party time.

Lag na, d ako updated.

Counting
Because of the recent stories related to sickness shared by people around me, I suddenly became aware and conscious of life's predicaments, i.e. gynaecological-related.

I used to have a classmate before who was the ultimate boy magnet, crush ng bayan, the type whom ordinary girls (like me) would admire. This girl was already engaged 4 years back, and yet mysteriously, her wedding was called off by the guy's side. It was like 'omg, what went wrong, jackpot na pinakawalan pa'. It was only late last year when I heard of the reason... The girl went through some operations with mattress (uterus)-related problems and have implications on birth-giving. The harsh reality.

and I initially thought such disorder was rare, .. seemed not.

I recently heard of few couples who were married for years and wifey not pregnant till now. I guess such situations are tough. Irregular menstrual cycle, polycystic cases, in vitro, etc,

So what sums up the essence of a woman:
At age >24, question: kelan ka ikakasal?
After marriage, question: d ka pa buntis?
*Additional for the old-style FilChi, question: wala ka pang anak na lalaki?
:)

Well I guess the essence of a man doesnt sound so easy too, add to above: earnings? cars? house?. so life is what.

Anyway, as my mom puts it, better 'pay tuition to buy peace of mind', referring to having check-ups for prevention. Note that it was heavily raining in Manila the whole week I was there, and I got to experience typhoon signal#2 again in a very long time. Despite so, I still dragged myself for an ultrasound. (read: ultrasound is not for pregnant woman only, it's for checking whole upper and lower abdomen with all the organs). I hope to see results as 'cleared'.

The nurse/technician who assisted me seems like a baguhan. I dont know if it was SOP as she asked me so many questions. It was my first time so I also had no idea. Suddenly she pointed at the screen and counted aloud '1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...'. I was like 'what???', i suddenly felt some numbness. I asked her 'may nakita kayong cyst?'. She answered 'ahmm ahmm, wala naman'. I asked again, 'normal ba'. She said 'antayin nyo na lng yun result bukas'. Hmm I'm not feeling lucky nowadays, I really hope there is nothing serious.

The next day I went to get the results. Despite the medical jargon, I didnt see any familiar word that should be a cause of big panic. The only '6' I can see in the results is the measurement of some organs like 1.6*1.9*2.3 etc, so I guess she was counting the centimeters from a ruler bar in her screen? I felt somewhat relieved and went for the doctor's diagnosis. All's well that end's well. (If not, I wont be blogging about it here). Loko lng si nurse :p. Anyway, that's a reminder for all the women and girls (once you have your period), it's always better to be safe than sorry.


The Young Days
I live in Binondo, studied in Binondo both elem and HS, and the whole stretch of Masangkay and Benavidez, memoryado ko with closed eyes. I went there for an errand and ended up buying all the street food that I can see. It was years ago when I passed by there.
- Fishballs, Kikiam and Kwek Kwek outside St. Stephen's
- HK style pan-fried noodles in Eat Fresh
- Fresh boiled corn outside the chapel near Metro Hospital
- New store: pancit malabon from Tunay na Pancit Malabon
- New store: fresh bibingka (i forgot the stall's name)
too bad there was no dirty ice cream that time.

If only my stomach could still fill in some more food - there were Suzhou dimsum and Lan Zhou La Mien across Metropolitan Hospital. I was surprised to see Goldilocks and Red Ribbon in the same vicinity too.

I was amused to see another new condo in progress right across St. Stephen's High School. Metro Hospital now looks superb and 'sosyal', far from the shabby building it used to be. It even has Seattles's Coffee house inside.

I also got to try some of my fave Binondo dimsum houses again while meeting up with a few close friends who bothered to take time to see me:
- Wanchai
- Tasty
- of course Wai Ying
- Xiao Chuen Yuen

It was like time travel.


Ending line:
I heard this line from someone before...'where nothingness is everything, and everything else is nothing'


P.S.
都已經過了兩個月了, 可我心裏有時還是七上八下的.
怎麽有一種被惩罰的感覺 :-< 這次真的考倒我了 真希望...

My Wow Ph - Best (3/3)

PALAWAN (Aug06)


Underground River



Dos Palmas (clear waters)



Dos Palmas (cottages)



Sunset (somewhere in Puerto Prinsesa)

P.S. Probably wondering why Boracay is not in the fave list.. I rate a vacation experience not just on the place itself, but with the quality of company I was with. In Boracay's case, been there only once with company folks. I think I should go back again with close friends. :)

My Wow Ph - Best (2/3)

Ilocos (May06)


Calle Crisologo



One of the Many Churches



Balwarte (Chavit's)


Paoay Church




Marcos' Residence



Patapat Bridge



Bato-bato (can't remember the name)



Blue Lagoon, Pagudpud



Kaibigan Falls

My Wow Ph - Best (1/3)

So far, I have 3 best vacation experiences back in Phil.

BOHOL (Feb05)


Chocolate Hills



Loboc River



Panglao Island Nature Resort



Balicasag Island



Mag-Aso Falls



Tarsier



Barasoain Church

Just Dunk It!

The movie I've been waiting to watch this Feb, so desperately. :)

Kung Fu Dunk, stars Jay Zhou and a whole bunch of familiar HK stars. As the title implies, it talks about basketball with a fun pinch of kungfu (Jay Zhou's a student of kungfu school). A sharp shooter, rebound player, and so many cool and funny dunk scenes. Personally, I would say Kung Fu Dunk is a bit similar to Shaolin Soccer.

There are some OA, exaggerated scenes that somehow lose the 'connect' with the overall elements.. Well it's a typical HongKee CNY-featured film. So please stop criticizing hehe.

Gee I just realize slam dunking is overwhelming. :)

My Youtube Hits 10K

As of Feb 10
Videos Uploaded: 58
Video Views: 10,435

Whew, I got a whooping 10,000+views after setting a youtube account for a short 3month-period. :) Hehehe feeling good.

Special thanks to Jay Zhou's video, gee he really does have a wide fan base (na walang magawa kundi magbrowse ng mga videos nya sa youtube, kaya ako umabot ng 10K views? hehe). One word to describe watching his concert ---- SURREAL. He got me hooked up!

Random Quotes

Here's a short compilation of some catchy lines I received either from sms, email. Just feel like sharing them... something handy in different situations :)

When talking to a bore
A gossip is one who talks to you about other people. A bore is one who talks to you about himself. And a brilliant conversationalist is one who talks to you about yourself. - William King

What message to put when parting (be it your goodbye email after resigning or even break-up haha)
Dont be sad because it's over.. smile because it happened.

For the RANTfuls
Contentment is not always the fulfillment of what you want. Its the realization of how blessed you are for what you already have.

For making a friend feel special
A friend is never a coincidence in our lives. They were once a stranger, meant to come into our lives to bring us priceless lessons and funny memories.

Biblical Quotes
How to be more Beautiful
Church is like a beauty parlour which encourages its women to adorn themselves with good deeds. Women need to remember that if nature has made them plain, grace can make them beautiful. And if nature has made them beautiful, good deeds can add to their beauty. 1 Peter 3:4, 1 Tim2:9-10

How to interpret Life
The secret of life is not just to live, but to have something worth while to live for. We only live once, but if we live right, once is enough. 2 Tim1:9a

What is Love
We think about it, dream about it, lose sleep worrying about it. When we dont have it, we search for it, and when we discover it, we dont know what to do with it. We fear losing it. It is our source of pleasure and pain. But we cant predict which it will be from one moment to the next. It's a short word easy to spell, difficult to define, and impossible to live without.

GOOD READ: What to look for in your Partner
They say that whe you leave neverland, you'd grow up and meet people who'd try and make you believe..
Sometimes you'd choose the prince, he'd take you to his castle, dance with you, but lets you leave when the clock strikes twelve.
You might meet Superman, who'd swoop you down, give you a kiss then he'll vanish forever.
You might find your Peter Pan, who'd take care of you and fly with you up in the sky, but then you'd notice that his heart still belongs to Wendy.
So be like Princess Fiona. Find your Shrek - not perfect, but real and he stays with you forever.

P.S. So where is Shrek hehehe :)

I'll Be Seeing Him Again :)

Good vibes for a headstart. :) 101st entry. :)

(Oct 29) I learned that Jay Chow will be having a concert in SG here . I couldnt believe with my own eyes because it's something I've always wanted. My heart leaped with joy. However, the first 2 weeks (Oct 23-Nov4) for booking is opened only for OCBC credit card holders. I couldnt get in even if I have all the cash in the world. I dont have a 'powerful' weapon (~OCBC credit card). The ticket booth folks told me there are no consecutive seats anymore. Then on Nov 2 I read that because all seats are almost taken, one more concert date has been added, making it Jan18-19. I thought this could raise my chance of getting a ticket, but still when I double checked, it's again almost fully-booked on both days, by the OCBC credit card holders. Damn I really dont know who has an OCBC Credit card, I've tried asking around. God knows, how badly I want to get the tickets. Public sales start Nov5, the waiting period spells agony.

On Nov 3, I couldnt stay put so I tried my luck again on the ticket booth folks. They told me the same thing, they couldnt sell without an OCBC bank code. I ask them to check seats if there are any left, they said, as of that moment, yes, but they couldnt guarantee on Monday. What the heck. Who thought of this crap of limiting the selling of tickets to such.

So finally Nov 5 public sales starts, I gave some excuse to be late in the office. I queued in the ticketing booth 30minutes before opening time of 10am. Finally the wait is over, there is one slot left for a consecutive 2-seater, good thing I was early. I have a new friend who is a jay chow fanatic as well, daughther of my mom's kumare. My, I was feeling mayaman, I booked the 3rd most expensive category. This also means katipiran in the coming weeks. Finally, I can breathe now. :)

Additional:
For those who find Jay Chow unfamiliar. He debuted in a Hollywood movie 'Curse of the Golden Flower', starring Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li, directed by Zhang Zi Mou. It was shown in moviehouses sometime late Dec 2006. I just finished watching this movie this week, from a DVD i brought from Manila. My take:

--Jay Chow looks so-so, it could and should have been better! In short, mukha cyang ewan dun hehe.

--Story is pathetic! Too psycho. A king (Chow Yun Fat) wanted to poison his queen (Gong Li) by forcing her to drink medicine everyday. They have 3 sons. The youngest killed the eldest because the eldest has a love affair with the queen (not the same parents of course). The psycho king later killed the youngest by beating him to death for killing his favorite son. The second son (Jay Chow), together with the queen (his biological mom), revolted against the kingdom but lost the battle. The king will spare him under one condition, that he should take care of feeding his mother with the poisoned medicine daily. Thus, this son just draws a sword to kill himself. That's it. Everyone's dead except for the king and queen. Bitin. What a weird story!

--Setting and fight scenes are okay. Costumes are nice especially the chrysanthemum effect, except that it's quite strange to see all the women in 'extremely squeezed' costumes. :)
Open google and search under images using the title of the movie. Or you may try this link below:
http://www.indielondon.co.uk/gallery/curse-of-the-golden-flower-gallery

Go Korea!

I would love to see the setting of Winter Sonata and have my picture taken there!


First pic - Tree scene
I like the effect of this huge walkway sandwiched in 2 columns of big trees. Of course it will sure be better to have a guy (as gorgeous as byj) with me in this famous traditional bike scene. :)


Second pic - Snow scene
Snow snow snow.. I want to see snow!!! I like this scene with the small snowmen.. the couple and the kissing snowmen look so adorable. :)


Extra: Harry Potter edited pic.
Extra si Johnny from EL1. ang kulit! :)

Highly Recommended: The Letter by Park Shin Yang

The first time I saw Park Shin Yang's TV appearance was in the soap 'Try to snatch my Heart' in Phoenix Channel, sometime highschool days. (See I've been watching koreanovela way way back before the koreanovela mania started) Funny, I and my sisters were commenting, 'grabe pwede na plang pang-artista ang ganon sa Korea'. He played the role of a doctor, looked so plain with the geeky glasses on. The soap was a so-so one.

Yet, he is also the cause I got myself so teary-eyed for the first-time in watching a movie. 'The Letter'. My sister and I accidentally chanced upon this movie in Arirang TV (sometime college days). I didnt expect too much, but the theme is overwhelmingly touching.

It talks of a newly-wed couple who loves each other so much. Then one day the guy was diagnosed with cancer with a few months left on his life. It was obviously a shock for both of them. Somehow in the corners of her mind, the wife wanted to commit suicide once after her husband dies to join him in his journey, and somehow the guy sensed it and confronted her not to do so.

Then the guy died, the wife mourned. Suddenly the wife kept on receiving letter from him day after day. The twist of this movie, it actually has a slightly frieky suspense-like element. The wife didnt know where the letters were coming from. Was it the guy is still alive, or was it the ghost is after her. The contents of the letters were encouraging, sweet, and talked about their moments together (flashback styles). It somehow gave the wife a reason to stay alive, as she looked forward getting her letters from the mailman every morning.

Then after like 2 weeks or 10 letters (cant remember exactly), the wife received a video tape instead. The guy video-taped himself and explained what is happening. He looked so haggard, already bald with a cap (typical chemo patient), dark undereye cirles, pale lips. When he was struggling hard and feeling his end days were near, he managed to keep on writing letters and made arrangement with the postal company for the schedules of delivery, so that his wife will receive these letters once he dies. He knew that his wife would be left lonely and nowhere to go, weak and devastated. He planned all these to help her get through the agony. There was a scene in the tape that made a big impression on me. While the tape was running, he got a phone call from his wife leaving some voice message, and he cried so much after listening to the voicemail, saying that even he has a hard time leaving her. There were several heart-warming dialogues that I actually cant quite remember now. But I do remember cleary, tagaktak-luha ako nun. I cant control it, tears just kept falling down naturally. Probably it helps that I havent heard any feedbacks and doesnt have any expectations at all on this movie while watching it.

It doesnt seem like a high-budget movie, but cinematography's good and acting is superb! 2 thumbs Up for a movie with so much HEART in it.

P.S. No offense, walang sinabi ang The Notebook d2 - The Notebook has always been regarded as a movie that made a lot of people cry, somehow I wasnt moved while watching it. Probably my standards for a 'crying' movie has risen a bit after watching The Letters.

Can someone help find me a copy?! This was filmed 10 years ago (ang tagal na pla). I wonder if I would still be moved watching it again. I cant even search for a decent picture in the net! Ganon ata ka-rare or kakonti ang nakakaappreciate nito. :)

Synopsis from net: http://www.parkshinyang.com/English/film/film.php

An Unforgettable Love
With the tag line, “a tear-jerking melodrama”, the film pulled a record-breaking 770-thousand viewers in 1997. Park Shin-yang plays a man working in an arboretum as a tree specialist who bumps into a Korean academic at a train station. She drops her wallet while running to catch a train and, when he retrieves it for her, it leads to the start of a romantic love affair. Willing to do anything for his love, he promises to be with her forever. But shortly after they marry, he is diagnosed with a fatal disease and dies, leaving his love on her own. But letters start arriving from her lover just as she starts to think there is no point to life without her husband.

Innocent Purity
Park Shin-yang encapsulated the endless gentleness and purity of one man’s love in this film that had audiences reaching for boxes of tissues. The movie became famous in Korea for a sentimental scene focusing on the dying husband’s video-taped message to his wife in which the character reads a poem. Park Shin-yang received the Popularity Award at the 34th Baek-Sang (White Elephant) Art Award and the Best New Male Actor Award at the 18th Film Critics Award among others, reserving him a spot among the nation’s best-loved actors.

All About Park Shin Yang

Park Shin Yang, for me, is a guarantee of quality Korean shows, or at least his acting skill is of a certain professional calibre. Thus, he is one of those not gorgeously-looking actors yet still can sustain my interest in watching a korean soap/movie.


When I got here, Lovers in Paris was being shown in TFC (sometime May). That was like shown in Manila 2 years ago! His acting there is great, I love his serious facial expressions while dropping his funny punchlines. Though I still dont like the ending, the artsy vague finish in this soap doesnt appeal that much to me.


Last July, I bought some koreanovela DVDs in Mla. I'm currently watching War of Money, one of the top soap opera hits in Korea this year. His character here is far far from LIP. It was a sort of tragic, funny and witty story. His parents died of big debts from loan sharks, he became so poor and hatred/revenge starts to pile up in his heart, so as his goal to earn much much money.

He was taken as a student of another loan shark master who taught him the tricks of loan-sharking, there unfolds funny encounters, financial banking/money laundering corporate scam and started the 'war of money'. Of course, a love-rectangle (is there such term?) added some sizzles to this soap. I am just halfway on this, but I would say worth my time.

Because of this blog entry, I found out more info about him with my research. I didnt know he has this much talents!

Park Shin-yang, a next-generation hallyu star, is a multi-talented person with works ranging from acting and singing to writing a novel and designing furniture for his drama or movie.

He debuted in the movie Yuri in 1996 which provided him his first award as Best New Male Actor at the 17th Blue Dragon Film Awards. He made numerous movies since then and with his performance earned him several awards like Popularity Award in the 34th Baek-Sang Art Award and the Best New Male Actor Award in the 18th Film Critics Award for the movie The Letter in 1997; Best Male Actor Award in the 7th Spring Film Festival and the Best Male Lead Actor and Most Popular Actor Award in the 19th Chung-Ryong (Blue Dragon) Film Festival for the movie The Promise in 1998 in which he played a warm-hearted gangster

In 2004, his popularity soared even higher after his role in the Korean drama Romance in Paris or Lovers in Paris with Kim Jung Eun. His performance in this drama earned him another award, the 2004 Brand Olympic Super Brand Male Actor. This drama also gave him inspiration to make his literary debut entitled Lovers published on the last quarter of 2005. This novel made Park Shin Yang the first Korean Wave actor to lead his popularity through literature.

It is also in Romance in Paris where his talents for design was showcased through the yellow sofa and desk used in the office stage set. His creative talents were also shown in his 2003 movie Uninvited Guests through the sofas used in the characters’ apartment.

He might not be a computer-savvy person but he launched his own website in three languages – Korean, English and Japanese – on 2005 to provide fans with a more convenient way to access his profile, gallery and updates regarding him, and a place for him to leave messages for his fans.

His latest drama under SBS War of Money, also known as Money Warfare, started airing mid-May 2007, has premiered with a high rating range of 16-17% and jumped off to above 24% for the second episode.

Recommended

Some Recommended stuff :)


Anjappar
I dont have high tolerance for spice, nor fondness for Indian food, but for the first time, I learned to appreciate Indian cuisine from Anjappar. Mild spice and sweet tangy finish. We ordered Tandoori chicken, Buttered chicken, Kulcha,
Fish Masala, Spicy Squid.





Bread Talk
If we have Goldilocks/Red Ribbon in the Philippines, Bread talk seems to be the 'national' bakery here. This is what I usually buy: Danish with choices of fruit toppings: peaches, strawberries, kiwi. I like. :)





Meiji
I am not a big fan of chocolates. Here's one unique find. I discovered this Meiji chocolate in OG mall (not so commonly seen in supermarkets). It has a 'cookie and cream' crust finish with tiny chocolate bits, wrapped with either milk or coffee flavored chocolate, not to sweet nor bitter.





E-aji
Something from the Philippines. This dip thing is yummy for chips. Though I think the one in the picture is not the best variant.





Nighties
Some cute pajamas hehe