Archives for March 2015

Fall in Korea Day 2: Gamcheon Culture Village in Busan

March 24, 2015

When I reached the top of Gamcheon Culture Village, I wanted to shout, “Hello Busan!”

The view was pretty spectacular, and I knew that we made the right decision to visit the village and to forgo other popular attractions in the province. Nestled in a residential area of Taegukdo Village, Gamcheon has blossomed into a popular tourist attraction, far from the shanties that it used to be, back when it served as a home for war refugees.

I did a little research before going, and it was interesting to learn that after the Korean War, hundreds of families flocked to this little area in Busan to start a new life. The village is named after the religion Taegeukdo, in which most, if not all, the residents were followers. Now, the number of residents had drastically decreased from 20,000 to around 10,000, leaving most of the houses empty. Though the Taegeukdo temple in the area is still visited by believers, most of the residents of the village are no longer followers of the faith.

The local government had been hands on in transforming the little village into an arts and culture hub, while still maintaining its traditional identity. True to this, the commercialization has made little changes in the landscape of Gamcheon, only making the blank walls and streets a lot livelier with colors.

These days, the main roads are flooded by tourists, but some nooks and crannies are untouched by commercialization. I’m pretty the Hallyu wave helped popularize the village, thanks to shows like Running Man and We Got Married using it as a filming location. [Read more…]

Coffee in the Mountain: Mt. Manabu, Sto. Tomas, Batangas (Day Hike Itinerary)

March 19, 2015

Almost three years since my traumatizing experience climbing Pico de Loro, I decided to give hiking another try. They promised me that it’d be easy, and besides, it would only be a day hike. So off I went with my former officemates to give mountain climbing another shot.

Mt. Manabu is located in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, and I foolishly didn’t realize that it’s just a stone’s throw away from my home in Laguna. I’ve been surrounded by mountains all my life, but I didn’t really know the names of these mountains surrounding our town. At least now I know Manabu!

Coined from the words “mataas na bundok,” Mt. Manabu is actually not that high. Though it’s listed as the highest mountain in the Calabarzon area, it only took us about two hours to reach the top. Please note that we are amateur climbers. It’s definitely perfect for beginners (like moi) and for those who are only looking for a leisurely climb.

On Saturday, we met up in Buendia to ride a bus to Lipa, Batangas. From SM Lipa, we only had to ride a tricycle to reach the foot of the mountain. We didn’t plan to hire a guide, but since none of us had been there before, we decided to get one. [Read more…]

My Two-Month Unemployment in Instagram Photos

March 8, 2015

For the past two months, I had been hibernating in Laguna while waiting for the “perfect job” to come my way. It’s a long and frustrating search after an impulsive decision to resign from my previous job. Though technically, I wasn’t a complete bum. I worked freelance for a month, but it doesn’t feel like “real” work when I do it at home in my PJ’s while watching anime.

At the middle of it, I started thinking that maybe I can just work at home full-time. But I realized that if I did so, I’d end up becoming a hermit. I can honestly not leave our house for five days straight. I’m a homebody first, wannabe traveler second. To save the socializing skills I somehow managed to practice in the past five years, I decided that an office-based job is the way to go. Besides, I realized that what I earned through freelancing wasn’t enough for me to afford a house and lot for sale in Sentosa Calamba.

Alas, last week had been quite miraculous when I received multiple job offers just when I was ready to give up. I honestly thought no company would like to hire me again (because my self-esteem is low like that). I thought I’d receive a backlash when I received a few job offers in January and decided to decline everything, due to different reasons. So I felt grateful when I got accepted in some companies, and I promised that this time, I will make a decision and pull through it all. It’s stupid to wait around for a “perfect” job because there will always be a downside. You just have to realize that some pros will always outweigh the cons.

After a week of torturous decision-making, I finally made my choice. No matter what choice I made, I realized that I won’t be on a losing end. So writing down the pros and cons of my options, I’m finally back in the workforce.

On Friday, I said goodbye to unemployment and said hello to working again in Makati. It was both good and bad. Good, because yay work! Bad, because I barely talked to anyone and I missed my old officemates. And worse, I learned that I’d be on a night shift in a few weeks’ time. I am contemplating whether I made the right decision, but I’m here now and there’s no turning back.

But I’m not here to talk about work. I’m here to talk about my joyous days in Laguna where I did nothing but eat and stay in front of the computer for days. It’s what I’d like to call a perfect life. [Read more…]

Hwangso-Ga Korean Buffet in Ermita, Manila

March 3, 2015

My mother celebrated her birthday last month, but it’s difficult to arrange a dinner with all of us present. It was only last Sunday when we had a proper celebratory dinner. Since ate’s the one treating us, she chose the restaurant!

We headed to Hwangso-ga in Ermita, Manila, which is a Korean buffet restaurant along Adriatico St. It’s across the street from Robinson’s Place Manila so it’s easy to find. It’s also beside Mak Chang where we had dinner last time.

Though they didn’t have the best-tasting samgyupsal in town, I still immensely enjoyed dinner. I know that samgyupsal and bulgogi are the most popular dishes Korean dishes in the country, but I love Korean food in general. That’s why I’m glad that the restaurant had other offerings aside from the unlimited samgyup and brisket. Woohoo.

We arrived at Hwangsoga at around 8 p.m., so there weren’t that many diners. However, the buffet table was still filled with all the yummy Korean dishes. [Read more…]