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  • of lunching peach garden @ Garden by the bay

    Visit my website @ http://shirleylye12.wix.com/princessmic

    this is my first time there lunching @ Peach Garden since they first open. i must say i am very impressed with the quality of the food and is really yummy!

    the place is very beautiful and you see trees in the restaurant itself! so you get to enjoy the greenery at the same time dinning at the restaurant. The price of the food is a little steep cos the servings is really small.

    the fried mee pok is really good. generous with prawns except small servings. 

    i prefer the bitter gourd bean paste fish bee hoon cos the bee hoon is really well cook. the way how is cooked is "mun" (something like stewed). so the bee hoon is really soft and yummy! the bitter gourd doesnt taste bitter at all! and LL loves it more than his mee pok haha. he always find my food taste better than his..lol

    deep fried prawn wrap and steam bak ku..their dim sum is really good! i love their dim sum very much!

    overall the food is really gd except for the small quantity. i would definitely go back there again for more!

    last but not least, here is a picture of the mighty trees in the rain lol.

  • of a winter wonderland holiday in Seoul Part 7 - Seoul

    Visit my website @ http://shirleylye12.wix.com/princessmic

    this will probably mark the end of my korea trip and i can start to blog about the backdated food post since last yr lol. was looking at my SD card, OMG, it started before i went korea lo.

    Day 7 is pretty short as we only have like half a day session before we head to the airport to fly back to Singapore.  Day 7 is also a last minute shopping trip for us as we went to Shinchon Ladies' street.
    so we set off immediately for some shopping after our brunch at one of the korea restaurant. This time, we had kimchi fried rice. very yummy!

    as usual, we did a little shopping then ended our shopping trip with street food lol. was pretty cold that day and was snowing too ( very small snow flakes la)...then after that we went to the airport for departure bk to SG liao lor.

    so guess this is it! the last day lol. nothing much to blog also. but last but not least, giving u the last pictures of us in Korea!

    till then, we will be back for more!

    All pictures are taken using Nikon D90

    For otheR Korean Post,

    of a winter wonderland holiday in Seoul Part 4 - Seoul
    of a winter wonderland holiday in Seoul Part 5 - Seoul

    of a winter wonderland holiday in Seoul Part 6 - Seoul

  • of a winter wonderland holiday in Seoul Part 6 - Seoul

    Visit my website @ http://shirleylye12.wix.com/princessmic

    Have not been very "hardworking" on blogging recently as i am bugged by the flu bug and also feeling very tired after i reach home. haiz. Yes, i have yet recover, still coughing and waking up in the middle of the night to cough n cough.

    anyway, this mark the day 6 of our korea trip.

    for day 6 and 7, i would probably classify it as shopping trip lol this is the day where they brought you to the ginseng shop and what ever shop that you spend n spend lol. this trip, we did not buy ginseng products cos we both are not really ginseng ppl lol. we are plain lazy when it comes to boiling of tonic soup and blah stuff la.

    anyway, we did bought some skin care products call odbo - by faceshop which we find it really good. the day started when we set off for breakfast outside the hotel. this time round we had porridge. Korean porridge is quite different from our usual type of porridge. This one, they have many flavours of them - Pumpkin, seaweed, red bean, plain,..etc. a total of 6 if i remember correctly

    personally, i prefer the pumpkin and the seaweed lol. after breakfast, we went to the ginseng shop, Amethyst factory,The FACE SHOP and Korea Cordyceps shop and also Myeondong shopping street for some shopping. its amazing that we can cover so much shopping in 1 day with different areas lol. but nevertheless, Korea is really a shopping heaven for girls.

    after shopping the whole day, we then went to Lotte world for our next destination. We spend quite a fair bit of time there walking around and also this time round we managed to catch the parade face to face as we got more time to "chop" our parade watching space!

    our dinner at Lotte - Zhar Jiang Mian lol. the famous noodles that make  your teeth and mouth all blackie lol.

    ending the day post with the famous picture taken by all couples...it is also the place shown in the famous drama stairway to heaven ...
     
    all pictures are taken using D90.
     
    for other korean post,
     

    of a winter wonderland holiday in Seoul Part 4 - Seoul
    of a winter wonderland holiday in Seoul Part 5 - Seoul

  • of a winter wonderland holiday in Seoul Part 5 - Seoul

    Visit my website @ http://shirleylye12.wix.com/princessmic

    Time really flies especially u are away for a holiday while time always crawls when u r working or doing something that you dont like. lol. probably this is why people say good times pass by faster lol. We reached the day 5 of our trip and coming to the end ( left 2 more days). Day 5 is more relax after our ski trip and the subsequent days are just for shopping plus sight seeing.

    the day started when we had our breakfast at the service apartment we stayed. The service apartment is just in the ski resort itself. then we set off to our first destination of the day ~ Fruit farm for some fresh strawberries.

    According to Allen, these strawberries are grown from the "recycled" land that has been previously used to plant ginseng. Winter is the best time for strawberries as they are the biggest and sweetest! indeed, the strawberries are really sweet but unfortunately, they are not the biggest during our time of visit.
    we were very touched cos after that we were give a box of big strawberries where i can eat until my heart content lol.

    very quickly, we proceed to the next destination which is Gyeongbok Palace
    Gyeongbokgung, also known as Gyeongbokgung Palace or Gyeongbok Palace -- is a royal palace located in northern Seoul, South Korea. First constructed in 1395, later burned and abandoned for almost three centuries, and then reconstructed in 1867, it was the main and largest palace of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty.[1] The name means "Palace" [Gung] "Greatly Blessed by Heaven" [Gyeongbok].

    In the early 20th century, much of the palace was destroyed by the Empire of Japan. Since then, the walled palace complex has been gradually restored back to its original form. As of 2009, roughly 40% of the original number of palace buildings still stand or are reconstructed.  taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyeongbokgung
    for this trip, we did not managed to see the blue house itself but the guest house that the president used for entertaining guests.

    after a super long walk at the palace, we then proceed to Jangnam for lunch. this time we had bbq fish. the fish looks like soba fish lol but it taste super gd and fresh! we love it!
    after a super yummy lunch, we proceed to Sealala for a hot spring spa and then beauty academy for some beauty tips! Ending the day with a korean version of bak kut teh. lol. it taste like my mum's pig stomach soup cos is very peppery lol
    All pictures are taken using D90

  • of a winter wonderland holiday in Seoul Part 4 - Seoul

    Visit my website @ http://shirleylye12.wix.com/princessmic

    the long waiting day has come for us. the highlight of the trip ~ ski. this is our first time too! after breakfast in the hotel @ wonju, we then packed our luggage and proceed to the ski resort. the ski resort is opened by Hyundai. keke. it is quite new and the place is really nice.

    as we were closed the the mountains, so you can see that it is quite cold and also snow is everywhere. ooo..i love the scenary and weather!

     
    As the ski equipment are provided, so we went to collect our ski jacket at a nearby shop. unfortunately, the goggles and gloves are not provided so we need to rent the goggles and purchase the gloves ourselves. after the whole event, we were thinking of investing in the ski equipment as we love the sport alot lol
     
    we spend about a day there and we got free coaching from our tour guide allen. lol. he is really gd. unfortunately i m the lousy student who can only pick up the sport after his coaching and LL's personal coaching of 1 hr lol. while LL pick up after 1 time of coaching. LL is very talented one lor. gd in everything..lol.
     
    after ski-ing, we took the gondola up to the mountain top for some scenary and phototaking..manz..is really cold and they are splashing water to keep the ice intact..so some of the water got splashed on to my d90..and turned into ice..so scared that my whole camera will be gone but then it will mean that i will get a new camera? lol..so looking at a full frame one liao haha..
     
    the pictures taken up at the mountains is really gd and so i guess is worth to brave tru the coldness lo. lol.
     
    after that we went to one of the korean restaurant for dinner. this restaurant is situated at someone's home. very similar concept like si fang cai. i love the food and the cosy feel of the restaurant.it make u feel at home lo.
     
    all pictures are taken using d90
     
    for previous post on korea
  • of a winter wonderland holiday in Seoul Part 3 - Jeju & Seoul

    Visit my website @ http://shirleylye12.wix.com/princessmic

    Day three started as early as 4am in Korea time which i think is 3am in SG? This is becos we need to take the domestic flight from Jeju back to Seoul to continue our next journey. the morning call starts at 4am and we had 1 hr to prepare ourselves before assembling at the hotel lobby for checkout. then we went to a restaurant nearby for abalone porridge! we move the porridge as is very sweet (although we couldnt taste much of the abalone but who cares? warm food for the cold weather!). we had 2 servings of them!

    did i mention that Namho and the korea travel agency ( BK Travel Service Co. Ltd) bought us teddy bears as christmas gifts and Day 3 is Christmas Day! this is the first time we spend Christmas away from Singapore (other than going to msia la). so happy!

    after we touched down, our next stop is Everland. This is the second time there but first time for LL.

     after debrief on the meeting point, some navigations help and lunch, we were off for our own sweet time. This time round, lunch at the foodcourt isnt as bad as i anticipated lol. perhaps now i know what to choose to eat? lol. i took udon and LL took fried rice..so both are ok...i still briefly remember the pork chop rice what me n my parents took..OMG lol

    so instead of trying out rides, we went ard eating corn dogs la, drink hot choc la and eat and eat and eat lor...n also camwhore hahaha. for part of this trip, it is also a must to go to their indoor safari to look at their famous Liger. lol. a hybrid born from a lion and a tiger. i used to remember there are 2 of them but now only 1. according to the tour guide, there is 7 of them in the world now and only 1 is in the safari for exhibition

    so here i present u..LIGER! a collage specially delicated for him / her? lol. also with the parents..lol. the celebrity couple. lovely dovey...

    they also have bears in the safari where they will giv them treats to make the bears to perform some actions for u la..

    i cant help but to thank God for blessing us with a wonderful weather day for Christmas where me n LL can enjoy so much activities there. We even went to try the snow slide (only available during winter)...we love it so much!!!
    the sky is so blue, weather is not as cold!

    after getting ourselves really tired from the activites at Everland, we proceed to the kimchi making session.

    we were taught how to make kimchi (but we definitely wont be making it singapore i m sure..lol.) and the kimchi we made were all collected back and send it to the old folks home for the elders. I think this is a very meaningful act especially on Christmas day itself. I was so touched after finish making my kimchi lo. cos i know someone at the receiving end will definitely appreciates it!

    after that we went to their studio to start camwhore with their traditional costumes..was really fun and we really look funny in them...but LL say i look nice in the lilac gown..probably i super tan la..so purple stands out more lo haha..

    then for dinner, this time , we have pork belly again but those normal ones. lol. BBQ too...i still prefer the kurobuta but this is a different taste lo. we were told that the bones left overs are for the retrievers ..hmmm..i dont know what to say lol..cos Ronnie doesnt take leftover food one..

    after dinner, we went to the province call wonju where we spend a nite in one of the hotels there before going to the ski resort the next day!

    Wonju is the most populous city in Gangwon province, South Korea.
    Wonju is a city approximately 90 miles (140 km) east of Seoul and the capital can be reached within 1hr 30minutes by bus or train. Wonju is home to three major universities which attract many students from Seoul and elsewhere. They provide facilities to host sporting and musical events throughout the year. Wonju is also home to one of Korea's top basketball teams and games can be attended at very reasonable prices. It was the site of three crucial battles during the Korean War.
    The city has an E-mart, as well as three movie theaters (Cinus, Lotte, and Primus) and a host of shops and outlets for most, if not all, fashions.

    taken from wikipedia

  • of a winter wonderland holiday in Seoul Part 2 - Jeju

    Visit my website @ http://shirleylye12.wix.com/princessmic

    ahhh ha, here i am typing my blog again. m on AL today (cos cant take any MC liao la..rest over the new yr day and yet still not recover..sigh. woke up at 2am to LS and again 5am to LS..then i took some cereal and now my stomach is having wwIII...haven eaten a proper meal since new yr eve..or rather eaten any food at all?????!!!! FML)

    anyway, here is to start my day 2 of our Korea trip. for the night, we were resting at Jeju Seogwipo Kal Hotel. it is a hotel opened by KAL (Korean Air Lines). the hotel is pretty nice and cosy. much better than those i had previously. our breakfast is catered by the hotel too, is a international breakfast buffet ( of cos there is also some kimchi and porridge stuff..but then again, the usual food like bacon, eggs, bread are always there.)

    PS: Allen, our tour guide is very nice. before dropping us at the hotel for the night, he told the bus driver to drop us at some convenient store for us to stock up some water and snacks for the night too. so actually we had some instant korean noodles for supper before the next morning keke. having a hot cup of instant noodles in a cold weather, shiok to the max!

    after breakfast, our first itinerary is Jeju Folk Village

    Jeju Folk Village Museum (제주민속촌박물관)

    Address
    631-34, Minsokhaean-ro, Pyoseon-myeon, Seogwipo-si, Jeju-do

    Directions
    From Jeju International Airport, take bus 100 to Jeju Intercity Bus Terminal.

    From Jeju Terminal, take a bus (bound for Bunyoung Road) to Jeju Folk Village Museum. (Travel time: 60min)

    Introduction


    With a total of 117 houses and facilities, Jeju Folk Village Museum has restored the scenes of the village to that of the 1890’s. Among them are Mountain Village, Hill-Country Village, Fishing Village and Shamanism Village. On land of more than 40 acres it has been reconstructed following long-term research and analysis of experts. Some of the extensive range of folk items on display are 1,627 woodenware, 1,046 bamboo ware, 1,699 earthenware, 1,544 porcelain ware, 765 wax candles, 921 ironware and 579 other items. The Jeju Folk Village Museum is the island’s main tourist attraction where customs of the old days can be explored.



    Since March 2006, Daeganggeum Mini Theme Park located at the Jeju Folk Village, offers various things for visitors to see. Many of the scenes from episodes 27 to 32 of the historical drama, in which Jang-geum learns medicine as a maid were filmed at Jeju Folk Village. In order to fit the theme of Daeganggeum, the separate locations have joined together, and are now open to tourists. Visitors can appreciate the amazing scenic beauty of Jeju as well as experience the traditional culture of Jeju at this theme park.

    taken from http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=31337

    after Jeju folk village, we had hell lotsa of fun riding the ATV in the snow (yes! it was snowing in Jeju!) no pictures taken as it is quite dangerous to take pictures while riding the bike. it was really fun!!!

    then we warmed our stomach with a yummy delicious of bbq kurobuta ( i dont know what is the korean name for it but is black pig meat lol) haha

    so we ate the korean way, lol. the meat plus rice plus a clove of garlic and wrap in a lettuce -> 1 mouthful ( all stuffed into the mouth)

    as usual la, i love kurobuta ( be it bbq or steamboat or shabu) lol. of cos this is slightly different cos is a little spicy. i would not considered it as pure bbq cos they added some soup to shimmer it so that the meat taste better. the meat is also marinated with some korean sauce. 

    next we head up to Songsanilchul peak where we experience the first snow of our lives ( the one at ATV is just small snow flakes..but this one is really big lo lol ) and the most tiring of the trip..we walk numerous steps ( see? i couldnt even bothered to count the number of steps lol) up to the peak and to bring pictures like this ..lol..is even worst than climbing down my office 22nd floor in heels lo haha

    i just pray that next time if i come back again, there will be some escalator or cable car that brings me to the top lol haha but is really worth climbing up to the peak cos is really very nice and i dont regret despite my legs are aching like hell for the next few days

    after that, we head on to the teddy bear museum. i love this place! we bought a couple bear back too! muaks LL!

    in these pictures, there is 1 teddy bear that is valued above millions, can you guess which one is it?

    next, we went to the magic road where it was claim that the vehicle can move on its own up slope despite engine is off..ehhh..no pictures or video taken cos we too engross in the experiment lol..then we rush off to the nanta show. we love the show cos was really funny. even we dont understand korean but we still enjoy the show very much. and then we went to this yongduam rock ( the rock that forms from the volcano larva and shape like a dragon head). when we reach there, the places was really windy and the authorities seal off the entrance so we couldn't see it from the seaside...only from the top view..so only few pictures taken =(

    what could be the best way to end the night with the famous Korean Ginseng Chicken for dinner? lol.

    all pictures taken using Nikon D90

    for previous post on korea

  • of a winter wonderland holiday in Seoul Part 1

    Visit my website @ http://shirleylye12.wix.com/princessmic

    well, here i am, at home, feeling pathetic cos i am down with a stomach flu. grounded. cos they say it is infectious. so i am alone with Ronnie and constantly running to the toilet. shit. what a new year eve...

    so i decided to start blogging about my long waited korea trip. we took a 8d6n package tour from Namho that covers Jeju and seoul. the trip i can say is fantastic and we both are very satisfied with the itinerary offered by the Korean guide Allen and also our SG guide Diane. we had lots of fun during our 8d there. food and accommodation is gd. this is my second trip to Korea since 10 yrs ago and korea really change alot. i would want to go back there again soon lol

    our trip started last sat mid nite. boarded SQ 608 and landed at incheon airport at approx 8 hrs later. greeted by our Korean guide Allen and also a representative from KTO - korean tourism organisation - Kelvin also our photographer. we were given some time to change into our winter clothings plus wash up and also some light breakfast.

    then we took the bus ride to a restaurant near DongDaemun Market for lunch. our first lunch in korea is their famous bibimbap. they also gave us a steamboat for some pork shabu...we love it! FYI, i dont take kimchi stuff when i first came but this time, i finish them all too. i din know that kimchi is so gd lol

    after lunch, we went shopping for some winter stuff ( for those who did not bring enough winter clothings or wishes to top up ) . to me , the weather is ok, not so freezing la. maybe is due to the heat packs i had in my pocket lo. for those who are also going to winter countries, heat packs are a must - the hand type. for the feet one, i dont find it useful. i only use them twice and i gave up already. oh, also winter leggings are gd too. i m glad that i bought 2 winter leggings ( with skirts ) and 2 winter leggings ( with sole covered) at gmarket. they really came in handy. for the next coming days, i only had 1 winter leggings with sole and then additional ( with skirt) on top of it . it keeps me really warm..better than jeans. but for the first day, i still can tahan the cold la.

    after shopping, the korean guide change the itinerary by going to other places planned for day 5 cos is along the way. i like Allen cos he really did his best effort on time saving so that we do not need to spend time on the road.

    so we went to Buckhon Han'ok Village first instead

    Bukchon Hanok Village (북촌한옥마을) 

    Address

    Gahoe-dong, Jae-dong, Samcheong-dong, Gye-dong, Wonseo-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul-si 

    Directions
    Anguk Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 2.

    Go straight for about 300m to arrive at Bukchon Hanok Village.


    we spend approx 30 minutes walking around the village and we set off for our next destination. currently Buckchon Han'ok Village is a residential premises for Koreans. so we only managed to take pictures outside the houses. the buildings are very traditional like those you see in Korean dramas.



    our next destination is Gwanghwamun Square


    Gwanghwamun Square (광화문광장)

    Address
    Sejong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul-si

    Directions
    Take subway (Line #5) to Gwanghwamun Station >> use exit of #2 and 3 min walk straight

    some information about Gwanghwamun square - taken from visitkorea.or.kr website


    Introduction
    On August 1st, 2009, the redesigned Gwanghwamun Square opened to the public. With the inauguration of the square, Sejong-ro, located at the center of the 600-year-old historic city of Seoul, was transformed into a human-centered space that harmonizes with the beautiful scenery of Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukaksan Mountain.



    The close to 20,000 m2 Gwanghwamun Square is located at the center of Sejong-ro which connects Gwanghwamun Gate and Cheonggye Square. The square is divided into the sections, “Recovering the History of Gwanghwamun Gate Plaza”, “Reenacting Yukjo Street Plaza”, “Korea Main Plaza”, “Civil Participation Urban Culture Plaza”, “Downtown Plaza” and “Cheonggyecheon Stream Connector”.



    The “Recovering the History of Gwanghwamun Gate Plaza” section is at the entrance of the plaza, where a stone base called Woldae and a statue of Haetae, a mythical unicorn-lion that is said to protect palaces from fire, have been restored. Near Sejong-ro Park is“Reenacting Yukjo Street Plaza” where Yukjo Street, the main street of old Seoul (Formally known as Hanyang) was recreated. On the side is also a miniature depiction of Yukjo Street.



    The Statue of King Sejong the Great has been relocated in the “Korea Main Plaza” where Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, is projected on a fountain water screen. Between the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts and the Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-Shin is the “Civil Participation Urban Culture Plaza” with its range attractions and services including accommodation facilities for visitors, exhibition halls, elevators, Rendezvous plaza, and art galleries.



    “Downtown Plaza”, located near the Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-Shin, symbolizes Sejong-ro. The Square has water facilities such as a pond and pop-jet fountains. The“Cheonggyecheon Stream Connector” functions as a connecting walking path between Cheonggyecheon Stream and Gyeongbokgung Palace.



    In addition, there is the “Memorial Waterway”, flowing underground water, which goes from both Gyeongbokgung and Gwanghwamun subway stations to Cheonggyecheon Stream. Plus, behind the Statue of Admiral Yi Sun-Shin is “Sunken Square” which connects Gwanghwamun subway station and the ground allowing people to access the Square more easily.

    after that we went for a quick dinner before boarding the domestic flight to Jeju. our first dinner is the korean dumpling steamboat. actually, i prefer the fried dumpling instead of soup cos the fillings were all over the soup by the time we ate them -_-". still, it is just as nice la

    after dinner, we flew off to Jeju...

    PS: all pictures are taken using Nikon D90.

  • of Merry Christmas Everyone...

    Visit my website @ http://shirleylye12.wix.com/princessmic

    I know it is kind of early for everyone but i m going away to spend my Christmas in Kimchi land (in fact flying off this wkend!) so i take this chance to wish everyone a Merry Merry Christmas! From Me and Ronnie!

     
    May your wishes come true and enjoy the festive season!
  • of a "pasta mania" @ Osteria Mozza ~ Marina Bay Sands

    Visit my website @ http://shirleylye12.wix.com/princessmic

    Well, this is the second time that i been to Osteria Mozza. This shows you how much i love pasta there.  Osteria Mozza, a italian restaurant located at the heart of MarinaBaySands retail mall. The restaurant is hard not to notice if you are going for a show / event at the theater. The food is exquisite and you will be touched by the chef's sincerity in preparing each of the dishes.

    LOCATION:

    B1-42-46, Galleria Level,
    The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands (Across from the Theater)

    OPERATING HOURS:

    Dinner

    Daily:
    5:00PM - 11:00PM

    Last reservation at 10:45pm

     

    Brunch

    Sundays:

    12:00PM - 2:00PM

    Last reservation at 1:45pm

    Free Flow until 2:30

    RESERVATIONS:

    +65 6688 8522

    Dress Code:

    Business Casual
     
     
    with complimentary from the restaurant. some finger food to start your meal. Did i mention that their cream cheese is the best i ever had?
     
     

    Caprese with burrata, cherry tomatoes & basil

    Agnolotti with butter & sage - I love this dish. with warm butter gushing out from each bite, this dish is heaven!

    Linguine with clams, pancetta & spicy chiles. This has become one of my favourite too! i love clams with linguine!

     
     
     
    So if you are around the corner @ MarinaBaySands or looking for some good pasta, do pop by their restaurant. For more information, you can also visit MarinaBaySands website -> http://www.marinabaysands.com/Singapore-Restaurants/Celebrity-Chefs/Osteria-Mozza/