Spot My Korea!~

This blog is dedicated to bringing k-culture, fashion, beauty and all, to you (and India, in general) and will help build a small community of k-lovers :3 feel free to join and share :3 This blog is created by Virgil and Fay

[spotmykorea]

WE’RE BACK!!!~

Admin Fay!~

So, Finally we’re back here :3 Admin Virgil and I are gonna try to be active here as much as we can, we’re gonna put up as much as posts as we can :3

We’ve  barely had time and since its only the two of us handling things we have been rather slow xD but we’ll make sure we speed up things^^

so please look forward to our future posts~

[spotmykorea]

We Are Growing!

                 We are spreading our love for K-pop by having our own official blogspot on blogger! here is the link: http://spotmykorea.blogspot.in/

                    Subscribe to our blogger post and follow us as we explore the wonders of Korea AND BEYOND!! *epic echo* We have added special features to our post l so check them all out!

                 We are thinking of shutting down our tumblr blog. What do you think? let us know ,Chingu!

[spotmykorea]

Kimchi Ahoy!

A food and travel review section.

DISCLAIMER: this is only a personal review of the place. We were not asked or paid to write a review of the place mentioned today.

AMBROSIA

               This time the SMK team decided to visit a Korean bakery and get some unique experience. The place we chose was ‘AMBROSIA’, located in Cenetoph road, Chennai-18.

               The café/bakery opens at ten in the morning and closes at nine. Ambrosia being a café and a bakery in one successfully delivers both. The menu varies from drinks to bakery, pastry and even savoury dishes both vegan and non-vegan. We ordered a Choco chip muffin and a café latte which totally summed up to 271 rupees. The Choco chip muffin was hard on the outside and soft and moist on the inside which added dimensions to texture and in terms of flavour, it was exceptional. Not your average Choco chip muffin .The downside to this muffin is its quick-to-crumb nature which makes it a bit of a hassle to eat. Otherwise, the Choco chip muffin was worth it.

             The café latte was presented in a different way. The tall glass of latte was accompanied with a small gravy bowl filled with sugar syrup like consistency. Since the latte did not contain sugar, one could add as much of it as one prefers. There isn’t much to say about the latte as it delivered to the norm.

               To finish it off, we ordered a double cheese sandwich. Unfortunately, this proved to be a disappointment. The name of the dish is misleading; we did not expect a pizza like oozing cheese but at least enough to for us to see the difference between the two layers of cheese and the bread. There was no lingering taste of cheese and quite frankly the dish was a let-down.

               Now, I am going to break down the review and grade them in points of 5.

Infrastructure- 5 out of 5.

               The infrastructure and ambience of the place is outstanding. The lighting and the not-so-hidden ventilation system give it a raw yet classy appeal. Although the place was small, each corner echoed the café/bakery’s best works.

Food – 3 out of 5.

               Perhaps it was our early arrival at the cafe/bakery (we visited the place at eleven), because some of the products were still in the making, and the ones that did arrive was not warm (double cheese sandwich)

Presentation- 2 out of 5.

               Continuing with the above point, we would like to add that there were also some bakery products that were for sale but the name tag was not placed on them yet leading to hesitation and confusion on our side. Now, we cannot put the reason for this as us coming too early, as placing name cards on the bakery item is not a burdening or time consuming task.

Hospitality and customer service- 0 out of 5.

               Quite frankly, we feel bad for doing it, but it is for the best. From the time we made our order till the time we left, we felt as though something was amiss. When asked for the menu, the cashier pointed at a wall which had nothing but drinks and yogurt items and nothing about the actually bakery items. The cashier explained that Americano was black coffee when I ordered for it. I do not know what it was that made her think that I did not know what I was ordering.

               Aside from that, there was miscommunication taking place. The cashier stated that the meat filling in their bakery product is all pork. Yet, after waiting long enough, (one hour) chicken filled products were brought to the display table.

               Also, something which a customer must never feel is invisible or even unnecessary which is what we felt. The entry of the owner and her kin suddenly changed the ambience of the café. Public display of affection between the employer and the employee or in this case between the child of the employer and the employee is not something which the customer would feel comfortable watching. What was meant to be a public space had turned into a private circle. The employees’ sudden jovial attitude and even willingness to walk the child out when the customer was still present in the café/bakery was something I had never before experienced.

               On a different tone, I had wanted to interview the owner to ask her certain things about the café, which I was unable to do for the employee insisted on knowing which ‘company’ I was from and also stated that the owner would not answer personal questions. I doubt asking ‘why a Korean bakery has a Greek name?’ would be called a personal question. What was even irritating was that when asked for the owner’s name, ‘Kim’ was the response. I believe there is nothing more to say after this.

               In short, Ambrosia is a unique place which seems to add to its reclusive nature. The interior design adds space and depth to the place giving it clear and multiple dimensions. If you are looking for a quiet place to study or to just unplug yourself from the world, then this place is meant for you. If not, I suggest you at least go there for the muffins.

               Once again, this is a personal opinion/experience and if you do not agree with it that is all good, do let us know what you feel. Our intention is not to hurt anyone.

Admin Virgil.

[spotmykorea]

POW-WOW!!

photo of the week!

that feeling when you need to leave your friend...

but still feel that the time wasn't enough

BFF FOR LIFE!!!!

[spotmykorea]

DRAMA-LLAMA!!~

K-dramas are slowly coming into Indian television,starting with ‘Boys Over Flowers’ to ‘You are beautiful’ and ‘Heirs’ next (they’re dubbed in Tamil so it kinda ruins it). Today, we’re going to review the best K-drama of 2014, YOU WHO CAME FROM THE STARS!~ ( 별에서 온 그대 ).

Here are the main characters

Do Min Joon (Kim soo Hyun)

The story revolves around an Alien, Do Min Joon (kim Soo Hyun) who landed on planet earth back in the Joseon Dynasty (which is from July 1392 to October 1897) and is completely fascinated by humans but later is indifferent to them and does not want to invest in them personally. He can stop time, manipulate objects and teleport! but tries hard to hide his powers and lead a normal life. He is trapped on planet Earth and for the past 400 years waited for a chance to go back to his ‘’star/planet’’. He works as a professor in a college that Cheon Song Yi attends and is her neighbour. He is curious about Cheon Song Yi because she looks familiar to a Girl he knew from the Joseon Dynasty and fell in love with. When his time on planet Earth is about to end he ends up in a difficult situation with Choen Song Yi.

Cheon Song Yi (Jun Ji Hyun)

The heroine of the drama, Cheon Song Yi (Jun Ji Hyun) is a famous actress of the present time. A lot of people get jealous and are also irritated by her because she can be very annoying. Although she is full of herself, Song Yi is a person who cares for her family and her friends and tends to be possessive of them. Song Yi’s main rival is Han Yoo Ra (Yoo  In young), who dies mysteriously and Song Yi is blamed for her death. She loses all her reputation; this is when Do Min Joon comes in and helps her because he is dragged into it by Song Yi herself.

Lee Hwi-Kyung (Park Hae Jin)

Song Yi’s childhood friend Lee Hwi-kyung, is deeply in love with her and risks everything he has just to make her happy. Rejected multiple times by Song Yi he continues to be there when she needs her. Hwi-kyung gets jealous of Do Min Joon first but soon there is a point where they call to each other for help.

Lee Jae Kyung (Shin Sung Rok)

Hwi- kyung’s elder brother, who is the heir of their father’s company group S&C, is the main antagonist. He plots evil schemes to silence the people who know the wrongs he’s done. He targets Cheon Song Yi, because he doubts Song Yi knows something she shouldn’t. Do Min Joon promises Jae-kyung that if he left Song Yi alone, he would take blame for all that Jae-kyung did and leave. Jae-kyung agrees but at the end things change.

Yoo Se-Mi (Yoo In Na)

Song Yi’s best friend, who steals the spotlight when Song Yi’s fame goes down. This of course was because Se Mi jealousy towards Song Yi as she always plays the second fiddle to Song Yi and also because she loves hwi-kyung. However towards the end it’s evident that Se-Mi still is considerate of Song Yi

Yoo Seok (Oh Sang-jin)  /Se Mi’s elder brother/

He is the detective that looks into the mysterious death of Han Yoo Ra with his assistant Park Byung Hee (Kim Hee Won). They both leave no stone unturned and try their best to connect the loose ends. What they discover through the investigation is surprising for them and us too!~. They are to look out for.

Other things you can look out for in this drama is the relationship between Do Min Joon and his lawyer, Jang Young Mok ( Kim Chang Won), they have the most beautiful friendship (and an amazing past) which turns into a father son relationship (it makes you cry when the end comes). Also look forward to the fights lawyer Jang and Song Yi’s mother have (this is completely hilarious). Also Song Yi’s friend Bok Ja (Hong Jin-kyung) is to look out for; she is what every friend should be. The side characters stories with the main, like Song Yi and her Dad and Do Min Joon and Song Yi’s brother Cheon Yoon Jae (Ahn Jae Hyun) are memorable.

All in all this drama is completely amazing and I recommend everyone to watch it!~ the characters can leave an impact and Kim Soo Hyun is simply unforgettable!~ please watch the drama and tell us what you think!~^^

Admin Fay

[spotmykorea]

Updates~

Hello everyone :3

its been a while since we uploaded right? we're really sorry Admin Virgil and I have been very busy :( Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut

WE HAVE GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!~

we'll be updating tomorrow and on Tuesday or Thursady

here's what we're doing :3

- DRAMA LLAMA - we'll be reviewing You Came From The Stars

- KIMCHI AHOY

we will be visiting a Korean super market and a Korean bakery!~

please look forward to it^^

-also we are searching for new admins :) wanna join? leave us a message :)

Admin Fay

[spotmykorea]

POW-WOW

Photo Of the Week

we are going to start small for our first photo.

BAM!!!!

cr:owner.

let us take time to appreciate the little things in life, shall we?

admin Virgil

[spotmykorea]

POP-TASTIC!

Between lines.

GRAB THEMMAGNIFYING GLASS, CHINGUDUELS, because we are reading between the lines of Luciferby SHINEE!!

*epic gothic music plays in the background* for years this song has baffled the teens of this generation and today we have finally discovered the reason behind why Jonghyun says:

“Her whisper is the Lucifer,

The Lucifer”

Wait what!? Her whisper is THE LUCIFER? Isn’t Lucifer a man? Does the girl have a man’s voice then? Why is she/he whispering? Why Lucifer instead of other men? And, why the reference to the baddest guy in religious history?

After thorough research on our part, we have come up with the answer to all of these questions *Hurray!*. This line, believe it or not, is actually a reference to a scene from PARADISE LOST by John Milton. Given below are the lines from Paradise Lost book IV which narrates this so called “whispering-like-the-Lucifer” scene:

“……him there they found

Squat like a Toad, close at the eare of EVE; 800

Assaying by his Devilish art to reach

The Organs of her Fancie, and with them forge

Illusions as he list, Phantasms and Dreams,

Or if, inspiring venom, he might taint

Th’ animal Spirits that from pure blood arise 805”

Ummm……. To put that in English, Lucifer, in the disguise of a toad (gross) decides to whisper temptations into the ears of sleeping Eve in paradise. As disturbing as the sight of a toad by your bedside can be, this scene is supposed to depict the sly nature of Lucifer and his deceptive skills. *oooohhh………… aaahhhhhhhhhhhhh*

Could SHINEE be comparing the sly and deceptive nature of Lucifer to their lady love? Yup, you got that right! So the lady love/Lucifer is whispering things in SHINEE’S/Eve’s ear and tempting them with fantasies? Well excuse me for gladly mistaking you for a lady, TAEMIN!!

(Well, he seems to be “okay” with it!)

ANYWAY! The woman is too strong for SHINEE that they are associating her to the devil himself! Since the devil is so irresistible…

“Your undeniable spell is the Lucifer

Your undeniable magic is the Lucifer”

And so powerful is her control that they turn into robots that come up with weird words and tries to rhyme them.

Loverholic, robotronic, loverholic, robotronic

With that the LUCIFER MYSTERY IS SOLVED!!! MAY YOU NEVER LISTEN TO LUCIFER THE SAME WAY AGAIN!!

Is there a lyric to a song which you didn’t understand or do you want a wacky explanation to your favourite lines? Let us know and we will do it for you!

Admin Virgil.

[spotmykorea]

more pictures of the kyu-line in india!~ cr:priyambee

happy birthday to kyuhyun!~ he looks so happy here^^

suho posing like a cute girl ;_;

admin fay

[spotmykorea]

admin fay

/double update!~ yeay >.</

found some pictures of suho,minho and jonghyun in inida online!

/sources appear when you click the picture/

im damn excited >.< what about you?

[spotmykorea]

official introduction

Hello Spot My Korea Viewers! This is adminVirgil here! This being my first post, I felt that I should at least let you guys know of the different segments that my team and I have come up with to better engage you with us. So here they are:

KIMCHI AHOY!

Our KA segment will focus on food and travel. That is, restaurants, supermarkets and other hotspots where Korean food is served here in India and other hotspots where Korean- Indian interactions take place. We would basically do a review of the places and let you know what to do or try if you happen to go there.

MY LOUNGE.

This lounge gears you up with the best beauty tips, tricks and diet plans to help you live the Korean beauty life! Rest assured that the tips given here would be tested prior to our posting.(we would personally test them our self for reassurance). Aside from beauty tips, we would also do reviews on makeup/beauty products irrespective of them being Korean or Indian in brand.

RUNWAY STREET.

This segment is dedicated to FASHION. Simple street wear to elegant dresses which catches our attention will be posted in this segment.

POP-TASTIC!

Ain’t no lover of Korea who ain’t a lover of k-pop. This segment is dedicated to doing reviews on albums of idols and music artist. An added bonus under this segment is “between lines” in which k-pop lyrics are deconstructed to understand their inner meaning.

DRAMA-LLAMA.

Daily dosage of drama to your rescue! Have a drama in mind but don’t know if it’s worth your time? Well ask us and we will give you a detailed report on what’s hot and what’s not in the drama of your choice.

MY VIEW.

This segment takes up the cultural aspect of Korea. Culture shock, surprising, pleasant and even plain rude things about Korea and their ideas will be posted under this segment. Basically our intake on these notion would slightly be given more attention.

TREASURE CHEST.

This right here is a special segment. And just as the name suggest would often post itself rarely on our page. Websites or other online markets where Korean beauty products can be purchased would be discussed here with our Indian budget carefully in mind (so you don’t need to worry).

These are the many segments we have decided to have. Is there something we have missed? Or is there something in particular you want to know about? Let us know and do make sure to follow our blogpost to know what we are doing every day! Thank you!

Admin Virgil!

[spotmykorea]

KIMCHI AHOY!~ /a food and travel segment/

KOREAN RESTAURANTS >.< - Admin Fay

*DISCLAIMER: I/we weren’t asked to or paid to write reviews on the restaurant mentioned in this post. Once again, this is only a personal experience and opinion. Thank you.

Being a k-pop fan for a long time now (almost 6 years) it’s no lie that I have been fascinated by k-culture and of course, their food. Food plays a major role in Culture! ~ so here I was craving Korean food with nowhere to go. I live in Chennai, so I immediately googled up places that serve Korean food here in Chennai and I must say I was surprised! ~ I am in Teynampet, and I found three places that serve Korean food nearby! And out of the three – INSEOUL, NEW SEOUL AND YOUNG DOO, we (my friend and I) opted for New Seoul

New Seoul Restaurants is located in T.T.K Road, Alwarpet, Chennai- , on the third floor (on top of Llyod’s coffee house) this restaurant opens up at 11:00 A.M so we waited downstairs till they opened up /desperate/. We went in at 11:15 A.M, since we were the only one’s there, we were served instantly! ~ We ordered bibimbap (with beef) and spicy kimchi noodles. Before our orders arrived we were given fried baby octopus, raw octopus with spicy chilli paste and two types of kimchi, the fried octopus tasted really good ( if you are into experimenting with food like me , the I assure you this will not disappoint). The raw one tasted like glue /lol/ the tasty kind of glue, and of course the kimchi was fabulous, we then got our orders served!~ and we got really big servings, huge portions that we couldn’t eat in one sitting . The bibimbap was really filling (with a good amount of beef in it) and the noodles were really spicy, along with bibimbap you get a cucumber based soup ( I think its cucumber based) that tasted so amazing and was so full of flavour, it almost tasted cheesy but I couldn’t drink much cause I was full. While eating we felt a little bit odd ‘cause:

A.  There was no one else eating except us, the staff were actually watching a period drama on KBS /not kidding/ so we watched it with them xD which I think is cute

B.   There was a staff member walking around swatting and complaining about house flies with an electric bat, which was weird because there weren’t any flies or maybe our eyes have grown immune to them (?)

Now, on to the pros and cons!!!!

The pros were

A.  The food portions were huge, filling

B.   Hygienic

C.   The food is amazing and completely satisfactory

D.  complementary food - the kimchi, octopus, soup and we were also served ice coffee at the end of our meal

E.   The restaurant is small but can accommodate a large crowd (has wifi, an additional benefit)

F.   Amazing hospitality, even though the staff were watching the drama when we called them, they came to us in seconds (the place being small and all, it was easy for them to do this)

The cons were

A.  It was a bit expensive /for a college student 500 INR is a lot for one meal/

B.   No buffet system. In a sense, what I mean is, with a buffet, you can limit your portions and yet have a variety.

Final word, I had a really good experience, our bill came up to 1100 INR, with the complementary food I guess it was almost reasonable but still. One small advice though, if you are planning to eat at a Korean restaurant make sure you go there on an empty stomach and try tasting each and every portion served before your gorge on one. It would also be better if you order for one portion Serving and then share it amongst yourselves. Coming back to our experience, something that was memorable was the fact that when we were done and we were leaving the restaurant, all the staff lined up from our table till the entrance and kept saying ”감사합니다 ’’ / thank you/ and me and my friend walked to the entrance bowing back and they came and waved at us as we entered the lift and the door closed.

Is there a restaurant you want us to try? Let us know.

[spotmykorea]

A New Start!~ ^^

 여러분 안녕하세요 ! ~ 나는 페이 입니다, 만나서 반갑습니다 !!~ /hello everyone!!!~ This is fay, nice to meet you! ~ (^O^)/. So we created this blog basically just to spread the joy of k-culture~ there is obviously a large number of K-poppers in India, aren’t I right? All we want to do is create a small community of k-loving people and grow together as one :3, through this blog we will share k-pop and related news, events, k-culture, and we will be giving reviews about k-dramas, k-products /if we get any/ and certain places in India that are Korean related (there are quite a few I must say) and we’ll also be learning Korean and anything else you want to know about Korea!~ Please do note that this is only a blog to help people become aware of k-culture and shall be based on our personal experiences. So, shall we start?

admin FAY