Seoul Searching | Haru & One Day.

A few days before my flight to South Korea, my childhood friend Kay sent me a message on Facebook asking if we could meet-up in Seoul on the 16th (of December). She was flying from Chicago to Manila for the holidays, and will have a 12-hour layover in Seoul. I was so happy at the thought of catching-up with my first-ever best friend whom I have not seen in years; there was no chance in hell that I would miss this opportunity to spend time with her even for just a few hours.

I offered to fetch her at Myeongdong, but she wanted to explore other parts of Seoul and insisted on visiting the neighborhood where we live. As such, I suggested to meet-up at Haru & One Day, which I have been wanting to visit since it began operation last Autumn. Owned by Lee Donghae of Super Junior, the cafe is located near exit 4 of Seongsu Station, so I figured Kay wouldn't have a hard time finding it.

Haru & One Day!

True enough, she did not have any difficulty locating the cafe and even came earlier than I did -considering that my place was just a few bus stops away. Good thing the cafe opens as early as 7am!

Christmas feels inside Haru & One Day.

I spotted Kay as soon as I entered the cafe. Save for the eyeglasses, my friend looked pretty much the same since the last time we saw each other - and that was like, more than a decade ago! This girl doesn't seem to age! :)

The counter. They even have blankets, which you can use to keep yourselves warm.

Kay already finished a cup of coffee when I got there, and she seemed to have enjoyed the latte that she had. Made me all the more excited to try Haru & One Day's coffee, and cake, too! We headed to the counter, where they have a variety of cakes on display.

Haru's selection of cakes and desserts.

The menu.

They also have a decent selection of drinks - from coffee, milk, and tea, to smoothies and beer, even. 

I settled for good ol' Caramel Macchiato and a serving of Tiramisu. Kay initially had a hard time choosing which tea to order so the barista offered some suggestions and even let her take a whiff of the tea leaves displayed near the cashier. She ended up choosing the Pure Green Tea, together with a slice of Milky Roll.

Tea selection.

After paying for our order, we were given this thingamajig also known as the 'wireless queue calling system'.It didn't take long for our number to be called. There were only a few customers during that time, as the cafe has just began operation for the day.

Because in Korea, everything is digital. ;)

Here's what we had.

Breakfast, haha! :)

Tiramisu.

Milky Roll.

We loved how both cakes are moist and creamy, without being overly sweet.

Haru & Friday!

I like that their coffee is not scalding hot, and that their cups are wrapped in quirky sleeves with the day of the week written on it. We came on a Friday, hence the 'Haru & Friday'.

Cozy and Christmas-y. :)

The cafe's ambiance is noteworthy, too. With its minimalist design, spacious interior, neutral colors, and lots of sunlight coming through the windows, Haru & One Day is an all too perfect venue for meeting up with friends, enjoying some quiet time with a good book, or even telecommuting. The cafe offers free wi-fi, and customers are free to use their electrical sockets in case your phone or laptop runs out of battery.

Reunited! 

Fans of Donghae and Super Junior can also purchase Haru & One Day merchandise such as mugs, tumblers, canvas bags, and shirts. These items are displayed on the rack across the counter, with prices ranging from 16000 won to 60000 won.

Haru & One Day merchandise.

Kay and I spent about an hour or so at the cafe, catching up on a decade's worth of stories and life events. If not for Kay's craving for Korean street food, (we ended up going to Myeongdong afterwards) we would've stayed at Haru & One Day for one whole day!

Succulents.

I actually visited the cafe again on the eve of our flight back to the Philippines. I took the boys with me, and even my husband enjoyed their coffee. We even chanced upon Donghae's mom and his brother, Dong Hwa, but I was too shy to take photos with them as they were meeting with the staff and preparing to close for the day.

Capping off our trip to Seoul with another visit to Haru & One Day.

Haru & One Day
92, Achasan-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul

Foodie Goodie | Mister Donut Funimals.

Here's what the little man and I have been snacking on today.

Ja-jaaaan!

Funimals - junior donuts in fun animal designs!

Inside these Funimals are chocolate pieces and Bavarian cream.

The moment I saw these donuts, I was instantly reminded of Go Seung Ji's animal macaroons. He's the patissier portrayed by Lee Donghae in the weekend drama 'Panda and Hedgehog'.

Screencap, Panda and Hedgehog episode 6.

Mister Donut Funimals sell for Php 96 per box of 8, or Php 12 per piece.
Available at Mister Donut outlets nationwide!

Shared on Food Friday, Food Trip Friday, and Heavenly Treats.

Super Junior’s Leeteuk grateful, emotional during MoA concert.

As Super Junior wrapped up their concert in Guangzhou, China last August 26, their leader, Leeteuk, broke down in tears as he thanked the crowd.

“Haven’t come to Guangzhou in a long time, you are the ones who gave us all the love and support in the world,” said Leeteuk as he addressed the fans in attendance. “Can you wait for me for 2 years?” he asked. Sensing the emotions in his voice, the crowd began cheering, “Uljima, uljima“, a Korean phrase meaning “Don’t cry“. Even fellow member Donghae was asking Leeteuk not to cry.

“We’ve already been together for 8 years…I will return with an even more handsome image!” After saying this, Leeteuk kneeled, bowed to the crowd, and cried.

Leeteuk wipes his tears on a duck plush toy. 'Duck' is one of Leeteuk's nicknames.

Later that evening, Leeteuk sent a message to his Chinese fans via his Twitter account. His tweet read, “China ELF who have given us so much, thank you and I love you! The happiness and love that we shared today, in two years’ time I will return it even more! Xie xie!”

Xie xie means 'thank you' in Chinese.

The Guangzhou leg of the MoA Concert is Leeteuk’s last overseas stage prior to his military enlistment.

This article originally appears on Korea.com.

Siwon + Donghae + Bench + free passes to SiHae in Manila!

If you're an ELF and your bias is either Siwon (ehem, like me) or Donghae, and if you're residing in the Philippines, then you're in luck. The boys are coming to Manila on August 15 for the launching of their Bench product line!

Bench has an ongoing promo in line with this launch, and at stake are passes to the exclusive 'SiHae in Manila' event. Seven hundred passes will be given away, which means seven hundred lucky fans will get to meet and greet the boys at the Trinoma Activity Center, where the event will be held.

I've listed below the official mechanics to the promo, as posted on the Bench website.

- For every single receipt purchase of P 1,000.00 worth of any items at participating stores, customers are entitled to a raffle coupon & a chance to be part of SiHae launch!
- 700 winners are entitled to enter the SiHae launch.
- Maximum of 2 raffle coupons per receipt.
- Valid only for Cash, Credit Card, GC & EPS Transaction.
- Raffle coupon/s will automatically be handed out upon payment.
- Drop boxes are placed at the store counters of the participating stores.
- Customer must fill up the raffle coupon with his/her complete name, address, email address, telephone number, twitter username (if applicable) & affix his/her signature on the raffle coupon and must be dropped in drop boxes.
- Raffle date will be on August 10, 2012 at 5pm in Suyen corporation office with DTI and Bench representative. 
- Cutoff date of submission of entries : August 8, 2012 (store closing hours)
- Employees of Suyen Corporation and all participating stores including their relatives up to 2nd degree of consanguinity or affinity are disqualified from joining the promo.
- A participant can only win ONCE.
- Winners will be informed through registered mail, twitter direct message and phone call. List of Winners will be posted at all participating stores.
- Suyen Corporation reserves the right to use the names and images of the winners for publicity and promotion purposes. 
- Winners can enter the event area by presenting the following requirements to the Suyen Corporation representative in the event area: 
One (1) valid ID: should be school/government issued ID with photograph & signature 
Winning raffle coupon
Registered mail
- In the event that the winner will not be able to retrieve the prize, an authorized representative should bring and present the following requirements: 
Authorization Letter from the winner
One (1) valid ID of the winner & One (1) valid ID of the authorized person (should be government issued ID with photograph & signature)
Registered mail
Winning raffle coupon
- Transaction will still earn points for lifestyle cardholders.
- Valid to apply discount when red discount card is presented.

Participating Bench stores:
TriNoma, Glorietta 5, Alabang Town Center, Market Market, SM Megamall, SM North Edsa, SM Fairview, SM Southmall

But then again, if you're an ELF, Siwon/Donghae-biased, I'm pretty sure this news won't even be a surprise. You could have already secured raffle tickets by now, for all I know. ;)

Also posted this article at Korea.com, where I'm on board as an Associate Writer. 

Super Junior | Take Me to the Opera!

My boys just released 'Opera',  their third Japanese single.
And they're selling like hotcakes almost sold out at YesAsia.

I'm not surprised, actually. After all, they're the best boy group ever, IMHO. Plus Opera's MV is just so spunky!
My oh my! I can't wait for their 6th full album!

Hallyu's Hottest | Lee Jun Ki, Choi Siwon, Big Bang!

If the sweltering heat of the summer isn't hot enough, then perhaps these flower boys would be more than sufficient to raise the temperature to a fever-pitch.

First off, the my quintessential kkonminam goes inside the studio to record his upcoming single album, 'Deucer'.

Photo credit: @JGshock

The album will be released first in Japan this month, while the Korean release is scheduled for April. Oh, and yes, I've already pre-ordered my copy. :)

Meanwhile, the bad boys are fizzling hot in their latest MV. Released yesterday (March 7), Fantastic Baby has caused a frenzy all over the worldwide web with its head-bopping beat and catchy lyrics (boomshakalaka is catchy enough, right?).

Photo credit: Korea.com

Big Bang's quirky and eclectic style doesn't go unnoticed in this video, either. I, for one, am totally drawn to TOP's smoky eyes and blue hair. They're totally, Fantastic Baby!

Finally, some homegrown news. And why homegrown?
Because these two are now endorsers of a Philippine-made, world-renowned brand!

It's official! Choi Siwon and Lee Donghae are the latest addition to the Bench family! And it won't be long 'til we see jaw-dropping, traffic-stopping billboards of SiHae plastered all over EDSA. Better yet, there is a huge chance of the boys coming to the Philippines for promotional activities. Expect ELFs all over the country to go ballistic all over again! Me included! :)

Super Junior for the Win!

I was supposed to make a totally different entry - something intended for my weekly memes. But right now I'm just brimming with happiness and excitement, and I just had to post this. No, actually I want to shout, shriek, scream at the top of my lungs.

SUPER JUNIOR WINS THE DAESANG AWARD IN THE 26th GOLDEN DISK AWARDS!!!


All of the boys' hard work, their sacrifices, the blood, sweat, and tears have paid off... They finally brought home the grand prize in the most prestigious award-giving body in the Korean music industry! (Think of it as the counterpart of the Grammys in the US.) Not only that, they also nabbed four other awards: Popularity Award, MSN Japan Award, Best Selling Act of 2011, and the Bonsang Award. (Only recipients of the Bonsang Award can receive a Daesang Award. Something like the Top 6 in Miss Universe.)

I couldn't be happier and prouder for the boys. The road to GDA wasn't an easy one - with Heechul's enlistment and inevitable leave, SME favoritism issues, misinformed / uninformed media appearances - having conquered all these just makes the victory even sweeter.

Getting all three versions of their 5th album was definitely worth it. :)

In their acceptance speech, Super Junior said:

"We've been looking for happiness since November 6, 2005 and we thank the fans for giving us that happiness. When we debuted, no one expected us to succeed. We want thank super managers, Teacher Lee Soo Man and CEO Kim Young Min." (Source: http://news.nate.com/view/20120111n30279)

Moments after the program ended, the boys began posting photos and sending thank you messages for their fans.

Donghae (@donghae861015) tweeted:
Super Junior Daesang. ELF, you are the best. I love you. Quadruple crown. We’ll work harder. Thank you. I love you. Suju, the best. ELF, the best!

Donghae even showed off their four awards.

Of course, Siwon sent his love, too.

Forever the gentleman.

On top of that, Super Junior also creates another record by winning the most awards in GDA history. With 13 awards to their name, they have beaten SG Wannabe's previous record of 10 awards. Super Junior is indeed, the last man standing!

Congratulations, Super Junior! And congratulations to us ELFs - the best fan base in this planet!

Photo credit: 29.media.tumblr.com