Seoul Searching | Lotte World Mall.

On the day that Yue and I were supposed to do a walking tour of Insadong, it rained like crazy as soon as we boarded the Green Bus that would transport us to the nearest subway station. Right at that moment, I decided to make a raincheck (quite literally) and head for Lotte World Mall instead.

Yue was more than glad with the change of plan. "Are we going to the amusement park again?" he asked. "No, since Daddy is not with us today. But we'll look for something fun to do when we get there", I said.

Truth be told, the two reasons why I decided to go to Lotte World Mall is because it's just a 12-minute subway ride from Ttukseom AND there is no risk of getting wet in the rain as the mall is connected to Jamsil Station.

Welcome to Lotte World Mall!

We arrived at Lotte World Mall in no time, and I was surprised to see a throng of shoppers despite the weather being very erratic that day. Holiday rush I guess, since Christmas was just three days away.

More of the 'Landmark of Korea' after the jump!

Sharing the Joy of Korean Animation.

It's going to be a fun-filled February for the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in the Philippines as it launches its first exhibit for the year. Dubbed as 'Korean Character Exhibition: The Delight of Korean Animation Character World', the event will highlight the flourishing animation culture of Korea.

From hand-held flip books in the earlier times, to studios that produce most of the work for major American animation companies (bet you didn't know that all of the episodes of  The Simpsons and Family Guy were made and drawn in South Korea), the Korean animation industry now enjoys explosive growth and increasing popularity not only in Asia, but also across the globe. As such, K-animation is now being heralded as the new Korean wave.

Take for instance the cartoon series Pororo the Little Penguin, which has earned tremendous success since its launching in South Korea in 2003. The series currently airs in thirteen different countries, including the Philippines.

Pororo the Little Penguin.

And then there's Pucca, whose success has gone beyond the television series. The Pucca franchise includes not only toys and kids wear, but also accessories, housewares, stationery, and even an adult clothing line with Kpop group Wonder Girls as its model.

Pucca!

These two, along with other iconic K-animation characters, will be showcased in the upcoming KCC exhibit. These cute and loveable characters are guaranteed to pique the interest of the viewing public, and capture the hearts of children (and even adults, too).

Cloud Bread.

Hello Jadoo!

Tayo the Little Bus.

The exhibit formally opens on Friday, February 7 at the Exhibition Area of the Korean Cultural Center. Fun games and activities such as face painting, 3D puzzles, plus a ride on Tayo the Little Bus await the young audience on the opening day.

The Delight of Korean Animation Character World.

This event is open to the public, and will run until May 10, 2014.

For further information and queries, please contact the Korean Cultural Center at 555-1711 or email events@koreanculture.ph.

Wordless Wednesday #24 | Pororo!

Lots and lots of Pororo items for the little man!
(And some Etude House and The Face Shop stuff for me, too.)

Thank you HipStyle! 

I most especially love the handwritten note that came with the loot. :)

From Korea with Love.

Cousin-in-law and his Korean wife were in town for a short vacation - so short that they're actually flying back to Seoul this afternoon. They came bearing gifts from none other than my dear husband.

From Daddy with love! :)

Pororo is for Yue, of course. Everything else is mine.

Ya, Pororo da! (Korean for 'Hey, it's Pororo!'

The blue box is actually a surprise for me. It's also the most precious item in this loot.

Nan choegoui nampyeon-eul gajigo. (Korean for 'I have the best husband in the world.'

I'll post about this in separate entry. In the meantime, you can take a stab at guessing what's inside. :)

Sharing with This or That Thursday, Mommy Moments, and lots and lots of Wordless Wednesdays. 

For the Love of Pororo.

My fascination for Korea is no secret. If you've been following my blog for quite some time, then you pretty much have an idea how much I love the country and its culture. I watch Korean dramas as if they were my sustenance, and Kpop songs have taken over my iPod and CD shelf. My makeup is Korean, the noodles on my cupboard are Korean, the chocolates and canned coffee inside my fridge are Korean, heck, even my toothbrush is Korean!

Even my son has joined the bandwagon. Because now, even the cartoon that he watches is Korean. Of course, I'm referring to none other than Pororo the Little Penguin!

Pororo and Friends!

Yue first saw him in an episode of Running Man, a Korean variety show. (See? I don't even watch Philippine TV anymore!) Haha, one of the shows co-hosts, has earned the name of Haroro because of his distinct resemblance to the little penguin. If I remember correctly, this is the episode where Yue first laid eyes on Pororo.

Haha + Pororo = Haroro.

From then on, the little man has kept on bugging me about 'the penguin with glasses' and why he can't find him on TV. While Pororo has a worldwide following and broadcast rights of his show are distributed to 80 different countries, the Philippines - unfortunately - is not one of them. So for the love of Pororo and my son, I had to download episodes from the web, convert them into .mp4, and burn them into DVDs. I even had to weed out the Hangul episodes because Yue couldn't possibly read the subtitles just yet.

These days, he's asking for Pororo toys, which, of course, are also unavailable here. Now my husband is on a mission to buy (all of) these for his son.

Photo credit: The Korean Baby

Singing Pororo plushie.

Pororo ball.

Photo credit: The Korean Baby

Pororo bike.

That wouldn't be much of a feat since Pororo can be found practically anywhere in Korea. For sure the little penguin is available even at the Emart and Homeplus nearest to my husband's apartment. I smell (toy) shopping over the weekend.

And just so you know, Pororo is not just a penguin. He also happens to be a PR Ambassador for the Visit Korea Year Campaign.

Ambassador Pororo

Now isn't he inspiring? :)

Sharing with Toy Stories, Blue Monday, Mellow Yellow Monday and Orange Tuesdays.

Not from Joseon, Not a Joseon Man.

"Is your husband Korean?" 
"Is your son half-Korean?"
"Have you been to Korea before?"

These questions I've been asked one too many times before. My ears have actually gotten used to it. I usually get asked by new acquaintances, distant relatives whom I've reconnected with through Facebook, or even strangers that we meet at the mall, the fastfood chain, or at the doctor's clinic.

Perhaps its his alabaster skin, doe eyes, Hallyu hairstyle, or his ability to speak a bit of Hangul that makes people think Yue is Korean, or has a Korean dad. I find it funny, at times flattering, whenever people refuse to believe that my husband is a Filipino, or that Yue is a full-blood Pinoy. I get the most interesting reactions from people each time I tell them they have it wrong.

My most interesting encounter, by far, happened just recently while at the supermarket. Out of habit, Yue and I would always swing by the imported goods section and check out the Korean food items on the shelves. (I was hoping I'd come across some instant jjajangmyun or instant bibimbap.) As the little man exclaimed at the sight of a Pororo milk drink, a very Korean-looking ahjumma (elder woman) came from behind and began speaking to me. In Hangul.

Happy penguin Pororo!

"Annyong haseyo!" she greeted. "Odiso oshiosoyo?" (Hello! Where are you from?) In my mind I was like, 'Oh freak, she thinks I'm Korean?! Because of Pororo???!!!' 

Sure, I understood what she said, and can carry out a decent conversation in Hangul. But of course, my knowledge of the Korean language is limited to the basics - most of which I've learned by watching Kdramas and the Arirang channel.

"Annyong haseyo! Chonun... pilipin... esseo wasseyo," (Hello! I'm from the Philippines.) I greeted back with a smile. At the back of my mind I was summoning the image of Lee Jun Ki in his Let's Learn Korean instructional video.

"De?" she asked. (Huh?) I was worried that I might have said the wrong word, or my pronunciation sounds funny.

"Uh... Yogi... Chonun... Pilipin-saram," (Uh... here... I'm a Filipino.) 'Jeez, my banmal is a mess!' I thought.

The ahjumma gave me a bright smile. "Oh! Kure, kure! Arasso, arasso!" (Oh, right! I understand.)

"Mianheyo, Hanguk-mal jogeum..." I said sheepishly. (Sorry, I speak little Korean.)

"Kokchongma, Hanguk-mal choa!" (Don't worry, it's good.) She glanced at Yue and said, "Adeun minami!" (Your son is handsome.)

"Omo, kansahmnida!" (Oh, thank you!) I bowed my head a little and was thinking if I should do it ninety-degrees ala Super Junior.

And then an ahjussi (elder man), standing at the end of the aisle, shouted "Yobo!" (wife). He was waving his arm, signalling for his wife to come over. I was relieved. I might run out of Hangul if she presses on for a full-blown conversation, haha.

"Kabwa! Kumapta!" (I'm going. Thank you!) And with that smile that never left her face, she sauntered off towards the ahjussi.

I was a bit dazed from what just happened. "Anak, anyare?" (Son, what happened?) I asked Yue. The little man, who was so engrossed with Pororo the entire time, answered, "Sabi nung ahjumma annyeong daw." And then he began singing "Annyeong ne sarang, annyeong ne sarang" - the theme song of Smile You.

Pororo and my little kkonminam.

I chuckled. "Tara na nga, at baka mamaya eh Hapon naman ang kumausap sa kin dito!" (Let's go now, or a Japanese might come next!)

Oh this association with all things Korean! Miccyeoseo miccyeoseo! (Crazy crazy!)


Note: Joseon is what Korea used to be called in the ancient times. This refers to South and North as a whole.


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