Dinner Now...

This is something for me. 

Let the pics speak for themselves.

After a long day in Ansan...I was treated something nice for dinner. 

One of my favorite dishes. ^^ 

Misoya: Japanese Bistro... 

Hmm...looks so yummy. (so they say:)

One Indonesian Day (Part 4)@ Ansan

One Indonesian Day..One Indonesia Day...oh, well...I should've learnt grammar.

Again....I got to be there for its 2nd time. Only this time..it's mostly indoor so it's bearable. 

But for my wife, Meity, and her fellow friend, Ulfa, they were so busy serving the customers who ordered pangsit, mie goreng, es buah, siomay, and bakso....

At the entrance towards the event. 

This is the real facade of Ansan Olympic Memorial Hall. 

Lots of people flocked to this area..

and we ate lots of stuff to choose from, though.

One Indonesian Day (part 3)@ Ansan.

One of the major highlights of the event was the performance called Reog Ponorogo. There would be no Reog at all, had the committee not invited them to Korea^^. 

Most people do not see things with their very own eyes, instead with their smartphones.

The most interesting thing about this performance was not in the Reog itself, instead on the enthusiasm of most visitors who could not refrain themselves from ransacking onto the stage and ...got a closer look at the performance. 

Ok, let's have some lunch first. Wait..lunch? It passed 4 pm and then I called it lunch?? 

I bet that some of these girls did not have their lunch, yet.

One Indonesian Day (Part 2): The Beginning

@ 13.10 pm. a throng of people gathered the Ansan gymnasium where Indonesian Day was held. thousands of people kept coming and going out during the event. Now listen..

Living in Korea as migrant workers do not hinder them from having a kind-of-extracurricular that might just work for them. Like these guys' passion for taekwondo was also shown at the event...and a round applause was like heard across the hall.

More and more people were coming in. 

Let me be one of your friends. Eyra made friends already with the students who happened to visit there, too. 

Since we were sitting on the balcony or the side-section of the spectators hall, we could see the whole session of each performance hassle-free.

Eyra was always easily entertained. 

The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia gave a welcoming speech in the intermission of the event, followed by the anthem of Indonesia sung by (most) of the audience. 

Till we meet again... in One Indonesia Day 2014.

One Indonesian Day (Part 1)@ Ansan

Got to go to Ansan where Indonesian Day was held on June 30, 2013. It was held during a hot summer day. I knew it's gonna be hot, yet we decided to go there anyway. Why? Well...since I'd be surely meeting my friends and be able to eat Indonesian specialties.

* Ok, let's go kids. Yes, I went there with my two daughters, while their Mom was busy preparing the booth where she (with her other Indonesian moms) sold some Indonesian cuisines. 

But..first thing first...: after almost 2-hour train ride, we safely arrived in Ansan and went straight to the multicultural street where the atmosphere of foreigners was more than just visible: it was all there. Indonesian restaurants and of course numerous foreign restaurants were just there.

We met Seonhee as we'd planned. 

*Oh, it was also the day Eyra got her first Android.^^

We were then ushered (ourselves) in the blistering of the summer heat...to the bus stop where we got to take no.62 bus that would take us to Ansan Olympic Memorial Stadium--the venue of the event. 

Got a chance to take a zoomed shot of the entrance to the multicultural street in Ansan. 

Zapped...it was not the time when we were about to go to the event, instead..it was around 4.30 pm where we (with other Indonesian students) were waiting for the bus that would take us back to the nearest subway station to go back to Seoul.^^ 

It's like 30 degrees Celsius in the afternoon. Gosh..what a day. 

But, the good thing was that..the event was mostly held inside the air conditioned gymnasium. 

With UGM students and Seonhee.

Take a moment to capture the experience and memory.

The 5th World Folktale Reading/Performance Competition @ our neighborhood

It's 01.15 pm and the show's started. We got to register first before entering the BRICs Hall at our university, HUFS. Eyra signed up and wrote down something on guest book. 

The event was held at BRICs Hall, HUFS. This year we did not participate since we already did last year...and became the first winner.!!! 

The hall accommodated about 300 people and it's full-house, not to mention those who had to stand in the back rows and alleys. 

The show was held by Pureun Community Center, a multicultural Center in our (previous) neighborhood in cooperation with Modu Children's Library. 

Participants were families, students, wives, husbands, kids from different countries or simply..anyone with multicultural background who are currently residing in our neighborhood. 

Japan, Mongolia, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Uzbekistan, Philippines, Thailand, Iran, and Korea, of course. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to participate again since we did win the competition last year. ^^ 

We were shown on the clips on the intermission break. I was Green Ogre (Buto Ijo) last year.^^ what a great time that was!!!^-^  Read our story HERE.

Then, as the final act was the collaborative project telling a folktale from Vietnam. The mothers (wives) of international marriage residing in the neighborhood came up together to bring the story alive. 

It's nice. 

The children loved it since they did live up to their expectation of delivering props and action and stuffs to stir up their imagination. 

In fact, the story that they were bringing up was the one that's been read for the children on a regular basis at the library.  

Then came the winner announcement. Most of them got appraisal certificate to appreciate their participation. Look at the kids, babies who also took part in the event. 

Mongolia team ( a whole family from grandmother to a granddaughter) became the first winner of this competition.

Congratulations.!!!

Friday's Happy-O'lic

First thing first...It's Friday. The first Friday in the series of the coming Summer vacation. 

Took the kids to school. Then..off I went to campus to return a bunch of books I borrowed this semester. Then...off I went to the computer room....only to find that the room was being renovated:( sigh*** then..off I went to the barber (wait it's not barber)...it's a miyongsil or salon....where I usually have my hair trimmed (hair??)..like I have any. ..anyway..only to find that it's still closed. I came too early. 

Couldn't wait coz I got lunch appointment with my office colleagues at Youido's Seven Spring buffet restaurant (my fave).

Still got 30 minutes or so before lunch time...so off I went to IFC Mall to find some morning eye-shopping @ Uniqlo only to find the striped shirt I was falling in love with. 

Then...got one-hour buffet lunch to fill up my senses and appetite of everything a vegetarian like me ever wanted.

the only pic I took of the so many arrays of food I chomped into my tummy.^^

Got a great lunch, though. Thank you for ms. Kim Mino who treated us for the lovely lunch.

** Then...Friday Prayer ** at 13.00 until 14.00 at Itaewon Masjid. (nothing special...apart from the fact that it was crowded as usual...plus the blistering heat of the summer. I couldn't get into the inner circle coz I came late ...

anyhow..I did my Friday prayer hassle-free.

---

Then..off I went to Jurassic Park.

Yes...It's a last minute decision to transport myself back to 65 million years ago...

where Dinosaurs ruled the earth.

Jurrasic Park on IMAX 3D.

"indeed..it was a new and refreshing way of looking back into the 1993's mind-blowing movie: it's the intricate details and suspense that kept me glued and admire the 90's legacy of movie magic".

and..now..it's 7.45 pm...at home..jotting down this entry.

What a Friday...alhamdulillah. 

콩국수가 왔다!!! Kongkuksu is Coming......!!!

콩국수 (kongkuksu) or let's see...I don't know how to describe it...I just do not want to copy and paste from the internet to 'tell' and 'describe' what it is. Just that. Ok..let me try...I think..this is a summer-only noodle soup. But, here's the catch: the soup is not just an ordinary one, it is made of grated or ground soybean (be it the white ones or black ones). Yes, the ground soybean is mixed with water, salt..(I guess) and other ingredients that I am not sure what..then mixed together with some sliced cucumber for garnish. Oh...a slice of egg, too..would do the trick to make it tastier. 

oh..I guess...are those sesames?  

And..another thing that I ordered at the same time...was....라뽁이 (rapukki). It's I-am-telling-you-I-am-not-lying spicy noodle mixed in gochujang or Korean-style chili pepper (this one what makes it hot!). Other garnishes they put in it are.....odeng (fish-cakes??), sesames (not agaiiin), one whole boiled egg, and..of course..the tteokpukki itself. Because  rapukki is a coined word that comes from a combination of ramyeon + tteokpukki. 

Ok..back to 콩국수 (kongkuksu)....I guess I'll have to eat more of this during summer....

cos it's refreshingly fulfilling.

White House Down (화이트 하우스 다운): I wanna Channing on his tatum.

Yes..another day for a movie freak like me. Summer blockbuster...bring me in. Count me in. I need (should I say...I have to??) to watch movie every week..and that's why summer is a restless season for me..since I am not able to sleep until I have watched most (if not all) the summer movies available on the market.  

So, today..after coming home from work..I rushed myself to the cinema (this time Lotte Cinema). I didn't know why...but I guess..because I got this 3000 Won coupon to watch any movie.

* I usually watch movies at CGV, but today...I did it @ Lotte Cinema, Cheongnyangni..which is closer to home. 

And the first thing I notice was its ticket movie which is different from CGV. Both have its pros and cons...but..do I really need to pay attention to this little cinematography??

Ok, enough with the chit chat...heres' what I thought...

The movie itself was fun to watch and interestingly captivating in term of action sequence and the building up of the tension.

Channing Tatum...I wanna channing on his tatum...^^

Gosh..I found the Jimmy Kimmel show the other day..and he made a very great skit about Channing Tatum became the title of the song...sung by James Foxx.

Really..this movie kind of reminded me of any other action/partners in action kind of movie..in the bravado of Lethal Weapon series. or Die-hard style kind of 'heroism'

Well, sort of.

Anyway...with little (or none) of previous knowledge of what the movie would turn out...

I found it challenging ....and how risky the movie would've turned out..to my eyes and taste. Thank God.. it was best-o-luck coincidences that strongly combine the movie plot into a a surprising initial and final stage...memorable to watch? 

hmm..not that much..but is it worth-watching? Definitely if you want to escape from the daily routines..in summer.

*then what would a movie be without its release highlight...

--* a feel-good action movie with a frill.

Keep On Making Color Clay Works Every Mondays

These are the works of arts that Eyra makes every week on Mondays. She brings home different stuff every Monday. It turns out that she has a knack for color clay. 

For an 8 y.o. these kinds of stuffs really make me feel good about sending her to the color clay class. 

Of course, these are only a few of other countless color-clay arts she makes. First, I did not know what to do with these until I found a transparent glue-it-on-the-wall nail that we could just post on the wall. So, here they are! 

Some of other crafts she made in the first week weeks.

what could best describe these works of arts but

 the notion of awesomeness from her Daddy.

Keep on the good work, kiddo.!!