Pre-Birthday Trip: Tsuru Sushi Cafe West End

On the same day after we checked in into Rydges, we took a short walk around the South Bank area in search of a decent Japanese restaurant to dine in. Apparently, the walk didn't turn out to be as fruitful as we thought it would be. We found no restaurant that interests us, and thus, had to drive ourselves to this Tsuru Sushi Cafe in West End, which Mr. Choo came across while google-ing for restaurant recommendations.

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Sunday Afternoon's Picnic

I'm gonna keep this post real short today, as I have a few errands to run in the city. You know, it's one of those days when time is at a premium and there are so many other things to be done. Alright, alright, just stay calm and keep writing, Christina. What I'm about to show you now is the lovely picnic we had with friends last Sunday afternoon.

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Paniyiri Greek Festival at Musgrave Park Brisbane

We made appearances at the Paniyiri Greek Festival held at Musgrave Park, South Brisbane two weeks ago. It was a two-day celebration and the weather was perfectly sunny and warm that afternoon. $10 entrance fee for adults, free for children.

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Pre-Birthday Trip: Menya Mappen Noodle Bar Sunnybank

Ouch, my injured wrist and thumb! I have problem typing on my keyboard now. Basically, I have problems performing my daily tasks (except taking shower) with this gigantic piece of splint wrapped around my wrist and thumb. Poor me, but don't worry, I'm doing absolutely alright apart from that. It's just a matter of time until I fully recovered and live like a normal person again =p

Can you guess what I had the most throughout my entire pre-birthday trip in Brissie? Japanese!!! We had three Japanese cuisines in a row within just two days!!! Hahahaa, that's how much I love Japanese food. We finally came to Menya Mappen for a little foodie expedition. We thought of trying it out last time when we were here for Hakataya Ramen.

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Pre-Birthday Trip: Rydges Southbank

Yay!!! Here's an inside scoop of my pre-birthday trip down Brisbane!!! We first stopped by Sunnybank to get my hair trimmed and colored (just touching up the roots), had Japanese for lunch, then Mr. Choo surprised me with a Deluxe King Suite with river view at Rydges Southbank *teary eyes* Honestly, it was the most luxurious room I ever stayed in in my 2X years of life.

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All You Can Eat Buffet Lunch at Pizza Hut Toowoomba

Not long after the reopening of Pizza Hut Restaurant on the corner of Ruthven and Stenner streets (opposite K-Mart), we joined the crowd to have all-you-can-eat buffet lunch along with Tan's family. We arrived around noon and had our cars parked across the street. Parking could be a real issue here especially during lunch and dinner hours.

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Dove Pure Anti-Perspirant Deodorant

I'm honoured to be offered another Product Talk by Nuffnang. Thank you, Dove. Thank you, Nuffnang. It is Dove's newly launched pure anti-perspirant deodorant, ladies and gentlemen! And I get to have a little hands-on experience on both roll-on and spray. I've been using roll-on deodorants for as long as I could remember, considering that aerosol sprays are extremely flammable (hence, not so convenient to carry around, especially in cars) and the fact that they're not environmentally friendly (not proclaiming myself as an environmentalist or anything here =p).

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Best Korean Drama of 2013 (Must Watch)

My Current Favorites and New K-Dramas of 2013

***Note: Some reviews may contain spoilers and are highlighted in black. Happy watching!!!


The Heirs (继承者们)
Ratings: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Review: Mad, mad love!!! I'm so madly in love with "The Heirs", as if my heart's beating in the rhythm of the plots. A bit exaggerating, I know, but you'll get what I mean once you start watching the first episode. It keeps you go on and on!!! Simply captivating and adrenaline rushing, the love chemistry between Kim Tan (Lee Min Ho) and Cha Eun Sang (Park Shin Hye). It moved me to tears watching episode 17 and 18 *heart breaks*
 
Title: 왕관을 쓰려는자, 그무게를 견뎌라 - 상속자들 / Wangkwaneul Sseuryeoneunja, Geumoogereul Gyeondyeora - Sangsokjadeul
Also known as: The Inheritors / The One Trying to Wear the Crown, Withstands the Weight - The Heirs
Genre: Romance, Youth, School, Melodrama, Comedy
Episodes: 20
Broadcast Period: 2013-Oct-09 to 2013-Dec-12 (Completed)

Cast:
Lee Min Ho as Kim Tan
Park Shin Hye as Cha Eun Sang
Kim Woo Bin as Choi Young Do
Krystal Jung (f(x)) as Lee Bo Na

Synopsis:
A romantic comedy about high school students living in top 1% high society, learning about love and friendship. Things get turned topsy turvy when the students end up getting tangled with a girl from lower class who is the heir of "poverty", and romance unfolds.


Flower Boy Next Door (邻家花美男)
Ratings: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Review: The "Me Too, Flower!" and "King of Baking, Kim Tak Goo" actor returns in another fun-filled, humorous rom-com series with chubby bubbly Park Shin Hye. Yay for me as I really like Yoon Shi Yoon ❤ He is such a delicious eye candy on the screen. I enjoyed watching most of the scenes though the storyline may be rather cliché at points. They gave me a really good laugh with barely any dull moments =) By the way, who else here think that Kim Ji Hoon resembles the HK actor Raymond Lam? At certain angles only perhaps.

Title: 이웃집 꽃미남 / Yiootjib Kkotminam
Also known as: My Neighbor Flower Boy / The Pretty Boy Next Door / My Flower Boy Neighbor
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Broadcast Period: 2013-Jan-07 to 2013-Feb-26 (Completed)

Cast:
Park Shin Hye as Go Dok Mi
Yoon Shi Yoon as Enrique Geum
Kim Ji Hoon as Oh Jin Rak / Oh Jae Won
Park Soo Jin as Cha Do Hwi

Synopsis:
A romantic comedy about a girl named Go Dok Mi who locks her self in her ′tower′ from the world, is caught spying on the man living next door by Enrique Geum.


Cheongdam-Dong Alice (清潭洞爱丽丝)
Ratings: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Review: First, my heart was captured by the charisma of Han Se Kyung (the female lead). She's bold, she's genuine and I really admired that until the whole alice-in-wonderland-story grown to disappoint me. I dislike her transformation, it kinda ruined the concept of a fairytale in my opinion. But, I'd would still recommend this to you because I'm a big fan of Park Shi Hoo. His cuteness, every funny movement and facial expression of his simply melted my heart.

Title: 청담동 앨리스 / Cheongdamdong Aelliseu
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Episodes: 16
Broadcast period: 2012-Dec-01 to 2013-Jan-27 (Completed)

Cast:
Moon Geun Young as Han Se Kyung
Park Shi Hoo as Cha Seung Jo / Jean Thierry Cha
So Yi Hyun as Seo Yoon Joo
Kim Ji Suk as Tommy Hong

Synopsis:
Han Se Kyung (Moon Geun Young) is a talented young designer who lives each day with the motto "Strive for your dream to succeed". Until she met Cha Seung Jo (Park Shi Hoo) a president of a luxury brand shop in Cheongdam-dong who will change her life.

Gu Family Book (九家之书)

Review: Still watching... I'm up to episode 20 now. 4 more episodes to go, woohoo! Aren't you guys excited?!

Title: 구가의 서 (九家의 書) / Googauiseo
Also known as: Ancient Medical Book / The Writings of Nine Houses / Book of the House of Gu / Kang Chi, the Beginning
Genre: Fantasy, Human, Melodrama, Historical, Romance
Episodes: 24
Broadcast Period: 2013-Apr-08 to 2013-Jun-25 (Completed)

Cast:
Lee Seung Ki as Choi Kang Chi
Bae Suzy as Dam Yeo Wool
Lee Sung Jae as Jo Kwan Woong
Jo Sung Ha as Dam Pyung Joon

Synopsis:
A melodrama epic about the great deal of trouble Choi Kang Chi, born as a half-human-half-mythical-creature, who goes through in order to become human and a story of Choi Kang Chi’s journey of struggling in order to live more like a human than anyone else despite not being able to become human.

Choi Kang Chi (Lee Seung Ki) was raised by the Choi family after having been picked up from the river. Choi Kang Chi is the son of Goo Wol Ryung (Choi Jin Hyuk), the guardian spirit of Jiri Mountain, and Yoon Seo Hwa (Lee Yeon Hee), his human mother. Kang Chi is an outspoken character who’s full of curiosity. He realizes that he’s a half-human-half-beast through a certain incident and starts living his second life.

Dam Yeo Wool (Bae Suzy) is a master of martial arts and archery. Yeo Wool is an upright character who really values the Three Bonds and Five Relationships in Confucianism, and becomes an instructor at a martial arts center at a young age.


The Thousandth Man (第一千个男人)
Ratings: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Review: A short, light-hearted sitcom which can be easily finished within just one day. I was captured by the moving romance between Mi Jin (a nine-tailed fox) and Eung Suk (a human), it gave me goosebumps and heartache sometimes. Personally, I favor episode 3 the most!!! The love-story between Mi Jin and her high-school lover, Min Kyu, so touching!

Title: 천번째 남자 / Chunbunjjae Namja
Also known as: One Thousandth Man / A Thousand Man
Genre: Romance, Sitcom, Fantasy, Melodrama
Episodes: 8
Broadcast Period: 2012-Aug-17 to 2012-Oct-12 (Completed)

Cast:
Kang Ye Won as Goo Mi Jin
Lee Chun Hee as Kim Eung Suk
Jun Mi Sun as Goo Mi Sun
Hyo Min as Goo Mi Mo

Synopsis:
A fantasy sitcom about a “gumiho” (nine-tailed fox) who can only become human if she eats 1000 human male livers. After consuming 999 male livers, she tries to find the last liver of the male who truly loves her.


That Winter, The Wind Blows (那年冬天，起风了)
Ratings: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Review: It's a poignant love-story between a "brother" and a visually impaired sister. When facing death, they found love and reasons to live through each other. Very addictive plots (you wouldn't wanna miss it) plus good acting from both leads, but it just wasn't nose running, eye tearingly good enough to me. 

Title: 그 겨울, 바람이 분다 / Geu Gyeo-wool, Barami Boonda
Also known as: Wind Blows in the Winter
Genre: Melodrama, Romance
Episodes: 16
Broadcast Network: SBS
Broadcast Period: 2013-Feb-13 to 2013-Apr-03 (Completed)

Cast:
Jo In Sung as Oh Soo
Song Hye Kyo as Oh Young
Kim Bum as Park Jin Sung
Jung Eun Ji as Moon Hee Sun

Synopsis:
A melodrama about a man and a blind woman who don’t believe in love. Oh Soo is an orphan who is left heartbroken later in life after his first love passes away and comes to lead a goal-less life as a high stakes gambler. Oh Young is a lonely heiress who feels she must look after others and herself after her parents get divorced and she finds herself becoming visually impaired. The two will come to find the true meaning of love after meeting each other.


Scandal: A Shocking and Wrongful Incident (丑闻)
Ratings: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Review: It seems like Kim Jae Won, the lead actor has been having an exploration into family and melodramas in these recent few years. With at least 30 or more episodes of each drama, back-story beginning with childhood is ineluctable, including this one. I'm up to the 18th episode so far, engaging storyline. Not the usual smiling Kim Jae Won you would see.

Title: 스캔들: 매우 충격적이고 부도덕한 사건 / Seukaendeul: Maewoo Choongkyukjukyigo Boododeokhan Sageon
Also known as: Scandal: A Very Shocking and Corrupt Event / Scandal: That Very Shocking and Immoral Incident / The Scandal
Genre: Family, Melodrama
Episodes: 36
Broadcast Network: MBC
Broadcast Period: 2013-Jun-29 to 2013-Oct-27 (Completed)

Cast:
Kim Jae Won as Ha Eun Joong
Jo Yoon Hee as Woo Ah Mi
Jo Jae Hyun as Ha Myung Geun
Park Sang Min as Jang Tae Ha

Synopsis:
A man loses his son when a building collapses. He finds out who killed his son and kidnaps the son of this man. When the son grows up, he learns that the man he believed to be his father was in fact a kidnapper. This is a story of revenge, and the life after with wound and restoration.

P.S. Do check out my previous post about Best Korean Drama of 2010 / 2011 / 2012 if you still haven't came across it =)