Good rainy morning from Korea! It’s a busy start of the day for Kap my Kap (who is already ice-ing his back due to the strain of caring for all of us the past few/his entire life hehe!) Labada – check. Linis – check. Trash – emptied. Bed – fluffed. Meanwhile, his batugan of a wife is napping. #thegoodlife #divisionoflaborWHAT #babaengpinagpala. Thank you my honey. Ang swerte ko talaga! <3

What’s nice about the underground station is it keeps us safe & dry from the rain. Just a little walk above ground upon reaching our Korail stop & we’re right where we wanna be. \m/

Downside though is THIS!!! @_@ We always manage to join the rush hour hay naku. Going & coming, hindi maiwasang mapasabay kami sa dagsa since we’re out & about the whole day & we go to numerous places. Inaabot talaga namin ang peak hours ahuhuhu.

I don’t know how I always become friends with classy, demure, soft-spoken ladies when I’m such a loud-mouthed jeje-mom lol. I guess opposites do attract! 😛

Baliktad pa. Teree had assorted goodies for us when we’re the ones visiting & should have brought pasalubong from Manila, hehe. Thank you dearest Teree for always being so thoughtful & generous to all of us. <3

First order of the day as decreed by Ate who won’t settle for just their stalls in the malls. Destination: GENTLE MONSTER SINSA FLAGSHIP STORE South Korea, Seoul, Gangnam-gu, 533-6 Phone number: +82 70-5080-0194

Gentle Monster, which retails for not less than US$300 a pair, is a South Korean luxury eyewear brand with a growing reputation for combining experimental design (read: WEIRD) with high functionality. The brand, which employs eight in-house eyewear designers, releases 350 to 400 (30 to 40 styles with 5 to 10 color options) new unisex models made of cellulose acetate, titanium steel or stainless steel frames each year. Cellulose acetate frames are easily adjustable for different facial structures because they bend to shape without heat, and without breaking in the process.

Gentle Monster, still considered new to the market, was founded six years ago by former English teacher Hankook Kim. It soared to success and brand name recognition across Asia in the most reliable way possible: when A-list South Korean actress Gianna Jun wore a pair on the popular K-drama, “My Love from the Star.” Ate must like it so much coz this is her 3rd pair. And ever the sibling’s idol, Babyson follows suit & also got a pair. Bagay ba yang mga napili nila? 🙂

The Gangnam District is one of the 25 local government districts which make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Gangnam literally means “South of the River”. South Korea is known for its high standard of education and intense competition for university entrance and Gangnam is considered the national capital of education, which is one of the decisive factors to make it the most attractive destination in South Korea.

Gangnam is riddled with shops along the streets. You could easily lose a day just browsing & window shopping. So many interesting things to see & touch! 😛

In or out of the country, they never let an opportunity for Kodak moments pass. GIRLS! @_@

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse is located at the Gangnam district. Apgujeong-ro 10-gil, open from 10AM–10:30PM. Phone: +82 2-547-2004 Mr. Holmes Bakehouse is most famous for their cruffins. With its croissant-like texture and muffin-like appearance, t’s definitely more croissant than muffin. We split one to try. It’s soft, flaky and buttery, everything you want in a good croissant. It comes coated in sugar and stuffed with various cream fillings. One is definitely NOT enough, but we were having lunch with friends soon so we restrained ourselves & just bought a box of assortments to take with us.

Hailing all the way from San Fransisco, California, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse has come to Korea to share its cruffiny goodness with the Seoulites. As its first international branch, they want to ensure that the flavor and quality of their baked goods are up to their Sanfo standards, so all of the bakers get basic two months training in San Francisco.

The fast-growing Shake Shack already has FOUR branches in South Korea. The one we went to was the one in Gangnam: Daeyeon Building 1F, Gangnamdaero 452, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul +82 02-553-5576. The other branches you can find in: Doota Mall 1F, SGF Cheongdam Tower #1, and AK Plaza 1F Hwangsaeul-ro.

So happy that Teree & Joel didn’t mind us meeting at a fast-food joint. Shake Shack (NYSE: SHAK) is an American fast casual restaurant chain based in New York City. It started out as a food cart inside Madison Square Park in 2004, and its popularity steadily grew. It eventually moved to a stand within the park, expanding its menu from New York-style hotdogs to one with hamburgers, hotdogs, fries and its namesake milkshakes. The company claims to use all-natural 100% Angus beef only and says that its meat has no hormones nor antibiotics.

Our total came out to less than 2k php. Kap may not have been happy with our food choice for lunch, but he was generally happy with the bill hehe. meanwhile, Babyson was happy he finally got to try this, and I was happy for a burger fix. <3

My girls advised me to get a birkin in black as it’s my first ever (and most probably last). But you guys know me. My life is so colorful. My heart would not be happy with a mournful black. And this one really popped out & called to me, the Hermes Arlequin Birkin 6-color 35mm bag. The moment I saw it I knew she was THE ONE. <3 Don’t you agree? I fell in love huhu. There’s no going back, I had it wrapped & prepared myself for a year-long sermon from Kap.

When I learned that the design of the bags was inspired by this painting- Picasso’s Paul en Arlequin, aba bongga, I loved it even more. The design has a French humorous way to look at things, and 6 in 1 fun colors in Orange, Etain, Capucine, Sanguin, Taurillon, and Clemen.

Mwah! Sealed with a kiss. Sa uulitin? ;P

If you love Korean food, you don’t want to miss eating your way through Gwangjang Traditional Market in Seoul. It’s one of the ultimate places to experience traditional Korean street food and culture all under one roof.

First established in 1905, Gwangjang Traditional Market is known to be the oldest continually functioning market in all of South Korea. And it’s one of those places that has not only withstood the test of time, but it’s passed through many generations unchanged. Retaining its Korean cultural heritage, style, and charm. A must visit when you go to Korea. (Dress ruggedly though as it IS a wet market. Thankfully, we brought our shopping packages to the apartment before heading here).

One of the delicacies being sold here is the Soondae (Sundae) or blood sausage. The Korean version of blood sausage contains a mixture of blood and a good amount of sticky and soft mung bean noodles or sticky rice. When you order a plate of soondae, one of the big long sausages is sliced into pieces and arranged onto a plate & served with a few slices of lungs and some perilla leaves & chili salt to taste. I love dinuguan back home but sorry, I have to pass on this one.

There’s a specific lane within Gwangjang Traditional Market where you can get all sorts of fresh seafood including hwareo hoe, Korean sliced raw fish similar to sashimi, an assortment of exquisitely fresh and raw seafood, and the famous live octopus above. But the tinderas are basically friends with one another so you can get food from different stalls & eat in one place. They just bill you separately.