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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Korean Association in Mexico (Event)

OK so I hope this is right, my name is EricGarcia. I went on behalf of Gisela Verdin, whom you might already know =p, to the annual event organized by the Korean Association in Mexico. This yearly event was held this year at the Universidad Intercontinental's Campus. This was the first year, but I hope not the last, that I was able to attend to this event and it was really great. 

The university at which the event took place is on the south part of the city, the really far south. It is also a very big university. When I first arrived to the location I was greeted with a huge banner of the event. Once inside I saw a great deal of people playing sports, eating, joking around and basically having fun. There seemed to be very few locals in the event but when I approached the staff of the event I was greeted in Spanish. Most of the Korean community at the event (or at least the people that I had a chance to talk to) knew Spanish very well.

The fist order of business was eating, I was pointed in the food's direction and I headed towards a table that contained a buffet-style look. There were several platters with what I believe was lettuce wraps, rice, jello, and a dish that I don't know the name of but had cacti marinated in a red sauce. I served myself a bit of everything. Once seated I had a go at the rice mixed with the marinated cacti dish and it was absolutely delicious. The white rice soaked up the red sauce and it acquired a real peculiar flavor that I really enjoyed. Once the food was in my belly I had enough energy to move over to more physical activities.
   
There were several activities to be a part of, some a bit more physically aimed than others. There were soccer, dodge ball, jump rope, hacky sack, tug-a-war, kickball and Yut Nori competitions. The winners of each of these events received several prizes. I was able to participate in the kickball, tug-a-war and hacky sack events, but not for official prizes, just for fun. I watched some of the female-only dodge ball matches and let me tell you, they can throw! It was a real blast to just watch the games as the end of the matches neared you could feel the excitement grow in the crowd and the players, everyone would cheer when a point was made and when the game was won by either side things got really loud.
                                      
                                     

Once all of the games finished it was time for the prizes to be handed out. There were soup boxes, rice and bean sacs, crockery sets, microwaves, refrigerators, Iphones, Tablets, and even a trip for two all expenses paid to Acapulco! There was a raffle for which I purchased a ticket  and the results were given right after the award ceremony for the games. Unfortunately I was not lucky enough to win the fridge much less the trip to Acapulco * tear*  but I received a box of  Ottogi instant noodles soup so I was happy. The event ended when the Korean Association in Mexico's representative thanked everyone for attending and participating in the event.
                                 
                                 
                                 

Overall I had a blast, it was a day of interesting, fun, and diverse activities with great people. I can't wait for next year to come so that I can go again!

                                        
                                        

Well people, hope you like this guest post :D 

-Gisela V. 

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Seoul Is...

Hi everyone!

Just a quick explanation on why "Seoul is... Part of my life"
It is part of my life because for over 2 years I've had this blog and I just can't stop blogging about Korea, not only that but Korean Food is one of my fave foods and I feel the need of having some Korean food at least once a month (hehe) and honestly I can't imagine my life without Korea anymore.


-Gisela V.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

I love Korea because.....

Hi everyone!
I just wanted to share the video I made for the "I love Korea because..." contest

-Gisela V.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Thank you

I just one to take a moment to thank everyone who's been with my sister and me in such a difficult time.

My mom is now in a better place and will always be in our heart.

"To live in hearts you leave behind is not to die"

-Gisela V.

Friday, May 18, 2012

Facebook Fan Page!

Hi Everyone!

So, I've seen many of my favourite bloggers have Facebook Fan Pages, I was doubting if I should make one since I don't think I'll have as many "fans" as I dream about it (lol), but... I just made one anyway^^

http://www.facebook.com/TheJulieJuliaGiselaProject


-Gisela V.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Kimchi and its Properties

Hi Everyone!

My Kimchi ingredients (some of them) & Makgeolli
2 years ago I made my 1st Kimchi (and last...hehe), some of you remember some of you are new here, so it was a whole experience to 1st buy the ingredients and then the process of making the Kimchi, saddly I was busy enough reading the instructions on how to make it (and making it) and I didn't take any pictures of the process.... Since it's kind of complicated to make it (If you are not Korean or don't know the ingredients/process by heart) I decided that was my 1st and last and if I was craving Kimchi I'd go to Korea Town to either eat it or buy it... I've found pretty good Kimchi's around K-Town so it's easier to buy it... plus If I make it it will be way too much and I'm pretty much the only one in my house to eat it.

A few weeks ago I endend up in the Emergency Room because I wasn't feeling very well and turns out I suffer Hypertension [term used to describe high blood pressure], after some pills, a shot and a few hours in observation I was able to leave the ER with some new Life-rules... 1st I have to take 2 pills every 8 hours for the rest of my life (It kinda made me feel OLD :( ) and then, I can no longer eat Salt (at least not for a few months), I can not drink Soda, alcohol, sweets, etc... nothing fun, right?... It was time for a change and I better follow my doctor's order if I want to live long and prosper (lol).

But yersterday I met up a friend to go eat at the Cultures Festival (more on that later!) and since my cravings for Korean food were too much we decided to eat at the Korean Stand... we had 김치, 밥, 김밥 and 잡채 :) (small portions of course)... I love Kimchi...and that one was specially good so I bought another portion to take home and then I felt guilty.... as if I was cheating on someone...why? Because Kimchi has salt...lots of salt since it's fermented so I decided to ask my friend Google how bad was my situation "Kimchi-Hypertension"... to my sorprise it's not bad at all, so why don't we check some of the properties of Kimchi?

Kimchi Stew
Kimchi is made of various vegetables and contains a high concentration of dietary fiber and it's low in calories. One serving contains 50% of the daily recommended amount of Vitamin C and Carotene. It also contains Vitamin A, B1, B2, Calcium, Iron and lactic acid bacteria. Kimchi was even named one of the Top 5 "Wold's Healthiest Foods" by Health magazine because it helps aiding digestion and prossibly reducing Cancer growth.
 
Kimchi has lots of functionality, especially the kimchi diet has been known to cause weight loss and to prevent constipation and colon cancer. Kimchi, a good source of lactic acid bacteria as probiotics, reduces serum cholesterol levels in relation to anti-atherosclerosis. In addition, anticancer effects of kimchi have been recently reported and related to its components such as antioxidative nutrients, phytochemicals and lactic acid bacteria.

When real foods are preserved/fermented, the result is high quantities of vitamin C, MSM, and phytochemicals that are missing in the industrial diet. When coupled with good fats like olive oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, raw butter, (plus eggs and fish, under the right conditions) then high high blood pressure never really becomes an issue.
Of course, any salt that is used should be sea salt. Table salt is bleached to make it white, and "purified" to remove everything but sodium chloride, which eliminates vital minerals like potassium. So using sea salt does make a difference.



So there you go... I can still eat Kimchi without feeling soooo guilty u_u 

If you have any recommendations on WHAT (Korean food) can I eat to help my blood pressure I will be very thankful :)

-Gisela V. 

Friday, May 11, 2012

My Top 7 Korean Dramas

Lately I've had some time troubles to sleep so when that happens...what do you do at 12am???... Watch Dramas!!!, if you are new here you might not know that My interest in Korea started after seen "My name is Kim Sam Soon", after that my mom bought the DVD's of "Dae Jang Geum /  대장금"  and to be honest I wasn't very into this one (I still don't love it.... sorry!) but she would make me watch it and that's how I learned a little bit about the Joseon Dinasty and after that I didn't really watch any other Drama so when I went to Seoul people would ask me about Dramas and I felt awkward when I was only able to mention those 2.... 

So, here's my Top 7 Korean Dramas! 

#7 He is beautiful! / 미남이시네요

Ko Mi-Nyeo & Ko Mi-Nam (both played by Park Shin-Hye) are twin brother and sisters. They grew up in an orphanage and never knew their parents. As a young adult, Ko Mi-Nyeo is set to become a nun and her twin brother Ko Min-Nam, who just joined the band "A.N.JELL", was seriously injured and sent to America to recover and so she has to impersonate her brother until he recovers, she falls in love with  A.N.JELL's vocalist Hwang Tae-Kyeong who soon realizes that (He/she) is a Girl. Ko Mi-Nam is pretty funny and by the end of the show the other 2 members of the band feel attracted to him (her), with all the mess and them feeling attracted to a boy it makes for a funny show to see plus it's only 16 episodes :) 

# 6 Scent of a Woman / 여인의 향기 
I found this one because the Kim Sun A  (My name is Kim Sam Soon) is also the main character here and after watching the 1st episode I got hooked up because she finds out she has Cancer :( so she decides it's time for a change, quit her job and decides to travel and spend all ther savings in all those things she always wanted but couldn't afford because she was saving her money to buy her mom a house....  It broke my heart but it has a nice ending :) 


# 5 Personal Taste /  개인의 취향
Well...this one has Lee Min-Ho so what else can I say? haha 
Jin-ho Jeon (Le Min-Ho)  is a very stylish young man with the perfect looks, self-centered and obsession with cleanliness. Jin-ho Jeon then comes across Gae-in Park, a woman hurt by love (Her fiancé marries her Best friend) and is now looking for a gay roommate/friend. Jin-ho wanting to live in her house then pretends to be a gay male since he want's to gather more information about her house (made by her father -A famous architecht). 
I honestly only watched it at first because of him...I mean... he is cute isn't he? 


# 4 Secret Garden / 시크릿 가든

As you have noticed most of the times I watch a Drama because there's either someone I like (Aka Mr. Min-ho) or because there's someone I "know" (aka Kim Sam Soon's and Boys Over Flowers actores hehe), and this one is not the exception because the main character is Hyun Bin. 
Kim Joo-Won (Hyun Bin) is the typical Rich, smart and good looking guy, his family owns a luxurious Department store and is the cousing of the famous singer "Oska". Gil Ra-Im (A stunt woman) is taken by Kim Joo Won to Oska on his request (Actually he was supposed to take the main actress of a movie but took Gil Ra-Im by mistake), Gil Ra-Im and Oska get along pretty well and Kim Joo Won gets jealous (There's out love triangle!), this one is 20 episodes long but it's not boring at all, so if you like Hyun Bin I totally recommend this one. 



# 3 City Hunter / 시티헌터 
Again with Lee Min-Ho!, this is very different to Boys over flowers or Personal Taste, in here he is very manly and well trained to kill, his setpfather is looking revenge against five high ranking South Korean officials who 2o-something years ago killed all of this team mates while they were on an operation in North Korea. Lee Yoon-Sung (Lee Min-Ho) starts working at the Blue House for the National Communication Network Team, on top of looking for his stepfather's revenge he has to secretly take care of Kim Na-Na (on the request of Le Yoon Sung's personal cook and friend)...Oh!! and also he has to find is lost mother!!!! If you are into action this is the drama you are looking for! 




# 2 Boys Over Flowers / 꽃보다 남자

Who dosn't know this Drama???... seriously?, most people I know who's into Korea knows this Serie, 4 "pretty" rich and powerful boys who terrorize their school get trouble when they meet Geum Jan-Di (a girl from a poor family who is admited into the same school as the F4 (that's how they are called) after rescuing a guy who's being tormented by the F4, she is only admitted on a scholarship to shut the press, at first the F4 tries to take it on Jan-Di but she is not someone to mess with but then the 5 of them become friends and she acomplishes way more that she expected thanks to  Yun Ji-Hu (Hyeon-jung Kim) who's the "misterious" guy of the group. 

and... finally... # 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yup yup!! You guessed it... My name is Kim Sam Soon / 내 이름은 김삼순 

I just LOVE this one, I can watch it over and over again.
Kim Sam Soon is a 29 year old who just got her heart broken, after that she gained weight and on top of that she didn't go to college, dosn't own a car, a house and is still living with her mother, she then meets Hyun Jin-Hun (Hyun Bin) a pretty-rich-smart guy who owns a French restaurant and is looking for a Baker. Hyun Jin then remembers he had met Kim Sam Soon before... on the day she was dumped by her ex-boyfriend and start playing with her a little bit but that stops when his restaurant is getting ready to offer a wedding party hos Hyun's friend and turns out the Groom is Kim Sam Soon's ex-boyfriend.... I really like this one because 1st she bakes (and I love baking), 2nd she is super funny and 3rd Hyun Jin and Kim Sam Soon make a very cure couple...so if you haven't seen this one...well... what are you waiting for????? I know for sure I will re-watch it soon! as soon as I finish the other 3 I'm currently watching :$ (addict much?... well.. at least now I know 5 extra korean words!! lol) 



In case you are wondering... I'm watching Rooftop Prince, Fashion King and Feast of the Gods. 

Well....I hope you like my Top 7, if you have any recommendations please leave me a comment as I'm always looking for a good drama to watch :) 

-Gisela V. 


Saturday, May 5, 2012

K-Pop SarangDay in México

Ribbon cutting 
Just like I told you a couple of weeks ago, the Kpop SarangDay was celebrated in Mexico City on April 21st, sadly I was unable to assist but the organizers CoreaYMas and Korean Pop Mexico Company where nice enough to provide me with some info and pictures of the event. (Thank you guys!!!)

K-pop dance over
Corea Y Mas was the master mind of this event and turns out it is an international event, Mexico was in charge of the Opening and countries like Guatemala, Peru, Chile and Colombia will follow and it's expected another one in Mexico to give closure to this series of events.

Almost 300 Kpop lovers assisted the Kpop SarangDay event where CYM provided with gifts for some lucky guests, Dance groups covered Kpop songs like BigBang's and Girls Generation's.

T-Mark was also a part of this event with some of his famous Kpop covers, you can see the video of one of his covers here (http://coreaymas.com/2012/01/14/cover-de-2ne1-habla-del-racismo-hacia-los-fans-del-k-pop/) this cover is about how Kpop fans are seen in a weird way and the intolerance against them.




Kpop Fans dancing at the rythm of Mr. Simple 
The Korean association in Mexico was present in the event and everyone had the chance to take pictures with members of the association and the Organizers. There was also a sale of Korean products, a DJ to set the mod and get everyone to dance and the presence of some Press.

This kind of events are setting Korea on the Map in Mexico and hopefully soon we'll have Kpop groups comming to Mexico.

I also provided some more info regarding this event on the monthly segment with KBSeFM ~ DriveTime (which I will be posting the audio later)

   

We <3 Korea / DJ

So, stay tuned for more info about Kpop events in Mexico!

Also, if you are a BigBang fan please check this out.
VIPProyectos BigBang convocatory:

We would like to invite all of the international members to participate in an event to celebrate BigBang's TAEYANG birthday.
On a white paper you'll need to write your birthday wishes and add a picture.
Take a picture of your message and send it to VIPPROYECTOS2@hotmail.com with the subject "Cumple de TAE / TAE's birthday", a video with all the pictures will be made to celebrate!.

Thanks to CYM for the pictures!

-Gisela V.