Korea, Sparkling: Chapter 1 - Jeju

The Reliance Travel's Korea tour package that we've signed up covers several major locations in South Korea such as Jeju, Chuncheon, Icheon, Yongin and Seoul. I google for information of these major attractions recently to learn more about them before the trip next month. Herein is my research results.

CHAPTER 1: JEJU has a mild oceanic climate throughout the year with the smallest annual temperature range in the country. The hottest summer months averages no more than 34.7℃and no less than -1.5℃ for winter. It is the largest island in South Korea, which came into existence approximately 700 to 1,200 thousand years ago from a sub-sea volcano surfaced above the waters. Another volcanic eruption approximately 100 to 300 thousand years ago formed the Mt. Halla and it rises in the center of Jeju to 1,950m above sea level. The final volcanic eruption that happened approximately 25 thousand years ago created the crater lake, namely Baekrok-dam, at the summit of the Mt. Halla.

The island's nature is well preserved in its prehistoric state and one must visit Jeju to fully appreciate its scenic beauty and mystical myths surrounding the island. It is believed that 3 demi-gods emerged from Samsung-hyeol that is said to have been on the Northen slopes of Mt. Halla and subsequently became the progenitors of the Jeju people who founded the Kingdom of Tamna.

Seongsan Ilchulbong (Up); Yongdu-am (Down)

This beautiful island is one of the most visited honeymoon destinations, not just among the Koreans but honeymooners around the world. There are much to see and to do at Jeju. The Seongsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak) and Yongdu-am (Dragon Head Rock) are some of the hot spots with scenic panoramic view for one to appreciate the beauty of mother nature. One can also explore the Mysterious Road (Dokkaebi Road) where cars roll uphill with the engine turned off.

Teddy Bear Museum (Up); Chocolate Museum (Down)

Alternatively, there are interesting museums that are fun and educational to visit such as the world renowned Teddy Bear Museum, tea museum and even chocoloate museum. Also don't forget to visit the Korea's National Folk Asset #188 i.e. Seongeup Folk Village at Seongeup and theme park such as the Jeju Miniature theme park.

Seongeup Volk Village
Miniature Theme Park

0

In short, Jeju is definitely a "must-go" should you ever consider visiting South Korea one day. Well...at least I know I will o( ^ - ^ )o

Official Video: Sony DSC-HX1

Click here for the Sony DSC-HX1 official video. Great advertisement!!

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009

Is it safe to travel now? What are the precautionary actions should I take? I guess these are some of the frequently asked questions, especially with the outbreak of Influenza A virus (H1N1).

According to Wikipedia, this virus is a subtype of influenza virus A and the most common cause of flu in humans. Some strains of H1N1 are endemic in humans and cause a small fraction of all influenza-like illness and a large fraction of all seasonal influenza. So, is it safe to travel? Accordingly to WHO, YES! It is safe to travel as WHO is not recommending travel restrictions related to the outbreak of the Influenza A virus.

As of July 31th 2009, 168 countries and overseas territories/communities have reported at least one laboratory confirmed case of pandemic (H1N1) 2009. Of the total 162,380 confirmed cases, approximately 10,000 cases occurred in South-East Asia with a death rate of 5% (65 deaths of total 1,154) (Source: Extracted from WHO Update #60 on Pandemic (H1N1) 2009). In other words, all continents are basically affected by the pandemic.

WHO Update #60 also further indicated that the global response now focuses on minimizing the impact of the virus through the rapid identification of cases, and providing patients with appropriate medical care, rather than on stopping its spread internationally.

The basic rule of thumb:
1. Avoid travelling if you are ill.
2. Contact your health care provider immediately if you become ill upon return from travel.
3. Follow simple preventionary practices while travelling or in daily life such as personal hygiene.

For more information on the WHO travel guide, click here.

PIKOM PC Fair 2009 in Melaka

Yes, PIKOM PC Fair is finally back in town again! And, I'm definitely going there with Choo this round to check out the Sony DSC-HX1 package. Keeping my fingers crossed and looking forward to getting a better deal there (hopefully). Choo and I went to the Sony outlet in Mahkota Parade 1 month ago but decided to wait for the PC Fair, which is just around the corner, to do some comparisons. We all love better offers, don't we?

For those of you who are interested to join the crowd, don't forget to make a trip down to Mahkota Parade Melaka between August 7th-9th, 2009 (11:00am - 9:00pm daily)! You might get lucky and find yourself a good deal there. You'll never know =)

For further information on PIKOM PC Fair 2009 at other locations, click here.

Ivory Romance (Part III)

I gave Ivory Romance a call last week. After much deliberation, Choo and I decided not to go for the photo shoot at Ivory Romance. Why? Well, I listed some of my personal thoughts...

1. Rigid: Not allowed to swap or change the content of the package while most of the bridal shops do. For example, there's no need for us to have the art magazine album and hence I thought of exchanging it with additional poses or other items. However, the salesperson commented that customers sign up for the expertise of their photographers, MUAs and designers. Even if I don't want the album, I'll get nothing and won't be able to exchange it for other things.


2. "Free" hair-do: According to the salesperson, the "hair-do" stated on the leaflet was referring to having me wearing a wig instead of really doing my hair with different hair styles. If I choose to have the MUA styling my own hair, I need to pay extra $$ for it. This is rather confusing by reading the leaflet.


3. Special guest features (FOC): When I signed up for this package, the salesperson Yin specifically told me that I can have my husband (or boyfriend back in 2007) as my special guests during the photo shoot for FOC. This was clearly written on the invoice. However, another salesperson now emphasised that there was a miscommunication back then as the special guest can only take photos for 10 poses only. If Choo were to participate in the photo shoot, we have to pay extra RM100 for it. This is absurb!!


4. Soft copies: No soft copies will be given. Additional RM50 is required to receive the soft copies of 22 poses chosen at 4R size. Please be advised that this is before touch up. Well, as you might have guessed by now, more costs involved to own all soft copies after touch up at higher resolution (or dpi).


5. Customer service: I made a request to the salesperson to arrange for us to view and select the photos on the very next day after the photo shoot as we would prefer reducing the number of trips to KL if possible. However, the salesperson told me that it all depends on the photographer and she cannot commit (though she'll try). Well, to me, this is not exactly the best customer service as the date that I've chosen was during the "off peak" period offered by her. Further more, most bridal shops that I know of are flexible about this and more than willing to accommodate outstation customers such as the Dawn's in JB. So, another minus point for it!

Well, I can go on and on and on but it was never my intention to condemn or criticise this bridal shop. I just wanted to express my standpoint and the bottom line is - be a smart consumer! Make sure you clearly understand the package before you sign up and have everything documented as detailed as possible on the invoice. Other wise, you may want to consider walking away from the deal. We have chosen the latter.

Basically, you would want to enjoy yourself during the photo shoot and not ended up walking out of the bridal shop with anger and dismay, wouldn't you?

Wa Zen - Japanese Restaurant in Melaka

Today marks the 5th anniversary for Choo and I. We had a nice and cozy dinner at one of our favourite Japanese Restaurants in Melaka Raya - Wa Zen. Nothing fancy. Just to spend some quality time together. Wa Zen offers a wide variety of food, ranging from bento to ala carte such as Tempura and Sushi. The food was good. The ambiance was good. And, the prices are reasonable as it costs less than RM100 for 2 pax with the amount of orders Choo had placed. Overall, it was a wonderful dinner. Click here for reservation.

Jie Jie's ROM @ June 14th

June 14th was a BIG day for my jie jie and jie fu! They had their solemnisation ceremony at Heng Ann Association Melaka with the presence of both Yap Family and Goh Family. The same place where Choo and I had our solemnisation ceremony.

My jie jie got up really early that Sunday morning for the make-up while we were still asleep. A big thanks goes to my papa as he was the chauffer who drove my jie jie to In Creative Bridal in Melaka Raya. I suppposed to accompany my jie jie but I overslept!!! [Note: Sorry, jie! It won't happen again. I promise =P] Any way, things went well and both of them are now legally husband and wife! The actual day ceremony and wedding banquet will only be held in another 3 months i.e. on Mid-Autumn Festival (八月初十五).

Jie Fu and Jie Jie

We're SOOO happy for both of them! Wishing both of them a blessed and blissful marriage life that filled with love and joy =)

An Effort for a Good Cause!

The NSRCM supported a blood donation drive yesterday. The event took place at my Company's sports complex. The medical officers from the Melaka General Hospital arrived shortly after 9 am to set things up. All the NSRCM members also take turns to be at the sports complex to help out.

[Right] The medical staff from the Melaka General Hospital diligently performed their tasks with due care. [Left] Employees registered themselves for the campaign since early morning.

As my duty is only scheduled at lunch hour, I was doing my work at my workstation as usual and out of a sudden, Sharon and Eileen showed up at my workstation with boxes of Brand's chicken essence. Of course those boxes of chicken essence are not for me but for those blood donors *LoL*

They needed a place to temporarily store those boxes and my area is conveniently the nearest to the sports complex. Once things had been set up at the sports complex, we handed over those boxes of chicken essence to the medical officers for distribution to the blood donors together with other food supplies such as apple and bread.

We received an overwhelming response from the employees. Even the MD himself also participated in this campaign. In fact, the sports complex was getting a little bit crowded. It was a heartfelt event and everybody should take pride in the success of this blood donation campaign!

National Idol 2009

I have never organized any singing competition before until recently. I was one of the two organizing committee members for the plant wide karaoke singing competition. Yes, this program is also part of the NSRCM annual activities. Kak Rosnah and I had been planning and preparing for this event since few months back.

All the contestants happily took a group photo before the competition began. "Say Cheese, everybody!"

We reached the plant on Saturday early morning. All the contestants registered themselves by 9 am. The program was officially kicked off by the MD shortly after 9 am and as a bonus (also requested by the crowd), he actually sang a song from everyone's all-time favourite female vocalist Theresa Tang.

Group Photo with the MD and panel judges from Alin Production. It was a pity that some committee members already left before the photo session.

With the help of other NSRCM committee members, the event was on schedule and we managed to crown our "National Idol" by noon. Of course there were some minor unexpected incidents along the way but things worked out smoothly at the end. Everyone had a blast that day! And so did I! All the hard work really paid off! A big thanks goes out to those teammates that helped us along the way. This can never be a successful event without all your efforts! Cheers to all that helped!

Tips on Choosing Honeymoon Destination

I was browsing through some of the forum topics in Malaysia Brides lately and observed that honeymoon destination is definitely one of the "hot" topics that most brides-to-be or newly weds are interested in.

Of course there are many sources of information e.g. top 10 asia honeymoon destinations or top 10 most beautiful islands for honeymooners, but I personally find that there are 3 questions that honeymooners should ask themselves before jumping into any conclusions.

1. $$$: [Note: Well, if "Vitamin M" is never one of your concerns, you may just skip to the next consideration!] Based on the feedback thus far, most honeymooners are concerned about their budget. After the huge spending by throwing a grand wedding banquet, signing up expensive bridal studio photo sessions and so on, it's wise to step back and take out your calculator to perform a quick up-to-date budget. It doesn't take a genius to do the computation but simply summing up the total spending to-date (or a rough estimate) and comparing it against the initial budget. If you're running at negative balance and do not have extra allocation for a grand 13D10N Europe tour or 7D6N Korea autumn/winter tour, you may consider signing up for budgeted tour packages offer by some local travel agents or even airlines. Air Asia Go Holiday, for instances, offers good 3D2N packages to various hot spots for honeymooners such as Bali, Krabi, Phuket and even Taipei!
   
2. Timing: Once you have chosen your honeymoon destination based on the revised budget, the next question would probably be "when should we go" or "when's the best timing to go". Fear not! Most websites such as Tripadvisor or Government Tourism Official Websites provide various informative and accurate travel information or tips, including different events/activities at different time of the year. So, just simply google for those travel web links and you should be able to gather more information before making any decision.
   
3. F&E or Travel Agency: Once you have set your destination and timing, the next thing you may want to consider is the honeymoon arrangement i.e. "free and easy" or tour packages. Of course this usually involves personal preference as some honeymooners enjoy planning their own trips while others would have a concern over the language barriers, lodging, and so on. Click here for an example of planned honeymoon trip to South Korea via "Trip Planner by Yahoo! Travel". Well, you'll never know if you ended up planning your own special honeymoon for your loved one. The web links to some of the Malaysia tour agents are also available in my blog. Feel free to browse through them for further information.

Well, the above are just some general points for your consideration. No matter what decision you'll make or have already made, hope that you'll enjoy your honeymoon with your loved one and have an unforgettable time of your life!

Dr Chin-Hwee Goh, MD

Today marks a new page in the proud history of Goh Family!

My brother's dean announced that he had passed his final test and is now officially a medical doctor. After 5 years of dedication and determination, he has sown what he had once ripe and makes a big leap on the path to success.

We have every faith in him that he will serve our community whole-heartedly. His undivided passion in this field is definitely taking him far. Our community needs more young doctors like him whom takes pride in his sacred duty and is passionate in saving more lives. Of course there are challenges lying ahead of him but he always has his own way to overcome those roadblocks.

My brother and his girlfriend, Suet Enn. Both of them will be graduating together in Oct/Nov this year! Congratulations to them both.

Words can hardly express my happiness at the moment. I couldn't be more proud of my brother o( ^ - ^ )o

You go, Bro! And, don't forget about your sister when you're driving your new BM one day k?

Ivory Romance (Part II)

Well, this is already the second week since I first contacted Ivory Romance.

I still remember clearly that the lady who answered the phone told me that their salesperson will contact me once they locate my invoice. I never hear from them at all since then. At first I was telling myself to give them some time as I signed up for the package back in late 2007. But then, how long does it take to find an invoice? For a "renowned" bridal shop like Ivory Romance, there ought to be some sort of internal control procedures for recordkeeping, right?!!

I should have gotten the lady's name but I didn't. Frankly, I was not expecting such a "quality" customer service from Ivory Romance despite the negative comments I'd read thus far. Should I give them a call? A second chance for them perhaps? Or should I not take the risk of making myself upset and just forfeit the deposit I had paid?

To call or not to call...that's the question I'm asking myself at present.

Futsal

My Company, well, the recreational club to be precise, held a futsal competition 2 weeks back. I thought I couldn't make it but my UK trip was postponed last minute due to the H1N1 A Flu pandemic.

The NSRCM committee members

Any way, we gathered at the Company's car park on Sunday early morning i.e. 7 am and headed towards the futsal hall at Cheng at about 7:30 am. We began to set up the registration table and get ourselves prepared asap before the participants' arrival. Everything went on smoothly. Most of the teams registered themselves by 8 am and the competition began at 8:30 am as scheduled. There were quite a number of teams participated in this competition. Each team has its own unique and "glamourous" name e.g. from Remp-it to Flying Kiki.

Though I don't know much about futsal, it was quite a fun morning watching the games. I even noticed that some players brought their family along and everyone cheered for their teams throughout the games. They seemed to enjoy themselves that morning. Overall, it was a successful event!

Sony Cyber Shot DSC-HX1

There are various prosumer cameras available in the market at present. Of the brands available, the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX1 caught my intention immediately. This model was officially introduced in the recent 2009 Photo Marketing Association (PMA) International Convention and Trade Show.

This is Sony's first digital still camera to feature sweep panorama technology and also the first Cyber-Shot camera to use the exclusive high-speed 9 Mp ExmorTM CMOS sensor technology. It also features the "Optical Steady Shot" image stabilization, a 3" LCD, ISO range up to 3,200, a wide array of scene modes and face detection options. And, the entire package weighs approximately 1.2 kg.

Two of my personal favourite features are the handheld twilight and anti-motion blurr, which reduce noise significantly. One of the websites that I visited stated that as HX1 uses the high speed shutter ExmorTM CMOS sensor technology and hence it's able to take 6 shots within a fraction of a second. Combined with the power of the BIONZ imaging processor, it immediately superimposes them into one picture. It then calculates the position of objects in each frame and composes the sharpest picture possible, resulting in clearer and sharper images.

HX1 is now officially available in the market and currently priced at RM1,699 (suggested retail price). Please check out the following websites for more detailed information on HX1. Well, needless to say, I'm getting myself a HX1 in months to come and hopefully be able to achieve the effect that I've been looking for. Can hardly wait for my first trial! Stay tuned...

http://www.sony.com.my/product/dsc-hx1
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0903/09030307sonydschx1.asp

Point-And-Shoot Camera vs. Prosumer Camera

I'm neither a professional photographer nor one with in-depth knowledge about photography. Instead, I'm just an average amateur who has great interest in photography...well, at least for the past 1-2 years.

As compared to friends around me, I'm still using the point-and-shoot camera instead of a DSLR. I've tried different brands of point-of-shoot e.g. Ben Q, Olympus, Kodak and so on. Though I'm quite happy with my Sony Cyber-Shot point-and-shoot, yet I felt that something is missing and it sometimes can't seem to fulfill my needs and deliver the effects that I'm looking for.

Initially I'm thinking of getting myself a DSLR but then a friend of mine in Hong Kong posted several queries to me recently and I soon realized that I'm definitely not ready for a DSLR. It takes greater effort in managing a DSLR, including knowledge, time and patience. And not forgetting to factor in the body weight and size of a DSLR too. For a traveler cum shoppaholic like me, I doubt that I can take care of a DSLR while shopping or bargaining for goodies that I like. It's too distractive and "space" consuming as there's definitely no way for me to keep a DSLR at the back of my jeans!

A prosumer camera, on the other hand, is the type of camera that I should be looking at. The prosumer camera market is intended to serve a specific targeted group of people, which is on the fence of being a common user and professional photographer. This type of camera is easy to operate due to various features with high quality effects and usually priced for common user or interested hobbyist like me.

Guess that I should start scouting around for a prosumer camera. Let the quest begins!

Air Asia Go Holiday Package

Sie Wee was back from KL for the weekend and spotted a good promo on Air Asia. It's the 3D2N package inclusive of air ticket and accommodation (of our own choice) to a wide range of destinations. Of all the destinations, Chiang Mai crossed our mind and we tried searching for a good package.

Note: For more information regarding the "Air Asia Go Holiday" packages, click here.

To our great surprise, we managed to book a short trip to Chiang Mai with a 2-night stay at Holiday Inn Chiang Mai (previously as the Sheraton) for four people at a cost less than RM1, 500. Since Choo subsequently decided to join my family and me for this short retreat in the Rose of Northern Thailand, we had to book a single return ticket at RM195 plus extra bed at approximately RM90 per night (yet to include daily breakfast). Though it costs us more with this additional single booking, it's still a fairly reasonable package altogether.

We will be departing at the end of October. I read through a couple of web sites and apparently, October is still within the rainy season but yet one of the best timing to visit this mysterious place with ancient temples, interesting hill tribes, adventurous elephant rides, delicious Thai food and not forgetting the ultimate satisfaction that any shopper will get from bargaining for the things that they want at the local bazaar or market.

Though the trip is still 5 months away, I should probably start planning for the 3-day ground tour. As a non-professional backpacker (never fond of being one either), it's kind of stressful but Fun! I now officially carry a heavy responsibility in making sure everyone will have a good time there, especially my parents as this is an early birthday gift for both of them from us. Any way, I'm still contemplating between getting a local tour or be more adventurous to charter a van and plan our own itinerary for the 3-day trip.

Any good advice from experienced backpackers who had been in Chiang Mai is most welcome!

Ivory Romance (Part I)

I was cleaning my stuff the other day and accidentally found a personal package with Ivory Romance (IR) at Jalan Loke Yew, which I signed up in September 2006. To my great surprise, it's still valid for another 6 months. Goodness! I've totally forgotten about this package...till now.

I was in KL for training with my colleague (during my employment with EY) and we stayed at the Boulevard Hotel back then. With the strategic location (hotel next to a mega mall), it's hard to resist the shopping spree temptation for a shoppaholic like me. *LoL* So happened that IR was having a wedding exhibition at Mid Valley and hence both of us decided to just "have a look".

And guess what? The salesperson managed to get both of us signed up for their packages! My colleague got herself a wedding package. It was quite some time ago and hence I don't really remember her package deal. As for me, it's a "glamourous" type of personal package. The original package was RM850 but the promo package costs only RM550. It includes the following items –
1. 3 gowns
2. 3 hair-dos
3. Studio Make-up
4. 12 pcs of 4R photos for 2 poses (not sure if it comes with cold texture)
5. 20 pcs of 5R photos (with cold texture)
6. 2 pcs of 10R photos (with cold texture)
7. Art Magazine Album
(+)
8. Boyfriend/hubby can be the guest during the photo shoot (FOC)
9. 4 types of theme: Portrait, Slide, Penthouse and Rococo

Note: The Rococo theme is one of the reason for me to sign up the package. Beautiful garden with gorgeous red roses...it's just too good to resist!

BUT...yes, BUT...I have to pay extra for the ampoules, eye lashes, set hair and colouring. Not sure if I'll be given with the electronic copy for all the photos that I choose FOC or it includes other hidden costs. This is definitely a million dollar question.

I've read so many unfavourable comments about IR and it somehow makes me think twice of going there for the shoot. But, after much deliberation with Choo, we decided to just go there and have fun. After all, it costs us only another RM450 (hopefully, ha!).

Just in case any of the brides-to-be or girls interested in signing up a package with IR, please check out the following links. I personally find those comments honest and informative. So, best of luck to you girls...and to me too!

http://www.malaysiabrides.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=4151&st=0
http://wcheryl.blogspot.com/2009/03/glamour-shots-at-ivory-romance.html
http://www.eddyhan.com/?p=134&cpage=1

p.s. I shall give a fair comment on the IR service after the shoot!

母亲节快乐！

明天是向全天下母亲们致敬的日子。虽说这是一年一度的节日，但是身为子女的我却认为天天都应该是母亲节。

在此，我想向我最棒的妈咪说声“母亲节快乐”！

愿她天天快乐，永保安康，幸福美满。

p.s. 您一定要勤力做运动，为我们明年的北京西安之旅努力哦！

Korea Honeymoon

Unlike other newly weds, we did not go for our honeymoon immediately after our wedding ceremony since early February this year. I personally wouldn't prefer rushing into it as Choo is pretty busy with his business at the moment as well. Choo and I, however, had recently began considering many honeymoon destinations and finally decided to spend some memorable quality time in Korea.

As I'm not one of those enthusiastic backpackers, Choo is sweet enough to book our honeymoon package with one of the renowned local travel agencies - Reliance Travel. The date has been set and we'll be in Korea this coming September. With the current hectic workloads, I'm definitely looking forward to having a good time in Korea, specifically in Jeju Island.

I've always wanted to go to Jeju Island (or known as Cheju Island) ever since I watched the Korean drama series – Princess Hours Goong 宫. Any Korean drama series lovers would have probably guessed why by now. Yes! It's because of the Korea Teddy Bear Museum! This is the place where you'll simply be amazed with the different themes of assorted bears. Most importantly – I'm searching for the bears that featured in the drama series and hopefully bringing one (or two) back for my own collection as a birthday gift? That's my quest in Jeju Island. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that Choo is reading this. *LoL*

For those who are interested to find out more about the Korea tour packages, do check out the following local travel agencies for the latest promotions and offers -

1. Reliance Travel: Korea Tour Packages

2. Apple Holiday