If there is one official place that represents Korea in the Philippines, it must be the Korean Cultural Center! Been loving The Land of the Morning Calm since I was fifteen, so of course, going to Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines could excite me very much! I have attended a few film festivals organized by KCC Philippines, but it was just recently when I visited their building, their newest home that just opened to the public last March of this year. I first went there with my sister to watch the super calming Punghwa, Light of Asean exhibition. Then again with my Dada for the second time to read all afternoon at the KCC Library. Ne, majayo! Visit Korea-CC PH with my Taurus seoulmates for both times! 💖 My unnie asked me to come with her to KCC in Taguig because she wanted to see the trending Punghwa exhibition. And yay, we even glimpsed the ground floor, the center's permanent exhibit that expands people's understanding of Korean traditions, arts, and culture! Uh-huh, the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines has an interactive cultural exhibit on the ground level that proudly features the national costumes (Hanbok), food (Hansik), and language (Hangeul) of the exquisite Korea! Visitors can also experience the virtual hanbok fitting here aside from the informational but inspiring audio-visual presentation screenings of Korea's tourist destinations. And! Are even encouraged to try the digital hangeul experience where guests could write Hanguk-related words or names in Korean! Furthermore! Do not forget to bring home tangible souvenirs by capturing fun selcas and printing them for free for a more memorable KCC Philippines experience! Dada and I enjoyed the photo booth the most, to be honest. Especially that, compared to the previous one with my sister, our visit was not jampacked by folks, so we owned the floor. Mm-hmm, the 11/11 couple checked out the first level too. Neomu chohahae, eh! I personally like this interactive space that talks beyond Korean dramas and K-Pop, so I wanted him to see it too 💖 One floor up from the permanent cultural exhibit, visitors shall then sight the KCC PH Library. We signed up again (because guests' basic information are asked upon entering too) for attendance, just like the usual libraries we know, and we were allowed to go inside. Located in the mezzanine, the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines Library provides a wide collection of books, periodicals, CDs, DVDs, and other media resources about the Republic of Korea. Feel free to browse the lib materials, and at the same time, freely listen to Korean pop music, and even watch Koreanovelas here! KCC manages a unique library, huh? Grunika! The library also owns a VR. Just inform the friendly staff that you like to try virtual reality gaming and they would happily assist you. There is a children's corner as well. Yes, even kids are welcome to study juvenile literature and watch K-artoons here! My favorite parts of the KCC Library though, are the small-yet-solitary nooks which are built to avoid distractions and give focus on reading! Super love it here, I wish Dada and I stayed a little longer! Because we looked through two books, actually. One is about the general information of ROK. And the other, about Seoul. We were supposed to get another book, but it was closing time already. An afternoon is not enough, of course, if I want to learn more about Korea through books and magazines, so would surely come back here! 💖 Kamsahamnida to Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines and its associated companies, Ate and I were lucky to witness the very first kinetic media art exhibition in the Philippines: Punghwa, Light of Asean! Asia Culture Center, an international arts and cultural exchange organization that promotes Korea's significant contributions to other Asian countries, sponsored KCC Philippines to make its 10th anniversary a lot more special by launching a commemorative exhibition called Punghwa, Light of ASEAN. After the ground-level exhibit experience, Sissy and I staired up until the fifth floor of the KCC building and entered the function hall where we saw a room filled with flying lanterns dancing to relaxing music. Not sure if it was Korea's traditional songs, but it sounds nature-ish, so it was calming. The lighters were all over the place, literally and in a good way, camouflaging as twinkle stars in a dark sky. There were two man-made ponds where the lanterns reflect beautifully, giving off enchanting vibes in the exhibition more and more and more. And I tell you, the same thing I said to my Ate, I wanted to stay here and lie for a long while if I could, even when I felt like crying while watching the show. From the pitch black area to the blinking lighters, and then the yellow lanterns moving up and down, with chill instrumental mixes playing in the background? It just spoke to me. Such therapeutic feels, if you just know! Especially having known that the wishful lanterns symbolize shining lights in the blue sky, I too hope that, may all our hopes, dreams, and manifestations light up as our future. Made happen by the media artist group SILO Lab, KCC's Punghwa, Light of Asean sent hopeful and healing messages to people like me through this magnificent lighting artwork event. Indeed, Punghwa, Light of Asean exhibition is another level of art that conveyed how amazing and impactful Korean culture is. Thus, engraved in my core memory, an empowering way to encourage bravery in moving forward and enlightenment to express passion as one lives 💖
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Dada and I were, as usual, roaming around Bonifacio Global City on one happy weekday, and that was when we saw the famous Japan-brand MUJI in Central Square. This is the newest and second-largest MUJI Philippines branch in the country. And! It is one unique MUJI outlet because it also features its homegrown Café! Yes, a MUJI store full of a wide variety of made-in-JP quality items with a zen, minimalist cafe offering luscious Japanese treats! 💖 I do not talk Japanese, yet. But as claimed, MUJI in the Jap language translates as no-brand, quality goods. And so I find it wow-ing how its humble beginnings in the 1980s brought MUJI to where it is now. It is not just a no-brand Japanese store anymore. It is now a global brand from the Land of the Rising Sun with trademark rights for providing great goods with aesthetics from consumer homeware to fabrics, fashion, stationery, and more. How amazing is that? Truly amazing, right! :) Using Central Square's escalator, Dada and I were greeted by MUJI PH's comprehensive range of wardrobes, clothes that could be mixed and matched easily for everyday fit. MUJI has this clothing laboratory where the basic, comfortable, and timeless t-shirts, tops, sweaters, cardigans, windbreakers, jackets, pants, leggings, skirts, dresses, even sleepwear, loungewear, and underwear are created and produced. MUJI aims to steer away from excessive fashion and opts for natural-materials apparel for men, ladies, and children. And same for the bags, shoes, and accessories, MUJI intends them to be simple, but versatile in daily life. Household items from the bedroom to the living room, kitchen, even bathroom are available here. And I gotta emphasize that furniture, electronics, textiles, even cleaning materials, and the like are not just functional, but also nicely designed. Thinking of makeovering my room, moving out of the house even, because of these good stuff, to be honest! And as a notebook enthusiast, of course, I super love the stationery section of MUJI! These cute and colorful notepads, pens, refills, and writing materials are perfect for work, study, or just collection. There are makeup brushes and cosmetics too, which reminded me that I wanna learn the art of face beautification. And when I said that this is an all-in store, yup, body wash, hair maintenance, skincare products, and sanitary items are on hand as well! Indeed, MUJI, be it Japan or Phils, is a go-to place for useful-but-aesthetics merchandise :) The mawkuri, but Japan Wanderer and Ela Koreana had no intentions of going to MUJI - Central Square, although I heard the buzz on social media for days already. Really not into bandwagoning. But since we were already there and we had some time anyway, Dada and I window shopped the store, and we enjoyed it! Kilig pa nga! Because I, therefore, conclude that aside from grocery shopping and doing errands alike, checking out random shops (together, preferably! and not just the better half sitting on the bench) is a love language 💖 Aside from being a Japanese lifestyle brand, MUJI Philippines opened its first-ever cafe here in Central Square. Since the outlet moved to a bigger space, three to four times larger than the previous MUJI - BGC Branch, MUJI Coffee PH is added to the newly-opened shop's features. And! It actually serves as a thank you for the continuous support of the patrons for the past few years. Dada and I visited MUJI Coffee at a busy time of the day, so we waited for a bit to score our seats. Because in contrary to the main store, the coffee shop is kinda small, so only a few customers can dine in. Guess the management styled it that way to resemble the mini and cute cafes in the Land of the Rising Sun to share Japan vibes better. As for the interiors, it has wooden tables and chairs, but it looks more minimalistic than rustic. The wall plants and table flower pots send the coffee shop some pop of color and give off calming mood. Hanging out at the coffee bar, that long table near the counter, sends laid-back feels, especially while looking at the BGC-ityscape. MUJI Coffee may be a quaint cafe, but the same as the outlet, it maintains the aesthetics, the zen-ish, relaxing aesthetics. MUJI is a store filled with basics and essentials. And MUJI Coffee, as a cafe, offers the classics too. Hot and cold beverages are a given, but as expected, it specializes in brewing coffee. However, if you are not a sucker for coffee, why? Lol. Kidding aside! It also has tea drinks aside from cups of joe. Actually, MUJI's coffee beans and tea leaves are certified by the Rainforest Alliance, an international non-government organization fighting and protecting human rights, livelihood, forests, climate, and the like. Because uh-huh, MUJI has advocacy for environment conservation. Even its packaging and other merch are recyclable. Clean as you go is practiced here, not only to discipline guests and be courteous to the next diners, but as an environmental strategy for proper waste disposal as well. The Central Square branch also features a free water refilling station for those who own MUJI reusable tumblers to encourage sustainable living. The brand deserves two thumbs up, yup! 💖 The MUJI Coffee menu varies depending on the country. Some highlight Japanese-inspired cakes and set meals, but for MUJI Coffee PH, it is more on light snacks such as delectable bread, sweet cookies, and savory sandwiches. Dada and I wanted to try the pastries, tbh, because they look so good. However, we were still full. Next time, I swear! So instead! Dada had the bestseller Matcha Latte. Since this is a Jap cafe, of course, Matcha is a must! I sipped on it, and in fairness, it tasted irresistible. A coffee lover myself, I then ordered MUJI Coffee's Café Latte. I prefer my kōhii creamy and unbitter, that is why. Also, MUJI Coffee is known for its oat milk option, instead of the standard cow milk, so I liked to test if it was true. And it was. The cashier asked me about my milk preference when we ordered at the counter. Wanna order the Ichigo Cafe Mocha also known as Strawberry Coffee next time. I was not feeling playful when we visited, so to have no regrets, I tried the classic. But next time! Hopefully, next time! Would definitely visit this store again sometime in the future :) MUJI has always been popular, but this is really a new shopper encounter for Dada and me. Buying high-quality products or just window shopping, MUJI - Central Store invites guests to slow down, take a break, and appreciate the things around. The whole area is like a zen center, a relaxing haven, because of its cozy ambiance. Staying in a calming cafe, sitting pretty on real MUJI furniture with vibes as exact as the MUJI brand aesthetics in mind, enjoying freshly-brewed coffee and yummy Japanese treats, aAaHhHhhhh, it must be nice! Because it is! Visiting MUJI Philippines - Central Square branch is a real, real, real nice experience! 💖 |
THE BLOG-GIRLE L A M A N I L A Ela Mones, a Filipina girl,
is a passionate lifestyle blogger who loves to express her unforgettable life experiences and best moments through words, photos, and videos 💖
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