Korean Cultural Club Special Activity of the Year (cum 11th Activity)--Korea Festival 2014@ Marina Bay Sands

So yeah, after saying quite a bit about Korea Festival 2014, me (Tian Tian) and Iswarya decided to explore the festival for a bit.

We went to Marina Bay Sands (MBS) Convention Hall C rather early (say 11am?) on the first day (21 November 2014) and it was quite happening for a Friday morning. The first thing that caught my eye was the ready-to-go hair makeover done by Korean hairstylists from Du Sol Beauty Hair Salon. So I had a go at it for $5 and got some Kpop curls done by Senior Korean Hair Stylist Erica.

Quite interesting isn't it? And the effect came out quite well and I thought perhaps my hair would have looked like that of Eunji of Apink.

Then...growl...our stomachs started growling so Iswarya and I thought that we should try out some of the Korean dishes by Todai Singapore. Iswarya had Ddukbokki (Rice cakes) while I had a Bibimbap (Korean Mixed Rice). The dishes came out visually and physically tasty. And as usual I loved the sunny side up they used to have for bibimbaps.

You could find us posing in the photos above and the food booth is actually shaped like a typical snack truck in Korea! (Hmmm...reminds me of the days when I bought piping hot ddukbokki in winter from a snack truck in Myeongdong.)

And then, we visited innisfree booth. Cosmetic culture is really booming in Korea and once again this reminds me of the streets of Korean Cosmetic brands along Myeongdong, Ewha, Hongdae and so on... 

Here's I Love Kpop Merchandise, and there are lots of CDs and merchandises available, including those with exclusive fansigns. 

Ta-da! Here's the running man booth. Pretty nicely set-up and pretty much looks like the real thing.

Thereafter, a visit to Etude House booth is a MUST. It's all girls heaven and the iconic cosmetic brand in Korea. We were really lucky that day and we were offered a Spin&Win and a Makeover Session. But oof course, I ended up buying lipstick in the end.

That was about all for Day 1 Convention of Korea Festival 2014. It's complete and reflects very much of the Korean Culture. It's not always about Kpop and drama but variety shows like Running Man, the Korean snack truck culture, their cosmetic and hair styling culture are part and parcel of the K-WAVE too.

KStar Fan Fest Tickets Now Available via Sistic

To all fans of Girls Day and B1A4, the tickets for KStar Fan Fest are now available via Sistic! Do make your online bookings or buy your tickets at any Sistic outlets now!

SJI KCC Featured on iGlobal Star

This was such a pleasant surprise! We were featured on SKarf's Ferlyn's management company facebook page! :) Indeed, we were really lucky to be able to meet such a friendly and kind kpop star! We wish Ferlyn all the best in her solo album this December and her future career as leader of the second girl group from Alpha Entertainment. :)

KStar Fan Fest: "Seoul Happening" Documentary

In line with KStar Fan Fest 2014, the Six-Part Documentary, "Seoul Happening" has been release. Hosted by Dee Kosh and Rachel Wong, the documentary features various different aspects of the Korean culture, ranging from the Kpop culture (Not forgetting an interview with the guest stars Girls Day who will be coming down to the Fan Fest!!!) to the Korean food culture. Stay tuned as we update you on the coming episode of Seoul Happening!

KStar FanFest Ticket Promotion Extended to 10th November!!!

Another good news from Kpop lovers: KSTAR Fan Fest ticket promotion is extended till 10th November. Catch Girl's day and B1A4 live in Singapore. 21-22 November. Hurry and grab your tickets now! 

Girl's Day and B1A4 confirmed to headline KStar Fan Fest 2014

Good news to all the Kpop Fans: It is confirmed that popular girl group Girl's Day and boy group B1A4 will be stunning Kpop fans with their acts in the upcoming KStar Fan Fest 2014.

The inaugural KStar Fan Fest will be Singapore’s biggest K‐pop fan celebration and the grand finale of the two-­month long Korea Festival. Organised by Asia’s leading M.I.C.E company Sphere Exhibits and the Embassy of Korea, the inaugural KStar Fanfest will be Singapore’s biggest K-pop
fan celebration and the grand finale of the two-month long Korea Festival. Headlined by the
hottest of Korea’s new wave of pop powerhouses, the two-day spectacular is slated to take
place on 21 and 22 November 2014 at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Hall. This will be the first
time K-Pop stars are being brought together with celebrity fans from Singapore’s social
media scene, including Deekosh, Rachel Wong, Evelyn Quek, and Sylvia Tham to share and
spread the Hallyu excitement.

The two-day long event will include a mini concert by Girl's Day on 21 November 2014 and another by B1A4 on 22 November. Ticketing will start on 18 October 2014.

Here are the Fan Highlights:   

              

Soundcheck Party                          

Held within Marina Bay Sands Convention Hall C on Thursday 20 November (Girl’s Day)   and Friday 21 November (B1A4), fans can watch the proceedings as their idols do their    soundchecks. Open to VIP and Premium ticket holders only.   

              

Hi-five Session
Right after the music performances, VIP ticket holders will be invited to come up onstage
and give their idols a friendly hi-five, giving them the chance to touch them for a precious
moment.

VVIP Backstage Passes
VIP ticket holders stand a chance to win exclusive VVIP backstage passes via fan contests
and meet their idols face-to-face. VVIP passes are invitation-only and are not open for sale.

Ticket Upgrades
Every week, two lucky Premium and Superior ticket holders stand a chance to get bumped
up to the next-highest category via contests on official social media channels, Facebook,
Instagram and Twitter.

Exclusive Premiums
VIP and Premium ticket holders will enjoy exclusive band merchandise bundled with their
ticket.

Artiste Q&A
Fans can submit their questions on Facebook to Girl’s Day and B1A4 separately. The three
questions which gather the highest number of likes for each band respectively will be
answered at the event. These lucky fans will each receive exclusive Girl’s Day merchandise
on stage.

Weekly Giveaways
Weekly contests are held until the event on Facebook and winners stand to receive
exclusive Girl’s Day and B1A4 merchandise.

Kstar Fanfest Lucky Draws
Ticket holders from all categories are automatically entered into a lucky draw to win Kstar
merchandise and a trip for two to Korea including a pair of return air tickets and backstage
passes to Music Studios in Korea. Draws will be conducted during both music events on 21
and 22 November.
Korea Festival Lucky DrawOpen to the general public. Simply subscribe to our newsletter on www.kstarfanfest.com
and like/follow all our social media platforms and stand to win the latest Samsung Galaxy
gadgets and more from the participating brands.

Event Lineup:
Friday 21 November
10.00am: Doors open
10.30am: Day Convention & Event Activities
5.00pm: Concert Entry
6.30pm: Official Opening Ceremony
7.00pm: Girl’s Day “Everyday” Mini Concert
10.30pm: K-pop Afterparty (For all VIP and Premium Ticket holders)
12.00am: End

Saturday 22 November
10.00am: Doors open
10.30am: Day Convention & Event Activities
5.00pm: Concert Entry
7.00pm: B1A4 “Road Trip” Mini Concert
9.00pm: End

Ticketing Information for Each Day:
Categories
VIP PASS: S$238
(includes exclusive invites to the Soundcheck Party, Hi-five Session, K-pop Afterparty and
exclusive merchandise)
PREMIUM PASS: S$198
(includes an exclusive invite to the Soundcheck Party, K-pop Afterparty and exclusive
merchandise)
SUPERIOR PASS: S$168
---
2-DAY PREMIUM PASS: $298 (Limited)
(includes an exclusive invite to the Soundcheck Party and exclusive merchandise)
2-DAY SUPERIOR PASS: $258 (Limited)
Public Launch Date
Ticket sale begins on 18 Oct – 22 Nov 2014
Promotions
Early Bird Promotions run from 18 Oct to 2 Nov 2014 - 5% Discount on all categories
except VIP and 2-Day Passes (Discount Code: KSTARFF)2-Day Pass Package Promotion runs from 18 Oct to 2 Nov 2014.

Ticketing Channels
1. Book tickets conveniently through the official website: www.kstarfanfest.com
2. Visit any of the authorised agents  and event partners located in Singapore to purchase
your tickets from 27 Oct 2014 onwards.(Todai Singapore, Lapalette Tampines Mall/Vivocity/ION Orchard/Suntec City Mall) While stocks last. Payment by cash, NETS and all
major credit cards.

Korean Cultural Club 10th Activity—Making a Gujeolpan

We had done some eating the previous round, so it's time to do some cooking instead. Since we wanted to do something colourful, we attempted Gujeolpan, which was...hmmm...

Since we can't find the Korean Mustard sauce and the skin of Gujeolpan were seemingly difficult, we decided to make an 'imitation' Gujeolpan, with no mustard and to have dumpling skin in place of the initial rice flour skin.

Cooking/Stir-frying of the vegetables and meat were okay, but it was unexpectedly not easy to cut the vegetables into nice, tidy strips. It ended up being quite messy. We used cucumber, carrot, yellow bell pepper, egg yolks and whites, pork slices and crab meat stick to create the effect of the different colours coming together.

As we proceed on to the skin of Gujeolpan, we realised that it was simply unpractical to pan-fry/make do with the dumpling skin we have. So okay, we just cut the dumpling skin into circles and place them on the vegetables and meat.

I think we have a >50% similarity level as compared to the real one in terms of appearance. Taste wise, I am not too sure about that... :)

However, it was still much fun trying to figure out how to make Gujeolpan even though it may not taste like it! :)

Korean Cultural Club 9th Activity—Food Tasting @ Woo Lee Jeeb Dae Bak Korean Restaurant (Nex Food Junction)

After July, most of us had more free time at hand. So we decided to try out the Korean food at Woo Lee Jeeb Dae Bak Korean Restaurant located within Nex Food Junction.

Since we were all hungry, we quickly settled our orders:

Ginseng Chicken aka Samyetang

Ttebokki aka Spicy Korean Rice Cakes

Hotstone Bibimbap

Kimchi Jigae aka Kimchi Stew

BBQ Pork Set

Before our orders arrived, the free flow Kimchi and Cucumber was definitely something we are interested in. However as much as it was really tasty and flavourful, which made most of us regret not being able to take spiciness well. The Kimchi and Cucumber were really hot! 

The dishes came soon after and our favourite was Samyetang--because it is not spicy :) Other dishes were delectable and delicious as well, but the one thing that was carved into our minds about Woo Lee Jeeb Dae Bak's food was the really flavourful, rich, but really really really spicy Kimchi.

Overall it was a very good experience for all of us :)

Korean Cultural Club 8th Activity—Interview with Scoot Kpop Starhunt Singapore Finalist Evon Chua

This time, our KCC managed to interview our Scoot Kpop Starhunt Singapore Finalist Evon Chua! :) The hour-long interview at U-Town was surely a fruitful one and all of us totally get to feel Evon's friendliness. Evon was just like an old friend of ours and we spoke really freely for most things :)

Here are some of the things that we asked about her in the interview:

1.  How do you think Korean culture has influenced Singapore culture?

It brings people together, just like how we are brought together now. (Laughs)

2. What aspect of Korean culture are you most interested in?
Food, especially Koreans noodles. Cos they are really nice to eat. Hmmm, let me see...naengmyeon, jajangmyeon. (Burst into laughter)

3. Why did you want to be a Kpop Star?
I didn’t think of being a Kpop Star actually. I had thought of becoming a singer, and it apparently came along that I have this opportunity to be a Kpop Star. I wanted to be a Mandarin singer and joined Mandarin singing competitions initially. Life brought me into K-Pop and it was good.

4. Out of the whole KPop Star Hunt experience, which one would you say is the most valuable?
Making friends from different countries who loves singing and friends who share the same passion with us.

5. Would you recommend this experience to others?
Yes, definitely. Go ahead and try it out. It's going to be another experience for yourself.

6. Were there times when you doubted your decision to join the competition?
No, on the whole I don’t regret my decision. Although there were some apprehensions when I was going to Korea, but it was still worth it on the whole.

7. How long have you trained for the competition?
All my life (jokingly). I was dancing all the time so I guess I was prepared. Vocal-wise, I chose a repertoire of songs and prepared for 2-3 months before flying off to Korea.

8. What are your future goals in pursuing your dream?
Writing songs, sending my demos to recording companies worldwide.

Korean Cultural Club 7th Activity—Meet-up Session with First Singapore Korean K-pop Group, SKarf's member Ferlyn @ Dream Stage 2014

I must say, this is a once in a lifetime experience that me and my fellow KCC mate Iswarya will never forget. 

During the June holidays (21 June 2014), our SJI Senior School Korean Cultural Club had a rare opportunity to meet up with the first Singapore-Korean Kpop Group SKarf's member Ferlyn at Dream Stage 2014 held by Dream Station Singapore.

Never once did I or Iswarya imagine that we can be the student representatives for KCC to meet-up with Ferlyn to get to know more about the Kpop scene.

After a series of wonderful and exciting performances by the Dream Stage Finalists at Dream Stage 2014 held at Bishan Junction 8, we get to go backstage to the area where Ferlyn was resting!

It was really such a pleasant experience to go in there and Ferlyn was really friendly to us. She was like a warm unnie to us and we took photographs together. 

Ferlyn was really a very cool unnie and she had her shoulders round us, and she said in her 'boshi' (cool) and warm tone "Of course!" when I asked if I could do the same too.

We even got our 'Oh Dance' and 'Luv Virus' albums signed with SJI on it :)  As much as it seemed like a dream, this experience was definitely an unforgettable one for us. :)

Korean Cultural Club 5th/6th Activity—Korea Plaza Visit at Church Street, Samsung Hub

After much anticipation, we finally went to the Korea Plaza over at Church Street, Samsung Hub to try on the traditional Korean Clothings (Hanbok). As we reach there, we get to know the personnel to there, Hana-ssi who actually helped us to capture such memorable moments into beautiful photographs.

The Korean Clothing ranges all the way from the more modernised ones, like what me and Jana was wearing to the more traditional type like what Huay Yi and Kage was wearing, the palace types as seen from what Iswarya and Ruo Xuan was wearing. Not to forget, male versions of Hanbok is also available, and our Shaun ‘oppa’ (big brother) is actually wearing one of them.

To my pleasant surprise, not only did the Plaza offers free trying of Hanbok, it also has a fair bit of Korean Food Samples on Exhibitions. There were many delicacies such as the Gujeolpan (Vegetable Platter), Bossam (Steamed Pork and Vegetables) and Hwayang jeok (Skewered Pancakes) that we did not know of apart from the usual dishes such as Kimchi, Bibimbap (Korean Mixed Rice) and Kimbap (Korean Sushi).

It was quite an eye opening experience for us, and but of course, many of us took lots of photographs to capture these beautiful memories. J