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| Gyeongbokgung Palace Guard |
Geez, it's been 2 months since I got back from South Korea and I have not blogged about it yet. I am soo bad at this. I should have it up before my trip to Taiwan next month, otherwise I will never have it up from all the backlog. No pressure.
Oh. New look and new domain for the new year. Yay. :) I am still tweaking with my lay-out so bear with me as I try to get it done in the next year or so. Haha.
Anyway, it is MLK (Martin Luther King, Jr.) Day on Monday which makes it a long weekend for me. I totally forgot about MLK or that it was, in effect, a long weekend so I made ZERO plans. But it's all good because this means I can finish our Taiwan Itinerary, catch up on kdrama (currently watching Odyssey, I'm Not A Robot and Prison Playbook), give my dogs a bath and catch up on sleep.
It's exciting just thinking about the 4-day work week when I get back.
I finally got my South Korean Visa approved last Friday and I was given a Multiple Entry one! *squeals* My trip will be on Oct 25-31 and I am sooo excited!!! I can start planning the ootds now since the only thing I was really waiting for is the approval of my visa. Haha. So, here's how I got my visa, simplified version.
I prepared the following requirements, since I am employed:
- Application Form
- 1 piece passport size colored picture in white background (attach on the form)
- Original Passport (should be valid for more than 6 months)
- Photocopy of passport bio page (page 2)
- Original and Photocopy of valid visa/s and arrival stamps to OECD member countries for the past 5 years (if applicable only)
- Original Certificate of Employment (must include position, date hired, compensation, office address, HR landline number (cellphone number is not allowed), HR email address)
Original Personal Bank Certificate(must include account type, current balance, account opening date, ADB)*- Bank Statement (original or certified true copy of bank statements/passbook for the last 3 months)
ITR(Income Tax Return) or Form 2316 copy*- Copy of PRC Card or IBP Card (if applicable)
- Photocopy of the front of your BDO Gold credit card, if you are availing the promo
*I did not have to submit these since I had a BDO Gold Visa credit card.
BDO Promo for multiple entry Visa
There is an on-going promo (until Dec. 31, 2017) for BDO Gold card holders wherein you can skip submitting a Bank Certificate and an ITR as long as you present your actual card at the embassy and submit your original, latest credit card statement. Since I had my statements sent via electronic delivery, I printed the statement from my email and had it certified at a BDO branch. The last part was not an easy task because it took me 5 branches before I was able to convince a manager to certify my credit card statement after having her do a conference call to their call center(handling credit card concerns). The branches, apparently, do no have access to my credit card information and refuse to certify something they cannot access. It makes perfect sense. But what didn't make sense was the fact that they would have this promo and won't allow me to obtain the requirement directly from the branch. Great job, BDO.
Anyhow. After all my documents were ready, I went to the Korean Embassy last Monday, 10/2/2017.
This is their contact details:
Address: McKinley Town Center, 122 Upper McKinley Rd, Taguig, 1634 Metro Manila
Phone:(02) 856 9210
We got there at around 8:30am and the line was already outside the building. Make sure to bring fans and water as it can be crowded and hot. There is a table where 2 people will check your documents and give you a queue number. You must then wait for your number to flash above your assigned window. For applicants with OECD stamps and BDO credit card holders availing the promo, you have to inform the people checking your documents so they can provide you with a number for Window 3.
It took us around 2.5 hours from the time we arrived until we got our documents submitted at the window. A claim stub was provided with a tentative date of when you can claim your passport. Ours said, Oct. 6.
Releasing time is from 1:30-4 pm only. We knew the lines would be long so we went there at 12:30pm on Oct.6. Same procedure: we presented the claim stub at the same table where we had our documents checked. They asked us to write the names of the people claiming the passports on a small paper they attached to the claim stub. And off we went to wait for our turn. We were done by 3:30pm and my friends and I all got approved (2 for multiple via the BDO promo and 2 got single entry). Visa approval is still under the discretion of the Consul. It is not advised to purchase plane tickets without a visa, unless you're prepared to forego purchased flights in case you are not approved.
I forgot to mention that there is no fee for the Visa as long as you are staying in South Korea for 59 days or less.
So, that's how I got my multiple entry visa for South Korea. :)
See you soon, SoKor!
Address: McKinley Town Center, 122 Upper McKinley Rd, Taguig, 1634 Metro Manila
Phone:(02) 856 9210
Visa Submission
Visa submission is from 8:30-11 am only, every Monday to Friday. Applicants who arrive after 10:30 am may not be accommodated. This is on a first come, first serve basis. No appointment is needed.We got there at around 8:30am and the line was already outside the building. Make sure to bring fans and water as it can be crowded and hot. There is a table where 2 people will check your documents and give you a queue number. You must then wait for your number to flash above your assigned window. For applicants with OECD stamps and BDO credit card holders availing the promo, you have to inform the people checking your documents so they can provide you with a number for Window 3.
It took us around 2.5 hours from the time we arrived until we got our documents submitted at the window. A claim stub was provided with a tentative date of when you can claim your passport. Ours said, Oct. 6.
Visa Claiming
Although the date stamped on the claim stub said Tentative Release: Oct. 6, according to friends who have already been to SoKor, the tentative date is the actual date to claim. Applicants, especially the First Time travelers, are advised to personally claim their visas. An interview with the Consul may be required before the result of the application is given. E-6 Applicants/Entertainers, must personally appear for an interview before the visa can be issued.Releasing time is from 1:30-4 pm only. We knew the lines would be long so we went there at 12:30pm on Oct.6. Same procedure: we presented the claim stub at the same table where we had our documents checked. They asked us to write the names of the people claiming the passports on a small paper they attached to the claim stub. And off we went to wait for our turn. We were done by 3:30pm and my friends and I all got approved (2 for multiple via the BDO promo and 2 got single entry). Visa approval is still under the discretion of the Consul. It is not advised to purchase plane tickets without a visa, unless you're prepared to forego purchased flights in case you are not approved.
I forgot to mention that there is no fee for the Visa as long as you are staying in South Korea for 59 days or less.
So, that's how I got my multiple entry visa for South Korea. :)
See you soon, SoKor!
I used to hate watching movies or tv shows that are subtitled just because I am a visual person and it makes it hard to focus when I have to read the dialogues at the bottom of the screen.
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| This piggyback ride scene is classic Sassy Girl trademark |
Flashback to early 2004, a friend recommended that I watched the movie My Sassy Girl and I finally did after her several attempts at convincing me that it was worth reading the subtitles for. I remember how I laughed and cried and got angry and laughed and cried and laughed again. I had so many feels! It was the kind of movie I've never seen before. The story line was so simple yet the way the plot was executed left me feeling all sorts of things I don't normally feel in one movie. That's when I thought I'd give foreign films a chance. The next foreign films I remember watching were Windstruck, 1 Litre of Tears, A Tale of 2 Sisters and The Love of Siam. At this point, I didn't mind the subtitles anymore.
Since I already got accustomed to watching subtitled films, I decided to level up and move on to dramas. The first kdrama I ever watched was (The First Shop) Coffee Prince starring Gong Yoo (better known nowadays as the Goblin) and Yoon Eun Hye (Princess Hours, Lie to Me). It wasn't your typical rom-com and I found the plot refreshing because Eun Hye played a girl disguised as a guy. The series was also Tagalized on GMA 7 and the locally dubbed version was hilarious! Mas intense kasi yung expressions kapag tagalog. haha.
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| The First Shop Coffee Prince (2007) |
I also found myself watching Autumn in My Heart, Full House, Princess Hours, Winter Sonata and whatever new DVD my suki at Metrowalk had to offer. I was hooked.
More recently though, I've binge-watched kdramas the most. It's amazing how unique story lines go and how every kdrama manages to fit these stories given the limited episodes (16-20 on average). Unlike our local dramas that could span years and years hanggang may nanonood at hanggang may magandang rating (hello Mara Clara). Our local writers have a lot to learn from their Korean counterparts.
Here's a list of the kdramas I've seen/did not finish on purpose/currently watching.
What kdramas have you seen and would recommend? Lemme know. :)
On-going
- Suspicious Partner
Finished
- Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo
- Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
- Descendants of the Sun
- Shopaholic King Louie
- My Love from the Star
- Legend of the Blue Sea
- Reply 1988
- Goblin
- W
- Pinocchio
- Love in the Moonlight
- Sungkyunkwan Scandal
- Coffee Prince
- Full House
- Princess Hours
Unfinished
- Doctors - unfinished
- Strong Woman Do Bong Soon - unfinished
Bookmarked
- Defendant
- Man x Man
- Moon That Embraces The Sun
