The Third Hospital

It was not so long ago when I started watching Korean drama. Also, it was not so long ago when I started fangirling over So Nyuh Shi Dae (Girls Generation). And it was also not so long ago when I became aware of the effects of eastern and western medicine.

Photo courtesy of Google
Korea's tvN started airing The Third Hospital (제3병원) last September 5, 2012. The story revolves around the conceptions of eastern and western medicine. Each practice is represented by a doctor: Kim Doo-hyun (played by Kim Seung-woo), a neurosurgeon and Kim Seung-hyun (played by Oh Ji-ho) an acupuncturist. These two are not just specialists on western and eastern medicine respectively, but they are also brothers who have gone separate ways.

Photo courtesy of Google
Now how does SNSD relate to this drama? SNSD's Soo Young appears in this series as Lee Euijin, a violist, who is madly in love with her childhood friend, Seung-hyun. She opted to stay at Seung-hyun's place when she came back from Germany to audition for the Asia orchestra. With her is Jin Hye-in, which is played by Kim Min-jung, a doctor who is practicing neurosurgery with Doo-hyun but has an eye for eastern medicine since her father is an eastern doctor.

Personally, I am very much excited to watch this series, not just because Soo Young is there, but I would also like to learn about the whereabouts of the different medical traditions. Hopefully, I can create a review of each episode.. errmm, I'll just keep my fingers crossed!

Coffee Break: Subspace Coffee

Before anything else, today is my ping pong buddy, co-owner and good friend, Jonathan's birthday. He generously treated us at Shakey's Restaurant at SM Megamall. Thank you Atan! May you have many more birthdays to come!

For our afternoon snack, Sienna, Ray and I, went to Subspace Coffee. It is only 5-minute walk from our office. Sienna was the reason why I came across this cafe. She said that she read a blog about a Korean-inspired coffee shop having K-Pop music as background songs and a spot for fan merchandise. Having said that, we decided to give it a try.

Subspace has a unique interior which gives a relaxing and classic ambiance. The beverages are in the form of coffee and tea which comes in hot or cold. They also offer pastries and turnovers to accompany your drink. Sienna and I ordered Purple Potato Latte (hers in hot, mine in cold) while Ray had a cold Peanut Butter Latte.

While waiting for our orders, I had the chance to take a peek in the fan merchandise corner. There resides the albums of TaeTiSeo, SNSD, Shinee, Super Junior, f(x), and many others. I believe that this place is a one-stop shop for Korean culture enthusiasts.

So what can I say about my drink? I think purple potato is just a fancy name for ube. We can justify that since our drinks tasted like it. It is not too sweet, which for me is perfectly fine. The cold drink looked like a normal "coffee in a plastic cup with straw". I envy the hot variant because the coffee froth has a design in it. If you want cute drinks, go for the hot ones.

As for the Peanut Butter Latte, well, er.. it tastes like peanut butter. But it is also not the sweet type, maybe because it's coffee. It has a strong taste in it, which is perfectly fine for those who do not prefer sugar.
For my conclusion, Subspace coffee is a cozy place to have an afternoon chat with your friends. The Korean music is a plus if you're a K-Pop fanatic. Prices range from Php 80 to Php 150.

Subspace Coffee
G/F Grand Emerald Tower
F. Ortigas Jr. Road (formerly Emerald Ave.)
Ortigas, Center, Pasig City