Certainly not the briefest of the updates.

I don't have the will to write anything profound cause a. my writing skills got discarded a long time ago and b. my eyes are all puffy - possibly an allergic reaction from eating too much cashew nuts in one sitting. This is bound to be one awful post, so I'm apologizing in advance. But at least you all can see that I'm honestly trying to contribute again.

So I was invited to a birthday party last Thursday, and as expected, it was alcohol central. I tend not to go out in large groups, in fact, I rarely go out with more than 3 others, so to spend the whole evening with a large group of very drunk people for me is very challenging. I didn't consume a single drop of alcohol but I got drunk. The noise, the chaos and the unnecessary shrieks were enough to make me hammered. I was the earliest to go home at about midnight. I just didn't want to have to deal with all the drinking drama, as they were not my friends, but friends of a friend. Let me tell you, I've never been so happy to head home and throw in my jammies.

In an effort to be more social, I said yes to another invitation the next day. It was from a college friend whom I haven't seen in years. So we reconnected over coffee, browsed though pictures of familiar people on her laptop and reminisced our old college days when we shared the same flat. After that we hit the bar, had a couple of beers and cocktails and chatted some more. A few days later, she called me again and we did exactly the same thing. I don't wanna call her 'needy' but she seemed like that when she called again last night, asking to meet up. I cancelled on her. I told her I was busy.

I'm a terrible person I know. I missed her after all these years, but I don't think I can be there for her 24/7. It's hard to listen to her excessively whine about a guy who dumped her 5 years ago (turned out he's bisexual), or how much she despises her job or the fact that she couldn't put on weight no matter how hard she tries. And quite frankly, she bores me with how she tries to complicate her life when in reality, it's not. I can probably deal with boredom, but on top of all her issues which she tries to rub on me, she's also my worst critic ever. She criticizes everything about me. The clothes I wear, my skin, my weight.. I don't have the healthiest self-esteem and body image, so you guys can just imagine how bad I handle such criticisms.

Reconnecting with her made me realize one thing. Something about me has fundamentally changed. I'm not the same person anymore. I don't think the same and I don't feel the same. I'm no longer the confident, assured person I used to be. Each day I battle my emotional insecurities and the hubris that tells me I could be more if only I tried harder. It takes every ounce of me not to let her see that. I want to be alone, I think. And as much as I hate to say this, I'm perfectly fine living in utter obscurity. I still love my friends though and I wanna be there for them. But there are times when I don't have enough energy to lift my head, let alone, lift others.

Ugh. I hate that I can't write a single entry here without sounding like a pathetic loser. Self pity post over and out.

Listless.

God knows I used to love life. How I slept in uncontained anticipation for the next day. How in the midnight hours, I would beg for the sun to show up so I could dance through the day. How I stayed awake long into the night, my head brimming with excitement and such anticipation for the future that I could not have slept even if I had wanted to. I miss those magic moments of happiness that WAS my life...

I need my life realigned. I'm tired of running in circles, holding this damn broken compass, waiting for it to show me the way already. It's a cold, brutal feeling and I wish to hell I could just bottle it up, keep it locked and throw it away so that no one has to feel it ever again.

This is what happens when you have too much coffee in your system.

I'm craving Autumn and Winter. This heat combined with torrential rains and humidity is seriously driving me insane. I wanna be able to curl up in scarves, sweaters and blankets with massive, steaming mugs of coffee or tea, the air biting the breath from your lungs, and all the stark possibilities the cold could offer. Most people I know prefer summer. They usually associate that season for hitting the beach, going on vacation and myriad of opportunities to merry make and be happy. Maybe I would too, if my life had been different. But as it is, the cold has always been more suitable for me, more thrilling. It's easier to cover up flabs which basically make up most, if not all of my insecurities.

I get so excited about cold, it's a high. If I could just magically transport myself on a whim (doesn't matter where), I'd love to be some place cold and taste snowflakes as it floats and drifts from the sky. To experience an ice storm that wipes out power and leave you relying on candles and flashlights to get you through the night. Possibly days of it, but without the scary background noise of course. Just me, a thick blanket, a comfy couch, reading a book next to a fire and endless mugs of Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate, preferably with tiny marshmallows in it that melts too quickly in the mouth (that is if didn't melt completely with the hot water). And in the morning, maybe Boyfie will come (cause it'll be a tad boring if I'm alone both day and night), and we'll have some pasta (real pasta and not those eaten with metal chopsticks), drink ridiculously expensive wine, which in reality we couldn't afford, and pass time talking about trivial things that both make us laugh like hell. We'll take advantage of the shortened daylight, enjoy as much as possible and make it worth it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is my idea of HEAVEN.

On a completely separate note.. I remember three years ago, Chris and I trekked nearly 12 kilometers through a blizzard. As much as I love the cold, it wasn't intentional. We were in Jeju in the middle of winter. While in the lowlands it was cold enough to numb my hands, it never snowed, but in the highlands it did. It started as a harmless snowy day in Mt. Halla. Three inches of it came down, enough to powder every inch of the hiking trail. At the crack of noon, blizzard came and I was literally leaping for joy. Three inches of slush shortly turned two feet and my knees were buried in the snow. My legs burned of course, my feet felt like rigid Lead and was sweating under the heavy winter jacket (probably because I was too fat then). Chris being the sensible one, was there to kick me out of euphoria. He was keen on reminding me about Hypothermia, getting lost, and the possibly fatal results that goes with falling off the steep trail going down. What normally would take two hours, took us four. We were plowing through the drifts, two feet high, stalling in almost zero visibility pathways, with ice pouring in small bits, hitting our jackets and creating a sound similar to popcorn being popped. Countless of times we tumbled, losing our balance, desperately gripping the icy ropes for safety. It was a rush, I admit. Something I never got to experience in my twenty-something years of existence (mostly) spent living in a hellish tropical climate. I'd so do it again, right now in a second. I crave it. It was exhilarating and dangerous. Definitely, a rush like no other.

Ok. I mumbled enough. I'm gonna find another thing to do till the caffeine wears out and sleep finally comes. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a good one and I wont be burned to a toasty crisp. Have a safe and easy Thursday you all!

P.S. Here's a pic to get you through the heat!

Needs.

I know I haven't been visible much lately. And when I am, I bore you guys with mother of all nonsensical posts. I think the problem is, or at least my excuse is, I hate to write when I'm failing. When I'm doing terribly. And that is how I have been doing lately.

After weeks of structure and stress, I found myself with a week of nothing but free time. It led me to binging, just eating my feelings and frustrations. After time, feelings numb a little, but then boredom ensued and it further spiraled me into even bigger binges. I'm not shocked that my weight is now up by 3 pounds, and that makes me a disgusting fat cow at 119 pounds.

Everything is just so overwhelmingly frustrating for me right now. I can't function with all these fat hanging around my body. Of course, I know what I need to do. When broken down into it's tiny components, it is so simple for want of a better word. I need to eat less. I need to exercise. I need to focus. So why am I not doing those three simple things? In reality, we all know it is so much harder than that. I know you must all be thinking that with all my free time, I should have been living in the gym, working out till I could no longer walk without limping. I know I should have. But then, when all this weight gain started happening, I was falling apart and gym did not even factor in my decisions. It was so hard to motivate myself to anything at all, let alone something that involves effort. Pathetic I know.

Losing weight for me is so much more than just being skinny. It is about alleviating some of the pressure that has been weighing on me. This overwhelming need to lose weight isn't merely just shedding the pounds, but expelling the weight that is not physical, but rather emotional and mental.

But I'm done mulling. I've got a lot of ground to reclaim, and it begins now. If gym is the only thing that could help break down my day into manageable chunks, as opposed to being faced with endless expanse of time, then it is where I'm going. I'll throw myself into this, body and soul. As it stands right now, all I have is set in stone.

I must dash. I could only hope you are all fairing better than I am.

Samcheok Beach.

Although I visited Kangwondo a lot of times before, I cannot really boast familiarity with it. There are just so many places to see, so many things to do and endless possibilities to enjoy yourself to the hilt while you're there. With the vast majority of times we spent there, one would think we're tired of seeing the same old scenery but no. Kangwondo never disappoints. It never gets old. It never loses that certain mystique that envelops it. With each visit, it lets you have that moment to indulge in your inner child and grant you far grander experiences than the last.

My last visit happened a little over two months ago. That time we focused mainly around Samcheok area, getting high from feeling it's sunshine and looking at the clear blue skies being reflected in the sea. I suppose ' interesting', for lack of better words to put it, is an appropriate word to describe the day we spent at Samcheok Beach. To shine some light on how strikingly contrasting the two halves of my day were, the first half was spent lounging at a picnic mat by the side of the beach, wolfing down kimbap and mandu. It was a beautiful, perfectly sunshiny day. And though the water was far too cold for a swim, it didn't stop me from playing till half of my body was soaked. Here are fleeting glimpses of Samcheok Beach taken from my camera..

The other half was when it got bloody interesting ( I meant that with a hint of sarcasm). A few meters away from where we were resting, there's a large group of people hanging out. And as you all know, whenever there's a bunch of people hanging out at any given place, it's always Soju central. Koreans tend to drink to excess, and so a whole mish and mash of drink and drama ensued. Several arguments followed, some escalated into screaming girls, and one escalated into a physical fight between two burly tattooed guys. Both were completely smashed, their actions looked somewhat comedic. One ended up getting hurt and had to to be taken to the hospital. We left after sunset, disappointed that some people ruined an otherwise perfect evening.

I would love you tell you more, but right now I'm feeling a little squiffy from waking up too early. I'm constantly yawning and fighting the urge to take a nap. My head could only accommodate the most basic of thoughts so I'm signing off. Hope you all are having a great day, and that no one's contracting the Monday blues!

Hung-over.

I was suppose to write this entry a day earlier, but I was drunk. Not of alcohol but with all the media frenzy following the most unfortuitous hostage event that has happened lately. The rescue operation that followed is a record-breaker of sorts - in a sense that it showed just how pathetic and uninitiated we are in handling such situations. It's all over the news, all over social networking sites and I'm still feeling quite hangover-y from it. It's sitting in my chest, this uncomfortable feeling, and I want to give those stupid operatives a good slap to make it stop. And to add salt to fresh wound, there's also Venus Raj's catastrophic blunder during the Miss Universe pageant. In all honesty, I couldn't see the point why everyone's raving about how good we are in English. Just look at Venus Raj - purportedly the best among the crop, one who perfectly exemplifies class, grace and wit. She probably has the first two, a gorgeous face and a killer figure, but her obvious lack of wit and poor command of the English language just sealed the deal that we are indeed pathetic.

Anywhoodles, aside from all that crap that's making this week so arduously long, I'm feeling quite a bulbous cow today. The scales says I'm doing fine, 116 pounds as of late (remarkably), but these frequent trips to the grocery store, buying chips and pounds and pounds of chocolates like it's no one's business says I am. That's why I can't bring down my weight to 110. That's why I'm still a fat cow. I'm a junk food whore and a sugar junkie. I can't stop these awful cravings of epic proportions. My arms instinctively reach and my mouth opens at the sight of trans-fat laden chips and sugars, and before I know it, I'm down to the last crumb.

Ugh. So you see, I think too much and I eat too much. I hope you all are fairing better than I am. I'll be back tomorrow to finish details of the trip I had in Samcheok, Kangwondo that has long been overdue.

Rambling at 117 lbs.

I woke up at the lovely hour of 4 am this morning. Why you ask? I think my body clock despises me in all sorts of ways and I can't seem to get more than 4 hours of sleep each night. But I'd still call it a good day. The reason I'm in a good mood is because I've lost weight. I find it it hilarious that my happiness is completely dependent upon what the scales say. It says I'm 117, and it's good enough reason to drag my lazy ass in front of the computer and start blogging.

So this is how it feels like to be 117 pounds. I just can't get over that blissful feeling of my skin not quite touching the waistband of my jeans, and every time the wind would blow, my blouse brushes across the small of my back then it would rest off of my skin. I'm at my thinnest ever, I say life is definitely getting better for me.

It's probably because of this weight loss thing that I somehow seem to have found the old me again. I've been missing for so long that I'd almost forgotten who I was and it's just incredible to remember and start to feel like the person that I know I am again. It's like I've been living 2 parallel lives for the last couple of years. Been wearing and acting out a facade of me that everyone expects to see, while on the inside, I feel lost and incompetent. But it's all better now, so expect less of my wits scrambling break-downs of semi volcanic proportions to come your way.

On a totally different note, here is a photo of me taken early of last month during our trip to Kangwondo. The place is called Samcheok harbor (that explains the fishing boat) and it's where you have to go when your jonesing for a sashimi fix like no other (like I am right now). Don't you find it absurd that one minute I'm telling you guys about how insanely good it feels to lose weight and the next minute it's all about food?

You'll see more of Samcheok on my next post. Have a great Wednesday y'all!

Vanishing Act.

I believe this will be my fourth attempt to begin this post. Like I said, I'm rusty. And over the course of my absence, my writing skills got discarded, and now I'm utterly useless. I used to be good at it and words came effortlessly. I still am probably - somewhere in there. But now, everything about me feels awkward, contrived and forced. And it makes me loathe everyone with an ounce of creativity in them.

But awkward or not, I have resolved to the idea of writing more often. So yes, you'll be seeing more of me and my mother of all depressing posts. I can't help it. My posts are mere reflections of my situation and thoughts. But things are getting better for me. I feel that little harmony left in my brain is slowly taking over. Suffice to say, I'm starting to see things in a more positive way. I hope you all stick around. When I get my 'mojo' back, I'm going to surprise you guys with something interesting!

Limbo.

I am obviously rusty because I couldn't think of a way to start this post. I probably should start with apologies, it's better that way. Sorry, I haven't been around lately. Sorry, I haven't done a decent and long-winded thoughtful post for some time. I just don't have anything superficially interesting news to tell. I am in what I call an 'uncomfortable limbo', and I feel like I don't have anything intelligent to contribute to you all.

You can thank me really for my lack of posts. At least, I spared you guys from the horribly depressing crap that I had been spouting the last couple of weeks. I know you all have your own issues to deal with, so you seriously didn't need my schizo issues added to that. And quite frankly, I don't feel like talking about my failures here. I have my own safe, little place for that, my other blog. So yeah, I included a link to that, not because I'm begging for readership, but because there may be people out there who could relate to all that bullshit I've been internalizing there.

I haven't been doing amazing things, but rest assured I'm not spiraling into a horrible descent towards madness. My life has just come to resemble a stagnant pool. As much as I would like to call it my own personal hell, I can't. I still got a few amazing people who are so good to me despite all my perpetual batshit insanity episodes.

Today, I feel completely and utterly brain dead, so I'm not in the position to write or say anything deep or meaningful. I don't want to reveal more about my situation, however, I do want to write a few, good things that happened in the not-so-distant past. I just don't have the capacity to string logical sentences right now. Suffice to say, from my perspective, I'm doing well just to be writing something at the moment.

I honestly want to be able to write more though inspiration comes rarely and too far in between. I want to write compulsively like before, like it matters to me. I need that flip to switch and stay there. Till then, it would have to wait.

For now, I'm leaving you guys photos from my last adventure. It was taken during a trip to Kangwondo's eastern sea. Hopefully, the contents will be included in my next post.

*On a positive note, I lost 8 more pounds from when these photos were taken, Yay!

I Kid You Not!

This is a picture of a map I saw in Kangwondo. Apparently, there's a cafe called "The Bicycle Thief" there. Thoughts?

Jaebudo.

Weekends are, and have always been a day for adventure. Saturday usually begins with a breakfast eaten either at home, or along the snail-paced traffic leading to the place we fancy.

One particular Saturday in June, we included a new stop in our weekend itinerary: Jaebudo. We basked in the sun all afternoon, got dirty and played in the mud till the sunset came. Here's how Jaebudo looks like.

We stayed until about 8 pm, not minding the mosquitoes and the darkness of the vast open space. Our adventure ended in a Kalguksu restaurant and it turned out to be the best hand-made Kalguksu we've ever tasted! I wasn't able to take photos of it, however I do have a photo that looks a lot like it. It was from our visit to Daebudo. Read my old post here if you've got plenty of time to kill.

Cravings.

I'm craving for some patpingsu!

Gangchon's Gugok Falls.

After our mini-food adventure in Chuncheon, we made a quick stop to Gangchon. It's not really a happening place and there's nothing much you could do there. But there's a place there that we like to visit called Gugok Falls. It takes about an half an hour from Gangchon station by car, but if you're feeling more adventurous, you can either hike or rent an ATV or scooter to get there. The view along the way is quite random; the usual clusters of mountains, old countryside villages, and rice fields.

Gugok Falls is located in the midst of a big park. It gets pretty crowded here, so if you're looking for some peace and quiet, then this place might not be for you. But if you're cool with hordes of tourists, noisy kids and plenty of ATV/scooter riding guys out to impress their girlfriends then you'll probably enjoy this place.

A 10 - minute hike is all you need to see the falls. Here's how it looks..

Chuncheon's Dalk Galbi Street.

Whenever I think about Chuncheon, it's hard not to associate it with food. Sure we all know about Chuncheon's local specialty dish called Dalk Galbi, but who knew there's a street there named after it?

All the restaurants serve nothing but Dalk Galbi.

All the restaurants look promising, but this particular restaurant caught my eye.

What's great about this restaurant is that it was featured in a local and foreign TV show... It also appeared in newspapers saying it's the best...

This is how it looks when they serve it.

And this is how it looks right after cooking... It was absolutely delicious!



But their serving is a bit small so we ordered another dish.. This time it was Makguksu.. A spicy noodle dish that's also famous in the area.

The next time you visit Chuncheon, try visiting Dalk Galbi street. It sure as hell worth the travel.

Total "Eclipse" Of My Heart.

So yesterday kind of started off awfully. I had a massive headache and was absolutely exhausted for no reason. I take it as a result of not eating enough, trying to make amends for all that crap I ate the past few days. But on the upside, I found myself in a better mood later that evening. Of course, why wouldn't I be? I got to see Edward Cullen's immortal hotness once again, and that ought to place a positive spin on whatever crap I've been feeling.

Chris read some pretty bad reviews about it and was absolutely dreading to see it with me. But I simply can't find it in me to care about such reviews, after all critics can say whatever they want, the movie will still be a hit and bite them in their sorry asses. But I'm gonna be honest, the movie sucked.... big time. The other annoying part was Chris's non stop whining, but thank the Lord junk foods were invented for it silenced his cynical mouth.

I find it retarded though that as much as I hate all the absurdities and awkwardness of the plot, I really did enjoy it. But I'm not gonna go as far as recommending it to you guys. Like I said, the movie is ridiculously absurd, and unless you're a die hard fan, it'll be hard to stay glued to your seat. In my case, all I needed was a pasty Edward Cullen (and dare I say, a shirtless Jacob Black) to get my blood pumping and mouth drooling for the entire 2 hours!

That's all for now. I've got to head out to the grocery to buy a couple of things (I'm making pasta for dinner). Hope you all have great weekend!!!

Gapyeong, Baby!

I mentioned in my previous post that Chris and I celebrated our anniversary. The day itself we spent in Bundang Cafe Village and the other part we spent in Gapyeong. That's right.. Gapyeong again. I lost count how many times I visited this place, but it was only this time that I really got to enjoy it to the hilt. It was a short 2-day trip, but a really nice one. We stayed at this beautiful wooden pension in the middle of the woods. Here's how it looks.




At the back of the pension, there's a huge meadow bordered by tall pine trees and cascading mountains. There are also wild bushes and plenty of colorful flowers surrounding it (which reminds me of "Twilight" by the way). There are no words to articulately describe how beautiful it is over there.




There's also a small stream at the side of meadow.



The meadow, the stream, the pine trees and wildflowers are all amazing, but those are just the tip of the iceberg. Not far from the pension, there is a huge river called Noksu and we had a blast there despite the water being icy cold.

We spent the rest of the day in the river getting wet and watching people catch fish. When we grew hungry, we headed back to the pension to eat dinner. Along the way, we passed by an old lady selling raspberries and Chris bought some for me. It was the first time I tasted fresh raspberries, I only had frozen ones before.. ^^:

As soon as we got back, Chris started grilling the meat we bought from the meat shop earlier that day. **The cylindrical white ones are rice cakes or what they all tteok here.

This is the best way to eat it: get some lettuce, put the meat in there, some kimchi, a thin slice of garlic and ssamjang. Wrap it all together and pop it in your mouth. .. DELICIOUS!

Camping is no fun without a kick of alcohol right? That night we had some chilled makgeolli and dongdongju...

I'm gonna write more about our amazing adventure later. Meanwhile, I got to get ready cause Chris is coming back soon and we're gonna watch ECLIPSE later. God I can't wait!

Have a great one folks!

P.S. Sorry if my writing is a bit off today. I'm still a little high from the Kaldereta I tasted earlier. I'll do better next time, promise.

What's For Lunch?!

... Kaldereta!!!

Yesterday, I got a chance to visit a foreign foodmart in Itaewon, Seoul for the first time. I wound up buying a couple of things, one of which is Mother's Best Kaldereta Mix from the Philippines. Kalderetang Baka (Spicy Beef Stew) happens to be my favorite dish of all time. I haven't tasted it in months so I decided to cook it for lunch today.

Here's how...

I used: A kilogram of beef cut into large cubes, 2 medium sized potatoes, 1 small carrot, red bellpepper, onion and garlic. The other two ingredient that gave this dish a super savory boost are:

The Kaldereta Mix..

and Hunt's Tomato Paste (I used about 3 tbsp of this).

So first, I boiled the beef in medium high heat. I didn't use pressure cooker, just a regular pot so it took about an hour before it became tender. Then I added the potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, tomato paste and the kaldereta mix and let it boil for another 10 minutes. Lastly, I added the red bell peppers. You may notice I didn't add salt or pepper, the kaldereta mix already took care of that.

See folks, it's that simple.. The result is by far the best kaldereta I've ever tasted in my life. The sauce is so thick and flavorful, veggies are not at all overcooked, and man.. the meat is so tender!!! That kaldereta mix is really a life saver.

I can't wait till Chris taste this!

Then Came Healing.

Since the start of summer, stress has just been too much and it was all too overwhelming. I was in the brink of falling apart, loneliness and insecurities enveloping every inch of my body. When that happens, depression is nearby, biding it's time, simply waiting. It can be triggered by a simple argument between Chris and I, a phone call from my sick Mom, or something as innocent as a trip to the weighing scale. So when we suddenly found a day of nothing but free time, I couldn't think of a better way to spend it than watching the sun set. You might be thinking, what good could it possibly do to me? It heals me, believe it or not. Nothing calms me more than seeing the pure, unadulterated sun setting in the horizon. The expanse of colors it creates and everything else below it takes my breath away. Beautiful does not quite cover it... It's calming, soothing and it makes me, dare I say, hopeful about life in general. It takes me out of that uncomfortable limbo, away from the maddening self-hate and bitterness I feel. There is a certain element of realization it brings, to look at the positive side and not dwell on the negatives. It gets me to think that all that is waiting for me at the end of the night is another day... only better.


Pictures taken at Jecheon, around 6:30 pm Korea time.

I hope everyone else is fairing better than I am. You all stay positive alright?!

Mads Langer-ed.

It's June 30th, end of the month. What a very tiring and daunting month it has been! I have spent the vast majority of the month mulling. Just mulling over everything that is going on in my life right now.. I can say with no hint of doubt in my mind that if I did not have my time alone I would either implode and self destruct, or go completely crazy. Neither particularly appeals to me.

I suppose I'm avoiding the underlyring issue of all this gloom and doom (I find it difficult to say the particulars, I hope you all understand). I am admittedly too fragile and too coward to deal with the entirety of it. So my old faithful, my tried and tested savior comes to light: MUSIC. It aids my focus, helps funnel my energy to things that are worth doing.

In this light, I wanna share a bit of the music I've been listening to: MADS LANGER - a Danish singer who has the ability to turn my mood from bad to pleasant. He's a genious artist and I'm smitten by him big time! My playlist from now on is going to be all about him.

All of his songs are pretty good, but my favorite remains to be "Beauty Of The Dark." A song I stumbled upon while watching Vampire Diaries. I don't particularly like posting lyrics of songs in my blog cause I think it's pointless.. But in this case, it gets to me.. so much that I'm willing to post it right here.

***

The beauty of the dark is the beauty of you
I dream of dreaming dreams of you but nightmares always block the view I can't sleep

The beauty of silence is the noise of no words
When everything I listen for is here when you walk in the door tonight


Where is the light in your deep dark room?
A shock of white could save you from your shadow
Why is the dark behind the moon?
Out of reach until the light is shattered


The ugly things I do for beauty
If you could see what's real in me then maybe beauty wouldn't be so cruel

Where is the light in your deep dark room?
A shock of white could save you from your shadow
Why is the dark behind the moon?
Out of reach until the light is shattered


If you wanna know more about Mads Langer, do check this site http://www.madslanger.dk/.

Korean Food Project: Figure-Friendly Chapchae.

Chris came back home really early on Friday, and bugged me to prepare something noddle-y for dinner. I wasn't in the mood to eat or cook anything (the smell of food is kind of revolting these days), but he rarely makes a request like that so I dutifully obliged. I checked our perpetually understocked fridge and somehow I came up with a few veggies... perfect! Next, I rummaged the storage cabinet and found an old pack of chapchae noodles and thankfully, it wasn't expired yet. Chapchae isn't really a main dish here. It's more of a side dish served alongside stews and meat dishes. But together with rice, kimchi and a few other banchan, it can be considered a decent meal and ought to give him a noodle fix.

Since I'm bent to lose weight, I wanted to make my chapchae as healthy as possible; no meat, less oil and lots of veggies. And again, pardon me if my ingredients and methods are kind of different from the usual..

Here's what I used: 300 grams of chapchae noodles (soaked in water for 15 minutes), cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, onions and minced garlic. I veered away from meat and used re-hydrated mushrooms and shrimp - both are rich in flavor and enough to give chapchae a savory boost.




First, I sauteed the vegetables in 1 tbsp of olive oil. 2 minutes is probably good, you don't want your veggies to be overcooked. *Many presumes olive oil as light and low in calorie, but go easy on using it. Olive oil packs in a whopping 120 cal/tbsp.




I added the shrimp and mushrooms and stirred it for about 3 minutes.

Next, I added the noodles, a cup of water (you could use chicken or beef broth instead of water)

and half a cup of soysauce. Let it sit for about 5 minutes till the liquid evaporates. And lastly, season it with salt and pepper. *Like most Korean dishes, this dish calls for sesame oil, but I don't particularly like the flavor of that.

And here's the finished product.. A figure-friendly chapchae that's bursting with flavor!

I don't mean to brag but Chris said it's the most delicious chapchae he has ever tasted. He ate it with rice and few other stuff, while I only had a small serving of it and nothing else. He found it weird that I eat it by itself, he doesn't know that for us Pinoys, it's taboo to eat noodles with rice. ^^;

Anniversary Date.

Yesterday was our 5th year anniversary. I'm not sure if it's a side of Chris's zany culture I don't particularly get, but he likes to think of our anniversary as the day we first met. But knowing Chris who tends to forget his own birthdays and stuff, I wasn't expecting anything to happen that day. Besides, it fell on a Thursday which means he's busy as hell at work.

Later in the afternoon, I recieved a call from him saying he's gonna bring me somewhere and that I should be ready by 6:30 pm. I was elated by the fact that he remembered! So like a kid getting ready for prom, I spent the next few hours tinkering my very limited wardrobe for stuff I could wear. Well I couldn't find anything decent as most of it are either too large, too formal or too casual. So I just followed my sloppy instinct and wore something plain but comfortable, and prayed he wouldn't bring me to a place that has a dress code or something.

That night, he brought me to this place called Jeongjo-dong Street Cafe in Bundang - a village brimming with so many cute cafes and restaurants all clustered together (think Eastwood City on a much grander scale). We chose this restaurant called "Chic Ami" by the side of the main road and here's what we had:

Seafood Pasta in Cream Sauce.





Roasted Beef, Mushroom and Gorgonzola Cheese Pizza.




After dinner, we went to Cafe Pascucci for a kick of my favorite java, then we were off to explore the neigborhood some more.

Then we drove to a lake park not far from the cafe street. It was such a cute park with fountains and brimming with trees. We stayed there till midnight.

So that's how our special day went. It was simple but so damn memorable. Hope you all have a great weekend!