Adieu.

The weather has not been pleasant lately. Mornings and afternoons are now burdened with heavy clouds and rain, while nights are saddled with icy winds and cold temperature. By now, most of the Cherry Blossom trees have withered, their petals covering the ground like carpet. If there's any consolation, it is seeing the new leaves sprouting in the brightest shade of green. It is amusing to see, but I'm surely gonna miss seeing the Cherry Blossoms in full bloom, standing under it and catching some petals falling leisurely like snow. Just before all the petals have fallen, I got the chance to see it one last time while we were in Ilsan.

It's gonna take many months before it blooms again, and when they do, I hope I'll be here to see it..

Flower Festival In Ilsan.

The past week had been arduously long. The days were mostly uneventful filled with idleness and boredom. I can vaguely remember how the days went, except for that one Thursday when I went shopping for some for clothes. That one supposedly fun day brought me a tennis ball-sized bruise on my leg which I got from carrying a big load of groceries and shopping bags. It also sparked an argument between Chris and I - how I should have called him so he could pick me up (thus, I could've avoided the bruise) and how I should NEVER leave home without my phone. But hell I was bruised and tired from rummaging the stores for stuffs with the word "sale" written on it, I thought he should cut me some slack. But he didn't, and I can't stand the part where he's nagging me about things I already know. I especially hate it whenever he wants to talk about every minor details of my mishaps. I got to say I've got more guy hormones in me and Chris has this middle-aged-nagging-wifey syndrome (what gives?). That night his apologies came in a box of hot patch for my leg and a promise to stop being narky and overly obssessed with my safety.

When weekend came, I couldn't be more relieved. I love weekends cause it's the only time where both of us could have some fun and act like kids. The weather was perfectly nice and warm when we drove to Ilsan Lake Park in Goyang City. That day, being the start of the flower festival, the place was jampacked wih people. There was a very long queue at the ticket booth, and Chris had to wait for 25 minutes under the sun just to get them. All the while I was sitting comfortably under a tree eating cotton candy.. Well, I could've stood there with him, but that is what he got for being narky last Thursday...^^

This is the entrance...



There is a huge showroom in there where flowers and plants grown by local and foreign horticulturists are on display. I saw some pretty interesting stuff like "air plants" grown without soil or water, plants grown using LED technology, and amazing bonsais. Here's what the showroom looks like:






The showroom is interesting, but it's even better outdoors.

Koreans are very creative and artistic. I love how they turn a very simple space into a fairy tale-like park. I really had a good time smelling the flowers and reliving my fairy tale fanstasies from childhood. Here are my photos taken just before we left.

*** Ilsan Lake Park is located at Janghang-dong, Ilsan-gu, in Gyeonggi Province. You could find more info here http://www.lake-park.com/. The Flower Festival happens yearly from April 16-30, but because of the cold weather they started it late this year. The Festival runs till next week and tickets cost KRW 6,000 each.

Korean Food Project: Dubu Gganjang Jorim

I first tasted Dubu Gganjang Jorim (Tofu simmered in soy sauce) at a friend's house, it's one of the side dishes served that evening. I liked it so much that I asked my friend for the recipe so I could make it at home. Like most Pinoys, I'm drawn to food cooked in soy sauce so this banchan easily became one of my favorites. It's healthy, delicious and fairly simple to make. Here's my version of it.

You'll need: 300 grams of tofu, half a cup of soy sauce, a teaspoon of sugar, half a teaspoon of chopped garlic, leeks, green peppers, egg and olive oil for frying.

And here's how I do it:

Slice tofu into bite size pieces, and dip into a beaten egg mixture before frying it in olive oil. The recipe doesn't really call for eggs, but I use it so the tofu wouldn't stick to the pan. You could always omit the egg if you have a teflon or a non-stick pan.

In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, chopped leeks and peppers (with the seeds removed). Mix it well and pour it in the pan. Make sure to turn the tofu to the other side so both sides are covered in soy sauce. Wait till the sauce is reduced before turning off the heat.

And here's the finished product.



It's best to eat this at room temperature with a hot bowl of rice. Eventhough it has some peppers on it, it's not really spicy so even the kids would surely enjoy it!

Fueled and Caffeinated.

The oil price is giving us a headache these days, so kudos to my friend T and her husband M for bringing me here all the way from Bucheon last Saturday. I can't thank you enough guys! They were our first visitor in our humble home, and the least I could have done was serve them some snacks, but unfortunately our fridge was understocked and there's nothing to offer except for a few alcoholic drinks and some nuts.

Chris and I are not environmentalist in the truest sense of the word, but we are advocates of saving nature's finite resources. Chris does his part by going to work on foot, and we only use the car when it's absolutely necessary. So if there are other mode of transportation available or if the distance is "walkable", we prefer to leave the car at home. Not only does it save us a lot of money, but walking is also good for exercise. On days when we just have to bring it, fueling it sends us the shiver. Even though it's a small car and it's consumes less fuel, the staggeringly high oil prices is enough to elicit a couple "ehyu" and incomprehensible mumblings from him.

It is often said that Korea is The Land of Freebies, and gas stations are no exception. Here they call it "service" meaning free of charge. They usually give out tissues and bottles of water, but Samil gas station gives out free coffee (how great is that?!). I love coffee as it is, even more if it's for free!

Chasing Cherry Blossoms Part 2

Last Saturday, Chris drove me to his hometown to visit Incheon Grand Park, and later to meet some friends whom I haven't seen in a while. The said park is known to be the best place to view the Cherry Blossoms in all of Incheon, but we were kind of disappointed to see that the flowers are barely out of their buds. Seeing how disappointed I was looking at bare trees and dead grass, Chris offered to bring me to a different place where I'm gonna see the flowers for sure. But I figured it's better to make the most out of our time there instead of chasing the elusive flowers.

I've visited Incheon Grand Park before so I know how insanely beautiful it looks come spring time. I can't help but blame the strange weather for ruining what I thought is gonna be a picnic-perfect day. And so we walked for a good 2 hours or so, slowly taking in the view and admiring how big the park is. The lake and the zoo are still under construction and that sort of added to my disappointment, but I did enjoy watching people having picnics and walking their dogs. They all looked like they're having a blast inspite of the cold and breezy weather. Anyway, here's how the park looks...

I realized I haven't posted pictures of myself lately, so here are some pictures of me all bundled up in a thick jacket (which for some reason they call "jumper" here). Like I said, the weather is still too cold for skin-tight cardigans and light sweaters. But days are becoming warmer so I think I gonna give my winter jacket a rest soon.

Later that afternoon, Chris brought me to Bupyeong station to meet my friends. Just outside the station, we saw lots of Cherry Blossom trees so I didn't pass the opportunity to admire them up close.

I really had a blast that day, especially after seeing my friends. For now I'm gonna put the chase for the Cherry Blossoms to rest. There are so many things to see and look forward to this Spring that'll keep me entertained for sure.

Chasing Cherry Blossoms.

If you are to ask a Korean what is the most beautiful season, I bet the answer would be Spring. Here they call it "The Queen of all Seasons", and I could totally agree to that. What makes Spring so worth the wait are the cherry blossoms. I'm sure everyone knows how delightfully pretty these flowers are especially when they're in full bloom. I gotta say walking on a street filled with rows and rows of cherry blossom trees, and flowers draping above your head like a canopy is such a magical experience.

On my second day here, Chris took me to Yeouido where the Cherry Blossoms festival is happening. We went there after working hours hoping that it wouldn't be so crowded anymore, but we were wrong. The traffic was so bad and it was hard to find a parking space. Not even the freezing cold temperature could deter the wicked number of tourists from visiting. It was a little early to visit Yeouido. The flowers are still not in full bloom, but I'm sure next weekend, it's gonna be a hundred times more beautiful. Here's how the Sakura Festival looked like.

Other than the cherry blossoms, these are the things that caught my attention. I'm not sure what the ribbon thingies are for, but I'm guessing it's people's wishes that are written on it. It's quite common to see this in Korea, but what I can't understand is that how writing wishes in special ribbons and hanging it for everyone to see could help make it come true.

There were a lot of artists that night. They make beautiful portraits of people with cherry blossoms on the background for a very steep price.

Even though it was awfully cold that night, still I saw some people having picnics right beside Han river. I can't really blame them though... The river and Seoul's city lights look pretty spectacular at night.

Hope you all enjoyed the tour!

Hello to Spring!

The weather is awfully cold for Spring this year, but I'm not complaining. In fact, I am enjoying every minute that I'm away from the hellish heat of Manila. Funny thing, I wasn't dressed appropriately when I came here. I thought this season is about light shirt and skin-tight cardigans. It didn't cross my mind that the weather would be more like winter. So I was there at the airport shaking and desperately trying to keep myself warm while others in fur coats were dodging glances at me. On my way home, I noticed how different the surrounding looks from the previous spring season (*same day last year). The trees are bare and flowers are still trapped in their tiny little buds. I sort of expected to see a more colorful sight than that. But even so, I'm glad I came here this time. I love to wait for flowers to bloom and see the surrounding slowly change from bare to beautiful.

There are some major changes this season and I'm having my fair share of adjustments and getting-used-tos. It's like a fresh, new start; a clean slate. To give you guys a hint of what I'm going through, I'm sharing a few below.

• We just moved to a different place so my days are mostly spent on arranging furniture and cleaning the new house. It has gotten so noisy and stressful in our old place and Chris thought it's about time to move. I'm so glad he did! There's not much difference from the old one when it comes to size, but I find it more comfortable here. I love that it's more peaceful and quiet, plus the wallpaper is really, really nice!

• Chris recently got promoted and it poses some serious disadvantage for us. Here in Korea, promotion equals to longer working hours, more business trips abroad, bigger responsibilities, and a lot more people to suck up to. That's why I don't really blame Chris for looking so beat these days. He looks like he really needs to go to a spa or something...

• Health wise, I could say I'm doing well and I'm still pretty fired up to lose another 10 lbs. The only thing that bothers me is that I'm gonna be away from the gym. Working out has been very much part of my routine in Manila but not here. I'm scared I'm gonna gain weight so as much as possible, I control what I eat and try to do some floor exercises whenever I can.

• I'm missing my two, 6 month old puppies every single day. They're staying at my friend's house in Manila while I'm here. I just hope they're fed well. My Mom can't take care of them because she's going to Australia late of next month to visit my sister who is now pregnant...

• And yes, in a few months I'm gonna be an aunt. I'm practically clueless when it comes to kids, but I hope I'd be a good aunt.

It's still a little early to enjoy the real beauty of springtime, but in my five days here, I already did a lot of sightseeing and travelling. I hope you all join me as I get to enjoy and appreciate the myriad of sights, sounds, and tastes of this wonderful season.

Korea, Here I Come!

In less than 24 hours I'll be in Korea breathing that crisp, cool air of spring and hopefully it's tinged with the smell of cherry blossoms...

The World Is As Perfect As You Make It.

I've heard the term "be comfortable in your own skin" many times over in my life (we all do), but no matter how much conviction I put every time I say those words, I still can't get past my innumerable body issues and weight drama. For four years, I've shared a love-hate relationship with my body. There are times when I appreciate my curves, and there are times when I get enveloped in a lot of depressing body drama. Sometimes I can't help but think that things seemed much simpler when we were younger and living a life of simple ideals. It's so easy back then - weight and calories are basically the farthest thing in our heads. In a perfect world, weight should be a non-issue, and there shouldn't be a skinny standard that exist alongside the premises of love, honesty and respect. But the real world sucks and sadly it's far from perfect.

Before, I blamed my being overweight from a myriad of excuses. But simple logic brought me to the conclusion that it's just me being lazy and complacent. I did try to lose the extra weight, but I keep gaining it back. Probably because as soon as I see results, I grow complacent again. But everything changed after I visited the doctor a few months ago. I went through what I call a 'health scare' and it shook me to the core. My health was a mess, my hormones were all shooting in the wrong direction, and I feel things I shouldn't be feeling. I knew I had to do something before it's too late. So I started hitting the gym again, this time with utmost determination, not just to aesthetically look more pleasing but to heal myself. I had to work doubly hard to efficiently burn calories as my metabolism seems to be a wack compared to a normal person's. And as per doctor's order, I veered away from meat, sweets and oily foods. I changed my routine, even my sleeping habits, refrained from eating out and drinking alcohol. I was struggling with the new lifestyle at first, but it's hell of fun discovering what good it does to your skin and the amount of money you could save. The only thing I didn't do is starve myself. I still eat as much as I want, only this time, I surround myself with healthier choices. And because I'm taking a lot of pills, my stomach can't be empty so I eat every two hours.

Just before the Holy Week started, I visited the doctor for check up and my blood work showed amazing results! My AST levels have normalized and I can now eat meat. How great is that?! But instead of celebrating at a meat restaurant, I went shopping for a new pair of jeans. Yeah I know, it's weird, but as shameful as it sounds, I had difficulty shopping before because I could hardly fit in a normal store's sizes. But now it's different, and it's such a liberating thing to buy one that actually fits without going through the humiliating "do-you-have-a-bigger-size-than-this?" talk with the saleslady.

In today's skinny standards, I still have A LONG WAY TO GO, but overall I'm proud to say I'm healthier, fitter and stronger. Those three words make me happy, plus the fact that I can now run without getting so winded that my lungs want to burst.

Have a great weekend y'all!