The side dish crisis.

The biggest challenge I face when cooking here is preparing the side dishes called banchan 반 찬, this consumes most of my time in the kitchen... And since each meal requires several of them, I always run out of ideas to make. I try to be creative and make them from scratch, but they always end up tasting either too bland, too salty, or overcooked. It's making me frustrated cause I can't seem to get better in making them, even if I copy it straight out of a recipe book! It's time-consuming and tedious to prepare so I usually just buy it in the supermarket, ready-to-serve and conveniently packed. But it's not cheap.. I'm always surprised how expensive it can be for just a little amount! But of course it's so much better than what I would normally make, and Chris would even compliment how good it tasted. He thinks I'm a good cook.... He doesn't know that I just buy it outside.. ^^ Chris wouldn't agree to this if he knew... He thinks the maker of those ready-made side dishes has serious sanitary issues, and he's probably right. But he should know that so many people are also doing the same thing and they're ok. I bet Homeplus or E-mart don't want to deal with any legal problems from their customers with regard to sanitation.. With that thing in mind, we should be ok.

To make up for my wickedness, I still prepare some basic side dishes from time to time. I usually get the inspiration from the restaurants that served them... I just feel sorry for Chris, cause he's the one who has to finish everything when I can't stand my almost 'inedible' cooking!

Comfort food.

Since we ran out of rice to cook at home, Chris and I had to eat dinner outside. I wanted to go some place far and eat seafood, but it was cold so we went looking for a restaurant nearby. The nights keep getting colder so I was craving for some warm broth comfort food, and I had the perfect dish in mind..



We went to a traditional style Samgyetang restaurant which we frequently visit during the summer season, they serve the best Samgyetang in the area (it's really, really good^^)... Although it's a summer specialty dish, the restaurant serves it the whole year round. And I'm glad they do, cause I couldn't think of a better food for a cold winter night.

The Yellow rice.

We ran out of rice 쌀 today, so I thought about making a quick run to Family Mart and buy 2 packs of cooked rice. But since we still have a huge container full of yellow rice 현 미 쌀 , I experimented and cooked it the usual way (thought it can't be that bad.. it's still rice afterall^^). I would normally mix white rice and yellow rice altogether when cooking (sometimes with a couple other grains too), but I never tried it alone so this was a first for both Chris and I.

It didn't taste that bad, although I wouldn't really recommend it to people who are accustomed to the taste and texture of the normal white rice. In my case, I like mixed rice cause it tastes better, and it's said to be healthier. Yellow rice has a lot of texture to it, it's chewy and a little less sticky than the regular white rice. It actually tasted pretty good, however both Chris and I still prefer the normal rice.... This could only mean one thing, a trip to the supermarket soon!

Of kimchi and train ride.

Last Wednesday, I went to Daecheon to visit 'Imo' and her family. Her husband ('Imobonim') was recently promoted to Senior Manager position, and they hosted a couple of parties. Their house was full of flowers and plants sent by their friends, and it was difficult to walk around the house without bumping them. I didn't know about this culture of giving baskets of flowers and plants as a way of congratulating someone. I would've brought one if I knew such thing earlier.

'Imo' and her husband are really nice people and I'm pretty close with them. They treat me as family, like the way they treat their nephew Chris. Both of them are more than happy to teach me Korean language and culture, although I could tell they get frustrated at times cause nothing really 'sink in'... . Chris never talks in Korean (except when he's sleep-talking ^^) so there's absolutely no way for me to practice. I studied Korean here at a language school before, and I learned a lot of things (but not enough to carry a conversation entirely in Korean). However, I got lazy and decided to quit. I forgot almost everything I learned, so it really helps that 'Imo' teaches me from time to time.

Before she took me to the train station this morning, she gave me a container full of kimchi...



I'm not really fond of eating kimchi (I've never needed or craved kimchi before ^^), but I know Chris can't survive a meal without one, so I'm thankful she gave me that. I just had to keep a poker face during the 2 hour train ride back to Suwon cause it reeked the whole time! I almost feel sorry for those people on the train. ^^

Of mp3 player and stuff.

I got my new mp3 player last Tuesday night, and so far so good. It's a nice addition to my 1 year old Pink Samsung Yepp (which I accidentally left in Manila and God knows when I can get my hands on them again!) . I was worried that it wouldn't be here on time before I go to Daecheon (went there last Wednesday and stayed there for three days), but good thing it arrived early.

I have more than 70 songs there... mostly alternative, a bit of rock music, and some classical ones. I couldn't be happier with the sound quality and how easy it is to use. One bad thing though, it doesn't play for long... 4 to 5 hours max, just enough for the 4 hour back and forth train ride from Suwon to Daecheon. I just wish I could use it longer...

The Cake.

I wasn't exactly in the celebratory mood last New Year's Day, and all I wanted was to get some sleep. But Chris didn't want to make it an ordinary day so he asked me out on a date. We went to Bennigan's for my favorite baby-back ribs, and it took nearly an hour before we could get a table. We must have spent 3 hours there before we decided to come back home. I took his New Year's picture before we left.



Chris then asked me to go home first. He said he forgot something. When he came home, he was carrying this..



It came with a greeting card that says "Happy New Year's Day... from Oppa". So the New Year's day wasn't exactly jumpin, but nevertheless, he made my day! ^^

Of music and player.

I bought a new mp3 player last night, it'll probably be delivered here on Wednesday. I don't really need something flashy, so it's just the basic thing that'll play all my favorite songs. Besides, I do have my 1 year old Samsung mp3 player that runs very well and still in mint condition (except for a little scratch here and there). It's just too bad I accidentally left it in my room back home. For the time being, I need something to use.

Mp3 is a necessity for me. A huge, huge necessity. I use it whenever I have difficulty in sleeping because apparently, listening to Chopin, Beethoven, and Debussy cures it. And it's so hard for me to stand the subway and bus ride without songs to keep me company. I just can't live without music... it's as indispensable as air.

I'm re-arranging my audio files, and I found this particular song that was played during my sister's wedding. It was so beautifully sang then that I had goosebumps, others started to get teary-eyed. I'd like to share it with everyone so I'm posting it here..

One with the 'Island of the Gods'.

The next day after my arrival back to Korea, I was drained, and my eyes were constantly droopy for not getting a much needed rest. It was crazy having been deprived of sleep for a while, so I slept 12 hours straight. I wanted to sleep longer but I forced my way out of bed knowing I have urgent things to do. I did the laundry, sent things to the drycleaner's, caught up with my reading, and arranged stuff for our trip to Jeju the next day.

We woke up at 5:30 am the following day to catch our early flight. It didn't take more than an hour, and we were soon headed out of the airport. While Chris was making the reservation for the hot-air balloon ride, I was waiting in the car he rented. It wasn't very cold at that time, around 10 degrees or so. It was drizzling, but not enough to soak my jacket. Jeju didn't look any different from the last time I saw it. It was still very windy, like how I pictured it to be.

Chris knew the city by heart as we're frequent visitors, so he didn't need so much help from the maps. As we always did, we went to Yongduam (Dragon Head Beach) first, as it's the nearest to the airport. The wind blew in all direction leaving my hair disheveled all the time.

Then we drove following the coast line, and I can't help but be fascinated by the changing colors of the beach. At some place, it's deep dark blue, and while going further it turns into sapphire, then aquamarine, and even torquoise.

When my eyes got tired of wandering through the beaches, we went to a forest park where we enjoyed the fresh pine scent and the alluring smell of nutmeg. Chris was in a totally different mood, and had his arm resting on my shoulder (normally, he would put his hands warm in his pocket like I do since it's cold and the wind is unbelievable^^). He even kissed me a couple of times when he thought nobody was watching. I asked him why the sudden PDA, and he answered that Jeju has a certain 'pull' in him cause it's a popular place for couples to spend their honeymoon, not that I have any problem with that.

We then drove mostly near Seongsan Ichulbong area. We had mixed seafood soup for lunch there. By 4, he was tired and sleepy and said he wanted to go to the hotel early and take a rest. It was still mildy drizzling and the winds got stronger so I didn't argue with him anymore. We woke up at 9 pm, decided to take a drive and look for a restaurant for dinner. After we ate delicious Jeju samgyeopsal, we went back to the hotel carrying beer. We sat by the glass-encased veranda, and drank beer while watching the waves at night. We woke up early the next day (so~ early that the hotel didn't serve breakfast yet!), to catch the sunrise at Seongsan Ichulbong. It was sooo cold, and the winds were dangerously strong. The clouds were so thick that we didn't see the sunrise. We went to some other places after that, some places I knew like the crater, museums, and the very disappointing mini-mini land where our camera got busted, and we weren't able to take pictures afterwards... Crap!

The other places we went to were all unfamiliar to me, like the two beautiful waterfalls and another sightseeing coast (with lots of Chinese tourists hanging around). Anxiety filled the best of me, the places where we went after the 'camera busting incident' were all unbelievably beautiful, almost surreal in a way. I'm exasperated for not being able to seal those images in photographs! After that, we drove to Jeju City proper back again in preparation for the hot-air baloon ride the next day, but unfortunately, due to the weather conditions, they didn't work. Chris was eyeing for a refund cause he already paid for the two tickets that we didn't use.

The next day was spent hiking in Halla Mountain. By the time we got to the foot of the mountain, it was snowing in large clusters blown by strong winds towards our faces, our hair, and our clothes. It was difficult to stand still. I was shuddering so hard that I clenched my jaw and my hands really tight. Chris stopped to put some chains for the tires. The snow picked up till the ground was completely covered in just a matter of minutes. I've seen snow a lot of times before, but nothing compared to the snow in Mt. Halla. It doesn't fall, it pours... like someone pouring it from a huge bucket above. It was so tightly clustered together that it formed small ice rocks (imagine millions of that, falling together at the same time!), and it created a scrunching sound as soon as it hit our jackets and the ground. We were stopped by the local police at some curb, and told us that they don't allow vehicles to enter, so we have to go there on foot. We walked for 20 minutes in the blizzard-like (Chris calls it ice storm) condition till we reached the entrance of the hiking course. We chose an easy course, cause we didn't have the spiky thing for our shoes, and waterproof clothes. It was so difficult for me to keep pace with Chris cause I'm wearing my Chuck's, and it doesn't work well with snow. Unscathed, we reached the top. It didn't disappoint me, not even a bit. The view was something a person cannot forget for the rest of his/her life. Again, I'm exasperated by being 'camera-less' in a perfect place like that. But the temperature was just too cold to bear, it felt as if the ice seeped right through my veins and bones. We spent a good 15 minutes there before we went down. Whew! Going down was much more difficult and strenuous than I expected. Good thing, it never stopped snowing by the buckets, and the ground wasn't slippery because of the fresh snow.

When we got back to the car, driving became an impossible task for Chris. The previous rain froze and created a film-like cover of thin ice. We slid a couple of times but didn't bump or collided with anything. It was more than lucky..! The next day, we drove some more but we weren't in a rush mode. We had Kalguksu for lunch and ate raw oysters, abalone (our favorite), and other seashells before we drove back to the airport. It was still snowing hard, still making the same scrunching sound, but it melted soon after as it's much warmer than the magical mountain. The winds have become unbearably cold and strong that I was forced to run for warm shelter. Chris flew at a different airline. One of the best things when you're out of the country a lot for business trips, and your mileage accumulated to unfathomable points and you get to ride for free. Oh well..

A rundown.

As if my verry long previous post wasn't enough, I'm going to share a run-down with the things I love about sis' wedding.

1. Flowers - her bouquet was more of the conventional side... lot's of pink roses. The other flowers that adorned the venue was rather impeccably unique. It gives a tropic-ish kind of vibe. Mom arranged it for her. At least she didn't need any florist.

2. Gown - she found this couturier at multiply.com. She's just a newcomer, a budding designer who is brimming with new ideas. It wasn't just a typical serpentina bridal gown... the beading and crystals worked for me. Sis really looked beautiful in her figure-flattering ensemble. The parents of both the bride and the groom wore her creation as well as the prinicipal sponsors. Everyone looked 'smashing' with her design. Even the flower girls who wore a ballerina inspired dresses, accesorized by real flowers pinned on their short skirts, looked pretty.

3. Music - the newly weds didn't shell a single cent for the singers and band. They are all good friends with my sis and they were just so happy to be of service at her wedding. They actually belong to the musical ministry of their church. They played from gospel songs, to acoustics, to jazz, to pop... Other songs were conveniently played right out of my sister's laptop, and it helped that they have a very good sound system that night.

5. Photography - their professional services are for free. Having lots of friends is always a good thing! The head photographer is a good friend of the groom, and he brought his crew with him donning in all black ensemble.

6. Hand-made centerpieces, ornaments, and give-aways - most of the things there were all product of 'Labor of love'. The groom's family and their friends went all out on this. The spa essentials was my sister's idea. And the chocolate give aways was a gift from her maid of honor who flew all the way from U.S.

7. Bubble maker - I never appreciated the use of bubble machines for any kind of event. Not till this one. It gave a sort of magical and fairy-tale like feeling of the place. Especially during the bride's march and the first dance.

8. Time - timing was perfect! The wedding was supposed to start at 3. We ran a little late so it started past four. By the time they had the first kiss, their background was a beautiful and breathtaking sunset.

9. Lighting - at night, the lake was lit with thousands of beautiful colorful lights. The Christmas season sure came in handy. Even the lighthouse right infront of the lake was adorned with colorful lights. The lake was lit with numerous floating hand-made lamps too.

10. Cake - I know I complimented her cake of choice long enough. But seeing it in person, rather than in picture provided by the designer, was a rather different story. Too bad not many people gave attention to it... But I in particular, was dazzled by how beautifully coordinated it looked. As I said before it's blue.. an inspiration they took from the beach. Right on top of the cake was a yacht with two comically looking figurines (so~ not the typical wedding figurines). It's really cute! There were cute little flags that represents the people who came to Manila just to witness their wedding. There's the Australian flag, U.S., Japan, Singapore, Canada, and of course, the korean flag was there. They sort of shied away with the gold trimming, a last minute change from my sister, instead, they removed the trimming and replaced it with starfish, seashells, and dolphins. Simple and straightforward but nevertheless, beautiful in it's own unique way.

The most important factor would be their friends. Without them, it wouldn't be as beautiful and unforgettable as it was. They played a very huge part on making the wedding possible. From the singers, to the bands, to the photographers, the officiating pastor, the coordinator, and even the wedding planner all gave their services for free. Everyone shared their thoughts and ideas as to how they can help make it better. It also helped that my mom got a kick out of helping and designing things herself! She's more on the creative side, a talent she failed to impart us, her children. She did the floral baskets, the wrist corsages that reminded me so much about prom, the flower arrangement of the venue, give aways, and the 'message in a bottle' inspired invitations.

About the wedding.

So I finally landed at MIA Terminal 3, last Dec. 25. The airport, as I expected, was almost empty except for the people who were with me during the flight. It wasn't difficult to look for the person who'll pick me up. I saw him as soon as I went out of the baggage claim area. It didn't take long before we reached home. The roads were as empty as the airport. I'm sure everyone was sitting casually at home, enjoying their noche buena.

When I arrived home, it was almost 3 in the morning. My mom is the only one awake. Everyone was tired and slept early. I ate a few things, left-overs from their noche buena before going to bed. That morning, everyone was busy packing things up in preparation for my sister's wedding the next day. In my case, I'm searching the whole house for clothes I could wear for their garden/beach theme wedding but couldn't find any. The last thing I want is to stick like a sore thumb, so I decided to go on frantic shopping on Christmas day. I need more choices so I went to Megamall (Mall of Asia was too far). I needed something in peach or champagne gold, and it was like looking for a needle in a humongous haystack. Too many clothes, none in peach or champagne gold that suits my taste. After two hours of walking, I finally found the dress I was looking for. It was an empire cut satin dress in reddish and peach floral patterns, and there's a brownish/bronze belt thingy on the waist... After I secured the dress, I went to look for shoes. It wasn't as difficult to look for, unlike the dress, I was able to get a bronze open toed pumps in less than 30 minutes.

By 6 pm, we were on the road going to San Fernando, Pampanga. I wasn't aware that they changed the venue... I thought it was going to be held in Tagaytay. After two hours, we were already in front of the hotel. Everyone was busy meeting the bride and the groom's relatives over dinner, I chose to sleep early. I woke up late the next day, it was almost noon and the wedding was at 3. Everyone was gone and I'm the only one left at the hotel... I took a shower, went to mocha blends for some perk-me-up drink (feeling really sluggish that day^^), and went to the villa they rented inside the resort. The venue was at Lakeshore, a very big place with several villages inside that caters to expats mostly, a huge and beautiful lake, and resort. The roads reminded me of L.A., with all the palm trees strategically aligned. The 2 storey villa with 3 bedrooms was packed with at least 30 people. It was hot and the airconditioner didn't work as much with all those people around. I changed my clothes and did my own make-up just in time for family portraits. Sis asked me if I wanted a stylist to do my hair and make-up but I told her, I don't wanna look 'too made up' but I took the liberty playing with the brush and the body shimmer they used on her... I ended up looking 'decent-enough' for a wedding. The clothes fit me well, and it's comfortable too.

We then went to the lake resort. I was amused how they made it look like a beach. I heard someone commented, 'they brought boracay here with them', and I couldn't agree more. The main place was at the dock of the lake where they made a gazebo. The chairs were neatly arranged with huge dark golden bows at the back. The tables were also there, extending from the back of the arranged chairs to the bermuda clad garden, awaiting the reception that'll soon follow. The tables were nice, decorated in layers of colorful sheets. The center piece for each table was made of bamboo with handmade lamps brought to life by small candles inside, hanging side by side. There were also two long darkly-painted bamboo with holes carrying different colored floating candles to light the tables. The 'tropic-ish' flowers added an elegant touch to the one of a kind centerpiece there. Seashells were also nicely placed in the table together with the plates and other utensils. I couldn't help but be mesmerized.. especially when I saw those cute little bottles with sand and a rolled paper inside. It was their wedding invitation I heard. Even the peach napkin there bore their names in gold prints. Everything, even to the slightest detail was carefully planned, well thought of.

A Pastor from GCF Church officiated the wedding. He chuckled when he saw the rings placed in a giant seashell, slightly covered in sand. It was almost sunset when they said their vows and I do's and it made it all the more romantic. I could tell sis was nervous as her voice was shaking.. the groom was also just as nervous. I couldn't really concentrate on what he was saying cause the wedding singer sang their themesong, and it was so beautiful I even had goosebumps! My sister and the groom are both kindred spirits and both are very active in the church, so I totally understand when they chose a christian song for the most important part of their wedding. A part of the song says "When God made you, he must be thinking about me...", and that's all I can remember.

It was already dark when they had their first dance while the song "Just the way you look tonight" was being sang by another singer. The customary slicing of the cake and throwing of the garter and bouquet was exquisitely executed (now that's a tongue twister^^). After the ceremony, dozens after dozens of mini hot air baloons were lit and launched to the sky. And then the emcee directed our attention to the huge white screen while another guy was tinkering with the projector. It was an Audio Visual Presentation of the bride and groom's pictures when they were young, their highschool and college days, their travels, etc... Next came the food.. It was buffet style with do-it-yourself salads with several dressings to choose from. About 4 kinds of soup was there, and I love the pumpkin soup the most! There was a unique roasted chicken dish, smothered with ground coffee that added a distinct and unique flavor. It was interesting and delicious at the same time.. There's also grilled salmon with lemon butter sauce, then there's this beef dish with a special sauce as well. A vegetable dish was also there, puttanesca and a cream based pasta. Desert is mango crepe in vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate syrup.

After the delicious meal, dance came next. The younger crowd gathered by the gazebo and started to dance. The band played a lot of alternative songs, some reggae, and pop. The older group stood up and went to the table with the blue cake, beside it was a tall pile of mini-version of the cake in cupcake form. They stood there munching on their cupcakes, as if waiting for the oldies music to be played, unfortunately, the band kept playing for the younger crowd. The best they got was a song from ABBA, "Dancing Queen" which cheered them up a bit. After that it's back to the younger crowd. I danced with my escort while the band sang "I'll Be". Sis changed to another dress and let her hair down. She joined us during a song from Lifehouse. It was a really fun wedding, and I'm pretty sure everyone (around 200 of them) had a great time. Before the visitors started to leave, they were given a bar of Lindt's chocolate wrapped in a special wrapper with the bride and grooms picture, and there's a give-away box covered in rafia and ribbons. I heard it's spa essentials like scrub, lotion, massage oils in mini bottles. I didn't bother to get one for myself.

The day after the wedding was my flight back to Korea so I had to wake up early and travel back to Manila. I departed early, I was traumatized with my previous flight experience so I made it sure that I have ample, as in ample time to get to the airport. As I expected, I arrived early, too early even but I don't mind. It's better to be early than late and sorry. And since I have too much time to kill at the airport I went to Jollibee and ate a chicken joy meal. After that I went to Mister Donuts and grabbed coffee and donuts. By the time I finished everything, I was just in time for boarding.

Pictures, soon to follow...

Flight back to Manila.

24th, Christmas Eve, I woke up early to do some last minute shopping for gifts to bring back home. When I was finally done with all the packing and preparation, I took the airport limousine bus that'll bring me to Incheon Int'l Airport. I was the only passenger at that time, thought it's a good thing, but it felt really awkward when the driver did the customary short speech and bowed at me. I was sleepy and tired so I dozed off while endless Christmas songs were being played on the radio. When I woke up, I heard the song "I'll be home for Christmas", thought it was perfect for the situation as I'm literally on my way home for Christmas.

I glanced at my watch every so often, calculating the time it'll take. The bus departed at 6:20 pm, and usually, it takes only about an hour to get to the airport, but considering the traffic I added another hour to my calculation. There was moderate traffic on the road that night, but I sort of expected that. Time and time again, I assured myself that there is nothing to worry about. At 7:30, I eagerly checked the surroundings for signage that'll show where my location was. I was more than surprised when I saw that I was still in Gyeonggi, still far from the airport. I patiently waited but unable to calm myself, my flight was at 9:35, it was past 8 and I was nowhere near Incheon. By the time the clock hit 9, I was in state of panic, and kept on calling Chris to inform the airline that I'm stuck in the worst traffic ever and I'm going to be late. He talked with them and they said they'll wait for me till 9:10, later than that, they wont accept me. I bit my lip hard, at that time I just entered Incheon area and all I could see are endless rows of red tail lights.

My head was in a frenzy of thoughts. Part of me says I won't be able to make it, too bad the ticket isn't rebookable nor refundable. I kept telling myself it's now or never, I can't bear to lose that much money, not now, not ever! I sweated profusely while I prayed for a little Christmas miracle. The bus barely moves and when it does, it's slower than a person running! At 9:20 the roads cleared as we entered the intersection going to the airport. The driver sort of recognized that there is a huge possiblilty that I'm going to miss my flight, so he sped up as fast as he could. As soon as I got off the bus, I ran to the airline booth. It was 9:32 pm when I checked the time.

Even before reaching their designated table, one of the ground staff called my attention from afar, asking if I was Manila bound and I said yes. He then asked if I was Emma, again I said yes while catching my breath (I knew they were expecting me). I let out a sigh of relief when they accepted my passport and handed me the boarding pass. They asked if I have any liquid items or gels in my baggage... Crap! I said to myself. I forgot all about that. I prepared a luggage for 'check-in', and not for 'hand-carry' so obviously I didn't have that 'liquid-thingy rule' in my head while packing. Since I'm late, they could only accept hand-carried ones and I do have wine, and some skin care set I bought as gifts for my family. He said I should give those up and people from the security gate will confiscate those items. I felt really bad but he didn't leave me with any other option, besides, getting on my flight is more important than those things. It was 9:36 so he asked me to proceed and got another staff to escort me to the gate. I told the security personnel who opened my luggage that those items were gifts for my sister's wedding. I was ecstatic that I didn't need to throw those gifts away, I didn't forget to say thanks and I greeted him a Merry Christmas. He must have seen me so stressed, anxious, and in a hurry so he let me pass through easily.

Since the boarding gate is located at the far end of the airport, the staff and I took the train, she seemed oblivious to my presence. She was on her walkie-talkie the whole time and kept on checking her phone so I wasn't able to talk with her. I finally showed up right in front of the gate 10 minutes after the scheduled departure. One staff took my luggage from my hand and stowed it somewhere while I was frantically searching for the ticket and my boarding pass in my pocket. Another staff then asked me to hurry up and enter the plane. As soon as I went in, I looked for my luggage but couldn't find it, so the stewardess had to call an airline staff again and asked about my missing luggage. A different staff came inside the plane and escorted me back to the gate upstairs. He called his crew in the walkie-talkie and at an instant, 7 people showed up, he then asked me to find the person who took it. One guy came forward, explaining to me that when he measured the bag, it wouldn't fit in the overhead compartment so he took the liberty to bring it to the cargo area. I couldn't bear to be angry at him for not informing me before hand, afterall, I'm the cause of delay.

It was way past 10, almost 11 perhaps when the plane took off. I didn't bother to check the time, I just kept my eyes closed, avoiding the stares from fellow passengers. I was so exhausted and it didn't take long before I fell asleep. A stewardess woke me up, handing me my meal and my immigration card. I couldn't be happier knowing I'll be home just in time. The plane arrived an hour late from the scheduled time of arrival. It was 1 am then, officially it was Christmas day, I couldn't help smiling as I go along the almost empty road back home.

Just in time for new year's day.

I just got back from Jeju today. I'm tired, have sore muscles and aches here and there... I'm dying to write stuff about my recent trip to Manila and Jeju, but right now, I badly need to sleep. For the last ten days, I was constantly on the go I barely slept. And due to exhaustion from keeping up with my crazy schedule, I've been floating in and out of consciousness that I can barely keep track of time... I almost forgot that it's Jan 1st today! It's probably late but I would like to wish everyone a happy new year.

flight.

7 hours before my flight back to Manila. I'm feeling anxious to finally see my family. It has only been a month since I went away but somehow it feels much longer than that.

I woke up early, did some final shopping for gifts to bring back home. I forgot to prepare gifts earlier so I was sort of cramming. I didn't realize that there are so many people I need to prepare presents for! I'm glad I was able to get what I needed in a short amount of time. Two hours to be exact! I decided to stick to my original plan and give my sister the wine... with permission from Chris of course! I had it wrapped nicely with peach and gold shimmering ribbons. I know she'll like it.

Time to pack things up...

Of Christmas, weddings, and gifts.

It's decided, I'm going to spend Christmas back in Manila! I haven't really claimed it till I got my hands on the ticket today. It wont be long though, I have to get back here on the 27th. Chris and I are flying to Jeju a day after I come back. We'll probably stay there till New Year's day.

On the 26th, my younger sister will get married at a lake resort just outside Manila. I have to attend, although I cringe at the thought of seeing some of my relatives I hated for so long. It's a deep, deep hate but I don't exactly have a choice. Out of sheer diplomacy, my sister invited them... I was groaning inside after she told me the news that they're comin but I'm good enough to hide my disgust. It's her wedding afterall.. I don't wanna ruin it with my childish idiocy. I have two big problems though... First, I don't have a wedding gift for her yet! I know it's stupid not to think about that since they were engaged for a year and a half. It should've been enough to gather my thoughts and get her something special for that special day. But all along, I thought I wouldn't be able to attend her wedding so I let this one slip. Right now, I don't know what I should give her... I haven't been really attending weddings that much and I don't have any idea what kind of gifts do people give. Should I give her a quilt? A comforter perhaps? But those are too big.. I'd look hideous carrying a gift that big! Plates? Cups and Saucers? But being a klutz is second nature to me and I'm not sure whether she'll recieve it in one piece. I've got my eye on a bottle of Blanco Semi Dolce wine sitting by the cupboard for ages. But Chris is saving that special wine for New Years Day. What will he think after he discovered that it's gone? That I took it. I just hope he wouldn't be that disappointed. Second, I don't have anything to wear! This poses a bigger risk of humiliation. Her motif is peach and gold... I remember reasoning to her about this. I always thought peach and gold are just too debutant-like.. She thinks it's sweet, nice, and 'safe', but if it makes her happy, I can live with that. To make her feel better, I complimented her choice for the wedding cake.. It's blue with gold trimmings.. I thought it's young, fun, and 'edgy'. Right now, even if I try my hardest to remember if I have anything peach or gold, stashed somewhere to wear for the wedding, my head goes blank. I know for a fact that peach has never been my 'color', but gold? I'll surely question my sanity if I bought something sparkly and glittery like gold to wear. I'm running out of ideas right now. I'm landing a little past midnight and I'm absolutely sure I can't buy a 'livable' peach colored dress at that time. We're leaving as soon as I arrive home, to go to the resort and do some final preps. Thinking about it makes me frantic, almost hyperventilated. I'm bound to stick like a sore thumb donning too casual clothes or probably a too formal one. My backup plan would be staying out of the spotlight and cameras.. I'll probably survive.

Other stuff are just minor and insubstantial like whether I should wear mascara or not.. Weddings can be a melodramatic event.. Especially in her case.. My Uncle is going to bring her to the altar... And it will surely bring tears to the whole family considering my father died last year. Waterproof mascaras are no good for me when I start to well up.. I think I should stay away from any eye-makeup for that matter...

So much for craving an action packed adventure in my boring life! This is more than what I asked for...

Slideshow.

Since I got plenty of time in my hands, I tried making this slideshow video of Robert Pattinson from the movie "Twilight" and I posted it on Youtube.. I got tired watching other people's video so I tried making it myself, hoping I could come up with something even better. But I'm totally a newbie so please bear with me. And I know I'm not supposed to rant about this, but the windows that I use here is in "K-O-R-E-A-N"! I could change it to English but I didn't want Chris to feel uncomfortable cause afterall, it's his computer.

Absurd as it may seem, but I can't shrug Edward's face out of my head. He has affected me tremendously that I bought all four books from the Twilight Saga. I finished the first book "Twilight", 3 days after I got it. I'm looking forward to start with the next book "New Moon" hopefully by tomorrow. I acknowledge my addiction instead of fighting it, he has been my fix, keeping me sane (or insane?) throughout the day. And it aint gonna stop till I set foot in London, and I get to breathe the same british air as he does.



A lousy update:

I started reading the next book "New Moon" last night and I'm done by dinner time today. I wish it could've entertained me longer.

Purchases.

As much as I would love to update my blog often, I can't seem to find the time (and the creative inspiration) to write things that has been happening lately. There are a lot of things going on in my life right now.. wait, that is a L-I-E.. not much has been happening in my boring life. There.. I said it. It wasn't easy to get it right out of my chest. I'm officially bored. I hate to admit it cause all along I thought my life is full of zest that I'd be the last person (among the people I know) who'll get bored. I'm basically bored with everything! The food I eat, the clothes I wear, even the color of the walls and floor. Everyday is a sickening routine.. Waking up early, tidying the house, doing the laundry, doing the dishes, sleep, eat, surf the net..

I need to get out, see other people's faces, breathe some fresh air; a very good excuse to go out and shop ^^. So I went to the mall (as if I'm gonna get some fresh air there..), it's the only place I know that can cure boredom. When I'm at the mall, I like looking at people's faces (in a discreet manner of course) and their expression, they always look busy and stuff. It's hard to find people who walk here leisurely as I do cause they're always rushing. Most people here don't walk.. I call it prancing.. they walk really, really fast as if they're running!

To make the long story short, I bought this cute little jacket.. ^^ It's nice and comfy and it doesn't make me look fat. I hate the extra pounds I gained so I'm kinda looking for something that would accentuate my curves and not actually make it look bigger. It's warm and comfy.. perfect for the cold weather.

My face looked really pale these days. I know it's my fault for staying indoors most of the time and evading myself of Vitamin D. I think my face needed a boost of color so I went shopping for makeup. So I got a 'moist' powder pact. If not for the gracious saleslady today, I would never know that there are different compact powder for people who have oily and dry skin. Silly me... I'm used to spending not more than two minutes whenever I buy a compact and I'm pretty sure, I didn't read the specs... My case, I needed a moist pact cause the winter air makes it dry.

I was only planning to buy a face powder but there are so many stuff that enticed me. They're on sale (another good excuse!) so I got a couple other items more like some liner, eyeshadow, mascara and lipgloss (I can't seem to get enough of them^^). I'm particularly happy with the lipgloss I bought in lovely peach color. It's actually a lip balm like what the saleslady said. It's very light, with a very slight hint of color, and it smells nice; more like a bubblegum and strawberry parfait (luscious indeed!). It reminded me of those "Born Lippy" lipbalms I used when I was in high-school. It doesn't come in tube like that of a normal lipgloss so you have to use your finger or Q-Tips to rub it on your lips.

On my way home, I sweated profusely doing some mental calculation of won-dollar-peso conversion. I was so engrossed counting zeroes and stuff that I missed my stop!

I'm so~ not over him yet!

I can't, I just can't seem to shake this whole Robert Syndrome thing right out of my head. I badly need an antidote...! I've been looking at his pics, videos, interviews, and even his songs.. What more can I do...?

It's totally outrageous how hot he is! I can't believe I would ever see a guy (well, not in real life) as beautiful as he is. It's not fair, if all men are just like him then there will be no poverty, nor crime or war... People are just gonna be busy looking and droolin at his face.

Sigh, I need to go to London. I want to... I have to experience breathing the same British air as he does... ^^

A random video I found courtesy of windycrazy... I recommend you skip the intro and fast-forward to 0:17...

The Twilight Phenomena

Well, I'm not one of the crazed fans raving about their favorite book turned into a movie. But I guess I'm a bit psyched knowing it has so many fans out there. So last night, I dragged Chris to go to the theaters and watch "Twilight" with me. He wasn't exactly thrilled and he didn't even try to conceal his dismay, just kept on lamenting that it's a teeny-bopper, high-school flick and he wasn't even the slightest bit interested in movies like that. But since I grabbed him strongly by the arm, he didn't exactly have a choice. So we finally got the 7:20 pm tickets and since the show was about to start 2 minutes after he purchased it, I didn't bother to buy some munchies. Glad I didn't cause as soon as I sat comfortably, it started.

What can I say...? I realized three things.. 1. Just like Bella, I'm irrevocably and unconditionally in love with Edward Cullen(Robert Pattinson) 2. He's a vampire 3. Yes, it's a typical teeny-bopper flick (with a slight twist) and I don't care. If I'm going to rate it in a 10 point scale, I'd give it a 10.5! It's not actually the best movie there is or does it have the most exceptional story of all time.. but it caught 101% of my attention and with every minute that passed, I silently wished it wouldn't end soon. How's that for a movie?! The story is so-so, mediocre... Acting was good, they portrayed the roles quite convincingly. Sound effects was not bad at all and I like the music they played. But the cast is exceptional, they did a good job getting all those actors and actresses.. they were all good looking, (eye-candy all the way esp. Edward!).

I'm not sure what is happening to me.. I'm not really acting like myself after watching the movie. It sort of has some spell on me.. I'm smitten, I know... I couldn't sleep last night, I was wide awake at 2 am, watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire just because Robert Pattinson is there and I'm not even a Harry Potter fan! And in my deranged mind, I'm thinking.. He's 6'1 and I'm 5'5, He's Brit and I'm (gulp!) Asian...(so on and so forth..). Oh God, I need a cure.














And the kiss that got me all twisted!!!!




Check the trailer here...

Friday fun.

Chris finished his 5 day work related training in Seoul last friday. On his last day, he asked me to meet him there. Like any obedient girlfriend, I said yes and waited for him but there was a sudden last minute meeting that he had to attend to and he was an hour late. For the whole hour, I decided to spend it walking around the neighborhood till I came across Deoksugung palace nearby. The fee is 1,000 won and the place wasn't all that bad.. I enjoyed checking the place out and taking some pictures. Here's what I saw...







Overall the palace tour was actually fun, except for 2 unpleasant (minor and extremely petty) things I experienced. Before I went to the palace, I dropped by Holly's Cafe and got a tall cup of coffee. It's really nice having something warm to drink while leisurely strolling someplace right? However, they don't allow food nor drink at the entrance. Other palaces didn't exactly have this rule.. Instead of throwing away the cup of coffee, I decided to drink it as fast as I could.. mind you, it's really hot and it left me with a scalded tongue. I was a bit disappointed when I saw several vendo machines that sells beverages and coffee inside.. The other thing was at the restroom.. There were a lot of Chinese tourists and the restroom was packed. While I was freshening up in front of the mirror, a middle aged Chinese woman accidentally poured soda on my skirt while hurrying to get some tissue. It's winter and soda was cold so I let out a mild scream. I didn't get an apology or a 'sorry-look' from the woman. Nothing at all.. I was totally ignored.. She left as if nothing happened while I was helplessly cleaning my skirt with a bunch of wet tissues... pissed, but I didn't say a thing although my gut tells me to demand an apology from her. With a scalded tongue and a wet skirt, I went to our meeting place and met Chris.. We then went to Jongro area and passed by Cheonggyecheon.



For dinner, we went to a well-being samgyeopsal restaurant near the area. The restaurant had at least 20 people waiting in line for a table so it must be popular. We had to wait for 35 minutes before we could actually get a table. I know I made a promise to stay away from soju but on that night, I had a couple of shots. I was extra careful not to get drunk so I filled my stomach with a lot of side-dishes and meat in between. One good thing, it was cold that night (extra cold since I'm wearing a mini-skirt) and soju warmed me up a bit. I was able to get a picture of our dish but it wasn't clear enough so I was thinking twice before posting it here...



The food was interesting.. Instead of sangchu, thin strips of ddeok was used to wrap the meat. It was my first to see this... There are also a couple of sauces and powder like seasoning that you put together with the usual garlic and ssamjang. I still prefer the old fashion way of using korean wrapping lettuce for samgyeopsal.

After eating, we went to a music bar and had a bottle of western beer each. The place was nice, they played songs which I like... It was almost midnight when Chris and I decided to go home.

Dreams...

Chris and I are unusually arguing a lot lately. Just minor issues that are totally unnecessary like his frequent drinking spree with his co-workers, how long it takes for him to shop, or his interest in playing online games and stuff like that. I should know better cause I've known him for more that 3 years now, but why does it feel like I'm still in the whole adjustment period...? Is relationship about never-ending adjustment? Why do I feel like there are still so many things I have yet to know about him, his country or his culture...? And why can't I still speak in Korean so it wouldn't be awkward whenever I meet his parents? Why can't I feel any sense of belongingness whenever I'm with his friends or his family? Ehyu, have a lot of questions in my head but I don't know where to get some answers. Being with him is just so overwhelming..

Can't help but think of the time when we're still in the Phil. Everything seemed easy back then. All we could think of is love and nothing else. We didn't want to be separated and all we wanted is to stay close to each other... But now, why do I sometimes wish I can be anywhere but here? I guess I'm just overwhelmed with all the things, the house chores, meeting his friends, meeting his family and relatives, our cultural differences, everything.. But I know I love him, and he loves me. It is what keeps us together. And I know that I can't possibly live without him so I chose to have a rather complicated life here.

Last night, just before he went to sleep, I asked what his dream is, he answered to live in Phil with me so I wouldn't feel difficult anymore. Suddenly, all my insecurities and hatred went away... I understood him more. Then I remembered how much I miss him whenever we're away from each other and how much we're willing to spend just to talk to each other on the phone. We have to be together even if it meant a thousand more arguments to come... I'm really sure that I fell in love with the right guy, someone who'll go the extra mile just to make me happy and have a comfortable life. I really hope one day, he'll be able to accomplish his dream.