Musical tale of 100's.

I acknowledge that I'm a music lover in every sense of the word... I start my day with music, and I also end it with one. I can't imagine a day passing without hearing my favorite songs! When I'm outside, a player is perpetually glued to my ears... and without it, everything feels oddly quiet ^^ I also have a very short attention span and music helps me concentrate, especially when I'm doing something important. So it's kinda helpful in a way. I remember when I was young, I had difficulty memorizing the multiplication table, so my mom bought me a casette tape that plays the multiplication song. In no time, I memorized it. Mom figured, if I can memorize my nursery rhymes, I could also do it with numbers, and she was right! It was then I knew that music can actually help my brain function better...

I appreciate so many kinds of music.. but there are the ones I can't stand like Techno Pop. It's impossible for me to stand listening to one.. The beat and redundant lyrics peeve me so much. I also hate Jazz that uses a lot of trumpet sounds, cause it sounds like an 'impish fart', and unconsciously you find your toe tapping to the beat, your arms swayin a bit, to the sound of 'IMPISH FART' ?! Sorry for my choice of words... Slow Rock songs from the late 80s to early 90's are also unacceptable to my ears. It's pure torture listening to one. If I get to listen to it the whole day, I swear, my ears will definitely bleed! Country music, unfortunately, is also included in my growing stupid list of unacceptable music. I'm not sure why, but I tend to associate country music with horses (I'm a very strange girl and I know that). Then there's this Crunk music, a.k.a. "suffer-me-no-more"... Some of my friends like Crunk, but I always thought it's all noise, like some random guy blabbing non-stop then one day, they decided to call it music! OK, I dread writing this... Death Metal (or any music associated with the word 'METAL' for that matter), we all know the reason why everybody hates this kind of music. I'm struggling to even type it, and I'm sure my voice will edge up a few octave when I say it out aloud. That's how much I hate it! The last one may come as a surprise to many, and I'm not sure exactly what genre this music belongs to, but I call it some Creepy Choir Music . It scares the hell out of me. Like the stuff they play in horror flicks with old churches as their backdrop... or something like that.

Let's go to the good part.. songs which I like.. I have like 500 of them, but since my player could only accomodate a limited number of songs (cause I'm also listening to a couple of audio books and it takes a lot of space too ^^), I skimmed a hundred of my favorites out of the 500. And it proved to be more difficult than I anticipated. Favorites among favorites, weird analogy. The list changes from time to time, like I'd replace a couple of songs with other ones... But mostly, I'd stick to this kind of genre. I usually get my inspiration from OST's, movies or TV shows that played it, and some random music videos that I chanced upon. My sister thinks it's not very original, I just roll my eyes and tell her "So?"... Her chick music preference isn't really appealing to me. I don't hate it but I don't like it either. But sometimes, it gets to my nerves. Like when she put the song "Bleeding Love" in repeat mode, and I got to hear it repeatedly.

1. Amy Ward - Every Day Is Like The Weekend
2. Anna Nalick - Breathe
3. Avril Lavigne - My Happy Ending
4. Blue Foundation - Eyes on fire
5. Breaking Benjamin - So Cold
6. Brendan Benson - Biggest Fan
7. Bush - Inflatable
8. Coldplay - Violet_Hill
9. Collective Soul - Tremble For My Beloved
10. David Archuleta - Crush
11. David Cook - The time of my life
12. Dido - Life for rent
13. Dishwalla - Angels or Devils
14. Dishwalla - Collide
15. Dishwalla - Every Little Thing
16. Dishwalla - Far Away
17. Dishwalla - Somewhere In The Middle
18. Dropping Daylight - Tell Me
19. Emerson Hart - I Wish The Best For You
20. Emerson Hart - If You're Gonna Leave
21. Eva Cassidy - Time After Time
22. Everclear - Wonderful
23. Faber Drive - Summer Fades To Fall
24. Faber Drive - Tongue Tied
25. Faber Drive - When I'm With You
26. Fuel - Forever
27. Fuel - Gone
28. Fuel - Wasted Time
29. Full Moon - The Black Ghosts
30. Goo Goo Dolls - Before It's Too Late
31. Graham Colton - Best Days
32. Gwen Stefani - In The Morning
33. Hilary Duff - Wake up
34. Iron and wine - Flightless Bird, American Mouth
35. Jars of Clay - Worlds Apart
36. Jason Mraz - I'm Yours
37. Keane - Everybody's Changing
39. Keane - Somewhere Only We Know
40. KT Tunstall - Other Side Of The World
41. Lifehouse - Broken
42. Lifehouse - Everything
43. Lifehouse _ Breathing
44. Lifehouse - First Time
45. Linkin Park - Leave Out All The Rest
46. Marie Digby - Unfold
47. Matt Nathanson - Car Crash
48. Michelle Featherstone - Rest Of My Life
49. Miley Cyrus - 7 Things
50. Mindy Smith - Falling
51. Mindy Smith - One Moment More
52. Missy Higgins - They Weren't There
53. Missy Higgins - Where I Stood
54. Muse - Super Massive Black Hole
55. Muse - Invincible
56. Muse - Starlight
57. Muse - Bliss
58. MuteMath - Spotlight
59. Nickelback - Savin me
60. One Republic - Mercy
61. One Republic - Stop and Stare
62. Paramore - Decode
63. Paramore - Hallelujah
64. Paramore - Adore
65. Paramore - My Heart
66. Remy Zero - Perfect Memory
67. Sarah McLachlan - Fallen
68. Seether - Love Her
69. Seether - All The Same
70. Seether - RIse Above This
71. Skillet- Falling Inside The Black
72. Skillet - The Older I Get
73. Snow Patrol - Signal Fire
74. State Of Shock - Best I Ever Had
75. Steadman - Wave Goodbye
76. Stereophonics - It Means Nothing
77. Stereophonics - Maybe Tomorrow
78. The Wreckers - The Good Kind
79. The Crash Motive - Dont Shut Your Eyes
80. The Exies - Tired Of You
81. The Spill Canvas - The Tide
82. The Spill Canvas - All Over You
83. The Spill Canvas - Lullaby
84. The Wreckers - Hard to Love You
85. Three Doors Down - So I Need You
86. Thriving Ivory - Angels on the Moon
87. Timbaland ft. One Republic - Apologize
88. Train - Calling All Angels
89. Twelve Stones - Fade Away
90. Twelve Stones - Running Out Of Pain
91. Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want
92. Vertical Horizon - Goodbye Again
93. VonRay - Inside Out
94. Yellowcard - Only One
95. Claude Debussy - Claire de Lune
96. Claude Debussy - Reverie
97. Claude Debussy - The Girl with the Flaxen hair
98. Ludwig van Beethoven - Pathetique Movement
99. Ludwig van Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata
100.Chopin - Raindrops

Of Ditching and whole lot more.

Yesterday, Chris kept bugging me to go and visit Yeouido area. The weather was warm so he thought it was a good chance to visit some place. But I refused cause Sunday is supposed to be a 'lazy day' for me. I was also having stomach cramps at that time, and the last thing I would like to do is to walk for a long period of time. He said he was bored from playing Starcraft and wanted to go out. He recently visited a 'very good' restaurant (in his description) in the area, together with his co-workers and he would like to take me there. His reason was sincere enough, but still I refused.

I tried to exaggerate the faint illness I felt, so he would stop pestering me and would just continue playing Starcraft. But he didn't. Instead, he sat down and watched TV with me. Since I ditched, he said he might as well suffer me with his sarcastic jokes. That is one thing I hate the most about him. He likes playing around, telling jokes that are absolutely not funny, just to annoy me. He said he likes it when I get annoyed, and I can never understand why. Chris is a totally different person when he's at home. He's more like a child and overly playful. At first, during the earlier stages of dating, I thought it's kind of romantic and fun. But now, it's sooo not! I'd rather he's quiet and serious. The worst he does is when he mimics me and he would say some weird tagalog words that makes me laugh uncontrollably, and that annoys the hell out of me.

I refused to cook that day as a way of punishing him. So he was forced to prepare lunch all by himself. He can't really cook, but he was able to come up with some fried mandu, rice, ramyeon (the only food he knows how to cook), and kimchi. We ate in silence afterwards. He had to do the huge pile of dishes after that and clean up his mess, while I was watching Shawshank Redemption on TV. When he finished everything, I suppose he had a new found respect for women. He was tired so he stopped goofing around, which was a good thing of course. When it was time for dinner, he just asked me to eat outside. I guess he didn't want to be subjected with the misery of preparing dinner. Menu was sundae-gopchang-bokkeum. It wasn't so good so I didn't bother to take a picture of it.

It wasn't so bad ditching Yeouido. I had a lot of fun seeing Chris having a hard time cooking. Don't get me wrong, I love the place especially 63 Bldg (where scenes from the drama "My girl" was shot) and the Han River Cruise.

A terrible day.

It's a terrible, terrible day today! By the way, I don't usually try to repeat a word if I don't truly meant it. Here's why;

I woke up early, as usual. I prepared coffee in the coffee machine and just when I was about to pour it, the lid accidentally came loose, and 'hot-brimming-pot-full' of coffee was poured all over my right hand. What a terrible way to start my day, I told myself. After washing my hand, I tried to clean the mess that splattered in so many places in the kitchen. I really hated this part...

Then I started making breakfast, while Chris is in the shower getting ready for work. I was making pancakes, but I forgot to put baking soda so it didn't rise. It looked more like a crepe than pancakes so I just threw it all away. Chris came looking for breakfast, but I told him that I completely messed everything, and that he should go get one somewhere else. He must have sensed my despicable temper problem, so he didn't try to bother me anymore and left for work quietly. The sticky mess was hard to get rid off, so I went to take a shower to clean up. When I was about to dry my hair, I got electrocuted by the hair dryer when I plugged it in!

And now, I'm eating pop corn for lunch cause the Home Plus delivery people are supposed to arrive at 11, but they're still a 'no-show'. Can it get any worse than this?! A scalded hand and a sore thumb? By the way, I was so pissed with the hair dryer that I threw it away for garbage disposal. But I'm seriously contemplating to get it back again. Just the thought of having wet hair in a cold winter day petrifies me. Oh well....

Of Friday's meat dinner.

We went to our favorite meat restaurant last night for dinner, and it was my first time to see the place so full with people that it was difficult to get a table. Instead of ordering our usual menu of samgyeopsal "삼 겹 살" and Dwejigalbi "돼 지 갈 비", we tried the assorted meat in a platter that has 5 different kinds of meat. It was a good choice cause it has a little of everything.. ^^





I personally liked galbi sal "갈 비 살" the most from what they served. It's so juicy and tender, really delicious! It tasted so much like a prime rib-eye steak! Galbi sal are the small pieces of beef that looks more like a chopped steak in the first picture above.

Boys over Flowers.

I was restraining myself from watching the new KBS drama "꼿 보 다 남 자" or "Boys over Flowers", cause I know how addicted and obsessed I can be over dramas like that. But today, I finally gave in and opened pandora's box! I just wanted to take a sneak peak but I instantly got hooked! I couldn't stop watching after I saw the first episode, and now I feel like a drug addict experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Waiting for the next one just kills me...

I really enjoyed watching Meteor Garden and Hana Yori Dango before, so I was really psyched about the whole Korean adaptation thing. Who could forget those four gorgeous Taiwanese models who played F4 back then..? I even went to their concert, bought their albums that unleashed the 'fan-girl' in me, and I even dreamed of going to Taiwan... Then came Matsumoto Jun and Inoue Mao who got impeccable chemisty that made me watch the drama and movie with absolute eagerness. They also brought me to like the boy group 'Arashi'...

The Korean version however, is a little disappointing (just a little, mind you). I think they are all gorgeous but something is lacking with their acting. Gu Hye Seon, the girl who plays Geum Jan Di (Tsukushi) isn't as feisty as she should be. She tries really hard to be cute that it's annoying. Lee Min Ho, who plays Goo Jun Pyo (Tsukasa) isn't arrogant and 'bad-enough' for the role. But he's really cute though. Is it just me or he bears a slight resemblance to Dao Ming Zi in Meteor Garden? Well, probaby it's only because they're playing the same role... It's too soon to tell whether it's a so-so or a great drama, but I think it's really worth watching..

Jok Bal.

Last night, I was too tired to cook so I just bought jok bal 족 발 for our dinner. It costs 16,000 won at GS Supermarket, quite expensive I should say, but it's cheaper when you get it at big supermarkets like Emart or Homeplus. Jok bal or pig's feet doesn't sound exactly appetizing, but for those who haven't tried it, I guarantee that it's good (just stay away from the cartilaginous and bony part like I do^^). I'm a bit squeamish so I didn't want to try it before, cause the very thought of eating an animal's foot makes me quiver. And no matter how hard Chris prodded, I never dared to take a bite... But it all changed when we went to his bestfriend's house. They served this for dinner... It's rather impolite not to eat since they made an effort to prepare it, so I forced myself to taste it, and to my surprise.. I liked it. It's actually good, just don't be decieved with the way it looks.

Frozen lake.

While strolling in Gwacheon area, I saw this frozen lake. It's beautifully surrounded by purplish pine trees. It was already past sunset when I saw this and I would love to see it in daytime too. I'm sure it's even more beautiful.

A cold day at the Zoo.

Yesterday, Chris and I went on a date. We went to Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon to see some animals. It was very cold so it was a bit difficult to move around.. We didn't exactly plan on going to a zoo.. He wanted to visit a theme park but the weather is too cold for rides, so he thought about doing something else. When he saw those cute animals shown on TV, it gave him an idea to visit a zoo instead...

We took the lift to get to the top of the mountain... It was a total waste of money cause it only gave us chills... It was freezing cold and windy that we didn't get to appreciate the view. To Chris, it was pure torture, having to put up with that height and temperature..



There were only few people there, the place was almost empty which is totally understandable, considering the weather and all that. But I learned a very good lesson, and that is... never to visit a zoo in winter cause most of the animals are hibernating. But we got lucky and I got to see some animals (or we would've demanded a refund^^).




All in all, the zoo trip was a little disappointing. The place needs serious renovation.. It's old, dilapidated (in some place), and a little dirty. But the animals are well-kept, they look healthy and the zoo has a lot of variety (if you get to see them awake). One thing I'm positive, we're not coming back anytime soon.

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.