To A Prettier You.

I love make up, I love buying, experimenting, and wearing them. As much as I love to wear make up, I know that it's not good for the skin, so I only use it when necessary. On normal days when I don't have any appointment, I follow this weird 5 km rule whether or not I should wear make up. 5 kms is the distance from our house to the subway station, and if I go some place less than that distance, I don't wear make up, but further than that, I have to wear.

Like every girl I know, I also have a small "kikay kit" which I always bring whenever I go some place important. It only has a couple of things, and most of them are really basic and simple. I don't really go for heavy make up that really covers the face and alters the appearance. I like to keep everything light and natural. Here are the products I use:

***

Skin Food Aloe Sun BB Cream SPF 20

*Skin Food is my favorite brand when it comes to BB cream (I use it instead of foundation). For me, their Aloe Sun is the best, I really like it cause it's not that oily compared to Gingko, and not as runny as Mushroom, but be sure to apply it on a well-moisturized face. It goes on light and smooth, and it smells nice like that of Aloe Vera. It doesn't give much coverage though.

***

The Face Shop Flower Radiance Powder Pact NB23 *I like that it's so light on the skin and it gives you a nice matte finish. It also has a subtle minty, freshly-cut grass smell that I really love. And the best thing about it, the SPF 50 PA +++ that gives your skin both UVA/UVB protection.

***
Skin Food Sugar Bloom Shadow Box in Pink Haze Bloom

*I'm not really big on eyeshadow, and it's something I'd usually skip. But if I need a splash of color to my eyes, I use this shadow box. The colors are nice and subtle, and it's not too 'metallic' and shimmery.

***
The Face Shop Color to Cheek in Pink 103

*Brush can easily pick the pigments of the blush, hence application is a breeze. The color is really subtle too, so you don't have to worry about overdoing it. It also has light reflecting pigments that gives you a radiant and luminous effect.

***
Beauty Credit Lovely Lip Balm in Peach (silver case), Maybelline Fruit Jelly in Watermelon Red, The Face Shop Cushion Touch Jelly Tint in Strawberry

*I don't wear lipstick, but I love using lip gloss, lip balms, and tints. They're my favorite cosmetic products, and something I can't get enough of. The Face Shop's jell tint is really good. It smells like succulent strawberries, the color goes on for hours, and it has the gloss that I wanted. When the gloss wears out, usually after a meal, I apply lip gloss or lip balm on top of it.

***

Maybelline Volum' Express Turbo Boost Mascara, Skin Food Black Bean Eyebrow Pencil

*Maybelline has always been my favorite brand for mascara. The Turbo Boost mascara gives you 5x thicker and longer lashes in just one sweep. I like it's patented 'anti-clump' brush, it makes application a breeze. It doesn't curl your lashes like that of "Hypercurl", so be sure to use a lash curler first before using it. *Skin Food's Eyebrow pencil is also good. It's mechanical so it delivers easy application and you don't have to sharpen it. It's waterproof for all day wear, and it comes with a brush (like that of mascara) to blend the color and comb your brows.

Music for the Shallow.

While waiting for the new season of "Gosspil Girl", I started watching this show called "90210", and yes it's a spin-off from the popular TV series in the 90's. Overall, it's lower than mediocre, but even with all the unimaginative plotlines, sickening melodrama, never-ending relationship issues, and actors who desperately need acting classes, I still find it entertaining (I'm pretty shallow and I'm not that hard to please). And as a bonus, they've got really great music, and that kinda makes me look forward to the next couple of episodes. Well, here are my current favorites.


*Lenka - "Trouble Is A Friend"

*Carolina Liar - "Show Me What I'm Looking For"

*Snow Patrol - "Crack The Shutters"

*Joshua Radin - "Vegetable Car"

*Greg Laswell - "How The Day Sounds"

Ooops!

Just when you thought you've seen it all...

Fall Came Early: The Big and Final Rush.

On our last day, Chris took me to a place called Cheorwon. It's a small county in Kangwon-do located right next to the border of North Korea. Military outposts and men in uniform are all over the place, and that bothered me for some reason. It was still summer when we visited, but it felt more like mid-autumn. I heard this is one of the coldest areas in South Korea, and I can't even begin to imagine how cold it gets come winter here.

There are many sightseeing places in Cheorwon, and the first we visited was Chiktang Waterfall by the river. It's about 5 meters high and 80 meters wide. They call this "The Niagara of Korea", it may not be as grand, but it has it's own charm.

This is no ordinary bridge, and not for the faint-hearted either. At the uppermost part, there is a platform where people fall in line to do bungee-jumping.

I admit how much of a wimp I've become ever since I started celebrating birthdays past the age of 21. I'm always afraid to step out of my comfort zone and do something risky. But at the same time, I also crave for this one big adventure, and do something wild and freeing. Chris knew exactly where to get that 'rush' I've been craving for. We went rafting in Hantan river with a couple other guys. It was hard and scary as hell, but it also felt incredible! *sorry for the blurry photos, we used a waterproof bag for the camera to protect the lens.

This was our group, all noisy and rowdy. Midway through the course, the guide asked us all to jump into the river. The river is about 15 meters deep, and the current is really strong, I got really scared and stayed behind.. But the guide pushed me off the boat so I ended up swimming with the others and doing this thing called "body rafting". I choked and swallowed a bit of water, shouted a couple of times, and I think I almost got a hypothermia. But in the end I had so much fun, and I can't thank him enough for pushing me into the river (I would never have the courage to jump^^).

There is an area in Hantan River they call Goseokjeong. They say this is Cheorwon's best sightseeing place. The scenery here is so beautiful, even royalties from ancient dynasties visited here often.

There weren't a lot of tourists in Cheorwon that day. Other than a couple of farmers driving that '3-wheeled-thing' they use on the field, most of the roads are as empty as this.

It's so unusual to see this much flat surface in Korea.

The last place we visited was Sambuyeon Waterfall. It stands about 20 meters high, and the rock formation here is so impressive. This is probably the best waterfall I've seen so far in all of Korea.

I would miss so many things about this place, but most importantly, I would miss the peace that surrounded us while we were there. We don't get that in the city. For sure we'll be back, the leaves may have withered by then or the water may have turned to ice. But I'm positive it's going to be equally beautiful, if not even more.

Fall Came Early: A Traveler's Happy Ground.

We live in such a wonderful world, and there's no end to the adventures we can have if we only seek them. For me, traveling is such a liberating thing to do, to be in a place so unfamiliar, to see and experience things you could only imagine, and to learn more about the world and appreciate what God has blessed us with. It doesn't matter if the journey is long, if the roads are winding and tortuous, or if you fell off the beaten paths and take unexpected routes. Traveling after all isn't about arriving at your chosen destination, it's more about the amazing journey to get there.

One of the things I look forward to when traveling is a cozy and comfortable place where we could retire at the end of the day. More than fancy hotels, I love to stay in pensions and have barbecue outdoors while drinking and enjoying the scenery. Chris found exactly the place I had in mind, located at the remotest part of Chuncheon right beside Bukhan river. The pension is surrounded by thick pine trees and seasonal wildflowers. The owner was gracious to give us the best room in the house, with riverfront view of the river, and a small hill nearby, thick with chestnut trees and dawdling squirrels.

There is a short trail that leads to the river, and at the side of the bank, there is a small tree house that looks really romantic and perfect for couples like us.

The tree house is small and it smelled like fresh paint, but it's also cute and the view inside is just mesmerizing. We had barbecue there and drank beer and wine for hours before calling it a night and retreating to our room.

Despite the cold winterish air, we kept the windows open that night while sleeping. At the first sight of light, I woke up. This was around 5:30 am, and Chris woke up soon after. We went to an early morning stroll around the pension hoping to see more of the squirrels and the river.

That morning I was shivering from the cold and the drizzle. We went inside the tree house again, and sitting there, wrapped in a beach towel, and drinking warm coffee was surely a perfect way to start yet another amazing journey.

Crisp early morning air, dewy grass and pinetrees, mountain covered in delicate fog, and squirrels loafing idly in search for breakfast... Could there be a more beautiful morning than this?

Fall Came Early: Taking A Cold Dip.

I come from a big city where traffic and pollution are the ones that greet us in the morning. Fog, dewdrops, and crisp early morning air are basically non-existent there. I was always surrounded by buildings and asphalted roads that's why from my earliest childhood, it was my deepest wish to be with nature. Here in Korea, I'm repeatedly drawn to mountains and valleys where I could watch the flow of water for hours on end without getting tired or irritable. I think of it as a life itself, and something that is infinitely soothing to the eyes, and delighting all the other senses at the same time.

There is a valley in Gapyeong that we love to visit. They call it Yongchu, and the water there is so immaculately clean and cold all throughout the year. The boundaries, banks, and jagged rocks where the water circulates are so amusing to see, like a piece of art indicative of God's creative hands. We purposely visited there after the summer has ended, when the water is too cold for a swim. The only time you could really appreciate it's tranquillity is when it's free from rambunctious multitude of half-naked, waggling bodies.

In Yongchu, there is this place where you could rent small cabins to spend the night, and it comes with a free use of Philippine-style Nipa Huts like the one below.


We have our favorite secret spot at the remotest part of the valley where the water runs at it's deepest. There is a government warning signage posted at the entrance discouraging people to swim, so people don't usually go there. We sort of expected we could have the place all to ourselves like with all our previous visits, however, this time around there was a group of rowdy, thrill-seeking souls who arrived before us.

These two audacious guys took turns back flipping and jumping into the cold water. The perils of being young, they think they're invincible and nothing could ever hurt them.. A decade ago, I would have thought the same thing, and that it's cool and fun to be taking risks like that. But now that I'm older and fairly wiser, all I could see are the rocks below and how easy for them to smash their heads on it. I can't help it, with older age comes the inevitable part of becoming a party pooper.

The jagged rocks on the surface of the water are really slippery, and I exhausted my leg muscles from keeping my balance. When it grew numb, I spent most of the time resting atop this huge rock, soaking in as much Vitamin D, filling my lungs with fresh air, and just wallowing in the slumberous sound of the flowing water... I like it this way, and not even the boisterous group could deter me from having a very relaxing day.

Fall Came Early: A Taste of France.

I've never been to France, and the closest thing I ever got to something French is a bottle of red wine and my favorite French food. But I read a lot about how beautiful this country is. France is apparently so captivating that one man decided to make a replica of a village he visited there. That's how "Petite France", a theme park I visited in Gapyeong came to life.

Whenever we come to Gapyeong, we'd always pass by this, nestled beautifully atop the mountain, with rows of exquisitely designed French houses and colorful flowers surrounding it. It was all too inviting to see from afar, and this time around, I just had to enter. A single entry ticket costs 8,000 won, and that gives you a taste of how it feels like to be in the "Land of the Franks".









Just as the sun was at it's peak, and herds of picture-taking tourists got plentier by the second, we decided to go. It was lunch time then and I was getting hungry. We drove to Nami Island where lots of specialty restaurants thrive. I chose this restaurant that has a huge picture of their special menu called "Dolsot Bap" (stone cooked rice). Each person costs 10,000 won, and that sounds unreasonably expensive for a bowl of rice right? But the catch is, it comes with so many mouthwatering side-dishes. I was stunned as the lady served all of it, barely having enough space for chopsticks and spoons!

To be cont...

Fall Came Early: Epilogue

I just got back from our weekend escapade, and all the fun and merry making left me with a couple of bruises, a slight fever, and annoying aches and pains that gnaws everytime I move. I may have pushed myself too much this time, and I knew it's bound to hurt. But I couldn't care less as I've had the most amazing, unbelievable, adrenaline-rush inducing experience of my life!

We went to these 3 amazing places.

Gapyeong - I've been here thrice before. It wasn't really exciting or anything, but we went to places we haven't visited before.

Chuncheon - I already lost count how many times I've visited this place before. But this time, we discovered an amazing place not many people know of.

Cheorwon - This place is unbelievable! It was my first time to be in a place so remote, so beautiful, and so close to North Korea (they even sell North Korean liquors there!). But unlike the boring DMZ thing-y which is a total waste of money, this one's different! It's not really that popular for thrill-seeking tourists so the nature is at it's most pristine form. It's nothing quite like what I've seen before! And believe me, I've seen so many places in South Korea (east, south, north, west, name it and I've been there), but this one reigns supreme.

Summer has officially ended the day we departed. Tomorrow is officially the start of the fall season, but it came two days earlier. The trees have started to change color from where I visited, and that familiar autumn breeze makes itself known in the early mornings and at night. It was so cold I always shivered. I wish I brought my parka with me during the trip, so I wouldn't be sick like this, lying in the bed the whole day, with fever and headache no amount of Tylenol could cure...

An Evening of Culture and History.

I was feeling quite lethargic the day Chris asked me out on a date. That was Monday, I just got off from the phone with my sister and she passed a bad news that pretty much ruined my day. I could tell Chris could feel whatever bad vibe is in the air, and whenever he wants to make me feel better, he'd ask me out to 'blow-off' some steam like what he likes to call it. We were already half a block away from home when we realized that we didn't have a place to go. It was late and other than bars, all places were already closed. Then a sudden idea sparked in my head, and I just knew the perfect place to go. Suwon is synonymous to Hwaseong (Brilliant Fortress), the most famous and probably the only place in Suwon worthy for a late night bus ride. Hwaseong was built by King Jeongjo during the Joseon Dynasty to honor his father Prince Cado who was murdered by his own father King Yeongjo.

When we arrived, the main gate was already closed so we had to take a much more difficult trail of probably 500 stairs and barely visible pathways with hungry mosquitoes and moths flying in all direction. It didn't sound even the slightest bit romantic to be called a 'date', but when we reached the top, I understood why people subject their legs to that kind of abuse and commune with mosquitoes and other insects I barely know the names. Standing right in the middle of it, with the wind, the view, and the lights was all too perfect.

We continued to climb till we reached the ancient observatory that has an amazing 360 degree view of Suwon. If it's only possible, I wanna have a romantic candlelight dinner here at the exact same spot where I was standing and took this picture..




This wall encloses the palace of the King, and surrounds the center of Suwon. I always see it whenever I take the bus to go to the subway.

One of the many gates...

On the way down, the view was equally breathtaking.

It was pretty late, but we didn't wanna leave the Fortress and end the magical evening just yet. I told Chris about the candlelight dinner that I was imagining while we were up there, but since that's not even remotely close to being possible, we settled for the next best thing. We went to this traditional restaurant that has clay pots everywhere, ancient wooden decors hanging on the wall, and straws weaved on the roof like a hut. He said he wanted to give me a taste of their traditional culture.

We ordered Dongdongju, a traditional liquor made from brewing rice, yeast, wheat flour, and water. It's sweet and has a milky off-white color. It's served chilled on a bowl with a scoop like in the picture below. It's kinda grainy like that of soybean milk, and part of it settles below so you have to give it a good stir before you drink it.

Here's a picture of me, taking my very first sip.

Dongdongju is best consumed alongside "pajeon", but in the tradition of using "pa" or onion leeks to make this dish, we had something a bit more elaborate. This one's kimchi, haemul (seafood), and gamja (potato) jeon in one platter, just like a three-flavored pizza we all love.

Chris has the metabolism of a teenage boy, and as if the three-flavored jeon wasn't enough, he ordered yet another sidedish called "dakbal" (chicken feet in uber spicy sauce served on a sizzling platter). Ok, I don't normally eat chicken feet, but this is one rare occasion where I actually consumed more than I'm supposed to.. It has a weird chewy texture (no bones or anything), but it's really tasty.. With my three year stay here, I think Korea is growing on me.

When we left the restaurant, we were full and a bit tipsy. We walked holding each other's hand, laughed like crazy for no reason (a classic when you're drunk), and waited at the wrong bus stop alongside a sleeping homeless man which resulted to a few more rounds of laughter. Hearing the bad news from my sister, I was hurting to have this kind of fun, and I'm so glad we did.

Movies, Shopping, and a Sumptuous Dinner

Chris heard from a reliable source that the Song-do Festival pretty much sucked, so he figured we better do something else that Sunday. We went to the theater to watch "The Perfect Getaway", it stars Milla Jovovich and Steve Zahn who played newlyweds on a honeymoon somewhere in Hawaii. As much as the director wanted the story to be 'unpredictable', we kind of predicted 95% of what's gonna happen. The story wasn't original and I thought they copied it from the movie called "Taking Lives" which was far better, and far loaded with punch.

Chris wanted to do a bit of shopping so we hit the stores right after the movie. It amazes me how long it took him to choose 2 shirts of the same style but different colors, and how he spent the next hour trying it on again and again. The saleslady looked annoyed as hell that she had to 'sales-talk' him for like two hours, but he ended up not getting anything. I waited for him at some couch, but when it became unbearably long, I decided to shop as well. I was able to buy a pair of jeans from Polham, two blouses, and a skin care set in less than 15 minutes.

Dinner was "Dak Galbi", stir-fried chicken in spicy sauce. It was delicious, but spicy as hell! I sweated profusely and got a fervent runny nose while eating...

Most grilled, barbecued, and stir-fried food here have really strong smell that cling to clothes. If you don't want to roam the streets smelling like what you had for dinner, go spritz yourself with that fabric spray before leaving the restaurant. Most restaurants here have one sitting by the counter...