Sometimes rare opportunities (that you know you'll never in a million years have a chance to do again) appear on this journey called life, and you know you have to grab them before they're gone. You relish every last moment while you're partaking in that opportunity, and then when it's finished, you replay it over and over in your mind so you don't forget. Cuddling tigers from the Tiger Kingdom in Phuket was one of my rare opportunities. I've always loved tigers. The fact that I was able to go into the tiger cage and pet them and hang out with them for a good 15 minutes at a time still blows my mind. We opted for the 'Littlest' and the 'Biggest' option, and hired a photographer to take pictures of us (while I took my own), just so ... Read More
Archives for April 2014
Korean Commercials Pt. 3
I've been spending the last 30 minutes finding some of the Korean commercials on Youtube that have been circulating around these parts. I usually discover my favorites when we are sitting around in the local CGV theater waiting for our 'main feature' movie to start. I used to love previews back in the States, but here it's just a hodgepodge of weird Korean commercials, and maybe one English action movie preview. Oh well, it's given me plenty of material to share with you in yet another installment of Korean Commercials. If you're bored on a Sunday and want to waste a little time, you can also view the other two installments here and here. 6. Banana Milk: I tried it. Not as great as they make it out to be; especially if you're a grown ... Read More
Macro Photography Without A Macro Lens
Macro lenses are expensive, really expensive. I saved up a good year for my 100mm L series lens, and now I'm afraid to take it places due to the fact that it cost so much. It's not a great lens to take on a backpacking trip around Asia due to it's size, weight, and worth. I am 100% in love with the lens, and I don't regret getting it. However, I will admit to it not being the most practical lens to buy, especially if you're just starting out with your photography hobby (in that case I'd highly recommend a 50mm). Taking larger than life pictures is a blast. Once you start you can't stop, and you begin to notice things: textures, patterns, colors in a 'closer' way. This is macro photography. In my post earlier this week, I mentioned a tip ... Read More
21 Household Tips and Tricks
I'm all about simplifying my life and finding ways to make it easier! I've been taught 'life-hacks' from an early age, it's just a matter of regurgitating that knowledge of the things I consider normal practices and writing a post for you to benefit from! The 21 household tips and tricks below (actually 22, I through an extra one in last minute) are all used by me on almost a daily basis (yes, even in Korea). FOOD: 1. Strawberries rinsed in vinegar last days longer. 2. Putting your freshly opened ice-cream container in a ziplock bag will keep it 'first-use' soft. 3. Don't have an egg but you're halfway through making your batch of cookies? Use a mashed banana. BEAUTY 4. Olive oil takes off eye makeup as good (if not better) than ... Read More
Belated Blogiversary
My second year blogiversary hit February 16th. However I was also approaching a very big milestone in the blogging world: 1 million page views. I decided to wait until that hit to celebrate my second year of blogging, and reflect (with a thankful spirit) on how this blog baby of mine his exceeded my expectations by a million (stupid pun intended) within one year of moving to wordpress.org. We hit the 1,000,000 view today! I'm still in shock about how my little travel blog, built to keep my family in touch with us while we're off traveling the world, has turned into such a big network of support. This post is all about you and how you've helped me reach this insane goal. These stats below are as of April 20, 2013-April 22, 2014 (when ... Read More
Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival
The spring season comes like clockwork in Korea. So much so, you can basically plan to head over to a flower festival or two during the middle of April. This year was no exception, and as you have seen a post or two back, spring is most definitely here. Gyeongju is the traditional city of Korea. As soon as you arrive within the city limits you're surrounded by old brick walls, the trademark Asian slate roofing, ancient tombs, and flowers. Lots of flowers! We decided to head up to Gyeongju during their Cherry Blossom Festival to score some awesome food, and enjoy the spring activities. We rented bikes for the day at $7.00 a piece, and went for a long ride. Unfortunately since we were on our bikes all day I didn't spend much time ... Read More
Wat Chedi Luang, Chiang Mai
We spent a few days in Chiang Mai for a little R&R before heading back to Korea. Chiang Mai is a gorgeous place filled with tons of restaurants, outdoor activities, night markets, and breathtaking landscapes. The weather wasn't hot and stuffy like South Thailand, so we spent most of our time outside exploring the city by foot. As we were walking towards the city center, we came upon Wat Chedi Luang; temple ruins dating back to 1440. The temple, in it's glory days, was known as one of the highest in Chiang Mai, but was later then destroyed by a natural disaster (either an earthquake or cannon fire, the sign translation was unclear). TRAVEL TIPS: It was a fun little walk to the temple, and we enjoyed looking around the grounds for ... Read More
Pros and Cons of Living in Korea
I have a little bit of a love/hate relationship with Korea today. These moods go on and off throughout the months, but I feel like today it's especially warranted. Yesterday Derik was T-boned by a driver completely not paying attention to where he was going. As you all know by now, road laws in Korea are more of a suggestion than actual laws. Because of this we have to be extra careful drivers to avoid stupid accidents. Yesterday Derik was driving down a main road when someone pulled out quickly from a side road and rammed straight into the back quarter panel of Derik's car (yes I know what a quarter panel is…thanks to my year of working for ERAC). Thankfully the man wasn't going that fast, and they were both not injured. If that ... Read More
Thoughts
-Can you wear black to a Korea wedding? Wait, what exactly are the rules of a Korean wedding? My first one is in three hours, I'd better get to googling. -Why do cheese bagels have to be so delicious? Why can I only find them for 4 dollars at Starbucks? Korean grocery stores really need to get on the bagel bandwagon. Yesterday. -Headed up to the city to go shopping tomorrow. It'll be the first time in over 5 months. Here's to hoping I only get what's necessary and not the impractical. Sigh, a girl can wish (and so can her husband who is staying home). -Derik and I have had almost all the ingredients to make chili since November. The only thing we've been missing is chili powder. I could easily order it on iherb.com, but it seems I ... Read More