New Year's Eve

Hmm...so I've been asked what my new year's resolutions are and I thought, 
"What are my resolutions?" I am not the type to set resolutions at the beginning 
of every year so I really did not have an answer. If I need to work on something 
about myself, I'll work on it when I need to, new year or not. But I thought about 
it more, and I was able to think of two that would be nice to try.

_1  I will cook and master a new, legitimate meal/dish every month. 

_2  I will not resort to my phone every time I am out alone, waiting in line, 
or feel the need to look at it to avoid looking awkward. I've actually started 
this a month ago and find it enlightening. Instead of scrolling through FB or 
Instagram, I'll just look around the shop, at people, or try to discover little 
details like how the store displays their menu, font choices, if hand-written, 
writing style, choices in color, etc. 

Photo: I took this in Korea while waiting at the subway stop. Everyone was glued to their phone, everyone.
There's only 4 people (one guy is right next to one of the guys so you can't see him) pictured here, but after I took
this photo, there were about 5 more people waiting, glued to their phones. Hehe, I laughed inside because it was so funny.

Basil

Can I love a furry little thing so much I can watch, hug, and think about him all 

day? Yes, I can. Basil can lick my face all he wants and I will not be grossed out. 

Oh the love I have for him. The one year mark is coming up, January 10, 

since I brought him home from the shelter, and I'm so thankful I have him. 

I sure picked a good one. 

Cafe Bong

This is Cafe Bong. I walked over to this cafe the most during my stay in Korea. 

I loved how I was able to walk out the door at any time of the day and grab an 

iced vanilla latte, then simply walk back. I miss that so much - quiet, delightful, 

mind-refreshing walks.

Cyber fights

After I read an article, I will scroll down and read some of the comments. 

I find it so amusing how people will feel the need to post nasty comments; 

freedom of speech aside, can't they just read the article and enjoy it for what it is? 

If you don't like it, just stop reading it and carry on with your day. Some people just 

can't let it go and then it becomes this comment war about who can out smart 

each other with grammar, type out witty comebacks, and it's just quite amusing. 

It doesn't help that I read them...

Theatre's got style

My favorite number.

This theatre located inside the IFC mall in Yeouido is the most eye pleasingly designed 
theatre I have ever been to. I personally love the industrial, exposed brick and 
ceiling, concrete floor look and this place had it all. Such a breath of fresh air compared 
to other theatres I have been to. I am a semi-borderline cinephile (love documentaries 
too, the more real and "based on a true story" it is, the better) who is completely 
satisfied staying home watching Netflix, but stepping in here was such a visual delight. 

Merry Christmas Eve

I was just thinking about friends in my life that I know within my heart we will 
keep in touch until we grow old. I don't make friends easily. I'm nice and 
considerate to people I meet, but it's not easy for me to open up right away 
and connect. It takes time. Though once we are close, I become an open book 
that not many will ever see or know of me. 

You know, there are those who have hundreds of friends but not many intimate, 
close relationships? While there are those who do not have many friends, but 
the friends they do have, they're very close. I don't have many friends, but 
I'm very close to the ones I do have. 

It's ironic how the two people I met in college (pictured above) have become 
two of my closest friends, and we are currently thousands of miles apart. I did 
not see them for a good year until my recent trip to Korea, and the minute we met, 
it was like we picked up where we left off. That's when you know you're friends 
for life. No matter how long it's been, we can always chat like we've seen each 
other yesterday. I also often wonder how I've lived my life without some of the 
friends I have now. I guess that's the beauty of it though, life (God) will bring you 
people that bring joy and comfort to you, and I'm so thankful for that. It's 
bittersweet they're in Korea. I can't always see them, have coffee with them, 
and chat the night away, but that's all the more reason for me to visit Korea 
more often. Group chats on our phones will stay as our line of communication. 

Blackfish

I just watched Blackfish, a documentary about orcas in captivity and I am feeling 
flabbergasted. I knew about Sea World and their unethical system, capturing orcas 
and slowly but surely driving them into depression and aggression, but watching 
documentaries like these always resurfaces these intense emotions. Like when I saw 
The Cove, I was pretty upset. 

The most upsetting for me has to be when the calf is taken away from their mother. 
The calf is helpless, the mother is helpless, the humans have complete control 
over this separation knowing full well how painful it is for calf and mother to be 
separated, it is so cruel I was near sobbing. After the mother realizes her calf 
is nowhere in sight, she cries and weeps endlessly. This is so heartbreaking I can 
not even fathom. What people do for revenue and money, it is disgusting. 

Toot toot

Ever since I switched Basil's food to Blue Buffalo (duck), he has been farting 
up a storm, fart storms that smell like death. I just think it's really funny how he'll 
toot as he pleases with no shame, and I think it's adorable. I wonder if he 
knows how smelly his farts are. I mean, he has to know it smells bad, he is a canine 
with an acute sense of smell, right? This cute little thing always knows how to 
make me laugh. But really, if he continues to fart, I'm going to have to change 
his food back.

(Basil farted about 3 times while I was typing this)

Sloth

I guess I lied when I said I was itching to upload pictures from Korea. 

I have complete and total access to my laptop now, yet I am choosing not 

to update my iphoto library from my phone out of sheer laziness. I am disappointed 

at myself for neglecting my laptop who has always been there for me through late 

night school work, and being my one and only device to display television shows 

and movies during my college years, it has rescued my sanity countless times. 

I swore I would never indulge in a tablet...said they were luxuries that would only 

spoil our lives and fuel the ongoing progression of unneccessary technology. 

But look at me now, a hypocrite I am. Ever since I invested in an iPad mini, I have 

left my perfectly capable and expensive laptop to collect dust. The only reason 

being: my 17" MacBook Pro is too heavy. What kind of reason is that? I am ashamed. 

Photo was taken on a train in Korea, on our way to Busan. 

Clementine clementine...

Being clementine season and all, I just wanted to say I love it when you peel them 

and you see a spritz of citrus burst into the air. 

I want to photograph it in action, but I don't have the technology for that. Just peel 

a clementine and take a mental photograph. That's what I do, and it's just as satisfying. 

Absent laptop

I am itching to post pictures from my trip to Korea, but my laptop awaits back at 
my apartment, which I have not gone to since I've been back. The past week or so 
I have been feeling quite bummed. The trip felt like a dream. It was a taste of 
sweet life, amazingly unreal, and most of all, quick. Poof! Back to reality. If I never 
went, I wouldn't know and feel how great it was. Then, I wouldn't be feeling as sad 
about life right now, because if I never went, life would be same old same old. 
Same old same old is not good, but I think it's slightly better than thinking every 
day about wanting to travel more and more and more and more all because I went 
on a two week vacation to Korea. I wouldn't have had a taste of the sweet life, 
which is evidently highly addicting and hinder-some to the well-being of my 
current life since I am unable to drop and leave my work, bills, and Basil. Though 
the thought has crossed my mind, I would have no money in my bank account 
by the time I got back from a month's worth of wild traveling. I will continue 
to save up until I feel comfortable enough to quit and travel. Yes. 

Korea 2013

November 21 - December 5

Tonight is the last night. I do not know when the next time I'll visit again will be. 
Best part this time around was realizing and understanding that little trips like 
these are to be cherished. Being able to spend time with the entire family in a 
beautiful country such as this one is one in a million. Trips like these when I 
was younger were taken for granted, but now, as a working young lady, I've come 
to realize how precious and thankful I am for moments like these. A memorable 
trip this was.