tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197122832024-03-07T16:33:09.113-07:00and this is what i think...<center><img src="http://static.flickr.com/55/127634820_477b2b8d3b_o.gif"></img></center>caffe d'bollahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11604293376204662143noreply@blogger.comBlogger1014125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-29723017928762585062020-05-18T09:55:00.000-06:002020-05-18T11:58:05.564-06:00Do People Still Blog?There had been multiple times when I thought about blogging. But then the child asks for a snack, and the dog wants to go out and play. And then I forgot all about it. And then another few years (!) passed and I've now officially had not blogged in years!<br />
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For the past couple of months we've been mostly staying at home to help "flattening the curve" of COVID-19. For some reason I felt things got busier around the house during this time, especially with Alex's learning "adventures." We had realized when Alex attended preschool (a wonderful parent-child class provided by the Salt Lake School District) that we might need to homeschool the child when it was time for him to start school. (Details to possibly follow in a future post. Possibly.) Alex is, in theory, in Kindergarten this year, and we had been doing mostly music, reading, and math, and museum visits (until the pandemic guidelines came about), and just free play. We also were able to visit my parents in Taiwan and that helped peak Alex's interest in learning Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese. So staying at home for "schooling" during the pandemic was fine for us. I've noticed how more "focused" both Alex and I can be because there was not much distractions or we-need-to-go-out temptations. And his violin and group lessons via Whereby and Zoom have worked wonderfully for him. We even managed to have a solo recital via Zoom.<br />
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Oh and we adopted a rescued Akita puppy at the beginning of March, and he's keeping us all pretty busy during this time.<br />
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Today is the first day our shop reopens after 2 months of temporary closure per our city's guidelines. For the past couple of months John's still been roasting and sending (and sometimes delivering) coffee beans, but he's probably glad to go back to the shop to bust out awesome coffee and espresso for people after 2 months of almost-constantly-being-requested-to-entertain-the-kid-and-the-dog. We've been preparing the shop for the reopen. I've tested, adjusted, and made quite a few face masks for John, and stayed up until the middle of the night quite a few nights just to snatch a bottle of hand sanitizer, cleaning alcohol, and disposable gloves online. John's been going in to clean and sanitize almost every day this past week, and plans seating and business procedures to comply with the city health guidelines. All and all it's keeping us quite busy and I know he looks forward to seeing his friends and customers.<br />
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Anyhow. I'm glad I got to blog a bit today. A few moments ago the child got up so I guess I will go and attend him now. And the dog. It's gonna be another fun and busy day.yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-59399104491004487942014-10-22T00:49:00.000-06:002014-10-22T00:49:21.080-06:00so it's been more than a year...I just realized it had been more than a full year since I last blogged! That's just silly, but for the past several months my life had been drastically changed... my son Alex was born a couple days before Thanksgiving last year, and I have been super busy with him since.<br />
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Everything with Alex is new to me. Motherhood has been both exciting and challenging at times, and I am constantly learning to be a mom. And I am loving it. And of course there's our little coffee shop that just celebrated its 10th anniversary, and that remains a large part of my life, even though most of the time it's John at the business all by himself because I usually stay at home with Alex these days. And then there's still all the food adventures that I partake with both John and Alex... These simple daily happiness keep me occupied.<br />
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Anywho. Even though I have not really had much time to sit down and blog, I have been able to take photos (of course!) and use Instagram, flickr, and also facebook more regularly for my everyday little things.<br />
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So. Thanks for stopping by. I am hoping I can figure out how to utilize my time better so I can continue blogging. In the mean time I will be on Instagram, and if you are there as well, please feel free to follow me and share my journey through life's daily events, one little square at a time.<br />
<a href="http://www.instagram.com/yichingsays" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.instagram.com/yichingsays" target="_blank">I am here on Instagram.</a> <br />
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Alex is 10 months old now!</center>
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yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-31122280209278796982013-10-10T11:30:00.001-06:002014-10-22T00:50:05.816-06:00this past few monthsOh my! I haven't blogged for over 4 months! How did that happen? Lots have actually happened during these 4 months - including John and my little trip to Tokyo in May (which was the best yet!) and the fact that I am pregnant (32 weeks and counting as of this week!)<br />
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And yes there are so many thing to blog about, and I hope I can manage to record fun little things here and there before the baby arrives. I am sensing that John and my life will get even busier and more exciting with the little guy in our lives, and it should be a lot of fun!<br />
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:) yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-69961589779049644962013-06-08T09:52:00.002-06:002013-06-08T09:52:48.640-06:00Best of State awardSo lots of fun things have been happening since I last blogged. If I do not slack off I shall blog about them soon.<br />
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And during this time, <a href="http://caffedbolla.com/" target="_blank">caffe d'bolla</a> received the Best of State award for "exquisite coffee" and "excelling and surpassing all else." I am so proud of John!<br />
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yay!yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-60342375407209280842013-04-10T16:20:00.000-06:002013-04-22T12:43:37.485-06:00Seoul 11.12 - Cheong Wa Dae tour (part 1) I had signed up for a tour of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_House" target="_blank">Cheong Wa Dae</a> prior to arriving in Seoul. The complete available tour schedule is on its web site, which is filled with great information and is easy to navigate, so if you're going to visit Seoul and are interested in visiting Cheong Wa Dae, you need to make sure you <a href="http://english.president.go.kr/tours/cwd_tours/cwd_tours.php" target="_blank">sign up for a tour</a> in advance. (And spots fill up fast!)<br />
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Anyhow, John and I was so excited about our tour but when we tried to locate the gathering spot (at the "East Gate Parking Lot",) we got lost. Long story short, we eventually found the gathering spot for our tour, and it was way past our scheduled meeting time.<br />
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This was what we were looking for - "Cheong Wa Dae Tour" information booth and gathering place.</div>
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The lady at the counter of the Tour information center almost freaked out when she saw that we missed our appointment time. She then asked a guy in suit (secret service?) a bunch of questions, and long story short, we were given our visitor badges and guided onto a bus!<br />
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We picked a couple seats at the front of the bus and waited.<br />
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The secret service men.(?)</center>
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Some parents and kids coming onto the bus.</center>
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We were ready to go!</center>
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After a short bus ride we arrived at the outside gate of Cheong Wa Dae. Apparently John and I were the only foreigners on this tour. We were each given a gift!<br />
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Gift from Cheong Wa Dae.</div>
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It was a set of two beautiful mugs (each)! This was taken back at the hotel.</center>
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We were then guided toward another area.</center>
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Before everyone was allowed into the buildings we went through the security.<br />
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This was a hand of one of the guards who checked to make sure my camera was really a camera!</center>
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After security John and I were given our "tour guide" of Cheong Wa Dae. Very helpful.</center>
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We were then ready for a welcome presentation!</center>
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Oh! May I also say, at this point I noticed the secret service guys were all very tall and good-looking. (!)<br />
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During the presentation.</center>
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And then we were all prepped and ready for the actual tour!<br />
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<br />yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-75680851324578288862013-03-29T14:03:00.002-06:002013-03-29T14:03:37.621-06:00Seoul 11.12 - a quick glimpse of GyeongbokgungJohn and I scheduled a tour to visit Cheong Wa Dae (the Blue House,) and I was planning on visiting <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyeongbokgung">Gyeongbokgung</a> along the way.<br />
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We arrived at the Gyeongbokgung station and it had a wonderful traditional decor, vibe, and atmosphere.<br />
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And there was a stone gate that read "never old door/gate." It is believed that people would be forever young if they walk through the gate!</center>
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We took exit 5 and when we came out this was what we saw:<br />
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This was right outside of the main area of Gyeongbokgung, and we needed to find its East Gate parking lot for our Cheong Wa Dae tour.<br />
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We got lost and couldn't find the parking lot until much later...<br />
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But along the way we were fortunate to see part of the guard ceremony:<br />
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Eventually I saw the Gyeongbokgung information booth and a lady directed us to the right spot for our tour. We made it but totally missed our scheduled time spot! Thankfully the officials were kind and placed us in with another group so we could start our tour. The tour was great, and I will tell you about it later on.yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-73768373650961911912013-03-20T11:22:00.000-06:002013-03-20T11:22:33.229-06:00Seoul 11.12 - near the hotelWe stayed at the Western COOP Residence in Seoul, and because it's located near (even though not right inside) the Dongdaemun shopping district, there were night life going on in the area.<br />
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First off, there were plenty of street vendors near by, where you could get snacks and little fashion accessories and such, and there were also restaurants in small streets everywhere.<br />
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And there was a police station near by. Looks pretty cool!</center>
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Oh, and there were many, and I mean many, different convenience stores within a few blocks of the hotel. Most of them were GS25 stores. You could find simple household necessities, snacks, and all sorts of beverages at these stores, and you could also buy tickets to events and trains. Convenience indeed!<br />
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The baked goods section at a GS25.</center>
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Snacks!</center>
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Different milk and coffee drinks.</center>
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Korean food essentials: gochujiang (chili paste), sesame oil, soy bean paste, etc., and cute mini mayo!</center>
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Most of the canned sodas we saw were 250ml (1 cup) in volume.</center>
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Someone recommended these Melon Flavor Ice Bars from GS25 and we tried one. It was creamy and very honeydew-y!</center>
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Browsing at convenience stores was fun!yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-10114365705139983392013-03-18T11:05:00.003-06:002013-03-18T11:05:48.333-06:00Seoul 11.12 - Nolboo budae jjigaeOne of the best things in Seoul is that many restaurants open 24 hours a day, and there are fun and exciting choices for all!<br />
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Near by our hotel there was a <a href="http://nolboo.co.kr/">Nolboo</a>. It's a popular chain restaurant that serves <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budae_jjigae">budae jjigae</a>. Budae jjigae literally translated to "military/army stew," and it originally came about when, after the war, food was not readily available, and people uses the surplus food items that the U.S. Army bases supplied, mixed with chili paste and kimchi to make this "fusion" dish!<br />
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At the second floor.</div>
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Look who greeted us at the door!</div>
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There were different meats, vegetables, mushrooms, and rice cakes, and the ajuma was pouring broth into the pan.</div>
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These little rice cakes were my favorite. They were so cute!</div>
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Like Myeongdong Kyoja, the chopsticks and long spoons were in the drawers.</div>
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Of course there were some kimchi.</div>
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View from above the pan.</div>
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We let everything cook for a while, and then everything turned red! There must be some gochujiang (hot chili paste) hidden underneath from the beginning! Oh it was spicy and delicious!<br />
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The Budae Jjigae pan looked gigantic in the photos, but the pan itself was pretty shallow so there wasn't a ton of food, but with the rice, kimchi, and other sides that come with the jjigae it was a very satisfying meal.<br />
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And I really enjoyed these "eating while cooking for yourself" style of restaurants in Seoul! <br />
<br />yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-38601729068639347442013-03-15T17:09:00.001-06:002013-03-15T17:09:53.196-06:00ZAGAT says...John and I are honored. ZAGAT likes us! :) <br />
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<a href="http://blog.zagat.com/2013/02/the-united-states-of-caffeine-50-states.html" target="_blank">Zagat names caffe d'bolla Utah's Must-Try Coffee Shop</a>! <br />
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<b>Utah: <a href="https://plus.google.com/101234987536008371239/about?hl=en" target="_blank">Caffe d’Bolla</a></b><br />
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At this Salt Lake City cafe, they source coffees from all over the
world and micro-roast them in house. You can find all sorts of uncommon
beans, including Kenya Nyeri AB Gatomboya, Nicaragua Finca Maria and
Panama Volcancito. In case you want to learn more about these special
blends, they also offer $20 "Coffee 101" classes each month. Not only do
they do coffee right, but they also have a stellar tea program,
traveling to Asia yearly to purchase some of their teas right from the
growers.<br />
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<i>249 E. 400 S #B, Salt Lake City, UT; 801-355-1398</i><br />
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(courtesy of Zagat.com)<i> </i>yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-91070376529723112402013-03-11T13:42:00.000-06:002013-03-11T13:42:25.899-06:00Seoul 11.12 - shopping in MyeongdongAfter having yummy dumplings and noodles at Myeongdong Kyoja, I was all ready to start my shopping "spree"! I was planning on getting some skincare products and makeup from a few Korean skincare/makeup companies, plus other fun things I saw along the way.<br />
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John, on the other hand, was not excited about the idea of shopping all over Myeongdong, so we didn't end up spending a lot of time (according to me) shopping, really. <br />
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But I went prepared! I had a list of items I was interested in, and all I did was to politely ask the girls at the makeup shops to help me find them. This way I was able to get the things I needed without spending too much time. I was also planning on browsing a bit more around the different shops, though, but that didn't come about. Oh well. I still got a lot of goodies!<br />
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Oh, this is very helpful: when you buy things in shops with a "Tax Free" (or similar) you can get your tax money back at the airport! Make sure you ask at the register at the stores if they had such services. I will post a little "tutorial" about the tax return later. <br />
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I also picked up some cute earrings and hair accessories. Oh my goodness there were so many choices!<br />
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There were also many street food vendors in different parts of Myeongdong!<br />
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Shopping in Myeongdong was definitely lots of fun!<br />
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<br />yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-78548911751889402532013-03-04T14:47:00.006-07:002013-03-04T14:47:52.017-07:00Seoul 11.12 - Myeongdong KyojaWe were a little hungry after arriving at Myeongdong, so we headed over to <a href="http://www.mdkj.co.kr/en/">Myeongdong Kyoja</a> (Myeongdong Dumplings) to have some early dinner/snack.<br />
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Myeongdong Kyoja has two locations within the Myeongdong shopping district. I'm not quite sure which one we ended up going in to, but it was the one I saw first!<br />
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We were seated at the second floor. The shop was busy! The server lady dropped off the menu and returned very quickly to take our orders and payment. Very efficient!<br />
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And the utensils were in the drawers under the table.</div>
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This was silly, but when the kimchi and soups came John and I wondered why the lady didn't bring us the utensils. We asked for chopsticks (using hand gestures) and the lady looked surprised (or shocked?) and pulled out the drawer right next to me.<br />
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So that was where the chopsticks and spoons were.<br />
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We got the steamed mandu (steamed dumplings) and bibimguksu (spicy cold noodles). They were delicious!<br />
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The steamed mandu.</div>
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The bibimguksu.</div>
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The steamed mandu was filled with juicy ground pork and vegetables, and the skin was thin and delicious, too!</div>
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And for the bibimguksu, the boy that brought the dish asked if we wanted to have it cut, and we said yes, so he cut the "pile" of noodles into four sections for easy-eating. The noodles were cooked well and their texture was QQ - soft yet "al dente". I really liked them!<br />
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The kimchi at Myeongdong Kyoja was also some of our favorite during this trip... very garlic-y! Yum.</div>
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mmm Myeongdong Kyoja!yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-6947228412870106452013-03-01T14:11:00.000-07:002013-03-01T14:11:52.582-07:00Seoul 11.12 - walking to MyeongdongWe took the cable car and Oreumi elevator back down and was ready to go to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myeong-dong">Myeongdong</a>!<br />
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The sun was setting, and the lights of the city came on. It was beautiful.<br />
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Myeongdong was within walking distance to where we got off the "mountain climbing" Oreumi elevator.<br />
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Along the way we saw a fire station:<br />
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And at the base of the "foothill" we saw Shinsegae Department Store and knew Myeongdong was nearby.<br />
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We started seeing more people walking on the streets and knew we were there. There were street performers, big lights from stores and coffee shop chains (where most of the time have big celebrity endorsement posters and billboards hanging up hight!)<br />
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So what were we going to do in Myeongdong? Eating and shopping, of course!yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-85111485541926875002013-02-28T14:32:00.002-07:002013-02-28T16:39:17.476-07:00Seoul 11.12 - up by the N Seoul TowerOf course Namsan Cable Car didn't drop visitors off right by the Seoul Tower. After the ride we hiked up a little to see the actual Seoul Tower and its surroundings.<br />
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There was a lot to see up by the Seoul Tower!<br />
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yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-19911412477726534712013-02-27T14:21:00.000-07:002013-02-27T14:21:42.464-07:00Seoul 11.12 - Namsan Cable CarAfter taking <a href="http://yichingsays.blogspot.com/2013/02/seoul-1112-going-to-see-seoul-tower.html">Namsan Oreumi</a> up the mountain, we got our <a href="http://cablecar.co.kr/">Namsan Cable Car</a> tickets for a beautiful and fun ride up to the Seoul Tower.<br />
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You could get either a on-way ticket for 6,000won or a round trip ticket for 8,000won. We got round trip tickets and follow other excited visitors up a short fly of stairs to the Cable Car entrance.<br />
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Views from the cable car ride was beautiful. We could see the part of Seoul and cute neighborhoods on the hills, and the woods of the mountains had phenomenal fall colors that were simply stunning.<br />
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And then we were there!<br />
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yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-87020222471644564112013-02-23T17:20:00.001-07:002013-02-23T17:20:36.277-07:00Seoul 11.12 - going to see the Seoul TowerMy original plan after checking out Pink and wondering inside the Hoehyeong Underground Shopping Center was to walk to Myeongdong and have some delicious beef rice soups, but since both John and I were still really full after our ham hock lunch, we decided to head up to Seoul Tower first.<br />
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With the research I did about heading up to Namsan Seoul Tower, I knew we would want to find the glass elevator "<a href="http://english.seoul.go.kr/gtk/news/news_view.php?idx=2696">Namsan Oreumi</a>" first so we didn't have to hike all the way up to Namsan ("south mountain") to get to the Seoul Tower cable cars and see all the pretty things up there. (I didn't want to hike up because it was really cold and I was a wimp, but many choose to hike up the mountains because the scenery was spectacular.) </div>
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From where we were (near Hoehyeong Underground Shoppnig and Namdaemun Market) I knew the easiest way for me to find the Namsan Oreumi elevator was to take Exit 6 at the Hoehyeong Station (subway). </div>
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Escalator at Exit 6 inside Hoehyeong Station.</div>
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Once we got up to ground level from Exit 6 we could see Seoul Tower in the distance.<br />
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All we had to do then was to walk straight forward (uphill), and then we saw the monument and the Namsan Oreumi elevator was right there!<br />
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<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">The Namsan Oreumi elevator would go up and down Namsan ("the south mountain") where Seoul Tower is. The elevator is made of glass so visitors can see the beautiful views of the city, as well as the mountain areas. </span></center>
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Inside the elevator and going up the mountain.</center>
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Going up.</center>
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and up.</center>
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and up.</center>
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And very soon we were up in Namsan, and the Namsan Cable Car entrance was right there.</center>
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Time to walk up to get our tickets and ride in the cable car to see Seoul Tower!</center>
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yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-55683343828930284622013-02-12T13:59:00.002-07:002013-02-12T13:59:28.776-07:00Koji and a concertI met Koji through <a href="http://caffedbolla.com/">caffe d'bolla</a>. He comes to the shop for siphon coffees and these days he gets macchiatos and we'd chat a little. Eventually I learned he is a renowned pianist! I was thrilled.<br />
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<a href="http://www.yamaha.com/artists/kojiattwood.html">Koji</a> lives, teaches, and performs in Salt Lake City right now, and he was kind enough to invite John and I to a faculty concert that took place at the <a href="https://www.giftedmusicschool.org/">Gifted Music School</a> last Wednesday, and I felt privileged and honored to finally hear him play in person.<br />
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John helped me with this next couple paragraphs: "Koji performed two sets of music. The first set was from Spanish composer(s) and written for guitar. Koji arranged it for piano. Much of the piece was centered around the feeling of flowing and cascading water. The final movement he played on this set was so full of sadness and loss that you could feel his emotion with every note. It was hard not to cry.<br />
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His second set was a quartet from Mozart, and again, Koji arranged this for piano. There was one main movement followed by a series of interesting variations. This piece was a world premiere. It appeared to be a very challenging piece to play, and I think this is what excited Koji about arranging and playing it. Mozart's musical progression and style is much more mainstream than the often obscure and complicated Russian composers that Koji often plays. But if you closed your eyes, you could easily hear the different parts all being voiced by a single piano. As a quartet it was one thing, but as an arrangement for piano, it was beyond brilliant. Truly a magical performance."<br />
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The other faculty musicians were wonderful as well. I am excited to learn more about them in the future. I am so happy and proud to know we have these phenomenal musicians in our community.<br />
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Truly inspiring.yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-31348174142426029592013-02-04T13:46:00.000-07:002013-02-04T13:46:33.651-07:00 Seoul 11.12 - PinkWhen we finally found the Hoehyeong Underground Shopping Center, we also found one of the stores I wanted to visit down there pretty soon. It's Pink!<div>
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Pink and the owner of the shop.</div>
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You can find good skincare and personal care products for a good price at Pink. Of course the more you buy, the more discount the owner would give you. He would also help recommend products that suit your needs. Pretty cool, I think.</div>
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Here I purchased quite a few sheet masks (photos in a later post.) These were usually in packs of 5 or 10. I asked the owner which masks were better, and he recommended the ones in cute doll-shape foil pouches. The other kinds were in classic rectangular foil pouches. There are ginseng, red wine, snail cream (!), and other interesting varieties! Nice. </div>
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I also bought a couple Laneige "sleeping packs," which were jelly-like masks you put and leave on your face before bed. You'll then wash the mask off with water in the morning. During your sleep the sleeping pack (or what's left of it on your face... I'd think most of it probably would get on your pillow cases... ) will help hydrate and nourish your skin, so when you get up in the morning your skin is all "dewy" and happy! I have yet to try mine, but from what I read this product is promising. Oh, and Pink apparently has some of the best prices for these.</div>
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The last thing I bought at Pink was the snail cream (!) hand lotions. They work very well and both John and I really liked it.</div>
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Pink is near exit 12 of Hoehyeong Underground Shopping Center, between a bag store and a camera store, in case you're interested in visiting this little shop with tons of goodies.</div>
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Oh, and the entrance/exit to the Hoehyeong Underground Shopping Center is on the right of a cool fountain when you face the twin towers, as show below:</div>
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yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-63091723192885190802013-01-31T14:03:00.000-07:002013-01-31T14:03:25.045-07:00Seoul 11.12 - trying to find Hoehyeon underground shopping centerAfter Namdaemun Market and yummy food and treats, John and I were ready to go and find a few shops at the Hoehyeon underground shopping area.<br />
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Hoehyeon underground shopping area is not a super fancy or huge shopping paradise, but I had read about a couple shops that I really wanted to check out for some Korean skincare products and possible luggage options for later.<br />
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From what I read, I knew I had to find Shinsegae Department Store first and then one of the entrances to the Hoehyeon Underground Shopping Center would be in sight.<br />
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But of course we got lost, but then we saw these people:<br />
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They were wonderful guides who helped visitors and tourists find their way! You could also find them near other major attractions in Seoul. Most of them speak English and some of them even speak multiple languages!<br />
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So we got to where we thought we were going, but couldn't find the shops that I was looking for. A gentleman saw that we were lost (and we probably looked like it,) and came by to help. At first he talked Korean to me, but soon realized I couldn't understand much of anything he said, so he started using some English words. We told him we were looking for a couple shops inside the Hoehyeon Underground Shopping Center, and he told us we were actually inside the Namdaemun Undergrond Shopping Center.<br />
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He tried to tell me how to get to where I wanted to go, and after a little while he said, "follow me!"<br />
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And we did.<br />
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We then learned he was a guard at the Namdaemun Underground Shopping Center. He was so patient and kind to us, and pulled out a big book/zine that showed detailed maps of major areas in Seoul and pointed to us the map we needed, and explained again where we should go.<br />
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He then sent us on our way, and gave us the big book so we could refer to it wherever we went in Seoul! That was so kind and sweet of him!<br />
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We did find the entrance to the Hoehyeong Underground Shopping Center and the shops I wanted to visit very soon after that.<br />
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The warmth and hospitality these wonderful people (and more others we met later on during our trip) showed us were one of the biggest reasons I loved our trip to Seoul.yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-66203039463254428492013-01-29T13:02:00.001-07:002013-01-29T13:02:54.679-07:00Seoul 11.12 - Namdaemun black sugar pastryNow I remember why John and I couldn't finish our <a href="http://yichingsays.blogspot.com/2013/01/seoul-1112-namdaemun-ham-hocks.html">ham hock lunch</a> in Namdaemun. Prior to getting to the restaurant we shared a black sugar pastry. It was so delicious!<br />
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it was at this stand.</div>
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We were first attracted to the stand because of the sweet aromatics in the air, and there were quite a few people standing near by the stand.</div>
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These guys serve the traditional black sugar pastries, as well as fried street foods that people love, such as big corn dogs (!) and french fries on a stick (!) </div>
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The guys made little dough balls with a cinnamon-brown sugar mixture rolled in the dough. They then fried the pastries on a griddle, pressed the balls down with a round-iron-tool. The pastries were done when both sides were golden brown. </div>
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Oh my goodness. This sounded so simple and so delicious!</div>
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When we decided to get one, we told the guy who's frying the pastries and he picked up a fresh one off the griddle, placed it in a paper cup (!) and handed it to us. </div>
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The outside of the pastry was hot, slightly crispy, but soft and chewy at the same time, and the cinnamon-brown sugar mixture had been melted during the frying... the combination of the outer skin and the center were just wonderful! mmm.</div>
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I had later on seen these pastries sold at little stands in other parts of the Seoul (Dongdaemun, Myeong-Dong, etc..) If you ever visit Seoul and see these, make sure you try one. They are yummy!</div>
yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-2325435799328307012013-01-23T13:14:00.000-07:002013-01-23T13:22:58.496-07:00Seoul 11.12 - Namdaemun ham hocksIt was just about time for lunch while John and I were browsing through Namdaemun Market. I had read about these delicious ham hocks in an old shop inside Namdaemun, so I had my mind set on having ham hocks for lunch!<br />
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The ham hock shop was located inside Namdaemun Market, off and near exit 5 of Hoehyeon Station.<br />
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When we got close to where the shop was supposed to be I realized there were two ham hock shops couple door away from each other.<br />
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Which was the one that I read about? I couldn't read Korean so I had no idea what I was looking at on the signs. Both of the shops looked fine to me.<br />
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So we ended up walking into the one that had more people in it. As I think back now I still can't remember which one we picked!<br />
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Anyhow, I don't think you could go wrong with either of these shops. It's ham hocks, baby!<br />
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We walked into the shop. It was busy, and we were seated by a small table by the door. A lady came by and started saying things. I replied in Korean that I couldn't understand Korean, so she started using both Japanese and Mandarin Chinese to talk to me. I replied in Mandarin, and it worked!<br />
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She asked what size ham hocks we wanted, and if we wanted anything else with it.<br />
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We figured we would order a small one so we would have room left to have other yummy food later on.<br />
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And then the soups and side dishes came.<br />
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The lettuce and sides were for wrapping up the ham hock pieces, or simply for eating on their own. I tried all of them and they were delicious.<br />
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And then the ham hock came. The lady told us she brought us the "smallest one."<br />
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Yes she said it was the "smallest one."<br />
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Oh my. These ham hocks and sides were yummy! The meat and skin were soft and chewy (or as us Taiwanese people say it, "QQ") and when wrapped in the lettuce with various kimchi and spicy miso (?) it was simply amazing.<br />
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John and I ate and it didn't seem to dent the pile of ham hock slices much. Remember how it was the "smallest one"? We would take the rest to go if we were heading back to the hotel right away, but since our next stop was Myeongdong, we left the slightly-dented-pile-of-slices-of-the-smallest ham hock where they were. We thank the ladies at the shop and told the lady that spoke Mandarin it was delicious. They were happy, too.<br />
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Oh boy. I think I'm craving some soft and QQ ham hocks right now!<br />
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<br />yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-29198107896356638792013-01-21T12:22:00.000-07:002013-01-21T12:26:25.733-07:00Seoul 11.12 - Namdaemun MarketAfter getting my new pair of glasses, John and I walked around Namdaemun Market. Namdaemun Market is a fairly traditional market, where you can find different foods, clothing, and household items. It's not a hip or hot shopping spot for youngsters like Myeong-Dong, but it's a very "real" people's market where there are many interesting things to see at Namdaemun Market in my opinion.<br />
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a sale on something... I'm thinking it was on winter coats.</div>
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Lots of street vendors selling fresh vegetables, kimchi, and cooked silkworm cocoons(!)</div>
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We also saw two fun guys selling soft pulled-honey-treats (with nuts.) They even threw a live candy-making show for us! We bought some honey treats with chopped almonds. Yummy.</div>
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Ladies selling fresh fruit, vegetables, and homemade treats and pickles.</div>
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We also saw quite a few people making meal deliveries where they carries the food on their head!</div>
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Mmm. Grilled rice cakes.</div>
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Toasted chestnuts!</div>
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There was more great food and snacks that I will tell you about in my next post. Namdaemun was fun!</div>
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yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-90615161356338877312013-01-12T12:51:00.001-07:002013-01-12T12:51:42.234-07:00Viet is coolOur super awesome and talented friend chef Viet Pham beat Bobby Flay and won on <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/iron-chef-america/index.html">Iron Chef of America</a>!<br />
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The show was of course filmed a few months ago, and it must have been difficult for Viet not (and he couldn't) share the results with anyone until the show first aired on the Food Network Sunday night.<br />
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John and I brought pork belly sliders (with spicy pickles) to the Pham vs. Flay viewing potluck party at Naked Fish on Sunday. It was so much fun!<br />
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We watched as Viet used ground meats and created 5 dishes within an hour to impress the judges. His first dish was soft scrambled eggs topped with maple syrup, sausage, and cream, served in an egg shell, and that got him 14 out of 15 total possible points!<br />
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From then on he kept making phenomenal food and for the final dish, he made the judges dessert -- beef fat (!) ice-cream! That's right. Ice-cream made with ground beef drippings, and served with cherries cooked two ways, and topped with beef fat powder (!), cocoa, and ground beef crumble!<br />
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Oh my! I've had Viet's soft scrambled eggs and they were delicious, but ice-cream made with ground beef drippings? I've gotta have him let us try some soon!!! But then I realize Viet is a big celebrity now, and with his new projects it will probably be a while before I could taste that beef fat wonder.<br />
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Anyhow, we are all so happy for and proud of Viet! He is so deserving yet so humble. He's awesome!<br />
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at the viewing party. fuzzy version.</div>
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at the viewing party. red happy face version.</div>
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Yay for Viet!yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-22501218261328988052012-12-26T12:57:00.001-07:002012-12-26T12:57:35.186-07:00this ChristmasJohn and I just kept it simple this year on Christmas. Didn't really go anywhere, and didn't really have anyone over. Just the two of us, with the dogs and the cat, at home, chillin'.<br />
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We had good food and beverages, of course.<br />
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And the dogs really liked their Christmas treats, too!<br />
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And yes my dogs make funny faces when they take their treats.<br />
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Hope everyone's having a wonderful holiday season!yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-21518364894831130842012-12-21T14:17:00.000-07:002012-12-22T13:17:28.486-07:00Seoul 11.12 - got a pair of glassesI've been wearing my contacts for years. I do have a pair of glasses from 15 years ago (!) that I wear at home. I can still see with these glasses, but I knew the it was totally not for my current eyesight any more.<br />
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I had heard that Korean-made glasses (especially frames) were of good quality and style, and it would be fast and easy to get a pair while in Korea.<br />
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So I did a quick research and decided I would get a new pair of glasses when I was in Namdaemun, Seoul.<br />
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John and I were going to visit the Namdaemun Market anyhow, and getting a cute new pair of glasses along the way would be great!<br />
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So we arrived at the Hoehyeon station and took exit 5, where it was pretty much at one beginning/end of the Namdaemun Market, and there were quite a few eyeglasses shops!<br />
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And which one did I choose?<br />
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There was this ajushi smiling and trying to get people to get into his store, and on top of that there was a manikin wearing a pair of sunglasses and bowing (!) in front of the shop! I had to go in!<br />
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I probably should have taken more photos of my whole eyeglasses-getting adventure, but I didn't. I did take a photograph of the lady who was kind and helping me along the way. I even haggled down the price of the pair I got. hehehe.<br />
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The lady had me pick out a frame that I liked first, and I looked and looked, and chose one that was made in Korea. It was flexible and pretty classic-looking and I loved it.<br />
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She then took me to have my eyes examined. We repeated the different processes quite a few times just to make sure I was satisfied with everything. (And during this whole time John was helping by holding my bag and coffee.) Then she had me choose the type of lenses I wanted.<br />
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The lady spoke fluent Japanese and her English was very good, too (even though she was shy about it.) It was an absolutely wonderful experience and I loved it! My new glasses was very light, and the thin Nikon lenses were wonderful! It only took about 20 minutes for the glasses to be ready, so during that time John and I just walked around near the shop. And when we returned it was all ready for me!<br />
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I love my new glasses. I took a couple silly photos of myself wearing them at 5Extract, a wonderful coffee shop, while John and the shop owner/barista chatted.<br />
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I love my glasses!<br />
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<br />yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19712283.post-27586659521327435772012-12-19T13:31:00.000-07:002012-12-19T13:31:07.346-07:00Seoul 11. 12 - ManoffinThere are many coffee and pastry chains in Korea, and while in Seoul we saw plenty of them all over the city. Another place these shops usually locate is inside a subway station.<div>
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One of the ones we tried was Manoffin. It's a chain that specialized in "designer" muffins, along with coffee beverages.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The one we visited was inside the Hoehyeon station, where we got off to go to Nandaemun Market.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span><br />
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Of course I was sucked in by the cute little muffins sitting in the display case!<br />
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They all looked so yummy, so John and I decided to each get a muffin!<br />
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While we were ordering the muffin the cashier girl asked what we would like to drink (or I thought that was what she was saying,) and we said just the muffins were fine. Another boy came by and started talking English, and explained to us that drinks came with the muffins (or so I understood,) so John and I each got a small hot Americano. I was thinking of an iced Americano, but the guy explained that was not included.<br />
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John and I got "Black Tea Prince" and a chocolate chip one. I wanted the black tea one, and John was actually pointing at another chocolate-type muffin, but the chocolate chip one seemed fine as well.<br />
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There were a small group of ajuma sitting at the tables by the shop, and there was one little spot left! So John me sit down while he stood as we were ready to dive in our cool little muffins.<br />
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An ajuma saw John, and moved a little bit to the side, patted on the bench and wanted John to sit down as well. That was really cute and nice.<br />
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So John and I sat down on our little spots on the bench, and started enjoying our Manoffins!<br />
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I really enjoyed the Black Tea Prince muffin. The batter had chopped black teas in it and it was aromatic and delicious. John liked his chocolate chip muffin as well. It was very chocolate-y!<br />
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And the Americano was not bad. A little too diluted for my taste, and John's comment on it was, "not offensive." There was probably only a single shot in the cup so it was light, but it was actually better than a lot of Americanos I've had here in the U.S..<br />
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All and all I enjoyed Manoffin!<br />
<br />yichinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18153927930096300830noreply@blogger.com0