my pre-summer vacation

Back in mid-May, I went on a 3-week vacation with O to Vietnam and Japan. It was his first time in Vietnam, my first time meeting his dad AND our first long international trip alone together. No pressure, right? :) Nah, we had such a blast (despite a few mishaps here and there). It was definitely a food trip for us. We (well, mainly me) made a list of all the food and/or places we wanted to eat in each location we stayed at. And needless to say, we almost hit 10 out of 10 spots. The weather was great most of the time (we caught the beginning of the raining season), and we got to enjoy some beautiful beaches in both countries. It’s been over a month since we came back and I’m STILL craving/missing the food we ate, especially in Japan.

Below are some photos I took (I decided not to bring my DLSR this time and took everything on my iPhone 4s). For the rest of the photos from the trip, click here. You will see that 90% of my photos were of the food we ate. Can’t you tell that I want to become a foodie? :-)

japan, lately.

It’s been so cold the last couple of weeks that I thought snow might come early this year. But the closest thing we had was slushy snow-rain for a couple hours last night. Whenever winter and cold weather is here, my memories always return to the long winter in Japan back in 2007-2008. There was snow, harsh dry air and a lot of walking outside. This weather also brings me back to the cold days and nights in my old apartment. Insulation was nonexistent. Walls and windows were either grim- or thin looking. Miso soups, hot teas, a couple blankets and a space heater were my loyal companions (besides my two lovely roommates, of course).

I worked at several branches, and most of them are at a least 5-10 minutes walk from the subway/train station. It was the same routine 6 days a week, walking alone between point A to point B, often with ample time for my mind to wander and enjoy the surroundings of holiday lights and decorations from the ground to the glass windows of skyscrapers above train stations and shopping buildings.

Though this was not during winter time, one of the branches I commuted to that stood out the most was the farthest from the train station. It was an easy 15 minute trek to get to that branch, where it is located next to a nice supermarket in Kani city. During the summer, there was no shade for me to hide under so I would have to walk through the fields under the burning sun. After a couple weeks did I finally learn to appreciate this long walk despite the unyielding heat. I loved cutting through the small neighborhoods with old-style houses and bonsai gardens, imagining myself being planted in that environment, living like a true Japanese local. After the houses came acres and acres of farm fields, neatly lined and squared with an occasional farmer or two tending in the muddy grounds. It was so peaceful–a nice break from the city life that Nagoya has to offer.

It was over 5 years since I left Japan and returned to Seattle. The trip back last December was much needed and definitely impulsive. But it was all worth it given how much I had missed the country. Seeing old friends, eating local foods and walking around the same (and even new) places brought a rush of memories back to me. I promised myself that I will return and live there again. Someday.

{Images circa Japan 2012}

maui

I think I’m finally blogging again. The drastic change in weather has been affecting me like it always does every year. It’s not as bad as last year, but I still feel it getting more under my skin by the day. I kept telling myself to get back into my creative-happy mode and work on things again, and soon. Summing up all that motivation is quite a challenge, though. Seattle’s miserable rainy and cloudy weather is making me miss the warmth of the sun so much. Like Maui’s sun from last month’s week-long trip with O and his family (photos below and more of them here).

{Maui 2013}

vietnam 2012

My two weeks trip to Vietnam was relaxing, satisfying and a whole lot better this time around. I was filled with great food, the beach, cheap massages, hot weather and good company. But, boy do I hate flying!

See more photos.

san francisco

Some of my favorites from a mini weekend trip to San Francisco with Linda (one fine dae) and our friend, Anh.

ticking down…

There are only two days left before Christmas and my holidays break until January. I am super excited to have this much time off to focus on the launch of my shop and just to relax at home.

This also means I’ll be on a little hiatus from the blog until after the new year. But I’ll still be around on Twitter + Tumblr, so visit me there during the holidays!

It’s been an extremely tough year and I am so glad it will be over really soon. With that said, I’m hoping and expecting a lot of {good} changes next year.

So bring it on, 2011!

Lastly, I also hope everyone a warm, safe and happy Christmas + New Years with your loved ones. =)

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!!

beau est mien

Don’t you love these prints from Magali Dincher? This French designer likes using old-fashioned methods of hand-cut Linotype, collagraphy and screenprinting in her work.

View other prints in her shop or visit the website to learn more.

. . . . .

This long week is FINALLY over, thank goodness. I’ll be on a little winter getaway this weekend with my fiancé so I will see you all next week! Happy Friday!

Stay warm and safe.

wish I was there again

St. Maarten – summer of 2008

home sweet home

{Top-left: Cork, Newgrange, Lausanne’s Ouchy, old Zurich. For more photos, please visit my Flickr}

I’m back to back to Seattle! Home is comfort and familiar, and I welcomed it with open arms. (For a short period of time, anyway.)

Working in Ireland has been a good experience! The office is prettier (with a lot of green!) and everyone was super friendly and welcoming. Cork is a very small city, borderline town-like, and charming in its own Irish way. We didn’t have a lot of time to travel around Ireland during the 3 weeks stay, but my coworkers and I managed to go on a mini weekend road trip to Dublin (disappointing), with stops in Wicklow and Newgrange.

After three weeks, I was done with work and on my way to Switzerland! My friend and his girlfriend were kind enough to show me a little bit of Geneva and charming Lausanne (where they currently live) for a couple days. Then I met up with another friend from Seattle who’s working in Vietnam that happens to be traveling in the country the same time I was! We explored lovely Zurich and its old + new parts of the city. I only had time tor the cities on my first trip to Switzerland, but I fell in love with the country anyway! Now I really want to go back and discover the Swiss alps in the near future.

Met friendly strangers while traveling alone. Ate good food in Switzerland (also had some Vietnamese food, finally, after 3 weeks of going without!). Creepy old men staring. Amazing summer weather. Very tired of trains, buses, and airplanes. All in all, I’m very very happy that I was able to travel to Europe on business + vacation for the first time. =)

On a side note, I came back and realized how fat Link is becoming. He currently has a big lump of fat/skin drooping down his stomach when he walks. Wth! So he is going on a little diet right now.

hiatus

On a short hiatus (May 12 – June 12) while I’m in Ireland for work + vacation.

happy tuesday

Jazzed-up a jewelry gift box for Nam’s mom for Mother’s Day. I’m now inspired to do more of my own packaging for everything..!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend in that gorgeous weather! As for me, I enjoyed dinner of pasta and lobster with the girls, and then Korean food with my family the day after for Mother’s Day. I can’t believe Ireland is here already, even though we had ample time for this departure. Packing started but it probably won’t be completely done until tomorrow when I fly out in the afternoon. Surprisingly, packing is a lot more fun than unpacking, so I usually take my sweet time.. And today is my last day of work until next Monday in the Cork office!

I guess the only downside is that the apartment I’m going to stay at {with my two coworkers) is a bit far from work and downtown Cork. Bleh.

almost there

Chicken drumsticks marinated two ways with: soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, rosemary, and various spices. Crab salad with homemade dressing: vinaigrette, extra virgin olive oil, and sesame oil. Thin spaghetti noodles cooked in butter, garlic, and cilantro.

Just two more weeks and I’ll be in Europe for the first time ever. The excitement didn’t last long after finding out I’ll be going over there for work. But as each week ends and a new one begins, it’s slowly bubbling up again as I get closer and closer to departure. Not to mention I will be turning 25 somewhere in mid-air between the US and Ireland..!

swiss!

I think I’m going to Switzerland in June after all! {Images from: Getty Images}

traveling + work

St. Patrick’s Bridge and West Cork {Image credits: Kglavin and Brian Abbott}

Okay, it’s set and plane tickets have been booked earlier this week: I’ll be going to Cork, Ireland for work {right before my birthday} in May. We opened an office in Cork last summer, and this year I have a great opportunity to go over there with a colleague to train and work with some of the people there. I am super excited to be traveling again {so soon}!

Now I’m in the process of planning my 5-day vacation somewhere in Europe after three weeks of work in Cork. There are just too many places that I want to go to, but with limited time and a tight budget, not to mention changes in my original plan, I’m finally narrowing down to Barcelona, Spain or Switzerland.

off to san francisco & it’s february now

{To see a few more photos, click here}

I returned last night from a weekend trip to San Francisco with my friend Anh. Her friend Va {whom I’ve met once two years ago when she was visiting Seattle) generously let us stay at her cozy place in Berkeley. We hit up a Korean restaurant {Oghane} in Oakland the first night and stuffed ourselves with gal-bi bbq, spicy cold noodles and tofu soup. Flight at 3pm was delayed and we didn’t get to Berkeley until 8pm. So Thursday and Saturday were spent on flying. I hate flying.

The following day consisted of Fisherman’s Wharf/Pier 39, {wasted a lot of time driving around} Golden Gate Park, food and gift shopping in Japantown, and briefly through Chinatown to look for crabs. We completely {and accidently, oops} missed the Golden Gate Bridge and had to rush back to Berkeley for dinner as the rain started pouring.

Our Friday dinner in Va’s kitchen was mixed sashimi (salmon, tai, and squid) and delicious {$2.99/lb!} crabs. So yummy and filling. It was a laid-back and slow {in a relaxing sort of way} trip, but I’m always glad to be out of Seattle. I also really want warmer weather to come quickly so I can escape these winter blues.

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Things to get done before the Lunar New Year:

.rearrange living room & work space
.bank accounts
.extend apartment lease
.re-seller permit
.laundry
.pay rent
.apply for jobs
.clean