PROJECT KOREA: WEEK 18 MY SUNDAY OF RELAX DAY

OK SO TODAY IS MY NON STRESS DAY.
BUT I ALSO GOT UP AT 12:30PM AND DIDN'T GET OUT TO EXPLORE THE BULDANG-DONG AREA (WHICH IS THE AREA THAT I NOW LIVE) UNTIL AROUND 3:30PM.

#LAZYMODE

WENT OUT FOR A WALK, AND KEPT ON REMINDING MYSELF THAT I NEED TO SEE DAYLIGHT MORE OFTEN SINCE I WORK FROM 2PM AND ON DURING THE WEEKDAYS.

WALKING OUT OF MY SUBDIVISION AND HUNTING FOR STARBUCKS. IT WAS A BIT CHILLY STILL, BUT THE SUN WAS GOOD ENOUGH.

#FAILURE
DECIDED TO MAKE ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO FIND LANDLORD'S DAUGHTER'S COFFEE SHOP THAT SHE HAD JUST OPENED AROUND A MONTH AGO AND FAILED AGAIN.
THINK THIS IS THE 2ND OR 3RD TIME I'VE FAILED TO LOCATED THIS PLACE.

THEY HAD EVEN SAVED IT ON MY PHONE UNDER GOOGLE MAPS, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE LOCATION IS IN KOREAN AND I HAVE SO MANY SAVED STARS AROUND THAT AREA THAT I DIDN'T KNOW I HAD STARRED. AND ON TOP OF THAT, TODAY WHILE I WAS USING MY GOOGLE MAP TO LOOK FOR STARBUCKS DUE TO MY BRAIN FART WITH THE ONE THAT I ALWAYS COME ACROSS IN THAT MY, THE MAP POINTED ME TO SEOUL (WHICH IS AN HOUR AWAY) SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S UP WITH THAT.

BUT I WAS REALLY HAPPY TO FINALLY REMEMBER THIS STARBUCKS IN MY AREA, WHICH IS THE BULDANG-DONG AREA IN CHEONAN.

I WAS LOOKING FOR A DARK BLEND WITH SOME SORT OF FLAVOR INSTEAD OF THE NORMAL BLAH-NESS FOR MY PALATE AND THE ONLY ONE SITTING IN THE BASKET THAT I WAS EYEING ON WAS THE DARK CHERRY & SPICE BLEND.

I WISHED THAT THEY HAD IT ON THE MENU FOR ME TO PURCHASE A CUP TO TRY BUT THEY ONLY HAD THE CHRISTMAS FLAVOR, IN WHICH IT WAS NOT OFFERED IN THE BAGS.  THE GIRL OVER THE COUNTER (AKA BARISTA) SAID THAT IT WAS A LITTLE SPICY. SO WE WILL HAVE TO SEE IN WHAT DEGREE SHE MEANS BY "A LITTLE SPICY".......

I HOPE IT IS NOT TOO SPICY FOR MY LIKING.

IT WAS 18,000 WON, THAT MEANS THAT IT IS AROUND $15 FOR THIS BAG OF COFFEE SPICE. I AM HOPING THAT IT IS WORTH IT AS I AM REALLY SICK OF ALL THE OTHER BLAND COFFEES IN KOREA. THEY ARE NOT AS STRONG. AND I'M NOT EVEN A HARD COFFEE LOVER.

I DID TRY IT LATER ON AND THERE IS NOTHING CHERRY & SPICE ABOUT IT. IT IS HOWEVER, STRONGER THAN THE PREVIOUS KOREAN PACKAGE THAT I BOUGHT. AND THE AROMA IS JUST FABULOUS!


AFTERWARDS, HEADED BACK TO THE APARTMENT WHILE IT WAS STILL DAYLIGHT TO MAKE MY PASTA THAT HAD BEEN SOAKING IN WATER BEFORE I LEFT EARLIER ON. PASSING BY THE SO CALLED "BAD" SIDE OF TOWN, THE HOMER SIMPSON ART WAS ENTERTAINING.

      

ALTHOUGH I FEEL LIKE I AM CONSUMING SO MUCH CARBS DUE TO THE LACK OF DESIRE IN MAKING MEAT, I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO THE ALFREDO SAUCE WITH SUN DRIED TOMATOES THAT I CAUGHT ON SALE AT EMART.

I HOPE TO BE STICKING TO THE PLAN OF ABSORBING DAYLIGHT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. AND THEN EITHER BLOGGING OF SOME SORT AT THE CAFE (BECAUSE I'M SURELY WILL NOT DO IT AT THE APARTMENT) AND THEN HEADING BACK TO APARTMENT TO WATCH FREE MOVIES ON THE LAPTOP AFTER THE CAFE CLOSES AT 12AM. SURPRISINGLY THERE ARE PLENTY OF SITES THAT ALLOW ME WATCH FREE AMERICAN AND INTERNATIONAL MOVIES WITHOUT ANY SUBSCRIPTION. SOMETHING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF.

HEADED TO CAFFE BENE SINCE IT IS JUST ACROSS THE STREET FROM MY CRIB.
I NEED TO EXPLORE THE OTHER CAFE SHOPS, BUT I HAVE NOTICED THAT MOST ARE CLOSED AT 11PM, BUT CAFFE BENE HAS AN HOUR FOR ME TO EXTEND TO BEFORE HOPPING BACK TO MY CRIB.

I DIDN'T BOTHER TO ORDER ANYTHING FROM CAFFE BENE, AS I AM NOT REALLY A FAN OF THEIR DRINKS. AND I HAD JUST SCARFED DOWN THE PASTA AND ALFREDO SAUCE THAT I MADE. IT IS PROBABLY FROWNED UPON TO JUST WALTZ IN THERE WITH OUT BUYING ANYTHING, BUT OH WELL!

I FOUND A GREAT SEAT NEAR THE DOOR WITH AN OUTLET!

PEOPLE STARTED COMING IN AFTER 9:30PM. KOREANS JUST DON'T WANT TO BE HOME. I SAW A RANGE OF PEOPLE FROM COUPLES TO FAMILIES TO GROUPS.

SPOTTED A REGULAR, AND WHEN I GLANCED OVER, I NOTICED THAT SHE WAS WORKING ON HER ILLUSTRATION. SHE WAS THE LAST TO LEAVE.



PROJECT KOREA: WEEK 18 WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?

SO, 18 WEEKS INTO MY TEACHING GIG IN SOUTH KOREA, I'M FINALLY MAKING AN ATTEMPT TO BLOG.

KEYWORD #ATTEMPT

THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT I CAN TALK ABOUT THAT I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN. I AM PLANNING TO JUST BACK TRACK AND POST THINGS ACCORDING TO THE WEEKS SINCE I HAVE VISUALLY DOCUMENTED EVERYTHING SINCE DAY ONE OF MY ARRIVAL.

RIGHT NOW, I'M IN THE CAFFE BENE COFFEE SHOP AND DROWNING OUT MY SURROUNDING BY LISTENING TO:Medtner Sonata Op.25 No.2 ''Night Wind'' I'VE FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW I WILL BE MANAGING MY FREE TIME IN KOREA. AND YES, IT TOOK AT LEAST 16 WEEKS FOR ME TO FIGURE THIS OUT. INITIALLY, I WAS TRYING TO FIT AS MANY WEEKENDS HEADING OVER TO SEOUL AND TRYING TO COVER A CERTAIN AREA ON MY SATURDAYS. BUT THAT ITSELF WAS TIRING AND AT TIMES STRESSFUL.

EVER SINCE I'VE GOTTEN HERE, I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO CRAM WHAT I CAN ON THE WEEKENDS. THEN IT WAS TRYING TO EXPLORE ON SATURDAYS WITH GROCERY SHOPPING AT THE END OF MY SATURDAY AND DO HOUSEHOLD WORK SUCH AS CLEANING MY APARTMENT ON SUNDAYS.THESE DAYS, I'VE DECIDED THAT I JUST NEED TO SPREAD OUT MY EXPLORATIONS AND ACTUALLY ENJOY DAYLIGHT WHILE I CAN. I START WORK AT 3PM, WHICH MEANS THAT I NEED TO GET READY AROUND 1PM.

AND UP UNTIL LAST WEEK OR SO, I'VE BEEN SLEEPING IN UNTIL I HAD TO GET UP. THAT DEFINITELY NEEDS TO CHANGE. I'M HOPING TO MAKE MY MORNINGS PRODUCTIVE WITH LEARNING KOREAN VIA MY TABLET WHILE I'M GETTING READY. OR PERHAPS STARING AT SOMETHING RELATED TO LEARNING KOREAN WHILE I'M STILL IN BED, REFUSING TO GET UP. WHY WOULD I WANT TO STAY IN BED? IT IS THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE BED I'VE EVER SLEPT ON. I STILL HAVE TO SLEEP ON THIS THING UNTIL MID OCTOBER!

I DID BUY THE MOST COMFORTABLE BLANKET THOUGH!

TRIP TO ASIA AND BLOGGING

I DON'T KNOW HOW EVERYONE DOES IT WITH THE SIMULTANEOUS TRAVELING WHILE BLOGGING.  I CAN'T SEEM TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN AS THERE ARE NOT REALLY ANY DOWNTIME FOR ME.  

I GOT THE ASUS TF700 FOR THIS PURPOSE OF BEING ABLE TO BLOG AND EDIT PHOTOS  DIDN'T PLAN OUT THE TIME NEEDED TO POST!

BEEN TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH FACEBOOK PHOTO AND STATUS POSTING AND IT HAS BEEN A 85% FAIL!  AFTER GETTING BACK TO HOTEL FROM LONG DAYS, I WOULD EDIT DOWN PHOTOS AND LOAD THEM INTO MY HAND HELD EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE TO MAKE MORE ROOM FOR MY 8GB SD CARD.  AND THEN THE NEXT DAY WOULD BE THE SAME CYCLE.  ANY TIPS FOR BLOGGING WHILE TRAVELING?

THERE ARE LOTS OF POST TRIP POSTINGS THAT I CAN'T WAIT TO SHARE, BOTH VISUALLY AND COMMENTARY WISE.

APOLOGIES TO  BLOGGERS FROM ABROAD THAT I PROMISED TO TOUCH BASE WITH WHILE IN HONG KONG AND THAILAND.  THAT DID NOT WORK OUT AS I WAS STRUGGLING TO KEEP MY EYES SHUT WHILE DINING WITH NEWLY MET FAMILY FRIENDS THERE.

HOPING TO EXCHANGE SOME INSIGHTS WITH YA'LL BLOGGERS SOON!

2013 10 22 MY HONG KONG TRIP_SKY ART FROM THE WINDOW SEAT

CLOUDS. 

SUCH A SOOTHING VISUAL AND A FORTUNATE-NATURAL VIEW TO HAVE.

I AM GRATEFUL TO LIVE IN AN AREA WHERE THE SKY LOOKS LIKE THE OPENING TO "THE SIMPSON'S" CARTOON.

AT TIMES, HAVING THE FULL WINDOW VIEW WITH THE WING OR SKY FULLY FRAMED BY THE PLANE LETS ME STARE OUT WITH ANTICIPATION OF CHANGING COLORS AND ILLUMINATING ABSTRACTS.  

ONLY 20 MIN AFTER DEPARTURE (3:40 PM)

WITH SOME MORE WAYS TO GO UNTIL REACHING FINAL DESTINATION.....

THIS PHOTO TAKEN AT 7:50 PM

EXPLORING ON SOME STATS.....

ABOUT  A LITTLE OVER AN HOUR, I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND WITNESSED CHANGING SHADES OF BLUE.  THE MINGLING OF THE CLOUDS DRIFTS FROM DARK TO LIGHT.  ARE WE CROSSING OVER THE TIME ZONE? LITERALLY?  MAYBE THAT SHOULD BE A QUESTION FOR MY PILOT FRIEND.  .....K.R.!!!!!

DARKNESS APPROACHED, GIVING IT A DIFFERENT DIMENSION OF COLORS.

      

I THINK I WAS WATCHING SOME MOVIE WHILE STARING OUT "IN SPACE" -- HA! LITERALLY.  THEN WE WERE INTERRUPTED AND NOTIFIED THAT WE WERE GETTING CLOSE TO LANDING.

FINALLY ARRIVED!  OH, IT WAS ONLY A BIZZILION SOMETHING HOUR FLIGHT. RIGHT?  

MY UN-ADJUSTED WATCH WAS TELLING ME THAT WE LANDED AROUND 6:50 AM-ISH 10/23 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, WHICH WAS TECHNICALLY AROUND 7PM IN HONG KONG.

2013 10 22 MY TRIP TO HONG KONG WITH UNITED AIRLINES CONNECTING FROM ORLANDO TO NEWARK FIRST

MY TRIP TO HK ENTAILS FLYING TO NEWARK FIRST TO CONNECT A LONG, LONG FLIGHT TO HONG KONG.  DURING PREVIOUS CONVERSATION WITH OUR TRAVEL AGENT, WE SPECIFICALLY ASKED NOT TO CONNECT THROUGH CALIFORNIA, OR ANYWHERE ON THE WEST SIDE BECAUSE WE HEARD THAT CUSTOMS WERE A BIT MORE STRICT ON THAT SIDE.  SO, CONNECTING TO NEWARK WE GO!

VIEW FROM ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

NICE CORNER POCKET OF BLUE.....

OFF THE RUNWAY WE GO !

UP IN THE AIR A LITTLE BIT MORE......

ENJOYING THE SEA OF CLOUDS.

ABOUT 2.5 HOURS BEFORE ARRIVING TO NEWARK, TIME TO KICK BACK EVEN THOUGH THERE IS LIMITED AMOUNT OF SPACE.  NO BUSINESS CLASS THIS TIME ;)

ONLY 2.5 HOURS AND SITTING AS COMMONERS SETS US TO DRINKS AND MAYBE A MINI BAG OF PRETZELS, BUT I MIGHT HAVE FORGOTTEN TO TAKE A PICTURE OF IT.  

.....BUT, THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE AS I TAKE PICTURES OF EVERYTHING.
PERHAPS ACCIDENTALLY DELETED.

AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, IT WAS LANDING TIME @ 12:15 PM AT NEWARK AIRPORT.

2013 09 03 NEW TRIP PLANS TO ASIA

SO ITS OFFICIAL.
JUST BOOKED MY FLIGHT TO ASIA FOR LATE OCTOBER AND I AM STOKED! PASSPORT IS GOOD THROUGH 2015, SO BETTER MAKE SOME USE OF IT NOW.
EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NEVER OFFICIALLY TRIED AIRBNB, I MAY HAVE TO ACTUALLY TRY TO GO THROUGH THEM THIS TIME AND HOPEFULLY BE SUCCESSFUL! 

THIS WILL BE MY SECOND TRIP TO ASIA AND HAPPY TO NOTE THAT I WILL BE VISITING NEW COUNTRIES IN ASIA.  WHERE AM I GOING?  HONG KONG AND MAYBE THAILAND!
THE LAST TIME I WAS IN ASIA, I VISITED MAINLAND, CHINA THROUGH A TRAVEL AGENCY TOUR GROUP.  THEY HELPED WITH MY VISA.  THANK GOODNESS A VISA IS NOT NEEDED IN HONG KONG NOR THAILAND.  CHINA IS RUNNING SOME $99 TOUR/DEAL PROMOTIONS WHERE HOTEL, FOOD, TRANSPORTATION AND TOUR GUIDE ARE PROVIDED.  BUT I FIGURED, ITS TIME TO HIT SOME NEW "HAPPENING" AREAS.

TOOK A FEW DAYS TO COMPARE FLIGHTS AND THROUGH A FAMILY FRIEND, RECOMMENDED A TRAVEL AGENT.  I WAS SUGGESTED TO ASK FOR THE "BULK RATE" WHEN SPEAKING TO THIS TRAVEL AGENT IF I DID NOT CARE TO COLLECT REWARD POINTS.   I ALSO NOTICED THAT YOU CAN ALSO HAGGLE WITH THEM TOO! ABLE TO KNOCK OF $42 OFF A TICKET COMPARED WITH WHAT I WAS SEEING ONLINE.  FLYING UNITED AIR.    SEARCHING THIS FLIGHT 50 DAYS BEFORE THE FLIGHT DATE AND THE CURRENT RUNNING PRICE FOR THIS PRICE IS $1112 PER TICKET ON THE UNITED AIR SITE.

ALSO REMEMBERED THAT I STILL HAVE THIS UNIVERSAL POWER PLUG ADAPTER THAT I BOUGHT FOR MY SPAIN TRIP.  HOPEFULLY I CAN STILL USE THIS UNIVERSAL ELECTRIC PLUG IN HONG KONG AND THAILAND!