Looks like another gray covered day here in Seoul!
11/22/2016
11/16/2016
stay positive, be grateful
With everything going on with the world,
there's only one thing you can do.
be positive.
be grateful.
wakeup and live for today
as if it were your last day and the only day you knew.
How simple would life be if we didn't worry about tomorrow and the future.
Live each day with gratitude.
Don't give into the negative energy.
Don't get sucked in the black hole and hate.
Any kind of hate is hate.
It doesn't matter who or what it is for.
It's the same energy - whether that hate is for justice (for yourself and your country),
negative energy is negative energy no matter what.
I think the war these days is not another WWII, but a war against consciousness and energy control.
More and more people are giving in their energy with the media, the mass..
Take control of where and how you want to put your wavelength (like a radio) - because that's going to be the station you'll be tuning into.
And unless you change channels, nothing will change.
Take action. Take responsibility for your own energy.
Nobody will save you, but yourself.
Instand pho and mandoo!
It's not actually homemade homemade!
But having this having this $1 per packet pho to whip it up in 10 minutes is pretty great! This is my favorite instant pho I get delivered from Emart. It has 4 packets (4 servings) in each box for less than 4000won.
But having this having this $1 per packet pho to whip it up in 10 minutes is pretty great! This is my favorite instant pho I get delivered from Emart. It has 4 packets (4 servings) in each box for less than 4000won.
It comes with the dry soup pack, hot sauce (I mix it with the "plum sauce"), and noodles.
This is the plum sauce I get from Emart. It's less than 4000won for this small bottle - but it's pretty good. I use to bring food stuff from the states to save from spending 1.5 times the amount - but it's not so bad these days. More and more foreign foods are more avail and affordable than before.
Getting back to making the pho,
I cut up (or rip) cabbages - sometimes with onions, kale..whatever you have in your fridge - to boil with the water.
And of course, MANDOO!!! Add 3-4 pieces to boil with the broth.
So just veggies and mandoo to boil.
It takes about 5 minutes or so for the mandoo to cook - once it looks like it has seeped in the broth - add the noodles and the "dry broth pack".
It takes few more minutes for the noodles to cook. I don't like over cooking it too much - but that's just like cooking spaghetti noodles - it's your preference how soft you want it!
Of course, at best, it would be best to have local Vietnamese veggies, especially those hardly thick basil and cilantro! Yumm - but you gotta make do with what you have.
It's so simple and easy to make.
With veggies and mandoo - it taste good enough to pass as pho ^^ I can opt out paying 9000won or more for restaurant pho here in Korea for this instant/homemade pho any day.
When you live abroad long enough and crave some local food (not really local American) - you have to make do and get creative in your own way.
11/14/2016
Fireworks in October (Yeouido)
Sometime around the holiday after October 3rd - Seoul holds a fireworks event!
The street across from us was holding a little festival of their own.
The street across from us was holding a little festival of their own.
The guy on the stage is a comedian/host from a show called, "6 o'clock hometown show" from KBS. It was a mini singing contest - mostly old Korean songs - it was nice to be in that festive energy.
We headed back to our home to enjoy the show from our window - luckily we caught it on time just after having dinner out.
The bridge was on fire! All that work!
It was a very impressive one this year - last year was also pretty nice - this year wasn't as bad either! You can see the swarm of people from Youido walking over to MAPO station - I can't imagine how busy and packed it must be.
When there's an event in Seoul - you can bet it's going to be packed! That's a guarantee ;)
10/19/2016
Hot hot hot in mid October
The weather has been too warm for October! I don't know whether it's the beginning of summer or the middle of it.
It's nice during winter because our South facing window soaks up all the heat - but the unusually warm hot weather is puzzling, frustrating, and even worrying the beheevies out of me especially when just a few posts (weeks) ago I was unknowingly claiming the breezy cool start of autumn. Again, I am wrong.
It's been going on for the past 2 weeks now. The pm2.5 level pollution hovers around 80 - 100 range (normal is 20, China is around 400) and sometimes higher in my area.
It doesn't help the added frustration of just wanting to see the clear blue clear sky - not a hazy yellowy grayish depressing blue that looks cloudy - when I spot lines of chemtrail spraying right above us. The boldness to be spraying chemicals in the sky when air pollution is way above normal! The audacity!
I deeply worry about Korea. I've been here since 2007 and I have never seen such horrid sky days, unpleasantly warm weather for October, and killer air pollution when days of clear days are the rarity.
I try to pay attention to our diet nowadays by eating cleaner and drinking more water. Better to help yourself than complain complain and whine.
Ignore that gray dull sky and murky warm weather in October - that's the best you can do at this day of age.
The government here doesn't seem to care much about the situation - politics aside - more and more society all around the world shows who's boss.
Helping yourself is the best solution!
9/30/2016
Diy: rubber gloves into useful big bands
If you're an avid pink glove user, you might just might have felt too guilty to throw away the worn pair (the right pair always seem to be the one that wears out first because I am right handed) while you're in the midst of finishing up your dish washing session. I have. Felt too guilty to throw a good pair just because I couldn't stand trickle of dirty water penetrating my index finger.
To lessen this first(second) class world problem, just grab a pair of scissors and cut away!
You can make little or big or stretchy or tight bands, for different uses and occasion.
I use the looser band for big bags like pet food or beans, and tigher bands for closing up frozen food bags.
It's very useful to have different bands for different occasions. Now you can feel less guilty of throwing that almost good pair away.
These are the fun little things house keepers like myself can come up and feel good about (patting myself on the back) when you do a chore many occasions enough.
Bonus: you can cut a big wider piece to help you open up jars!
9/22/2016
Organic milk soft serve - BaekMiDang (IFC mall Yeouido)
I don't eat as much ice cream in summer than I should considering what a hot summer we had. But there is one place that I always get my share of ice cream whenever I see this place, no matter what always, most always.
Baekmidang is an ice cream place that serves their famous organic milk soft ice cream. It was mind blowing the very first time I had it. It's so soft, creamy and heavy with good organic milk! If you like pure taste and milk, this soft serve is a must.
This one in IFC mall in Yeouido was a new store. I was super thrilled to see it! It didn't look like it belonged there amongst the clothing stores on the 3rd floor - most eateries are located on the bottom floor.
They interestingly also have tofu soft serve ice cream. But I'll stick to my organic milk one.
It doesn't look like much - but I love the natural milk taste and organic factor. But one thing I don't particularly like is their cone itself. The bottom gets pierced down with the soft serve and drips easily. You either have to eat it fast in a hot weather or just maneuver your way into biting the bottom when it starts dripping while eating the top all at the same time and trying not to look lest silly. I've managed to hone that skill with a few tries. I don't think it's such a negative, but my husband dislikes their weak cone.
The coffee is pretty strong and of good quality and the creamy ice cream adds a bold contrast with the bitter coffee. It's like a big affogato!
I purchased this book today!
With that added book find, today was a good day.
Ilho Myunok in Lotte castle arcade (Yeouido)
As previously stated, I enjoy "hamheung" nengmyun out of all the nengmyun out there. So my "nengmyun enthusiast" husband wanted me to show a proper hamheung nengmyun.
We headed to Yeouido Lotte Castle arcade.
One thing I love about korean restaurants is that the menu is limited. Sometimes options (unlimited) makes (my) life much complicated than it should be.
I appreciate the smaller menu here. As usual with nengmyun restaurants, we ordered mandoo with our hamheung and bibim nengmyun. The spicy latter nengmyun is mine.
The mandoo was superb! It had plenty of veggies to combat the pork taste. I didn't particularly enjoy the dipping sauce that came with it. It wasn't the vinegar and soy sauce mix we concoct. But very happy to have ordered these!
Getting mandoo in a nengmyun restaurant is a must for us because we enjoy the warmth meaty pairing with our cold noodles and because it also gives a good judge on how seriously they take their trade.
The soupy "hamheung nengmyun" boasts a thicker creamier looking broth! And it tastes as amazing as it looks. They pride in making natural broth and the taste is a result of it.
My "bibim nengmyun" was very good as well! There were enough "skate meat" in it that made the dish very rich. It's hard to find so much skate meat in these bibim nengmyuns. No, it's not the scary fermented skate, but sweet and spicy vinegary skate meat that adds a chewy and refreshing meaty texture to a could be bland dish.
I was overall very happy with the meal. Koreans pride in making one kind of dish really well and that's the case with Ilho Myunok. If you are around Yeouido and enjoy nengmyun, I would recommend this place.
Lotte Castle arcade has many restaurants inside if cold noodles aren't your thing, you will probably find a good alternative here. The "monk fish restaurant" I blogged earlier is located here too.
9/21/2016
Jelly pudding cups in 7-11
Those days when you want something sweet and refreshing, but not heavy or creamy - head to the jelly section in convenient store!
Grabbed these jellies!
One is grape - it has real grapes on the bottom. And the other one is "coco-strawberry"
They look like the perfect treat!
Can you see the green grapes on the bottom?
It's sweet, but not heavy and the real grape bites makes you feel like you're eating something a bit healthier (but not likely so).
The coco-strawberry is not as sweet as the grape one! It tastes a bit creamy from the coconut milk addition.
I like the jelly more than the chunks of jelly on the bottom because they were too sweet for my liking.
Enjoyed these thoroughly..!
What's your less than guilty sweet treat?! ;)
9/20/2016
Earthquake in Seoul
On Monday September 19th, 8:33pm, I felt like I was lifted briefly in the air (very briefly!) while lying down on the sofa. I looked over my husband and he too knew what it was.
We got our 2nd earthquake after just a week ago when it felt like the building shook (side to side) very briefly and ever so lightly. This time felt like I was lifted up and down.
Very small number of people felt it in Seoul this round - that's what I get for being so sensitive.
This is not my first experience with earthquakes - I grew up in the Philippines where I remember my mom holding us while the earth shook and things were flying off the shelves. This is my 3rd earthquake feel in Korea since 2007.
I can't say what this means - but perhaps it's natures way of reminding us that our time is brief here and any moment could be our last.
Koreans are super scared because they always believed they were safe from earthquakes. I can feel the paranoia here. The way the government is handling small matters doesn't make it all assuring that if something big does happen that that might be it and the end. A bit negative, but you can't blame them for being so paranoid.
All I know is that we are all at the mercy of nature.
On a lighter note: Japan has lived with it and so can Korea. They just have to start taking some actions for preparation and education in many required areas to better deal with earthquakes and its aftermath.
What the Chemtrail! (Seoul, Korea)
Chemtrails...
After a few days of beautiful clear days - I guess they didn't want it to last - the sky is covered in Chemtrail film of gray dusty looking blanket.
Is there a jet show? You gotta wonder what's up there.
I like to ask questions. I don't know how I came about learning about chemtrails - but glad I did.
Doesn't hurt to ask and learn why. I'm lucky enough to live high enough to see the beginning of spraying process (streaks of white lines) before it settles and makes a thick blanket of gray coverage.
Geoenginering is nothing new.
It's not some tale anymore. More and more people are waking up to learn why the sky is the way it is.
You can actually see the plane when you look closely that's spraying the sky and altering nature.
The residue it leaves behind looks like clouds - but it's not. It's very deceiving.
How about a free "jet show" with a hint of aluminum dust to accelerate Alzheimer's! Anyone?!
No one wants to know that evil is being done - but you have to wake up to see the truth:
Everything is connected.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)