Typically whenever there are reports of lunar eclipses or super moons, I don't get all too excited. Not for the reason that they're not a sight to behold. But mostly due to the fact that it is really difficult to see such an occurrence in the city. It is hard to even see many stars at night, forget about an eclipse! With all the buildings, pollution, and clouds playing a part, being able to see the moon is already a great feat (I think).
However, when a super moon and lunar eclipse occur together the chances of being able to witness are far greater. Adding to the fact that it fell on Mid-Autumn Festival meant I was already due to stare at the sky at some point during that night. More reasons to star/moon gaze.
Seeing the full bright moon slowly but surely eclipsing throughout the night was something else. Yesterday was the first time I saw it happening and I was very fascinated. It's just something about barely seeing the edges of the moon glow red to gradually glowing a little brighter as the night passed.
Now if only the next time there weren't so many clouds in the sky to obstruct the view a majority of the night.
Anyways, how was your holiday (if you celebrated)?
Were you able to spot the super blood moon where you are?
The day after a (mild) night out meant all of us craved rest and staying in to recuperate. Day 8 in Korea for me involved sleeping until the afternoon and lounging around the dorms. Seems like a pretty relaxing and familiar Sunday routine.
View from 7th floor of SK Global House
View from 7th floor of SK Global House lounge
All floor lounges are at the corner of the dorm building. Since my dorm room was on the top floor, we had a really nice panoramic view of the Yonsei campus, Sinchon, and Edae area.
Korean Dunkin Donuts selection
If you travel abroad and see familiar chain stores, don't hesitate to go in! Even though Dunkin' Donuts is such a common sight in New York, the selection in Korea was completely different than what America has to offer. Some donuts may be similar, yeast donuts with icing coating. But the stars are definitely the glutinous rice ring donuts. They're so light and chewy. One of the things I miss after coming back home was definitely these donuts.
There is another chain called Mister Donuts that also sells something similar but they call it the "Pon De Ring". It is supposedly more famous but unfortunately we didn't spot any of their stores during our stay in Korea...perhaps next time.
Chinese restaurant delivery night
What's a living in Korea experience without Chinese delivery? Since everyone was already in the staying in mood, we all happily agreed to ordering food. Luckily there are stacks of different menus available in the lobby of the dorms for students to choose from. I don't remember the menus having very much English on them but most had images of the most popular/promoted items. The perk of being in the international students' dorms meant the security guards and students at the front desk know enough English to help place delivery orders. If not, try to brave the call yourselves.
Big bowl of saucy noodles (jajangmyun 자장면), big platter of fried pork (tangsuyuk 탕수육), and free "service" fried dumplings (gunmanu 군만두). This might not have been the best Korean-style Chinese food meal there is but hey, it is comfort food! Just the thought of sitting around a table with our friends, mixing our noodles, dipping the pork into the sauce, and engulfing all the food while chatting and watching TV makes me all excited.
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Day 9 signaled the preparations of school life for the next month. After 3-day weekend of fun and relaxation, we all had to face the fact that classes started the next day. It would have been trouble to be late the first day just because we got lost on the massive campus right?
Lord Sandwich
We passed by this sandwich shop many times going in and out of the East side of the Yonsei campus. I don't quite remember expecting much going into the restaurant but the chicken sandwich I had was pretty delicious and very filling.
Views from EDU Building
After our brunch, we all headed off into the heart of the Yonsei campus to familiarize ourselves with all the buildings and roads amidst all the trees. Being a commuter student in New York City, Yonsei University's campus was a complete shock to me. So much greenery, everything is so spread out, and so many buildings for all the different departments too. The school I went to back home only had 2 buildings for classes that were just a city block away from each other. Talk about night and day!
Sindangdong Tteokbokki Town 신당동 떡볶이 타운
Our dinner destination: Tteokbokki Town. This food area was not under my radar before coming to Korea. If it weren't for the friends we met, I could have probably missed out on this place. Who knew there was a whole area just to eat tteokbokki?
Mabokrim Halmeoni Jib 마복림 할머니 집
292-112 Sindang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea
The restaurant our friends had in mind was Mabokrim. It is hard to miss this particular place since it is right at the start of the Sindang Tteokbokki Town. Unlike the spicy rice cakes that you may have seen in Korean dramas that are sold on food carts on the streets, the one at Mabokrim was loaded with all kinds of goodies. It isn't just rice cakes, fish cake, and veggies in a spicy sauce.
Nope! This sit-down restaurant adds ramen, spaghetti noodles, boiled eggs, and fried dumplings to the concoction. They bring it out to you in a big shallow pan and all you have to do is wait for it to bubble away until you think it is ready to eat. All the ingredients cook pretty fast anyways so the staring time isn't too long, don't you worry.
The prices here are pretty cheap and will leave you stuffed by the end of the meal. It starts at 2 serving size for ₩11,000. 3 serving size is ₩14,000. 4 serving size is ₩20,000. 5 serving size is ₩24,000.
This particular restaurant must be pretty famous. There were many photos of what I assumed were celebrities who visited or television segments who filmed there. Even when we were leaving the restaurant, our group was stopped by a Chinese television crew from NTD TV who wanted to interview us. What an experience!
Red Mango Patbingsoo
We spotted yet another familiar name in Korea: Red Mango. I think this was the first and only time we had Red Mango whilst on our trip. Our dessert of choice was of course shaved ice (patbingsoo 팥빙수). Since we were at a froyo place, their version of patbingsoo came with frozen yogurt, fruits, and various froyo toppings. Even though it was really refreshing after a spicy meal, let's just say Red Mango isn't one of my top places to go to for patbingsoo in Korea.
Sometimes it just takes a little rearranging for a place to feel completely new again.
It was a really random idea I had one day while feeling a little trapped by my old setup. What if...my table faced that direction instead?
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My room has been in the same configuration for the last 3 (almost 4) years since we moved in. Bed and side drawers on one side, table and bookcase on the other. Even though the Ikea desk that I chose has a handy extension, the space left over between the bed and table is just enough for my swivel chair. Both the extension and chair in that particular spot created a "no-man's area" on one side of the bedroom. Plus, I have also been accumulating some MUJI Acrylic drawers that have been taking up a little too much desk space.
After some careful measurements and getting my dad to help with the lifting, the ignored space was finally getting some love. The extension can't fully extend but it is enough to still act as a small side table. My swivel chair couldn't fit in the new space but I think the new chair will help with my poor sitting posture.
The chair may be even more stuck in this spot than before, but I still have the option to shimmy myself backwards to sit on my bed. This is especially beneficial whenever I am watching a long video at fullscreen. My eyes don't feel as strained by sitting so close to the monitor and my butt can get some cushioning.
One of the most favorite things to come out of this room rearranging kick was cleaning up this window area and getting a place to display my camera items. I used to have them stuffed into my camera bag and it would be such a hassle whenever I needed to use different lenses. I always toyed with the idea of getting one of those floating shelves to do essentially the same task but not anymore. Win-win, yay!
I couldn't believe how nicely my MUJI drawers fit along the short edge of my desk. This means more workspace for me (that is when my table isn't full of papers, receipts, and other knick-knacks). My notes and inspiration wall also found a new home on the opposite side of my bedroom. While some people have cork boards to tack their important papers and ideas onto, I just use good old Scotch tape to stick things to my wall. Cheap and effective!
These fake flowers have been with me since we moved into the house. Purple flowers that will last forever? Perfect! (I don't have a very green thumb...even succulents and cactus plants have died in my house.) Over the last few years this floral arrangement has become an after thought, getting lost amongst the many other things in my room. Now that it is sitting in front of me, it is always peeking through the corner of my eye.
Hats have been on my mind lately. But with what I think is a big head, finding any that I like is difficult. Since taking these photos a few weeks ago, my hat collection has grown a little. This has become my hat display wall with 3 already hung up. I am not sure what I would do if I add more to the collection because room on this wall is very limited.
What is your room organization like? When's the last time you've done a major rearranging in your house?
