I talk too much my mouth hurts

Be happy with what you've been give, tous les jour.
Be prepared to make more from it, though, too.

Tous les jours is the name of one of the many French-sounding bakeries here in Korea. They don't have the exact taste as in France, but they do try. It's owned by CJ O, whose building is near our office, so we paid them a visit one lunchtime.

B.E.L.T sandwich - a variation from the normal BLT with egg added - for my daily vege consumption.

Happy Friday and Chuseok for this Sunday - Chuseok is the Korea equivalent of Thanksgiving where families gather together and spend time together. It's a big national holiday, though I only just realised how significant it was. People give presents to each other. I never realised! I also received some. ;) Koreans also pay respect to their deceased ancestors, visiting the family burial site and tending to it, preparing lots of food all day...

Not sure how it will be in our family, because many of them are not here, but I'm still super excited to be seeing my Yeosu gran this weekend, finally! :)

I miss lattes. I've been holding off drinking coffees for a while... because... I didn't want to get into the habit of frequenting cafes too often, again. Also I was scared that the quality wouldn't be up to my coffee-snobby expectations.

However, when J and I went to Sinsa-dong, a lovely area full of clothes shops and cafes and op shops, too, I decided it was time for some caffeine in me, finally.

Half worried, half expectant, we stepped into Illy Espressamente. Even though it's a chain cafe, and not a cute little cafe, I thought the Italian quality wouldn't let me down.

I have fond memories of a Roman cappuccino on a boiling hot summer day, while travelling in Italy last August. Alongside lots of gelato, of course.

Tiramisu with caffeine shot poured over it. Heaven. Sooo nice. My cappuccino - not latte this time - was goooood too!! J had iced americano as always ;)

A place for beer and chicken, as dotted all around the capital of Korea. It was the first night out with colleagues and this is where we went.
My boss Y's ingenious way of keeping her chopsticks clean and off the table. She was so excited to show me this! haha.
Fellow intern R's take on Y's lesson. Prettier, fatter, 20s' version.
S ordered two types of chicken, and a noodle dish for us.
The noodle was spicy,
but this chicken was even more so.
Noodle when mixed with the spicy sauce.
I'm really enjoying work, and its after work happenings, still, haha.

Mango Six is famous due to a popular drama that was set in one of its locations, called '신사의 품격 (Gentleman's Dignity)' - While on a date with cousin N in Hongdae :)

Life is full of surprises. I received a little surprise gift to see this ballet concert one Friday, when I was resting at a metro platform, feeling a little queasy and nauseated. There was a middle aged lady sitting next to me. She must have been waiting for a friend because she was on her phone a lot, but suddenly she asks me if I want to go to see a ballet. Apparently her friend can't make it on time, and they might go to the evening session later on.
I had been registered to go to a seminar on the globalisation of films, but thought a ballet would be much more relaxing in my current state at the time. It was also a chance for me to visit Ehwa Women's University for the first time. So I gratefully accepted the unexpected present, and feeling much better at my luck, went on my way.
It was a small concert in the honour of a Korean ballerina who must have been quite a pioneer in the Korean ballet scene, to my understanding. The repertoire consisted of Korean historic scenes, performed by a large group of ballerinas.
Ehwa University is famous for its pretty buildings and architecture.
In the past, being an 'Ehwa girl' meant that you were sure to get a good husband, for one reason or the other.
Even now, traces of this still remain. I heard that Ehwa is the most expensive university in Korea, so lots of rich girls must go here.

One of the perks of working?! After-work functions!!
See the Seoul Namsan tower lit in the background.
On one hot humid summer night.
A chance to mingle and meet new people, drink, nibble, and network... Hopefully more properly, the next time.

My daily transport in Seoul. This particular outdoor platform (unusual in the capital) reminded me of Europe for some reason...

This is a high class bakery/cafe in Hannamdong, near Itaewon, in Seoul. Seriously. As soon as you walk in you're blinded by high lights all around. It's like you're entering a foreign zone.
There are separate areas for ice cream, bread, chocolate, cafe... What's the fifth area again? I can't remember. But thus the name, Passion5.
Open all year round, enjoy the gallery-like open-spaced bakery, it's worth a visit.
729-74 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Corée du Sud

Pretzels before a movie with N. Auntie Anne's in Nowon. Have you tried it? It's soft and sweet, and warm, freshly off the oven. Yum!

I feel like a real Kiwi when I'm craving fish and chips... especially one that's wrapped around in newspaper to be eaten by the beach. Sure, it's not quite as available or even possible here, I can make do with a fancier restaurant version in Itaewon, Seoul.
Have you guessed it? Itaewon is my current favourite dinner place in Seoul.
J and I loved this salad. AVOCADOS!!! FRESH GREENS!!! Just the way we like it, with exactly the taste we like it.
There's no L&P in Korea, and J was off beer for the time being due to her root canal treatments (ouch!), so I opted for a ginger beer instead. Canadian?! Never had this before :)
J chose a lemonade, and see how pretty her drink was! It was right acidic though, so she had to ask for a shot of extra syrup to downplay the over citrus taste.

It's always good to hang out with J, especially in Itaewon ;)

A little chubby Chilean kid asked me to marry him. Or his mother did. I think they were a neighbouring family. I was on my way out, passing by with a friend, but they amused me, so I stopped to talk to them.

The mother was in her kitchen, and poked her face out of a square glassless window. Her strong brawny arms were busy kneading. Strands of her greying hair, having escaped from the tied tail at the back, danced lightly in front of her friendly face.

We were conversing in Spanish, with the little brother on my left, looking up at me curiously with his black twinkling eyes, hanging from the window sill. ?Como estas? ?De donde vienes?

I was almost late waking up in time for work, haha.

Working in English, conversing/reading/listening to French (colleagues, books and radio, respectively), in this land of Koreans, but I'm dreaming in Spanish. Go figure.

One. Burrito.
Two. Nacho.
Agrandir le plan

Wake up in the morning and go to work.
Get off work and back home to sleep.

Go on, squeeze in an hour of running after dinner.
Go on, how about a session of reading here and there?

Keep going, you can do it,
Keep reading, you can do it.

A bicycle goes past me with a fluttering trail.
Hey! You've dropped...

But the person keeps going,
I've just scored free money (only KRW 1000)

Feeling sick, hot and cold sweats all over.
What should I do?

Keep going, you'll get better.
In the darkness of a ballet theatre.

I'm just trying my best to keep going,
given my situation.

Don't judge me,
and don't stop me.

Don't even hurry me along.
Just bear with me, please.