Wanted to share a few photos I took from "Crafty Bastard's Cabin Fever" aka an arts and crafts fair here in DC. Enjoy!
The calm after the storm.
There's something incredibly beautiful about snow.
After staying in from Friday to Sunday afternoon - which got me feeling restless - it was refreshing stepping out of my apartment and being encompassed with this view.
I decided to take my camera out and see if I could capture anything good. I also happened to venture out and take a route I usually never take, and I'm glad I did; without it, I wouldn't have been able to capture this amazing view. Due to this, during this mini adventure of mine, I kept thinking of one of my favorite poems by Robert Frost:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has all made the difference.
Itaewon: The place you'll find the most foreigners in Korea and some good fusion/international food; the food, of course, still catering towards the Korean tastebuds.
I visit Itaewon a lot whenever I come to Korea, but for some reason, I never thought to venture out to all the hidden restaurants. I always stuck to my two to three favorite places and would call it a day, but this time was different. This time, instead of going to Hongdae or Gangnam to meet up with friends, I decided to go to Itaewon instead, and oh boy am I glad that I did. If you're ever in the mood for international food, Itaewon is your place to go.
See below for some yummy photos I captured.
Samcheong-dong (삼청동)
One of my favorite neighborhoods to visit when I come to Korea. The very quaint, traditional, yet modern-like neighborhood is what draws me to this place. I don't have much to say in this post, just wanted to share a few photos I took during my exploration.
There's about 25,500 LED Roses located on the rooftop of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Korea. I've seen the LED Rose Garden make an appearance on several Korean Dramas, which was how I first learned about this place. I was curious to see if this place looked as stunning in person as it did on screen, so I made sure to stop by this winter. My conclusion? It was as stunning in person.
If you're ever in the neighborhood, I highly recommend checking this place out as a fun quick evening activity. Oh, and don't forget to bring your camera!
2015. What an amazing, incredible, and a year full of many blessings. From being employed, graduation, jumping out of my comfort zone, and making new friends and seeing old ones, 2015 has been a year full of countless blessings and I can't express how thankful I've been. Here's a quick recap of my year (click on the photos to see captions):
2016. I'm still in the process of writing down my New Years resolution. I'm a little apprehensive and nervous of what's to come, but I'm also excited for all the challenges and (hopefully even more) blessings. All I know is that 2016 is going to be an adventure and I plan on taking this year to grow professionally, learn to love myself more, become more humble and selfless, and... like I said, I'm still in the process of writing this all down.
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! Here's a silly photo of my teenage brother and me being my goofy self welcoming the New Year.
Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016!
I'm always incredibly thankful to be able to stop by home and catch-up with old friends, especially with those who watched me grow and saw me during my awkward prime teenage years -- oh yeah, those were the days. I haven't seen one of my closest friends (first photo below) in nearly two years, yet once we reunited, it felt as if time hadn't escaped us. We were able to pick things up quickly and felt as if nothing changed, except maybe for our now prominent American accent.
Because majority of my close friends are scattered around the world and we hardly see each other, I've learned to value and cherish the moments and time you share with a friend. It's not easy trying to maintain multiple long distance friendships and I'll admit that it can get exhausting, but when you do keep in touch with those you value and eventually reunite once again, you'll quickly learn that all your effort and time was worth it. It's one of the most rewarding moments of life and one I wouldn't exchange for anything.
Manila, thank you once again for the great memories; until next time!
I've been hearing so many positive things about the Renwick Gallery and because I love art, I've been itching to stop by. I dragged two of my friends along with me on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Here are a few of my favorite photos and just another reason why I'm so in love with D.C. #FreeMuseums
I'm already planning for a food-centric trip back here with a few friends for early 2016.
Stay tuned!
Due to busy schedules, I realized I hadn't seen one of my closest friends in almost 2 months, so we spontaneously decided to meet up yesterday afternoon for tea. It's hard to find good coffee/tea shops in DC -- or maybe I'm just not looking hard enough -- so it was a nice surprise stumbling across this place. This place was very quaint and absolutely endearing; this is my way of saying it was very girly and cute.
We made reservations and stopped by Lady Camellia, located on Prospect St. around the Georgetown area, which ended up being the perfect place to make kwento and catch up on life.
They had a few selection of tea sets. We decided to do one Cream Tea and one Light Tea. The Cream Tea comes with one pot of tea and two scones, while the Light Tea comes with one pot of tea and four pastries. Since it was already late in the afternoon, we both didn't want to get anything caffeinated. My friend ended up ordering the Vanilla Rooibos Tea while I got the Ginger Root Tea.
The space is small and has limiting spacing, so if you ever want to stop by, I would highly recommend calling ahead of time to make reservations. The pastries and scones complemented the tea really well, I was surprised how good they were. The macaroons were much smaller than we expected and I was a little skeptical about the ginger root tea, but they both ended up being great choices.
10/10 I would go back again.
A few weeks ago, for my company's fall outing, we decided to go to Butler's Orchard to go pumpkin picking, have a photo scavenger hunt, and have a picnic-style lunch. The weather was absolutely beautiful, so it was the perfect day to be out of the office.
This is one of the many reason why I love fall so much: the weather, the fall activities, and the weather - oh wait, did I say that already?
I recently got a new lens and I've been dying to play around with it. I got the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 stm, which is great for portraits. I'm currently in the process of finding friends who'll spare their time and let me take photos of them so I can play around with my new lens.
Sushiko with a few friends for dinner.
I'm a huge huge huge fan of Japanese food, especially sashimi and rolls. I've been searching for a good Japanese restaurant in DC ever since I've arrived and I can now proudly say that I finally found a place. Out of all the Japanese restaurants I've been to in DC, I must say, that Sushiko is my favorite.
I can't seem to remember the name of the drink I got when I was there, nor could I find the name online, but I do remember it tasting like an alcoholic-Mango shake with a bit of a ginger kick. It was really good.
I absolutely love this place and would seriously eat here every other day if I could, I'm saying every other day because otherwise I'd get sick of the food. I can't believe I only discovered this place recently. I just might stop by this weekend again and grab lunch here.
A friend and I made a deal to make 'attending Crafty Bastards every year a little tradition of ours. I completely forgot to take photos from the Arts & Crafts Fair, but did manage to take photos of our fondue from Max Brenner. This time last year, my friend Colleen and I thought we wouldn't make it to this year's event, so we were excited that we were able to keep this tradition going for another year.
This time last year, we were seniors in college, unaware with what the future had in store for us. We had big dreams (and we still do), and with the future being hazy, we both secretly knew that the possibility of attending this year's event was slim. We did hope for the best, so you could only image how surprised and excited we were able to say, "Crafty Bastards 2k15 #ThreeYears #FallTradition." Yes, I had to include the hashtags.
We did things a little bit differently by stopping by Max Brenner, and it was the perfect way to end our day.
This pretty much summarizes my trip to AC. I warned you, this isn't exactly your typical AC trip. I don’t gamble, so I’m not a casino person. I did end up eating a lot of good food, took some nice photos, and got to catch-up on sleep. Wow, I never thought I’d say that post AC-trip.
P.S. I went on this trip with a few family members. If I had gone with friends, who knows, maybe my experience would've been different. Actually, I know for a fact that it would've been different.
Lobster Mac 'n' Cheese
Sliced Filet Mignon with Cipollini Onions and Wild Mushrooms
I've been curious about this restaurant and whether it was good as everyone said it to be, so I decided to take a peek myself. After doing much research, I quickly learned that the Lobster Mac n' Cheese was a crowds favorite - the name itself is intriguing to begin with - so I decided to try this out myself.
The winner of the night was definitely the Lobster Mac 'n' Cheese and I've been daydreaming about this dish; I could really go back for more. I'm not the biggest meat-lover, but I was oddly craving a fillet mignon, so I decided to order this. Like I said, I'm not the biggest fan of meat, so unlike the Lobster Mac 'n' Cheese, this dish didn't leave me wanting more.
Overall, the food was really good, the restaurant was a little pricey, the service was excellent, and I had an enjoyable experience. Now, is it worth your money? I'd only say yes for the Lobster Mac 'n Cheese.
Since I had today off from work (yay for Summer Friday's), a friend and I decided to stop by Peacock Cafe, which is located near M street. I got the Smoked Salmon Platter, which came with a bagel, cream cheese, Bermuda onions, capers, and horseradish.
Once we stepped in the restaurant, we were greeted very warmly by whom I believe is the owner. Since the weather was nice, we decided to sit outside and enjoy the very rare non-humid sunny-summer DC weather. I absolutely love anything salmon, so I was excited to try this dish. The bagel was perfectly toasted and crunchy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. I'm usually not a huge horseradish fan but when I put all these ingredients together on my bagel, I liked the little kick it gave to my taste buds.
Great food, great weather, great vibes. 10/10 I would go back for a casual brunch spot.
What an amazing night. From the Foie Gras to the Steak and of course, Apple Tarte Tatin for dessert.
Foie Gras
Steak & Wine
Tarte Tatin
Gotham serves American Food and is in, surprise, New York City. The interior was beautiful, the room was perfectly dimmed, and although this restaurant is fairly big, the noise level was very controlled. I was still able to make conversation with everyone at my table an easily hear them too.
This was the first time I had Foie Gras and after trying it at Gotham, I couldn't believe I wasn't introduced to this dish earlier. I've never tasted something like this; it's a very rich and distinct soft taste that just melts in your mouth as the sauce gives it a bit of a sweet-kick. The steak was very tender, flavorful, and was right in between medium rare and medium well done (that's a little confusing, I know). The fried onions was probably the winner for me (just kidding) but they were really good. And of course, ending the meal with something sweet is always needed, especially with my big sweet tooth. Might as well go big or go home, right?
Ranking of food: Apple Tarte Tatin, Foie Gras, Onions, and then the Steak. I know, I'm putting the main entree last, but I'm just not a huge meat person. Why did I order the steak? Oddly enough, I was craving steak that night.
Quesadillas at TGI Friday's
T.E Half Chicken at Todd English Food Hall
BiBimBap at Sariwon
Pad Thai & Fresh Mango Shake at Mango Tree
Halo-Halo at the Peninsula Hotel
This post is a little late but being the foodie I am, I wanted to write down the few places I went to when I was in Manila, Philippines.
1. Quesadillas at TGI Fridays: This isn't the most impressive but I always seem to order this whenever I go to TGI's in Manila. I love quesadillas and would honestly eat them all the time if I could, which probably explains why I always order this when I come here. Also, they don't sell quesadillas at TGI Friday's in America. Someone needs to change that. Just saying.
2. Todd English Food Hall: a fairly new restaurant at the new SM Mall in Fort Bonifacio. They have a wide range of food, which is always fun but also very risky. They had burgers to sushi to roasted chicken dishes. With such a diverse menu, I was skeptical on the taste and quality of food. But once my food came out, I quickly inhaled my food and drooled over my friend's. It's safe to say that I enjoyed my meal here and would come back for more.
3. BiBimBap at Sariwon: Sariwon is probably one of my favorite Korean restaurants in Manila. The BimBimBap wasn't the best but their Korean BBQ is what this restaurant is good for. My mouth is watering just thinking about their galbi.
4. Pad Thai & Mango Shake at Mango Tree: This was my first time here. It was a cute restaurant with decent food located in Greenbelt. To be honest, I don't really remember how good the food was. All I remember is feeling overwhelmed by their cluttered menu filled with photos of every possible food you can order.
5. Halo-Halo at the Peninsula Hotel: I grew up coming here just to eat their Halo-Halo. This is still my favorite place to get desserts and something I always must have before leaving the Philippines. It's always a great way to end my trip.
That being said, thanks for all the memories, Manila.
Until next time.
I've been meaning to check out Zoolights since 2011. Since this is my last year in college, a friend and I promised each other we would go this year. I'm glad we not only fulfilled our promise but checked out the National Christmas Tree as well.
Pat's Steaks Philly Cheese Steak
LOVE Statue
At the Franklin Square Park
At the Reading Terminal Market
Cannoli French Toast at Cafe Lift
Pub & Kitchen's Burger
Over Fall Break (October 10 - 12) my friends and I decided to take a spontaneous road trip to Philadelphia. It was nice being able to get out of town and relax for a few days. We ate a lot, tried their famous Philly CheeseSteak, and went to local tourist spots.
When driving around Philadelphia, I noticed they had a different marketing approach than they do in DC (although not pictured in this blog post). They have a lot of street and wall art and used pop art in their billboards. This clearly demonstrated the importance of researching who your target audience is and learning about their culture.
I had a lot of fun learning about Philadelphia and I can't wait to go visit again. Especially for some Philly CheeseSteak!
H Street Festival Crowd
Fresh Fruit Smoothie in a Pineapple
Cooking BBQ
Behind the Scenes
Deep Fried Oreos
"Melo"
We stood in line for an hour just for a fruit smoothie in a pineapple and I finally got to try deep fried Oreos. We walked around the streets singing along to songs and stopping to watch the live performances. I can't wait to go back next year!
If I’m being completely honest: my family and I - okay, fine - my Mom and I made an effort to visit Macau after its multiple k-drama appearances.
Visiting this city and going to the Venetian was a pure tourist-day-play. Since I don’t gamble, I’ll probably skip going to the Venetian, but I’d love to comeback with my camera to take some street and architecture photography.
From the Big Buddha to the busy streets of Hong Kong, the last time I was here was when I was in 7th grade.
When my family and I made a trip to the city back then, we accidentally ended up in a sketchy area with the not-so-best people directing us to an even more sketchy area (yikes!). Even after we managed to get out, I kept experiencing cultural shock and barriers, so this stress naturally ruined my experience and made me want to stay away from this city for a while.
As years passed and my friends would constantly praise the city, I decided I had to give this place another try and create new memories, and I’m so glad that I did.
My trip here was far too short, so I’ll have to make another trip soon to explore (and eat!) some more. If you have any recommendations on places to eat and see, please let me know, because I’m itching to go back with a longer to-do list!
