Quality time is the best time

Have you ever heard of The Five Love Languages? 

Well, in a nutshell...

If I were to tell my husband "I love you" in Finnish, but he did not speak Finnish, no matter how much I said it, how often I said it, how passionately I said it, he would not feel loved because I was speaking in a language he cannot understand. 

And according to Gary Chapman, author of The Five Love Languages, there are five love languages: words of affirmation, acts of service, gifts, quality time, and physical touch. In order for an individual to "feel loved", they need to receive love in their love language. 

Let me just tell you, this one concept alone has helped Y and me in our marriage tremendously. Prior to realizing our respective love languages, we were finding ourselves becoming increasingly frustrated. We were both putting in effort to love the other, but our individual "love tanks" alerted us with a red light: empty. It's no surprise that we had completely opposite love languages and were only accustomed to speaking our love language and not the other's love language. In no way, shape or form is our marriage free from arguments or bickering. But knowing each other's love language has helped us channel our energy more effectively to show our love. 

I've learned my primary love language is quality time. I feel most loved, energized, refreshed, invigorated when I get quality time with loved ones. And this weekend, I got to spend quality time with my parents and with Y. It consisted of strolling and shopping, brunching and lunching. 

My mom arrived Thursday evening. We picked her up from the train station and went straight to dinner. We feasted on a delicious meal. Friday morning, my mom and I headed out to an appointment together and then Y met us for lunch. At the recommendation of a friend, we went to Burger B @Coex for burgers of many kinds and shoestring fries. 

Saturday morning, after sleeping in a bit, the three of us headed out to brunch at Suji's Deli. It felt like we were in New York City, with its long lines for brunch. But we filled the wait with conversations reminiscing on the past, counting our blessings. 

We walked around, popped in and out of shops and discovered how to get to an underground shopping mall that I had been wanting to go to. My mom and I both left with two pieces each. We picked up my dad and then went to a park. 

A break from our walk: 가위 바위 보!

We finished the evening off with dinner and movie at our place before my parents headed back down. 

I love these weekends because quality time is the best time. 

SeOUL Searching: Samcheongdong

It feels like Spring has finally decided to make its appearance here in Seoul. Despite the atrocious air quality (I will never take air quality for granted again) I still welcome the sun with open arms and say to it, "Come and stay for a while!" The start of spring makes exploring the possibilities of this city invigorating. (Just have to make sure to check air quality before leaving the house. Again, note to self: Never take good air quality for granted!) 

My friend K is a teacher, one who loves her students lavishly. Her exuberance for life is intoxicating and I always leave her presence feeling energized and refreshed. What is great is that she has Wednesday afternoons free so I have dates with K on Wednesdays. We decided we would use our Wednesday afternoons for adventures. Welcome to a new weekly series: Wednesday Wanderings! 

Yesterday, with the 60 degree weather and the sun shining bright, we decided to head out to Samcheongdong for lunch and meanderings. I couldn't believe I could actually leave the house without a jacket. My sunglasses became mandatory to avoid the squinting and scrunching. We strolled around the quaint area of Samcheongdong, its streets lined with restaurants and small shops filled with knick knacks and jewelry. 

Our first spontaneous stop was for ddukggochi, rice cakes on a stick. It was a scrumptious and glorious mess but well worth it (and well worth the 700 won price, equivalent to about 70 cents!)  Its crispy, spicy and saucy exterior and chewy inside, I could eat them all day.

After a bit more walking, we worked back up our appetites for lunch, which was soojaebi and pa-jun.

We popped in and out of shops, K and I got matching rings and made our way to one of her favorite spots, a cafe with a rooftop. I enjoyed a cup of caramel macchiato, we soaked in the sun rays and basked in its warmth and the tranquil surroundings. Our conversations were filled with reflections, words of encouragement and a rolling anticipation for future things. 

We wrapped up our date with a stop at a nearby bakery to pick up some tasty delights for the road. My choices: an apple strudel, a chicken and onion flatbread sandwich, and an olive roll for Y. 

Seoul, you are fabulous. 

Date Night: Bookstore + Greek

People say you should continue "dating" even after marriage. Moving here to Korea has allowed Y and I to "date" again. With more flexibility and time in our schedules and living in a new city, the world is our oyster. 

On Tuesday night, we were both craving some Greek food, more specifically a gyro so we went to the Kyung Ri Dan (경리단) area to El Grecos, a restaurant someone had told us about recently. 

Before dinner, Y wanted to show me a English bookstore so we walked over and browsed. We peeled through stacks and stacks of books, layers upon layers of bookshelves. 

We left with four books in hand, with some restraint on my part.  We could've spent more time in there but Greek food was calling us. More next time! 

My current view: laptop, our 4 picks, a cup of Earl Grey

Snow, slopes and skiing in Hokkaido

It feels like a blur to think that last week, I was in a winter wonderland in Hokkaido, Japan- Y and I went there to ski with some friends. It was surreal that two and a half hours on a plane could bring me to a land dusted with snow.  

After some late-night packing and only three hours of sleep for me, we got on the airport shuttle at 5:45am and were at the airport by 7am. 

First view of Hokkaido

We landed in Japan and had two hours until our shuttle to the ski resort. So what did we do? Had ramen for lunch, of course! 

My miso ramen: a big bowl of deliciousness

After satisfying our stomachs, we piled into the shuttle bus to our ski resort. It was a two-hour bus ride there so when the bus stopped at a rest are, we made sure to pick up a few snacks to hold us over. 

View from bus

My pick: milk caramels

We settled into our hotel rooms, unpacked, relaxed for a bit before we headed out to the village for dinner. Yakitori was our choice for our first night. 

Day 1 of skiing started with feelings of excitement soon followed by a whole lot of anxiety.  My fear of heights made the first gondola lift terrifying - I took deep breaths and immersed myself in conversations to distract myself from the realization that I was dangling in the air and headed upwards to the top of a mountain. Once we got up to the top, the reality of the situation hit: the only way was down. Visibility was horrendous; we were barely able to see a few feet in front of us.

Let's just say it took me quite a while to make it down the mountain... but nevertheless I did it! (Later that day, Y said to me, "I'm really proud of you!" He knows how big of a feat it was that I came down that mountain.) 

Lunch was all-you-can-eat sushi and I was in heaven. Skiing followed by sushi may be one of the best things ever. The only thing better than that is following the sushi with a nap, which is precisely what I indulged in. 

Day 2 of skiing couldn't have been more different from Day 1. If Day 1 was the evil, wintry antagonist, Day 2 was the kind-hearted, warm protagonist of the story. Day 2 was sunny and clear, the landscape was breathtaking and it sure felt nice to be able to see where I was skiing. 

More ramen! 

One of our nights, we devoured teppanyaki coupled with endless corny "punny" jokes: we laughed until our stomachs hurt. 

It was an unforgettable trip. 

There were moments when I was so focused on getting down the slope safely; my eyes fixed on the ground beneath my skis. But then I would look up and be amazed at the view, the powdered trees, the snowcapped Mount Yotei. 

Our return home though? Now that's a whole different story, unforgettable in its own way. Let's just say we ended up being in the airport for 24 hours (!!!)

But on the positive side... the one perk of being at the airport? 

Stocking up on goodies. 

DIY hair mask

One of the challenges of moving to another country has been starting from scratch. Whether it has been making friends, finding a routine to my new life, or finding doctors, grocery stores and shops, I often found myself feeling stifled by the sheer number of things I had to start from the beginning. 

Even after three months of being here, I'm still in the process of settling in and adjusting. But slowly, one by one, I am ticking off the list of to-do's and to-find's. 

One, being finding a hair salon. I wasn't willing to dish out a boatload of money to go to an upscale salon, but I was also hesitant to walk into any neighborhood salon. I know, I know... hair grows back. But hey, if I'm paying money to get my hair cut, I would rather go with the assurance that my money will be well spent. 

I was thrilled when my friend S told me she has a place she loves. We went together on a Sunday afternoon. I had my hair shampooed and then I sat in the seat ready to meet my stylist. Little did I know the actual owner of the salon would be working on my hair. S introduced us and then began working on my cut. She was easy to talk to and knowledgable. We talked about my hair style, color, the condition of my hair. As she blow-dried my hair, she noticed my hair had a lot of static. She explained that it was due to my hair being dry and suggested I go home and try out at-home hair treatments. 

I got home and googled at-home hair masks for dry hair and found one using an avocado. I happened to have all the necessary ingredients so I whipped it up.

Here are the three simple ingredients: 

1 avocado, 1 tbs of lemon juice, 2 tbs of olive oil

1. Cut avocado and scoop out. Mash up in a bowl. 
2. Squeeze lemon juice and add in olive oil. Mix the mixture up well. 
3. Dampen hair with some water. You can use a spray bottle or just dampen hair with your hands over the sink. 
4. Apply mask evenly throughout hair. 
5. Leave mask in for 20 mins then wash out thoroughly. 

Both olive oil and avocado have moisturizing properties: avocado apparently contains biotin, a vitamin that makes nails and hair stronger while olive oil smoothes out frizz and treats damage. Lemon juice can assist with removing build up and excess oil in your hair that causes it to be weighed down. So with their powers combined, this mighty concoction will leave your hair feeling smoother, silkier and shinier! 

I am looking forward to doing this mask periodically. 

But note to self: Next time, heat up olive oil before mixing in so that the heat will open up the hair follicles more for better absorption!