Leather and Florals

On a sunny Sunday, I decided to pull together an outfit incorporating my first dress of the year. It was peak cherry blossom season and I was feeling the florals. There was a crisp breeze in the air so I paired this black floral dress with a black leather jacket and black leather booties. To be quite honest, I'm a jeans and a t-shirt kinda gal, at heart. And this outfit was out of my usual realm but I attempted to channel an edgier, "rocker chick" look. 

I'm going to embrace these warm spring days because sooner or later, the heat of summer will quickly approach, followed by weeks of torrential rain during monsoon season. Yes, I will embrace the present.

Jacket: Zara, Dress: TJ Maxx, Booties: DSW, Bag: Marc by Marc Jacobs, Hat: Flea Market

Just keep running, Grace

The other weekend, Y and I ran our first half marathon!

When we had registered for it about 2 months ago, it seemed like the next natural thing to do, a progression of events after a 5K and a 10K. I signed up purely on the basis of thinking, "Hey, that would be cool to be able to say that I ran a half!" But as I began training, that quickly changed. How fickle this mind of mine is. I started to ask myself: "Self... Can you really do this? What have you gotten yourself into?" 

I was especially worried because the night before the race, my hamstrings and glutes were extremely unhappy. I feared injury and questioned whether I should just fold. But I was attached to coconut water (hydration) and my foam-roller (friend and foe to tight muscles) and tried to get myself to bed at a decent hour ("tried" being the operative word because I tossed and turned in bed with "before race jitters"). 

I still can't quite believe I finished a half marathon. It is no longer just "a check off my bucket list" but it may go down as one of those accomplishments I feel most proud of. 

I had a wonderful golf coach in high school. He has since passed away but I still miss him and think of him often and his words still ring in my head. One of the things he would always tell me was that golf teaches humility- When you approach the ball with a "I got this!" attitude, you shank it into the woods or hit it into the bunker. But when you empty your mind of any expectations, you are often pleasantly surprised. 

Similarly, running a half is analogous to life: 

• Sometimes things go better than you expect, sometimes the going gets tough when you least expect it. 
• Preparation and training are key. 
• Perseverance: you have to just keep going, even if you have to slow down. 
• It's easier when you have someone running beside you. 

Registered, bibs on and ready to go!

@the start line

Y wants to run a full marathon. I don't think I'm quite ready to make such a commitment. But now that the after-effects post-race have subsided, I will get back to running. Slowly. Baby steps. 

Itaewon Eats

Itaewon seems to be "our spot" here in Seoul. For a multitude of reasons (including but not limited to restaurants, shopping, Ben's Cookies, chiropractor), I find myself there time and time again. But hey, I'm not complaining. 

With a few friends, Y and I decided to check out Southside Parlor. And are we glad we did! Their cocktails are tasty and unique, a concoction of distinct flavors. And their sandwiches and tacos are mouthwatering- a special plug for their pulled pork sandwich! 

We also recently went to Craftworks, a home of craft-brewed beers named after the mountains of Korea! 

Y & I had a lunch date the following day at Buddha's Belly, a Thai restaurant. The sun was out and we enjoyed our pad thai, pad see yew and Thai iced tea by the wide-open windows. We soaked in some much needed vitamin D and reminisced of our lunch dates in Manhattan.

Thank you, Itaewon for your eclectic cuisine and for giving us a taste of "home" when we miss it. 

Friday Favorites

Long time no Friday Favorites!

My Friday Favorites apologize for having been MIA. But I'm going to chalk it up to the fact that without a Monday-Friday job, my days have been blurring into one another. I often find myself flummoxed trying to figure out what day of the week it is, which can be both a perk and a drawback. 

But this weekend may turn out to be an epic one. Y and I are running our first half marathon! I'm a mix of emotions currently. We've trained for the past two months, and I've been staying hydrated all day, stretched, loaded up on carbs and now I'm preparing for what will hopefully be a good night's rest before race day. 

With that, I wish you all a Happy Friday, a wonderful weekend and will leave you with some of my current favorites. 

Essentials for a cafe trip: current read- Amy Poehler's Yes Please, makeup bag, journals, pen, panama hat, and an iced americano. 

Gray blue nails + milk tea with boba

Late night dinner after Monday Night Basketball

One of the best noodle dishes I've had here

New favorite bath time essential: Deep Steep Bubble Bath. Delicious scent. Recommendation from The Belletrist

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.