KOREAN SPRING

Jade Garden is a European-themed botanical garden located in Chuncheon, more specifically at Gulbongsan Station (Gyeongchun line). Free shuttle buses are provided every hour to and from the garden, making this place an easily accessible destination for a short excursion on a weekend.

This weekend I went on a short trip to Jeonju with a few ex-coworkers. I found that two days make a perfect trip since the place is quite small - I also found that the Hanok (traditional Korean house) Village, what Jeonju is most famous for, is way too commercialized and therefore a bit overrated. There is not exactly a lot to see, and for most of the tourist attractions I can say for sure that you can find similar places closer to Seoul or in any other part of Korea, but with less hype and crowds. However, if you're a food enthusiast like I am, there are plenty of new and delicious snacks/treats you can taste in Jeonju; they're not exactly traditional Jeonju foods, but over the years the Hanok Village morphed into a weird modern fusion marketplace for street foods that older generation locals lament but younger generations thoroughly enjoy. This blog post will be mostly must-eats, with a few attractions here and there. It's a long one, so be prepared!

So with my brother and mom's birthdays coming up (they actually share the same birthday), my family and I went out for a special lunch at Stage 28, a steakhouse/barbecue grill restaurant located in a relatively remote area of Seoul. Luckily I had just quit my job and had a few weekdays to spare, since on weekends this place is so popular you need to make reservations weeks/months in advance!

I've been working out with a personal trainer for about two months now. After an InBody (body composition analyzer) checkup, I was genuinely shocked at how high my body fat percentage was, and how little muscle I had. I felt overweight (still do) and sluggish, and just weak all the time. I wanted some sort of positive change, and I thought spending a large sum of money might help me get my shit together and start actually doing something about my problem for a change.

If you've ever been to NYC, chances are you have tried The Halal Guys at 53rd and 6th, or anything similar from the many many food carts located around the city. That shit is like CRACK it's so addictive - it's super delicious, hearty, flavorful, savory, and affordable. It's a taste you just can't forget, even years after you move back to Korea.

Dates can be so much more than just dinner and a movie, and Seoul is one of the best cities to find different unique and fun activities to share with your significant other. While Navering (in Korea, Naver still outbeats Google) things to do around Hongdae, I came across Cafe Puzzle, which literally is a cafe with lots and lots of jigsaw puzzles! Located just 3 minutes from Hongdae subway station exit 9, this is a perfect way to spend a relaxing two hours with friends or dates - even better, you don't have to sit and try to make conversation, and it's completely okay to be silent and absorbed in the puzzle.

No seriously tho. I've never tasted it before but I have this massive inexplicable craving for coconut cream cake, and it's killing me. I first came across it when reading "The Reptile Room," the second book in A Series of Unfortunate Events... which I read when I was a kid, and didn't give much thought to. And then for some reason I got all nostalgic a couple of years ago and read the whole series again, and when I read about this coconut cream cake, I wanted to taste it so bad and I've been thinking about it ever since. I mean, if it's got coconut, and if it's creamy, and if it's cake, it's gotta be heavenly, right? THIS is the type I want. Source: http://slimpaley.com/entertaining/coconut-fever/