Korea Trip 2010, Part 22: Last Sights of Seoul...THE END

And here we are at long last - the FINAL post of the Korea Trip 2010 series - the last leg of my journey. I got a little tired of lugging a camera around so towards the end of my trip so my picture taking got sporadic.... In any case, by this time I was back in Seoul and visited some actual tourist attractions ^_^:

The pic on the left is the Chosun Ilbo newspaper building.  They have an English version of their paper in America if you're curious, though quite frankly, the quality of their journalism leaves a lot to be desired.

The pic in the middle is quite a famous tourist attraction in Gwanghwamun Plaza: a statue of Admiral Yi Sun Shin, a well-loved Joseon era military commander.  His claim to fame is inventing turtle ships :D  If you want to learn more about this segment of Korean history in a fairly amusing way, you can watch the kdrama Immortal Admiral Yi Sun.  I didn't watch it, but my dad loved it >_> Anyway, you can't tell from the picture but this statue is located right between two roads (here's a better pic from Little Bow).  It's not that hard to cross though it is intimidating having cars speeding past you in two directions.   It's worth the journey though, especially during the summer, because the statue is surrounded by fountains you cool yourself in ^_^

I forgot what the little building on the right is called.  However, I will say that I loved seeing all those traditional buildings sandwiched between all the high rises...  I want to say something poetic about cultural tradition holding fast against the relentless forward thrust of modernism, but some things you just have to see for yourself to understand :)

Previous post: Part 21: How Koreans Eat Italian Food
To start from the beginning: Part 1: Flying to Tokyo

Korea Trip 2010, Part 21: How Koreans Eat Italian Food

The bad news is that looking back, I am seeing a distinct lack of real review posts lately :P Quite frankly, I have not been buying any new makeup or skincare products, I have just been repurchasing old favorites that I've already reviewed.  Convenient for me, but it sure makes it hard to keep up a makeup/skincare review blog :\   The good news is I THINK I ONLY HAVE ONE MORE POST IN THIS SERIES LEFT.  Yah, another New Year resolution almost accomplished!  Zomg, it only took 2 years!  Anyway, celebrating too soon - onwards!

This post is a mash up of the places I ate at (yes, I pretty much ate 90% of the time) in Busan before taking the KTX back to Seoul and hopping the plane at Incheon Airport.  It's been two years already, but strangely, I remember a lot more than I thought I would - even insignificant things like the taste of Orion candy bars and how to get a ticket to ride the metro.  I suppose this is why people dream of traveling around the world.  Each moment is somehow sharper, more visceral than it is when you're at home.  It makes you think, "so this is what it feel like to be alive."

Previous post: Part 20: Animals Galore!
To start from the beginning go to Part 1: Flying to Tokyo

Hey there, stud! (Earrings, not hot guys ^_~)

Hello everyone - long time, no see! Argh, another 2 weeks have gone by without a post....it's so hard to keep up with New Year Resolutions :P

Anyway, I have a weakness for earrings (in case nobody noticed :P), but over the years I have grown particularly fond of studs. I have an irrational fear about losing earrings when wearing fishhooks (even with the little plastic backings) so over time, I've accumulated quite a few stud earrings. So, just for fun, I thought it would be cool to show you guys some of my favorite stud earrings from my earring hoard collection. In other words, no, this post is not full of pics of hot guys ;)

Presenting my My Favorite/Most Worn Stud Earrings (in no particular order):

I am not usually one for girly things but COME ON...it's a bejeweled mirror (that actually works!) and a little comb! Gahhh so cute. I've never seen anything like these so I had to have them. It was like...$9.99 and I coated it with clear nail polish so that the jewels don't pop off. The only pity is that these are small studs and most people don't notice how friggin adorable these are :(

I got this in a little shop in Centreville called Lil'Thingamajigs (they have an Annandale location too). I remember back in the day I doubted that little gizmo shop would make it, but their years of staying put really paid off because now with the Korean population exploding in NoVa, it seems like they are making enough money to branch out :) I actually prefer their Centreville location - it has a lot more jewelry eheh But they are also chock full of the usual Kpop paraphernalia, stationary, pens, plushies...*sigh* the markup is a little outrageous on some products but on the other hand...how can you resist ^_^?

I got these from He Qi Crystal Designs awhile ago. I'm not crazy about pink but something about the milky white bicones called my name. I love the adorable little balls and the fact that these are "studs" yet still dangle-y as well.

These aren't "really" studs but I count them as one since they have no separate backing. I picked up these Suspended Stone Solitaire Earrings from The Limited at full price (which I sorely regret on principle), but I do wear these a lot! My shitty picture does them no justice - these are very well-made, sparkly and quite frankly, look like the real thing. They look like a million bucks :) Plus they don't tarnish! They are perfect for work - very classic. Anyway, I like them a lot and are my go-to work earrings.

Little elephants! These are another acquisition from Lil'Thingamajigs ^^;; I saw them and I just had to have them. These are pretty childish but I love both mother of pearl and matte chrome finishes so the combo just did me in. They also have little "Twitter" like birds that I am tempted to go back and get...

These are what I wear to work when I am feeling quirky ;) They are little planets!! Love the matte gold finish and overall, I think they are a fun, almost rocker-ish pair of earrings I can sneak into work :) The planets are very sparkly - they definitely look like more than $9.99.

A very recent purchase of mine. I got these from He Qi Crystal Designs (obviously, I'm a fan of HQCD) and these are another pair that I like to wear to work when I am feeling cheeky :)  The details on the crown are absolutely gorgeous it adds a nice twist to an otherwise typical pair of black pearls. 

I mostly got these because the backing on my black pearl earrings fell off and I figured while I am repurchasing black pearls, why not get ones with crowns on top ;)? 

If I had to pick a favorite favorite pair of stud earrings, Julu Jewelry's The Second Storm would surely be a top contender! For studs, these are pretty dangle-y but gosh I love everything about them! The lovely rhodium clouds (no tarnishing), the rain drops, the pearls... I have seen hundreds of permutations of raincloud earrings (seriously, I am not kidding...just look at Etsy), but Stephanie's are my favorites! These earrings are the best of both worlds as both a stud and a eye-catching dangle (see here for a rather awkward pic of me wearing these).

I got these from Zipia a couple years ago. It's a bit hard to tell but these are 3D earrings :D I am fond of these since they are pretty unusual and are certainly one of the most creative ways to forego a backing. I coated them in clear nail polish and they've held up very well over the years. The only downside is that they don't sit on your ear very well and to stick out diagonally... it's a bit hard to describe. I still like em anyway though ^^

And to finish off the post - here is a very blurry picture of a few simple studs that aren't as flashy as the rest, but still occupy a soft spot in my heart. The plastic checkerboards are from a street market in Korea....so cheap and I wear these when I'm swimming or something because you can't really damage them xD

In the middle are Julu Jewelry Crystal Flower studs I won in a giveaway of all things (I rarely win anything xP). I chipped one of the petals when I dropped it (argh), but I enjoy wearing them when I am in the mood for a little sparkle. They're very sparkly!

And last but not least are little brushed steel bunny studs from Untamed Menagerie (year of the bunny yo!). The little bunny earrings are adorable but remarkably fragile. I would wear them more often if they didn't feel so damn delicate :P Nonetheless, I definitely think Untamed Menagerie produces some of the most beautiful products on Etsy. Their necklaces especially are just so creative and eye-catching - true statement pieces!

Speaking of Etsy, this little shop has caught my eye. The prices are rather more than I would be willing to part with, but the little dragons, puzzle pieces, and fishbones just slay me. Adorable!

I hope everyone had a great Father's Day & weekend :)

Korea Trip 2010, Part 20: Animals Galore!

I think I am finally 2/3 through with this series recap xD To celebrate here is a little compilation of the various critters I photographed while wandering Busan/Seoul.  These bunnies were on sale at Shinsaegae (of course).  I'm not enormously fond of bunnies, mostly because I've rarely interacted with them but gosh darn these were so fluffy and sweet ^_^  The little paws!  The wee puff of a tail!  The carefully applied eyeshadow ;)!

Continued from Part 19: Food Porn + My Bday + Hair Curling
To start from the beginning go to Part 1: Flying to Tokyo