SickyPoo

So, the "cold" got the best of me this weekend/week. It actually wasn't a cold, it was , well IS, an Infection. I've been seeing my ENT everyday, and will be seeing him EVERYDAY for the next month or so. Blah. I've been learning a lot about the way Koreans treat their sick patients, and the different ways they use medicine. Let's just say, that in comparison to...ahem...Canada (LOVE you! :) ) Korean doctors seem to spend a lot more time with their patients and they give you a lot, ALOT more drugs and medicine, which in my case is pretty good :) ... But probably bad in the long run.

Anywho, this weekend was an EPIC fail, I wasn't able to do anything...It was just me, my bed, and a lot of movies and TV Shows. I did get a lot of rest, which I absolutely needed. Fun weekend right...?! Yay? Nay?

Friday is a national holiday because it's Buddhas' Birthday! Not quite sure what I'll be doing, no crazy traveling or adventures, but i do know I'll be going to a KPop concert on Saturday, which should be Interesting to say the least...

On a completely different topic, Some may know that I'm a total lip balm junkie and this week I've been in LOVE with the Christian Dior Color Awakening Lip balm. It's extremely hydrating, the color subtly adjusts to my own natural lip color and it gives me a nice soft pink color.

It's supposed to give everyone a different color, since it adjusts to your natural lip hue, so your color is customized. I'm a huge suck for cute packaging and the design on this one excellent!

New Cam!

I'm super pumped I FINALLY bought my new camera! After a bit of decision making and bargaining, I ended up choosing the new Samsung NX10 DSLR. I was debating over a Canon but decided this was the right camera for me. The biggest seller for this camera (for me), was its portability. It's really small, very light and compact, and it does the job. I'm by no means a professional photographer, i wanted something better than a normal digital camera, but didn't want a clunky, confusing, advanced DSLR either.



I purchased it at a Samsung store, which is a Korean brand btw, and I actually was able to bargain the price down with the seller, which shocked me. Could you imagine going to a Best Buy or Samsung store in Canada and bargaining a price down with a sales associate?! And by me saying that I was able to bring the price down, i mean my Korean speaking friend was able to bargain the price down. I just played the "dumb foreigner" card and observed lol

Nonetheless, I FINALLY have a new camera, after 2? LONG months of NO camera, which felt like an eternity... I'm excited to try it out this weekend. Saturday night looks like is going to be spent in the "Hongdae" neighborhood (basically a trendy University area full of art, live bands, clubs, restaurants, and cafes) in Seoul, and Sunday will be a day celebrating the gorgeous Lantern Festival.



That is if this silly cold doesn't get the best of me...

Ciao for now!

Jeremy For Vogue Girl Korea

The amazing Jeremy Scott was recently in Korea and styled a photo shoot for "Vogue Girl" Korea, which is essentially America's "Teen Vogue". Check out some pictures from the shoot at www.voguegirl.com.








I've been in LOVE LOVE with his Adidas Original collection. I've been eyeing the Adidas JS wing since last year and will probably succumb and buy them soon lol. I don't know if you would rock them with the wings on 24/7, but it's nice to know the wings can be detached right?



Apart from styling the Vogue Girl shoot, he also styled a shoot with Korean girl band "2NE1" for Nylon Korea. The magazine should be coming out soon, can't wait to grab my hands on it! Jeremy LOVES these girls, and tweeted his love for them numerous time. The 2NE1 girls are HUGE here in Korea and they are the pure embodiment of "Fierce".



There's so much cutesy, bubble gum pop, music (which is very VERY catchy lol)here and it's nice to see some girls with a little more "ooomph."

2010 Seoul World DJ Festival

I've been soooo busy at work these days, and I've attended a bunch of events, i haven't had much time to write. Also the whole camera less situation is getting quite annoying. GRRR.

Yesterday a few of my friends and I attended the 4th annual World DJ Seoul Festival. We got there quite late at around 10 pm, while the festival started at 2pm. When we arrived it was a full house. As we were walking towards the park you could absolutely feel the energy. It was contagious. The music was great, the crowd was great, not too rowdy, but rowdy enough. The bathrooms were bad, but not as bad as i though they would be. Met a few cool cats, and headed home at around 6:30 am. Incredible night/day to say the least.



These are the times when I wished i had my camera with me. From the minute i got there i was so upset i didn't have it. The outfits some people were wearing were out of this world. Amazing. The artsy and fashionable crowd was definitely present. There was a lot of leather, neon, vintage rompers and a lot, a lot of head gear. There were so many street fashion photographers around and I'm sure they got amazing, beautiful shots.

My friend took some pictures with her camera, I'll post them up soon.

Hopefully, I'll be able to buy my camera this weekend! Hopefully...Blah.

Tootles!

Boaters

I was rummaging through a fashion magazine I picked up on my last trip to Tokyo a month and a half ago and I became reminiscent of all the trends that I saw.

But I must say… the MAY-JAH trend that I saw was the “boater” hat (a straw hat with a stiff all around brim). It was EVERYWHERE. EVERY store sold them, in a variety of different colors, with different accessories, and all of the “Shibuya” girls were rocking them. I didn’t venture too far out on my trip, I mostly stayed around the Shinjuku and Harajuku areas, but the presence of those hats was pretty evident.





The fedora hat trend has been pretty strong in the states as well as in Europe and Asia, but I wonder if the “boater” hat trend will make its way states side. Though I have seen them at a few American style stores here in Seoul, I have yet to see the trend make a big impact in the American market. Though there’s still a lot of time. Many trends start in Japan and eventually, months later, suddenly appear in the American Fashion Industry.

I personally think the hats are cute and will look amazing with the season’s romantic flowery dresses don’t you think?

Meyong-Dong

Yesterday I went to Myeon-Dong, a shopping area in Seoul quite famous for its outdoor market. The great thing about the market is that you can bargain with the sellers. Everything there is in the low to mid price ranges and being able to bargain is an extra bonus. It’s a paradise for bargain hunters and they have awesome shoes and accessories for UNDER 20 dollars (about 20,000 Korean won). And the crazy thing is that there are no taxes. Yeah... NO taxes… AND tipping is actually considered rude, which I found quite difficult to get used to when I first got here. Kind of nice right?

But if you are claustrophobic, I recommend you don’t wander there on the weekends. It’s INSANELY packed. I’m used to it, and to be honest I enjoy it and totally don’t mind the crowd at all. If anything, I think it makes the place more interesting, and it’s great for people watching, which I LOVE to do…is that bad? ; )

There’s also a recently opened H&M that’s insanely massive, and an equally massive, if not bigger, Forever 21 and Zara are there as well. The great thing about Myeong Dong is that there's such a big variety, if you are looking to bargain, you can do so with the outdoor vendors, and if you’re looking for brand names, there’s Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Balenciaga,Comme des garcons, Marc Jacobs, Chloe and MANY, many, more in the gorgeous Shinsegae, and Lotte Luxury Department stores (The Korean version of Canada’s Holt Renfrew, but with a way bigger brand selection)



The restaurants there are also to die for. Yesterday I went to my favorite Italian resto called Pene Pasta. The atmosphere in the restaurant is very chill and the décor makes me feel like I’m in a cute restaurant in Italy. There were too many cute couples dining there for my taste…but then again, when ISN’T there cute couples in Korea. Korea is such a “couple-y” (yes, I just made up that word) country, which a totally other post in itself. Maybe I’m just bitter…?







On another note, I can’t wait to get my new camera on Saturday! As some of you know, I’ve been camera-less for a while, let's not talk about how that happened... and it’s been driving me crazy. I’ve been using my friend’s camera for the past week, but come Saturday I’ll be able to post many more pictures and videos! Olé!

P.S I purchased the forever 21 rings that everyone is sporting, cute no?

Doing the touristy thang.

I’ve been known to either lose cameras, or destroy them (leaving it out in the scorching sun for a couple of hours wasn’t my proudest of moments). But I don’t feel so bad after the fact because the ones that I have lost or destroyed were just normal digital cameras. I’m investing in a DSLR and I spent this beautiful Sunday trying one out. My friend just bought the new Samsung NX 10, it’s definitely a beginner DSLR, which I definitely am, but I’ve fallen in love with it and I’ll probably be purchasing it next weekend. Can’t wait!

Today was a beautiful Sunday. The weather was perfect, not too cold, not too hot. We decided to go for a stroll around Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, as well as hit up Namun Market for some souvenirs to take home. Families were out in full force. Speaking of, many families here dress up in matching clothes. Kind of scary, but very cute at the same time.

Here’s a few pictures of the Fortress:

This was taken right at about sunset on the way back...love the contrasting colors.

Awesome picture of a child playing with his kite. The kits on the sky looked beautiful. You can also see the top of the Fortress in the background.

Just one of the many temples within the wall.

Here's a shot of the wall of the Fortress. Pretty long wall actually. It takes a good couple of hours to walk all the way around it.

Pretty, No?

Tootles.