Korea Trip, Part 15: Love Locks!

Continued from Part 14: Seoul Food P0rn
To start from the beginning go to Part 1: Flying to Tokyo


Gun-chun Reststop

I was really excited to do this post because this was an unexpectedly memorable moment during my time in Korea (almost exactly a year ago in June 2010...I can't believe I'm still writing this).   On our drive from Seoul to Busan, we stopped by this large, fancy rest stop called Gun-chun Reststop.

A peek from the way we came:



And to the left:


Food!  This is only a small section of the eateries.  Where the roof ends is a porch/deck-like area (which I shall show you in a sec). But first, on the very end of this long building:



A pity I didn't take a proper picture of it, but this reststop building is very wide and long and in the middle there is a roofless section aka a wide deck.  While scenery is quite lovely, the real centerpiece of this place is this little love nest!


Sign says: Love Swing

Romantic huh ^_^? Lives up to the whole romantic image K-dramas like to give out ;)  As if it couldn't get more lovey dovey, the wall is covered with little love notes:


Love is....starting and ending with 'thank you.'
Love is....becoming one.
Love is....being considerate and respectful.
Love is....like tending a plant; you must nurture it.


In green: 
My heart hurts watching you be hurt.
It brings tears to my eyes.
Could you know of my love (for you)?
(must be one way love >_>)


Under the bear
Forever. Always. Don't change!

I must admit my cynical heart gave a little chirp of envy looking over the innocent, somewhat naive declarations of undying love ~ ;)  This seating area overlooks a pretty nice view too although my camera (as usual) doesn't do it much justice:




It was a dreary day so it didn't capture well, but the scene was very peaceful and relaxing even though there were quite a few people milling around.

And what's this?  If you look closely at the deck railings you will see....



Locks! They actually sell these in one of the little shops in the reststop building. Why?  Why for romantic couples to "lock" their love together forever ;)! (I guess declaring your love on a wall isn't enough).


Definitely among the most adorable locks I've ever seen.  The rust and worn writing 
shows that these locks have been here for awhile...I wonder if they are still together~


Joong-myo, In-hae 
Best!! (I think.  It's spelled weird)


Let's live well together.
SH <3 HK
Love you forever.
2010.4.4


Left: 
Jin-gook <3 Kyung-hwa
Pretty/beautiful love forever.
2010.6.24


Right: 
I love you.


2010.6.12
Uncle. Aunt. Mom.
Enemy Jae-bum. (jokingly said I'm sure ^_~)
Going to the wedding. Don't fight.
(hmmm how random!)

I know there are lots of little love spots in Korea you can chain locks together :} Kawaii Nails did a post with some pics she took in Korea of more love locks at Seoul Tower:


Credits: Kawaii Nails

Yeah....a lot more lovin' going on in Seoul ;)

P.S. Best Love ended today!  But My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho was a tad better think ^_^  It's too hard to resist Lee Seung Ki's smile and Shin Mina's dimples :}


Totoro reference!!  That will never get old for me ^^

Can we say cutest couple eva :D!?  Speaking of, does anyone know where I can get that CHICKEN LEG PILLOW??? I MUST HAVE IT!



....yeah....^_^ So that's it for this post!  Been busy lately but will be back soon~ It was Father's Day, then my mom's Bday, then my bro's graduation *whew* But even though I do not say it enough - thanks to all the peeps who read/comment/etc my blog :)!    I am happy to be able to share this wee slice of my life with you.

Nicole by OPI Love Your Life and Let's Get Star-ted

I got these a while back at Walmart because I have a weakness for glitter and impulse buys.  They look great in the bottle huh?  I was just going to Let's get Star-ted at first but the hearts just called my name :)

Purchased at: Don't remember but they were $6-7/each. Not exactly cheap.  You can get this at Walmart and Target as well as other drugstores I'm sure.



Packaging: Bottle is a cool shape.  Kind of like a sphere squashed on one side :]   The brush is rather unusual though - very wide and flat with the tip cut in a V-shape (though my shitty macro shot does little to show that).  The tip of the V is to "place" the huge stars and hearts onto your nail....which brings me to the formula....

Formula: ....since the idea is more to "place" the large glitter pieces onto your nail rather than brush them on, this formula does not glide no matter how you play with it.  It goops, clumps, and dries gloopy - it's too viscous!  It's almost a gel rather than a liquid.   If you look at the Let's Get Star-ted nails below, you can see how friggin gloopy it dries :\  It also dries slowly...very slowly.

Removal is pretty easy though :)  All you do is hold a cotton pad to it, the "color" of the heart or star will turn silver, and you can just gently peel it off your nail. It's a fairly painless process.


Essie Ador-a-ball
OPI Love Your Life/Let's Get Star-ted
On top: OPI for Sephora Flurry Up

Overall
As cute as the finished look is it's SUCH a pain to fish those glitter flecks out then place it nicely on your nail before it hardens.  If you move it around too much the clear part of the formula starts "rolling up."    Also the little glitter sprinkles are essentially useless even though it does look nice in the bottle.  Application is a pain but removal is easy.   Surprisingly, I liked how Love Your Life turned out more even though I like stars more in general.  I think it's because the Let's Get Star-ted formula was even more viscous than the Love Your Life - I hated the way the final look dried in clear bumps and waves :\  Also the tips of the stars curl up a little so you do have to use a top coat (I didn't feel like it) if you don't want the tips of the stars folding up.

Overall, these were fun to play with but the formula got on my nerves so much that I just returned both.  I think these would be fun for a once in a while play, but it's not something I'll miss that much.

Squirrels, Tags and Kpop :)

To give you a small update on my life: oh man non-blog life has been busy -_-;;;   I've been getting home at 9pm (not including the commute :P *sigh*), became addicted to eating Trolli Sour Gummy Worms, and been taking LOTS of pics!  My heart quails at the idea of sorting through all of them actually...  But here's a little something in the meantime ^_^ 



This little charmer was sunbathing on our deck and I was lucky to get a clip of him.  Squirrels are so cute ^_^ I have a weakness for little rodents (mice, hamsters, chipmunks....some rats), a love only rivaled by my love for cats.  I'd love to raise a cat and mouse as friends!   I've heard it can be done but I admit I'll always be worried to come home one day and find a mouse carcass :(   I like dogs too (spitz particularly) but even in my imagination a spitz type dog + a cat + a mouse are not going to be a trio for long :(

A couple weeks back, Suzy kindly tagged me for a What's on My Nightstand tag...but be prepared to be disappointed:




I love that that frame ^_^  Anyway, that is a pic of me and my bro during the Blizzard of 1996 (East Coast, USA).  Virginia doesn't get much snow in general, so to get a legit BLIZZARD was nothing short of traumatic (aka fun for kids :) ).  Virginians are the type to stock up if you get 3 inches of snow....not exactly the hardy type. Oh man, I remember that blizzard.  No school for WEEKS, piles of snow up to my chest (literally)....it was great!  My brother super cute back then - he looks like a wee elf with his purple hood! As for me....there I am...looking suspiciously manly *sigh*

Anyway, yeahhhhh I don't keep makeup in my room. I'm hardly ever in my bedroom really, I just go in there to sleep ^^  Here's what I keep next to my closet though:



There are built-in bookshelves by my closet and that's where I keep the things that would normally go on a nightstand I suppose~  This is non-makeup stuff I use everyday:

1.) The Limited coupon + receipt - oh gosh I've been clothes shopping a lot lately.  Right now The Limited and Banana Republic have been my drugs of choice~

2.) Julu Jewelry earrings :} They are little dangle-y balls of pink and opal bi-cones.

3.) My glasses - If you are curious about how I look in my new glasses - you can also go here.   Fyi, I talk like I write aka A LOT~   So feel free to pop me on mute...except for the end!! Aziatix *heart* there's nothing like a little fan-love to bring people together right ;)?

4.) Watch from Walmart.  It was $10, I've been using it for 2-3 years and still works like a charm~ I've love to get a watch with a white leather band though :D

5.) Versace Bright Crystal - my "signature" scent of choice ahahah It's the only perfume I've worn regularly.  It has a nice clean scent, give it a whiff when you're at the mall :)

6.) And my ring!



This is a new acquisition for me.  I'm not a big ring wearer but this one I adore.  I got it from Kohl's while they were having this massive 60% off all Jewelry sale.  They had lots of pretty rings that were "open" and integrated into the design, but this was my favorite.  In general, Kohl's had a great selection of jewelry that I'd recommend taking a peek at if you're looking for some inexpensive high-quality pieces.  This ring is sterling silver and was $18.  I'm not particularly fond of sterling silver because it tarnishes but since I wear it daily, the tarnish doesn't have time to build up ^_^

I shall tag: Sincerely Mimi,  Beauty & Aikido, Lioness in Tokyo (I love expat blogs! And this is one of a chick in Tokyo.  She also has a beauty blog.), Hello qts, Love Tiffo, What iLike, Delyteful Speaks, Vanilla Sencha, Sweet Candy72, A Cosmetic Affair

Suzy (Dottilicious on YT) is cute as a button btw :D she's a relatively new discovery for me and she has that really lovely accent and sweet attitude.  I've pretty much dropped dead on the YT front because I just can't juggle a blog and channel at the moment but I watch the vids she posts on her blog. She's into Asian brands, which is obviously straight up my alley :)

Speaking of, I love the stuff on Gmarket but ordering from that site has been a PAIN for me (aka I never succeeded). I am not sure why logging in and placing an order properly has been so IMPOSSIBLE...it just keeps saying my login is invalid etc etc.  I think it's my laptop honestly but it's such a hassle I've given up.   The horror stories I've heard about Gmarket communication pains me too - I hate bad customer service and when I'm mad, the only Korean I'm typing are cuss words -__- If anyone has a similar issue and has fixed it - let me know~

P.S. Suzy, I swear I'm doing the other tag video....but curse it I have the memory of a goldfish and keep forgetting ><

On another topic, I don't watch music shows very often anymore but here's a couple songs I've been really liking -




Lim Jeong Hee - Golden Lady


This is definitely my favorite song of the month! Such a feel good, girl power song ^_^ Love the vocals, the beat, and message.  She actually debuted in 2005, but I read that she was more focused on street performing rather than music shows, which says a lot about her natural talent and abilities as a musician I think :)  Also features G.NA (why must the 'i' be a period? *sigh*) who has a catchy song for herself that I like a lot, I'll Back Off So Yo Can Live Well.  





Baek Ji Young - Average

I really like the lyrics of the song.   The music video is rather boring (lots of running :\) but there is sexy Oh Ji Ho (Chuno), so yeah~   I still sort of miss her Sad Salsa days but her ballads are always solid and her vocals are great.  The songwriter for this song is the same as LJH's Golden Lady I believe (somebody's raking in the dough lately I bet ^_~)




Jay Park - Tonight

He does a lot of showing off of his dancing skills, it's rather gratuitous...but that aside this is just such feel good, happy song!  I still have my suspicions about his departure (I'm in the minority of fans that think he did something), but his career has moved nowhere but up since then and I think he's better off solo anyway.  He always sort of outshone everyone else in 2PM; 2PM definitely lost a chunk of talent without him for sure :\   Anyway, the MV is actually fun to watch and JP still walks that fine line between cute and manly like a pro :D He looks like a guy who'd be fun to be buddies with ^_^  He's got a lot of expression...I guess that's what makes him such a good performer :} I like this song a lot better than Abandoned for some reason; the hook is catchier I think.




MissA - Love Alone

awww I miss MissA already! They're definitely one of my favorite groups :) This whole song's sung in English and it's not bad at all~ I think this song was for Kim Yuna's "Ice Show." I was surprised how concise the pronunciation was, but since JYP himself is fluent I guess I shouldn't have been surprised :)




2NE1 - Lonely

Oh man, if I had a 2nd favorite song at the moment it'd be this one.  Promotions have been pretty low key but whatever, it's a good song.  This is how I like 2NE1, subtle, stylish, and focused on their vocals.  Their hook is so damn catchy too~  Everyone's looking great (except for Dara's awful hair in the first half, though god knows she could rock a paper bag if she wanted too).  Bom is still looking hot in those one pieces and if I adored Minzy and CL more, I'd probably be....creepier ^^;;




FT Island - Hello Hello

The subber did a fantastic job explaining the nuances of the word "annyeong" (the title of the song) so I'll just paste it here:

As you can get from the lyrics, the song is about the two opposite meanings of the word "annyeong", which means both hello and goodbye in informal speech. Therefore I couldn't really translate the word as either "hello" or "goodbye" because it was referring to the word itself, and not to a specific meaning, so if I had translated it, the song would lose most of its essence. That's why I just left it as it is.
Even with the upbeat air, this is a pretty sad song and MV :( but I love the dichotomy of hello/goodbye and the upbeat air/sad lyrics...  It reminds me a bit of CN Blue's I'm A Loner with fun little repeating catch phrases but that's no surprise since CN Blue said they were much inspired by FT Island :D

So yep, that's all!  Have a great weekend everyone!

Lots O' Reviews Video Post

Holy smokes, I certainly took my sweet time finishing this post -_-;;; But without further ado, this is a post that condenses some of the reviews I've already posted about here :)  So blog readers, this video will be nothing new to you ^_^  But I do have Pros/Cons list for each item, which I didn't have in my blog reviews so if you like, do take a gander.  Or just watch to hear me completely butcher the word "Laneige" -_____-





Products mentioned:
SkinFood Fermented Soy Milk Sleeping Mask
Cosline Strawberry Yogurt Pack
Vitacreme B12 (see below)
Sasatinnie Dolly Lip Smoothie - Raspberry
NYC Liquid Lip Shine - Fashion Avenue Fuchsia
Boscia Enlivening Amino-AG Eye Treatment (see below)
Zoya Sunshine Collection




Vitacreme B12

Purchased at: on Sasa ($25.60) and BonjourHK ($11.50) <-- I'm about to throw a cat fit because I paid $17.50 for mine (still a really good price) but $11.50!??! GAHHHHH SO CHEAP! I have NEVER seen VB12 for this price....if BonjourHK weren't a registered company that I've bought from before, I'd think it was a fake ><!

Either way, I obviously don't really recommend Sasa but BonjourHK tends to sell out really fast and with their (I kid you not) SHITTY web design (there's no request restock), it can get hard to get your paws on the more popular items.

Description: See website, it's quite long.



Scent: A delicate baby powder scent.  Very mild and pleasant.

Texture: Smooth, creamy, absorbs without residue.  If you squeeze out too much at once, it takes a few minutes of massaging to get it all absorbed into your skin though.

Overall: As I said in the video, I like this product quite a bit.  I've been using it for several months now and while I wouldn't say this is a miracle worker, it seems to have helped my skin's texture smooth out.   I don't think it does that much for redness imho but it definitely helps in the texture department.  It's very gentle, I've never broken out from it, smells nice, seems to work and the price isn't all that bad in my opinion :)   I would recommend this for people who want to smooth out their skin texture and have a brighter complexion.   This is a very popular item among bloggers and while everyone's skin is different, I would say I have yet to see a review that hates on this item~  I personally have used it every night for 5 months now and am on my second tube.

Fyi, you need to massage this into your face in little circle motions to "enhance the effects."  I don't know how much enhancing massaging does but might as well right :)?  Remember to always massage up and out.




Boscia Enlivening Amino-AG Eye Treatment

Purchased at: N/A. From a sample bag Julie (PDXbeautiful) sent me :)!! But it retails at $38 at Sephora and Boscia.

Description:  

A silky gel-cream that nourishes and firms while diminishing puffiness and dark circles around the eye area.

• Alanyl Glutamine, an amino acid that provide moisture-retaining benefits, help repair and prevent fine lines and wrinkles.
• Coix Seed acts as an anti-inflammatory, and helps minimize puffiness.
• Tocopherol-Vitamin E, derived from soybeans, promotes circulation to diminish under-eye dark circles.
• Jujube Fruit helps accelerate cell renewal and smooth the appearance of fine lines.
• Jojoba Leaf, a powerful antioxidant, combats free radical damage while it nourishes and protects skin to prevent premature aging, and Willowherb, a unique anti-irritant, helps to calm skin inflammation and reduce visible redness and irritation.

Scent: Essentially scentless.

Texture: Light, silky, and cool gel.  Absorbs quickly without residue.  Feels good as you massage it on your orbital bone, though I have doubts whether it feels goods because of the massaging or the product.

Overall: Not recommended.  I don't have any significant complaints but I swear it doesn't do anything :\   I don't have wrinkles but as for dark circles and puffiness....no.  Not so I have noticed anyway; they were definitely still present in the video xD

And that's all :D  Btw I'm glad there was so much enthusiasm over the last post ^_^   Glad to know I am not alone in my constant chocolate cravings!