Another year older...

How does the time pass so quickly? I feel like it was just a couple months ago that I was celebrating my last birthday. I remember last year's day quite well. I was just coming down with a cold, exacerbated by going out the weekend before and taking a flaming birthday shot at a bar. So come Monday, my actual birthday, I was very sick. This was also the first day of the new term, with new classes and students.

However, as luck would have it, that was also the week that my hagwon got really nervous about the H1N1 swine flu since one or two of the new teachers had brought it with them from their home country, and so they canceled classes for about 10 days. So I got to rest, relax, and self quarantine myself (as we were not supposed to leave our places unless absolutely necessary, with the threat of being fired if caught partying it up).

But this year, I think my birthday will be much more uneventful, though there still might be a possible cold that I am hoping is not really a cold but that I am thirsty and need to drink more water.

Steal of the Day

Ok, not really a steal, but more of an amazing deal.

I was in Home Plus Express picking up food - since I've imposed the eating out ban on myself for this month - and was planning to get peanut butter. Every day  last week at work I saw one of my coworkers eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich during breaks, and since then I've been craving them. Unfortunately, peanut butter is expensive here - easily 5,000-6,000 won, or more depending on the brand and if it's organic. Jelly is also kind of expensive, though I don't buy that quite as often.

Anyway, I was looking at the peanut butter, and I saw this:

You know, the peanut butter and jelly combo in a jar. For 2,210 won! But the really strange thing was that this amazing price was only for the grape one. They also had it with strawberry jam, but that was 6,900 won (as was the regular peanut butter). Which made me wonder, why was it so cheap?

The expiration date was still far away, there was nothing aesthetically or physically wrong with the jar...a misprint? But no, it was definitely only 2,210 won.

There were only three grape ones left, so I went ahead and got all of them. One of them went to my boyfriend since he also likes peanut butter and jelly.^^

New Goal

With May quickly approaching, I've decided to set a new goal for myself. I am going to try and save my money. This means no buying frivolous items. This also means not eating out. I've been keeping a cash book with me and every time I buy something, even if it's a drink at the convenience store, I've been writing it down. So now, looking back at April, it's obvious that I tend to buy food and clothes/makeup.

So here are the official (for me) points to my goal.

Starting May 1st until my birthday (May 25th):
1. No buying makeup or clothes unless an item is destroyed or lost and there are no alternatives already in my possession.
2. No eating out, unless it is for a birthday or special occasion (both my boyfriend and my birthday are in May ^^)

Those two cover the bulk of my expenses, after rent and utilities. I'm hoping that if I eat out less and stop buying lattes and snacks, that I'll also lose some weight. Also, if I don't buy new things, I'll use up some of the products that I already own. And I'll save money, which is important since I am taking a Korean class, going to a dermatologist, and need to save for grad school.

Since it's still April, I'm trying to think if there's anything else I want to get before my May savings month. Does that defeat the purpose of my goal?

Warm, Cold, Warm, Cold....

Korea, make up your mind! At the beginning of April it was starting to feel like spring, but in the last couple of days it's been raining and cold. I had to put on my heater again. And today it's kind of warming up again.

My body and wardrobe don't like this inconsistency. I want spring to come and stay. Warm weather is nice.

Brownies in Korea

I would consider Korea a developed country. They're a leader when it comes to technology and have some of the best internet connections/accessibility around. But then there are some things that Korea just FAILS at. Brownies were always one of them.

Korean brownies are rare and rarely tasty. Ones you do find are usually more cake then actual brownie, and have little sugar in the batter and too much powdered sugar dusted on top.

Everytime I see a brownie in a pastry shop (and let me tell you, Korea has tons of pastry shops), I always try it. I'm always disappointed.

Disappointed, until now. Paris Baguette has started selling their own version of the brownie, and it is probably the closest I have seen and tasted to a regular, American-style "make it from a box mix and sell it at a bake-sale" brownie.

Yes, I even took a picture of it, I am so excited.

It has way too many walnuts, but I can live with that. Because other than that, it's pretty damn good.

How much does this delicious baby cost? 2,000 won for a square the size of my palm, which actually isn't too bad, since I've paid more for less (in size and quality).

Why not make my own brownies? Aside from the fact that I steer away from cooking in general, I also lack a proper oven. A regular sized toaster oven, a microwave, and a double burner complete my kitchen. I also lack proper containers to bake brownies in.

I never even liked brownies back home. But since I couldn't find a real one for two years, I now get the Paris Baguette ones whenever I can. When I go home, I'll probably never eat brownies again. At least, not on a regular basis. It's kind of like Taco Bell. You crave it because you can't have it. But when I went home, I didn't even want it. But no Taco Bells in Korea....that's another story.

Japan, part 2: Missing Passport

Having visited Kyoto, my plan was to visit Osaka for a day, spend the night there and then the next morning head towards Tokyo. I had everything planned out, and once in Osaka, I was headed for Kaiyukan, the Osaka aquarium.

Unfortunately, I got distracted by the huge Ferris wheel and all the lights in the area (made more captivating because it was getting dark). I was carrying my umbrella in one hand because it was raining and my camera in my other hand, and in my hurry to get to the aquarium, I didn't notice when my wallet with ALL my money AND my passport fell out of my pocket.

Yes, it was my fault. I know better than to keep all my money in one spot. I was in a hurry and instead of taking only what I needed, I grabbed the whole wallet. Yes, I know better than to carry my passport on me; I forgot I had it in my wallet and when I did remember, I didn't want to waste time backtracking to the locker where the rest of my stuff was.

So, I lost my wallet. I realized it within 5 minutes, but it was already gone. I went back and looked for it, but nothing. So I went to the police station, and fortunately there was someone who spoke English and he was able to write up a lost article report.

Having lost all my money and credit cards and all forms of ID, I had nowhere to go. The only thing I had on me still was my Japan Rail Pass (luckily tucked away in my backpack, which was left in the locker). I had to cancel the reservations at the two hostel/guesthouses I was planning to go to, and ended up staying....at the police station.

They set up two benches facing each other and gave me several blankets. Even though I didn't speak any Japanese and they spoke barely any English, they were super kind and made sure I was ok. They fed me and (I think it was) the overnight chief gave me 1000 yen (about $10) when I left. They drove me to the nearest JR line, and gave me directions to the USA consulate.

The consulate was very helpful and they set me up with the Nagai Youth Hostel, who let me stay there without paying until I could get emergency money sent from the USA to pay them. But I had to stay in Osaka in case my wallet and passport did turn up, and to get an emergency passport and the money that had been sent from home. That was probably one of the most miserable days I've ever had...it was cold, rainy, and from 10am-3pm I had to leave the hostel so they could clean it, and I didn't have enough money to go anywhere.

Then, what do I find out? It turns out my boyfriend, who was in Japan for a different reason, was in Osaka as well. He originally thought he was going to Fukuoka and didn't realize that I was also staying in Osaka. He just happened to mention it in passing after I told him what happened. So I was able to meet up with him, which was also lucky for him, as he needed to use my cell phone (I probably have a huge bill from all the international roaming charges) to arrange for a flight back to Korea.

So on my last day in Japan, Kevin and I went to the Tennoji Zoo and then Kaiyukun (the aquarium). The Tennoji Zoo is kind of sad looking. It's old and is in need of a face-lift. Maybe it was because it was winter and not that many people were there, but it was a definite disappointment. The enclosures for the animals were clean, but generally not aesthetically pleasing. There were two high points to the zoo: the hyenas, which are really cool looking animals and way bigger than you think (especially if you equate hyenas to the cartoon versions from the Lion King, like I do) and the giraffes, which are HUGE.

The Kaiyukun, however, is amazing. I've been to several aquariums, and this one is one of the best - if not the best - one that I've seen. It's kind of expensive to get in (2000 yen or about $20) but if you have an Osaka day pass or go after 5pm with another person, there's a small discount. But it's totally worth the money. You head up an enormous escalator that takes you to the top and then as you make your way back down to the bottom you see all the different exhibits. They have penguins, a whale shark, the sunfish (look up a picture of it - it's a weird looking fish), lots of different rays and fishes and so on.

We had dinner at one of the restaurants nearby - a do-it-yourself tempura fry and then headed back for the night. Kevin suggested going to see the Floating Gardens at the Umeda Sky Building as he saw it earlier and thought I would like it despite the height, but we ran out of time.

Oh, and my wallet? I got a call on that last day from the consulate, who said that it and my passport had been turned in to the police station by the aquarium. When I went to pick it up, everything was intact, including all of my money. How cool is that? It makes me think - if I was in any other place, would I have gotten everything back? I had over 30000 yen in the wallet. Maybe I was just lucky. Actually, I know I was, because if the passport had not turned up, not only would I have had to pay for a new one, but I would have had to apply for another work visa in Korea, which meant I wouldn't have been able to teach at the start of the new term as planned.

So while the trip wasn't a complete success, and for a day or two was a complete bust, there were some definite high points and I am most definitely thankful to everyone who helped me and to the person who turned my wallet in. Plus, I got to see my boyfriend, who I wouldn't have meet up with if I hadn't lost my wallet, since I would have been in Tokyo by the time I'd have found out he was in Osaka.

And no pictures, as when everything went south I was not motivated to take any pictures, and when I went to the zoo and aquarium I left my camera battery charging at the hostel. ><

Japan, part 1: Kyoto

I went to Japan last week for 7 days. I started out in Kyoto and spent two and a half days there. It was amazing. It's a great place to visit, especially if you're interested in nature and seeing many different shrines and temples. It was the winter, so many of the gardens were brown and had no leaves, but it was still impressive. This makes me wonder how much more beautiful it will be come spring or during fall.

On my first day, I went to see the Fushimi-inari-taisha Shrine, recognizable for its hundreds of gates. Here you can get an idea of just how many there are:

I misread how far the path was and ended up hiking a lot further than I had originally intended. But it was still pretty cool to walk through. There were mini shrines to the fox placed throughout the area.

 

 

I also visited Byodo-In, a Buddist temple. This was actually just outside of Kyoto proper, in the city of Uji. It houses the very impressive Phoenix Hall which you can go in and see (an extra 300 yen) but there's no photography allowed and you have to take your shoes off.

 

 

This is the statue inside the Phoenix Hall, taken from outside.

In Uji, they also had a museum dedicated to "The Tale of Genji". Having read most of the book, I decided to go visit it. The layout is nice and there's a 15 minute video you can watch with an audio translation in English.

I also went to Kyoto Tower, which is similar to Seoul's Namsan Tower but smaller. There's standing room only, and the 360 walk around area is small. But what makes it a little scary is that the main viewing platform sticks out further than the level below it. Also, I don't like heights, so doing these kinds of things is always a little nerve-racking for me.

 

I know the lighting is wrong in this photo, but it gives the best view of the skyline.

The Kyoto Tower mascot is super cute^^

On the second day, I went to Arashiyama Monkey Park.

Now, if you read any of the the guidebooks, it'll tell you that there's a considerable hike to get up to the monkey viewing area. This made me think it was a long walk with a small to moderate incline. But let me clarify this - you climb up a mountain to get to the monkeys. This is not a hike for the lazy or physically out of shape. There are a lot of stairs that have to be climbed before you even reach the split between the shorter, more taxing hike or longer, more winding and slightly easier walk up the mountain. However, that being said, it was pretty cool to see the monkeys up close. They're the Japanese snow monkeys with the red faces, and they were just out there in the open, and it's the humans that have to stay within certain boundaries.

The view is also pretty impressive.

 

The park does have three rules which they reinforce whenever possible. Be sure to follow them if you go to visit!

Then I continued in the Arashiyama area with a 4 hour walk/hike to the various temples and shrines in the neighboring area. I even got lost on route, though there were usually signs at major intersections and splits in the road to tell you where you were. Next time, I'd rent a bicycle to speed up the trip and make it more enjoyable for my feet. The gem of all those places? The Temple of Ghi-ohji, which is described more as a tiny hermitage than a temple. The ground is covered in moss and still very green even at the end of January, making it one of the most beautiful places I saw at this time of year.

The only drawback of Kyoto? To see all these lovely places, it costs money. On average, 500 yen, which roughly comes out to $5, depending on what the current exchange rate is.

Oh, and I stayed at Ayado-Gion Guesthouse. They're on Hostelworld.com and on Facebook. It's in a great location and the the staff are friendly. They also have a nice lounge area and the rooms are very clean.