As everyone else might know last week was a long holiday here in Korea, because of Chuseok (Thanksgiving day), it started from Wednesday up to Friday and then the weekends.  Unlike those previous holidays we just stayed home this year, we didn’t go to Philippines like last year because my husband still cannot get over with the slow process in our immigration and we also didn’t go to other big cities in Korea to do sightseeing.  We spend the holiday at home watching movies, reading and tinkering our genealogy program. Unlike those normal days, it was so quiet around no kids running and shouting in the street, most of the stores and establishments are closed too.

Anyway we celebrated Chuseok on Friday by grilling some meat that I bought before the long holiday and buying a chocolate cake from Paris Baguette which disgust my husband because he already informed me to buy different cake.

Cooking and eating Filipino food  is a luxury for me in Korea so I seldom shop for these type of food. Not just they’re bit expensive than the way they are used to be in the Philippines but because there’s only a few stores that sell Asian food. When I met my friends in Hyehwa I bought monggo beans, salty egg and smoked fish in the informal Filipino Market, the monggo beans which you could buy for 10-20 pesos is worth 175 pesos.

I sauteed the monggo beans the other day, I started by boiling the monggo beans in a separate pot. I almost forgot about it, I just remember when the water started to dry.  Next I did is saute garlic and onion in a separate pot and add the left over string beans, then water and monggo beans when brown. The water from the boiled monggo beans is also best to use but since I over boiled my monggo beans I have nothing else to use. When the vegetable is almost cooked I add lettuce and salt to taste.

I am being forgetful these days, it was been a few weeks already since I shopped alone for our groceries.  Yesterday I decided to go to Lotte Super first before shopping at the Nong Hyup Supermarket as I want to buy a jar of peanuts or sunflower seeds. I am almost at Lotte Super when I remember that I forgot to bring my husband’s wallet instead of going home I just went inside and look for the food I want I still have few wons on my wallet. But of course I have to go home again to get the wallet as my money is not enough for groceries unlike those times I forgot to bring my husband’s wallet I have cash on me.

[Lotte Super in Shinha-ri, Icheon]

When I opened our door, my husband immediately asks me if I forgot something and he started laughing on how did I forget to bring the money.  Lol, Anyway I went to Nong Hyup and shopped for groceries all I bought for myself is milk as I think I have enough food for one more week.

With the allowance I am receiving from my husband I have money to spend on my personal things and treats when I am hungry and craving for chocolates. My favorite store to visit when I have already my monthly allowance is Watsons and Missha, I love shopping at Watsons and Missha because they are always on sale from shampoo , lotions, moisturizers and many more.

With my habit of buying beauty products on sale, I didn’t notice that I have collected a lot of them. I am not really that vain to use all the products, lotion and shampoo is enough for me. So what I did is to send those extra items home, the post office woman gave the EMS price list to me when I keep asking about the rates, as I am planning to host a blog giveaway. It was a big help, instead of asking every time for the price when I have to send a box home I can just look at the price list and control/track how much money I am going to spend for a particular weight. The rates went up explaining why I have two price list, the second booklet is the new one. I asked for one copy when I saw it on her table.

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It was raining hard today and we are bored and hungry so I went to 한솥 near the HBC Chicken, we’ve been wishing to try their meal and this is the right time because it is still early and the restaurant might still open unlike those times we crave it is already wee hours. They have no English menu, but their menu board has image on them so I just point the food I want to order.

I am expecting to wait longer but within five minutes my order was already handed to me, super quick huh? I went to Paris Baguette nearby after I got my order to buy brownies but I ended up buying another baked good as well.

The meal was superb, they tasted good and better than the meal I used to buy in convenience store probably because they are fresh and not refrigerated.  Their meals are good for students who are bringing a lunch box at school and even packed meals, picnic, lunch and dinner.

On Sunday I went to Hyehwa again not to attend the mass but to meet my friends, Cathlaine and her husband is already moving to the United States and it is going to be the last chance to see them before they left on Wednesday.

We are supposed to meet  in the subway but I didn’t see her and when I tried to call my friend in her mobile I can’t contact her, thinking she blocked me for a reason I just went out the subway and walk to the Filipino Market to look around, while walking I heard someone saying that someone is just walking straight without looking around. To my surprise I have found them in the stall on my right, it was Kuya Rodel who mumbles.

It turns out Cathlaine’s phone number is not working anymore, maybe because they are going to leave soon and their ARC is going to expire at the end of the month as all phone numbers here in Korea is registered according to your alien registration card. Anyway to cut the story short we together with Cathlaine’s friend whom I get to know while eating, went for the second time at SELF BAR , it is a chain of Korean buffet restaurant serving meat for barbecue, galbi, sangyeopsal and etc.,

The meat and food is unlimited for ₩9, 900 per head, if you waste some food or left some meat on your table you have to pay a penalty of ₩5, 000.

When I gained weight I also received stretch mark awards, at first  I was not worried thinking it was just an allergy. But my husband says that they are stretch marks and searching on google confirmed that they are indeed stretch marks. I was especially bothered when I learned that stretch marks cannot be removed anymore and they are going to be part of me forever.

To reduce the appearance of stretch marks I ordered stretch mark cream online, I am hoping this will help me on my ordeal. We all know that stretch marks are marks that are caused in our skin due to excessive weight loss or weight gain in a short period of time.

One of the food I bought in the Filipino supermarket in Hyehwa is  Bopis it  is a spicy Filipino dish of pork or beef lungs and heart sautéed in tomatoes, chilies and onions, but the bopis I bought was not that good nor spicy.  It was quite different from the bopis I have eaten already, this one is more oily and buttery and the taste is not intense or strong.

I have kept the bopis in the freezer as I have no desired of wasting it. I have decided to saute it with onions and garlic and add string beans and ladies finger which are quite old already.

I have finally taken a photo of the newly painted Shinha-ri Elementary School,  the painting of the school was started a month ago but I am always in bad time whenever I tried to take a photo, if not humid or mist on my lenses I forgot to bring my camera with me, I can’t use my phone because  I don’t know if I can zoom it.

Last month my husband informed me that the air conditioning unit on his class was not working, not because it was broken but because the school control the power and it was always off.  It was very uncomfortable to teach when it is hot so my husband requested for a stand fan, we both thought that the school implement the policy of no air con, and I even told my husband maybe they are losing funding because they just repainted the school but it turns out the order came from the authorities requesting workers in government offices to turn off the air-conditioning and avoid using elevators to prevent shortages of energy/power because of the heat wave.

I went to downtown today to buy frozen chicken breast, my husband ate boiled chicken breast as part of his work-out meal. I have to go to downtown because they’re not available at the supermarket around us, while waiting for the bus going home I decided to walk inside the World Food (Asian Store) beside the bus stop. I have thought I would just buy Filipino foods for my weekly supplies rather than buying the same food all over again in NongHyup Supermarket.

I have enjoyed looking around and I didn’t notice that I already have a lot of food in my basket but still I went to the vegetable freezer to check if they have Filipino vegetables and I was happy to see that they have string beans, water spinach and bitter melon. It means I don’t need to go to Seoul just to buy these vegetables.

When I pay in the counter the owner handed me free pork noodles which I am thankful with.