Places And Spaces To Be In

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Quarantine Birthday Cake

This past five weeks in quarantine has been a weird time, to say the least.

Now that I’m spending more time at home, I have created the following routine: eat, sleep, social media, movies, repeat. My usual routine of hitting the gym after a workday and making dinner with friends is out the window and has now been replaced by the routine above. I hate it, I love it, I’m adapting with what I have. Happily for my dog, he gets the most walks now compared to my previous normalcy.

I can confidently say, that I’m coming out of quarantine with a couple more pounds on. I find myself more in the kitchen if I’m not in front of my computer. Unfortunately for my sister-in-law, my baking and cooking adventures have increased the temptations to divert her from her diet. She was complaining to her mom over the phone that my baking/cooking fest made the house smell too good.

My latest baking adventure was to create a birthday cake for my friend. I followed A Spicy Perspective’s recipe for the perfect lemon buttermilk cake batter. The key to this perfection (in my opinion) was spending the time to cream the butter and sugar. Don’t rush the process. Let it cream in that stand mixer.

I then threw the batter into two round 6 x 3 inch baking pans that have been lined with parchment paper. The leftover batter was then used to make some cupcakes.

After baking the cakes, I layered it with some raspberry preserves and used Five Heart Home’s recipe for cream cheese frosting. I did throw in some lemon zest to bring in more of that lemony flavor to the lemon cake.

In the end, the cake was fluffy and light. It was a perfect match with the cream cheese frosting and raspberry frosting.

(I apologize for my lack of food styling here. I ran out of time to do so…).

All in all, I felt super accomplished making this for my friend. To clarify: I didn’t get to celebrate my friend’s birthday with him. His sister (who commissioned me to make this cake as a surprise) came by to pick up the goodies and drop off some of the cupcakes with another friend of ours. We then joined everyone in celebration via Zoom. What a time we live in.

For more food adventures, follow me on my IG foodie account: convivial.corner.

Hope you all are staying safe and being creative during this time!

With love,

Arve

2020 Goals

I’ve been too silent this past couple of years. 2018 and 2019 have come and gone. Each year filled with a ton of stories I’m yet deciding to share with you or not. If I never do, just know they were years of growth, and self-reflection.

During those two years, I continued working as an accountant for a small, non-profit college preparatory school, enrolled and graduated with my Master’s in Business Administration at the University of Redlands, traveled to the Pacific a couple of times, generated a ton internal self doubt and ate a ton of food.

Now as we’ve ended a decade and entering into a new one, I can’t help but reflect on what has happened and set goals for what is yet to come.

One thing for certain: 2020 is going to be a busy one for me.

Other than the upcoming trips to fulfill my need to travel, I’m hoping it would also be a financially fulfilling one as I save money for a couple of sinking funds I’ve set up and eradicate a couple of debts I’ve dug myself into (*cough* student loans and credit card *cough*).

So the 2020 goals are simple: take care of my finances, take care of my health, create and share more, and be content.

Moving forward with this space, I want to focus on three themes: Explore, Create, Transform (as illustrated by the images above).

As mentioned earlier, I’ve generated self doubt these past couple years. The diminishing of my creativity plummeted me deeper into it thus my silence in this space, on YouTube, and my producing of somewhat mediocre Instagram posts.

As I delve back into these three themes, I’m hoping that it would inspire me as I re-educate and remind myself on why those three themes are so important to me. And why I’ve had them tattooed them onto myself that one night in South Korea.

As simple as it is, I know it encourages me towards self growth and I hope (*fingers crossed*) that it inspires me to REGULARLY share my journey of self discovery and improvement in 2020 and onwards.

For now, I wish you all a wonderful and prosperous New Year!

Hello, again.

Let’s catch-up a bit and Vasquez Rocks pt 2

Hello my dear little neglected space in this abyss called the internet. It’s been a while, and I’m so sorry for neglecting you! (Kinda…)
I started off this personal blog with somewhat a vague vision to share my travel experiences with you. But in a world where everyone is pretty much doing the same thing, I didn’t want to just create for the sake of creating. And to create without a purpose would also bother me…

But just to keep you guys up to speed of what’s happened to me this past nine months since coming back home from South Korea:

I’ve started, quit, and started a new job.
Traveled to Cebu, Philippines for two weeks while a war broke in the southernmost island (Marawi, Mindanao).
Hit up Napa Valley, California for a weekender.
Began MBA school. #CLASSOF2019
Made new friends through my friend, JR, and had a ton of fun taking them to new places.

Although I do my best to keep everyday interesting, the weekend adventures are what I look most forward to.

Take for example, this past weekend…

If you’re not familiar with the place already, let me introduce you to a place out of this world: Vasquez Rocks. Located about an hour from Los Angeles, you’ll find yourself wanting to sing the Lion King theme song (or is it just me…?).

To give it more of an added effect, you can climb to the highest tip and pretend you’re Rafiki holding up baby Simba… just an idea…

Personally, I would suggest coming here late in the afternoon, close to closing time. Based on the times I’ve been there, there tends to be less people and it’s just amazing when you and your friends just own the place for more uninterrupted photo shoots. Plus, getting there for golden hour is an extra win.We tend to associate SoCal to Disneyland, LA, and Hollywood. Even I, myself, have fallen into this trap. It isn’t until you allow your curiosities to take you to meet new friends who would open wide your world and introduce you to new places and spaces that would make you realize: there’s more to SoCal than what meets the generic storyline we’ve constantly watched on screen.

It’s either that, or I missed the memo that we’re supposed to keep these beautiful spots a secret.

Vasquez Rocks

Back at it again with the adventure crew! This time around, JR suggested that we hit up Vasquez Rocks. Thanks to the recent rain, the greenness of the surrounding area was a welcoming sight compared to the usual desert view. It’s a surreal place to be in.

The Wasteland

The intro part of “Birds Don’t Sing” by TV Girl stuck on repeat in my mind as I look back on these photos I’ve taken yesterday.

My close friend, Jaime, took me and his dog Zoë somewhere in the Loma Linda hills for a morning walk. He’s called it “the wasteland” because of its unique features. Or something like that.

Hiking Mudeungsan

This past December, I spent an afternoon with my friends, James and Melissa. We hiked part of Mudeungsan. Our original goal was to reach the top, but since we had a late start, we all agreed not to go too far.

Hiking is one of Korea’s favorite past times. It’s noticeable with their amazing gear and their beautifully, well-maintained trails. Not only that, I can agree that you can get some sort of addiction from breathing in the clean air and seeing the beautiful sceneries.

At the end of our hike, we rewarded ourselves to dessert. Then dinner.

Now that I’m back in California, I can only look back at these pictures as a reminder of those good times we spent together – especially in our hike. Wishing these two the best, wherever they may be in this small world.

Missing the SRT

A tiny story about missing the train.

Let me tell you a tiny story about this woman next to me on this photo. But before we get to that, let me share with you a little background about myself and that day.

As many of you who have been following me for a while now, you’re already aware that I lived in South Korea for over a year. While living in there, I’ve made efforts to learning the language, but haven’t succeeded past survival Korean…

Anyways, let me paint that day.

My friend Jose and I just finished our trip in Busan and that morning, we have to catch our 9:15am train to Seoul. The previous day, I asked the concierge of our hotel to have a taxi prepared for us at 8:30AM so that we’d at least have 25 minutes of free time before our train leaves. Our things were packed and ready – three suitcases, a ukelele, and our own backpacks – we went down to the lobby to find out that the taxi wasn’t going to arrive for another 10 minutes. We’re on a tight schedule. But I wasn’t too worried because I know the ahjusshi’s can drive pretty darn fast.

However, not this time.

We finally arrived at the train station – 9:15am. A sign says that our 9:15am train will be leaving at 9:17am. Rushing to find the platform that we were supposed to be at, this lady notices us in our urgency and quickly comes to our aid.

“Where are you going?” she asks me in perfect English. After stating where we’re heading, she quickly grabs onto one of my suitcases and begins to run – leading us to where we’re supposed to head.

However, once we got to the right platform, we missed the train.

Rather than leaving me and Jose to figure out what to do, she reassures me that we can still make it to another train. She then leads me to the ticket desk, translates for me for refunding and purchasing new tickets, then leads us to the appropriate platform before she herself had to hop on her own train.

I can say, she was an angel to me and Jose. I didn’t expect to find someone to see our need and to make things a bit easier. I can’t promise that the rest of our trip went smoothly. But small moments like her coming to our aid has made my experience with South Korea memorable.

When the People Speak

Last weekend, on our way to Seoul, my friend Melissa and I met a young man who was heading to Seoul for the very first time. It was hard to believe that it was his first time heading to the capital. After having some small talk, we both asked him again, “Is this really your first time? Did you really never have the chance to visit Seoul before?” Which he then confirmed that this trip really was his first time.

After talking about basic English grammar and some conversational cues and it’s meanings (we shared with him that we were English teachers), he then reveals to us his purpose for heading to Seoul. He, along with many others, are on their way to the capital to participate in the protest against the current president (story here). He hopes that the people gathered together would speak to the current president’s heart and move her to resign from her position. He then invited us to go to the protest.

Out of curiosity and with my friend, Matt, in tow – I went.

Being in the midst of the protest was very powerful. There was a moment where I had to quell the emotions I had deep inside of me. Just think, a few days ago the results of America’s presidential elections were announced and it was very disheartening to see that hours after it’s announcement, people struck to the streets and were sharing on Social Media the aftermath of it’s results!

Although the purpose of this protest isn’t related to the American elections, it showed the power of the people gathering together. And that alone was amazing in itself.

Sometimes, I questioned whether or not I was actually in a protest. There were bands performing live and people dancing. And there were many volunteers helping with the clean-up. But as I shifted towards another part of the protest, I found myself in the midst of the “real chaos.” Loud chanting and banners flying high about the people’s sentiment against the president. Policemen atop of police busses to ensure that the crowd didn’t push through to get to the Blue Palace (where the president lives).

As you browse through the photos I’ve taken, please note that I hold no political stance in this issue. Out of curiosity and through that young man’s invitation, I have decided to attend the protest. I wanted to witness what Korea’s democracy looks like. Please also note that there is strong language in the photos.

– A

Places and Spaces to Be In: Baegayangsa

Sometimes, the world just wanna be on fire. You know, the Autumn kind?

(Ok, I know that’s a terrible joke. But with what’s been happening lately back at home, I’m trying to find humor in the ridiculousness.)

So in celebration of the new season here in South Korea, I had the wonderful opportunity to go to Baegyangsa to witness Autumn’s splendor. While there, I happen to also discover a new favorite tea: pine needle tea with some honey. To me, the tea smells like Christmas and tastes like deliciousness.

Much love from this new season,

Lantern’s at Jinju

A photo journal of my trip to Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival.

Last weekend, I had an amazing time hanging out with Melissa, Julian and Julian’s former student, James, at the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival. Wished that we had more time to see everything (and the fireworks !!!!).

Overall, the short trip wasn’t disappointing.

– A