Mark's Posh Birthday

Birthday boy!

A week ago today, my beloved Markus celebrated his 33rd birthday. I really can't believe that he's in his 30s. The boy really does look young. Once someone said to him, "Mark, I think that you drank from the Fountain of Youth." I really think he worked some kind of hoodoo because he does not look 33. Since Markus entered his 30s, he's preferred to have low key celebrations. Now that I'm also approaching my 30s I do too. Last year, Markus didn't get to do anything he wanted for his birthday, so I was determined to make all of his birthday wishes come true this year.

Posh Nosh

Darth Vader Art

Seared Tuna Salad

Gorgonzola Pizza

Lychee Martini and Mojito

So excited

Our first stop for Mark's Posh Birthday was the amazing Posh Nosh. Usually, I do all the research and look for restaurants, but this time, Markus found the place. When we walked in, I was so impressed. I think of all the restaurants we've been to, this is by far the classiest. I loved Posh Nosh and everything about it was great. The decor was really modern and artsy. The food was absolutely delicious, a little pricey, but worth it. We ate the Gorgonzola Pizza and Seared Tuna Salad. We've had Gorgonzola Pizza before and it's been average. We were both worried it would be mediocre, but it wasn't at all. It was really good and it only proves that quality means everything. Even though it's a simple pizza, the flavors of the cheese were strong. My favorite part of the meal was the drinks. I ordered a Lychee Martini and Markus ordered a Mojito. I usually hate martini's but this one was so good. It was sweet and had the subtle taste of lychees. Honestly, I would go back to Posh Nosh, just for the drinks.

It's your birthday, ru ru ra ra ru....

SKULL JOKE!

After we ate dinner, I gave Markus his personalized birthday card. As I've said before, we try to give each other personalized presents. Nothing too big, just something that the other person will like. This year, I started watching One Piece, as you probably noticed. Markus loves two characters, Sogeking or Usopp and Brooke. Each character on One Piece has signature sayings or jokes. So for Sogeking and Brooke, I used them for his birthday card. I think he really enjoyed it and I was so excited to make it for him, especially because I also watch the show.

Shinsekai "New World" and the One Piece Bar

Ace, I see you hottie.

Zoro, Luffy, Chopper, Rayleigh

Someone is really happy.

Mugiwara's

Yakitori

Grilled Rice Balls

After our delicious dinner at Posh Nosh, we headed to Sirohige, a bar that we saw a few weeks ago. As we walked the streets of Seomyeon, Markus immediately saw a bar that was decorated with One Piece figurines. We made a mental note and decided to come back for his birthday. Sirohige is a Japanese yakitori-style pub. Yakitori is basically a Japanese style of food where everything is put on sticks and grilled. We ordered our food and drinks and checked out all the One Piece figurines. We even played a game of naming all the characters. I know it sounds really juvenile and doesn't fit in with the definition of posh, but it was really fun. I love that Markus and I can do simple things but manage to always have fun. I think that's why I love being married to him. It really is the little things.

Face Cake

We decided to save dessert for home.  Markus was surprised at school by four of his students. They gave him heaps of presents, a poster with letters and this personalized birthday cake of his face. When he told me they got him a cake, I thought it was just one from the store, not one of his face. I couldn't believe it. I only made him a card, but these girls completely upstaged me. Despite being completely outdone by four elementary girls, I was really happy for Markus. I think that he always gets overlooked for his birthday and this year, it was really special. I just hope that he knows how important he is to me and even to his students!

Gimhae, South Korea

These photos were from a couple years ago, but I never had a chance to post them. Daehwan was the first Korean friend Markus and I made in Korea and because of that he will always be special. Through him, we made so many other great friends and we experienced the "real" Korea. One weekend in November, he invited Markus and I to go to his hometown, Gimhae. He wanted us to see where he grew up and experience something very special to him.

Hanok

Gimhae is about an hour outside of Busan by subway. When we arrived, Daehwan picked us up and took us toward the center of Gimhae. We walked toward the more historical area. Of course we saw a temple and even a hanok, which is a Korean traditional home. I've always wanted to stay in one. They're so beautiful and quintessentially Korean. We basically wandered around the city and Daehwan showed us his school and the places he used to play. I really enjoyed seeing where he grew up.

Toward the end of the day, we found a line of brass soldiers. Apparently, there was a fierce battle that was fought there. So we come across this lonely horse without a warrior. Daehwan said it would be awesome if I climbed it. I didn’t want to because I imagined myself falling over and cracking my skull open. It doesn’t look like it in the photos, but this thing was massive, like six feet high. Markus had to come over and push me up, from my bottom. That wasn’t embarrassing in front of Daehwan, or anything. I was quite frantic as I was up there and didn’t know what to do.

After, I was finished Markus hopped on as well and he really owned it. That horse was HIS horse. He was like an ancient warrior. We told Daehwan to jump on, but he refused. He said, “You’re foreigner. I know people here.” As we walked down the rest of the way, there was a sign in Korean that said, “Don’t Climb Statues” and a baby horse with a stand that you could climb on for pictures. We couldn’t stop laughing and we were glad there were no people around. I’m happy that I conquered the big horse and not the lame baby horse.

Most people don't like Gimhae because it's doesn't have any special attractions and it's a small town. For me, it's one of my favorite cities in Korea. I think it's because of the memories that we made there, but Gimhae will always be special to me because it's the home of my first Korean friend Daehwan. 

Hello Kitty Cafe | Seoul, South Korea

One of the greatest things about Korea is the overwhelming amount of cafes. They are everywhere. You can walk down any street or alley and you can bet there will be some kind of coffee shop or cafe. Not only are there popular chains, but there is also a great variety of diffenent types of cafes. love themed places and when I heard there was a Hello Kitty Cafe in Seoul, I knew that we had to go.

I've always been a fan of Hello Kitty. What can I say? I'm a girl and I'm Asian. It's almost a guarantee that you owned something Hello Kitty. When I was in middle school, I went through a ridiculous Sanrio phase. It was so bad that every birthday or Christmas all my presents were somehow Sanrio themed. I will admit that I was a bit of a tomboy in middle school and Hello Kitty was too cutesy for me. She was too much of a girl and I couldn't handle all the pink. I think I was too insecure to be able to connect with her. I felt much more comfortable witih the other less cutesy characters.

Even though Hello Kitty wasn't my favorite Sanrio character, I always had a fondness for her. Just seeing her little white face and red bow brings back so much memories. My childhood is forever intertwined with hers. The Hello Kitty Cafe was a nice way to relive those memories and was purely nostalgic for me. It wasn't my favorite cafe and it was actually a bit disappointing. The place looks a bit rundown and it's pink overload. The entire place looks like it was coated with Pepto-Bismol. The food and drinks are overpriced and taste pretty awful too. If you're passing through Seoul, I definitely recommend visiting the cafe, but just to take a few pictures and walk around. It's way too busy and overpriced to be anything more than a photo opportunity.

Busan eFM 90.5 Radio Interview

Back in February, Markus and were asked to do a radio interview on Midnight Rider. It's an amazing program on Busan's only English radio station. The radio station is really popular amongst Busanites and almost all of them know DJ Chad Kirton and Midnight Rider. I was really surprised that they asked us to do the interview, but it was really exciting. I've already been on Korean TV and in the newspaper, so the next natural step was radio. I still can't believe that I was even featured on all those things. It's so funny how things work out.

Before our interview, I was really nervous. I was worried that I was going to sound idiotic or repetitive. Markus and I practiced our answers so many times. I had everything down to a science. I knew exactly what I would say. I kept saying my answers over and over. When we got to the station, I forgot everything. It all just disappeared and my nerves took over. Then, I started to get really anxious. When we finally met Chad and talked for a bit, he kept reassuring me. He kept saying, "No worries. It's cool."

When we finally started the interview, I was still nervous, but the more we talked with Chad, the worries just disappeared. Chad is incredibly awesome and really easy to talk to. I felt like I knew him for ages and he really is an awesome radio DJ. Chad is such an awesome guy. He's really knowledgeable and so personable. He's really great at his job and made the experience much more amazing.

Being on the radio was definitely one of the highlights of our life in Korea. It was an incredible experience and I can't believe that it happened. I'm so thankful that Markus and I were both able to do it and that we met Chad. It will be an experience that I will always remember and one that I will always cherish.