New Years Eve

For New Year's Eve, we decided to go out for some steak as our special treat. Since being in Korea, we haven't really been able to eat a lot of red meat. Mostly because it's super expensive. A piece of steak can easily cost $30 and it's not even a huge piece. That same amount of meat would be about $5-$6 in Vancouver. See the difference? We've mainly stuck to pork and chicken. 

We went to Outback Steak House - an Australian chain. We thought we'd see a lot of foreigners in there but it was mostly Korean. When we ordered our food, we got really confused. There was an item that said "for two" and we thought "wow, what a deal! such a cheap price for two!". We tried to order it and almost ended up order two orders of it! Apparently it was only for one person, but perhaps the ad wanted to suggest you should order two for you and your date. Luckily there was a staff that was able to speak English and helped clarify it for us before the order was put and we quickly rectified the order to something less extravagant. 

The steak was delicious. It was thick and made the way we liked it. The side of mashed potato was also great. As we left, they told us that they're giving away bread for free so we got some. 

After that dinner, we went to do some grocery shopping at E-mart (across the street). Then we went home and watched tv. Neil did some work and a minute before nye, we sat and down and did our count down together. Not the most exciting, but I'd much prefer to be with loved ones at home where I'm safe and warm than be with a bunch of strangers and get my drink spilled on me. It was a nice and comforting way to move on to the next year. 

I heard somewhere, how you spend your last night of the year is how you'll spend the rest of your next year. 

Christmas Party

This is my first Christmas away but not Neil's. We decided to ask our co-workers to join us for dinner at our place to celebrate. I convinced Neil to make his oh-so-yummy mulled wine and I wanted everyone else to try it as well. The cover charge was a bottle of red wine. We had 10 in total that night and all the bottles were emptied.

(Didn't get a chance to take any pictures cause we were so busy, but here's a picture of my diy decorations)

On the menu that night was oven-roasted chicken, mashed potatoes with homemade gravy, pasta, fried rice, blanched broccoli and carrots. The main feature was the mulled wine. Our guests brought an array of appies such as cheese, crackers, cakes, and fruits. Our main concern was not enough food so we were very happy when people were stuffed! We even had leftovers. 

We put on Christmas music and movies as people were arriving and eating. After dinner, we decided to play some wii games, namely the dancing game. It was gold! Some people were reluctant to make a food of themselves, but the boys really showed off their dancing skills. I wonder if these are the same skills they showcase in the clubs.

It was a tiring and fun day. Who knows where we will be next Christmas, but I believe it's a time where there should be lots of people!

Stand Up in Busan

Neil discovered a open mic for stand up in Busan, so needless to say, that's where we headed. I've always wanted to check out Busan. We booked a guesthouse near Gwangalli Beach since the venue is located there. Our stay was very short because it's only a weekend.

It takes the same amount of time for us to go to Busan as it does for Seoul (3.5 to 4 hours). It was snowing as we boarded the bus and for more than half the trip there was snow everywhere. However, as we got closer to Busan, there was no snow. I guess because it's near the ocean, it doesn't snow as much? Like Vancouver? 

I didn't realize how big Busan was, granted I do know that it's one of the biggest city - I think second? I expected a fishing village, but it's known for it's seafood there, but it's definitely a metropolitan city. Although their bus terminal was a bit less modern. There's a different vibe to the city and I can't quite put my finger on it. Their subway is pretty good and we made it to our cute guesthouse. This is our first time in one and it's super cute! It reminds me of a house that's in one of those k-drama. Tons of cute wall deco and furnishings. 

Our first night was the night of the open mic. We made our way to the beach and popped into a seafood restaurant right away. It was okay. The presentation was better than the food because there was a lot of food we're not quite sure what it was and the shells took up way too much space. I'd like to try other types of seafood though, so we'll definitely come back. It was a very very cold night and we walked back and forth on the boardwalk trying to find this venue, which we did.

This place had a window that overlooked the beach and the Gwangalli bridge and it was gorgeous! The evening went great as well. There were a lot of comedians, mostly amateur and some were funny. Neil went up and did his thing and he was great! The voting was buy the number of drinks you buy and there were over 10+ comedians that night, it would've been hard to keep track. Two local guys and a guy from Seoul won the top three positions. I still prefer Neil's edgier stuff compared to the safe and self depreciating ones. But then I am a little bias. 

It's a shame we didn't get to stay longer in Busan, we would've loved to look around more but alas work calls and we had to get back before Monday.

Winter Clothes and Shoes

Since we're limited by the amount of clothes we can pack, a lot of the thicker clothes were obviously missing. So after our payday in December, we decided to do some shopping. I was in dire need of a nice pair of winter boots since the roads were becoming slick. With my history of balance it would be best for me to be safe than sorry. At the beginning, my rain boots were sufficient but I started slipping on the ice so I had to get winter boots. 

In downtown, Neil and I wandered to H&M. He has expressed many times in the past how he does not enjoy shopping and would much rather I do it and then call him to join me. In fact, that day Neil didn't really plan on doing any shopping but I dragged him to H&M. We headed downstairs to the men's section and we saw some really nice pullovers. There was a sale so it was a really good deal. Before we knew it, Neil has picked up 3 sweaters, a scarf and a hat. After leaving him to pay for his stuff, I ventured upstairs to see what kind of deals I can get. I ended up getting two sweaters, a scarf and a pair of sneakers. 

Next we went to a few more shops but didn't see anything. I finally laid my eyes on a pair of boots that looked sensible and only cost me thirty bucks! Since I'm not sure where I'll be next year, I don't want to pay anything too exorbitant for any stuff I may or may not bring with me, so I just snapped it up. 

Shopping in Korea isn't so bad :) Next stop to try one of those Korean shops!