y u n a i s h *

First and foremost, happy Halloween everybody!  I saw a bunch of Trick-or-Treaters on the way home from school few hours ago and finally realized that today was indeed Halloween.  Yeah yeah.. call me crazy, but Halloween does not register as a holiday or anything special in my mind.  I have never (and probably never will) celebrated Halloween, probably because I grew up in Korea, where there is no such holiday.  So October 31st feels like any other day for me.  But a few years ago, when my friends heard that I had never gone Trick-or-Treating before, their initial reaction was horror and shock.  Some of them thought I had a deprived childhood!  Well, before you know it, I’m in a costume with a bag for candies.. They really thought you can’t have a complete childhood without the Trick-or-Treat experience.  At first, I thought it was a bit ridiculous and didn’t want to participate.  But man, we had a great time - and even if I didn’t, how could anyone be upset after all those candies?  C’est impossible!

Until now, I never understood why my friends were so passionate about Halloween.  Hyeon recently told me that he had never gone Trick-or-Treating before and my heart just dropped.  After my experience, I strongly believe that Trick-or-Treating should belong to the list of “Things to do before you die.”  So I suggested that we dress up and go Trick-or-Treating around the neighborhood.  Hyeon looked at me with the most concerned look on his face and said, “Honey, we are 21 now.  Don’t you think we are a bit too old?”  Yes, that’s quite true.. I can’t even argue that.  But damn it, I just wanted some free candy! :(

With our age barrier, I guess Hyeon and I can engage in the Trick-or-Treat by giving out the candies instead from now on.  This raised another question, however: What kind of candies should we give out?  There are always the classic choices like M&M, Snickers, and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup - or at least these were found overwhelmingly in my collection.  Quite frankly, I was a bit disappointed to find so many of these chocolates given that I didn’t like any of them!  At the time I preferred Almond Joy and Nestlé Crunch - how many of those did I find?  Only 6 out of 371.  SIX!  Can you believe this?  So people, please be considerate when purchasing your Halloween candy, because contrary to popular belief, not every child loves every single candy known to mankind!

Until recently, I was a Nalgene faithful. What’s not to like? Nalgene water bottles were portable, virtually unbreakable, and most of all, colorful. Seriously, I carried different bottle everyday depending on my mood or my clothes of the day. However, when the Bisphenol A (BPA) scare broke out earlier this year, I frantically searched for an alternative options. To make the long story short, the search was long and difficult. It was utterly impossible to find a sturdy 1L, eye-catching, statement-making bottle that was light enough to carry around. In the meantime, Nalgene had successfully created a line of BPA-free water bottles in many different designs and colors. However, I moved on. I had enough with plastics; I wanted to make a more responsible choice.

That’s when I heard about SIGG bottles. These Swiss-made bottles are completely reusable and toughest water bottles out in the market. Quite honestly, they had me at “Swiss-made.” This gets even better: They come in fabulous designs and colors! It seemed too good to be true – and it was. I ended up throwing out my first SIGG bottle – I’m Not Plastic series – because it got too many dents on the surface. It didn’t leak the content or anything, but very unpleasant (and sort of painful) to look at. Also, it was difficult to pour my water without spilling a little – a problem I never had before because Nalgene bottles are transparent.

So I went back to searching and shopping. With nearly 7 billion people on the Earth, how is it that not a single person could make a perfect reusable water bottle for me? Then I ran into these:

Love Bottles are reusable glass bottles that come in variety of designs and sizes. I pulled out my checklist: 1L? Check. Sturdy? Check. Transparent? Check. Not plastic? Check. Cute and fabulous? Check. I screamed with joy. So I ordered two bottles – one for Hyeon and one for myself. They arrived in a timely fashion in perfect condition. Hyeon, who used to be an anti-water drinker, has changed to an avid water lover and is getting his 2L daily recommended water intake. (Thanks, Love Bottle!) So far, I haven’t encountered any problems with these bottles; the only thing I can think of is how often I get stopped in the street by people inquiring about these bottles ;)

So if you are considering non-plastic, reusable water bottles that will fancy your water, check these bottles out. You will be doing your body and the environment a huge favor!

The past few weeks have been impossible. It was back-to-back days of midterm exams, papers, lab reports, readings, presentations, and other miscellaneous assignments. Who said being a student is easy?

After weeks of nonstop work and stress, Hyeon and I decided to treat ourselves to a little weekend getaway - to Serenbe Community in Palmetto, Georgia. For those of you who are not too familiar with Serenbe Community, it’s a 900-acre, sustainable living community that is located just outside of Atlanta. I’ve heard so many things about the community, yet until this trip, I’ve never thought about visiting - which is rather surprising because of my keen interest in sustainability and organic/green movement. Nonetheless, we packed our bags, boarded our dogs, and hit the road.

My experience at Serenbe was so magical and unique: Truly a one-of-a-kind. If you live in Atlanta and haven’t had the chance to visit Serenbe Community, you are really missing out. No picture or words can do this place justice. How often do you see strangers smiling and waving at you as you drive down the street? From the friendliest people on the Earth to amazingly fresh locally-grown produce, I felt like I couldn’t have picked a better place to take a deep breath, sit back, and relax.

The most memorable moment was when Hyeon and I were stargazing at night. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture, but even if I did, it wouldn’t have captured the moment successfully. The sky was completely studded with shiny stars which was absolutely gorgeous, amazing, and breathtaking. . I stood in the grass, among the stars and nature, feeling so small. I will never forget that night.

My only complaint was that it was just too short! By Sunday, the day of our departure, I was literally begging Hyeon to stay one more day! Of course, I’m back in Atlanta, meaning we didn’t stay and had to return. But don’t worry, I will be back sooner than you can blink..

Hello, how have you been?

One might think, ‘What?  That’s it?  After months of absence?’  Okay, okay.  I know I’ve been missing in action lately.. for a rather long period of time.  Originally, I toyed with the idea about having a legit website, rather than a WordPress blog.  With Hyeon’s help, I was able to get my layouts and menu, but ultimately, I gave up due to high level of maintenance.  Seriously, what was I thinking?  I can hardly keep a blog!  So I’m back - with a vengeance.

Are you ready?