Autumn randoms

In November, something tragic happened to my laptop. I have this weird habit of drinking from my thermos w/ the lid off as if it's a cup.   I made myself some hot chocolate in my thermos and I put it in my backpack without realizing that the lid wasn't closed properly. My laptop was in my backpack... and.. yeah. You can probably guess the rest.  My laptop was toasted, covered in hot chocolate residue...Thankfully, I was able to recover my hard drive after several tries so I didn't end up losing any data (phew). Good bye laptop. You've served me well for 2 years... 

I ordered a new laptop but it hasn't arrived yet so I am waiting desperately for it. I am thankful that my friend has allowed me to use his till then.  It was a bittersweet decision for me to purchase the new laptop. I mean, who doesn't want a new laptop? but there was nothing wrong with my old one and I basically had to spend $700 on something that could've been spent elsewhere. It also made me realize how much of my life was dependent on my laptop. I don't know how I would be functioning without my friend's laptop at the moment. 

Anyhow, I don't think I've done a random post in a while.  My random posts are literally snippets of my life.  When I go eat,  I sometimes feel really bad for making everyone wait till I finish taking photos of everything we ordered.  If I don't get the right angle or the lighting, it takes forever and my hungry friends just sit there, waiting for me to give them the signal so they can start devouring. Even though it does make some people grumpy, I still manage to take photos and I don't think anyone can stop me from doing this! Foodies for life! I really appreciate all of you for waiting patiently though :) (you know who you are).  

I won't go into details about the restaurant or the food but I will write down the name of the restaurant below the photos. Comment/ shoot me an e-mail if you have any questions!

The Parlour @ Yaletown

Yaletown pizza on the left (Albacore Tuna, Red Onion, Green Onion, Avocado, Cilantro, Spicy Aioli) 

This pizza is my favourite so far!!!  It's a perfect combination of ingredients: Avocado, tuna, cilantro and a kick of spiciness. Om nom. 

Goldmember on the right (Caramelize Onion, Mushroom Duxelle, Yukon Gold Potato, Truffle Oil, Gruyerem, Mozza)

I am not a big fan of cream/ cheese based pizzas so I thought this was mediocre but I am biased. 

                                                                  The Parlour @ Yaletown

Hamilton Street on the left (blue Cheese, Arugula, Pear, Walnuts, Caramelized Onion, Balsamic Glaze)
This was an interesting one. I am not a big fan of blue cheese but it went really well with pear. 

Yaletown on the right (again)

Come to Korea with me - 2

The weather has cooled down around the time I arrived in Korea so it was around 28 degrees but I still thought that it was extremely hot due to the humidity and also because I am used to living in cooler weather.  It was definitely not easy coping with the weather and it made me realized that I tend to become really impatient and frustrated when the weather gets too hot... (stay away!)  Good thing air conditioner exists almost everywhere in Korea but apparently last year because air conditioner was on max, the power source of the city was turned off.  After that incident, people are trying to save energy but providing less air conditioner in public places such as the subway stations.

 I decided to go to Insadong on this day to visit my uncle who has a clothing store on the main street and also to experience Korea culture.  Even though I was born in Korea, I always find traditional things interesting and Insadong is a perfect tourist place to come if you want to buy/ eat and experience Korea traditional culture.

 There was a Samul nori performance at the entrance. Samul nori is a genre of Korea traditional percussion music

 random vendor

My uncle, aunt and cousin went to grab lunch and I think this was my first and last naeng myeon of the trip.   I personally am not a big fan of these noodles because they are hard to chew.  The noodles are usually made from flour and starch of various ingredients such as potatoes, sweet potatoes or buckwheat.  When I do order naeng myeon, I order the spicy version of it like the one in the photo.  You can also order a non-spicy version and it is served in a cold soup.  (naeng myeon is always served cold)

Miura Waffle Milk Bar

I personally really like waffles but it's unfortunate that Vancouver doesn't have that many of places that sell waffles.  I used to go to Michi waffles on Robson but they closed down last summer so the only places I can think of are WE cafe on Robson and Cafe Medina.  I don't think they are not that great and it has always been a challenge for me to find a decent waffle place. 

 In Korea, there are street waffle vendors that sell waffles simply with syrup and cream in the middle for like $2, (refer to the photo below) and it's the best thing in the world... I miss them sometimes :(

Street waffle

My friend told me about Miura Waffle Milk Bar which is on Davie and I've heard good things about this place.  It's owned by Japanese people and they sell savory and sweet waffles.  The price range from 5.99-7.99.  Check out their website if you're interested! 

Hot choco

It was a warm day but I wanted to drink something hot because of my cold