In an effort to stray away from making this blog overly emotional and to scratch an itch to write more, I want to talk about how I ended 2016 and started 2017 with tiny explosions in Seoul.

Mind you, this trip was prepared for during the first few weeks of December when I got the Balanga Job Offer and had to deal with my second resignation in that year - something I wasn't excited about. Needless to say, it was a hectic and emotional couple of weeks leading up to this trip - hazy and nauseating is how I would describe it now looking back  - but I managed.



We arrived in Seoul early in the morning, welcomed by 0 degree weather and a rented bus to take us - by us, I mean 20+ of my kin - to Myeongdeong. Dressed up in my pasalubong San Francisco sweater, leather jacket and 2 layers of yoga pants we headed to the nearest Dunkin Doughnuts to get our much needed sustenance. Going back to the topic of the hectic days leading up to the trip, I had absolutely no decent winter clothes packed on that trip (except for my thigh high suede boots i got for my 23rd birthday) so we rushed straight to Forever21 to buy myself some winterwear, something I would later on regret as local shops were selling chicer jackets for half the price.



To tell you the truth, I could not segment that whole trip in days as all of them were equally filled with laughter, walking while trying not to slide on slippery pavements, spending copious but reasonable amounts of cash on skincare and make-up, korean barbecues, eating (lots of eating!) and being part of the annoying Pinoy family occupying a significant amount of space in whichever area we are.



The actual NYE was spent watching fireworks from afar as shops closed down at the Han River, we actually expected a whole shindig when we took that cab to Han River - but it was literally just My aunt, my cousin, me and a bottle of soju and tiny explosions coming from the other side of the city. A little fitting if you ask me, as I wanted my 2016 to be filled with tiny victories and personal growth and accomplishments - something I could keep to myself, only tangible to me.

It definitely acted as a calm before the storm which has what the first six months of my 2017 has felt like. As usual, I cant help but be grateful for every little thing from this trip and all the opportunities that has come my way.

Here's a 3 Minute video of the trip:



XO
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