Green tips ....

I came across the H&M magazine while waiting at the bank some weeks ago and saw some green tips in it. That set me thinking about the green things that I do to create less waste in this world.

NO. I do not do this. I just buy. Although .... most of my clothes are in boring black, white, blue and brown that anything I buy would match with most of my clothes, shoes and bags.

YES. I do this. I carry around my Envirosax reusable shopping bags everywhere I go. I also love my Rootote bags. Since I discovered Envirosax and Rootote, I have a LOT fewer plastic and paper bags in my house.
The only time I take plastic bags is during my weekly grocery shopping. I need the plastic bags to throw my trash.

NO. I don't do this. I am NOT a coffee drinker. I have a huge mug in my office and I use it to make myself a giant cup of green tea every morning.
Even when I buy an occasional hot chocolate during lunch, I just use the disposable cup provided.
I do carry a reusable water bottle around but my motivation to do this is to ensure that I drink enough fluid during during the day.

I really do not see how is this a green tip. This is more like an endorsement for the Health Promotion Board.
NO. I am not a vegetarian, I do not use organic products and I do not have a dog.
I do hot yoga in a very heated room but I do not see how that is being green. Maybe I should stop doing hot yoga to be green ....

NO. I do not do this. But I think this is a FANTASTIC idea. I will bring back all half-used bottles of shower gel and shampoo starting from my next trip.

Some other things that I do to be green:

• I bring my own light-weight bath towel when I stay in hotels. Not because I want to reuse the same towel for my entire trip but because I have heard horror stories from my colleagues about what they use hotels' bath towels for.
• I only use the hotels' shower gel and shampoo. I pack and bring the rest of my toiletries.
• When I am checking out at hotels, I tell them NOT to put my hotel bill in an envelope.
• I do not take receipts from ATM machines and tell my banks not to send me paper statements.
• At work and at home, I use both sides of my plain paper. I print what I need on one side and use the other side for other purposes .. like my son's maths practice.
• I jog outdoors, not on treadmills.

There is still a LOT that I can do, like ... use less toilet paper, use a cloth towel and not paper kitchen towels, walk and not drive to work, buy soft drinks from a fountain/tap instead of buying them in cans/bottles, etc.

But I am taking one small step at a time in the belief that every small bit helps.

Till my next blog post, do something green! =)

My Seoul Snacks

Food is a big thing in our lives. When I share my Seoul travel experiences with my friends and colleagues, it is inevitable that the food question will pop up. I will highly recommend that they go to my favorite ginseng chicken restaurant (Korea Samgkyetang) and also ask them to pop by Lotte Mart at the Seoul Station to stock up on snacks.

Sharing with you some of my favorite snacks in Seoul ...

#1 on my list of favorite snacks is this wafer fish with ice cream and red bean. I love red bean! I love wafer fish! I love ice cream! What a perfect combination. It is very affordable .. about Won 1,000 at 7-Eleven. When I am in Seoul, I take this every night as my dessert after dinner. =)

#2 on my list is the Korean Citron Tea. The tea also comes in sachet format which makes it easy for me to carry around. The big glass jar is too dangerous for my butter fingers. Add a sachet to cold soda water and you will have a very refreshing beverage. Super good for a hot and humid day. Spread it onto bread like marmalade and have a sweet breakfast. You can also add this into agar-agar powder and water and have yuzu agar-agar / jelly. I know some people use this to bake cakes but I am not at that expert level yet. =)

#3 on my list is this moist and chewy soft cake that has sweet red bean chocolate cream inside. Did I mention that I LOVE red bean? Try it! Believe me, you won't be able to stop at one. I always tell me my friends that one piece of the fish is so tiny, you have to take two or three at one go to feel the satisfaction. =)

#4 on my list is this lightweight, water cracker with chocolate. This is supposed to be the healthy and tasty range from Orion. But how to be healthy when I eat a two portions at one go?!? Orion, in general, makes good snacks. I also like their potato chips. But I don't like their brownie which is very popular. I find it too sweet for my liking.

My snack basket from Lotte Mart! =)

Till my next blog post, have a snack! =)

Top of mind mentions for Singapore

When I say 'Singapore', what comes to your mind? Most people, I believe, will say "Merlion, Orchard Road, Changi Airport, Sentosa, shopping, Marina Bay, chicken rice, Universal Studio, Night Safari". 

During my recent trip to Seoul, we had a taxi driver who drove us to the Pyeongchang Trout Festival. His name is Mr Park and he spoke English. We told him that we are from Singapore and the first thing he said was "Ah! Singapore! Jumbo!". JUMBO?!? Are you kidding me? Jumbo Seafood Restaurant is top of mind for Singapore to Mr Park! I guess their chili crab must be quite good to have left quite an impression on Mr Park. =)

So, I spoke to a few foreigners and locals and apparantly Jumbo is like a tourist attraction in Singapore. So, when you visit Singapore, a one-day family adventure will look like this: Botanical Gardens in the morning, the Singapore Zoo in the afternoon, dinner at Jumbo, followed by casino at night.

I like the chili crab, fried man-tou, scallops in yam ring, stuffed you-tiao and mee goreng. Loaded with calories but good. My husband likes the pepper crab but I don't. And do wear the bib that they provide. =)

Till my next blog post, have some seafood! =)

Noryangjin Fish Market, Seoul

When in Seoul, try going to the Noryangjin Fish Market for some fresh seafood. =)

It is easy to get there - just take the subway to the Noryangjin Station and walk along the overhead bridge. It takes you to a carpark and then to the upper floor of the market (where the restaurants are). Walk down the stairs and there are many, many stores selling fresh seafood. We went in the winter and so there is no fishy, smelly smell. We reached there at about 11am, so there is no crowd which makes exploration of the market more relaxing.

Walk around, get a feel of the surrounding, smile at people, pick a store that has a good and fresh variety and start selecting your desired seafood. Sellers here can quote you prices in Mandarin which makes bargaining easier for me. =)

After some vendor evaluation, we selected this lady and bought our seafood from her.

There are 3 of us and we bought some octopus, a medium-sized lobster, some scallops and abalone. We had 2 portions of the octopus - one portion we had it stir fried and the other portion, we ate them still wriggling and live. Other than the experience, the live octopus with wasabi tasted good.

Shhhhh ....Tread quietly .. she probably started her day at 3am, so let her take a rest. =)

Till my next blog post, have some omega-3! =)

Skiing at the Phoenix Park

The day after we did some trout fishing in Pyeongchang, my girlfriends and I had ski lessons at the Phoenix Park Ski Resort. We signed up for the 'family package' for a full-day lesson with a English-speaking instructor. Cost Won330,000 for the 3 of us, including the rental of equipment. Lessons were in 2 two-hour session, between 10am & noon and 2pm & 4pm.

 

It was about 3 degree Celsius that day and the ground was somewhat icy which made it more slippery than usual. I did not mind skiing (or sliding and falling, for me) down the slight slope but the walking sideways up the slope in those heavy boots and skis killed my knees. It was an exhausting day! My back and knees hurt like hell but it was a good experience and we had fun! =)

 

The resort is fantastic. There are several slopes for different levels of expertise and there are lots of people there .. and they are looked like experts! I am so envious! 

 

We were taught to make big A and small A with our skis to slow down and speed up respectively. And the following conversation went on for a few times ...

 

Instructor: Make big A. Make big A.

Me stretching out my legs to make a big A as per her instructions.

Instructor: Make bigger A. That's small A.

Me: This is my biggest A!

Instructor shakes her head ....

Till my next blog post, take a ski! =)