September: Sum up of the month

Hello my beloved readers! Claudia is back to blogging! *claps claps*

As you might have seen on Facebook/Twitter/other social networks, my life has been kind of "plain" since I came back from Asia. I feel like I don't have anything else to say these days, as my schedule is still kind of uncertain and unpredictable. That is why, from now on, I'll be writing these "sum up of the month" posts instead of doing a blog post about only one thing. I'd say it's gonna be easier for me and it'll be an excuse to keep this blog awake now that my life isn't that interesting, haha.

So here we go! September: 10 things that happened to me...

1. Watched Guardians of the Galaxy

As a good Marvel fan that I am, this past September I've seen "Guardians of the Galaxy" at the theatre. I have to say I liked it a lot, even though I didn't find it very entertaining when I saw the trailer. But it's definitely a very good movie! I also watched "The Amazing Spiderman (1 and 2)" because I wanted to see how Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone worked as Peter Parker & Gwen Stacy. And I must admit, I liked them more than the old Tobey McGuire and Kirsten Dunst (Sorry guys! >_<) Also, I still feel I should give a chance to X-Men, but that's gonna take me some more time :B

2.Started watching “Parks and Recreation"

I've always been a huge fan of "The Office", but now that I've had more free time I started watching  a very similar sitcom, which is Parks and Recreation... And honestly, I don't regret it at all! I watched the pilot episode a long time ago but it didn't really catch my eye, so I decided to give it a second chance... And I'm so glad I did! I'm so obsessed with the show now, the episodes are short and quick to watch and very entertaining! I'm halfway the 4th season at the moment.

Also there's Chris Pratt from Guardians of the Galaxy" (who I find very attractive <3) so... One more reason to watch it! He's definitely one of my favorite characters, haha!

3. Started taking Korean & English classes again

In order not to forget my Korean, I started taking Korean class on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6.30pm to 9pm. I've taken the first two classes and I feel this is not what I signed up for : There is a huge gap level between the 17 of us in the class, and I feel I'm just reviewing what I've been doing for the past 10 months in Korea instead of learning new stuff :\ But there's no other place I can study Korean at in Barcelona, so I guess I'll just do my best in class and try to help my partners in anything they need ^-^

Speaking of English, I decided to re-start my English language classes in the fancy&super famous Institute of North American Studies in Barcelona on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon (Woo hoo!). I definitely needed some fresh air after studying at Merit School for most of my life, and I also need to brush up my grammar after 3 years dating an American who literally, and I quote from him "Destroys my English". So back to write complain letters, reports and essays in English! Yay! XD

4. Had Korean food again 4 months after I left Korea

It's a fact: Korea was, is and will be my second home from now on. And as a good second home that it is, I miss its food so badly! That's why I decided to take my parents, cousin, uncle and aunt to a Korean restaurant in Barcelona a few weeks ago.

The food wasn't as good as back in homeland Korea of course, but pretty close. Also waaaaay more expensive, but worth paying whenever you have a Korean food craving! ^_^ Yum yummm! Plus, the owner knew my name from last time I went TWO YEARS AGO! She was surprised to hear my super fluent decent level of Korean, and I was so happy to have someone in Barcelona to speak Korean with! Can't wait to go back again :)

5. National Day of Catalonia

The 11th September Catalonia celebrated its tercentenary since its defeat during the War of the Spanish Succession. In other words, we became part of Spain back in 1714. Yes, we might be celebrating a defeat (which is kind of silly) but the reason we went out of the streets was because we're proud of our origins, we're proud of who we are and where we come from. And also to claim our independence from Spain again, something we've been doing for years now but due to this current financial and political crisis, it has become a bigger movement lately. If you have seen the news these days you might have seen pictures of this year's demonstration!

That day we all formed a human V (for Vote) to seek choice on split from Spain. We were 1.400.000 people in there! More info: Here

Us posing with the V sign :)

6. Sent tons of emails with my CV looking for jobs

I'm still not being lucky with this job hunting thing, specially when there's a 25% unemployment rate in Spain at the moment... :\ I've been sending and handing out my resume to several companies, from Hyundai to Urban Outfitters, passing by a Korean school, Disney Store and Starbucks (I always keep the faith on Starbucks, sorry). I'm still not looking for a long-lasting job, just a part time job to save up money & gain job experience (something my CV completely lacks of).

7. Back to (unexpected) classes

Due to some credits problem with my university, I'm still an undergraduate student... Which means I have this last one class I have to attend to! It's called "Migration and Diaspora in East Asia", and I have to say I'm loving it so far! Plus I'm taking it with students/friends of mine from different years, and it's nice to have them altogether in this class! It's only 3h and a half a week, which isn't too bad (I wish it was 5h a week instead :B), and there's only one exam & 3 papers. So since it's my last class as as an undergraduate student (and I have time to focus in this only class I'm taking), I'll work hard and do my best to get good grades ^-^ I love when you feel you're actually learning something in a class, and you enjoy it!

8. Talked with my favorite teacher about masters and what I could do in my near future

As I said before, I feel my future is still kind of uncertain. Just like I said in number 7, I am currently taking one more class at university so I can graduate and finally finish my undergraduate studies. That means companies aren't as interested in an undergraduate student as they would be in a graduate student! Despite that little drawback I'm still trying to be a busy bee this year, looking for a job for the mornings I don't have class, Fridays & weekends. Also, I might be taking a master's degree on International Relations in my home university next year, so my teacher recommended me to read Henry Kissinger's "Diplomacy" until I get back on track with IR. I don't really agree with Kissinger's policies back when he was a diplomat, but he seems to have very interesting things to say in an international context. Am I gonna like it? We'll see!

9. Had sleeping and health problems

It seems either my body isn't used to Spain yet, or I'm getting lots of stress lately: I feel sick at times, kind of dizzy, I have mood swings way too often... I feel like a 14 year-old teenager again! But it might be just the fact that I don't have a stable life yet. That is why I'm being more strict with my diet, I take weekly healthy/vegan smoothies for an extra vitamin boost, I ate vegetables 5 times a week and fruit 3 times a day... If my mind isn't healthy yet, at least my body will be!

Green vegan smoothie I prepared a few weeks ago. 

10. Started wearing fall outfits ❤

If you say there's something cuter in this world than a "skirt&over the knee socks&boots" outfit, I won't believe you. Haha. After a long ass hot summer in tropical Asia, I was dying for chilly weather to come back to Barcelona! I was so looking forward to wear long sleeved t-shirts again, baggy sweatshirts and fluffy scarves! It's still not cold enough for all that haha, but I feel this year I'm missing cold weather more than any other time. I'm sick of tank tops and shorts already! >_<

So this is all for now, sweethearts! Thank you for reading, and hope you all have a lovely October! Do you have plans for Halloween already?

Lots of love from,

CL

21 before 22: What to do before I turn 22

Hey guys! How are you doing? Remember last year when I wrote that post of the "What to go before I turn 21" challenge a few weeks before my birthday? I feel like doing the same this 2014 again... My aims and goals definitely changed after one year, I accomplished some of them.. And some others not :B it's time to review how many goals I achieved last year!

01. Tell my friends how much I love them (Yes ❤)

02. Throw a party "Till the World Ends" once I finish my exams (I think I did...? I honestly don't remember haha I wasn't as much of a party animal as I am here in Korea... LOL!)

03. Bake something (Yeah I guess I ended yup doing it :B)

04. Clean up the house a bit (Yup, and it wad tiring! I think it took me 4/5 days to finish cleaning all that mess!)

05. Spend more time with my family (Definitely I did, and I miss them so much now!)

06. Buy myself a new laptop and phone (Yes, yes!)

(I missed number 7, LOL)

08. Save as much money as I can (I was able to survive here in Korea so... Yes!)

09. Brush up on my Korean (Eh... I improved it here haha so I guess it counts :B)

10. Keep improving my Japanese (Nope... D: )

11. Dress more feminine (Definitely yes! I bought tons of skirts and dresses here in Korea, and I'm so happy I did!)

12. Get good grades (Always... *chuckles* Haha)

13. Catch up with series (I'm still with Once Upon a Time but... Eventually, I'll finish it!)

14. Mentally prepare myself for Korea (Yes!)

15. Think of all the things I need to take with me when I move (Yes!)

16. Visit my summer village (I did! Definitely one of the best time of my summer 2013❤)

17. End up with bad diet habits (I gained 3 kgs since I live in Korea HAHAHAHA so... Nope!)

18.  Find people who is going to HUFS on Internet (I did! I met this Ukranian girl on Interpals who ended up being a good friend of mine at HUFS :D)

19. Keep in touch with my best friends (I do c: I send them postcards from time to time as well!)

20. Quit Postcrossing (Yes! And can't wait to re-take it very soon ^_^)

Yes: 14
No: 2

No idea/Can't remember/I think I did: 3

(Not bad I think :B)

And right now, it's time to challenge myself to accomplish these new challenges before I turn 22! Here we go!

1. (Just like last year) Tell my friends that I love them

I'm happy to say that I've finally found my people this second semester, my real friends in Korea. I've  met some new people, I got the chance to get closer to people I already knew, I still talk to my old friends... And I want to let them know how much I appreciate them and how important they are for me. So during this last weeks in Korea I'll try to spend as much time as I can with my loved ones :) What am I going to do without them!

Part of my beautiful crew c: From left to right: Vinna, Salut, Jorge, Ignacio and I!

My Venezuelan born Korean bestie Johnny, I'm gonna miss him so much ;_;

2. Use my time in Korea wisely

I have less than two weeks in the Land of the Morning Calm, so I'll try to do as much things as I can and go as many places as I can during this time! I'm done with class and I have plenty of time to waste  so I'll make sure to enjoy it ! ^_^

Sokcho in Gangwon-do (East coast of Korea), one of the places I've visited recently

3. Be the best girlfriend I can be for Peter

This is gonna be our third summer together, yay! (And hopefully many more to come! ❤) Even though we've been dating for 2 years and a half now I still want to be the best girlfriend for him. We just get to see each other for a month every year, and every time we see each other again I try to give him as much love and affection I can't give him during the rest of the year... And that's what I'll do this summer as well. I want my baby to be proud of me, and I want to have a healthy relationship with him based in true love, patience and mutual trust :)

4. Enjoy the most exotic summer in Vietnam

I'm super excited about my trip to Southeast Asia! it's a place in the world I've always wanted to visit, kind of mysterious to me but thrilling at the same time. I'm so in love with Vietnam already and I haven't stepped on the country yet :B I'll promise you I'll keep this updated during my stay! ❤ (Or at least on Fb and Instagram!)

5. Learn more about Vietnamese language and culture

No matter I'm majoring in Asia Studies there are many things I still don't know about the country I'm visiting this summer! I'll try to learn as much words and cultural tips as I can during my stay, I'll pay attention to my family's conversations (no matter there's no way I can understand the language whatsoever), at least to get used to the sound of the language again. Let's be honest, there's no way I can learn such a difficult language in a month... But I'll do my best! ^-^

Vietnamese alphabet... Sounds really similar to Cantonese, but written in letters instead. But hey, trust me when I say that doesn't make it any easier! XD

6. Take a break from snail mail

Just like last year when I came to Korea, I'll be changing my home in a while... So that means I have to take a hiatus from my favorite hobby for the next two months, until I'm settled back home. I'm gonna miss sending letters to my beautiful penpals, but at least I can buy postcards and remind them that I'm alive! :B

7. Finish my research project - DONE!

My research project about plastic surgery in SK is already over! I really enjoyed writing it but I have to say it's been though at times... Having a deadline and constant emails from my teacher doesn't really help >: Now I just need to get my marks back! Also I really want to make a lecture about it, since many people seem to be interested in the topic. But I need a good grade for that! So wish me luck, I need a 90 or more! :B

8. Keep working out

I hate feeling weak when I haven't turned 22 yet, so apart from my daily 50 squats and dancing I want to start going to the gym when I'm back in Barcelona. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time, and back home I'll feel like starting over and maybe trying out new things...? I'm starting to consider yoga, for example. 

9. Prepare myself mentally to go back home

Believe it or not, it's not easy to go back home after a while living abroad... During my 3-week stay at home for Christmas I needed a few days to get back on track and get used to my life in Spain again... Apart from the jet lag and all, I felt constantly confused, as if my mind was somewhere else at all times. Maybe I am just too sensitive, but being back for Christmas wasn't easy at all! And I don't want this to happen again in summer... (Although I'll be back home for good!). So I really need to prepare myself to go back to my Spanish rhythm of life, prepare myself to push the "Play" button again and keep going with my life as if (almost) nothing had happened!

10. Keep in touch with my parents during my stay in Vietnam

I don't know if in Vietnam I'll be able to use wifi as much as in South Korea... But my parents (my mom) are extremely overprotecting, and they NEED to hear about me at least once a day... Even if it's just a text message, they need to know I'm alive. Also they don't really know much about Vietnam and I feel they're kind of skeptical about me being in this developing South-east Asian country for 6 weeks... So I'll try to say hello as often as I can and send lots of photos! So they know how much fun I'm having as they worry about me :B Hahaha

11. Learn from my travel experience in Southeast Asia
One of the things I like about traveling is you get to learn so many things from the place you visit, things you cannot just see whenever you read about a country when you're back home. Your experience is full of anecdotes, little stories and unforgettable memories you can learn from, for good or for bad of course. I want to dive myself into the culture, I want to know about the people ... And being with natives it's definitely the best way of doing it :) I feel so blessed I have the chance of visiting Vietnam with Peter's family! I bet I'm not gonna miss a thing!

12. Get some tan (if possible!)

If you guys know me well, you know I'm the farthest thing from a "typical" Spaniard girl... I'm pale as a piece of paper, and there's no way I can get tanned! But this summer I'm going to Southeast Asia, so at least I'll try to sunbath a little bit... If I don't want to get looks from Saigonese people wondering why this foreigner glows like a vampire!

Peter and I in New York, summer 2012. I think it's the closest thing I've even been to "tanned"...

Or maybe it's because I'm posing next to him?!

13. Think about the future

My boyfriend is my whole life, but we're still young and we know that education comes first. I'm dying to be with him and close the distance, but I should decide what to do with my life after I graduate. My parents definitely want me to stay in Spain at least for a year or two, and even know they know I'll end up moving to the US asap my future it's mine, ONLY MINE. But it won't be easy back in Spain... So wish me luck!

14. Pack my stuff and send packages back home

I have tons of shit I cannot put back in my suitcase since my parents sent me a package with all my winter clothes in November... So I have to send all that back, plus all the crap I've been gathering for the past nine months, haha! (Books, textbooks, notebooks and notes from class, stationery...) I'll also try to get rid of my kitchen supplies here, or just give them away... We'll see what I end up doing!

15. Don't forget Korean during my stay in Vietnam

Seeing how quickly I forgot Japanese during my stay in Korea I don't want to lose my Korean during my 6-week stay in Vietnam! Despite it's a way shorter period of time, I still want to practice it and keep it fresh somehow so I can re-take it once I'm back in Barcelona. Fighting!

16. Go back to a healthy diet

Living on your own means you can get to eat ANYTHING you want every day, and no matter people say Korean food is way healthier than Western food I have to say I've gained weight during my stay here! XD It's not that I need to lose weight again, but at least I'd like to go back to my fresh fish three times a week, my red meat twice a week, pasta once a week and vegetables 4 times a week :) I'm gonna miss my super carbed Korean diet, but I gotta go back to my beloved Mediterranean food!

My mommy's veggie & shrimp rice will always be the best ❤

17. Grow my expectations on a part-time job

As you guys must know by now, there's a 25% unemployment rate in Spain right now, and a 50% among young people. That means getting a part-time job it's not easy anymore, wages are low and hours are excessive. But still I have to keep searching, I need to save up money for me and for Peter (LDR's aren't cheap!). I don't know what kind of job I'll end up finding (if I get one!) but I have to do my best and believe in myself...! :)

18. Look for options overseas
Worst case, once I graduate I'll have to go abroad to work or study! That is very unlikely, as my parents want me to be home for a while now (after a year living in the other side of the world, haha) but let's see what ends up happening. What I'm 100% sure of is, if I find the chance of my life abroad I won't waste it!

20. Re-take Japanese classes

I honestly didn't expect to forget all the Japanese I've learnt in four years in just 10 months... I remember when I arrived to Korea I could speak to my Japanese friends in their language, but right now... I talk to them in Korea instead! :( I have to say though, my Japanese seemed to come back when I visited my friend Àngel in Tokyo haha, so that gave me hope somehow... I didn't LOSE my Japanese, I just forgot it somewhere in my mind (monopolized by Korean language, LOL!) and once I re-take it I'll be able to remember all the important stuff I've been doing through these years! So yeah, wish me luck! ^_^

21. Be happy

That's all I want in my life, to live happily and with no stress. Simple as that! But that's gonna take me my whole life, so the least I can do is keep working on it and keep being positive :)

Happiness is also when you squish a Golden Retriever puppy :B

22. Have the balls to cut my hair short
And I did! ;) (As you must have seen in my previous post). It took me some time to prepare myself mentally for such a big change, as I haven't had my hair this short for 15 years! But now I did it and I don't regret it! I still need some time to get used to it, but I like it so far! What do you think? :)

As always, thanks for reading! ❤ Do you like writing lists as much as I do, doing this kind of resolutions? Or is it just me? Haha


CL

The Versatile Blogger Award: Seven facts about myself

Hello lovelies! How are you all doing these days? I'm just bored at home, waiting for Feb to pass and working on my Japan trip blog posts (4, 5, 6 and 7). However today I wanted to write about something different, just to change a little bit. Yina passed by my blog not too long ago and left me a very important prize... the Versatile Blogger Award, a prize you give to bloggers you follow and you enjoy reading. Thank you very much sweetheart, I didn't expect this at all! ^_^ So what is this prize about? You just have to share 7 facts about yourself and nominate other 15 blogs. I don't like doing that last part though, so I'll just write about those seven facts... Hope you enjoy reading it, and hope you find it interesting!

1. I love collecting stuff. Really, I just love it! :) My dad used to collect things like stickers or stamps back when I was a kid, so since I was young he always helped me when I wanted to start a new collection. I remember I finished my Pokemon sticker collection thanks to him, haha! Now that I'm an adult I have 4 collections: Postcards, guidebooks from places I've been to, notebooks and Starbucks cards.

2. I need sun, I just need it. I'm a very Mediterranean person (even though you would never tell for the super pale color of my skin, lol!), I get super depressed if I don't see the sun for 5 days straight haha! I love visiting places like the UK and Ireland (I've been like, 3 times now!) but it comes a point when I do not enjoy it as much as I can... Because the sun was missing all the time! :(

                                          My summer village in Northern Catalonia (north-east of Spain)

3. I'm a big foodie, and proud of it. And as a good foodie I was blessed with the power of eating as much as I can and not gaining a single kilo/pound. My weight it's been the same for 5 years now, and I can eat as much as an average male adult (wow I sound like some kind of overweight lion lol!).

                                    Tagliatelle carbonara my mommy made once... I miss her food so bad T_T''

4. I hate my name, I've always hated my name and I always will. But what I hate most is when people tells me "Oh, why you hate your name? I find it very beautiful". That really gets on my nerves. That's why I always use nicknames on Internet and many people calls me Nana instead of Claudia. Fun fact: "Nana" means "number 7" in Japanese, if you read Fact #4 you'll see I didn't pick this name randomly ;)

5. I love dogs, and I've wanted one probably since the day I was born. I've always begged my parents to get one, but they always said no. They've always considered an apartment it's not the best place to have a dog. Even though I've never had one though, I have a high knowledge of dog breeds: Back when I was a kid I read magazines about it and I wanted to be a vet. But just a dog vet, haha! My favorite breeds are (in this order) Welsh Corgi Pembroke, Shiba Inu, Pomeranian, Samoyed and Chow chow.

I took this picture of a Chow Chow puppy in a flea market back in Barcelona, one year ago <3 He looked like a baby lion/dog! <3

Now that I'm a grown up I also consider an apartment is not the most appropriate place to have a dog. Only if I had a big house with a backyard I'd consider having one :)

6, I love traveling! ^-^ No matter if it's by car, train or plane, I love seeing and visiting new places! I've been to many places in Europe (France, Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, Croatia, Greece, Malta, the UK, Ireland...), Japan, the US (Washington DC & New York) and I'm gonna visit the south of Vietnam this summer. And obviously with this hobby of traveling comes along my passion for taking pictures!

(Photos I've taken during my trips around the world. From up to down: Dublin, Yokohama and Washington DC).

7. I don't have any brothers or sisters, but I have a cousin I love just like my sister. Her name is Sara, she's an only child just like me and we've been raised together almost, we've been to the same primary school and we even have friends in common!

We've always been super different, both phisically and phychologically (she's tall, light haired and dark skinned, I'm short, dark haired and pale as a piece of paper!). We're like cat & dog, we can't be together but we can't be apart. Even now that we're grown ups we hare our riff raffs from time to time, but nothing serious :) We love spending time together: Going shopping, baking, playing games or watching TV, going to the beach, sleepover... I miss her so much now that I'm in Korea,but I know I'll be back eventually!

Plus her birthday is in 10 days so... Happy 20th Birthday sis :) Even though I don't say it too often, I love you sososososososo much! *hugs*

Thank you again Yina for nominating me! Hope you all have a lovely month of February! <3 Love,

CL

Spain, 5 hours left.

Good morning people! This post will be a rather diary confession instead. It's 10am in the morning right now, and my flight to Doha departs in 5 hours. I am super nervous and I really need to vent.

Seriously, I don't want to leave right now. It feels so good being home, sleeping in MY bed (not in some kind of wood board that Koreans seem to call "Mattress"), being with my family and friends, understanding people in the street... In a nutshell, being in my comfort zone! I didn't remember how does it feel, until now. I have to admit it's being more difficult now, I mean, leaving my home. It was easier the first time, I had my hopes and dreams in Korea, I was making one of my dreams come true, everyone had expectations on me, I had new people to meet and adventures to live... But now, now I know what is all about. I know the good and bad sides of Korea, I know there's people I cannot stand, I know getting adapted is not easy, living abroad is not easy, I cannot talk to my parents as often as I can. Sometimes I wish I hadn't come back to Spain for Christmas, this is being so difficult... Is not that I want to cry, I honestly don't feel like I need to cry. I just need to face my problems. I took a decision, and now I need to face this second phase. At least I know where I'm going, I speak the language (fairly lol!) and I know people there, right? It's tough yes, but that's nothing new. 

Bad thing about this is, I'm forgetting that next Wednesday I'm flying to Japan. Japan, you know right? That has been my dream since I was a kid, a seven year-old kid. All this unnecessary stress is eclipsing the fact that I'm MAKING ONE OF MY DREAMS COME TRUE IN LESS THAN 4 DAYS. Do you see how selfish and stupid I can be sometimes? But I can't help it, that really hurts me. I don't want to see my mom and my dad crying again, knowing that I won't see them for the past 8 months, and that once I'm back I have NO idea of what to do. Glad we have technology, but still... It's not easy, I'm an only child.

Well, if you have read until here, congratulations! I appreciate your time reading my random fears and thoughts. If you've just read the first lines of each paragraph, you're a smart reader (that's what I do sometimes when I feel something is too long lol!).

Now really. Thank you. This has helped a bit, even if it's just a tiny bit. Now it's time to face the truth, I'm flying back to Seoul in less than 4 hours, and I need to shower and get ready! As always, thanks for reading. I'll keep you all updated, and see you in Asia! I'm planning to bring my laptop with me to Japan, so expect blog posts about sightseeing in Japan next week ;)


Just like my mom says "You have to do it, whether you like it or not. So you better have a positive attitude about it".

Farewell,

CL

2013: This year's overview and New Year's Resolutions

So, what about your 2013, readers? :) You guys have New Year's resolutions in your country too? We have em, of course. But I have a different method I have to say ;) What I usually do when the year it's over it's, I write three different kind of lists:

One, it's a list of good things that happened to me this past year. 
The second, five bad things that happened this past year. 

Then I think about all I've written so far and I think if I've really enjoyed this year. And finally, my resolutions! I try to base myself into the bad things that happened to me as I write them, so I can make them up somehow. Also it makes me think of how things have gone in the past 12 months, and what can I do about the bad things that happened to me (so I don't make the same mistakes anymore)!

You want to find out my resolutions? ;) There you go then, my three lists for this 2013 and this upcoming 2014!



5 good things that happened in 2013

-I made one of the most important decisions in my life: Moving abroad
-I started growing up not as a girl anymore, but as a woman
-I had the best summer ever thanks to my wonderful family, friends and boyfriend
-I met wonderful people here in Korea, and I got the chance to meet up with my Korean friends again
-Someone very important to me asked me if I would be his wife! ;) Hahahaha (I'm not giving more details!).




5 bad things that happened in 2013

-I lost two very important friends
-Due to some problems with some relatives in the past few months, I don't talk to one side of my family anymore
-I saw my parents exhausted of taking care of my grandmothers
-People who I thought I was friends with turned out to be nothing to me
-I'm still fighting for my long distance relationship with Peter (meaning we're not a normal couple yet).

2013 Resolutions:

-Become a grown-up independent adult (I moved to Korea, so I guess I'm on my way! :D). 

-Pass the CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English) exam (NO! And I never will hahahahaha).

-Save money (Well I got to Korea so I guess... Yes! :B).

-Gain weight (Nope...)

-Stay happy (Still trying to :)



2014 Resolutions: 

-Health and financial stability for everyone in my family
-Be responsible of my own money
-Make up my mind on what to do once I go back home
-Work hard on my research project
-Have a blast in Japan and Vietnam! :)


And this is all for now dearies! :) Hope you enjoyed reading this year's resolutions, and I wish you all the best of luck in this upcoming 2014! Do you share any of those resolutions with me? What do you think of mine? Feel free to comment below ! ^_^




Hugs,

CL

Special update: What snail mail means to me

Hello my beloved followers! How are you doing? ♥
Today I'm gonna write a special post about snail mail, one of my hobbies since I was 15 and actually the main reason why I started blogging, hehe! It's something that means a lot right now and a hobby that I take very seriously, so I really feel like sharing and describing what snail mail means for me to you all (Plus, many people seemed to be very interesting in my point of view on snail mail, so I said "Why not?"). For me, penpal friendship is more than someone writing you a real letter. It's what you read in that letter, what this person is sharing with you! Haha well, I don't want to get too romantic at the beginning so let's start! Hope you enjoy this post :)


I have to say I don't really recall how did I get into this penpal world... But what I know is I've always been a very creative person. I've always loved doodling, scrapbooking and arts&crafts! As far as I can remember, I think it all started when a Korean penpal in the first penpal website I started visiting told me she wanted to exchange letters with me. Not emails, just old school letters! I said to myself "Oh well, I've never done something like this before, and sounds like a good idea! Let's give it a try!" I loved writing stories since I was a kid and the idea of writing a real letter to a stranger and getting to know her like that sounded cool to me. It worked for a few swaps, I was fascinated about those tinny little papers and polaroids she used to send me. Then she stopped writing for some reason... She must be busy, I thought by that time. 


Also I had another Japanese penpal who stopped writing as well. I had another one (Ayumi) who sent me the first postcard I have ever got (way before I started collecting postcards!). I still have it of course, it's from the Tower of Tokyo. But again, we lost contact... I really miss her I have to say, she was such a lovely girl to talk to and a great penpal!I emailed her not to long ago but it seems she might have closed that account because Hotmail said that address didn't exist. It's so sad when this things happen, but it's part of this snail mail world! :\

Later (around 2009?) my Chinese penpal from Interpals Xianxian asked me if I wanted to swap postcards. I had never considered it, as I wasn't used to swap postcards and such, but again  I gave it a try. That's how my obsession over postcards started :) I'm happy because I'm still in contact with Xianxian, we talk every once in a while on WeChat and Interpals, although we don't swap postcards anymore!

Almost 5 years later, I'm happy to say I still enjoy snail mail just like the first day. I love my penpals I have now, I love the things they send me and nothing's gonna change that :') Now, so you know how does it feel to have a penpal, let's check some pros and cons of this snail mail world I'm in...!

(PS: This is just based in my personal experience and point of view, I don't mean to offend anyone!).

Good things about snail mailing

-You learn to get to know people in a different way. Letters are a very personal thing, even more than emails I'd say! But there's a big difference: A letter is a small tiny package that someone has prepared specially for you, and only for you! He/she has taken his/her time to make it look cute and sent it so you can see it right there in your mailbox :) The feeling of making people this happy, it's just irreplaceable!

-Letter decorating is just addictive! <3 Specially now that I live in Korea, there are so different kinds of stickers, letter papers and washi (mask) tapes! I'm gonna take a ton of tiny things like this back home, haha. I love making my penpals happy! 

Decorating this envelope for Bianca, a new penpal from California (US)!

-You get surprises every once in a while :D Thanks to my penpals I've got adorable things like, special postcards, notebooks, agendas, stickers, bracelets, photos... Maybe that doesn't mean anything to you at all, but just the fact of getting something cute from someone else in the other side of the world make my heart melt! <3

Letter from my penpal Jennifer (from New Mexico, US), received in September. She wrote me a super cute & doddly letter instead of the average text one explaining her trip to Spain... And I loved it! <3

Beautiful giveaway I won last April from Yina, a blogger friend of mine from Dominican Republic. Everything looked so cute and adorable! :) 

Bad things about snail mailing

-It implies money. Haha, that's why many people don't want to get into it. Some of them just think it's a waste of time writing something in a paper when you can write it online for free. I respect that though, I can't pretend everyone shares the same opinion I have! :)

-(Rather than a bad thing, it's an advice): Don't do it if you don't have time. What I mean is, don't make your penpal wait needlessly. It is true that we all go through some moments when we don't have time to reply or write back. In that case, people should email their penpals to explain the situation! But quitting writing it's the worst thing you can do. Penpalling means having friends as well, and as friends we want to know when something's going on. It avoids lots of worries and bad thoughts, trust me! :\

-If you're not careful, you tend to lose contact with your penpals in one way or another. After those 5 years penpalling it has come a point where I'm not in touch with my first penpals anymore. They stopped writing at some point (even though I sent them messaged or I emailed them) and we just lost contact... And it hurts because you see they keep updating their stuff and you just wonder "Why isn't she replying to me?". But it's just how it is!

-It can be addictive, and by addictive I mean "saying yes too many penpals"...! That happened to me a few years ago and I just got crazy accepting new people that don't really wanted to be my friends (we don't really had much things in common), so I politely told them I had to quit writing them :\ My mistake, I know! Now I don't do that anymore, I have my list of beloved penpals I love with all my heart and they're all very special to me :)

-You send tons of non-replied letters... Just a waste of time, stationery and money that never will come back. But it's part of this penpal life I guess! We can't be too pessimistic about it ;)

Despite both good and bad things snail mail has, it's something you need to take seriously. You have to be 100% committed to reply to that special someone who took his/her time to write to you, and once you do it... You love it! Trust me, the feeling of getting home and receiving a letter from a friend it's too special to describe it with words. I enjoy writing to my friends and receiving news from them, and I'm happy I can fulfill my hobby in such a special and beautiful way. I'm proud of them and happy to say many of them I consider them my real friends :) I have a very nice and decent list of penpals, which you'll find in the right bottom bar of this blog. You want to get to know them?  I'm gonna introduce em to you all ;)

USA

Anna (Maryland): My boyfriend's best friend and my penpal bestie ♥ We just have too many things in common for not to be penpals haha! Future bridesmaid in my wedding as well hehehehehehe ♥♥ Love you my sailor senshi!

Michelle (Idaho): Met her almost two years ago, we've been in touch for a long time now :) She works at Starbucks and she's a very loyal penpal! (Although it seems her last letter got lost in the way :\). She reaaaally reminds me of Zooey Deschanel. And ah, she's a blogger too! ;)

Jennifer (New Mexico): I was her first penpal and I'm very proud of that haha! She visited my country last summer and she just loved it, so we usually talk about trips we've done recently or our favorite serie... Breaking Bad! Before flying to Korea she sent me a beautuful package with BrBa merchandising and omg, I felt so blessed! I'll repay her someday haha, that was just too good!

Yanill (Florida): My favorite and flawless American/Latina penpal!♥ We usually write each other in Spanglish haha, and I l love it! We both love vintage stationery, and she's always been a very sweet penpal (despite our letters have gotten lost on the way sometimes) >_< We never lose touch! 

Gaby (New York): What can I say...? I LOVE GABY! She's a super crafty and attentive penpal who I really look up to. I love sending her the most flawless stationery I have, and this winter I sent her a beautiful package from Korea full of cute stuff for her! ♥ Hope we can be in touch for a long long time!

Jenne (DC): American (raised in Thailand) penpal who I could talk for hours with :) I'm still waiting for her letter, hope I can get it on time!

Kimlee (Virginia): We started penpalling not so long ago but feels like ages now! :D Kimlee is super sweet, we're both very talkative and we have this kind of special connection that I love She sent me a special Xmas package to Spain, can't wait to get it >_< 

Piper (Massachusetts): She's an adorable penpal too! We met each other in summer on Tumblr and we've been in touch till now. She sent me a lovely Christmas package this time, and I can't wait to go back to Korea so I can send her sth back! ^_^ She loves manga, anime, Ghibli and food as much as I do! ♥♥

Canada

Robyn: We just did a letter swap so far (we started being penpals not so long ago), but she seems like a great girl to talk to! :) Can't wait to get to know her better as time goes by!

Kelly: She was my first penpal when I started taking this snail mail thing seriously, circa 2010. I'm glad we're still in contact, she's a very crafty penpal and despite she's gone MIA at the moment I can't wait till I get her next letter again :') ♥

Singapore

Corey: One of my best penpals too, super punctual and talkative. We always have things to talk about and we love talking to each other. Definitely the kind of person I'd like to have a coffee with in real life!

Vivien: One of my youngest penpals, very sweet, kind and talkative! ^_^ She got me a Starbucks tea tumbler for Christmas as she's been super busy doing an internship in China. Thank you sosososo much!

Faiza: We talked on Interpals in summer and we switched to letters when I moved to Korea. She's 6 years older than me so I love hearing from her and her projects as a graphic designer. 

Thailand

Ploi: Met on Interpals two summers ago now, feels like she's my sister from far away sometimes haha! I follow her on Instagram too so we both know about each other very often :) We swap letters very often and she's super punctual! We also swap little stickers, postcards and we talk about our boyfriends and our daily lives.

China

Judy: A very special penpal for me, we met on Intepals as well and we've been swapping letters and postcards for... Almost two years now? She's kind of busy with school sometimes so I don't get to hear about her that often >_<

Japan

Ai: A new Japanese penpal I just met. She loves Europe, specially Paris. We started writing to each other two months ago, and she's very patient with my Japanese haha. Thank you so much! ^_^

Hong Kong

Viola: One of my first penpals hen I started using Instagram to meet new snail mailers. I love her so much, we swap tea bags everytime but it's been a long time I haven't heard from her :( I need her back in my life, haha!

Russia

Nadya: A super kind girl, very sweet and punctual penpal! ♥ Met her on Interpals and we've been penpalling for almost two years now too ^_^ Very attentive, she's always sending me adorable Christmas cards or postcards from Voronezh (the region she comes from). We usually share anecdotes about our everyday lives or we talk about special traditions or holidays we have in our countries. 

Masha: Beautiful young married mommy who writes me every once in a while. She loves owls and floral stationery. Her letters are always beyond flawless! ♥

The Netherlands

Jennifer: We met on Instagram a long time ago, and even though she sends me letters from time to time it's always a pleasure reading them ^_^ She's visited my city and she's a very nice penpal, she's into arts and crafts and very good at it!

Finland

Dede: Probably the most adventurous person I have ever met, haha! Chinese born girl, she was raised in Vietnam and when she was a teenager she moved to Finland. She's studied in Austria, and now she's in Germany. Amazing, right? She's super nice and I'd love to meet her this summer when I go to Vietnam :)

UK

Nilafa: My Muslim/British penpal! ♥ I admire her so much and I love talking to her about our everyday lives and such! She's been through some problems recently so I haven't heard from her for al long time >: I miss her so much!

Ana: Spanish girl living in the UK! We have many things in common and we always have things to talk about :B She loves all the stationery I send her along with my letters! 

Shelley: She's still not my penpal but I sent her a special Christmas package last week :) We exchange emails once a week and we talk about our every day lives. Can't wait to get to know her by letters! ♥

Spain

Miranda: My 17 year-old penpal from homeland! I've known her for a long time now thanks to Instagram, but when I moved to Korea I decided it would be the best excuse to become penpals with her. Miranda loves reading (just like me) and she's a very good crafty penpal too! I wish I would be as good as her when I was her age ><

Sweden

Raquel: One of the most special penpals of mine, as it's the only penpal I write to in my native language (along with Spanish), Catalan. She's married with a Swedish man and they live happily together in Stockholm. I met her in real life last week and it was awesome! It's the first penpal of mine I meet in real life, she's super sweet! ♥ Hope we can be in touch for a long long time!

Australia

Flick: Someone I will never regret meeting :) Flick is an amazing and very creative penpal! We both love indie music and due to distances we don't get to know about each other super often... But it's always a pleasure getting her letters!

Hope I have the chance to meet all my snail mail penpals in real life someday. But until then, mail will keep doing that job for us!

Hope  you guys liked this post, and sorry if it's too long haha! What about you, though? What does snail mail mean to you? :)
I'll be more than happy to hear back from you! Please feel free to leave comments if you want, hehe! ♥



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