Anything & Everything

A couple of weeks ago I returned from a family trip in South Korea, which is becoming an increasingly popular holiday destination. As a recently-developed country, South Korea still holds a lot of its traditional heritage, while simultaneously thriving actively towards the modern, resulting in the most incredible mix of history and cutting-edge technology. Still, regardless of how well-suited it is for its youngsters, one can't be prepared enough for how it is to be in a different country. Despite fair amounts of research and preparation, my expectation for this East Asian country to be comparable to Japan inevitably led me to experience culture shock. I advise any ideas of the two countries being similar to be removed from your head, or you may be left a little dumbfounded. So to prevent such a thing from occurring, I present a list of travel tips and things I wish I'd known before travelling to South Korea. Toilets Rubbish bins People, language, and communication Getting...

Hello consistent viewers who may or may not be checking in regularly on me or just searching for information on where to shop in Japan - which, according to my statistics, is by far the most viewed post on my unfortunately dwindling blog. I know I've written something along the lines of this about a year ago but I'm disappointed in myself in that I haven't been consistent with this blog. I've convinced myself that I'm too busy to update, while simultaneously quashing the urge to write. I always have something on my mind, but the likely reason behind not posting is my own concerns that my posts are insufficient, or that I've accidentally posted false information. But this has been said before. Setting such thoughts aside, I've finally summoned the courage to discuss something that is quite close to me. Food is quite a huge passion of mine. It's one of the things I could discuss for hours, its anthropology and science, my favourites, my cravings, and my ...

Inevitably when travelling, sampling local food becomes a large part of assimilating with the cultures, giving an insight to both the everyday routine and the overall lifestyle of how the other half lives. Also inevitably, when I live in New Zealand and visit overseas, everything becomes a whole lot more reasonable in price, especially when it comes to that of convenience stores - hardly dense in population even in Auckland, convenience stores become more of a side thought than an actual necessity, located in areas such that neighbourhood inhabitants can avoid driving 10 minutes to the local supermarket, or dorm-residing students can get a quick fix on heavily overpriced goods. But there are too many faults: stock is so minimal, and I haven't managed to express enough how pricy items can be: at $3.50 for a box of Pocky, it becomes the closest definition to legal robbery I've encountered in my short and naive life. Thus: it becomes a world of wonder to encounter so many proces...

I never want to be an adult. This is, of course, disregarding my being of legal age which definitively makes me an adult, and referring largely to succumbing to the grown-up world of Taxes and Middle-Aged Crises. And, yes, while the latter is still decades away (if at all, hopefully), the former is already a topic my parents have addressed in the recent years, making me panic just a little in terms of Things I Have To Do As A Grown-Up. While I realise that I will still have time for myself and to enjoy the things I love to do, I still dread the idea that I will possibly wake up in just a few short years with a long-term career, married, and with children, and that sort of commitment is something I'm really not prepared for. I loved being a non-adult, reaping in the perks of child discounts or mooching off my parents (admittedly, a youthful face and some sweet talk means I still do both), but there is still one particular aspect of being an adult that terrifies me, which, settin...

I am, undoubtedly, a chocolate snob. I am the sort of person to inhale the fumes of a chocolate bar, snap it between my teeth, and comment in a haughty tone as I eat, "Mmm, it has undertones of coffee and biscuits," or maybe, "The melt is divine , but it's nowhere near as good as [obscure gourmet chocolate brand]." Nonetheless, not even the cheapest bars of chocolate with vaguely plastic textures will deter me from devouring some. My current and long-standing favourite brand of chocolate is the famous New Zealand Whittaker's, producing extremely high-quality products for very reasonable prices to suit various ranges. No doubt they've had some flops (the L&P bar was, at least for me, a monstrosity in the name of two of New Zealand's best products), but otherwise, a majority of their products are definite go-tos when out shopping for a gift, souvenir, or more often than not, personal consumption. No doubt that strong pride for New Zealand herit...