Cassandra - A Lifestyle Blog

For some reason this one post alone took about 3 weeks to write.

Usually I can write a post in one sitting but I guess this one is really important as I have some explaining to do...

Originally, I had written a long emotional monologue type post (lol, no not really. who am I kidding??) expressing my love for travel and where it stemmed from. (no I did not do this. this is a lie)

Long story short, it nearly marks 1 month since I moved to South Korea.

I'm here to work, explore, study and then possibly to work again.

So far I'm loving it! I've been blessed with the best colleagues and managers.

A week before I left, I threw an intimate going away dinner with some of my closest friends. I gave them the choice of picking a cuisine and naturally they wanted to experience the food I'll be eating for the next few years or so.

I ended up settling for a restaurant called Cah-Chi (which I'd recommend) located in Earlsfield. The last minute reservation was made, some super casual clothes were slipped on (this is rare) and I arrived at the location with Onayomi.

While we waited for the others to arrive we ordered a bottle of Soju to get the party started. Soju is a beverage that comes in many different flavors. Similar to vodka but less of a percentage. (Maybe 10% less?)

Mirose was next to arrive and we decided to order some soup starters.

I ordered the 야채스프 (Yachae soup) which is a soup (duh) with assorted vegetables. Very light and perfect for a starter.

Onayomi and Mirose ordered the 육개장스프 (Yukgaejang soup) which had a spicy vegetable base and shredded beef.

^ Starters for our starters.

Finally the rest of the crew arrived. The majority of my friends had never tried Korean food before so I had to call the shots. I described as much as I could and we all agreed to order the Korean barbecue. I knew it would be the best food to share and would be an interesting experience for the girls.

After some more drinks and giggles the starters 반찬 (banchan) for the BBQ arrived.

For time saving purposes (and because I'm lazy right now) I'll describe a few of them.

군만두 (Gun-mandu) homemade dumplings with either a vegetable or pork filling.
These were really crispy. I like crispy food.

오징어퇴김 (Ojingoe twigim) deep fried baby squid served with vinaigrette chili sauce.
More of this please!!

내 사랑 김치 (My love, Kimchi) a staple side dish. In essence it is fermented picked spicy cabbage.
My fridge is currently filled with kimchi. It's supposed to be a side dish but I can eat it with plain rice and be happy.

닭꼬지 (Dak-koji) chicken skewers drizzled in teriyaki sauce.
My friends seemed to like these a lot!

젓갈 (Jeotgal) pickled squid seasoned with hot sauce.
This was a crowd pleaser as well.

나물 (Namul) bean sprouts.
We had variety of steamed 나물 but my favorite is 숙주나물 which was seasoned with garlic and sesame oil. All of these side dishes (plus the others I didn't mention) can be added to the 상추쌈 (Sangchu ssam) lettuce wrap.

Now it was time to dig into the barbecue. My side of the table got the 삼겹살 (Samgyupsal) pork belly served with salt and sesame oil and the 닭불고기 (Dak-bulgogi) thinly sliced chicken fillet marinated in a secret sauce. Kailia's side had the 소갈비 (So-galbi) Beef spare ribs also marinated in a secret sauce.

It was all so yummy! I wish I took more pictures explaining how to make a 상추쌈 lettuce wrap but we were all too deep in conversation. Maybe next time!

When we were all stuffed we took some pictures and the emotional part started (lol no thank you). Prepare for an influx of photos:

"I'M LIKE TT"

The night ended and we all parted our separate ways.

I'd just like to take the time out to say thank you for all the lovely messages I've received! And also a big thank you to my friends for being both supportive and encouraging!

So unless you haven't already realized this, my blog is going into a new direction. I'll be blogging about my new experiences here in Korea and all the new places I'll travel to. (Japan is 1hr 30mins away!) So if you're interested stay tuned!

For me, a birthday isn't just for the celebrant. It's mainly for the celebrators!
Having all of my loved ones together is probably one of the best sights I could ask for.
Well next to the sight of a slice of chocolate cake... anyway, I digress.

I usually plan my birthday's as I like being in control (Yes, I'm working on that.)
So to hear that a surprise was lingering in the air was... well... let me be honest - it was a test.
Not being in charge of the guest list or the venue was frustrating to say the least.
For all I know, I could've ended up unconscious in the corner of Mexico. (Which probably would've made one hell of a post...)

I was told to arrive at Monument station at 7:40pm sharp and to no avail, London traffic lead to an 8pm arrival.

I finally arrived and was greeted to a table filled with friends that I had known for over a decade! I remember the days when we would run around our classrooms as 11 year olds wearing our kilts, so seeing everyone all grown up was overwhelming. I was welcomed with a Bellini and a suspicious package from Aspinal.

Now I'm not too fussed about presents. As cliché as it sounds, memories are a gift enough.
However, anything from Aspinal of London will definitely make me shifty eyed. I always "ooh" and "ahh" at their stationery and bags. As my family weren't dining with me I knew I wouldn't get told off for opening it before we ordered the food.

^ with utter grace of course.

This was literally the best gift idea. I'd been cursed with a neon pink cardholder from Juicy Couture which definitely defeated the purpose of it being discrete so thank you Abi!

One thing I have been asked is what the "RME" in my url stands for.
Well, I'm happy to announce it actually stands for "Reindeers March Everywhere." I love Christmas.

Haha I'm only kidding. (I do love Christmas though!)

They're just a few of my initials. My parents gave me a lot of names so when I have things monogramed they vary between CMT, CET, CME, CMR, CER, CMA it goes on and on.

A few glasses of wine in and it was time to order. We dined at the Folly and you can find their info here

I settled for a medium rare Sirloin steak with peppercorn sauce and watercress (which I think is the most useless vegetable ever.)
Steak can be a hit or miss if not cooked correctly but I would definitely return for this one!

Naturally someone suggested we play "How many men has Cassandra liked in the past 5 years" which I shut down immediately and just like magic, a cake arrived!

"MAKE A WISH!"

Let's see if it comes true in the next few months!

After dinner we danced away at a nearby bar and that was that! I'm lucky to have the greatest friends ever. Each and everyone of them have helped me in their own special way and I'll forever repay them. If you're more interested in the dangerous number I was wearing here are the details

Dress - Love Triangle

(NB: I'm in between a 10 and 12 but got a size up. They have a more sensible skater dress version which I might have to get my hands on here)

Fave heels - ASOS (sold out!)

Watch I always wear - Larsson & Jennings

^ not so graceful afterall.

The transition between university and the real world is... well... it's weird.

I've spent the past 16 years in education with the majority of time stressing over exams and deadlines.

So being thrown into a slow motion limbo vortex of uncertainty isn't something I'm used to.

A few weeks ago I was invited to my first ever fashion show at the Dorsett Hotel! Definitely made a change from the 1000 jobs applications I've sifted through in the past 14 days. For all you budding finance undergrads reading this. Take the sandwich year course. Experience seems to be favoured over the actual degree. (Shocking!)

Dress - ASOS

Sunglasses - Vero Moda (such a steal)

Heels - ASOS (sold out, alternative colours here, here, and a snazzy pair here. Someone's spoilt for choice!)

Watch - Larrson & Jennings or here

The main focus of this event was to celebrate leading British designers who participated in London/New York and Paris Fashion week. Their designs are stocked in places like Harrods and Selfridges and have even made clothing for Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift and our beloved Kate Middleton! You can read more about it here.

(Sorry for the blurry and out of focus shot. Lou was struggling to use my Canon. If I could show you all the failed attempts this post probably wouldn't load. Love you really!)