Jay E. Tria
Author

Jay E. Tria

  • Tourism

    Things to Do on a Fall-Winter Trip to Korea: Gwanghwamun Square, Gyeongbokgung, Bukchon Hanok Village, Hongdae

    January 7, 2015 - By 

    Day 4 in our winter-fall Seoul escapade was easily my favorite day. Dampened a bit by some morning drizzle that did nothing to tame the cold (rather exacerbating it to a very unique chill), the skies cleared soon enough in time for an umbrella-free afternoon. This day sort of turned into our hippie arts and culture day, starting with a stroll along Gwanghwamun to say hi to King Sejong, then a fascinating tour of Gyeongbok Palace, ending with an afternoon split between Bukchon Hanok Village and trendy, energetic Hongdae.

  • Tourism

    Things to Do on a Fall-Winter Trip to Korea: Nami Island, Petite France, E-Mart Yongsan

    January 4, 2015 - By 

    Day 2 of our Winter-Fall in Seoul adventure found us clamoring to get up early for the trip to Nami Island. We were supposed to take the bus so we can sleep the entire 1-hour ride, but it was already fully booked a couple of days ago (how tourists are expected to book when there are no online reservations, I do not know. Sad face), so we were stuck with the train. Good man Jin of B My Guesthouse recommended a faster train route, an advice we heartily took.

  • Tourism

    Things to Do on a Fall-Winter Trip to Korea: Cheonggyecheon Plaza and Stream, Lantern Festival, Insadong

    January 4, 2015 - By 

    Thanks to a slew of dramas, pop songs, awesome skincare and cosmetics, servings of kimbap, and several Super Shows, Seoul has been in my travel bucket list for years now. So I’m sure you can imagine my mounting giddy excitement as the months fell away into weeks, then days and hours, until finally our plane touched down in Incheon International Airport. We reached Seoul on November 19, a couple of days after the proclaimed official first day of winter, and were welcomed by clear skies, a high feeble sun, and frigid Siberian winds. The adventure begins.

  • Movie Review

    Harry Holidays to All!

    January 2, 2015 - By 

    I do realize the greeting above is quite late, because it’s been weeks since Christmas, and it isn’t even properly new year anymore, with 2015 already beyond a day old. My only excuse is the same reason for the greeting – I have been immersed in the best Christmas tradition I’ve only discovered recently, which is to reread all seven magical books (and watch the films) on the life of the Boy Who Lived. JK Rowling‘s masterpiece is nothing short of magic, and I knew that as a kid when I first met Harry (only a couple of years older…

  • Life and Lemons

    2014 – The Blogging Year That Was

    January 2, 2015 - By 

    2014 was the year of passport stamps, career pirouettes and sweet tastes of liberation from the ever-looming paternal shadow (i.e. weekday condo living away from my kind yet quite naggy mother). I am very grateful. Nonetheless, the year was also naught with deficiencies, such as my lack of attendance in any musical event, and likewise the less than satisfactory number of blog posts I should have written. 2014 was an I-should-have-blogged-more year. Despite of that, my beloved WordPress.com stats helper monkeys are showing much improved numbers for this humble blog, an impressive leap from previous year’s 11,000 views to 25,000. To this I…