Freezing

Well.... The temperature is dropping here in the smoggy city of Ulsan to well below the freezing point, I'd say (okay, maybe not well below). We are long past the days of only being able to see our breath in the air when we exhale through our noses; frost is actually forming on the ground in lieu of snow and our nose hairs are actually turning into miniature icicles. The temperature took its biggest nosedive today, much to my dismay, and has caused me to seriously consider moving to a warmer climate in which to spend... well, the rest of my life. Even though I love the presence of snow around Christmas time, I have no use for the cold--especially the kind that comes without snow (in the nearly three years that I've lived in Korea, I've only seen a few flakes of snow on only one occasion).

Although the frigid temperatures of the past few days have made me a bit disgruntled and--let's be honest here--moody, they have also made me thoughtful and appreciative of some of the things I currently possess; items I've added to my unofficial list of favorites. And here they are (you don't even have to ask!):

The ondul floor in my apartment. Most Korean apartments are heated by hot water pipes that run under the floor (the ondul floor), thus making the floor nice and toasty after only a few minutes of being activated by a seemingly normal thermostat. For those of us who suffer from the ice-cold-toe-disease, the ondul floor is a Godsend. (Note: I'm not sure how to spell "ondul" in English... or in Korean, for that matter.)

Royal Milk Tea. It's a Japanese beverage that Ken discovered at the market last year and it's become one of my favorite hot-drinks of all time (almost tied with coffee...and that's saying something.)

My Crocs. I bought them on sale at REI this past summer and I haven't taken them off since. I know they aren't much to look at, but they're so comfortable I almost feel like I'm not wearing shoes at all. And I hate wearing shoes in general, so they're a perfect fit. Now, it's getting to be a little too icy to wear them these days, but I've continued to wear them anyway by simply layering my socks. However, I think that my sock-layering days will soon be over, as I made this discovery online the other day. These undoubtedly amazing things have definitely made their way on to my Christmas list.

Bali, Indonesia. It's not a "thing", nor is it technically a favorite of mine yet, as I've never actually been there. But I will be there in two and a half weeks for my Christmas vacation. Not very Christmas-y, but I can deal with lying on a beach for two weeks in lieu of a traditional Christmas... but only this once.


Well, I've run out of words already. It doesn't help that I have the Discovery Channel blaring in the background... but it's Bear Grylls and I can't force myself to turn it off, as he's currently struggling through the Sahara. So, until next time, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! (...because we all know I probably won't manage to write an update between now and then.)