Random Suggestion for Dell, when they are building their next generation Inspiron (or whatever the new computer is):
I wish you would arrange the sound to work like the I-Pods. The part where, when you plug your earphones in, the sound automatically readjusts to a normal sound level. I’m tired of playing something for other people, and then getting my ears blasted off when I forget to turn it back down with earphones.
Just a wish!
“A dismal silence fell. “It looks bad,” Cyrus muttered. “Now what do we do?”
Everyone looked at me. It was most gratifying.”
Elizabeth Peters’ wonderfully comedic series is one of my all-time favorite historical reads ~ I have most of the books, and I love re-reading them all. Amelia herself is a snarky, but practical feminist; she insists the men dress up for dinner, but strides through ancient tombs in her self-designed pant suits. A woman determined to survive on her own, Amelia takes off alone on an adventure round the world to the utter horror of her family members. It isn’t clear who is more surprised when she then falls in love with a determined, but surprisingly romantic Emerson–her or her disapproving brother. Continue reading
First off, I adore this series of books, or at least I did for a very long time. Many, many years ago, I picked up a friend’s copy of “The Eye of the World” and ran straight through the first six books within less than a month. I consumed them with a passion that was fierce and undying; Robert Jordan was just an amazing author.
A lot of people have a problem with the fact that much of the series seems kind of reminiscent of LOTR, and that is certainly true. There are “dark riders,” a collection of men that went terribly evil and sold their souls to the dark lord, there are trolls, and of course wizards. But Jordan’s work is also incredibly unique and wonderfully in-depth. Who can reject a fantasy series that has it’s own maps? And its own university webpage dedicated to the dozens of associated games. There is even supposedly a movie coming out before too long. To put this series into perspective for fantasy newbies, this book was more of a cult classic than GOT. It spins hundreds of little webs and tales, making it as complex (if not more) than George R. R. Martin’s series. You may be following as many as twenty side stories at any given time, all of them vital to the main theme. Combine the intricacy with the beautiful writing style, and the books are sheer magic. You get an incredibly beautiful, LONG series of books. Continue reading
See the introduction here.
See Day 1 here.
Note that all directions & prices were true as of mid-late 2012; I haven’t check back since then. I’m headed back this summer, so I’ll look and see then if I can. 🙂
I tried to leave enough time for travel between each stop, but this means you may have a little more or less time depending on how long it takes you to move from one place to another.
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Most touristy places in the city aren’t going to open up this early, so this is a good time to wander around and grab some breakfast if you’re an early riser. Myeongdong actually opens up pretty early because it caters to tourist shoppers; in fact you may hear people calling out in Japanese, since most of the tourist come from Japan. Myeongdong is traditionally considered a shopping central for all fashionistas. It’s got purses, clothes, glasses, beauty supplies, shoe stores, beauty parlors, etc. Honestly, I preferred some other places more for actual bargain shopping (note that this is where the upper crusts shop as well; we’re talking Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana stores) , but it is an awesome place to grab coffee of a morning. They have plenty of pastry/coffee shops like Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, etc. Plus, the stalls are fun to wander if they’re up before you leave, and you can sometimes walk away with a handful of free stuff from the hawkers. If you’re low on funds, maybe save your shopping $$ for later though. Continue reading
See the introduction here.
See Day 2 Here.
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Gwanghwamun Square is both amazing and one of the most important things to see while in Seoul. You don’t have time to visit every major palace and museum in Seoul, but this palace both palaces and museums in one spot. The Square itself is fascinating; because this is such an important place politically and culturally, the streets are lined with different political protests. When I was there, you saw a long row of cages marked with signs protesting North Korea’s treatment of its citizens. It is quite literally a square, in the center is a long grassy strip with two large, very famous statues. Then at one end you will find Gyeongbokgung Palace. Continue reading
“She was free in her wildness. She was a wanderess, a drop of free water. She belonged to no man and to no city” ~ Roman Payne
Language Translation
Deceptively Blonde 