Baby reveal

A jedi, Anna, and Elsa walked into a garage on Halloween Eve, anxious to see what kind of baby will be joining the Nycz ranks.

The majority of guesses, including mine and Eric's, were boy.  We were hoping for something a little cuter than this...

Still, about thirty percent of the group was counting on a baby girl...

Cuter.  But I think we've got some work to do.

We haven't had time to go through the photos from the big event, but inquiring minds want to know, what kind of baby are we having?

2. For our resident almost 2 years old.  And 2, for 2 little girls. 2 sisters.  

We're waiting on another little girl! 

Many of you know we have a rich tradition of beautiful women in my family, and I'm soo happy to be doing my part to keep this legacy alive. I am beyond excited to watch my girls, these two new sisters, grow up together. 

Eric was really shocked because he was sure it was a boy, just like knew, unequivically, that Grace was a girl. He also asked that I please paste this here:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0399534539/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1446326724&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=why+beautiful+people+have+more+daughters&dpPl=1&dpID=41I%2Bt39i7jL&ref=plSrch

Of course we would have have enjoyed experiencing the world of baby boys, for those of you who are wondering. But not  right now! Besides, I think God has a way of giving us exactly what we need.

More to come from the Mother of Daughters, but for now, Happy Halloween!!

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A quick revelation

Today, for the second time ever, I got to do one of my favorite things -- I got to see my tiny unborn child inside of me.  Science, man.  Science!  Thank you science people!  I got to see a perfectly formed, tiny human swirling and twirling around inside of my body.  Perfect hands, feet, four chambers of a perfect heart, a spine, a brain, the amazing place where the umbilical cord connects us...I got to see it all.  And marvel.  And guess at the gender.  I was in awe of the whole experience, and I remarked to the kind ultrasound tech how astounded I was, being able to see this, again.  She said, "I've been doing this for thirty years, and each time I think it's a miracle."  Indeed.

Which got me thinking...are we any less miraculous now, because we are no longer unborn?  I don't think so.  You, reader, are a MIRACLE.  You and I both started out just like this little person inside of me, we defied insurmountable odds to be here, and yet...here we are.  Here.  Alive.  Doing things.  Sometimes miraculous things. Like making other people. And crafting ginormous televisions.

And so, I've got all these big feelings, big thoughts, big BIG stuff rolling around in my brain while I go about the rest of my day preparing for our gender reveal party and Grace's birthday party.  Tonight's Thursday-- CHOIR NIGHT BABY -- and marveled at the pink and purple sunset as I got into my car.  Feelings, guys.  Lots of them. Sunsets, babies, songs....we're singing "Lullabye" by James Taylor and EVERY TIME it makes me cry.  Including tonight.  Tonight there were actual tears.  I tried to be discreet.  It was embarrassing.  And then, it was time for the Gershwin medley, and lo and behold, I start the whole piece off with a little jazzy a-capella-y solo.  Now, this is not really my normal MO, I'm more of a sit-in-silent-judgment-of-the-other-brave-singers type of gal.  But, I'm the soloist on this one, so I wiped my tears, and for the first time in front of people, I sang my few little bars of Gershwin.  And. I. Sucked. Oh man, I thought when it was over. How did I suck so much?  Everyone's silence was so... judgmental. My nose was runny. That was stupid and I sucked.  Shit.  I sucked! Am I going to ruin the whole concert?  I hate sucking.

And then I checked my phone and had a message from Eric that I took the wrong car, the one with the car seat, to choir so he and Grace weren't able to run the errands for the party like they had planned.  FOR REAL?  Get your head out of the sunset pregs, and pay attention!  I suck. I suck. I suck. I suck.

And then, Jr gave me a swift kick in the navel and I was reminded -- I'm doing something miraculous here.  I'm still a miracle.  I have two spines in me right now.  And two hearts.  Maybe that's why I'm such a hot mess of emotions. Do you suck right now too?  Who cares!  Let's suck together and then stand up and try again because we defy the odds, all day every day.  All the odds.  Defied. Just by existing. Gershwin will be there to tackle another day. We should not, we cannot be afraid to fall on our faces and make big, huge, stupid mistakes because we have nothing to lose. Our very existence is miraculous.

People were kind to me after my attempt at singing and said things like, "nice solo!" and I got to look them in the eye and say, "No it wasn't," and we got to laugh together, and that helped me to stand up and remember it's good to try again.  Do you suck right now?  Did you fail today? That's okay, because at the core of everything, you, reader, are a miracle.  You have limitless potential.  Limitless second chances to learn the real lessons. Take it from me.  Today I got to see how we all start out.  Tiny, swirly, connected.  Miraculous.

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The pause

I've had so much on my mind lately friends, so much I want to say and share.  I just...I just haven't been able to get the words down.


Probably because two weeks ago I SPILLED AN ENTIRE GLASS OF WATER ON MY LAPTOP AND IT HASN'T WORKED SINCE.

The irony of the situation is I gave Grace a big girl cup to practice with while we enjoyed breakfast, and I was on such high alert because I was going to multitask with my laptop while one of us was strapped down, that in an attempt to make sure she didn't spill, me and my go-go gadget arms took out my own glass of ice water in the process.

So that was fun.

I'm hoping my Apple geek husband can come to my rescue so I can continue to write, because this place has become my therapy.  So thank you, readers, for reading.  You're helping me not go crazy.

These next few weeks are biggies, we are finding out the gender of baby #2 next Friday, and the following Tuesday #1 turns two years old!  We are busy planning parties and making space in our home for another person.  We're going to be adding a life here soon.  Isn't that amazing?  My nesting instincts are in high gear, and I'm so excited to see what kind of space we create for this new, precious person.  This is one of my favorite parts of bringing home a baby.  Creating a space that's just for him or her.  Even if it's more for my sake than theirs.

But that's a subject for another time and another post.  For now, stay tuned for details about Nycz #2, and cast your vote--boy or girl?! Look for a post about my incredible almost two year old who is the undisputed light of my life.  In the meantime, take a sneak peek at some of the pictures from our two year photo shoot.  This came together in  a matter of hours, when on one glorious Indian summer afternoon I drove past this field of flowers next to our favorite ice cream shop.  A vision of purples and golds and flower crowns appeared in my mind's eye, Grace and I high tailed it to Hobby Lobby (I MADE the flower crowns! :)  I told Eric to meet us at 4:30, please, because we're shooting some pictures k babe? and he cautiously consented.  He was not convinced.  He had no control over this, after all, and isn't he usually the artistic director?  (No, but I usually manipulate his ego to think so.)  But a little teamwork, a little scolding, a little pouting, and a little ice cream made these shots some of my favorite, ever.  Thanks Eric.

Enjoy, and thanks friends, for reading.  I'll see you real soon.  (Please pray for my laptop.)

ooh nummy waih-bowh i-weam.  We may be headed to speech therapy, soon...

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Life Hack #2

Do you know what sucks?  Cleaning your house.  Don't get me wrong, when it's done, it's lovely and such a relief, and I think, "I love my house!  I love it here!  This cannot be the same spot where the apocalypse happened just hours ago, can it?" But then, inevitably, you blink your eyes and it all needs to get done again.  It's stupid and bothersome and I have better things to do with my time.  I would love to hire someone who enjoys cleaning to come and work his or her magic in my kingdom, but alas, I cannot spring for such luxury at this point in my life, and so, Eric and I are forced to do it ourselves.  Let me rephrase: I do it myself and sometimes I force Eric to help. I generally make him do all the nasty stuff because I do everything else all while carrying our unborn children, like the oven and shower, and he has special products he has purchased to make his dirty jobs easier.

Please, no, not the oven cleaner!

 After he uses these products, he runs fans and tells us to stay away from those rooms for awhile.  I've never really given this much thought before.  But I am now.  WTF.  Why can't I go in my sparklingly clean shower when it's the only thing in my house that is sparkling right now?  I just wanted it clean, not toxic. So I did a little research to figure out just what is in this stuff, anyway.  It was harder than I thought, because according to the Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org): 

Unlike manufacturers of cosmetics and personal care products, companies that make cleaning products are not required to list the ingredients they put in their formulations on the package, bottle or box.

Thus,
...there was no way to get a complete list of every ingredient. The industry says that�s because the details of its formulations are proprietary trade secrets, and it insists that the products are safe based on testing data that is not available to the public.

This organization then lists all the cleaning products they were able to get information for -- here's an example of one prodcut I happen to have in my arsenal currently.

Remember the line above, where the industry states that products are safe?  Well here's an ingredient thats in many of these products that maybe you should know a little something about.

BUTOXYDIGLYCOL

Causes: DNA damage, cancer, reproductive toxicity, pulmonary edema, central nervous system impairment, leukemia, skin and respiratory irritation, asthmagen, and the list goes on. And on.

And guys, this is only one ingredient.  Of eight.  All eight I cannot pronounce, which tells me they all are likely similar to this cancer-causer above.

WHY do I have this?  In fairness, I didn't buy it, Eric did.  But I've used it, and I grew up in a household that used it, and I figured if it passed some sort of government safety test and it's on a shelf in a store like Target, it should be safe, right? This is America!

Apparently not.

There's got to be a better way, and thats where Life Hack #2 comes in -- NORWEX. A few weeks ago my friend Stacey reached out to me and said, I like your blog, if I gave you some Norwex products would you use them and blog about it?  And I was like OMG yes! -- and it was a moment where I realized a dream that I didn't even know I had was coming true. So thanks, Stacey.  Stacey is super cute and bubbly, she has a two year old daughter, and works as a physical therapist.  Because of her occupation, she is exposed to harsh cleaners and chemicals all the time, so she wanted to make her home a place that's free from them.  She's been a consultant for over a year, she knows her stuff and she's got an impressive sales pitch, or maybe it's just because the products can really sell themselves.

Have you guys heard of microfiber?  It's basically what the name implies...tiny, micro sized fibers that are split apart before being woven together to attract particles -- think dust, dirt, germs.  Most microfibers are about 1/5-1/6 the width of a human hair (thanks Wikipedia), so micro means micro. Norwex takes microfiber to another level.  The weave of it's microfiber is like a million times denser than traditional microfiber -- 1/200 of a human hair -- and the cloth itself it can hold 7 times its weight in water.  It's so powerful that these cloths can remove 99% of bacteria from a surface when used properly.  Without any additional cleaning agents.  Just the cloth and water.  No cancer causers here.

Take a look at the Norwex "jack-of-all-trades" EnviroCloth.  This thing can literally clean your entire house all by itself.  You can use it dry to pick up dust and hair, and then wet to get all that bacteria off your bathroom counter and toilets, kitchen sinks and cabinets. You can take it from room to room and avoid cross contamination because those particles get so stuck in the microfiber you can clean your kitchen, then your bathroom, then your other bathroom without cross contamination.  I was skeptical at first, but after using it, everything looked clean.  Really clean. Another bonus?  The cloths are embedded with micro silver which is a natural antibacterial element so you don't have to launder them between uses. Simply rinse, wring, hang to dry and use them a few more times.

Sup Scrubbin' Bubbles and paper towel. Bring it.

You can use this cloth to clean windows and mirrors, too, just follow up with the special polish cloth, and I promise you your mirrors will look cleaner than they ever have. Use it on anything that you want to shine up -- stainless steel, mirrored surfaces, your fine lines and wrinkles, your husbands abs...

I cleaned one of my kitchen windows with the polish cloth and I wish I hadn't because now I can clearly see how much work I have to do in my backyard.

I think it's safe to say you could probably clean your house with just these two cloths alone. But what if you want to do the whole house, your EnviroCloth is already wet, and you need to dust your everything?   Enter the handy dandy dusting mitt.

You slip this little baby on your hand, wipe up your dust, and it all gets trapped right on the mitt. I have allergies and dusting makes them crazy, but not so with this little guy, nary a sneeze or sniffle from me.  I also learned you can get it wet and rub it over your screens to clean them up.  

How much do you suppose you spend on cleaning products in a year?  Two years? The Huffington Post says about $504 per year.  Imagine instead spending only $50 on the Norwex Household Package -- Envirocloth, polish cloth, and dusting mitt -- which will allow you to clean your house under a company guarantee for two years (but will likely last you much longer).  This Household Package is legit, and I think you should order one and let me know how you like it.

The cleaning hack could easily end there, but I feel like bragging.  Also I hate cleaning my shower.

The scrub mitt -- one side is the famed microfiber, the other is a "scrub mesh" to scrub off built up soap scum, grossness -- when used it with the Norwex Descaler, is like the easy button for your shower.  I didn't even make Eric do it like normal. Check out the photos below and don't judge me.

This stuff is amazing.

It's not perfect but I got tired after about 45 seconds.

Last, but certainly not least, Stacey hooked me up with the Norwex body pack. Same idea -- use the cloths to clean your face and body without soap.  It took some getting used to, but I love them.  The make up removal cloth is amazing.  No longer do I wake up looking like I got punched in the eyeballs.  Grace and Eric are so glad.

Readers, this is a long post. It was even longer -- 15 word pages, oops.  Just take that as a testament to how much I like these products, and how many more exciting things Norwex offers (baby towels, food storage, so much good stuff!)  Do you want to get in on this movement?  Getting back to cleaning basics and keeping your household free of cancer causers? Saving a significant amount money over the course of the year?  Actually looking forward to wiping down your shower walls? Trying that polish cloth on your husbands abs? Since I know the answer to those questions are YES and since you read this blog, you get a special treat! Even better than Grace's nummy i-cream.

Stacey is generously allowing people who read this blog to take 15% off of their Norwex order!  Check out the website below to find the online catalog, and if you want to chat with me or her about questions you might have, send either of us a private Facebook message or an email (staceyeck11@gmail.com). 15% off that household package is a steal!

You can use this handy dandy google doc to place your order directly through her to ensure you get 15% off:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bXqRnGFrqdy5wtFdbi_i1329EevET2F7Nw--vqa37TI/viewform

Here's the online catalog for you to peruse:
http://www.joomag.com/magazine/norwex-usa-canada-2015-fall-catalog-us/0093061001437420983

OR

You can attend my Norwex Facebook party!  I may have already invited you, but if I didn't and you'd like an invite, comment below or on my Facebook page and I'll get you the deets.  Here's what you can expect -- log into Facebook on Thursday night at 9 pm wearing your pajamas and toting a large glass of zinfandel (please, for me), Stacey will post five or six times, including one video post that's sure to blow your mind, and then she will offer a shopping special, an album from which you can shop, and a better/different incentive than the 15% off. I'm definitely going to order some kitchen towels and laundry detergent...and who knows what else!? I've heard their floor system is amazing...ok someone cut me off.  See you at the party!

FYI, besides the great products and knowledge I received, I will not profit from this post.  All views are my own!

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Life Hack #1

Hello ladies and gentlemen!  Happy Tuesday!

Have you ever gone through life thinking the world works a certain way, only to find out you were W-R-O-N-G?

I'm sure you have.  Childhood is full of these little discoveries.  You mean not everyone watches Survivor with their extended family and draws names to see which character you'll be that season?  You're kidding me.  I had a friend once who didn't know you were supposed to wash your bras.  She's a really smart, normal person -- it just never dawned on her to wash her bras.  (This was in high school, so luckily, this was remedied rather quickly in the grand scheme of things.)  It's little things like this that seem trivial, but can make a person question what else in life they've missed if this isn't what they thought it to be. You know?



I listened to a podcast not too long ago from This American Life, and while I don't remember the premise of the entire podcast, one act was about this young woman's experience going to college, and specifically her thoughts on college food.  I didn't particularly love college cafeteria food, but mine had a soup and salad bar, and a soft serve machine, so I was okay.  I think the general impression of cafeteria food is not a favorable one.  However, this one woman's experience was completely different from that general opinion because her family grew up eating the same meal every night.  THE SAME MEAL EVERY NIGHT.  She recounted sitting around listening to her friends complain about the cafeteria food, and being certain they were joking -- the bevy of entree options alone blew her mind!  She couldn't get over it. With a little prying she soon discovered that this type of varied diet is normal in mainstream America, and her home, with it's baked chicken and carrots, was definitely the anomaly.  She mustered up the courage on one of her visits home to ask her parents what, exactly, was the deal with the same meal every night.  Did they not know there were lots and lots and LOTS of other options they could explore?  Yes, the answered, they just enjoyed that meal, and why mess with something they enjoyed?

Imagine that kind of shock.  When something like that happens it kind of shakes the foundation of how you think life is versus how it actually is.  Are any of us experiencing things exactly the same way?  Who knows.  All I know is that there are little things in life that we all have to deal with, housekeeping, bill paying, dog de-fleaing, bad selfie-taking, etc, that just aren't fun.  So isn't it grand when we can use our collective brain trust and find ways to hack through these little things together?  I have a few game changers that I'm going to share with you over the next few months, and I'm hoping you'll be generous enough to share your brilliant life hacks with me and the rest of my loyal minions I mean loyal readers, either here in the comments section or on Facebook.

My first hack may seem a bit petty, a little vain (do you know me at all?) but it rocked my world when I discovered the difference of where I started to where I am now.

So let's start with a game of would you rather.

Would you rather look like Lord Voldemort or Elizabeth Taylor?

Duh. Liz Taylor. Duh duh duh. 

Then why are so many of us running around like he who shall not be named?  Feast your eyes on the ridiculousness below:

No make-up, 7 months pregnant, frizzy hair, winning at croquet -- these things alone make it a bad photo.  I can't believe I'm even sharing it with the internets. But seriously, compare my face to Voldemort and note the similarities.  Just. Look.

Life Hack #1.  EYEBROWS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT.  I lived almost 30 years of my life not knowing this.  Or at least not caring much about it. BIG MISTAKE.  See what a little eyebrow definition can do for a gal?!

I would never in a million years compare myself to queen Liz, fyi.

 No eyebrows is a little scary, right?  Need more evidence?  Unfortunately, I've got some...

I promise you, this is not photoshopped. Sorry Anna.

See what I mean?!

Now the thing about eyebrows is that you can usually see them in person, so the day in and out doesn't matter as much as a photograph.  But since those old photographs haunt me, I make it a daily point to keep my brows on fleek.  Luckily, there are some easy, low maintenance ways to make this happen, and I'm going to share them with you.

First, put down your tweezers, Voldemort.  Check out the super babe below.  A famously beautiful face in no small part because of her big, dark eyebrows. Stop tweezing your brows to look like hyphens - seriously stop it.  Find your natural brow shape.  Look at a picture from your childhood and see what your brows looked like before you got your hands on a Seventeen magazine and seized ALL THE POWER OF THE TWEEZERS.  Grow those babies back out.  Maybe talk to a professional (yes they exist, for good reason, look at my pictures above. ) about your best natural shape.  Or consult this website from the good people at Benefit -- http://www.benefitbrowgenie.com. There are about a million other beauty bloggers and vloggers who would love to teach you more about this-- take advantage of them.  Find your natural shape and then on occasion, you or your brow professional can clean up the stray hairs as needed.  You still with me?

Next, if you're fair like me, you might need to boost the color of your brows.  Your new bff (the brow expert) can help you with this.  You can actually dye your eyebrows with a semi-permanent dye to give you a long lasting color with very little additional thought needed...I love this option, but I love dark brows and not having to fill them in on the daily.  I love my brow-lady, and I try to see her every few months, but in between, I hit my brows with the product below.  Except I use the brown formula, not the black.  If you're brave and have a little experience with beauty products, you can totally do this.  Just READ ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS AND READ THEM AGAIN before you touch your eyebrows with semi-permanent dye. You can also dilute the formula with a little water in order for a less intense effect. AGAIN JUST PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF EYEBROWS READ THE INSTRUCTIONS.

This is big.  This requires work.  I know.  I'm into this kind of thing, but if you're not, that's perfectly acceptable.  Just tell your brow lady to do it for you.  And in the interim, do a little work with some specially formulated eyebrow products.  

This one is from Benefit, and it's great.  Just trade up those dumb tiny brushes for a more substantial one.  First coat the brows with the darker color, which is a thin wax, and then hit them with the lighter color which clings to the wax for a nice, natural filled-in effect.  Easy peasy. You can layer on the colors to really make your brows bold, too.

Last, you can pick up a brow pencil at any drug store, and with a little practice and a lot of blending, you'll get the same effect as any of the above suggestions. This requires a bit of practice, as you don't want to look like you actually drew tiny little lines on your eyebrows. The key is to blend the pencil into your brows so you don't actually see the pencil marks, just the overall addition of color. Get a pencil that has a little brush or spool on the end of it to make sure you can comb through your brows to both reshape and blend the color.  This is a really inexpensive way to test the waters of darker, fuller brows with no long time commitment, either.  Give 'er a try.

Did you stick with me?  All the way to the end?  Good work.  I know eyebrows might be low low low on your list of priorities.  I hear ya. But if you're like me, and you don't want to look like Voldemort, this is a tiny little life hack that has a big payoff (see photos above).  Remember, I don't like to do hard things.  This isn't that hard, and you won't regret it.

Next up in the life hack series? Housekeeping and cleaning products.  Specifically, Norwex.  Heard of it?  It's good stuff.  A friend of mine wanted to put some products in my hands so I can tell you about my real experience with it...and best of all, she's might even let you purchase products from her at a discount if you read my blog.  Win win, no?!  It's just my little gift to you, not-hard things that make hard things easy.  You know what I'm saying?  Now, go forth and fill in your brows, super babe.

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SOLO TRAVEL TO SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA : IT'S NEXT WEEK - SOLO TRAVEL KE SEOUL, KOREA SELATAN : MINGGU DEPAN

Kalau semuanya berjalan sesuai dengan lancar, 

di waktu ini, minggu depan aku sedang menikmati malam kedua aku di Seoul. 

Yeay! - If everything goes as smooth as my plan, 

at this time, next week i am enjoying my second night in Seoul. 

Yeay! 

Tapi sebelum menulis tentang solo travel-ku ke Seoul, 

aku ingin meminta maaf karena lama tidak update blog ini. 

Penyebabnya sangat amat beragam. 

Mulai dari mulai menyusun CV untuk mencari kerja; Persiapan sekaligus hadir di Pesta Kostum, yaitu pesta pernikahan sepupu aku;  

Smartphone aku rusak TxT; 

Gladi resik Wisuda dan Wisuda untuk Magister Kenotariatan;

Wawancara dan test tulis di salah satu kantor notaris ternama; 

pelatihan untuk test PPAT. 

Huff � 

atas semua kesibukan itu 

ditambah dengan  juga sifat jelek aku yang suka menunda pekerjaan 

maafkan saya untuk tidak update blog ini. 

tapi aku janji akan menulis satu persatu tentang semua kejadian itu 

- 

But! Before we are talking about my Solo Travel to Seoul. 

I want to say sorry for my long hiatus. 

I really really want to post something, but so many thing happen. 

Start from looking for job, costume wedding party, my smartphone broken down, graduation party, interview and writing test for well known notary in Jakarta; 

and preparation PPAT exam class. 

So! Again I want to say sorry for long hiatus. 

But I promise will write down all that activities! 

-

Jadi� 

apa kesibukan aku minggu ini ? 

Minggu ini aku dedikasikan untuk perjalananku ke Seoul.

Rencananya minggu ini akan aku habiskan untuk browsing 

tempat-tempat yang akan aku kunjungi di Seoul. 

Selama ini, kalau pergi bersama nona, nona yang melakukan research 

tentang lokasi, hal yang akan kami lakukan, dan bagaimana cara untuk menuju ke sana. 

Namun karena kali ini aku pergi sendiri, 

maka aku harus melakukan research sendiri.  

Aku pikir, research ini adalah hal yang sulit dan membosankan. 

tapi nyatanya tidak seperti itu, 

 setelah beberapa hari melakukan research, 

ternyata research cutup menyenangkan. 

Jadi setelah baca sana sini, 

secara garis besarnya, aku akan mengunjungi : 

1. Sinchon, Universitas Yonsei, Universita EwHa; 

2. Buamdong <3 ; 

3. Incheon - China Town ; 

4. Samcheongdong, Bukchon Hanok Village; 

5. Insadong; 

6. Hongdae, Sangsung St; 

7. Sinsadong, Garosu Gil; 

8. Samseong- Coex; 

9 Cheonggyecheon - Dongdaemun. 

Dan saat browsing aku baru sadar kalau sepertinya 

waktu aku tidak cukup untuk mengunjungi semua tempat itu. 

Sedihnya!  Tapi aku akan berusaha untuk mengunjungi semua tempat itu. 

-

So� 

I dedicate this week for research about places in Seoul. 

If i travel with Nona,

 nona the one who do this job! 

She will research about places, things to do in that places, and how to get there. 

But now, i travel alone. 

So i have to do research by myself. 

I thought it will be difficult and boring. 

But unexpectedly not! I find it's kinda fun. 

So�, after read here and there, 

i think i will go to : 

1. Sinchon, Yonsei University , Ewha University ; 

2. Buamdong <3 ; 

3. Incheon - China Town ; 

4. Samcheongdong, Bukchon Hanok Village; 

5. Insadong; 

6. Hongdae, Sangsung St; 

7. Sinsadong, Garosu Gil; 

8. Samseong- Coex; 

9 Cheonggyecheon - Dongdaemun. 

Then i realize that i don't have enough time 

to go to all places! But I think i will try to manage my time! 

- 

Terima kasih kepada papa dan mama yang menuruti keinginan aku 

untuk membeli koper berwarna shocking Pink!- 

Thanks to Daddy and Mommy for buying this shocking pink suit case for me! 

Untuk perjalanan tahun ini, papa dan mama beli dua koper baru. 

Warnanya merah muda! 

Satu untuk bagasi dan satu untuk hand carry. 

Sebenernya aku ingin bawa dua koper ini, 

karena super cute kalau menenteng dua koper ini sekaligus. 

Tapi karena aku hanya sendiri dan backpacker, 

akan naik kereta menuju ke guest house. 

akhirnya aku memutuskan hanya membawa satu koper yang besar. 

-

Due to travel activities this year, 

Daddy and Mommy bought two suit case. 

Both of them is pink! 

Honestly i want to bring both of them. 

But because i travel alone and backpacker, 

which is i have to go to guest house in Sinchon from  Incheon by train, 

I decide only bring the big one. 

-

Hari ini aku packing baju-baju yang akan aku bawa. 

Mama bilang warnanya sangat murem. 

Enggak akan bagus kalau di foto. 

Tapi hei! Ini musim gugur. 

- 

Today i pack all my clothes for travel. 

Mom said all my clothes so dark. 

If i wear those clothes, my travel pictures won't turn out well. 

But! Hei! It's autumn. 

- 

Sekian untuk post hari ini. 

Untuk next post aku akan membahas mengenai 

Visa Korea Selatan 

mengingat banyak yang bertanya untuk prosesnya. 

- 

Enough for today. 

Next post I will talk about Visa for South Korea, 

because a lot of people ask me about it. 

- 

instagram : @zsa_rakmavika

Twitter : @rakmavika_girl

email : karizza.rakmavika@gmail.com 

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Turn that frown upside down, mama

Do you ever wake up in the morning and find yourself in a grumpy grouchy mood for no apparent reason?  I hate that.  Maybe it's because I look like this:

Thanks, Grace

I think those clippies brought out my Oscar alter ego because I am a grouch today. My kitchen was a mess when I came downstairs, my dog was not well behaved on our walk, my husband kept making these snorting noises while eating a chocolate doughnut, I can't stop thinking about fleas, I wish I could get my act together to get to church but I suck, my Facebook news feed is full things about that dingbat county clerk and I just wish the world would STOP WASTING IT'S PRECIOUS TIME ON THIS NONSENSE, and enter any other thing that might not be quite perfect, it's on my list. This is a bad way of thinking, of existing, but sometimes I just really like to INDULGE A LITTLE IN SOME SELF PITY.  Luckily my daughter is incredibly cute and charming and she's snapping me out of it, tiny hair clips and all.  But still.  Wahh me.


So instead of over-analyzing everything around me and writing about it, the results of which would undoubtedly be a whole bunch of self-righteous drivel that would eventually shame me and go unpublished, I will tell you about something I am currently very passionate about.  Heirloom tomatoes.

We grew that.

Heirloom tomatoes.  At the risk of coming off like some sort of yuckity upper class organic bycz, please know I am not. Grace ate 2 turkey dogs yesterday, thank you very much. An heirloom tomato is simply a plant whose seeds have been passed down for several generations.  Think of them as the family jewels of the tomato family.  For good reason.  They are gorgeous, full of flavor, and if you're in the Midwest, they're in full force right now.  If you are a gardener, I implore you to do some digging (punny) and find heirloom seeds for next season, if you don't already grow them.  I know so many people who grow little pots of romas and cherry tomatoes, and while these are certainly delicious and worthy, with a little more space, you could have the kingpin of the tomato world in your own back yard.  Do it. These little beauties go for $4 a pound at our farmers market, so it's well worth a little work to grow your own.  Especially if you're a fan of deliciousness. Now I'm going to share a little secret with you that will make those of you who love heirlooms cringe a little, because at $4 a pound one might think using 10 (or more) lbs of tomatoes for something as ordinary as salsa would be frivolous. But since we are pulling pounds and pounds in from our garden on a daily basis, and my father in law is pulling in hundreds of pounds every few days, we can indulge in a little frivolity.  And the results are just. so. worth it.

So here's what you do.  Depending on the volume of salsa you're looking for determines how many tomatoes you'll use.  Generally though, you'll need about 2/3 tomatoes (a greater variety will give you greater taste!) to 1/3 combined onion and sweet pepper.  Then you need to grab a variety of hot peppers (PUT THE JALAPENO DOWN AND BRANCH THE EFF OUT, PEOPLE), a nice fresh bunch of cilantro, and you're in business.  The best part is you can buy all of this stuff at your local farmer's market, and you're supporting someone's very worthy livelihood while eating healthy in the process.  Win win.

You might be thinking, lady, I know how to make salsa.  Stop wasting my time with your self-righteous drivel.   Stick with me.  Finely chop your veggies.  This may take awhile.  Depending upon your level of dedication you may choose to purchase an industrial grade "smasher" (AKA the beast) to speed the process along.  Mince your hot peppers and add to taste, and throw in a whole bunch of bright, fresh cilantro.

Hello, beasty.

This taste part is where I might lose some of you.

I'm going to let you in on a Nycz family secret.  I'm sorry if this isn't mine to share, but the Nyczs are a generous people and I don't think they will mind. You have to taste the salsa to make sure the balance of ingredients is on point and that the heat level is what you're looking for.  You must taste and eat this salsa on a very specific type of chip.

A Dorito.

I'm sorry let me try that again with a little less embarrassment this time.

A Dorito.

Dang it Erin.  Buck up.  You have to eat this salsa on  A DORITO. 

Yes, I'm asking you take an 8 calorie a spoonful salsa and use a 30 calorie commercially produced cancer wafer to deliver it to your mouth.  But you're going to have to trust me.

My husband's family are the ones responsible for my love of this salsa, and for the invention of the fresh salsa + Dorito combination.  The first time I helped make a batch and Papa N asked me to taste it while simultaneously ripping open a bag of the magic cheddar triangles, I looked at him like he had lost his marbles.  To me, Doritos were a chip you only eat in the privacy of your own home where no one can watch you and even then you only have a few on your sandwich to add a little extra crunch.   No way was I going to ruin this beautiful, organic treat with the white trashiest chip around.  No. Way.

Until I did, and I fell in love.  Might even be part of the reason I married Eric.

I'm telling you, it's a great flavor combination, the super bright, fresh flavors of the salsa and the salty, savory sensation of the Dorito is a win win.  It's the kind of stuff you'll come to crave every August as the tomatoes start to ripen on the vine.  We've turned several friends into full-blown addicts.

If you are a gardener and you're looking for things to do with your tomatoes, here are a few recipes I have deemed tried and true.  Remember, I don't like to do hard things, so bear with me on this.  Some of them are a little bit time intensive, but they don't require a ton of work.

If you make any homemade pizzas or pastas during the winter months, this paste will be an awesome addition where you can definitely taste the difference versus a store bought variety.  If you're attempting this, my advice would be to skip the food mill process and just chop your tomatoes, bake for ten minutes, and then run them over with an immersion blender (or regular blender).  The skins and seeds just add more depth to the sauce.  Also I don't like to do hard things. This whole blog is awesome. Enjoy!

http://theitaliandishblog.com/imported-20090913150324/2009/9/20/make-your-own-tomato-paste-estratto.html

I stumbled upon this next recipe two years ago when I was sick of making sauces on the stove top.  We generally make big batches and then freeze them to enjoy in the winter months, but these stove top sauces were coming out too watery.  So I tried roasting the veggies and BINGO, a richer, less watery sauce was born.  I'll never go back.  Also, EASY peasy.  Skip the skinning of the tomatoes, unless they're super thick and/or easy to peel off.  I'm telling you, this is so dang good.

http://www.marthastewart.com/337008/roasted-tomato-sauce

This is the part where you can share with me, via comments or Facebook, if you've got any tomato recipes that are game changers (REMEMBER I DON'T LIKE TO DO HARD THINGS). Send them my way.  It might just turn your frown upside down.  Case in point:

Sightly out of focus, but she's squirmy :)

Bon Appetit! 

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