End of Summer Roundup

1. My fateful departure from Busan. In the blink of an eye, my year as an English Teacher came to an end. While I was ready to move on, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t having “some feels” about my time in South Korea. Thankfully, I left the country with a belly full of sundubu jigae, a pair of espadrilles full of sand and memories to last a lifetime.

2. Just as my chapter in Korea finished, a new book of adventures unfolded in Toronto! Admittedly, I hold a pretty big torch for Montréal (read: 5 à 7, poutine and smoked meat) but am genuinely excited to become familiar with a new city. So far, I am falling in love with Little Italy, Trinity Bellwoods and all of the brunch spots lining College Street. In this case, you really can take the boy out of Brockville and the Brockville out of the boy.

3. Speaking of, I went home to Brockville for a quick fortnight after returning from Korea. My time in Brockville started off pretty rocky – my mom broke her wrist and I shattered my iPhone – but after a couple of days I settled into my temporary (Onterrible) fate. Shoutouts to my lovely Brockville girls, my parents’ Netflix and fully stocked fridge and Mikhail Bulgakov for writing the longest saga known to man/putting me to sleep in my backyard.

4. I recently moved into my new apartment in Long Branch, away from the hustle-and-bustle of downtown Toronto (it is still to be determined if this was a mistake or not – will inform). That said, my initial expectations of Etobicoke as a crack haven stronghold for members of the “Ford Nation” were replaced with placid cul-de-sacs and consistent streetcar service. Long Branch even has a Burrito Boyz, proving I don’t need the College Street location to increase my mass this winter.

5. Despite last year’s unofficial mantra of “not needing an education to be, all [I] need is a Dream And An MPC“, I started my (last?!) year as a student in the #humberPR program. I’m SO lucky to be enrolled with my best friend and partner-in-crime, Susie (pictured above) and so far, I’m learning a lot of useful information. Like, for example, ALL of the Canadian Press grammar rules, the difference between an objective, a strategy and a tactic, and how awful I am(/someday will be) at investing in the stock market. Sometimes, learning is also about understanding what you’re not good at, right?

6. After three months apart, my beautiful Yusra came to visit Toronto! As you may recall, Yusra and I tore it up Busan in late June and this visit proved we still got it. I’m getting excited about my trip to visit her in British Columbia over my reading week in four short months. Best Coast – yeah!

7. I love all the helpful PR-related things I’m learning but I may just love my PRC-0LA classmates/crew even more. As if we didn’t spend enough time together during class time, group project meetings and study dates, we also organize super cute Thirsty Thursday events at the local watering hole, Brooklyn Haus. I think it’s safe to say I’ve ditched my official Korean mantra of “No New Friends”. It’s bae season and you’re all invited!

8. It’s no surprise that I love live music, but seriously guys, I have taken “Treat Yo Self” to positively 2K14 levels. Over the last four weeks, I have attended seven concerts throughout Toronto, namely Lorde, Sylvan Esso, Metronomy, Nick Waterhouse, Slow Magic, Tennis and Beach House. Life is a balance and I regret nothing: put it on my tombstone.

9. In a shameful turn of events, I have not practiced yoga since this photo was taken at the end of August. That said, this was my first ever flow led by my amazing friend/recently accredited yoga teacher Jess Sternberg! ALSO, I’m very excited to take part in my 2nd Annual #SOvemBER 30 Day Yoga Challenge. November will undoubtedly be spent in downward dog at my local yoga studio, Branch.

10. This is just a photo of the people who make me happy on a Friday night. Welcome home, Maddie and Jess. Welcome to the fray, Matt and Scott.

Ultra Music Festival

This is a Korean Bucket List post. Check out the rest of my list here.

The day hyped up furiously for over 10 months FINALLY arrived this past weekend.

Without a doubt, Ultra Music Festival in Seoul was the item on my Korean Bucket List that I was most looking forward to this year. After Jess and Maddie regaled Mary and I with stories from Ultra 2013 over the course of this year (you can read about some of them here), we made a pact in the middle of September to attend together. We wasted no time purchasing our tickets during the early bird phase a few months ago, making our attendance official. Ultra 2014 was a go!

The weekend journey to Ultra started with a lot of transit. Steph and I opted for the cheaper six hour Korail train from Haeundae to Seoul that also stopped to pick up Mary and Nina from Gupo. Once we arrived at Seoul Station, it was a mad blur of grabbing a quick lunch, taking the subway to our hostel in Hongdae, learning our hostel hadn’t bothered to send an e-mail to inform us that they couldn’t accommodate us, and cabbing to a new hostel a few blocks away. Oy vey.

After 9 hours of stopping and going, we were finally settled. We checked our watches, and sure enough they read “Fun O’Clock”. We opened our respective bags of tricks, and out spilled cheap Korean beer, disposable cameras, glowsticks, and of course, face paint. Once we were appropriately donned in our best electronic music festival garb, we set off from Hongdae to the Seoul Olympic Stadium via cab. After some more stopping and going, (Ultra literally had five different check-points before entering the festival), we were finally in. Cue excitement!

Our first stop was the main stage for Blasterjaxx. The duo of Dutch DJs had already begun their set by the time the girls and I spilled into the stadium, and the energy of was truly electric. People of all nationalities were waving flags proudly and dancing joyfully in masks and face paint, and booty shorts and all-too-revealing tanks. The timing of our arrival at the stadium was pretty perfect, too – the sun was setting during Blasterjaxx’s set, changing a hazy day into a hazy night and our mental states with it.

Ultra had a variety of sponsors, including Carlsberg, Smirnoff, and Red Bull. Each of these three were serving up beverages, but it was clear that Red Bull had control of the market (read: Red Bull drink kiosks everywhere). The girls and I probably consumed about five Red Bulls each over the course of the evening. Steph grimly joked that she did not want to be that girl who drank too many energy drinks and passed out with heart palpitations, and she had a point. There was one point where I couldn’t tell if I was wired from the music and atmosphere or from the taurine in my veins.

Perhaps the best part of the entire night was M.I.A.’s set. My mind was immediately transported to my high school self, where I would cruise around good old Brockville blaring “Paper Planes”. Towards the middle of Mathangi’s set, she wondered aloud if she “could get some people onstage”. Immediately, members of the crowd began hopping the metal barriers, eager for a chance to dance with the Sri Lankan beauty. I managed to get myself over the barrier quickly, only to get my foot caught in between the metal bars and other scrambling concertgoers. Eventually, Steph and I found ourselves dancing at the front of the stage, awe-struck at the fact that we were actually there. I’ve been to a lot of concerts in my day, but this was easily my favourite live music memory. After the stage cleared, M.I.A. came back out to close with a few of her more popular songs, “Paper Planes” and “Bad Girls”. It was an amazing set that united swagger with its good friend, chaos.

Our last stop at Ultra Korea was the Main Stage to see Steve Angello, of Swedish House Mafia fame. By this point, I was completely blissed out. Despite a little bit of panic earlier when I lost (and found!) my alien registration card, and that fact that my back was aching from hoisting each of the girls on my shoulders (twice!), Ultra was closed out in a perfect fashion. Steve Angello’s set was filled with so much happiness and dancing. I felt so carefree and I think my mind was playing “Young, Wild and Free” on a subconscious loop. Towards the end of the night, Mary and I clasped hands and bounced up and down with maniacal grins on our faces, as if to say, “we made it and it was perfect!”

And it was. Perfect.