These three photos pretty much summarises the last part of my winter vacation. With the exception of one place, I’ve been trying to be more adventurous in going to new places and trying out new food in my neighbourhood, Itaewon 2-dong aka Gyeongnidan (or Gyeongridan or Gyeonglidan) aka Noksapyeong area. Some of the places I frequent, and some are new places I decided to try. In January alone, I checked out:

• The Bakers Table (first photo) ~ This new European-style Bakery opened recently here. They used to be part of another market, but they branched off to be on their own.
• Buddhas Belly Takeaway (second photo) ~ I’ve been to this place previously for their fried rice, but I decided to try their pad thai. Not bad! I like how you get discount if you order takeaway there.
• Chansbros ~ This place has the best coffee ever. I don’t know if it’s because of the bean or whatnot, but it is so rich and flavourful! This is so much better than Starbucks!
• The Concorde ~ This is tiny bar, and their seats are uncomfortable. I do like their house white wine, though.
• A Dream of Seed ~ This coffee shop that also sells food. Their yoghurt drinks are awesome.
• Jesters ~ This place that sells Australian-style meat pies in Itaewon (this is the place that’s not right in my neighbourhood). It’s not bad, but not the best meat pies I’ve had.
• Lazy Sue (first photo) ~ Has fantastic desserts. I am not a big fan of their cheesecake (the texture was strange and rubbery), but I do like their lemon pie and the black cake (chocolate cake) and their brownie!
• Maloney’s Pub & Grill ~ Can’t say I’ve tried anything alcoholic there, but their burgers and chips and clam chowders were delicious! I only do not like their 10% VAT.
• Noxa Lounge (third photo) ~ Okay, this isn’t a new place, but this is definitely the place I frequent the most in my area. I love how I can go in there and just relax with a cocktail. Their Italian dishes are great, and I love their English breakfast. Nommmmm. Plus I love the two owners :D.
• Ojisang Hamburg Steak ~ Their hamburg steaks are soooo good. I also finally tried their minced pork cutlet lunch set, and that wasn’t too shabby.
• Trevia Pizza di Roma ~ I love Pizza Peel in Itaewon, but I discovered Trevia in my area, and they got some awesome pizza and bread. And they sell single-serving pizzas! Hurrah for me!

Seriously, I love my neighbourhood. I love the fact that they have so many varied restaurants and bars and pubs here. I love how it’s so near my house that I can just go out for an hour or two and then come back home and do schoolwork (bleh) or other stuff. I really had a great vacation, and it was filled with so many great food!

Fear my messy desk! On the left-hand side, you can see a roll of soft toilet paper (which acts as my Kleenex) teetering on a pile of holiday cards from last month. Behind it is my magnetic white board with “origamis” all over it. And yes, my keyboard is sandwiched in between the house phone and my cellphone (why I have them is beyond me since nobody calls!). Then there’s my mouse and the three (out of four) textbooks I’ve been snoozing over . . . and several other items that really shouldn’t belong on a desk.

Okay, I honestly don’t think my desk is that messy, but combine that with this chair I am using as a table for my other documents and stuff, and the bookcase off to the right-hand side that’s filled with more crap . . . welcome to my workplace!

The things I do when I take a break from my studies . . . Oh, what a lame life of an online grad school student.

Blueberry Scones
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup of frozen unsalted butter
1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter.
3. Use a pastry blender (or your hands) to blend the butter and the flour mixture.
4. Mix the egg and milk in a small bowl, and stir into flour mixture until moistened.
5. Fold in blueberries.
5. When dough is mixed (it will be slightly sticky), take a clump and roll it into a ball and place it onto the baking sheet.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes.

Well I think I used too much blueberries. I didn’t exactly measure out 1 cup. There was a huge chunk of frozen blueberries, so I used that, but I think it ended up being too much. And then came the part where I had to fold the blueberries into the mixture. Honestly, I have no idea how you fold it and keep the dough uncoloured. Therefore, mine came out pretty ugly!

Ugly or not, it still tasted good :D

After not updating since September 2010, I decided to just finally close down Capriccio.

I will miss the site, miss introducing people to instrumental and classical pieces, but I realise that it’s become much harder for me to update the site with new music since I no longer work in the band room :( Plus with grad school and other priorities in my life, I just no longer want to run the site.

It has lived a fulfilling five years, though. I only wished I had bothered to update the last year and half, though.

Farewell, Capriccio!

A very, merry birthday to me. I am another year older. Wiser? Probably, but I don’t necessarily feel that, haha!