Though I’m still working during this quarantine time, I also have been more adventurous with learning new recipes.  Here are some things that I’ve made so far. ^_^

Milk cocoa balls

Chinese sausage buns

Boba milk tea

Souffle pancakes

Rice cake and cheese skewers

Another year has gone by and this has been the most amazing year yet!  I know I said that last year, but this year, it truly is my favorite.

In January, my friends and I went to Ice castle in Lake Geneva, WI.  We almost froze our toes off.

In March, my boyfriend (or should I say.. fiancé) and I went to visit Bali and Kuala Lumpur.  And we got engaged! <3 

In April, my PT school friends and I flew out to see one of my best friends get married at Estes Park!  We were also able to do a bit of hiking in the mountains!

In May, I had my first ACEN experience!

My friends and I also did our first annual #friendscation at Fresno and Yosemite National Park!

In June, my friends and I made a road trip to Mackinac Island.  We rented out bikes and rode around the island, had fudge (LOTS OF FUDGE), and hung out with dogs at the Little House.

In September, my fiancé and I finally crossed Seoul off our bucket list!

In October, my friends and I camped at Starved Rock.  It was a really cold night and we blew the fuse with our two heaters.  We also thought someone’s laser light show was fireflies.

John and I went to New York in November to visit his family and eat good food.

In December, we went to Chicago Botanic Garden’s first Lightscape event.

And finished the year off with Christmas celebration!

Finally crossed off Seoul on our must-travel list!  So we officially quit our jobs to move to Seoul to become K-pop stars!

Just kidding.  But we did get a taste of it when we visited and learned K-pop dance and filmed a short music video!

We also walked an alpaca, dressed in hanboks, ate lots of street food, visited a meerkat cafe, explored Nami island where the infamous Winter Sonata was filmed at, and lots more!  (See video below)

Throwback to middle of June. A short weekend getaway - riding bikes on the island, enjoying fudge, climbing sand dunes, and strolling through cute cafes. 🙂

Kicking off our first #friendscation with Yosemite National Park!  We’ve decided to make this an annual thing and flew out together for the first time to California!

This weekend, my friends and I flew out to Colorado to attend one of my best friend's wedding. Despite the cold and the snow, it was so touching to see my friend get married to the man of her dreams in the mountains! The funny thing was, she always thought she would be single forever and that no man could ever tie her down. I guess life really is full of surprises!

Let’s address the important thing first.  I’m engaged! :D

In the middle of March, my fiancé and I traveled to Bali and Kuala Lumpur, first staying for a couple days in the Munduk area before leaving for another few days in Ubud.  Last half of the trip was spent in Kuala Lumpur.  And on March 17, he proposed in the most romantic way possible with 100 candlelight surprise dinner!  Who knew he could actually be a romantic?

Highlights:

- mountains - rice terrace trekking - late night street food adventures

So much has happened this year, and this has become one of my best years yet!  ^_^ Where should I even start?

I guess I’ll start from the beginning.

Nothing much happened early in the year.  I had just gotten a salary raise after working for 5 months.

In March, I went to Tokyo with my boyfriend. I’ve been to Japan already (Osaka, Nara, Kyoto) in 2017 but because I loved it so much, I decided to go back again.  This time, we visited Tokyo for the very first time.  

(Will be putting the video down below to reduce amount of photo dump in this post)

After coming back from the Japan trip, we decided we needed a chill “staycation” after the vacation.  Vacations are tiring, don’t you agree?

We decided to spend the weekend in Lake Geneva, WI and just relaxed in the resort.

In May, my friends and I went to Kalahari resort in Wisconsin for their waterpark.  I think it’s probably in my top favorites - mainly because of the rides.

I also participated in my company’s JP Morgan Challenge run!

In June, one of my best friend invited me to my first ever BABY SHOWER!  

A couple days later, my boyfriend and I visited Cancun, Mexico to relax at their all-inclusive resort.  It was paradise indeed! ^_^

In August, my group of friends and I did a long road trip to Devil’s Lake Park.  We dubbed our group name “Adventures and Getting Lost” because it all happens too often where we have gotten lost or caught in some sort of dilemma.  

We had gotten ourselves lost during canoeing because we had missed the “dock”.  All of us got wet - a couple of my friends tipped the canoe as we watched the paddles and canoes float down the river.  Both my 2 friends were completely soaked and had gotten their belongings damaged, including their phone.  The current got stronger and the river rockier, and eventually, we had to call the company to come get us while we were stranded in the middle of the rocks.  WHAT A DAY!

The next day, we laughed about it, and hiked Devil’s Lake Park.  We climbed rocks just to get this one shot at the Devil’s Doorway.  WORTH IT!

Later in August, my friends planned a BBQ at the park.

It was such a beautiful day where we got to enjoy some good food and each other’s company. :) 

Fast forward to beginning of September during Labor Day weekend, my boyfriend and I went to Milwaukee, WI for a quick weekend getaway.  He really just wanted to go back for their huge selection of vegan options.

While coming back from the Milwaukee trip, we stopped by Indiana to meet up with my friends for some high ropes course!

September was definitely a jam-packed month because so many activities were planned!  One of my favorites of this year was first time CAMPING!  We chose Shabbona Lake State Park for this first one.  I’ve been dreaming of this for so so long, and after much research, I finally was able to organize our first camping trip! 

Was it everything I’d thought it would be?  YES and so much more!  The weather was perfect, the view of the trees in our tent was gorgeous, the food we cooked was amazing, and the night sky was beautiful.  I’m planning on annual camping trips from now on!

At the end of the month, my boyfriend and I went to experience one of the most magical moments in my life: The Lights Fest!

We loved camping so much that I wanted to do another quick camping trip.  This time - Rock Cut State Park.  This time, it was just my boyfriend and 2 other friends.  We didn’t plan a big one this time just because it was pretty last minute.  We wanted to go mainly for the fall foliage.

Fast forward to November.  In the beginning of the month, my friends and I participated in my first 5k Hot Chocolate Run!

A week after, my boyfriend and I traveled to Thailand!

It was one of the most amazing trips I’ve ever gone on - amazing food, cheap massages, great sights, fun markets, gorgeous elephants, etc.  OH and the durians! xD

In December, we went to see Brookfield Zoolights for the very first time! 

So now here I am, sitting on my computer on the last day of December 2018.  This year truly has been such an amazing year for me.  I’ve experienced so many new things and have formed such deeper relationships with my friends.  I honestly can’t even expressed in words how truly happy I feel right now.

2018 has been the best year yet - I can honestly say that.

I’m not exactly sure how I even first came up with the idea to go to Thailand back in June.  But a week ago, we finally went to Thailand for the very first time!  Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations for it because Japan will always have my heart.  I was also not too keen about visiting a less developed country than the ones I’ve visited.  However, I was pleasantly surprised by the end of the trip!  Although it did not have the abundance of technology that Japan has, the food and night markets really changed my mind and is slowly becoming one of the many places I want to return to!

Please check out the vlog if you are interested!  I’d have to say, by the end of the trip, we had a 13 hour layover in Taipei, and I was starting to develop a coughing fit.  Therefore, footage is lacking toward the end, but I hope the rest is sufficient enough to kind of give you a glimpse of how Bangkok and Chiang Mai are!

We stayed a total of 10 days.  Trip highlights included: 7 2-hr Thai massages/aromatherapy, elephant jungle sanctuary, Thai cooking school, night markets, durian, and lots and lots of food!

Meals ranged from $2-10, drinks ranged from $0.60-$2, and massages ranged from $14-30 for 2 hours.  If you are looking to travel on a budget, you must go and visit!

Below are just a few of my fav pictures from this trip!  Couldn’t upload a lot due to the file sizes. :(