I turned thirty. It was summer.

Reading Cha Woo-jin’s subscription newsletter, I recently learned that the phrase ‘It was summer’ became popular. Apparently, if you say something and then add ‘It was summer’ at the end, it makes it feel vaguely nostalgic, which I found quite funny, so I tried it myself. The combination of my favorite season and Cyworld-style wistfulness makes me chuckle.

📎

The key is that even by adding a trivial sentence after a trivial event, you can get lost in memories and feel sentimental. ‘I sent a newsletter. It was summer.’ ‘I had Seonji-haejangguk for lunch. It was summer.’ ‘I worked overtime for three days straight. It was summer.’

**

Perhaps we need to learn how to embrace negative emotions rather than just overcome them. By adding a trivial sentence after a painful emotion, like ‘I felt so insignificant. It was summer.’

I started working from home, and going out became very rare.

Every Tuesday, I used to go to the office for my art class.

(The class was suspended after the Level 4 restrictions, and these days I don’t even go to the office ㅠㅠ)

When I cross the Han River on the subway, I can see Namsan,

and looking at the rippling water, I feel, “Ah, the city I live in is truly beautiful.”

Feeling shirt-y today💙

My phone and shirt match.

I moved to marketing and was lucky enough to join right from the launch of an advertising campaign.

It was incredibly tough, and the days after filming were even harder,

but it was still such a valuable experience!

A day when I absorbed so much with my eyes and mind – the atmosphere on set, the process, and more.

Actually, this summer’s big keyword was “Pyeongyang Naengmyeon.”

As a “Pyeong-lini” (Pyeongyang Naengmyeon beginner), a latecomer to Pyeongyang Naengmyeon, I couldn’t escape its incredibly addictive taste,

so every Tuesday I went to the office, I ate at Eulmildae. 😋

Seriously… I ate it all.

I can’t forget the first day I had it…

I ate it alone and thought, “Huh? What is this? I like naengmyeon???”

A cycle of admiration, emotion, and surprise 😂

And finally, the highly anticipated Uraeok…

It’s the best, currently number one in my heart 🤍

Also visited Pildong Myeonok!

I gained some weight this summer, and I think Pyeongyang Naengmyeon is probably the culprit…

Because every time I ate it, I finished every last drop..🤣

Since days out are rare, here’s my OOTD.

This was the day I went to Uraeok,

a bathroom mirror shot while waiting with a pounding heart.

Taking a day off and enjoying some long-awaited leisure,

I finally watched Hong Sang-soo’s new film, Introduction!

Going to the cinema on a weekday afternoon, I watched it all by myself, not a single other person there.

The immersion was great, and I truly enjoyed the film all by myself. It was good.

And then I went to a rattan workshop.

The item I’m making today is a rattan vase!

They said the difficulty was relatively easy,

and I also wanted to make a rattan vase to put flowers in.

A vase made by wetting the rattan strands with a spray bottle to soften them,

then twisting them one by one.

The result is always satisfying!

Rather than striving for slow, perfectly meticulous work,

I tend to make things quickly, following my own feeling,

so I find more meaning in simply completing it and am easily satisfied. lol

The person I made it with made a difficult basket,

it looked hard just by looking at it @.@

The basket is pretty though.

After labor, healing with gopchang.

One day, I stumbled upon a Spanish bookstore.

I can’t believe a place like this existed!

I spent a long time browsing, soaking in the Spanish vibe, and came home with my hands full…

The Little Prince in Spanish,

I’ve forgotten a lot of Spanish, so I’ll probably be looking up words in the dictionary a lot, like studying,

but I’m definitely going to finish reading it before the year ends! 🤓

Omakase with my mom and siblings,

I go to many delicious and nice places meeting friends,

but Mom is always in the neighborhood, tied up with work…

Seeing her enjoy the tasty food and like it made me feel a bit sorry 🥺

I should take her out more often..!

On the way to the subway,

I glanced up at a tree and saw beautiful yuzu-colored fruits.

What kind of fruit is it..? I spent a while looking at them.

Full-blown summer!

Dressing cool is the best!

I really love summer when both my clothes and my heart feel light 💚

The day I went to eat aged sashimi,

a day when Friday was refreshingly washed away with seafood and somaek!

In my spare time on weekends, I also transcribe good sentences from books I’ve finished.

Spending the summer eating sweet and cool watermelon.

Craving hitsumabushi, I revisited Hamru.

For dessert, a pretty-looking dessert shop.

Despite being fancy and expensive, the taste was just so-so 🙄

5th work anniversary,

a pleasant surprise gift 🥰 Thank you..

I also consistently go to Pilates,

And I consistently eat a lot of delicious food too.

On days when I accidentally look up and the sky is beautiful, my mood becomes beautiful too.

It’s a shame to only capture it with my eyes, so I can’t help but turn on my camera haha

Mom and Seonghwan’s collaboration, wishing for great success 🙏🏻

I prepared champagne to celebrate!

(30% for celebration, 70% because I just wanted to drink it)

The orchestra ensemble kept getting postponed due to COVID-19.

So, the executives planned a non-face-to-face recorded ensemble concert!

Teams took turns recording, and a few weeks later, we had a screening of the edited video.

We had real-time chat too, and it was really fun and enjoyable.

Dinner before the birthday party,

I was curious about Goldfish Dimsum and finally got to try it!

The beef noodle soup was surprisingly delicious, a memorable taste..😋

And another surprise birthday party 🥳

For my 30th birthday, there were balloons, a custom cake, and cash gifts lol

It felt like a filial piety feast in a hot pot restaurant room.

On my birthday, I feel a huge amount of hidden gratitude for my precious people 💝

Freaking out after getting cash..🤣

The giant balloon and cake I took home.

The taxi driver kept asking if I had a baby at home,

and I was too embarrassed, so I just said I did.. haha

Asked Seongyoon for whiskey when he returned to Korea 🥃

Finally tasted it after self-quarantine, cheers… I love it!

Seula’s wedding keeps getting postponed due to COVID-19, but

a welcome housewarming invitation!

I enjoyed the delicious food she and her husband carefully prepared.

Their sweet affection looked so lovely and truly wonderful 🥰

I seem to come here once a quarter lol

The Xef 💃

Every time I come, I always order

the cava, like a welcome drink, and the anchovy starter 🤗 It’s really so delicious!

All the dishes we ordered this time were successful!

I heard they’re remodeling and opening in the building right next door, so I’m looking forward to my next meal haha

And a generous gift from my sibling for my 30th birthday,

my wallet was a bit old, so I was planning to get a new one anyway,

I chose the Dior Saddle compact wallet in Tundra Green.

I thought it would be a vibrant emerald, but in person, it’s a calm green, and I love it 💟

And my mom’s birthday gift tradition,

this year, she specially gave me a diamond necklace.

A gift with even greater meaning..💎

If I ever have a daughter later, I’ll definitely make and give her meaningful accessories

for her birthday or important occasions!

I keep procrastinating on organizing and posting these daily fragments saved in my photo album because it’s bothersome.

But when I take the time to record them,

I’m the one who feels the most satisfied and looks at them the most.

Ultimately, all of this is a gift to myself ✨

I turned a sparkling thirty. It was summer.