Ahh! I just got one of my wisdom teeth pulled about an hour ago! I went to the dentist because I needed to repair my back molar that somehow got chipped, but in the process, I ended up submitting to a spontaneous teeth-pulling. Ok, granted, my wisdom tooth had already been causing problems for the past few months, and they warned me about this on my last visit, but I wasn't expecting it to get pulled today! Right before the bake sale and my 10k race! I was planning on going for a run after the dentist today, but now I'm not allowed to do any intense physical activity that will increase blood circulation. Anyway, now I'm back at home with a numb mouth, a swollen cheek, and an achy jaw from clamping down on a ball of gauze. Nice.
Ok, I'll stop acting like a baby now. :) Actually, the procedure itself wasn't too bad. I had two other wisdom teeth pulled a few years back and it was quite a traumatic experience involving slicing open the gums, tugging out the tooth, and stitching everything back, followed by a lot of painful swelling and bruising, but this time it was much simpler and quicker. The tooth was also pretty small, so I'm expecting everything will heal faster. Infact, by the time I type and post this, I should be able to relax my jaw and eat some food! At least my appetite has not been affected, hehe. So now I have one wisdom tooth left, and I might have to take that one out later too. Le sigh~ I should be trying to gain wisdom, not lose it!
Moving on to happier thoughts. Well, last week I ended up going to Cheonan since it had been a while since my last visit. On Saturday, my parents and I drove to the Chollipo Arboretum by Taean & Mallipo Beach (West coast of Korea) to see the spring blossoms.
We went to this arboretum last summer too, but it looked and felt totally different this time around. It wasn't quite as lush and green, but it was still an incredibly beautiful and peaceful garden, filled with an impressive amount of unique flora.
This arboretum supposedly has hundreds of different species of magnolia trees, and my mom has been waiting for them all winter. :)
In addition to all the magnolias, it seemed like everywhere I turned, there was some different flower to photograph:
During our walk around the garden, we paused for a mid-morning snack: some vegan Korean "hard-tack" crackers/biscuits.
The view from one part of the garden.
After spending most of the morning at the garden, we headed to Mallipo beach to enjoy our packed lunch, which is only a 5-minute drive away. The weather was rather windy and cold so we didn't eat outside on the beach, but instead, we had a mini picnic in the car, just like we used to do on family road trips when I was a kid.
Rice with chickpeas, sweet potato, jeon pancakes, and other miscellaneous green banchans.
Saucy tofu and kimchi.
Also, lots of fresh fruit for dessert.
So that was part of my fun-filled Saturday, before I headed back to Seoul for more shenanegans. Even though it's a bit of a trek from Seoul, I highly recommend checking out this precious haven!
Directions to Chollipo Arboretum (taken from here):
- Take the bus to Taean at Seoul Nambu Terminal (departure every 40 minutes (06:40-20:00), 2 hour and 20 minute ride)
- Board the bus to Cheollipo Arboretum at Taean Bus Terminal (Departure 8 times a day (06:40, 07:40, 09:30, 12:10, 13:50, 16:00, 17:35, 19:30), 35 minute ride)
Last but not least, here are some other things my mom made while I was visiting Cheonan. Jeon pancakes, made using chives that my mom actually grew on her balcony-garden!
Sauteed mushrooms
You can't really tell from this picture, but there are at about 10 different types of greens here, all from my mom's garden. I don't know how my mom does it, but it's pretty amazing. Knowing that she grew everything herself makes me want to cherish and adore every leaf before I put it in my mouth. hehe.
Ok. time to take out the gauze wad from my mouth... . later!