{free} Printable Postcards

Combining my two favorite things, traveling and graphic design– I created these postcards to send to friends and family while I was away!

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Click to open PDF

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Macha Kit Kats

See, I’ll have a Kit Kat every now and then if it’s around, but I don’t really seek them out at the store. It is one kind of candy bars I prefer (close second to Twix bars) more than others though. These MACHA green tea Kit Kats are not the kind of Kit Kats you find in your trick or treat bags. I hunted these down from the Narita airport (Tokyo) all the way to Hong Kong. They taste nothing like normal Kit Kats. It’s milk chocolate with macha (ground up green tea leaves) powder and because of this, the texture isn’t even like chocolate so I don’t even know why they’re so good.

The packaging for Japanese Kit Kats are so much fancier (and they’re more expensive) than we ones we see in the states. So much more variety too. I know the states have dark and white chocolate, but in Japan they have strawberry, blueberry cheesecake, and macha! Who knew Kit Kats had a fancy and cultural side?

“Where the grass is green and it’s hot as hell, sound intense city called DECIBEL!!!”

It definitely was HOT AS HELL. It was 42 degrees Celsius until the sun went down.

We took a trip to Amsterdam this summer to attend DECIBEL by B2S. One of the highlights of our summer.

We were there for a whole weekend, and stayed in a kickass camper!  It all started off with the pre-party and I’m sorry, I was too excited to take any pictures…

Despite frying under the sun and inhaling all the sand that herds of people were kicking up from under their feet, it was still one of the best festivals I’ve ever been to. The music festivals in the Netherlands are incomparable to anything else.

People of all walks of life come for one weekend just to party. The energy is amazing, people are there to dance to good music and have a blast.

The stages are so awesome, huge screen, amazing sounds, fire spewing out, lasers(!!) and fireworks!

This picture was taken pretty early on in the day, and the place was packed just a few hours later.

Pussy lounge!

Someone on a water jet pack. So fucking awesome.

We explored the grounds and visited all the stages, got a gyro too. We were so spoiled and got to enjoy the rest of the show at the VIP lounge with OPEN BAR. We drank everything. Red bulls, ice tea, water, beers, mixed drinks, flugals (whooo!), vodka, wine… Gotta stay hydrated!

As the show went on, we got to meet (stalk) celebrities. The performing DJ’s, owners, and employees of the company were mingling in the VIP lounge.

And so the creeping begins…

This is Sebastian with Headhunterz!! We also saw DJ Isaac, Noisecontrollers, Brennan Heart, and Wildstylez!

And then we got up the courage to ask for a picture. He was really weird and posed for the picture like so:

I imagine him saying, “oh ooh, get my good side!”

Thanks to those who made this trip possible for us and the luxurious VIP treatment (you know who you are)! It was delightful being there with my cutey, and we had way too much fun!!

Doing Amsterdam Part II

Amsterdam Photodump Part II:

Yes, we have matching sunglasses. Don’t judge us.

When the rest of us “civilized tourists” were forming a nice line and taking turns for our picture in the clog, this one weird bitch decided it was a good idea to just stand in front of it (while I was in the shoe) and wave at her embarrassed boyfriend to take pictures of her.

I hope she enjoys that picture she now has of herself  in front of the shoe with me sitting in it making a “wtf” face.

Isn’t he the cutest?

They say Amsterdam has every museum imaginable. It would only make sense that after wandering for hours in the Red Light District (we were lost most of the time), to go to the sex museum. Some parts were funny, some parts were informative, and some parts got really weird.

Fun Facts:

The Netherlands is the number one country with the highest ratio of bikes:people (right behind is Denmark).

The number one cause of crotch injuries is from bicycles.

We were walking down the street when we heard this hooting and tooting sound. We soon realized it came from this guy playing a recorder.

So remember that viral video about the famous violinist playing in a metro station during rush hour and nobody cared? Well this is the opposite.

At one of the busiest streets in Amsterdam, this man–wearing a bunny hat, t-shirt over his fanny pack, socks with sandals, and an orange tan–played strings of random notes on his recorder. He played with such confidence because to him (inside his head) it probably sounded like a symphony.

I applauded his bravery (or craziness) and awarded him our change.

And that marked the end of our short trip to The Netherlands, which sadly, was the only trip Sebastian and I took outside of Denmark this summer. 😦 Hopefully we’ll have more chances to travel together soon.

Doing Amsterdam!

Traveling with a person you love (or anyone) can be risky business. You never know what you will uncover about each other when you are discovering new places. It can be a recipe for disaster. Food, transportation, money, plans, time, language, and directions — so many opportunities for arguments.

It was the first time we were in Amsterdam together, but not our first time traveling together, we went to Barcelona last fall.

I’m very fortunate to say that Sebastian and I are very good travel partners. He is great with helping me make decisions (because I am very indecisive), he’s handy with a map, we get hungry at the same time (even though he eats twice as much as I do), he helps me finish my food, he takes pictures of me, he takes pictures of us together, he lets me sleep on his shoulder on the plane (I let him have my extra leg space), he carries his own backpack, and most importantly, he entertains me (aka he makes me laugh).

Photodump: Here are some snapshots of us in Amsterdam this summer. We were in town for an amazing festival, DECIBEL!!

More to come…

 

Dyrehavsbakken “The Deer Park Hill”

Our day at Bakken, the world’s oldest operating amusement park, dating all the way back to 1583!

We stepped off the train and it felt like the city was a million miles away. Unlike your typical amusement park, Bakken greets its guests with a beautiful park with acres of trees, birds, and squirrels, and a trail leading us straight to the amusement park. And it’s free!

We also encountered a different kind of trail. Courtesy of the horses. I definitely saw kids trampling through this…

Like a fairytale…

Dyrehavsbakken, “The Deer Park Hill”, definitely lived up to its name. I was so excited when I saw an actual deer!!! I took tons of pictures but this sassy little dear would only give me shots of his/her butt.

There’s something old and beautiful about Bakken. It’s no Disneyland or six flags with their fancy rides, but it’s got a rich history and seems very nostalgic.

Did I mention that it is free admission? What a great activity for families, teens, tourists, and the elderly. I even saw people jogging in the park!

After exploring the themed restaurants, rides, and carnival games, we decided to go on two rides.

The first one is a must-do at Bakken. The oldest ride in the park, the “Rutschebanen”, or the wooden roller coaster. Wooden roller coasters are always fun because they’re old and and a little rough. The Rutschebanen definitely ancient–opened since 1932!

It was our lucky day! We went up to the booth to buy a ticket and they had a special (every Wednesday) on that ride!

“The wooden roller coaster is not actually scary, the scary part is that you think it’s going to break because it’s so old.” –Sebastian

I screamed the whole time and even bought this beautiful snapshot afterwards:

It took me a while to notice that there was a kid sitting behind us. I told Sebastian and he said, “I know, want me to Photoshop him out?”

We took a little breather after the wooden roller coaster and then decided to go on “the tornado”. It was more of a modern ride (and one that Sebastian hadn’t been on before) so we thought we’d give it a try.

We couldn’t really tell what the ride looked like because it was blocked by the building it looped through and was hidden behind some walls, so we didn’t really know what to expect.

After 3 seconds on the ride, I was thrown a hard left, and then right, and then upside-down. It. was. awesome.

Being on these roller coasters reminded me how much I (fucking) love roller coasters! I can’t wait to go on some extreme roller coasters with Sebastian one day, it’s on our bucket list.

We also lucked out on a gorgeous sunny day! The guy behind us is probably the epiphany of a Dane. Just hanging out, drinking a beer, he was probably blonde when he was younger…

Sebastian had his eye on the milkshake store the moment we walked into Bakken. They had every flavor you could imagine. I don’t even remember what flavor he got, I just remember that it was brain numbingly sweet.

Sebastian encouraged me to order in Danish and I did it!!!

Some free entertainment! We stopped by the free concert, I tried to sing along but failed miserably…

Thank you, Sebastian, for being my personal travel guide around Denmark, my photographer, my translator, my motivator, my food sharer, my partner in crime and my cutey.

I know sometimes I take too many pictures, question too many decisions, and ask too many questions, but you’re always there for me. 🙂

This is Sebastian looking really cool (I think he was just annoyed at me clicking the camera in his face like a hundred times). He doesn’t like to wear his sunglasses on his ears.

 

Ruby Foodie: Falling In Love At A Coffee Shop

I think that possibly
Maybe I’ve fallen for you
Yes there’s a chance
That I’ve fallen quite hard over you…

Hidden in a little coffee shop is Copenhagen’s first acceptable frozen yogurt disguised as soft serve ice-cream.

Sebastian and I had been meaning to try it once we spotted the little words “frozen yogurt” on their diverse menu of baked goods and coffees. A little stand was propped up next to their display case of croissants, sandwiches, and breads. The cafe also sold popsicles and ice-cream bars, so their froyo definitely took the back seat among all their other products.

We were skeptical, so we only got the small size, which comes with two toppings. My need to try everything enticed me to get both milk chocolate and white chocolate (Sebastian’s favorite). She layered the milk chocolate shavings in between two layers of the frozen yogurt and sprinkled the white chocolate on top.

Two spoons please!!

I regretted getting the toppings the moment I tried the frozen yogurt because the toppings ended up being a distraction from the deliciousness of the yogurt. The yogurt was so creamy (as you can probably tell from the photo) and flavorful, with just the right amount of tart and sweet. This one is on the sweeter side when compared to Frozz or Red Mango.

Finally some decent frozen yogurt in Copenhagen in a covert location at Frederiksberg Center.

It didn’t come cheap, but it is definitely a treat (sorry, I couldn’t resist this clever little rhyme once I thought of it)!

I remember burping (unexpectantly) loud during an (especially) quiet moment in the coffee shop and embarrassing Sebastian. No regrets, I thought it was funny and bursted out laughing.

My sweety, enjoying our delicious find (pre-burping incident).

We can grow old together here in this city, it finally has froyo. 🙂

I never knew, just what it was

About this old coffee shop I love so much
All of the while I never knew-

All of the while
All of the while, it was you
– Landon Pigg “Fall in love in a coffee shop”

Only in Denmark…

Warning: Some of these photos are not suitable for children under 13 (depending on how sheltered you are).

These pictures were all taken this summer in Copenhagen. I’d like to give a special thanks to Sebastian for always letting me use his phone and putting up with me making him take pictures of me.

Here are some of my fondest memories of Denmark…

A radar speed sign for bikes!

To top it off, “Din” means “your”, and “Din fart” always makes me giggle. [“fart” obviously means speed, and it is a word that often pops up on ads and subtitles. Gets me every time…]

To this day, I am still baffled by this ad of the pointy sausage.

This was spotted on a bus in Copenhagen. I imagine him saying, “Shhhh, we have dope ass quality products”. I went on their website to find that they sell (almost exclusively) letter man’s jackets, one of the most douchey pieces of apparel one can buy.

Speaking of douchery, I can imagine this product being invented/named by some “Alpha Gamma Thigh Deltoid” bros.

Unattended wine samples at the grocery store! You would NEVER see this in the states! I remember a time when I wasn’t even allowed to sample yogurt from Costco without my mom present.

The lost in translation collection:

She’s going through a slutspurt, at 64 years old! [“Slutspurt” actually means “end of sale”.”Slut” is “end” in Danish, so on Iphones, to hang up on someone you press “slut”. Always makes me laugh after a phone call.]

I don’t even know what they were trying to say here. WHY THE CAPS?! MAKES IT SOUND SO DRAMATIC! PAIN!!!

Someone should really tell Lidl to stop abbreviating “assorted” with “ass”, especially for condoms…

Last but not least, in the busiest train and metro station in the city (at Nørreport Station), this billboard was plastered at eye level for everyone to see. It was there for a good month. I stood there with my jaw dropped to the ground (haha don’t be gross now…) while the Danes didn’t even bat an eye.

“Open your eyes, and then you will be able to see all the hilarious things around you.” – Annoying American tourist who takes pictures of things.

Danish Strawberries! (Danske Jordbær)!

On a beautiful summer day out around the city, Sebastian and I stopped by a fruit stand for a taste of summer.

I had a chance to taste Danish strawberries at the birthday party in Funen, but of course I craved for more. It was my lucky day, they were on sale!

I bought two boxes! We munched them up in a day.

They’re perfectly teeny, tart, sweet and flavorful.

My mouth just filled with saliva. Nothing says summer like strawberries!

Live High

The Spiral Tower (which is the tower on top of the “Our Saviour’s Church” [Vor Frelsers Kirke] in Christianshavn) was one of the things on my Copenhagen to-dolist this summer (it was closed during the winter).

Even though it was semi-cloudy and windy that day, we were lucky we picked that day to go because it happened to have been their anniversary day! 260 years old!! Not that there was anything special going on, but it made us feel special.

The trek up was LOOOONG. You start out climbing these large wooden steps inside the tower, passing by the big ol’ church bells, and then the stairs get narrower and steeper as you ascend the 90 meter (295.276 feet) tall tower. In total, there are 400 steps.

After 250 steps, you finally get outside for a breath of fresh air only to find that there are 150 more steps that winds around the outside of the tower (pretty cool). Don’t stop there!

The view is amazing once you get to the very top.

My cutey!

…and then there’s me (it was very windy).

Sebastian kept telling me to get the hair out of my face… Okay, do boys not understand that girls are not in control of our hair? When we’re in bed, Sebastian always says, “Pffft! Your hair is in my face!”

Ladies, when this happens, just threaten to cut your hair really (Miley Cyrus) short, then he’ll say, “NoOoOooOo”!

There’s something about Copenhagen architecture that caught my eye. A lot of apartment buildings are built around a courtyard for all the residents to share. So in the midst of the bustling city, people have a little patch of green to share with others around them.

Danes use it for parties, barbecues, parking their bikes, and some even have a little playground. Since the building encases the courtyard, once you step in, it’s like the city disappears.

I was fortunate to have been to a party in one of these courtyards, there’s plugs for your speakers, and even a bathroom so you don’t have to run all the way back upstairs!

It’s hard to pinpoint why I love Copenhagen, but this view makes it a little bit more clear. Even though the sky is gray, the city is so colorful.

Such friendly graffiti! You think that gang is taking in new members?