Graduation, Birthday Surprises, and A Reunion in Philadelphia

During my time here in Philadelphia, I’ve had many friends and family visit me in the city. Most of them were friends I made back at NISC and Cambodia (Perks of being an international student) Last month, I had a visit from a really close friend of mine and it easily became my favorite reunion! I mean, when you have six former NISC students all in the same city, you’re bound to have some fun!

Sambo and Nin traveled 7 hours from Smithfield, Virginia, and InSung flew across the coast from Vancouver, Canada. I was ecstatic to see everyone again, but even more excited to show them around the city that I have fallen in love with.

Even though they were here for 10 full days, I still felt like we didn’t have enough time to do everything we wanted. I guess that’s what happens when you’re having too much fun! But with the time we had, I think HyeMin and I did a decent job showing them the City of Brotherly Love! We took them to our favorite restaurants, showed them our college campuses, attended two major outdoor festivals in the city, went for a spinning class at a local studio, walked over to New Jersey (well, kind of!) and even scheduled a (intense) morning workout by the Rocky Steps!

Looking through all the photos, I can’t believe we are where we are today. I met HyeMin twelve years ago when we were in grade school and now we’re both living together in Philadelphia. Nin was my “freshmen” when I was a senior in High School, and now she’s about to head to college! SungPil, I only met my last year at NISC. Not only are we in the same college now, we also worked for the same student organization on campus. With InSung, we bonded over Mandarin class, and were both in Student Council together.

And then there’s Sambo, who I have known for 11 years. We were only together for two years before he traveled the world. But no matter the distance between us, we always managed to keep in touch and be there for each other. Now we’re constantly in communications, thanks to the various social media outlets. Anyways, my point is I’m thankful for the friends I’ve made during my time at NISC, especially for the friendships that carried over after High School.

Parc Restaurant Bistro & Cafe

I think I may have found my favorite brunch place in Philly! Allow me to introduce to you, Parc Restaurant Bistro & Cafe. When Grace visited in March, we spent one of our Sunday mornings at Parc. For a while, we forgot we were in Philadelphia and acted as if we were dining along the Parisian streets.

The next time you’re trying to find a place to brunch on the weekends, I would highly recommend Parc. The restaurant is conveniently located on a corner street facing Rittenhouse Square. It’s the perfect place to relax and people watch especially if you choose to dine outside. Aside from the amazing food, the service there is spectacular! You’re promised a good time if you ever decide to dine at Parc.

Great Gatsby Party

“A Little Party Never Killed Nobody.” 

Last week, Stratus Lounge hosted a Great Gatsby themed party on their rooftop. Ladies were encouraged to sport the “flapper girl” look, while the men were suggested the fedora with their suits. That is exactly what my friends and I did. Who knew dressing up in a whole different era would be so much fun! 

Music Monday: “Beneath Your Beautiful” – Labrinth feat. Emeli Sande

Warning: Listening to this song once will change your life….Forever. 

That’s the truth. The song, the lyrics are so….Beautiful. I was first introduced to “Beneath Your Beautiful” back in April by a friend of mine. After one listen, I found myself playing this song like a broken record. This song was on replay mode on my iPod for the longest time! Yes, the song is that good, especially the lyrics. Listen to the lyrics carefully, and it might just make you cry.

You’ve built your wall so high / That no one could climb it / But I’m gonna try / Would you let me see beneath your beautiful? / Would you let me see beneath your perfect / Take it off now, girl, take it off now, girl / I wanna see inside / Would you let me see beneath your beautiful tonight? 

I mean, what more do I have to say? I hope all of you will find that someone who is willing to climb mountains to love you this way; someone that will always see the beauty that is beneath your and remind you of it especially when you can’t see it.

Catching Up

Oh, how I missed the blogging world! The last time I blogged was a little over a month ago, and boy, a lot has happened since! I recently started my internship here in Philadelphia. My friends from Cambodia visited me, and we had a little reunion. I signed up to run my first half marathon. I attended Temple’s first International Grand Ball. I got to see Jillian Michaels on tour. I’m spending my first full summer in Philadelphia! And I finally made the switch from the Blackberry to an iPhone! Clearly, I have a lot of catching up to do and I plan on sharing all the details in the coming week. So, watch out for a flood of posts coming your way! In the meantime, this is what I’ve been up to according to Instagram.