Favorite Moments of 2024 - Haven’t done one of these since 2020, but here we go! Pretty crazy traveling the equivalent of 5.6x around the Earth, flew way more than in 2023.

Ok shall let the photos do the talking.. (thanks to Instagram.. I’ve definitely been taking way more vertical shots than I used to.)

January - Finally made it to Shirakawago, with a quick stop in Nagoya.

January - Also visited the Azabudai Hills Sky Lobby, which was eventually closed to the public—but I heard it reopened if you buy a drink.

February - Explored the canola fields in Jeju, Korea. Shooting conditions were tough—way too windy.. Looked great from a distance but honestly, far from great up close.

March - Visited Seattle during cherry blossoms

March - Did a ton of hiking in Arizona and Utah, and even got caught in a snowstorm.

March - Also, Korea never really had a “work from home” culture, even during COVID, but this was probably what people were doing.. LOL. Oh, and I ran/walked the Seoul Marathon using Denise’s ticket!

April - Got to attend IU’s concert twice: once in Singapore and once in Korea in September. Both were incredible! Had a better seat in Singapore (front row!), but my photos are from Seoul, where camera restrictions were way more relaxed.

May - Traveled across Europe, visiting a bunch of cities—some I’d never even heard of before. How many of these do you recognize? Starting with Netherlands: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Delft

Germany: Frankfurt, Aschaffenburg, Heidelberg, Bonn, Münster, Magdeburg, Berlin. Also stumbled upon some filming locations for Queen of Tears!

Finally, Switzerland: Zurich

July - Made it to Psy’s summer concert for the N-th time—but this one was unforgettable for a different reason. It got canceled less than an hour in due to pouring rain. Honestly, maybe better than his usual spray-jet approach of soaking the audience.. Also, finally stopped procrastinating and got another ankle surgery.

August - Visited Taiwan because my brother wanted to go.

September - Back to Europe, but this time, nicer cities.. Starting with UK: London

Finland: Helsinki

Sweden: Stockholm. The underground train stations here were a highlight—each with its own unique design. Such a cool experience running around the train stations after dinner one night.

September - Explored the Oki Islands in Japan. A rare spot with zero tourists—I didn’t meet a single one during the time there. The scenery reminded me of photos I’ve seen of Scotland (though I haven’t been yet!). Definitely deserves its own post later on.

October - The Yeouido Fireworks Festival (여의도불꽃축제) was packed with crowds who had been waiting for hours, with some even arriving as early as 1AM the night before.. Namsan was no different, with people lined up everywhere, shoulder-to-shoulder with what felt like 398,761 friends..