First, a Quick Life Update

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, perhaps you have caught me mention here and there about my walking away from my full-time job in this February. And yes, I did! In the best way possible, I kissed goodbye my 8-year tenure in corporate America. I still am working for my last employer on a project/contract basis, so I am definitely still on good terms with them. More on this subject later this month (or April). I am sure you are very curious! As of now, I am just getting used to calling myself a full-time blogger.

Packing for a Trip in Sub-Zero Temperature

But in today’s post, I’d like to talk to you about how to pack and dress for a trip in sub-zero temperature! It’s a bit belated, yes. After all, spring is like, literally just the corner. OK, I stand corrected. Today is the first day of Spring upon a few seconds of Googling. If you live in the southern hemisphere and are contemplating still visiting the snowboarding/skiing mecca in Asia – Hokkaido, you still might find this article helpful!

To make the process informative and easy to understand, I’ve created my first ever Youtube video. GASP. Yes… I’ve talked about forraying into video making the whole Youtube thing for years and I’ve FINALLY taken the plunge and made a little bit of something! If you want to know what the must-have gears and clothing you have to bring with you when you go on a trip to sub-zero and snowing temperature, click on the 2-minute video below!

A quick summary if you don’t want to watch the 2-minute video:

• A trusted hat to protect your head from snow
• A scarf to cover up the space between your chin and the opening of the jacket
• A pair of snow boots with strong traction and grip so you don’t trip and fall on the snowed-in ground,
• A down feather, insulating jacket to keep your body warm, and lastly
• A pair of gloves to keep your hands warm!

Our Honeymoon & Second Visit to Hokkaido, Japan

If you’ve been a reader long enough (like 2-year long), you may recall that Hokkaido was where my then-boyfriend proposed to me in 2016! Yes, we loved Hokkaido and the snowboarding experience there we had to return to it 2 years later as part of our honeymoon trip. I have to say, Hokkaido was every bit as amazing as we remembered it to be – the food, the snow, the snowboarding, the resort… ah, I can go on and on and on. Here, without further ado, are the highlights from our honeymoon trip to Hokkaido Japan!

Replicating our proposal scene:

One of the things that I deeply regret (well I can’t really regret it because it wasn’t my choice, to begin with) was the fact that 2 years ago, his proposal was not captured on camera! So this time we had the opportunity to return to this amazing park in the city of Sapporo, Maruyama Park, I just had to attempt to re-enact the day of the proposal. LOL!

Our two favorite foods in Hokkaido: Niseko cheese tarts and Takahashi yogurt

Taking advantage of the beautiful natural light everywhere…because of snow!

The best, I MEAN THE BEST KAITEN SUSHI EVER

Hokkaido was actually the second half of our honeymoon, following a few days of stay in Maui. And you guessed it… that will be in the next blog post! Until then… have a great Tuesday, guys!!

The post How To Pack For A Trip In Sub-Zero Temperature || Our Honeymoon in Hokkaido, Japan appeared first on Cubicle Chic.

Since we are both avid snowboarders and ramen fiends, Hokkaido made the perfect sense for our winter getaway. The day was February 21, in Sapporo city, Hokkaido, Japan. The night before we had just arrived at this sub-zero land of snow for this snowboarding trip. We got up early at 5 AM due to jet lag, took our time to enjoy the breakfast buffet (omg so yum, and soup curry is to die for!), and then headed out to see Sapporo city!

I get this question a lot about the next part of this day trip…”Were you expecting it?”  We had gone engagement ring shopping about a month prior to the trip, so yes, I had some idea. Yet, I didn’t allow myself to indulge in the imagination of how he would propose because I still wanted to be surprised! And, surprised I TOTALLY was…

A 15 minute walk through Odori Park, 2 subway stations later, we were in Maruyama Park. Every corner of this park was covered in snow, and every surface was sparkling white. It’s hard not to feel spellbound by the sense of wonder when surrounded by nature’s beauty like this..

So we walked around the park, checked out a few shrines, saw where the tourists were (not super interesting, all the shrines, to be honest) and took a lot of pictures… And then we were on our way back to the quieter part of the park.

So for a while, we were just walking, taking in the beautiful scenario, playing with snow, taking pictures… at least I was. We saw this untouched part of the park where all the snow was fresh, and thought of exploring it.  As I stepped onto the fresh snow, I was really focused on not tripping over, or not stepping into a hole underneath all the snow. And Victor goes, “Jessica…”

I turned around. He was on one knee, with a ring box in his hand! He then said, slowly, with trembling hands and face, “You know I take a lot of time to make important decisions in life, big or small. But this decision was easy, and I always knew I was going to do this. Would you marry me?”

And of course, I said yes!

The entire proposal of course went by like a blur. I had to check with him again afterwards on what exactly he said… since I was in such a daze. The rest of the trip felt like a honeymoon. We had such great fun snowboarding, eating all sorts of Japanese food, figuring out our way around Hirafu Village, and even things like grocery shopping was so much fun.

I caught myself staring at my beautiful ring multiple times a day, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world!

I can’t tell you how excited I am to embark on this next journey in our life… with the best partner I could ask for by my side. Wedding planning is already underway, so far we’ve looked at a few San Diego wedding venues, interviewed a few wedding planners, and just started to look into florists… Can I just say WEDDING PLANNING IS SO MUCH FUN!!

For all of you San Diego readers out there who has gone through wedding planning, let me know if you have any recommendations for me!

Until next time..
Jessica

The post I Said Yes! || My Engagement in Hokkaido, Japan appeared first on Cubicle Chic.