Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Highlights of my Day... Wednesday, January 31
1. After about 8 months of not seeing Homegirl, we finally crossed paths again. She had left Korea to work on a cruise ship but now she's back in Canada for a bit. So today we made plans for lunch.
2. It's clear we both have a certain love for Korea and so we headed over to Little Korea in Toronto for some good old Korean food.
3. As it turns out, it's not such a big world afterall. I was chatting it up with our cute little waiter and was so shocked to hear that we both live in Cheonan. He told me he's returning in March to do his last semiester and, if us both being from Cheonan wasn't fluke enough, he's a student at the university that I'll be working at come March. Ya... so cool!
4. After lunch, we headed down to the Eatons Center for some shopping. Jenn scored big on these cute brown leather boots and I scored large with new Nike Shox shoes... cool!
5. Hit the gym and ran into some of the boys. I was so super hyper and all smiles talking to Nick, Franky and Doug. I really missed System Gym!
6. Met Ms. Brazilian-Girl. She's this married woman/mother who felt quite comfortable wearing a skimpy bra while exercising. I was in total shock and almost felt obligated to help her. I was confinced she was going to fall out of her bra. I have no idea on how to explain this chic... she's definitely different!
7. After an awesome day, I thought I'd cap it off with Kobe's company. I called him up and then we headed out to Second Cup together.
8. Everything about today was perfect and then at 11:10pm it all crashed. We had just drove away from Second Cup when I suddenly realized I had forgotten my purse! Ya... not cool! Definitely the lowest part of my year so far! Obviously, we rushed back to the coffee shop but it was gone. Someone had stolen it. Merry Christmas to them too... let's see, hmm... what did I give them for a Christmas present...
10. I stayed with Kobe the rest of the night cause I didn't want to be alone. Although Kobe and I just recently met, it was so comforting that he was there supporting me. We chilled out at his house and I tried to sleep on the couch but I only slept a wink.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Who stole my purse?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Karma baby! What goes around, comes around.
-- J-Boy
2. It's clear we both have a certain love for Korea and so we headed over to Little Korea in Toronto for some good old Korean food.
3. As it turns out, it's not such a big world afterall. I was chatting it up with our cute little waiter and was so shocked to hear that we both live in Cheonan. He told me he's returning in March to do his last semiester and, if us both being from Cheonan wasn't fluke enough, he's a student at the university that I'll be working at come March. Ya... so cool!
4. After lunch, we headed down to the Eatons Center for some shopping. Jenn scored big on these cute brown leather boots and I scored large with new Nike Shox shoes... cool!
5. Hit the gym and ran into some of the boys. I was so super hyper and all smiles talking to Nick, Franky and Doug. I really missed System Gym!
6. Met Ms. Brazilian-Girl. She's this married woman/mother who felt quite comfortable wearing a skimpy bra while exercising. I was in total shock and almost felt obligated to help her. I was confinced she was going to fall out of her bra. I have no idea on how to explain this chic... she's definitely different!
7. After an awesome day, I thought I'd cap it off with Kobe's company. I called him up and then we headed out to Second Cup together.
8. Everything about today was perfect and then at 11:10pm it all crashed. We had just drove away from Second Cup when I suddenly realized I had forgotten my purse! Ya... not cool! Definitely the lowest part of my year so far! Obviously, we rushed back to the coffee shop but it was gone. Someone had stolen it. Merry Christmas to them too... let's see, hmm... what did I give them for a Christmas present...
a. way too much cash (you DON'T even want to know how much.. it's disqusting)9. Called my parents up at midnight and broke the news to them. They weren't impressed, to say the least.
b. some Korean won
c. a Louis Vuitton wallet Ryan had given me (sentimental value there)
d. my Korean Alien Registration card
e. my Korean bank card
f. my new Casio digital camera that's ONLY one day old!!!
g. a diamond engagement ring (yup... I thought I had thrown it away after I broke the engagement off but found it the other day... only to lose it again)
h. my favorite lipgloss (hey... I'm big into lip gloss so it's a loss here)
i. my passport
10. I stayed with Kobe the rest of the night cause I didn't want to be alone. Although Kobe and I just recently met, it was so comforting that he was there supporting me. We chilled out at his house and I tried to sleep on the couch but I only slept a wink.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Who stole my purse?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Karma baby! What goes around, comes around.
-- J-Boy
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Highlights of my Day... Tuesday, January 30
1. After a year of waiting, I finally got to see my brother Troy. He showed up early and with his daughter Elizabeth. She's now 1 years old and I've only seen her twice now. It was so cool to see how much she's grown. She's no longer a little butterball and instead, is now a little walking, talking, smiling person.
2. Definitely got camera-happy with Elizabeth. It's kind of sad though, I only get to see her once a year and so that sucks.... for both of us.
3. Packed up my bags and headed off to Toronto to stay with my old roomate, Alish. Turns out she gave up my house and moved across the courtyard to another apartment. That was cool for me cause that meant I didn't have to face the akwardness of being a guest in my own place.
4. Hit my old gym and my friend, Fatima, at the front desk hooked me up with a free membership, sweet! Franky was all hugs when he saw me but besides Fatima and Franky, all the faces look new to me.
5. Checked out the Eatons Center for some shopping. Scored a huge deal on a Casio digita camera and I was all smiles. I was smiling to everyone and especially the Koreans in the mall. I may not be in Korea right now but I feel drawn to Korean people here. I must have chatted to every Korean in the mall today...ha, ha, ha.
6. While at the Eatons Center, I was approached by some random dude who blurted out "Girl, you've got style" when I walked by. I guess I've been in Korea too long cause I'm not really use to guys being so forward with me or approaching me like that. I stopped to talk to him. His name is Chris.
7. Turns out Chris is this big-wig promotor and he was running the after party for the Justin Timberlake concert. We chatted and shopped together for the rest of the afternoon and then he picked me up later for the party.
8. At the party, it was clear Chris was all about me but I was definitely not into him. I was cool with just hanging out but he was more like hanging off me. It was getting quite annoying and it was killing the scene for me.
9. That's when I met Kobe. He was this cute little Asian dude who
was dancing up a storm and belting out the lyrics to every song. It was obvious he was more of my style and so I mingled with him. Chris wasn't impressed. I personally found it funny that Chris has laid "dibs" on me but instead of worrying about it, I let him be like a girl, get all ticked off and leave. Bye Chris.
10. Spent the rest of the evening with Kobe and his two buddies, Steve (aka Pook-a-roo) and Mike and it was highly entertaining. Kobe continued to humor me with his serenading (singing... ?), Steve bathed himself in his drink (literally) and was quite the
backseat comic, and as for Mike, he was trying to tame Steve. Oh, and I especially liked it when Steve hugged that crazy woman who stoped to sing for us in the street. I personally prefer Kobie's singing though...ha, ha, ha.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's up with these Western guys?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Women are God's masterpiece.
-- Chris
2. Definitely got camera-happy with Elizabeth. It's kind of sad though, I only get to see her once a year and so that sucks.... for both of us.
3. Packed up my bags and headed off to Toronto to stay with my old roomate, Alish. Turns out she gave up my house and moved across the courtyard to another apartment. That was cool for me cause that meant I didn't have to face the akwardness of being a guest in my own place.
4. Hit my old gym and my friend, Fatima, at the front desk hooked me up with a free membership, sweet! Franky was all hugs when he saw me but besides Fatima and Franky, all the faces look new to me.
5. Checked out the Eatons Center for some shopping. Scored a huge deal on a Casio digita camera and I was all smiles. I was smiling to everyone and especially the Koreans in the mall. I may not be in Korea right now but I feel drawn to Korean people here. I must have chatted to every Korean in the mall today...ha, ha, ha.
6. While at the Eatons Center, I was approached by some random dude who blurted out "Girl, you've got style" when I walked by. I guess I've been in Korea too long cause I'm not really use to guys being so forward with me or approaching me like that. I stopped to talk to him. His name is Chris.
7. Turns out Chris is this big-wig promotor and he was running the after party for the Justin Timberlake concert. We chatted and shopped together for the rest of the afternoon and then he picked me up later for the party.
8. At the party, it was clear Chris was all about me but I was definitely not into him. I was cool with just hanging out but he was more like hanging off me. It was getting quite annoying and it was killing the scene for me.
9. That's when I met Kobe. He was this cute little Asian dude who
was dancing up a storm and belting out the lyrics to every song. It was obvious he was more of my style and so I mingled with him. Chris wasn't impressed. I personally found it funny that Chris has laid "dibs" on me but instead of worrying about it, I let him be like a girl, get all ticked off and leave. Bye Chris.10. Spent the rest of the evening with Kobe and his two buddies, Steve (aka Pook-a-roo) and Mike and it was highly entertaining. Kobe continued to humor me with his serenading (singing... ?), Steve bathed himself in his drink (literally) and was quite the
backseat comic, and as for Mike, he was trying to tame Steve. Oh, and I especially liked it when Steve hugged that crazy woman who stoped to sing for us in the street. I personally prefer Kobie's singing though...ha, ha, ha.QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's up with these Western guys?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Women are God's masterpiece.
-- Chris
Monday, January 29, 2007
Highlights of my Day... Monday, January 29
1. It’s been years, too many years, since I last saw my childhood friend Cameron. We’ve been friends since grade 3. Today he picked me up for lunch and I couldn’t help but laugh at how big he’s got. He’s no longer that super skinny little kid anymore.
2. We headed out to Kelsey’s Restaurant where we reminisced about our school days together and what our fellow classmates are now up to. Many of our friends got married and now have kids. I was surprised to hear that Ryan Babcock, the school cocky-hottie, got married! I laughed and said, “Wow, someone finally tamed him”. Cameron corrected me though and said, “No, he finally found someone who’d put up with his ####”… ha, ha, ha. So true!!!
3. Cam and I ventured over to our old high school, Anderson C.V.I. It felt so strange walking down the halls after so many years! I was eager to see if my favourite highschool teacher, Mr. Scott, was there. Almost all of my teachers have since retired but Mr. Scott was there!!! I was so happy to see him and so I gave him a huge hug!
4. Back in the day when I was in grade 12, I had to do a huge independent study unit (project) for Mr. Scott’s geography class. I did my project on Poland and for my presentation I did a mock bus trip to Poland.. it was super creative and fun. I had worked my butt off trying to do a wicked presentation and, in the end, everyone was impressed. Cool. Turns out Mr. Scott STILL has the name tag I made him for my presentation… wow! I was so flattered!
5. Got a call from my homegirl, Jenn. She just landed in Canada today and so we made plans for Wednesday… cool! It’s so wild to think of the fact that we originally met in Korea but live in neighbouring cities here in Canada. I guess it’s not such a big world after all!
6. Did some shopping at the Oshawa Shopping Center today. Picked up some great pants and three pairs of shoes.
7. Ran into my mom’s friends, the P’s. It was their daughter Lea’s birthday and so they were at this teddy bear store. This store is so wild. The deal is you pick a teddy bear and then they stuff it for you, or “bring it to life” as they say. You then have to register it in the store so that they can print out a birth certificate for it. Then you go and pick out clothes for it. But that’s not where it stops… you can buy it shoes, glasses, a cell phone, diapers, blankets, a stroller… and the list goes on! It’s quite the experience…ㅋㅋㅋ.. and quite the expense!
8. Despite all my memories, friends, family and what-not that I should miss in Canada, I’d give it all up to be back in Korea RIGHT NOW… seriously. Shopping with my mom always turns into some kind of argument and so I showed up home all teary eyed. I told her I’m not coming back to Canada next year and then kept silent the rest of the night.
9. I wish I was laying on my floor at home with Mi Nam trying to lick my face, Kim Tae speaking Konglish and me having not a care in the world. Instead, I’m freezing my butt off, my cat Scrappy-Joe is sneezing in my face and the only sight of any yummy Korean food is the ramian I packed in my bag.
10. I know, I know… I should enjoy my time here. It’s great to see my dad and catch up with old friends but, like the custom’s officer said quite clearly, Canada is not my home.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What country do I belong to?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.
-- Elisabeth Foley
2. We headed out to Kelsey’s Restaurant where we reminisced about our school days together and what our fellow classmates are now up to. Many of our friends got married and now have kids. I was surprised to hear that Ryan Babcock, the school cocky-hottie, got married! I laughed and said, “Wow, someone finally tamed him”. Cameron corrected me though and said, “No, he finally found someone who’d put up with his ####”… ha, ha, ha. So true!!!
3. Cam and I ventured over to our old high school, Anderson C.V.I. It felt so strange walking down the halls after so many years! I was eager to see if my favourite highschool teacher, Mr. Scott, was there. Almost all of my teachers have since retired but Mr. Scott was there!!! I was so happy to see him and so I gave him a huge hug!
4. Back in the day when I was in grade 12, I had to do a huge independent study unit (project) for Mr. Scott’s geography class. I did my project on Poland and for my presentation I did a mock bus trip to Poland.. it was super creative and fun. I had worked my butt off trying to do a wicked presentation and, in the end, everyone was impressed. Cool. Turns out Mr. Scott STILL has the name tag I made him for my presentation… wow! I was so flattered!
5. Got a call from my homegirl, Jenn. She just landed in Canada today and so we made plans for Wednesday… cool! It’s so wild to think of the fact that we originally met in Korea but live in neighbouring cities here in Canada. I guess it’s not such a big world after all!
6. Did some shopping at the Oshawa Shopping Center today. Picked up some great pants and three pairs of shoes.
7. Ran into my mom’s friends, the P’s. It was their daughter Lea’s birthday and so they were at this teddy bear store. This store is so wild. The deal is you pick a teddy bear and then they stuff it for you, or “bring it to life” as they say. You then have to register it in the store so that they can print out a birth certificate for it. Then you go and pick out clothes for it. But that’s not where it stops… you can buy it shoes, glasses, a cell phone, diapers, blankets, a stroller… and the list goes on! It’s quite the experience…ㅋㅋㅋ.. and quite the expense!
8. Despite all my memories, friends, family and what-not that I should miss in Canada, I’d give it all up to be back in Korea RIGHT NOW… seriously. Shopping with my mom always turns into some kind of argument and so I showed up home all teary eyed. I told her I’m not coming back to Canada next year and then kept silent the rest of the night.
9. I wish I was laying on my floor at home with Mi Nam trying to lick my face, Kim Tae speaking Konglish and me having not a care in the world. Instead, I’m freezing my butt off, my cat Scrappy-Joe is sneezing in my face and the only sight of any yummy Korean food is the ramian I packed in my bag.
10. I know, I know… I should enjoy my time here. It’s great to see my dad and catch up with old friends but, like the custom’s officer said quite clearly, Canada is not my home.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What country do I belong to?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.
-- Elisabeth Foley
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Highlights of my Day... Sunday, January 28
1. My sleeping patterns were all messed up and so my Sunday actually started at 4am.
2. Got all dolled up and then headed out to church with my parents. I felt kind of odd cause almost everyone checked in their coats and there I sat all bundled and shivering.
3. Still experiencing jet lag and so right in the middle of the pastor’s sermon, I fell asleep.
4. Ran into a former youth leader of mine from a church in Whitby I use to attend. At first we both recognized each other but didn’t know where from. They now have two foster children.
5. Did the usual church thing by heading out to Swiss Chalet after church. My mom found a hair in my chicken though and kind of freaked out. I kept eating the chicken cause personally I could care less. I was just happy it didn’t have the bird flu like those other chickens back in Korea…ㅋㅋㅋ.
6. After lunch we went on a hunt for a power outlet adaptor. Finally at the 3rd store I found one
that fit, great!
7. I had originally planned to clean out my bedroom. It’s now become a kind of storage for all my clothes and stuff from my old house in Toronto. My ex-fiance, Paulo, brought over stuff and so that’s added to the collection of junk in my room. Mind ya, the furthest I got to cleaning it was opening a box and then closing it back up…ㅋㅋㅋ
8. Had plans to have Iain over but he got caught up in his own plans with his family and so he ended up not coming over.. that’s ok. By 9pm I was struggling to stay awake.
9. Because my room is such an absolute mess, and because I slacked off today and didn’t clean it up, I ended up sleeping in my brother’s room. He now lives in New York and so he won’t mind but it was definitely weird sleeping on a bed, and such a high bed too! (In Korea I sleep on a floor mat).
10. Even with two big blankets on me, I was chilly in the bed and so my dad had to heat up a hot water bottle for me…. ahhh!!!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Is it always this cold here?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while.
-- Kin Hubbard
2. Got all dolled up and then headed out to church with my parents. I felt kind of odd cause almost everyone checked in their coats and there I sat all bundled and shivering.
3. Still experiencing jet lag and so right in the middle of the pastor’s sermon, I fell asleep.
4. Ran into a former youth leader of mine from a church in Whitby I use to attend. At first we both recognized each other but didn’t know where from. They now have two foster children.
5. Did the usual church thing by heading out to Swiss Chalet after church. My mom found a hair in my chicken though and kind of freaked out. I kept eating the chicken cause personally I could care less. I was just happy it didn’t have the bird flu like those other chickens back in Korea…ㅋㅋㅋ.
6. After lunch we went on a hunt for a power outlet adaptor. Finally at the 3rd store I found one
that fit, great!7. I had originally planned to clean out my bedroom. It’s now become a kind of storage for all my clothes and stuff from my old house in Toronto. My ex-fiance, Paulo, brought over stuff and so that’s added to the collection of junk in my room. Mind ya, the furthest I got to cleaning it was opening a box and then closing it back up…ㅋㅋㅋ
8. Had plans to have Iain over but he got caught up in his own plans with his family and so he ended up not coming over.. that’s ok. By 9pm I was struggling to stay awake.
9. Because my room is such an absolute mess, and because I slacked off today and didn’t clean it up, I ended up sleeping in my brother’s room. He now lives in New York and so he won’t mind but it was definitely weird sleeping on a bed, and such a high bed too! (In Korea I sleep on a floor mat).
10. Even with two big blankets on me, I was chilly in the bed and so my dad had to heat up a hot water bottle for me…. ahhh!!!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Is it always this cold here?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while.
-- Kin Hubbard
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Highlights of my Day... Saturday, January 27
1. After literally only 2 hours sleep, I woke up and started my journey towards Incheon Airport. Kim Tae came along with me and so that was nice. It was his first time being at an airport. We said good-bye and I cried a bit.
2. Turns out I didn’t need to show the visa after all and getting my boarding passes was as easy as pie. Great!
3. Am sure a few of Incheon’s baggage security officers now think I’m the biggest alcoholic! They had forewarned me that I’m not allowed to bring any liquids or gels over 100mL in my carry-on bags (new rule). I thought I was ok but, as it turns out, I forgot that I had several bottles of soju in my bag. Their eyes lit up like those of a child at Christmas time. Thankfully Kim Tae was still around and so I was able to pass them on to him. Sorry boys!
4. Must admit I’ve always had great luck when it comes to who I sit beside on planes. On my flight to Japan, I sat beside some Korean dude who slept the whole way. On my flight from Japan to Canada I sat beside this really sweet girl, Jung Sun. She’s 26 and is traveling to Canada as apart of a home-stay program (to study English). Her English was really low but it gave me a chance to practice my Korean. We shared our food, studied a bit together, played cards, listened to her MP3 together and chatted.
5. Cucumber face wipes by Skin Food … awesome! After hours of sitting in the same seat, same clothes, and feeling like I was collecting dust and getting all nasty feeling, I escaped to the airplane bathroom, stripped down and gave myself a mini bath…ㅋㅋㅋ.
6. Finally arrived in Canada … great, now I get to practice English!!! I was greeted by the cold weather and snow… oh ya, and the first Canadian I talked to was the customs officer who harassed me by blurting out, “You’re wrong… you don’t live in Canada”. I had written down my parents’ address as my address on the customs form and well, according to him, I’m not really Canadian anymore.. whatever that means! Sure, sure… ok, so I’m not really Canadian anymore, we’ll see… you just wait till tax season comes around and then you want my money!!!
7. My parents greeted me with lots of hugs, kisses and smiles. I introduced them to Jung Sun and then she went off to find her home-stay friend. My parents and I then headed for the car.
8. Destination: Tim Horton’s!!! Oh ya… I’ve been craving good old Tim’s coffee since I planned my trip over! Humoured myself by tipping the dude a 1000 won bill… the guy was clueless. It was quite funny!
9. Picked up pizza at Pizza Pizza and my first mistake was going in with my mom to pick up our order. Within 5 minutes she had introduced me to everyone there and told them all about me. She’s a proud mom. One guy asked me if Koreans really eat dog and so I said yes. He was so grossed out but I couldn’t help but laugh when you consider the fact that everyday millions of Canadians eat at McDonalds… like that’s real food. Eating a McDonald’s big mac is like eating a heart attack in between a bun. I personally rather eat the dog.
10. Arrived in Whitby at my house and was greeted by my little girl, Scrappy-Joe. She’s a cute little tabby cat that’s about 10 years old now. She was always a pudgy girl but when I picked her up tonight she felt more like a skeleton. She’s really sick, sneezes a lot and so I couldn’t help but get sad. I don’t think she’ll be around next time I come to Canada.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What, no sweet potatoe on my pizza?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
A part of you has grown in me and so, you see, it's you and me together forever and never apart, maybe in distance, but never in heart.
-- Author Unknown
2. Turns out I didn’t need to show the visa after all and getting my boarding passes was as easy as pie. Great!
3. Am sure a few of Incheon’s baggage security officers now think I’m the biggest alcoholic! They had forewarned me that I’m not allowed to bring any liquids or gels over 100mL in my carry-on bags (new rule). I thought I was ok but, as it turns out, I forgot that I had several bottles of soju in my bag. Their eyes lit up like those of a child at Christmas time. Thankfully Kim Tae was still around and so I was able to pass them on to him. Sorry boys!
4. Must admit I’ve always had great luck when it comes to who I sit beside on planes. On my flight to Japan, I sat beside some Korean dude who slept the whole way. On my flight from Japan to Canada I sat beside this really sweet girl, Jung Sun. She’s 26 and is traveling to Canada as apart of a home-stay program (to study English). Her English was really low but it gave me a chance to practice my Korean. We shared our food, studied a bit together, played cards, listened to her MP3 together and chatted.
5. Cucumber face wipes by Skin Food … awesome! After hours of sitting in the same seat, same clothes, and feeling like I was collecting dust and getting all nasty feeling, I escaped to the airplane bathroom, stripped down and gave myself a mini bath…ㅋㅋㅋ.
6. Finally arrived in Canada … great, now I get to practice English!!! I was greeted by the cold weather and snow… oh ya, and the first Canadian I talked to was the customs officer who harassed me by blurting out, “You’re wrong… you don’t live in Canada”. I had written down my parents’ address as my address on the customs form and well, according to him, I’m not really Canadian anymore.. whatever that means! Sure, sure… ok, so I’m not really Canadian anymore, we’ll see… you just wait till tax season comes around and then you want my money!!!
7. My parents greeted me with lots of hugs, kisses and smiles. I introduced them to Jung Sun and then she went off to find her home-stay friend. My parents and I then headed for the car.
8. Destination: Tim Horton’s!!! Oh ya… I’ve been craving good old Tim’s coffee since I planned my trip over! Humoured myself by tipping the dude a 1000 won bill… the guy was clueless. It was quite funny!
9. Picked up pizza at Pizza Pizza and my first mistake was going in with my mom to pick up our order. Within 5 minutes she had introduced me to everyone there and told them all about me. She’s a proud mom. One guy asked me if Koreans really eat dog and so I said yes. He was so grossed out but I couldn’t help but laugh when you consider the fact that everyday millions of Canadians eat at McDonalds… like that’s real food. Eating a McDonald’s big mac is like eating a heart attack in between a bun. I personally rather eat the dog.
10. Arrived in Whitby at my house and was greeted by my little girl, Scrappy-Joe. She’s a cute little tabby cat that’s about 10 years old now. She was always a pudgy girl but when I picked her up tonight she felt more like a skeleton. She’s really sick, sneezes a lot and so I couldn’t help but get sad. I don’t think she’ll be around next time I come to Canada.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What, no sweet potatoe on my pizza?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
A part of you has grown in me and so, you see, it's you and me together forever and never apart, maybe in distance, but never in heart.
-- Author Unknown
Friday, January 26, 2007
Didn't realize how "fun" cleaning could be until I tried to clean with Mi Nam around. He chased the broom, carried the laundry (more like dragged actually), chewed on my dusting cloth, and knocked over the cleaning supplies. How could I get mad at him though... to him, life is just one big game of curiousity! 
Highlights of my Day... Friday, January 26
1. Woke up knowing full well that today would be packed to the brim with things to do, places to go, loads of last minute surprises, and lots of work. Surprisingly enough, I woke up and got straight to work.
2. With tomorrow being the “Big Day” (trip to Canada), I had a million and one things to do. Ok, ok… so it wasn’t exactly a million things, it was more like nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nice things to do. My first thing on my to-do list was make a to-do list.. how ironic.
3. Cleaned my apartment inside and out, turned it upside down and scrubbed it down. No sooner was it sparkling clean then Mi Nam (the Dong Master) came and pooped on the floor. Oh my gosh! Mind ya, that was my fault. I had just finished washing the floor and hadn’t put his papers back.
4. Talk about freakish weather today! First is was cloudy, then it was rainy, and then some mad snow blizzard hit downtown Cheonan. Couldn’t help but laugh at how Koreanized I am cause of my reaction to the snow. Snow in Korea is definitely not like snow in Canada. Getting snow in Korea means getting only like an inche or so and walking around with an umbrella. Snow in Canada, on the other hand, consists of non-stop shovelling and then returning three hours later to do it all over again…ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. After rushing around the whole day like a chicken with it’s head cut off, I finally got to sit back and relax. Kim Tae treated me to dinner at one of my favourite restaurants.
6. Turns out the impossible wasn’t so impossible… my bags are packed!
7. After supper, when everything was finished (or so I thought), I still had one thing to do…. Find out the answer to my question. But, what was originally thought of as a relatively simple question, lead me down the path of total frustration, confusion, annoyance, and left me seriously questioning the intelligence (or lack there of it) of several people! My question was: At the airport, do I have to show the visa that my e-ticket (plane ticket) was bought with?
8. A friend of mine once got the total third degree at the airport cause of this question and so I was trying to avoid this hassle… too late! First I called Travolocity (USA). My call was answered by some over distracted dude who over heard me speaking Korean to Kim Tae and so then he past me on to some translator. She was Spanish… and that sounds like Korean how?! I thought it was kind of funny but that died real quickly.
9. From the Spanish lady, I was directed to call the Canadian Consulate in Washington, DC. Ya… I was confused too but thought I’d just hear her out. That’s when frustration really hit the fan!!! The lady who answered the phone was this incrediably stuck up, totally rude, French woman who apparently had something stuck up her ###. After 5 minutes with her I was seriously considering egging her on and calling her out. I don't like stupid people and I especially don't like racking up a huge cell phone bill having to listen to their nonscense!!! How this lady still has a head on her shoulders is beyond me!
10. So, what did I learn? Well for starters, I learned that my question got lost in translation at the start, there are some serious professional idiots out there and, in addition to having no answer to my question, I now have more questions. Ahhhh!!! And on top of it all, it really killed my evening!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Is Canada ready for me?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
It is impossible to beat an ignorant man in arguement.
-- McAdoo
2. With tomorrow being the “Big Day” (trip to Canada), I had a million and one things to do. Ok, ok… so it wasn’t exactly a million things, it was more like nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nice things to do. My first thing on my to-do list was make a to-do list.. how ironic.
3. Cleaned my apartment inside and out, turned it upside down and scrubbed it down. No sooner was it sparkling clean then Mi Nam (the Dong Master) came and pooped on the floor. Oh my gosh! Mind ya, that was my fault. I had just finished washing the floor and hadn’t put his papers back.
4. Talk about freakish weather today! First is was cloudy, then it was rainy, and then some mad snow blizzard hit downtown Cheonan. Couldn’t help but laugh at how Koreanized I am cause of my reaction to the snow. Snow in Korea is definitely not like snow in Canada. Getting snow in Korea means getting only like an inche or so and walking around with an umbrella. Snow in Canada, on the other hand, consists of non-stop shovelling and then returning three hours later to do it all over again…ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. After rushing around the whole day like a chicken with it’s head cut off, I finally got to sit back and relax. Kim Tae treated me to dinner at one of my favourite restaurants.
6. Turns out the impossible wasn’t so impossible… my bags are packed!
7. After supper, when everything was finished (or so I thought), I still had one thing to do…. Find out the answer to my question. But, what was originally thought of as a relatively simple question, lead me down the path of total frustration, confusion, annoyance, and left me seriously questioning the intelligence (or lack there of it) of several people! My question was: At the airport, do I have to show the visa that my e-ticket (plane ticket) was bought with?
8. A friend of mine once got the total third degree at the airport cause of this question and so I was trying to avoid this hassle… too late! First I called Travolocity (USA). My call was answered by some over distracted dude who over heard me speaking Korean to Kim Tae and so then he past me on to some translator. She was Spanish… and that sounds like Korean how?! I thought it was kind of funny but that died real quickly.
9. From the Spanish lady, I was directed to call the Canadian Consulate in Washington, DC. Ya… I was confused too but thought I’d just hear her out. That’s when frustration really hit the fan!!! The lady who answered the phone was this incrediably stuck up, totally rude, French woman who apparently had something stuck up her ###. After 5 minutes with her I was seriously considering egging her on and calling her out. I don't like stupid people and I especially don't like racking up a huge cell phone bill having to listen to their nonscense!!! How this lady still has a head on her shoulders is beyond me!
10. So, what did I learn? Well for starters, I learned that my question got lost in translation at the start, there are some serious professional idiots out there and, in addition to having no answer to my question, I now have more questions. Ahhhh!!! And on top of it all, it really killed my evening!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Is Canada ready for me?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
It is impossible to beat an ignorant man in arguement.
-- McAdoo
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Highlights of my Day... Thursday, January 25
1. I think I’m addicted to that silly gum-in-a-tube. It’s only destined to fill my mouth with cavities and fill me up with too much sugar but I … just… can’t… stop… eating… it!
2. Kim Tae and I headed to the gym today for training. He pushed it on chest training and I worked on my back. Our gym is now under new management and so they’re changing everything.
3. One shot in the bum for me, thanks… thanks ladies ㅋㅋㅋ. Had another appointment at the skin specialist.
4. Tonight was the night of our little singing performance at Sue’s house. The deal was I’d sing a Korean song if she sung an English song. Well, I wasn’t quite expecting the totally awesome performance that she gave. I mean, I have much respect for this mini Korean but… WOW! She sung “A Whole New World” from the Aladin soundtrack.
5. Oddly enough, I was so nervous singing in front of Sue and her mom. Her mom ended up singing some key parts with me. Thanks Mrs. Kim. Our next performance is planned for three weeks from now, when I return. I’ll play the piano and Sue will play the violin. It’s going to be awesome.
6. Kim Tae just got his truck back today from the repairs and, no sooner had he picked it up, but Mi Nam made it “messy”… yup, he was sick in Kim Tae’s car… again. He’s 2 for 2 now, ouch!
7. Kim Tae has agreed to house-sit my place and look after Mi Nam while I’m away in Canada and so tonight I stocked up on groceries for Mi Nam.
8. Had one last meal at Kimbab Nala. I’m convinced this is the best restaurant ever and so I’ll miss it when I go to Canada. It’s like a local hang-out for me cause I run into everyone there, or so it seems. Tonight Kim Tae and I ran into our gym’s new trainer. I can’t remember his name but he’s a total cutie. He had a million and one questions to ask Kim Tae about me. I humoured him with my Korean and he was totally eating it up…ㅋㅋㅋ.
9. Hit a sad moment in my evening as I thought about leaving Korea… leaving my friends, Mi Nam, my home, my little Sue, my delicious Korean food, my gym, Kimbab Nala,… the life I’ve created here in two years. I’ll even miss Wild Child and Mr. Fruit Truck Man.
10. When I first came to Korea I was quickly able to spot the differences between Korea and Canada but now it seems like I can’t really remember them. I definitely have come accustomed to life in Korea; I’ve become Koreanized. I didn’t really experience culture shock when I first moved here but last year when I VERY briefly visited Canada, I experienced what’s known as reverse culture shock… a culture shock to your own home country. This year, I’ve planned a lot of outings with friends and they all know I’m coming (unlike last year’s surprise secret visit) so me experiencing reverse culture shock is enviable… I’m nervous.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
How do I make my phone capable of roaming?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Perception is a mirror not a fact. And what I look on is my state of mind, reflected outward.
-- Author Unknown
2. Kim Tae and I headed to the gym today for training. He pushed it on chest training and I worked on my back. Our gym is now under new management and so they’re changing everything.
3. One shot in the bum for me, thanks… thanks ladies ㅋㅋㅋ. Had another appointment at the skin specialist.
4. Tonight was the night of our little singing performance at Sue’s house. The deal was I’d sing a Korean song if she sung an English song. Well, I wasn’t quite expecting the totally awesome performance that she gave. I mean, I have much respect for this mini Korean but… WOW! She sung “A Whole New World” from the Aladin soundtrack.
5. Oddly enough, I was so nervous singing in front of Sue and her mom. Her mom ended up singing some key parts with me. Thanks Mrs. Kim. Our next performance is planned for three weeks from now, when I return. I’ll play the piano and Sue will play the violin. It’s going to be awesome.
6. Kim Tae just got his truck back today from the repairs and, no sooner had he picked it up, but Mi Nam made it “messy”… yup, he was sick in Kim Tae’s car… again. He’s 2 for 2 now, ouch!
7. Kim Tae has agreed to house-sit my place and look after Mi Nam while I’m away in Canada and so tonight I stocked up on groceries for Mi Nam.
8. Had one last meal at Kimbab Nala. I’m convinced this is the best restaurant ever and so I’ll miss it when I go to Canada. It’s like a local hang-out for me cause I run into everyone there, or so it seems. Tonight Kim Tae and I ran into our gym’s new trainer. I can’t remember his name but he’s a total cutie. He had a million and one questions to ask Kim Tae about me. I humoured him with my Korean and he was totally eating it up…ㅋㅋㅋ.
9. Hit a sad moment in my evening as I thought about leaving Korea… leaving my friends, Mi Nam, my home, my little Sue, my delicious Korean food, my gym, Kimbab Nala,… the life I’ve created here in two years. I’ll even miss Wild Child and Mr. Fruit Truck Man.
10. When I first came to Korea I was quickly able to spot the differences between Korea and Canada but now it seems like I can’t really remember them. I definitely have come accustomed to life in Korea; I’ve become Koreanized. I didn’t really experience culture shock when I first moved here but last year when I VERY briefly visited Canada, I experienced what’s known as reverse culture shock… a culture shock to your own home country. This year, I’ve planned a lot of outings with friends and they all know I’m coming (unlike last year’s surprise secret visit) so me experiencing reverse culture shock is enviable… I’m nervous.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
How do I make my phone capable of roaming?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Perception is a mirror not a fact. And what I look on is my state of mind, reflected outward.
-- Author Unknown
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Highlights of my Day... Wednesday, January 24
1. Woke up nice and early at 9am to some random fire alarm. I’m not too sure if it was scheduled or not but I shook my head and then buried myself deeper under the sheets and waited for it to end…ㅋㅋㅋ
2. Gotta love it when I am walking down the street and the huge Korean shoe man opens up his door and yells out “Annyounghaseyo sangsamnem” (“Hello Teacher”). He’s this young guy but he’s a big brute of a guy and I think it’s awesome. It’s funny how here in Korea I’m sure he’s considered too big but in Canada, wow, he’d be VERY popular among me and my female friends! He has NO idea.
3. You definitely have to love the “service” they give you at the store! Only in Korea do walk in, buy something and leave with more freebies (they call it “service”) than you expected. A trip to my favourite make-up shop for foundation today sent me home with a bag of goodies. Here’s what I got:
a. 3 sample packages of white & age serum by A3F
b. 2 samples of face cream by Wrinkle Signity
c. 2 samples packs of eye cream by Wrinkle Signity
d. a box of face cleaning pads by L’Oreal Paris
e. 4 sample packs of tination (kind of foundation) by Rita Rove
f. a sample of Hydro & Pore reforming serum by Ipkn
g. sample of Hydro & Pore water balance cream by Ipkn
h. mini bottle of Hydro & Pore toner by Ipkn
i. a mini bottle of Hydro & Pore emulsion by Ipkn
j. a really funky cute make-up travel bag!!!!
k. a 3000 won discount coupon (=$3 CDN)
4. Ordering my food at Kimbab Nala is always a funny occasion, especially when there’s other people in the restaurant. I’ve mastered the ordering conversation and even have some jokes as back-up. I love Kimbab Nala… I will DEFINITELY miss that place when I’m in Canada.
5. Ran into my favourite Mr. Fruit Man at his little truck. I stocked up on oranges and apples, and had a cute chat with him. He remembered me telling him about my trip and so he wished me well. He said he looks forward to seeing my face in three weeks…. Cute!
6. It’s official… congratulations to me!!! Tonight I met up with Ki Dong for supper and he brought me my university work contract and visa application papers. So of course I was eager to sign them… so cool! Finally getting my contract papers, amazing, discovering that my pay check will be higher than I expected, so awesome!
7. Ki Bum joined Ki Dong and I for supper, as well did another foreign teacher, Sean. It was me and three cuties… great! I took them to Mainz restaurant and they loved it! Score for me! We ate till our bellies ached. The guys all had a good laugh at the added attention the manager gave me with the free pop and loads of smiles…ㅋㅋㅋ.
8. After dinner we went to Starbucks and had LOTS of laughs. I was super pumped talking to them cause my eagerness to start my university job and work with these guys was greatly growing. It’s obvious that the university job is going to kick major butt! Not only are the benefits of my job awesome but, as it turns out, my co-workers are pretty awesome too. We had originally met up tonight at 7pm but we had such a good time and so I didn’t get home till close to 11pm.
9. Came home and Kim Tae was chilling in my house…ㅋㅋㅋ. He had come over and surprised Mi Nam with two bones. The one bone was massive but the other one was a milk bone…. it smelt really delicious actually…ㅋㅋㅋ. Mi Nam bounced on it. But, Mi Nam’s problem with food is that he’s got absolutely NO control and so within an hour he had eaten 1/3 of it and spat most of it up… all over the floor. Soooooo nasty!
10. The other day I found out that Byung Hyuk was going to get lasik eye surgery, like me. He had insisted on going to Seoul but I tried to encourage him to check out my Doctor Na. Doctor Na is here in Cheonan, he’s very well-known and what really sold me on Doctor Na was his personal approach and the fact that he really believes in what he does. He loves his job. Well… it worked! Byung Hyuk showed up today at Doctor Na’s place and got the surgery done. He mentioned my name and they remembered me so he got a sweet discount, cool. I’m imaging Byuk Hyuk is in a lot of discomfort right now and but I feel so much better knowing that he went to Doctor Na. Ah, I remember my surgery like it was yesterday… so scary but I definitely have NO regrets! Congrats to you Byung Hyuk over your new eyes!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
How do you feel Byung Hyuk?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Understand the obstructions you are putting in the way of love, freedom, and happiness and they will drop. Turn on the light of awareness and the darkness will disappear. Happiness is not something you acquire; love is not something you produce; love is not something you have; love is something that has you.
-- Anthony De Mello
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Highlights of my Day... Tuesday, January 23
1. Weird phone calls… Young Chan, Colin, and Mrs. Jeong. Young Chan called me cause well, that’s what stalkers do… leave the country but still hunt you down. Colin called cause he apparently thinks he sees all his dreams when he looks in my eyes (I’m hoping he’s just trying to be poetic with his English practice and honestly doesn’t understand his words). And Mrs. Jeong called me to say she missed me… ahhh. Oh, that and to tell me the flight ticket was $40 more than originally quoted.
2. Sweet… the gym was quite empty today and so it meant I could focus more. I jumped on the treadmill and hustled my butt but then, out of all the free treadmills, this random dude has to come and run beside me.
3. Had a doctor’s appointment for my legs… again. Man, this doctor has me coming in every three days. However today, he wasn’t too impressed with my progress, or lack there of it I suppose I should say, so, he cranked up my medication and sent me to get a shot from the nurse.
4. It’s funny how my problem is with my legs and yet they give me a needle in the bum. Apparently that’s how things are done here in Korea. My friend went to the hospital for a cold once and got a shot in the bum and so I knew what was next. I suppose I’m just use to the arm shot, like in Canada.
5. Anyways, enough about the cultural differences… I totally embarrassed myself in front of the nurse today when she gestured for me to drop my pants. I lowered my pants but was definitely taken off guard when she repeatedly smacked my butt. I went into a gigglefest and went red in the face.
6. Just as I was leaving her house, I broke the news to Wild Child that I’ll be out of the country for three weeks and her mom got sad. Her mom insisted that I stay a little longer and eat some of the supper she had been preparing. I really wanted to go home and I should have left but instead I stayed.
7. Staying was my first mistake, agreeing to eat her “mystery” meat was my second mistake! I’ve eaten lots of unusual things here and so I’m use to not knowing what I’m eating. I’m cool with it too but my conscious tonight told me something was different with this meal. I think it was supposed to be a mixer of various meats in a pastry looking thing-a-mabob… ㅋㅋㅋ.
8. Ya… it wasn’t so cool after all. By midnight my stomach was groaning and doing summersaults. By 1am I thought it was over with but by 2am it all came out in the bathroom… nasty!
9. Cause of my tummy ache, sleeping was out of the question. So I tried to preoccupy myself by chatting online, washing my floor, curling my hair, drinking a whole pot of green tea, trying to reload my webcam, playing ball with Mi Nam, painting my finger nails hot pink, removing the nail polish (ㅋㅋㅋ), and taking random shots of Mi Nam.
10. By 3:50 am I still hadn’t fallen asleep and so I text messaged Kim Tae. A little while later he called me and told me he’d come over to look after me. I insisted he stayed home but nonetheless, it was really flattering that he’s such a dedicated friend to me. I’ve never even dated a guy who’d do that for me and yet here in Korea my friend is willing to be so sweet.
QUESTION OF THE DAY…
Should I tell her that her food made me sick?
QUOTE OF THE DAY…
The bagel, an unsweetened donut with rigor mortis.
-- Ira Freeman
2. Sweet… the gym was quite empty today and so it meant I could focus more. I jumped on the treadmill and hustled my butt but then, out of all the free treadmills, this random dude has to come and run beside me.
3. Had a doctor’s appointment for my legs… again. Man, this doctor has me coming in every three days. However today, he wasn’t too impressed with my progress, or lack there of it I suppose I should say, so, he cranked up my medication and sent me to get a shot from the nurse.
4. It’s funny how my problem is with my legs and yet they give me a needle in the bum. Apparently that’s how things are done here in Korea. My friend went to the hospital for a cold once and got a shot in the bum and so I knew what was next. I suppose I’m just use to the arm shot, like in Canada.
5. Anyways, enough about the cultural differences… I totally embarrassed myself in front of the nurse today when she gestured for me to drop my pants. I lowered my pants but was definitely taken off guard when she repeatedly smacked my butt. I went into a gigglefest and went red in the face.
6. Just as I was leaving her house, I broke the news to Wild Child that I’ll be out of the country for three weeks and her mom got sad. Her mom insisted that I stay a little longer and eat some of the supper she had been preparing. I really wanted to go home and I should have left but instead I stayed.
7. Staying was my first mistake, agreeing to eat her “mystery” meat was my second mistake! I’ve eaten lots of unusual things here and so I’m use to not knowing what I’m eating. I’m cool with it too but my conscious tonight told me something was different with this meal. I think it was supposed to be a mixer of various meats in a pastry looking thing-a-mabob… ㅋㅋㅋ.
8. Ya… it wasn’t so cool after all. By midnight my stomach was groaning and doing summersaults. By 1am I thought it was over with but by 2am it all came out in the bathroom… nasty!
9. Cause of my tummy ache, sleeping was out of the question. So I tried to preoccupy myself by chatting online, washing my floor, curling my hair, drinking a whole pot of green tea, trying to reload my webcam, playing ball with Mi Nam, painting my finger nails hot pink, removing the nail polish (ㅋㅋㅋ), and taking random shots of Mi Nam.
10. By 3:50 am I still hadn’t fallen asleep and so I text messaged Kim Tae. A little while later he called me and told me he’d come over to look after me. I insisted he stayed home but nonetheless, it was really flattering that he’s such a dedicated friend to me. I’ve never even dated a guy who’d do that for me and yet here in Korea my friend is willing to be so sweet.
QUESTION OF THE DAY…
Should I tell her that her food made me sick?
QUOTE OF THE DAY…
The bagel, an unsweetened donut with rigor mortis.
-- Ira Freeman
Monday, January 22, 2007
Highlights of my Day... Monday, January 22
1. During the holidays I had called various friends and family in Canada and so well, that’s not exactly cheap on a cell phone. So today I did the painful act of paying it… ahh… so painful!
2. Oh my gosh… Mi Nam did it again. I had only been out of the house for about 30 minutes and yet when I returned home, he had made such a mess. Kim Tae says I love Mi-Nam too much and so that’s why I don’t yell at him. Well, today I yelled at him. Mi-Nam sat in the corner and I felt so bad for yelling at him.
3. Thankfully Kim Tae is use to Mi Nam’s bad habit of making a mess when we leave the house and so he was totally cool about it. He went straight to work cleaning it up while I stood there with my hands on my head, saying “This ain’t cool!” over and over again.
4. With my trip to Canada fast approaching, I know I have to do so many things but I’m just not motivated to do anything. The extent of me preparing for my trip consists of countless random thoughts and making a list of things to do before I go and things I have to remember to bring.
5. Most of my evening consisted of playing ball with Mi Nam…. That’s his new hobby. Well, it’s tied for first with sleeping.
6. Well, it’s official, today I entered Mi Nam into his first puppy beauty contest… seriously! I entered his picture on an online site.
7. I tried to do some skipping in my house but Mi Nam kept on walking into the skipping rope (he doesn’t learn too quickly) and so I decided to go skip in the courtyard. Usually no one is in the courtyard this late at night and because it’s cold now, but tonight “Mr. Watch Man” was out, again. On several occasions, prior to today, I’ve gone skipping in the courtyard and this same guy comes out.
8. Mr. Watch Man watched me for about 20 minutes before I stopped and jetted for the stair well. I pretended like I was going home but then I flew up the stairs to the floor where I had seen him watching me. I didn’t know what I’d say to him had I confronted him but when I reached his floor he was gone.
9. With absolutely no plans tonight, I decided to venture back down to the courtyard. I brought a late night snack with me and then just sat there. I don’t know really what I was waiting for. Maybe I was hoping to run into Mr. Watch Man. I’m sure he’d be surprised to see me looking up at him… I wonder how he’d feel to be on the receiving end of his very own actions… hmm. Ok, so I was a little too bored tonight. ㅋㅋㅋ
10. I couldn’t fall asleep and so I resorted to doing random exercises around the house in attempt to tire myself out. I did numerous knuckle push-ups, squats, sit-ups, running on the spot, and air-punching. Finally at 2:30am I crashed, totally exhausted.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Who misses me or will miss me?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.
-- Timothy Leary
2. Oh my gosh… Mi Nam did it again. I had only been out of the house for about 30 minutes and yet when I returned home, he had made such a mess. Kim Tae says I love Mi-Nam too much and so that’s why I don’t yell at him. Well, today I yelled at him. Mi-Nam sat in the corner and I felt so bad for yelling at him.
3. Thankfully Kim Tae is use to Mi Nam’s bad habit of making a mess when we leave the house and so he was totally cool about it. He went straight to work cleaning it up while I stood there with my hands on my head, saying “This ain’t cool!” over and over again.
4. With my trip to Canada fast approaching, I know I have to do so many things but I’m just not motivated to do anything. The extent of me preparing for my trip consists of countless random thoughts and making a list of things to do before I go and things I have to remember to bring.
5. Most of my evening consisted of playing ball with Mi Nam…. That’s his new hobby. Well, it’s tied for first with sleeping.
6. Well, it’s official, today I entered Mi Nam into his first puppy beauty contest… seriously! I entered his picture on an online site.
7. I tried to do some skipping in my house but Mi Nam kept on walking into the skipping rope (he doesn’t learn too quickly) and so I decided to go skip in the courtyard. Usually no one is in the courtyard this late at night and because it’s cold now, but tonight “Mr. Watch Man” was out, again. On several occasions, prior to today, I’ve gone skipping in the courtyard and this same guy comes out.
8. Mr. Watch Man watched me for about 20 minutes before I stopped and jetted for the stair well. I pretended like I was going home but then I flew up the stairs to the floor where I had seen him watching me. I didn’t know what I’d say to him had I confronted him but when I reached his floor he was gone.
9. With absolutely no plans tonight, I decided to venture back down to the courtyard. I brought a late night snack with me and then just sat there. I don’t know really what I was waiting for. Maybe I was hoping to run into Mr. Watch Man. I’m sure he’d be surprised to see me looking up at him… I wonder how he’d feel to be on the receiving end of his very own actions… hmm. Ok, so I was a little too bored tonight. ㅋㅋㅋ
10. I couldn’t fall asleep and so I resorted to doing random exercises around the house in attempt to tire myself out. I did numerous knuckle push-ups, squats, sit-ups, running on the spot, and air-punching. Finally at 2:30am I crashed, totally exhausted.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Who misses me or will miss me?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition.
-- Timothy Leary
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Highlights of my Day... Sunday, January 21
1. Jumped on a bus headed to Seoul and did some shopping in Insadong with Kim Tae.. didn’t see Jenn this time though… :(
2. Since my family delayed Christmas and is waiting for my return, I went in search of the perfect gift. My quest lead me to numerous little shops where I was constantly offered various samples. I must have gone to the bathroom like a hundred times!
3. I did it… I finally did it. I found some butt-kicking gifts! Today Kim Tae and I finally found gifts that are special.
4. Scored some free hugs! Every time I come to Seoul I always see random people carry
ing around those “Free hug” signs. So, today I hugged two cute Korea girls. The second hug kind of sucked; she was too skinny for me to give her a good bear hug. But the first girl, she was so sweet and we giggled as we hugged each other.
5. I love you citron tea!!! Wow… Koreans really know a lot about good teas! Today Kim Tae and I sat in a super cozy, super cool tea house in Insadong. It was packed with plants and so I felt like I was sitting in an enchanted forest. Even the lights on the ceiling branched out from an artifical tree.
6. Taste-tested some of the yummiest (is that even a word?!) food from random street vendors.
7. With my countdown to Canada now in the single digits, I can’t stop thinking about Canada! Just think, this time next week I’ll be sitting in church with my parents listening to a full-fledge, English-only sermon.
8. Movie night at Cineplex Sambu consited of Mi Nam and me watching “Must love Dogs” (note the irony there…ha, ha, ha) and Kim Tae falling asleep 10 minutes into the movie.
9. What’s with my buddies and their over-the-top jealous girlfriends?!!! I tried to arrange a dinner with my old friend Ryan in Canada. He told me that’s cool but not to call his house when I’m in Canada cause his girl will have a freak-out. And then there’s Lee (yes Lee, I’m fully aware you’ll read this)… he told me his girlfriend insists on coming along for lunch. Thanks but no thanks. I’m not cool with being interigated by your jealous girl who deserves a slap of reality. Furthermore, a lot has happened this year and I’m not about to talk about personal things with your girl there.
10. A part of me wants to meet up with you silly men with your even sillier girls… I’ll show up late, show up looking super good and dressed to impressed. But instead, I’ll pass. I always thought highly of you dudes but this is sad. We’re not in high school anymore and so this isn’t cool. It’s time to grow up and get a REAL relationship! I always thought you deserved something so special, BUT, if you’re making excuses for your girl, then well, you deserve nothing else but each other!!!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do you want a free hug?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
I love hugging. I wish I was an octopus, so I could hug ten people at a time.
-- Drew Barrymore
2. Since my family delayed Christmas and is waiting for my return, I went in search of the perfect gift. My quest lead me to numerous little shops where I was constantly offered various samples. I must have gone to the bathroom like a hundred times!
3. I did it… I finally did it. I found some butt-kicking gifts! Today Kim Tae and I finally found gifts that are special.
4. Scored some free hugs! Every time I come to Seoul I always see random people carry
ing around those “Free hug” signs. So, today I hugged two cute Korea girls. The second hug kind of sucked; she was too skinny for me to give her a good bear hug. But the first girl, she was so sweet and we giggled as we hugged each other.5. I love you citron tea!!! Wow… Koreans really know a lot about good teas! Today Kim Tae and I sat in a super cozy, super cool tea house in Insadong. It was packed with plants and so I felt like I was sitting in an enchanted forest. Even the lights on the ceiling branched out from an artifical tree.
6. Taste-tested some of the yummiest (is that even a word?!) food from random street vendors.
7. With my countdown to Canada now in the single digits, I can’t stop thinking about Canada! Just think, this time next week I’ll be sitting in church with my parents listening to a full-fledge, English-only sermon.
8. Movie night at Cineplex Sambu consited of Mi Nam and me watching “Must love Dogs” (note the irony there…ha, ha, ha) and Kim Tae falling asleep 10 minutes into the movie.
9. What’s with my buddies and their over-the-top jealous girlfriends?!!! I tried to arrange a dinner with my old friend Ryan in Canada. He told me that’s cool but not to call his house when I’m in Canada cause his girl will have a freak-out. And then there’s Lee (yes Lee, I’m fully aware you’ll read this)… he told me his girlfriend insists on coming along for lunch. Thanks but no thanks. I’m not cool with being interigated by your jealous girl who deserves a slap of reality. Furthermore, a lot has happened this year and I’m not about to talk about personal things with your girl there.
10. A part of me wants to meet up with you silly men with your even sillier girls… I’ll show up late, show up looking super good and dressed to impressed. But instead, I’ll pass. I always thought highly of you dudes but this is sad. We’re not in high school anymore and so this isn’t cool. It’s time to grow up and get a REAL relationship! I always thought you deserved something so special, BUT, if you’re making excuses for your girl, then well, you deserve nothing else but each other!!!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do you want a free hug?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
I love hugging. I wish I was an octopus, so I could hug ten people at a time.
-- Drew Barrymore
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Highlights of my Day... Saturday, January 20
1. Had a totally western breakfast out in Songtan. Bacon, ham, eggs, hashbrowns, and toast. Mind ya, they also threw in some cooked tomatoes and salad. It was great!
2. Went red in the face at the movie store where I occasionally shop at as Kim Tae giggled. The young Korean guy there always puts my order as a priority and sometimes we chat in Korea, which I’m sure he likes considering he’s constantly bombarded with English-only Americans who live on base. Anyway, he always sneaks me a free movie and so today was no exception.
3. As Kim Tae and exited the subway station I was approached by a young Korean man. At first I had no idea who he was and then he laughed. I reconized the laugh right away… it was my friend Young Un from my old gym where I use to live in Korea. I haven’t seen him in a year and now his hair is much longer. Ahh… I miss my old gym soooooo much! Young Un and I use to always have silly competitions… like who can do the most chin-ups, push-ups, or skip the longest.
4. Got into quite a retarded argument with one of Korea’s dumbest taxi drivers who refused to listen to me, acted all dumb when I spoke Korean to him, and then he had the nerve to call me Russian. Maybe you don’t know, but, most Koreans think most pretty girls here are Russian and if you’re Russian, well, they think you must be a prostitute! So what if I am or am not Russian… you can’t go labelling people like that. I’ve met my share of idiotic Koreans but you don’t hear me saying that ALL of Korea is stupid. Stupid people are everywhere and it doesn’t have to do with what country they’re from.
5. Anyway, I told the taxi driver I was Russian (just for aruguements’ sake) and then told him I was a professor at Dankook University. He looked quite confused and so he mumbled something. He ended up not even driving me home and so I refused to pay the full price. Instead, I gave him most of the due fare and then asked him if he was Japanese (most Koreans don’t like Japanese so you can imagine he was pretty insulted). I didn’t care. I don’t like rude, ignorant punks. It served him right.
6. Came home to an explosion at the DMZ (Dong Master Zone) due to who else but the Dong Master! Well, it’s no secret… Mi Nam (Dong Master) eats his poop. Don’t ask me why but it’s so nasty. Maybe he thinks it’s his way of helping me clean up… yuck!
7. Much to my surprise, arrived home and was greeted by Kim Tae. I still am clueless as to how he arrived here before me considering he walked me to my taxi. Weird.
8. Definitely wasn’t impressed with Mi Nam and all the shredded newspaper everywhere and so I sat him on the couch and gave him “time out”…ha, ha, ha. It was quite cute actually but because he doesn’t know how to jump down, he started to cry and so then I lectured him…ㅋㅋㅋ.
9. Took Mi Nam for a walk and wow.. he was such a guy-magnet! A simple 5 minute walk to Kimbab Nala turned into quite the social event. The funniest was when I called out Mi Nam’s name and some guy waiting for a taxi gave me a look as if I was calling out to him… cause well, “mi-nam” means “handsome” and ya, that guy was quite good-looking…ㅋㅋㅋ
10. Curled up on the floor with a blanket, Mi Nam and a good movie.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do stupid people know they're stupid or are they too stupid to know?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Stupid people should just be shot.
-- random friend
2. Went red in the face at the movie store where I occasionally shop at as Kim Tae giggled. The young Korean guy there always puts my order as a priority and sometimes we chat in Korea, which I’m sure he likes considering he’s constantly bombarded with English-only Americans who live on base. Anyway, he always sneaks me a free movie and so today was no exception.
3. As Kim Tae and exited the subway station I was approached by a young Korean man. At first I had no idea who he was and then he laughed. I reconized the laugh right away… it was my friend Young Un from my old gym where I use to live in Korea. I haven’t seen him in a year and now his hair is much longer. Ahh… I miss my old gym soooooo much! Young Un and I use to always have silly competitions… like who can do the most chin-ups, push-ups, or skip the longest.
4. Got into quite a retarded argument with one of Korea’s dumbest taxi drivers who refused to listen to me, acted all dumb when I spoke Korean to him, and then he had the nerve to call me Russian. Maybe you don’t know, but, most Koreans think most pretty girls here are Russian and if you’re Russian, well, they think you must be a prostitute! So what if I am or am not Russian… you can’t go labelling people like that. I’ve met my share of idiotic Koreans but you don’t hear me saying that ALL of Korea is stupid. Stupid people are everywhere and it doesn’t have to do with what country they’re from.
5. Anyway, I told the taxi driver I was Russian (just for aruguements’ sake) and then told him I was a professor at Dankook University. He looked quite confused and so he mumbled something. He ended up not even driving me home and so I refused to pay the full price. Instead, I gave him most of the due fare and then asked him if he was Japanese (most Koreans don’t like Japanese so you can imagine he was pretty insulted). I didn’t care. I don’t like rude, ignorant punks. It served him right.
6. Came home to an explosion at the DMZ (Dong Master Zone) due to who else but the Dong Master! Well, it’s no secret… Mi Nam (Dong Master) eats his poop. Don’t ask me why but it’s so nasty. Maybe he thinks it’s his way of helping me clean up… yuck!
7. Much to my surprise, arrived home and was greeted by Kim Tae. I still am clueless as to how he arrived here before me considering he walked me to my taxi. Weird.
8. Definitely wasn’t impressed with Mi Nam and all the shredded newspaper everywhere and so I sat him on the couch and gave him “time out”…ha, ha, ha. It was quite cute actually but because he doesn’t know how to jump down, he started to cry and so then I lectured him…ㅋㅋㅋ.
9. Took Mi Nam for a walk and wow.. he was such a guy-magnet! A simple 5 minute walk to Kimbab Nala turned into quite the social event. The funniest was when I called out Mi Nam’s name and some guy waiting for a taxi gave me a look as if I was calling out to him… cause well, “mi-nam” means “handsome” and ya, that guy was quite good-looking…ㅋㅋㅋ
10. Curled up on the floor with a blanket, Mi Nam and a good movie.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do stupid people know they're stupid or are they too stupid to know?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Stupid people should just be shot.
-- random friend
Friday, January 19, 2007
Highlights of my Day... Friday, January 19
1. Had my first real argument with Byung Hyuk. We argued about Wednesday’s snowboarding trip and the fact that I didn’t eat dinner with them. The argument left us both upset but I think I was more upset them him. Byung Hyuk is like family to me and so I spent the afternoon moping around my house.
2. Meet Wild Child’s Korean teacher who just happens to be close to my age and super cute!... Wild Child’s mom thought we’d be a good match and so she was eager to introduce me to him. Honestly, I just wanted to look at him. I have no interest in meeting any more men and so I rushed out of the room to play with Wild Child… ㅋㅋㅋ
3. Kim Tae and I realized too late that we were on an express train and so we missed our stop. That’s ok, get on the next train right?! Ya… if only it was that simple. Leave it to me, a stubborn Western woman and Kim Tae, an overly shy Korean man, to make the situation difficult!
4. Finally arrived in Songtan… we were an hour late and not in good moods. I searched out Gangster Boy and then Trouble Boy ended up searching me out. Yes… I’m friends with Trouble Boy again, despite all the drama and trouble he causes (hence his nickname)
5. I’ve never been one to believe in magic but I do believe in miracles and tonight Gangster Boy totally performed a miracle, seriously! About half a year ago the club owner at particular club in Songtan had an argument with some random Canadian girl and, as a result, the girl punched him in the face!!! Since then, he’s held a huge grudge and dispises us Canadian girls (that’s ok, I’m not offended… I’m Polish/Austrian…ㅋㅋㅋ). He refuses to let any Canadians into his club and so on a few rare occasions, Gangster Boy has been successful with sneeking me in the back door. Once we got stopped and so he told the waitresses that I’m his wife. Well tonight, and this is the miracle I mentioned, Gangster Boy was able to have me walk right through the front door. The doorman even bowed to me!!!
6. Turns out Gangster Boy had to meet with the manager to discus me coming in. So now, the tall tale about our “marriage” continues. The manager is fully aware of some of my life’s details (jobs, home in Cheonan, age) but still thinks I’m married…ㅋㅋㅋ. He kind of watched me like a hawk, or so it felt, and so I was amused by it. I’m sure he definitely questions our “marriage” after he saw me clinging onto Kim Tae’s arm…ㅋㅋㅋ
7. Holy sensory overload for Kim Tae. If you’ve ever been to a club in Songtan you’ll understand. It’s loaded to the brim with old Korean women serving beer to testosteronine high American men and their overly hyper female friends who are busy busting a move on the dance floor in attempts that the men will look at them as oppose to the “juicies” walking around wearing… well, I’m not sure but it’s not much. Ok… so there’s my sarcastic idea on Songtan but I’m sorry.. it’s true. And then add Kim Tae… a totally sheltered, incredibly innocent country boy (sorry Kim Tae but it’s true). I thought it was funny but at the same time couldn’t help but feel somewhat guilty for corrupting him.
8. Had a mini dance off with Gangster Boy and Trouble Boy… it was so hilarious. Trouble Boy walked away defeated and so I rubbed in my victory by posing a “L” on my forehead with my hand and then dancing up a storm.
9. All those dance lessons I gave Kim Tae and what did he do tonight? Sit and watch me dance. He attempted a few times… only cause I made a scene and grabbed him off his chair…ㅋㅋㅋ
10. The waitresses (older Korean women) were totally loving the fact that I was there with a Korean guy. Actually, Kim Tae was one of the only Korean guys there and so they wouldn't leave me alone on this one...ㅋㅋㅋ
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do you smell burnt toast?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.
--Japanese Proverb
2. Meet Wild Child’s Korean teacher who just happens to be close to my age and super cute!... Wild Child’s mom thought we’d be a good match and so she was eager to introduce me to him. Honestly, I just wanted to look at him. I have no interest in meeting any more men and so I rushed out of the room to play with Wild Child… ㅋㅋㅋ
3. Kim Tae and I realized too late that we were on an express train and so we missed our stop. That’s ok, get on the next train right?! Ya… if only it was that simple. Leave it to me, a stubborn Western woman and Kim Tae, an overly shy Korean man, to make the situation difficult!
4. Finally arrived in Songtan… we were an hour late and not in good moods. I searched out Gangster Boy and then Trouble Boy ended up searching me out. Yes… I’m friends with Trouble Boy again, despite all the drama and trouble he causes (hence his nickname)
5. I’ve never been one to believe in magic but I do believe in miracles and tonight Gangster Boy totally performed a miracle, seriously! About half a year ago the club owner at particular club in Songtan had an argument with some random Canadian girl and, as a result, the girl punched him in the face!!! Since then, he’s held a huge grudge and dispises us Canadian girls (that’s ok, I’m not offended… I’m Polish/Austrian…ㅋㅋㅋ). He refuses to let any Canadians into his club and so on a few rare occasions, Gangster Boy has been successful with sneeking me in the back door. Once we got stopped and so he told the waitresses that I’m his wife. Well tonight, and this is the miracle I mentioned, Gangster Boy was able to have me walk right through the front door. The doorman even bowed to me!!!
6. Turns out Gangster Boy had to meet with the manager to discus me coming in. So now, the tall tale about our “marriage” continues. The manager is fully aware of some of my life’s details (jobs, home in Cheonan, age) but still thinks I’m married…ㅋㅋㅋ. He kind of watched me like a hawk, or so it felt, and so I was amused by it. I’m sure he definitely questions our “marriage” after he saw me clinging onto Kim Tae’s arm…ㅋㅋㅋ
7. Holy sensory overload for Kim Tae. If you’ve ever been to a club in Songtan you’ll understand. It’s loaded to the brim with old Korean women serving beer to testosteronine high American men and their overly hyper female friends who are busy busting a move on the dance floor in attempts that the men will look at them as oppose to the “juicies” walking around wearing… well, I’m not sure but it’s not much. Ok… so there’s my sarcastic idea on Songtan but I’m sorry.. it’s true. And then add Kim Tae… a totally sheltered, incredibly innocent country boy (sorry Kim Tae but it’s true). I thought it was funny but at the same time couldn’t help but feel somewhat guilty for corrupting him.
8. Had a mini dance off with Gangster Boy and Trouble Boy… it was so hilarious. Trouble Boy walked away defeated and so I rubbed in my victory by posing a “L” on my forehead with my hand and then dancing up a storm.
9. All those dance lessons I gave Kim Tae and what did he do tonight? Sit and watch me dance. He attempted a few times… only cause I made a scene and grabbed him off his chair…ㅋㅋㅋ
10. The waitresses (older Korean women) were totally loving the fact that I was there with a Korean guy. Actually, Kim Tae was one of the only Korean guys there and so they wouldn't leave me alone on this one...ㅋㅋㅋ
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do you smell burnt toast?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.
--Japanese Proverb
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Highlights of my Day... Thursday, January 18
1. Well I did it… boredom with my hair set in again and so I changed my hair yet again. I’m sure my mom is convinced I change my hair more than I change my clothes…ha, ha, ha. Today I thought I’d change it up for my upcoming trip to Canada.
2. Yup, I did it… I cut my hair shorter. Updated my shag hair style with more layers, coloured it a deep chocolate brown and then added some spicy mahogany highlights around my face area. Very trendy!
3. She-Ann (my friend/hair stylist) was rather nervous doing my hair. She kept on giving me that, “are you ok… do you like your hair?” look but I’m cool… it’s just hair. “Trust me She-Ann”, I told her, “In a month I’ll probably change it again… and if all else fails, I look cute in hats…ㅋㅋㅋ”
4. Hey Jenn… as for that note I posted for Kim Tae last night, well, because of it we didn’t speak all day. I think we were both upset and unsure of what to say.
5. BUT… Kim Tae showed up at my house around 3pm with sushi, and not just any sushi, my favourite sushi from my favourite sushi restaurant! We agreed to try harder to understand each other’s culture and so he asked me to start teaching him about Canadian history and culture… cool! Leave it to Kim Tae to totally patch things up perfectly!
6. Spent a good part of my day planning my trip to Canada. I’ll be staying at my parents’ house for the first and last couple of days of my trip but for the most part, I’ll be staying at my old house in Toronto. My former roommate still lives there but it’s going to kind of weird being a guest in what was once my house!
7. So far, my itinerary for my trip consists of the following:
- a girls’ night out
a birthday celebration for my father
a surprise party (well, not such a surprise party now)
a trip to Casino Niagara
a visit to my old high school
training at my old gym, System Fitness
a second try at celebrating Christmas, so that means we’ll have a big Berezowski feast
a 911 Wednesday night at Crocodile Rock
a typical Friday club night out
a sparring match (boxing…starring me!)
… and about a dozen and a half lunch and dinner dates with friends!
9. Today I dropped by my favourite make-up shop. The shop is definitely more expensive than other places but it’s one of those places that you definitely get quality in return! Moreover, the lady always remembers me and gives me freebies... ㅋㅋㅋ Today she hooked up me up with some kick-a## foundation. It cost me an arm and a leg but she hooked me up included some free face emulsion, lotion and even an eye shadow brush. Very cool!
10. Movie night once again at Cineplex-Sambu… we watched “Monster In-Law” starring Jennifer Lopez. JLo didn’t look so great in the movie but wow, Jane Fonda looked incrediably stunning! It’s obvious she’s aged beautifully and time has definitely been good to her… wow!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do you feel lucky?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Aging is not ‘lost youth’ but a new stage of opportunity and strength
-- Betty Friedan
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