As the story has it, one day I headed to the opposite side of the globe – the Flipside. I arrived in Korea February 16th, 2005 and thought I’d do a year, then leave. I was wrong. I stayed, launched my first company, Flipside Fitness, and then opened Korea's largest boxing club, Hulk's Boxing (now called Hulk's Club).

After 11.5yrs in Korea, I then picked up one day and returned to Toronto, Canada. But then I left again.

Now I live in the Philippines where I am the CEO and head coach of Empowered Clubhouse, the Philippines' first and only boxing clubhouse exclusively just for women. I also am the founder of the Lil' Sistas Project, CEO and designer of Slay Gear and Baa Baa Black Sheep .Ph.

Monday, April 30, 2007

Cool... My closest celebrity match was one of my favorite actresses, Sandra Bullock.
I tried a picture of Mi Nam but apparently he doesn't look like any celebrity... hehehe!!!
Okay, so I'm not one to believe in superstitions or luck, but I thought this would be fun to post. So, go ahead and test it out.

Highlights of my Day... Monday, April 30

1. Woke up totally knowing that I must have spent most of the night rubbing the heck out of my eyes…..ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Itchy eyes go away pleeeeeeeeeese!
2. Pretty Boy dropped by. We were going to go to the bank and out for lunch together. But, before we headed out, I stopped and looked at him; I felt so happy. Yesterday was intense between us but because I saw this whole sensitive side of him, I trust him now. I wanted to explain this to him but I didn’t know how to and so I just wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him tightly. He’s so beautiful to me.
3. Pretty Boy carried my large stack of student workbooks into the office and so instantly he became the talk of the office. I can’t say I wasn’t loving it though. The assistants (Koreans) were all curiously watching him and so when he left, they had tons of questions for me. Yes… I love Pretty Boy!!!
4. Started handing back student midterm evaluations regarding their interviews and after class one student stayed behind to argue his mark. He got 93%, go figure!
5. I’m assuming my co-worker was having a bit of a bad day when I asked a simple question and he freaked out on my head. Today his little son and his son’s 2 friends came into the office, all speaking English. So, I asked him, “Does your son speak Korean?” My co-worker is American and I know his wife is Korean but I was hesitant to assume his son spoke Korean because he came in with 2 Korean friends and they all were speaking fluent English. I know some Americans at Osan Air Force base who’ve married Korean but their kids go to an all-English school. Anyway, he had a bit of spaz on me and called me discriminative, which was totally uncalled for. I thought my question wasn’t rude. Hey… I’m Polish but you don’t hear me speaking fluent Polish. I know more Korean than Polish.
6. I can somewhat understand where he’s coming from because last year I use to get a lot of silly questions regarding my ex and I. People use to always ask me how I communicate with him cause he’s Korean, I always thought that was kind of a retarded question.
7. Ten minutes later, things had cooled down, we both apologized for the misunderstanding and so things were back to being cool again. Don’t get me wrong, I do really respect my co-worker but the irony was that he was being the very thing he was accusing me of, discriminative.
8. Chatted up a storm with one of my friends on msn. She thought it’d be funny to play a little game of “Truth or Lie”. The object of the game was to guess the other person’s lie among a list of truths. Here’s my list, see if you can spot my lies.

FIVE TRUTHS, TWO LIES (in no particular order):
a. I use to be a model.
b. I can speak four languages.
c. I have a tattoo on my neck.
d. I once was stabbed.
e. I’ve read the entire Bible.
f. I am a known TV celebrity in Canada.
g. I drink about a liter of milk a day.


9. Worked late into the evening marking more midterms and workbooks. I felt like I was reliving my university days when I use to stay late at the library and then wait outside for the bus. I remember looking up at the darkened campus housing windows and envying them for being able to sleep while I was stressing over whatever essay or report I was sweating over and standing outside alone at the bus stop. What I wouldn’t give to have my father walk in the room and ask me, “How’s it going?” or for my mom to call out for me and invite me to the table for coffee.
10. Poor Mi Nam’s eyes were bloodshot from staying up so late with me. He tried to sleep but, like always, with every movement I make, he wakes up to curiously investigate what I’m doing or to follow me around the room.


QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do you know which 2 are lies?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Expect the unexpected.
-- Author Unknown

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Here's me trying to focus on marking 200 student workbooks and exams.
Key word being "trying". Mi Nam kept on creeping up on me to steal kisses...hehehe.
I don't consider myself fat by any means but I just thought this was so funny.
Sounds like something I would definitely say!

Highlights of my Day... Sunday, April 29

1. It’s ironic how in such an intense moment of emotion and heartache, something so beautiful can emerge and how tears of sadness can suddenly open your eyes to a whole new way of viewing things and can become tears of happiness. Today, I got into an argument in which I said something totally uncalled for. Leave it to me to put my foot in my mouth. Anyway, as soon as I said it, I regretted it, but then something so amazing happened. With tears streaming down and our hearts pounding, I then understood him and he instantly went from being cute to being so incredibly beautiful. I was amazed!
2. People’s Magazine has officially placed singer Rain on their list of “Most Beautiful People”, making him the first South Korean to make their list. I beg to differ though. I can name one Korean who should be on that list, for sure! No,… it isn’t Hyun Bin. I’m talking about a real, I-know-him, Korean.
3. No… I’m NOT referring to Mi Nam…hehehe.
4. Turns out Mi Nam doesn’t learn things so easily and is quite the brave boy. Today he chewed on yet another lighter. I had left it on the couch and he grabbed it… POP! Ya, he jumped a mile. He’s Danger-Boy!!!
5. Spent most of the evening stressing over marking student midterms, quizzes, workbooks, and then having to record all the marks in the computer.
6. I admit it, later in the evening when I was home alone and Mi Nam was sleeping, I started thinking about the situation with my friends, specifically Byung Hyuk. But then it hit me, why should I be sad?! If he wants to leave me, okay, go and leave me. I don’t want a friend that gives up so easily on me.
7. Much later in the evening, say around 11pm, I went up to the 14th floor balcony… that’s where I usually go to clear my head. Anyway, I got
thinking again and then realized, I have a pretty awesome life and so to waste my time on people who are only trying to pull me down just isn’t right or healthy. It was once said to me that no one can make you feel any less than you are unless you let them, and I agree. And so, I started thinking about who I am.
8. I’m a 26 year old talented, intelligent woman. I’m a dedicated university professor to about 200 awesome students, an outgoing team player to some pretty cool co-workers, a positive big “sister” to Giggle Girl, Jane and Jenny who totally adore and admire me, a true friend to those who respect me and understand my worth, a healthy and strong athlete, a powerful role model to others, a talented musician, a striving trilingual language student. An honest girlfriend to a beautiful man who loves me, a beloved daughter to a beautiful mother who taught me how to be proud of myself, a hardworking daughter to an intelligent father who taught me how to earn success, a successful sister to two successful brothers, a fun mother to a dog who can’t seem to get enough of me, and an all-round good girl.
9. And so, if “they” don’t want to be my friend and think they can find someone better… go ahead. I’m in NO position to beg for
friendship. I’d rather have no friends than fake friends. God has definitely blessed me with some pretty awesome friends though!
10. Someone once told me that people come into your life for one of three reasons… a minute, a moment, or a lifetime. Having said that, it’s obvious things happen for a reason and so maybe my time with him was suppose to end here, I don’t know. But what I do know is that tomorrow, friend or no friend, I will still wake up and find reasons to smile. This is just a bump in the road, but the road doesn’t end here. It continues regardless of whether or not they’re on it or not.


QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What are you waiting for?

QUOTE OF THE DAY....
Things sweet to taste prove in digestion sour.
-- William Shakespeare

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Out of all the people I hold dear to my heart, never could I ever imagine you'd be the one to make me cry.

Highlights of my Day... Saturday, April 28

1. Byung Hyuk didn't show up for lunch today. Little did I know, I was in for the shock of my life!
2. Just the other day Byung Hyuk told me, “Love is a gift from God” and yet today, because of this gift that I considered myself so blessed to have, he ended our friendship. He said it was wrong… I think he is wrong.
3. Byung Hyuk will never know how much he meant in my life. Maybe I was always just the girl he practiced English with but to me, I valued him like family.
4. And so I cried…. I cried because I will miss Byung Hyuk so much. I miss him already.
5. I respect Byung Hyuk for his incrediable strong beliefs but I don’t respect how he told me… by text message. We are friends! He couldn’t even tell me to my face and so, because I was advised not to text him back, I’m venting on my homepage.
6. They say whatever doesn’t break you, makes you stronger and I believe this to be true. My feelings for Pretty Boy are all that much more stronger because of all this drama. We're both going through crap because of friends we loved and always will love.
7. After such a stressful afternoon, I tried to breath again. Thankfully Pretty Boy was there to comfort me and so we ordered in food and I tried to make the best of the evening.
8. I love Korean food!!! Both our mouths and tongues were left numb from the super spicy chicken… I love it! I can’t seem to get enough of the hot spicy flavour! And to think, two years ago this would have made me sick for days!
9. Headed out for a bit with some friends and then watched them play pocketball. I think I’ve figured out this game but I’m still clueless as to how they do the scoring.
10. By the end of the night I was doing much better but none the less, still very hurt by Byung Hyuk totally ditching me today. I said a prayer for him today before I went to bed and hoped that tomorrow I’d wake up and this would all just be a bad dream.


QUESTION OF THE DAY...
How could you call me your friend and then leave me like this?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Look further.
-- Jyung Hyoi

Friday, April 27, 2007

Look at these two, so romantic...hehehe! They looked into each other's eyes and then kissed. Hannah and Mi Nam had their first official kiss today and I caught it on camera. What a Kodak moment!
Acting like a fool just cause, well, it was funny!
Notice the dark, dark hair?! No? Yes? Don't worry... the only one that really noticed that I had changed my hair to a deep dark chocolate brown was the Kimbab Nala lady.

Highlights of my Day... Friday, April 27

1. With all these midterms, marking quizzes and now my retarded idea of collecting EVERY student's workbook, I've been feeling a bit stressed. I've been getting quite frustrated with my marking system and the Excel program I've been using. So today when I put my head down on my office desk and over heard my coworkers playing video games, I got that more frustrated.
2. Swung around in my chair and asked them how, in such a busy school week, can they find the free time to play games at work, when here I am coming in early, leaving late, and sweating over my marking. Well, unlike me, they've been at the university for quite some years and know the tricks of the trade. It definitely would have been nice if they had past on some words of the wise to me. Instead, and I know they didn't do this intentionally, I've been struggling on my own trying to solve my own answers.
3. I really didn't need to walk into midterm interviews all stressed and so when Pretty Boy and his friend surprised me at school and treated me to lunch, I was SO happy. He's awesome and he was EXACTLY what I needed today!

4. After another hour of testing, I had a break and so I called up Hannah and took her downtown to do some window shopping and for ice cream. I had more testing to do and so we rushed back in a taxi... driven by some crazy driver! I'm serious. He was NOT normal!
5. Hip-hip, hooray! Hip-hip, hooray! Hip-hip, hooray! Three loud cheers for midterm finish day!!! FINALLY finished doing my midterm interviews at the university. It's been a very, very long week and I'
m exhausted. But, I guess it wasn't that bad. I mean, I did get a lot of banana milk, lollipops, chocolates, juices, and "I love you"s from students.
6. The last student I tested was an older student in my evening class who's English is quite high. We stayed behind after class chatting and he joked to me saying that he doesn't view me as a foreign girl. And you know what, I think so too. I mean, whenever I walk down the street with my friends and I spot a foreigner, I always nudge them and say, "Look.. foreign person!" I know I'm a foreigner in that I'm not Korean but I feel quite at home with my fellow Koreans.
7. Celebrated the ending of midterms with Pretty Boy at Mainz. I love that restaurant and apparently one of the waitresses loves me coming there too...hehehe. Like before, she sent over a full plate of massive mushrooms for us to chow down on. Cool, thanks!
8. After eating way too much meat and totally enjoying the accompaniment of Pretty Boy at the restaurant, I came home totally pumped and full of energy. Called up Hannah and told her to wake up... we're going out! She had been sleeping but, and this is where being in Korea is awesome, I'm her senior and so I guess she felt she couldn't really say no.

9. While I was waiting for Hannah to wake up and head out, I got chatting with my good friend Errol on msn. I miss that guy. He's a great friend and an awesome person. I was way too hyper to focus on our conversation and so instead I turned on the mic and video cam and turned my office into a mix between a virtual singing room and a fashion show... starring old school beats and my numerous sun glasses... hehehe.
10. Headed to MBar for a bit and then Hannah suggested we go to Club Sizzi. Besides one white dude, who couldn't really dance (hehehe), I was the only foreigner and so it got us a lot of attention. Hannah's a great girl and we had a lot of fun busting a move on the speakers. One of the DJs was loving us too and so he gave us plenty of shout outs.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Can you dance?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.
-- Oprah Winfrey

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Sure... these two mini Koreans look so cute, but don't be deceived. You have NO idea how long it took me to get them to stay still for the picture!!! Ha, ha, ha.
My mini Korean teacher... Namin.
She's super young but is so funny to talk to. I love practicing my Korean on her!

Highlights of My Day... Thursday, April 26

1. Day 3 of interviewing students for their midterms and it’s getting quite boring for me. Today I must have interviewed about 65 students… it took 5 hours!!!
2. Note to self: scrap the interview idea next semester!!!
3. One of possible the questions on the midterm was “What is your ideal mate?” We had discussed this in great length in class. We had talked about personality, shared interests and whatnot that people look for in ideal mates. But when it came to testing time, most students talked about looks and materialistic things.
4. Apparently most boys in my class think the Korean singer “Ivy” is their ideal mate because she has long legs, is sexy and wild. Whereas, many girls said their ideal mate would have a lot of money and a car. Don’t get me wrong, I was definitely amused but they bombed on that question.
5. Put on my best poker face at the store today when I went to go pick up my necklace and it was so different than what I had ordered. Instead of a cute little name necklace with two stars, the lady handed me this tacky, chunky necklace that looked like it was straight out of some gangster music video. I wasn’t rude about it but instead I told the lady I didn’t like it and walked away. I walked away hoping that she’d stop me, and she did. She came flying around the counter and, within 5 minutes, I was heading out again but this time with a recent for a newly designed necklace.
6. I’m so sick of two-faced people who talk so much about friendship and then turn around and totally ditch their friends because of their own immaturity and selfishness. I think that’s totally disrespectful but you know what, regardless of what I may say or do, people like this eventually DO get dealt with… it’s called karma. What goes around, comes around and so one day, somehow, somewhere, karma’s going to sneak up on them and bite them in the bum.
7. .... and so, the show stops here. Good-bye You.
8. Looks like Kim Tae’s not the only irrational one dropping friends like flies… Wild Child and Giggle Girl are no longer friends. Mrs. Kim told Wild Child’s mom that her daughter’s English was much higher than Wild Child’s (which is only the obvious truth) and this made Wild Child’s mom snap! She pulled Wild Child out of all activities where both daughters participate.
9. Ironically, this is good news for me… very good news. Now it means I’m no longer the middle person between these two and so I can cut myself out of the picture now…. Great!
10. A few months back I had bought a pellet gun at LotteMart just for the fun of it. But the problem is it’s quite powerful and when I shot it off in my house, cause of the hardwood flooring, the pellet bounces like crazy, all over the place. Anyway, Pretty Boy (oh… new name for Mystery Man) found use for it. When ever Mi Nam jumps on the couch or goes near him, he just points the gun at Mi Nam. He doesn’t shot Mi Nam, don’t worry. I know it sounds a bit cruel but I have to admit, it’s super funny to see. Pretty Boy grabs the gun, shakes it and acts all tough and Mi Nam totally responds to it by backing off and calming down… ha, ha, ha.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
How's your karma?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
To be mature means to face, and not evade, every fresh crisis that comes.
-- Fritz Kunkel

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Sushi.... yummy!
There I sat with my favorite Korean, eating sushi and enjoying my day off... sweet!

You know Mi Nam's totally Korean when he falls asleep looking at himself in the mirror!

Highlights of my Day... Wednesday, April 25

1. My eyes, nose and face were super itchy today and so I must have washed my face about a million and one times. I think it’s the China yellow sand that’s bothering me. I went through this whole itchy face situation last year. Sooooo itchy!!!
2. Am convinced Mi Nam is the worse walker yet!!! He pulls on the leash and tries to weave in between my legs as I walk!
3. Another thing I’m convinced of, I’m convinced Mi Nam’s vet is a better business man than a vet. He had texted my phone saying that Mi Nam needed a check-up but when I brought him in today, the vet was clueless as to why I was there. He claimed I had to give Mi Nam heart worm medicine and so I bought into his story, mind ya, I did so only cause I wanted to get out of there. Later, I sat down to look at the medicine. Turns out there was English on the box.
4. Banking took over an hour cause my parent’s use a bank that’s a sub-bank of a bigger bank and so the KB bank man here in Korea was having a heck of a time trying to track down a bank that technically doesn’t have it’s own building.
5. Had lunch at the sushi bar in LotteMart. It was kind of expensive which is rather ironic considering it’s not even cooked. It’s a few pieces of raw fished slapped on a ball of rice and then kept together with a piece of seaweed… oh, but I love it!
6. Ordered in for dinner and, while sitting there, I realized… I love him. Now, I’m no fool to love, nor am I ignorant about it but I know that I do love him. I don’t know the extent to which I d but I definitely feel it, for sure. Moreover, given the current drama that we've both been forced to deal with, I think that has definitely brought us closer and deepened the bond. When he sends me texts, messages me on msn, calls me, says my name, looks at me…. it’s there, I can feel it. I’ve always believed that there’s two types of love… one that takes time to notice, the other that hits you from the start. This has definitely caught me off guard and I’ve never experienced it before… it’s so fresh, so exciting,… so awesome.
7. … and so I told him.
8. Definitely had a good laugh today when I read my mom’s email. She had used the word “doofus”.... ha, ha, ha. That was my favorite word back in grade school... ha, ha, ha.
9. Have officially renamed Mi Nam and dropped his father’s name. Now he goes by my Korean family name, Jo…. Jo Mi Nam. Things are changing here and, along with Mi Nam’s new name, I have officially added saying “his” (KT) name to my house rules as one of the things forbidden in my house.
10. Tension reached an all-time high as two of my friends sat down to talk like mature adults, well, one of them at least. I was so tempted to march right over there and give him a good kick in the butt but he’s a. not worth my time anymore and b. I refuse to lower myself to his ridiculous level.


QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's the plans for Saturday?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Love is everything it's cracked up to be…It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for.
-- Erica Jong

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

I love it... thanks Jane! I love my new Harajuku Girls wallet... gotta love Gwen Stefani... gotta love my sister Jane!!!
Here's my little boy chilling like a villian... ha, ha, ha. He's claimed my favorite sweater as his. What a guy.

Highlights of my Day... Tuesday, April 24

1. No, I’m not sad…. Just frustrated. I’m not stressed… just stressed about one situation.
2. Day 2 of midterms. Thought it was funny when one student caught on to my little trick. You see, I had prepared them in advance with 20 possible interview questions. They had to pick 5 random chopsticks from my glass. Each chopstick had a number on them. Mind ya, before hand, I had omitted three questions and added doubles of some of the harder questions. Only one student noticed… he counted the chopsticks during the interview and counted 23…. Ha, ha, ha.
3. Got kind of frustrated with my first class today when they tried to play all dumb. I asked them if they got my email I sent them… all 200 of my students actually. They said they didn’t understand it… didn’t understand it?! I had totally gone out of my way to get it translated into Korean and then I typed it up!!! I tried to laugh it off though and so I asked them what language I should use next time… Chinese? French?... holy lazy students!!!
4. Feeling a bit stressed with having to interview 200 students and mark their workbooks. I wish I could just focus on my work this weekend but it’s Gangster Boy’s last weekend in Korea and I already have plans for Saturday night. Looks like a very stressful Sunday is in store for me this weekend… great!
5. I consider myself a really relaxed and understanding professor at Dankook but today my students totally pushed the limits. I had told them that they could have free time while I did interviews in the hall but all I asked was for them to keep the noise down. Well… that didn’t happen and so I was so not impressed.
6. Students kept on coming in and out of the classroom and so finally I stopped and said the exam was over. Students freaked… some still hadn’t had their interview with me. I had just spent the last 4 straight hours interviewing and so I just wanted to go home.
As a result, I’ll have to go in early to work on Thursday to finish the interviews… great!
7. What better way to unwind and relax than heading off to Mainz for a huge meal with my favourite Korean. He had picked me up at school and so I was so happy to see him. We went to Mainz where there’s a waitress who’s always so sweet to me and so tonight she sent us over some free cider and a huge plate of mushrooms. I love mushrooms… and apparently she remembered that! Cool!
8. Got word tonight that one of my high school teachers, Mr. Krawetz died today in the morning. I don’t know the cause but my heart definitely goes out to his son Pierce who I was friends with in school.

9. Oh my gosh… I almost forgot! Yesterday I got a package in the mail; I was so super excited. Thanks to my little sister Jane for the TOTALLY AWESOME Harajuku Girl wallet! It’s so pretty! Jane isn’t really my sister but in my heart she is. Jane is my Korean sister. She knows my favourite singer is Gwen Stefani and so she surprised me with a wallet from Gwen Stefani’s clothing/accessory line…. So cool!!! Along with the wallet she had sent a super sweet note and some cool stamps that she designed, awesome! Thanks soooooo much Jane, you rock!!!
10. Initially intended on doing some studying tonight but the extent of my studying consisted of opening up my textbook and then falling asleep on the floor… oops!

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
When are you coming to Korea?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Sisters are blossoms in the garden of life.
-- Author Unknown

Monday, April 23, 2007

Life would be so different for me if Kobe was here.
Thanks Bram!
Today I checked out your homepage and had a good giggle when I saw this picture of me you posted... ha, ha, ha.

Highlights of my Day... Monday, April 23

1. Today my students started their midterms and I honestly think I was more nervous than them. But, in my eagerness and anticipation to get the test started, I went to the wrong class. I started writing the instructions on the board and then I turned around and realized I had NO idea who these students were... ha, ha, ha.
2. My midterm for my students was in a form of a one-on-one interview and so they were so nervous. It was actually so cute. Some tried to bribe me with chocolate, others brought banana milk, while some flat out told me that they loved me... ha, ha, ha.
3. Wore my new shirt to school today and got called "s-line" by some of my students... ha, ha, ha. Koreans love "s-line" (it refers to a woman's body line) and I was loving the fact that they were calling me that! Lately I've been kicking my butt at training... running 21 flights of stairs in the morning and then pushing the weights, but I've been really cutting back on munchies. My biggest dieting trick involves keeping limited foods in my house, drinking tons of water before bedtime (flushes my system) and drinking cider (pop) when I eat out. I don't like pop but the carbonation from the cider makes me feel full faster and so I eat less. I tend to ignore that "I am full" trigger but the cider helps... silly, I know but it works.
4. Visited Mrs. Kim and Sue tonight. Turns out tonight is Mrs and Mr. Kim's 9th wedding anniversary... congrats! She told me that her and her husband both agreed to get "couple tattoos" How appropriate... What better way to say "I love you" than inflicting your loved one to pain, how ironic, isn't that what love's all about after all... pain and tolerance?! Just joking. I'm just a bit skeptical about love lately, that's all. I wish them nothing but the best though. They're an awesome couple and I can only wish to have what they have.

5. Mrs. Kim and I had a great heart-to-heart talk and she totally hit the nail on the head... no one has the right to rob you of your happiness. What's life with out happiness and love?! So, on that note, I wrote an email to Kim Tae. It was my last attempt at trying to extend any kind of friendship to him. I miss him as my friend but I give up on him.... he's on his own now because HE chose this route.
6. Yesterday I was excited to discover a tiny run-down shop in Seoul that sells National Geographic magazines... my favourite!!! I quickly browsed through the various additions and then bought one. Today I got a chance to sit down and read it and it felt so good to read something in English that wasn't a ESL teaching resource for once.
7. The main article was titled, "Love -- The Chemical Reaction". It was quite interesting to read how they tried to explain love, particularly why we love the person we love. It talked about love on the bases of sciences..... the brain and the particulars of its' chemical components. The researchers did various tests on "love-struck" individuals, including putting them in a MRI machine and what they found was that love and obsessive-compulsive disorder have a very similar chemical profile... how crazy is that, literally!
8. Other psychologists, like Thomas Lewis, theorized that we love whom we love not so much because of the future we hope to build but because of the past we hope to reclaim. He claimed love is reactive, not proactive. It arches us backward, which may be why a certain person just "feels right" when in reality this person's smell, touch, look or whatnot activates buried memories.
9. I totally agree Mr. Lewis and Freud's hypothesis. And so this got me thinking about the kinds of guys I dated in the past and how they were so different from the guys who became my boyfriends. I've only had 4 relationships: Kenny, Pete, Paulo, and Ryan. Now I don't know what the heck I was thinking with Kenny, mind ya, he was my first boyfriend and so I didn't really know what kind of guy I liked. Anyways, I sat down today and tried to think of what they all (minus Kenny) had in common. Here's what I came up with:
They were all...
.... easy-going

.... tend to be on the shy side
.... sensitive
.... Jacks of all trades
.... funny (silly)
.... their native language wasn't English
.... had great manners
10. It was clear that the guys I dated and the dudes that became my boyfriend were so different. The guys I dated tended to be very out-going, loud, and social butterflies. They were like the male version of me. But, my ex's, on the other hand, they were my opposites. It was interesting to note this but what was more interesting was to realize that all those characteristics I listed off about my ex's were that of my father! How weird is that?!


QUESTION OF THE DAY...
How important is friendship to you?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.
-- Jane Austen

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Here's downtown Cheonan for ya... the building with the McDonald's sign on the side is our main shopping mall, Yawoori, and in the background is my apartment building... it's the blue, gray tall building.
Here's my friend trying to act all shy.... ha, ha, ha. Korean guys are so cute... well, some of them that is, when they're not being "difficult".

Highlights of my Day... Sunday, April 22

1. Woke up with what felt like the wieght of the world on my chest. I want to say so much to so many people but can't... not right now at least.
2. Caught an early morning bus and headed out to Seoul. There was someone I had to talk to and I just really needed to get away from Cheonan. I needed to clear my head.
3. Ended up meeting up with a friend for lunch. He took me to a buffet restuarant where two Koreans clearly mistook me for a Russian girl and sent me dirty looks for my whole meal.
4. It was nice seeing my friend but I missed Cheonan... I missed my friend in Cheonan.
5. After lunch, I headed up to do some window shopping in the underground mall. I picked out a really pretty skirt but then decided not to buy it. The skirt reminded me of Kim Tae and so I got sad. A few months back I had a experienced a bad allergic reaction on my legs. I was so upset about it but Kim Tae use to take me every week to the skin specialist. My legs started getting better but then when I refused Kim Tae's proposal, he stopped taking me to the specialist. I'd go on my own but the doctor doesn't speak a word of English.
6. I know that Kim Tae is having a hard time lately but he's got to step back and look at the bigger picture... this isn't ALL about him. There's other people involved. I knew when I refused him that I'd be losing a great friend and someone who I considered my family here in Korea. I had a hard time too, why doesn't he understand that?! At the end of it all, he gets to go home to his family, childhood friends and his buddies. I don't come home to anyone. I could go missing for days before anyone would notice. So while he's being comforted by all those who love him, I'm stuck in this empty house with Mi Nam, a dog I'm sure only loves me because I am the one who feeds him. I'm hours and hours, miles and miles away from those who'd comfort me. This isn't fair.... he has to see this isn't fair for both of us.
7. I did a terrible thing today... I bought myself a personalized necklace. I had seen it at Yawoori and well, my apartment looks unto Yawoori, and so everyday I think of it. It's silver and will have my Korean name on in (Su Hyun). It's so pretty but I won't be able to pick it up until this Thursday.
8. Okay, so it wasn't such a terrible thing but according to tradion, it's bad luck for a woman to buy herself a necklace. They say if you love someone, you keep them close to you, close to your heart... like a necklace. So, a necklace should be the gift from someone who you love and who loves you in return. Wearing this necklace symbolizes that you promise to keep them close to you, close to your heart. And so buying yourself a necklace symbolizes that you lack love and rather keep yourself close than any other person.
9. I'm seriously falling for this guy! I'm totally head over heels for him and even
though I don't think we have much in common, I get butterflies every time I'm with him and I totally adore him. I saw him tonight and, although we had a bit of a disagreement about something petty, I couldn't help but light up with a smile when I saw him. He is so special to me.
10. Tomorrow midterms start for my students and so tonight I started getting nervous. I've given plenty of tests before to students but not at this level, not at the university level. This is serious stuff

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Where are you Kim Tae?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Because you are in control of your life. Don't ever forget that. You are what you are because of the conscious and subconscious choices you have made.
-- Barbara Hall

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Smelly boys and their smelly fish! They were working so hard but I was quite distracted with the fish juice climbing up my pants' legs... yuck!
Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.... these jumbo shrimps tasted great! At first I wasn't so impressed but with a little of sauce and one or two later, I was in heaven... ha, ha, ha.

Highlights of my Day... Saturday, April 21

1. We didn't know where we were going but we knew we were going somewhere. My friend and I had planned a day trip with no certain destination in mind. All we knew is that we had a full tank of gas, an open road ahead of us, a full day, lots of music to sing to, and a whole country to discover to our heart's content. We ended up at Daechon Port.
2. We walked through the big smelly fish market and had a good laugh at all the eager sellers. They greeted us with huge smiles and told us their specials. This one young seller tried to use her cuteness to pursue us to buy at her stand. She was all cute until I told her in Korean that fish are disgusting... and then she got really loud! ㅋㅋㅋ
3. Once again I found myself in a conversation regarding secrets and so my mind drifted off to when I was a university student and life was so different. I had great grades, a supportive family, a boyfriend, a job, and a cheap apartment off campus where my landlady cleaned and often
cooked for me. However, things came crashing down one day (6 years ago) when I discovered a secret, a terrible secret. My happy-go-lucky life flipped upside down and, as a result I was involved in a very vicious fight. I had promised them I wouldn't breath a word and so later, in front of my parents, landlady and the police, I lied. I couldn't tell them the whole truth and so, in trying to keep the initial secret, I created another. Four people are free men right now because I unwillingly was forced into carrying the weight of this secret to my grave. If only they really knew what happened!
4. However, this past year, after six years of being burdened with this secret, in a moment of weakness, I told Kim Tae. Honestly, I don't even know if he understood what I told him but nonetheless, I told him. I told him because I believed he'd always be here for me. I thought he was a true friend. Turned out was only here for me as long as he thought he had a chance to be my boyfriend. And now, now that he knows I'll never be a couple with him, where is he? I don't know.
5. Snapped out of it and came back to reality... there I was sitting at the end of the port with my beautiful friend, the wind on my back, sweet spring weather... it was perfect.

6. In the market my friend picked us out some jumbo shrimp and so we tagged along with the seller lady down some random street and into a restaurant where we then sat and cooked it. Despite having to rip of the shrimp heads (got my friend to do that for me), the meal was awesome! We sat there for quite some time and it felt so good to be chilling with my friend on this beautiful day.
7. Silly me freaked out over shrimp brains on my hand and ended up totally toasting my wrist on the side of the cooking pan... ouch! Third degree burns on a Saturday afternoon isn't fun. I'm ok though.
8. Our trip to the sea was great. Back when I lived in Toronto, Canada, I use to live literally 5 minutes from the beach and so I miss the water. It was so great to come out here today. After a couple of hours we headed back to Cheonan.
9. Oh my gosh... my friend broke my toilet!!! This is the second toilet seat I've had to replace in Korea! The first one was at my old house. I had forgotten to turn my curling iron of and so it burnt a whole right through my seat. ㅋㅋㅋ.
10. I've come to the conclusion that I think way too much and so I envy the idiots of the world who don't think at all or rarely think. I think my philosophical and deep thinking comes from my father who, upon looking at rush hour traffic, would always comment, "Look at all those brains!" Ha, ha, ha.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What is my dad doing at this very minute?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
My father taught me that one of the most important abilities in life is to be able to take the pain and persevere, and for years this lesson had served me well.
-- Yanni

Friday, April 20, 2007

Something is not quite right with this picture and I blame "You".

Highlights of my Day... Friday, April 20

1. Started my day off with an extra strength dose of advice from Ki Dong. He took me outside to talk. He knows somewhat about my "guy situation" and he loves playing the devil's advocate. Ki Dong, along with my co-worker Peter, both seem to get a good kick out of me complaining about guys, and they're right... you can't win with me. I complain that I can't meet a nice guy and then when I do meet a nice guy, I'm quick to complain that they won't leave me alone... ㅋㅋㅋ
2. Am convinced what I need is a good kick in the butt and for my father to tell me to smarten up. Lately I've been acting like a school girl and been all "googly-eyed" over this one particular guy. I need to snap out of this. Playing the role of the girl with her head in the clouds is definitely not me. I'm a realist.
3. With the big midterm being next week, students today were full of questions for me. They called the office, tracked me down on campus, emailed me, and even followed me into the hall after class. They all were so eager to get the inside scoop.
4. Today I definitely had "groupies"... ha, ha, ha. I thought it was pretty funny but in my evening class today it was different. There's this particular guy in my class. He doesn't really care about English, nor does he really try. After class though he was all up in my face, asking me a million and one questions. I know it doesn't seem like a big deal but I felt so proud to see his changed attitude.
5. Had quite an interesting chat with one of my students as he walked me to my bus stop. We had started talking about relationships. I had posed a hypothetical situation to him (which, in reality, I was talking about my own situation) and in telling him the story, I realized how simple the answer really was. This isn't a relationship... this is a game. It's a retarded game that I shouldn't have got myself involved in but, for various reasons, I can't help but continue. I'm hooked to Mystery Man but it's wrong... Correction, he's not wrong, I'm not wrong, we're not wrong,... but, how we're handling this IS wrong.
6. I wish Jeong Lip was back in Korea.

7. Hot water is back on in my house and so I celebrated with a super long shower! One super chilly shower was enough for me. Ahhhh.... hot water, I missed you so much! ㅋㅋㅋ
8. Tonight consisted of a mini dinner party for two. We had chicken for the main course and for dessert we shared one big juicy new secret. In forcing me to keep HIS secret, I've now turning into the very person I don't like... a lier. I haven't been put into the situation yet where things have been questioned... but I WILL be questioned sooner or later.
9. Nasty... the chicken delivery boy brought me two chicken NECKS along with the usual chicken breasts and chicken legs. At first I thought it was just a piece of a leg but then Mystery Man told me what it really was. Yikes... they really don't like to waste anything in Korea! Nasty!
10. After having to deal with these random secrets, it was refreshing to have a secret revealed. Recently I've been getting random comments on my homepage from "Jennifer's Friend, 5"... tonight he emailed me and revealed his identity. Thanks!

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
How can you call yourself his friend?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.
-- Japanese Proverb

Thursday, April 19, 2007

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I have a secret.... I will make more, but I can't tell you.