My coach, mentor, friend, and someone I greatly respect... Yoon Jib.

My boxing club, school, gym... home away from home.

Highlights of my Day... Wednesday, October 31

1. Bah humbug, it's Halloween. Happy Halloween to those in the western half of the globe that will be celebrating it. The only sign of Halloween I saw all day was the pumpkin my coworker Sean carved today and, had I not popped into the office on my day off, I wouldn't had seen any Halloween.

2. For the most part my day consisted of cleaning my house. With all those student take-home assignments and midterms piled up around the house, my house is looking like an office and I knew it'd only be time before Mi Nam eats one of them.

3. Unfortunately my fight didn't happen today. The chick was a n-show. I guess this means I won by default but honestly, I was really looking forward to it. I was a bit crushed when I arrived and heard the news that she couldn't make it.

4. Yun Duk called me, asking me to help him with his homework and so I met up with him at the club. Turns out it wasn't his homework he wanted me to check, instead, he wanted me to do his online English test. Honestly, I felt uncomfortable doing this, after all, I am a teacher and I definitely don't stand for cheating students. This is definitely cheating. I can't justify what I did, I know it was wrong but, I did it. I did his test.

5. Apparently I need to drop the idea of studying Korean and need to study English... hehehe. Just joking. I got 5 answers wrong. Mind ya, given the fact that the instructions for each question were in Korean and so I struggled on translating it, I think I did pretty good... hehehe.

6. To thank me, Yun Duk drove me to Dankook. I had told my Tuesday students that they have till 5:10pm to hand in their take-home assignments before I dock more marks. So off to Dankook we jetted. Yun Duk's English is ok. I introduced him to some of my coworkers and then he uncomfortably stood there sipping on his coffee... so cute. He told me after that being surrounded by so many foreigners (6) made him so nervous.

7. At weight training tonight Ju Wan was a no show and so I totally got into my zone. I was an animal on the weights... hehehe. I trained back today but went hardcore on abs. I love training abs.

8. The Hongik Hulk overheard me singing a MC Mong song (Korean singer) and gave me the thumbs up. Ahhh... I wish Ju Wan had been her to see that!!! The Hongik Hulk is one of those "pedestal people", as we call them... one of the people who you can't help but admire and be all google-eyed over. He's a bit older than me but is built like a tank. Honestly though, I really don't care for him besides the pure eye candy he proves to be at the gym.

9. After weight training I scarfed down my 5th and last meal for the day. Then, I got down to business... marking student projects and finishing off the midterms.

10. Honestly, my motivation to do my marking is pretty brutal and so tonight my friends and I had a "marking party"... hehehe. Chan Won and Eun Young met up with me at the GS 25 store around midnight. We sat there marking the midterms. I'd check the answers and the Chan Won would count up the marks. Eun Young provided moral support... hehehe. Around 2am, we called it a night. I treated the boys to a meal at Kimbab Chunkuk and then we all went our separate ways.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Who doesn't love Kimbab Chunkuk?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.
-- Mark Twain

Without a doubt, these two are incredibly special to me. Byung Hyuk, my funniest and most handsome friend, is on the left. Kim Tae, my most sensitive and super innocent friend, is on the right.

Like father, like son. Tonight they were both excited to be reunited.... hehehe...

Highlights of my Day...Tuesday, October 30

1. Collected more take-home assignments from my students today and was incredibly impressed with my level 1 English class. They're my only level 1 class this semester and, for the most part, their projects smoked my level 2 classes!!!!

2. My favorite take-home assignment came from one of my level 1 students, Moon. For the assignment they had to pick a chapter we discussed in class, create 10 questions to ask 10 people and then do a write-up of the answers. Moon decided to pick the chapter on ideal mates. Instead of asking the common questions, he asked questions like, "What is your favorite part of a woman's body?" and "What kind of girl do you like?" Needless to say it was quite interesting. Apparently all his friends like cute girls with pretty faces as supposed to sexy girls with a nice waistline... which is funny cause Koreans put so much stress on the "s-line" (curvy waistline). I know some of Moon's friends (Kim Tae and my student Peter) and so I curiously checked to see if they had answered his survey. Peter did... very interesting answers too I must say.

3. As much as I really don't like marking, I love reading students' writings. Sometimes I forget that they're university students and thus aren't so much younger than me. Their English writing is so cute and so they come across as being so innocent... which, for the most part I know they're not... hehehe. They're awesome though.

4. Have you ever had one of those days when you're just really not aware of what you're doing and your head just seems to be in another space?! Well, today that was me. I think it was my lack of sleep last night mixed with the fact that I missed 2 of my 5 meals today. In class I found myself writing things on the board, turning around and then not even remembering what I just wrote. I found myself spacing out in the office and zoning out in class. And, if that wasn't enough, tonight I answered the door oblivious to the fact that I was only wearing pants and a sports bra. Yup.... great. The postal delivery man with my much anticipated Bodybuilding.com package rung my door tonight. I didn't even think anything of it actually. Even when he said, "You like Adidas, no?" I didn't clue in. Every time he comes I'm always in my Adidas training gear, mind ya, my sports bra is Nike... dang!!!

5. Kim Tae is leaving for a 6-month stay in Australia next Monday and so tonight I treated him and Byung Hyuk to dinner at Mainz. It was the first time in about half a year that all three of us have met and so that made me a bit sad. Pretty Boy will always be my burden on this friendship.

6. Before we met for dinner though, Kim Tae came to Sambu to get me. I brought down Mi Nam and honestly, I think Mi Nam remembered Kim Tae. It was so cute. Kim Tae still doesn't really know how to handle Mi Nam and so I laughed my head off as he struggled to make Mi Nam calm down.

7. At dinner we got into a somewhat uncomfortable discussion. I had told them that I was stressed with marking and Byung Hyuk blurted out, "Why didn't you call us to help you?" I don't know why I didn't.... maybe pride, I don't know. Regardless, the conversation then turned into us ranking each other in terms of our importance in each other's lives. I acknowledged the fact that their ranking in my life is probably higher than my position in their life cause of the fact that I have no family in Korea, and, I'm fine with that. And so, it got me thinking, what and who do I really value here in Korea and what is their ranking? Hmm.... After much thought, Byung Hyuk told me that I was within his top 10... I thought that was pretty awesome when you consider he has to take into consideration all his childhood friends and family who are here in Korea.

8. Dinner with them was awesome. We joked around about fun times together and joked about our slang and Konglish. The big joke of the night was how Kim Tae use to always say, "My private thinking" in which I always responded with, "Your 'thing' thinks?!... wow".... hehehe ('thing' being his... well, you know).

9. After dinner they walked me home. Byung Hyuk had a soccer injury today. One of his toe nails literally got ripped off and so he walked like an old man. I was in tears laughing over this, especially when he ran across the road. It was sooooo funny. I wanted to spend more time with them but I had to race off to boxing and so instead I got into the elevator and waved bye. I should have hugged Kim Tae good-bye, I won't see him till summer, but... I didn't. I regret that.

10. Took quite a beating at boxing... again. This time it was my head... ouch!!! Today I had skipped 2 of my 5 meals and so that REALLY affected me. Cause I eat every 3 hours, I never feel hungry, nor do I ever get that full feeling. Having had missed those meals though, my energy felt like it was in the minus numbers. I felt so light-headed. Junior Mint keeps on telling me to train harder. Today it was so hard though. Tonight he told me he's arranged for some girl to come in tomorrow to having sparring practice with me. He warned me to get a good night's sleep and eat well tomorrow. I asked Milk Dud about the girl and well, all he said was "be ready"... oh gosh.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What do you like better, Nike or Adidas?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
... you know!
-- Byung Hyuk

The other day I was convinced that I was loosing my mind. I was sure I had put my stuff on the kitchen counter. Sure enough, I had but Mi Nam snatched it up. Here he is, caught in the act, stealing my Louis Vitton wallet!

Despite the fact that this little dude has stolen numerous things off my counter, how can I get mad at him?! I mean, just look at that face!!!

Highlights of my Day... Monday, October 29

1. Waking up late on a Monday wouldn't be a big deal if only it didn't have to prepare 4 out of my 5 meals before I jet off to school. So, as I raced around the house like a chicken with it's head cut off, I some how managed to juggle having a shower, putting on my make-up, drying my hair, and throwing together an outfit, while cooking 18 scrambled eggs, steaming 3 sweet potatoes, tossing together some veggies, a salad, and scarfing down a can of tuna and some oatmeal for breakfast. Total time = 40 minutes.

2. Half my Monday students didn't do what was required from them for their take-home assignment that was due today which leads me to believe that maybe something is wrong, after all, I did provide written Korean translations on the assignment sheet.

3. Discovered the "joys" of computers... and the viruses that LOVE to eat files. Today ALL my files on my USB were eaten by some virus, oh joy... perfect. You can imagine my frustration and shock. Had my student not been standing beside me upon discovery, I would have cried. Thankfully I have most of the files backed-up on my laptop at home and I've emailed students my lecture notes so I can recover those.

4. As I stood there in shock, I realized that I really couldn't do anything. It was all gone. I took a taxi home and, in anticipation of possible tears, I rushed my butt to the gym where I knew I'd be surrounded by people and thus couldn't cry. Usually I don't weight train on Mondays cause it's my long day at work and I like to go visit Giggle Girl Jr after class, but today, I definitely needed to hit the weights.

5. Arrived at Hongik and was greeted by some very surprised friends... Newbie, Oppa, and Ju Wan. Usually I literally come bouncing into the gym. I love working out but tonight, it was clear by the blah expression on my face and my sluggish walk that something was up.

6. Much love to my girl Ju Wan who's proven to be quite the awesome gym buddy and cheered me up today. She is the only Korean girl I know that trains hard on the weights and loves working up a sweet. She's awesome. Add the fact that she's always quick to listen to my random stories and joke around, means she's all that cooler in my books!

7. Within 10 minutes, Chan Won showed up. It was his day off but I had briefly mentioned in a text that I had a problem at school and so he tracked me down and found me at the gym. He came jetting into the gym, right towards me. He looked so concerned... I was quite flattered actually.

8. After weight training, I scarfed down my 5th meal of the day and then raced off to boxing. Unfortunately I had forgotten to wash my hand wraps the other night and so they stinked! Seriously... so nasty... it's not a pretty smell!!! Junior Mint gave me a good clip across the head for forgetting to wash them and then he drilled me extra hard on pad work. I've got my right hook down pack but my left hook is lacking in consistency and so, cause of the language barrier, Junior Mint resorted to tough physical training to try to correct my technique. After repeatedly being hit in the left arm every time I was wrong with my left hook, I left the ring with my arm beat red from him. I'm definitely going to wake up tomorrow with a bruise... oh ya! Having said that though, my left hook is looking much better!!!

9. Junior Mint drove me home, like usual, but this time he lectured me about training. I had boosted today at training that my weight has dropped but he quickly put me back on check by telling me I have to train harder. Train harder?!... I thought I was already training harder... apparently not. Turns out the only other professional female boxer at my club, Min Young, has stepped down from fighting for a bit and no longer wants to schedule fights. This of course takes the pressure off her but adds double pressure on me cause now I am the only professional female boxer at my club available for such fights. Moreover, cause of all the hype from Friday's fights up in Incheon (Panty Boy Jr. and Black Skinny both winning championship titles), there's a lot of people watching Cheonan in the boxing world here in Korea. They're all expecting big things from Cheonan now and so Junior Mint is hoping he'll deliver with the aid of me and a scheduled fight.

10. Spent a good part of my night retyping files lost cause of my USB... dang! Chan Won had been texting me through out the evening, checking to make sure I was ok... actually, a few friends had texted me, thank you. I am ok, a bit stressed but never the less, ok. I don't think God would send me anything he thought I couldn't handle. Having said that, around 2:30am or so, I discovered Chan Won sitting outside my apartment. I had gone down to the GS 25 store, he was outside. He looked sad and so I joined him. He's still quite heartbroken from his past girlfriend and so, having experienced that first hand, I knew the best thing I could do for him was join him and listen. Turns out she left him for his friend. I really didn't know what to say to him, after all, I was once her. I once left someone for another. We sat for about 2 hours chatting. With my wet hair (cause I had just showered) under my ball cap and flip flops on, I sat there freezing my butt off, but, I didn't want to tell him. I knew he needed someone to talk to. When I broke up Byung Ryang, I had Byung Hyuk and Kim Tae looking after me and so I will forever be grateful for them. I couldn't have done it without them, seriously... you have NO idea. I was a mess. Tonight it was my turn. So, we continued. Thankfully Chan Won, convinced that I wasn't fine like I had said I was, wrapped my bare toes in his warm hands and so we continued to talk.


QUESTION OF THE DAY...
If you life were a song, what song would it be?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Trying to forget someone you love is like trying to remember someone you never knew.
-- Anonymous

My K-Crew continues to grow... membership isn't limited, but definitely not easily granted.

I'm sure Eun Young really doesn't want to be painted purple while showing his gangster pose... hehehe.

Highlights of my Day... Sunday, October 28

1. Spent yet more of my weekend sitting on the floor with Mi Nam, trying to mark part B of the midterms... definitely not fun, nor is it the way I wanted to spend my weekend.

2. Met up with Oppa, Eun Young and Chan Won for dinner. I've never really talked to Chan Won before but I knew of him. He's the other squash coach at my gym who, as it turns out, was quite familiar with who I am... interesting.

4. I've been super dedicated to my diet, well, with the exception of the Khan food last night (which I SO faught off as long as I could... hehehe) but tonight we headed out for tak galbi... cheese tak galbi!!! I knew I was going to face mad temptation... MAD temptation. It's right up there with ice cream!!! I love cheese tak galbi!

4. Apparently one of the tak galbi ladies is quite an admirer of me... or so Oppa says. Personally, I see nothing flattering about a woman who watches me eat from the corner of her eye, is continually caught starring at me, who leans in to listen to me talk Korean to my friends, and who's quick to interrupt my stories with random comments. Sorry, but in Canada we'd call her a freak... flat out, freak! For some reason, she felt the need to tell the three guys I was there with, that I ALWAYS come here with guys. She said I come with "new guys" every time.... ya, ok. So of course I came off looking like quite the playgirl. She, however, got away scott-free, looking like the innocent girl as supposed to the nosey woman I consider her to be. The guys all laughed and thought it was cute as I tried to recover myself by telling them that the guys I come here with are my buddies from the gym or from my boxing club. If I KNEW ANY FEMALE BOXER at my club, I'd bring her here, but, I only know Min Young and well, since her last fight, I haven't seen much of her. Moreover, my buddies from the gym are the trainers and, again, IF I KNEW ANY FEMALE TRAINER (or even a girl who lifted weights), I'd bring her here... but I don't know such a girl.

5. Dinner turned into tea time which then turned into "let's tease Amy time". They thought it was soooooo funny to stir up trouble and hint that Chan Won and I should hook up. Now don't get me wrong, Chan Won is an awesome guy who's super sweet and very passionate about sports but, right now, I just want to do my own thing.

6. Tea time turned into Khan time. Yup, off to Khan we went... for my second night in a row. As we entered Khan we were greeted by the Khan Hyun Bin who, now that he knows that I think he's a hottie, was all eager to help me out with my boots. We sat down and then the young waiter spun around to wave at me. As if I wasn't already looking like quite the playgirl, I really didn't need any more dudes acknowledging me and saying hi. Mind ya, the young waiter was all buddy-buddy with me now cause last night Jae Min was kind of rude to him and so I went back later on to apologize to him.

7. So there we sat. Oppa had to go home but the three of us stayed and chatted. We got into quite the discussion about relationships. Turns out Chan Won broke up with the love of his life about a month ago. He had been planning to marry her.... dang! I know all too well what that feels like.

8. Then came the serious question, would you stay forever in Korea for a man you loved? Hmmm.... yes, been there, done that, but would I do it again?... I don't know. Love is no longer a top priority of mine. I've had what I think will be my greatest love and so I consider myself blessed because I know some people will never experience real love. But, that love is done with. Maybe this means my turn is over, maybe not... I don't know and right now I really don't care. All I know is I have a different love in my life right now, my love for boxing. Those butterflies I use to get every time I saw Byung Ryang and how I use to constantly daydream of him, write his name over and over on my paper and rush home to see him, it's all over. Now I get those butterflies for boxing, I've got boxing running through my mind all the time, I imagine my face on those boxing posters plastered on the club walls, I rush home so that I can make sure my boxing wraps and gear are ready, and I study Korean terms that I need for my training.


9. For the most part, many of my friends are convinced I'm 27 going on 12 cause I like to do silly, retarded things. I occasionally play with my food, I still listen to Raffie (my favorite song of his being "Banana Phone"), I still read Shel Silverstein poems, and I guess I just act really silly. Well, turns out I'm not the only one who is like this... hehehe. Tonight as Chan Won and Eun Young walked me to my apartment door, Chan Won yelled out "run" as he rung the doorbell of one of my random neighbours... oh my gosh!!! I was wearing stiletto boots, not to mention, I live directly across the courtyard from her and so she's going to see where I live. Needless to say though, I ran. I dashed down the hall laughing my head off but took shelter in the stairwell as supposed to going to my door. Yup... Chan Won's silly stunt definitely put him in my good books and so tonight, he and Young Eun became the newest members of my K-Crew.

10. No sooner had I finally sat down to plan my lesson but I was interrupted... by Seo. He had asked to talk to me for 10 minutes. Well, 10 minutes turned into almost 2 hours on msn. He's convinced he must have me. Wow... he's super intense and that's all I have to say about that issue.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Who said I had to grow up?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Men show their characters in nothing more clearly than in what they think laughable.
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

So cute... look at Jae Min, he's ALL eyes on the new girl.

This little cutie is Jae Min's most recent interest and so he tried hard to make her laugh. Poor girl was in tears for the whole night though... she thought he was so funny!

Highlights of my Day... Saturday, October 27

1. While I'm sure all my coworkers are out playing and enjoying their Saturday, I sat on the floor for about 5 hours marking midterms... dang! Thanks to Mi Nam for trying to help me but sorry to my students for the paw prints on their midterms... hehehe. He meant well.

2. Finally got part A of the midterms marked... now on to part B --;;

3. Sweeeeeet. Did some grocery shopping at one of the local stores here where I once batted my lashes at the cute store clerk. His family runs the shop and so Mi Nam and I visit there sometimes. Well, tonight I went to go buy eggs and I got 30 FREE EGGS because the due date on the carton of eggs was yesterday. Nice!

4. Little does he know, I eat about 12-18 eggs a day and so these will be gone by tomorrow... and I'll be back for more free eggs! Hehehe.

5. In anticipation of reaching my goal of 50kg (110lbs) I have officially dropped all interest in continually measuring my body. For awhile there I was tracking my body measurements... my waist, hips, tighs... etc., etc. Honestly, I really don't care about them anymore cause today, for the first time in like forever, I stood in front of my mirror naked. I've never done this before and it felt weird to do that, let alone tell anyone I did it. My body is by no means perfect but to me, it feels comfortable and I like it. At this point, all I really want to do is get more definition and lower my weight, not because I think I'm fat (cause I don't think that) but because of the whole boxing weight class.

5. Weighted in today at the gym.... 53.3kg. That's about 117lbs. I've got 3.3kg (7lbs) left to lose until I'll be listed as a flyweight.

6. Got into quite the discussing with Oppa at weight training about my luck with Korean men... or lack there of it, I guess... hehehe. I told him that I have finally given up with love in Korea and argued that I rather focus on my work, training and Mi Nam as supposed to some guy who's only bound to disappoint me and fall short of what I expect from a real relationship. He said I was talking nonsense but if he only knew how honest I really was being. I am done with guys in Korea. I love Korean men but have learned that they're meant only to look at and not touch.

7. Later on, much later on (2am) Jae Min called me. I was busy emailing students but he bribed me with free food at Khan... I couldn't resist. I knew something was up though and sure enough... something was up.

8. I've caught on to the fact that Jae Min loves introducing me to his friends... especially girls he likes. In Canada, a guy walking around with a puppy or a baby will always get the attention of a girl. Well, in Korea, Jae Min walks around with me and, for some reason, girls always stop to talk to us... hehehe.

9. I showed up at Khan and there sat Jae Min with one of his buddies. Five minutes later, two cute Korean girls showed up. Jae Min just recently broke up with his girlfriend Mi Ah, who he claimed he was madly in love with. Now I'm sure he's still broken hearted over her but wow, he moves fast and I don't know how he does it but he's ALWAYS got these Korean hotties running after him. Actually, I take that back. Jae Min may not be the cutest Korean (although I think he's pretty cute) and he may not be the smartest, he's definitely a trouble maker and is quite loyal, but the thing that wins these girls over is his humor. I see it all the time. They come join us and no sooner do they sit down but Jae Min's got them buckled over with laughter and tears in their eyes.

10. Apparently the friend of Jae Min's newest interest didn't find him so funny, this was a first! I thought she was a bit of a snob, we all thought that actually. She bragged about her job but that all stopped when Jae Min blurted out that I'm a professor and a professional boxer.... hehehe. She had nothing to say after that. I kind of liked her though, when she smiled that was. Somethings not normal about a girl who doesn't smile... why the long face?! Leave it to Jae Min to try earnestly to get her to smile. I was in tears... he is always so funny. Gotta love Jae Min, he's a rebel but he's always been such a funny and faithful friend to me. We always make fun of each other but he always tells me, "I like Amy!" and always calls me "handsome"... hehehe.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Why do I always get stuck with the stalkers?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
They envy the distinction I have won; let them therefore, envy my toils, my honesty, and the methods by which I gained it.
-- Sallust

I love this picture.

This totally captured their true character. Jae Sub, the cute sweet guy and Yoon Jib, the ever so supportive coach that's always backing us up... proudly showing us his Cheonan shirt too... hehehe.

Yikes... Jae Myoung smoked that dude!!!

Highlights of my Day... Friday, October 26

1. I haven't quite finished week one of my new 5-meal diet and yet already my body feels different and my energy level is awesome. I still hate mornings but I wake up like a pop tart out of the toaster as supposed to it taking me 2 hours to finally come alive.

2. The inches are coming off baby... oh ya... and so, on that note, I wore my skinny pants to work and strut my stuff... hehehe.

3. Last day of midterms and so as happy as I was to see it come to an end I knew it was only the beginning for all my marking... oh gosh. I tried to convince Hanna to help with my marking. I offered her money but instead, she wanted me to help teach her things for her TOIEC test. I'll pass. The whole point of asking her was to save time. Teaching her will only take up twice the time and, as much I really do want to help her, I just don't have the time right now.

4. Walked into my first period class and was told by two of my students that they've discovered me on YouTube and have watched ALL my videos... oh gosh!!!

5. Dang dance class stressing me out. They (well, actually, 5 of them) pushed ALL my wrong buttons and so jokingly (well, not so jokingly), I told them if they don't be quiet, I'll kick them. Of course I would never kick my student but I'm convinced some of these girls have worse manners than a barn full of pigs, seriously. Every one in the staffroom knows this, I know this... and I think THEY know it too!!!

6. Turns out I was wrong... Black Skinny (Jae Myoung) didn't win his fight the other day, TODAY he had a fight. Yet another "lost in translation" situation I guess. Apparently they were just talking about this fight and bragging about his training. Anyway, I wasn't able to attend today's fight cause I had to work and so after work, I called up Hanna and we raced off to TGIF restaurant to watch the fight on TV.

7. Panty Boy Jr. (Jae Sub) fought some old dude for the championship title and Black Skinny fought this amazingly handsome Thai guy for a different championship belt.... and Hanna and I watched the whole thing go down, it was awesome. I got weird looks for taking pictures of the TV screen but I didn't care. We were cheering, clapping and hollering at the TGIF bar as my two team mates BOTH won their matches! We also cheered for the handsome card-boy too who kept on showing off his 6-pack... hehehe. It was incrediable... the fights I mean, not the 6-pack hottie. Black Skinny knocked the dude out!!! Just another reason why I love Cheonan... we have some pretty awesome boxers here, helping to put Cheonan on the map!

8. I felt so proud of my two team mates. It was so great to watch them win. It wasn't my fight but I felt like I was right there, like we ALL had won it together! I knew Junior Mint was feeling so proud at that very moment and so I felt so happy. He tries so hard to teach us all and sometimes I think he believes in us more than we believe in our own selves. There's not a day that goes by that Junior Mint doesn't tell me how proud he is of me. He really drills me in the ring and sometimes makes me do extra rounds but you know what, he knows it's for the best. Moreover, there's not a week that goes by that Junior Mint doesn't tell me he's expecting me to bring him a championship belt.

9. Later on in the evening all the guys returned from the fight in Incheon. Junior Mint called me up and told me to come out for the celebration dinner here in Cheonan. I was just about to go to the gym but I couldn't really say no to him and so off I went for dinner with my team. Some of the boxing commission men were there and, like always, Junior Mint introduced me as "the next champion"... I love that. Junior Mint is my biggest fan, for sure! He made me put on Black Skinny's championship belt. It was gold, super heavy.... and it felt SO good to wear! I did my Rockie poses, jump around a bit, and one of the guys took my picture as I gave them my meanest, boxing pose ever... hehehe.

10. After being surround by such awesome energy and a restaurant full of proud boxers, I was super pumped and so I decided to head off to Hongik, to hit the weights. I was so hyper. I ended my training session by doing about 6 rounds of shadow boxing. Every other round I used free weights and it felt awesome. No one was in the gym and so I went hardcore with it. As I went to leave, my arms throbbing and exhausted, I noticed in the corner of my eye a giggling Newbie... oh my gosh! I thought only the older woman was working tonight. Turns out Newbie was working too and had taped my WHOLE shadow boxing session on his cellphone... dang!!!

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
When will it be my turn?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
No pain, no gain.
-- Author Unknown

Cheers to all the "rebels" out there, who don't give a dang about what people say and who are proudly doing what they do best... being themself!!!

... like my brother, Bobby-B (yup, that's him... good looking dude!)

And cheers to those who love us "rebels"... like Mi Nam who, unconditionally, has loved me since the first day we me.

Highlights of my Day... Thursday, October 25

1. Lately I feel like I’ve had the weight on my shoulders and as if I’ve been standing alone, beating my drum to a different beat, or so to speak. Today I faced yet more criticism and objection. It came from some of my homepage readers. Now, yes, I am fully aware that my page is open to the public and thus will meet all kinds of people. What my readers are apparently unaware of though, is the CENSORSHIP, OBJECTIVITY and the fact that I WILL NOT CHANGE WHO I AM FOR SOME RANDOM PERSON. I like who I am and I say this because lately I’ve been getting attacked about the whole Seo issue. I tried to “save face”, not my face but his by editing what I write and leaving out details… some of which are bigger than others.

2. Today Seo’s friend thought he’d take a shot at me and put me on a quilt trip… it didn’t work. Nor will I ever be the ogor of a girl you have made me out to be. Ask Seo what he did Sunday, October 14th and why he called me about 4 dozen times within an hour and a half. If me posting this makes me an ogar and Seo never talks to me again, so be it.

3. I AM SO BEYOND CARING ABOUT WHAT RANDOM PEOPLE THINK ABOUT ME.

4. Maybe I should inform you that I am VERY COMFORTABLE with opposition and I am VERY PROUD to not follow the crowd or let people get under my skin. No one knows how to be a better me than me. We all are different, I respect that. I just wish others did too. While I'm out living a life and trying to do what I think is right for myself, others are HERE, pointing their fingers at me....

So what opposition have I faced, you ask… hmmm… let me list off a few:

A. MY BOXING… many say boxing isn't for girls, that's total BS. My parents hate the fact that I box and because of it, I no longer am on good terms with them, or so I feel. I know they don’t support my boxing and so they've gone from emailing me a couple days a week to about once a month. I don't understand but, I have to accept it.

B. MY WEIGHT TRAINING… I’ve had friends flat out tell me that being a “strong
girl” isn’t sexy in Korea… that’s cool. I don’t want to be a sexy girl and I really don't think sitting on your butt is sexy... let's see each other in a couple of years when gravity has kicked in and we're over our prime. I'll be the buff 30 year old you could only wish to chase but can't cause you're out of breath! Moreover, being a sexy girl doesn’t help me in the ring and I happen to think being strong, working out and getting my body in best shape is pretty hot and respectable. Weight training is more than just lifting weights… it involves self-discipline, dedication, respect for my body and the intelligence needed to plan an effective routine and proper nutrition.

C. MY MOVE TO KOREA… my friends in Canada question why I gave up such a sweet life full of friends, money, good times, and opportunity to live quite the opposite life. Many continually tell me Korea isn’t a future, it’s merely a stepping stone… stepping stone to what, I ask. This was what I studied in university, English and Korean culture. I'm out exploring life, what are YOU doing?!

D. ENDING MY ENGAGEMENT… I know it was some time ago but I’m still getting slack for it from some people, some of you that I don’t even know! Ya, sure… my ex-fiance and I had it all… the house, the Porshe, the huge extended family, the money, … but I wasn’t in love and I really don’t care to be someone’s trophy girl. I refuse to settle, that's so easy but it's not me.

E. MY VIDEOS… call me vain, I don’t care. I’m not vain. Making videos has become a hobby of mine, it’s a way to amuse my friends, and it lets me escape whatever stress I’m dealing with.

F. BEING A PROFESSOR… despite definitely earning my position and fighting hard to score such a position at Dankook, many people have argued that English professors in Korea aren’t “real” professors. For those who say this, I’d like to invite them to my class for a day so that they can see that I bring just as much passion and energy, if not more, to the classroom and I go way beyond my job description. While they’re all out on a Saturday night, I’m religiously emailing ALL 293 STUDENTS EVERY Saturday.

G. DRAMA WITH THE BOYS… first of all I don’t like drama, hence why I’m quick to end a relationship. I can’t win with you though. I sense drama, end the relationship before I get too involved and then I get called a player. But, if I take the
drama and stay longer, I get accused of liking drama.

H. MY HOMEPAGE... I created my homepage as a
means of keeping in touch with friends and family back in Canada but now more
than just them read it. Many argue that I give too much detail or write too
much... I'm not sure if you want me to apologize or not but I'm not going to. I
try to censor my page somewhat but may I remind you... this is MY homepage. If
you don't like it, you DON'T HAVE to read it. I will still sleep at night if you
don't read this.

5. So enough of that… that was me venting in hopes that it’d inform many people that I am not about to change who I am. If you have read ANY of my postings, you’d be quick to note that I’m as stubborn as a Polish girl comes and I’m very independent. I learned a long time ago to only depend on myself and to make decisions on my own. I am not weak in any sense of the word and am quite proud of who I am and who I am becoming.

6. As for my day though…. Hmmm… oh ya, in class today one boy had me in tears. I was buckled over with laughter… oh my gosh! The question on the exam was, “What is your favorite brand of clothing?”. He didn’t know what brand his shirt was and so he lifted it up to read the tag on the side of his shirt. Well, it got caught on his necklace and so he sat there squirming in his seat with his shirt pulled up way beyond his stomach.

7. You can imagine his embarrassment! I tried to make light of the situation and make him feel better by asking him sarcastically if he worked out (boy was sporting a mad 6-pack), but some how I came across looking like a pervert. It was so funny though.

8. Murphy’s law… the day I wear my new suede jacket and suede boots, and forget my umbrella is the day it pours!!! Apparently I wasn’t the only one stuck in the rain and so as my taxi made it’s way off of campus, I got the driver to stop and pick up random students of mine I saw walking in the rain.

9. Oppa interrupted my weight training tonight to harp on me about not making plans with him lately, I’ve been so busy though. Finally, I agreed to plans. He and Eun Young are going to take me out for tak galbi on Sunday.

10. With Junior Mint out of town for tomorrow’s big fight and Milk Dude away with some other boxers, I had no coach to train with and so I focused on the heavy bag. I love hitting the heck out of it. Myoung June knew I was training and so he swung by to see me and to drive me home… great guy.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Who are YOU to judge me?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Your attitude stinks worse than your feet.
-- one of my elementary school teachers

Side note here... sorry for the brutal choice of lettering color. I didn't realize youtube wouldn't show the same quality as my original :(

Beware boys... I've got one strong dude on my side!!!

Highlights of my Day... Wednesday, October 24

1. I figured after all that Junior Mint has done for me (and given me), the least I could do was pick him up some chumchi kimbab as I raced off to training. Arrived, with kimbab in hand, and dang... no Junior Mint. Apparently he was out of town this morning to coach a match.

2. Now considering the info I found out about my much loved chumchi kimbab, like how fatty it really is, there was no way on God's green earth I was going to touch it. So, instead of indulging in it, I gave it to Mi Nam. He loved it!

3. Did my monthly stop at the bank to pay my housing bills. They've changed managers and so I no longer get the royal treatment, or the VIP lounge for that matter... BUT... the security man working there still opens the door for me when he sees me and rushes over to grab me a ticket number. That's cool enough for me. I'm just a local Cheonanite now, hehehe...

4. Had anticipated taking Mi Nam to Dankook to introduce him to some of my coworkers. I was rushed for time as it was but I decided to give him a bath. Honestly, and I know this sounds strange, but I much prefer the dirty Mi Nam over the freshly cleaned Mi Nam. I bath him every Wednesday but on Tuesday night, he smells perfect. He's a little boy... boys are supposed to be dirty.

5. He doesn't really care for bath time but he loves the towel-dry time that comes after it. He always gets so excited, after which he then passes out for a good hour. Today I joined him and so we both crashed on the floor for a nice afternoon nap.

6. After a grueling bicep and shoulder session at weight training, I then waited about 2 hours and then headed back to the boxing club cause Junior Mint had returned to Cheonan.

7. Congrats to Black Skinny!!! Today he had a huge match and won the championship title. I over hear Junior Mint proudly giving all the details of the match as numerous guys sat intensely listening on the couch.

8. Not too sure how many rounds his fight lasted but apparently, if I heard correctly, Black Skinny won $5000 for that one fight!!! Dang... that's a lot of milk money... hehehe.

9. ATTENTION THOSE WHO LIVE IN KOREA... two of my team mates have a HUGE match on Friday so watch the KBS Sports channel (I think it's channel 56). It starts at either 1pm or 2pm. Look for Jae Myoung (재명) and Jae Sub (재섭). Jae Sub is Panty Boy Junior and he'll be the fight you'll really like cause he's a young guy (about 22) and is really strong. He'll give a good show... check it out!!!

10. After everyone left the club, I stuck around to help Junior Mint clean up. I hung up the laundry while he vacuumed. Yup... I'm totally a gym rat, and I love it!

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do you do what you love?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog that matters.
-- Author Unknown

Those of you who live in Korea are sure to be familiar with these three famous TV personalities. I love these dudes... hehehe. The guy on the left is such a sweet gentleman, the dude in the middle is hilarious and reminds me of Jae Min, and the dude on the right, well, everyone loves a pudgy cute dude... hehehe

Check out the dude on the right... he's all gangster with that "chicken-gun"... hehehe

Highlights of my Day... Tuesday, October 23

1. I thought I'd brave it and drink SIX RAW EGGS... it didn't work. I got through the first egg or so and then my gag reflex started to kick in... dang! Ending up making a kimchi omelet for breakfast. It definitely wasn't one of the best things I've tasted but it wasn't so bad... it sure beat the raw eggs though!

2. Day two of midterm testing... oh joy. I love it how they all go into serious mode. I tried making jokes during the exam to relax them but, for the most part, all I got were nervous laughs in return.

3. Apparently my dad is now somewhat up to speed on emailing, or at least is progressing nicely... he sent me an email today with a forwarded message attached... wow. This is one large step for him... hehehe.

4. Caught myself chatting it up in the staff room about Mi Nam as if I was the proudest mom... hehehe. I'm convinced Mi Nam is the perfect guy for me... he eats whatever food I drop, bombards me with kisses, waits for me to come home, he doesn't hog the bed, he is always there for me, he will never love anyone more than he loves me, he doesn't talk back, he is always happy to dance with me, and he picks up things off the floor for me... hehehe. Yup, Mi Nam is pretty awesome. What more could I possibly ask for?!

5. Oh gosh... cause of my diet, I feel like I'm non-stop eating. I mean, I eat every 3 hours, 5 times a day and so I never quite get that hungry feeling any more. No sooner does my body digest the food but I then go and give it more. If only I knew before what I knew now. It would have saved me from doing all those retarded diets and skipping meals. Kind of ironic when I think of it... who knew eating more food would actually cause you to lose weight. Not eating causes your body to go into starvation mode and so then it starts storing everything you take in. I guess that explains why some of my friends can eat and eat, and not point on a pound. Unlike me, they haven't totally killed their metabolism cause they haven't set off the "starvation mode" button, or so to speak.

6. Turns out even Junior Mint knows the Khan Hyun Bin... and he wasn't afraid to voice it at the gym... oh gosh. You can imagine my embarrassment when he blurted it out to all the guys at the gym.

7. Handsome Boy was at training tonight when I got there. Actually, he was just leaving. We got chatting a bit while I was putting on my hand wraps. I asked him if he had a girlfriend and he refused to answer. It was a simple enough question and so I made it even easier for him to answer, "a. girlfriend yes, or b. girlfriend no". His answer, "c"... what?! There is no "c."

8. I'm sensing a pattern here. Told Milk Dude Handsome Boy's story and then Milk Dude blurted out, "I want solo too!" What's up with everyone lately? We've got single people wanting to be coupled up, and coupled people wanting to be single. Whatever happened to being happy with what you have and well, if you're not happy, then changing what you have?!

9. Every time I go to boxing, Junior Mint seems to give me something, tonight I realized this after he sent me home with a bag of cooked sweet potatoes (my favorite... seriously!!!) So I got thinking, what all has he given me... hmmm.... let's see, there were the boxing shoes he gave me that I TOTALLY love, sweet potatoes, milk, yogurt, various juices, kimbab, bread, kimchi, boxing glove key chains, hand wraps.... ya, a lot of stuff! He's definitely an awesome coach and not because he gives me things but because he really believes in me and really loves his job. When I got into that last scooter accident (a few months back), it was he who put medicine on my shoulder everyday, it was he who massaged it until I said it was ok, it's him who randomly texts me in the day to make sure I've eaten my meals, it's him who yells out "Amy next Korean champion" when he's drilled me like mad in the ring, and it's him who never lets me walk home after a late night of training. Usually I train till about 11pm and so he always drives me home... he's awesome!

10. Yup... I've got some pretty awesome people in my life here in Korea!!!

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do you eat to live or live to eat?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Fighting!
-- just about every Korean... hehehe

While cleaning up my computer tonight, I came across all these clips that I didn't use for my Pink music video... and so I used them to make another video, viola!

After a long day, I could think of nothing more perfect than curling up with my favorite boy on the heated floor... sweet. Now, this IS the life!!!

Highlights of my Day... Monday, October 22

1. Today kicked off the first day of midterms and what "better" way to start things off then by waking up late, getting my hair tangled in the blow dryer and mistaking Mi Nam's treats for my beef jerky... I thought it tasted funny. Ate about half it before I realized it looked, tasted and felt different... oh my gosh.

2. First group to take my midterm were my sports students. One of the more active students in the class showed up late and so as I handed out the listening exam papers, I kept my eye on the door, hoping he showed up. Thankfully I was able to stale for about 10 minutes and then he showed up.

3. Experienced my first "substitute student" in my last class of the day, I'm convinced of it!!! By substitute student I mean that she isn't my student, instead, she's filling in for my real student (and posing as that student -- for the midterm). Although I have 293 students, I caught on to this cause the class is pretty sociable but their English level is kind of low. The "substitute student" on the other hand, her English was really high and I know I would have noticed this prior to the test. Then there was the fact that she didn't know my name.

4. With no real proof to tell whether or not she was the real student, I quickly jotted down her name and a brief description of her in my notebook, taking note of the birthmark on her left jaw and the scar on her arm.

5. Mondays are always busy and today was no exception. I had promised myself I'd go grocery shopping tonight and so thankfully I was able to squeeze it in. I loaded up my cart with tons of chicken, eggs, veggies and lots of tuna.

6. Am loving Tom's fitness book... totally loving it! I've been blazing through the chapters and making notes. I read up on this accelerated diet plan for extreme athletes (ie. bodybuilders, etc.) and so I thought I'd give it a try. I'll try it for a month and see how it goes. Tomorrow marks day one and so tonight I sat down and planned my meals for tomorrow. I've been eating tons of tuna lately and so I thought I'd take a break from it tomorrow.

MEAL 1 @ 9am
plain oatmeal - 1pk
scrambled eggs (5 whites + 1 whole egg)
grapes (10)

MEAL 2 @ 12 noon
boiled chicken breast (4oz)
sweet potato

MEAL 3 @ 3pm
protein shake (1 scoop)
plain oatmeal (1pk)
tomatoes (2 s/m size)

MEAL 4 @ 6pm
egg omelet (5 whites + 1 whole egg)
broccoli (1 cup)
natural peanut butter (1 tbsp)

MEAL 5 @ 9pm
boiled chicken breast (4oz)
corn (1/2 cup)

TOTALS:
Calories = 1392g
Protein = 172g (a little too high.. I know)
Carbs = 122g
Fat = 34.9g

7. Oh my gosh... found out one kimbab is about 404g of calories, 6g of fat and 66g of carbs.... dang! I'm guessing chumchi kimbab is worse, despite the fact that it has tuna in it. I figure the mayo in the chumchi kimbab is the killer... looks like I'll be passing on chumchi kimbab from now on!

8. Yes, I have turned into one of those fitness freaks that lives for the gym, gets her kicks of walking around with sore muscles, and who blocks the grocery store isle to read the labels... so sue me. I'm all about my training now and in order to start arranging fights, I've got to get myself into the lower weight boxing class. This is way beyond looking good.. this is about reaching my potential in the ring.

9. On account that I spent the whole weekend in Busan, I decided to take tonight off of weight training and boxing. I don't usually do weight training on Mondays cause it's my busiest day but I was thinking of going. The look on Mi Nam's face worked to make me feel guilty and so I decided to stay home with him. Turned my heater on... oh baby! I love having heated floors in Korea. Nothing is quite like laying on the floor with my baby Mi Nam and having my back toasted... I love it!

10. Drama from the weekend found it's way into my Monday evening and so that wasn't fun. Say what ya want about Korean men, or about Seo, but they're so extreme with their feelings, are quite melodramatic and you know what.... I like it. In a way, it's kind of romantic. Korean guys, or at least the ones I've dated, are so much more sensitive than the average Westerner dude and they're not afraid to express it.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What does Mi Nam really do when I'm not home?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Men are what their mothers made them.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Life was much easier when I thought boys were stupid and all I needed were my girl friends.... ahhh... Homegirl, I miss ya!

Isn't this just SO true... dang diet!

Highlights of my Day... Sunday, October 21

1. With tons of work, Mi Nam, and friends waiting for me back in Cheonan, I woke up frustrated. I can't believe I slept in so late!!!

2. What better way to cheer myself up than to splurge on the new white Adidas hoodie I've been eyeing the past day or so... sweet!

3. Crap hit the fan today at Busan station. After realizing that tickets had been selling out like hotcakes, I was forced to do nothing but take a later train and have to transfer in Daejon. Seo tried explaining this to me in detail but it only served to annoy me. I know he meant well, but, I had a headache, I was tired, I was hungry and I just really wanted to be in Cheonan. I knew I couldn't afford the time I was wasting away in the Busan KTX station. And then, if we weren't feeling stressed enough, he blurted out that his friend's father died. I thought it a little too coincidental and so I ignored his story. I was in no mood to stop and be all like, "Oh baby... are you ok?" Honestly, I don't know if he was expecting me to do that or not but it wasn't a good situation.

4. Our good-bye at KTX was definitely not one they'll be putting in one of those blockbuster romance movies, that's for sure. I got up, walked away and then struggled with my ticket in the machine. Seo ran up to help me, then sneaked a quick kiss and then I left.

5. Boarded the train all sad and upset. Beside me sat this older business man. He turned to me, offered me a tissue and then asked me my name. His name was Mr. Lee and he was an investor in Seoul.

6. Mr. Lee gave me his business card and made me pinky swear that I'd visit him. He had asked me what if I missed Canada. I didn't know what to say and so I responded with, "I miss my mom's cooking!" And so, on that note, he told me that he'd love to get his wife to cook me a meal. I know it's not the same but I definitely appreciated the sweet gesture.

7. Gotta love Koreans... and Korean kids!!! While waiting for my transfer train, I sat on the train platform. Some random mother and her three little girls came and sat beside me. None of them spoke English but the middle girl (probably about age 7) tried to talk to me. She offered me some dried shrimp and so I told her in Korean that I thought it was disgusted. She laughed at my quick comment and started asking me a bunch of questions.... where am I from, what's my name... etc. Next thing I know it, she's climbing up on my leg. Only in Korea would some mother let their kid sit on some stranger's knee. I love it. Koreans seem so innocent in nature, in so many ways. Westerners tend to be too uptight about things and so we always quick to expect the worse.

8. Arrived back in Cheonan. Seo still hadn't texted me. I was sure he would, but he didn't.

9. Met up with Sean and Ki Dong from work. We headed out for fish. Three years ago I would have squirmed in my seat at the sight of these fish slapped down on a plate but now... wow, I love it! We chowed down on fish, about a million side dishes and then headed to Coffee Bean for coffee.

10. Tomorrow midterms start and so I had to plug away at that tonight, making last minute changes to my test and making sure it was just right.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
When did we lose our innocence?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Behind every argument is someone's ignorance.
-- Louis D. Brandeis

... if only you were there! There's no way my little camera could capture the magnitude and spectacular view of it all...

It was fireworks; it was music; it was spotlights... it was 45 minutes of amazing beauty!

While out for dinner with Seo, I noticed this cute couple beside us... and their "couple wear". I love couple wear... it's so cute, so sweet... and so not in my wardrobe :(

Highlights of my Day... Saturday, October 20

1. Woke up dazed and confused as to why I couldn't feel the floor under my foot... hehehe. I haven't slept in a bed in so long and so I guess I'm just really accustomed to my Korean floor mat... hehehe.

2. Random things that hint that I've adapted to the Korean way of living:

a. I sleep on a floor mat
b. find myself preferring to sit cross-legged on the floor than in a chair
c. my morning coffee is pretty much the size of a shot glass
d. I don't own a fork
e. body language is now officially my main language
f. I have mastered the art of holding the shower nozzle and washing my body at the same time
g. I cover my mouth when I laugh
h. I own more than one shirt with sequence on it
i. I own silver shoes and I love them
j. I own leggings
k. I find myself thinking out loud
l. when I'm not teaching, my speech is littered with broken English and Konglish
m. I now list "singing a song" as one of my hobbies
n. my dog has a wardrobe
o. I own eye glasses that have no prescription
p. I can tell the difference between the various rices and I have my preference
q. I automatically do the peace sign when someone takes my picture
r. I point out the foreigners when I see them in the streets
s. I think headbands and sparkly hair barrettes are cool
t. I can think of at least a good dozen ways on how to eat rice
u. I went from loving the tough boys to sensitive pretty guys who have perms, like singing, and wear fur trimming on their jackets
v. my cellphone has become like an extra limb on my body that I don't leave home without
w. I own more knee socks than any other kind of sock
x. I use whitening cream to make my face whiter
y. I own an Anna Sui mini pocket mirror
z. I use an umbrella when it snows

3. For lunch, Seo and I headed over to a tak galbi restaurant where the place was packed with students... students with great hair... hehehe. We hit up one of the street vendors for our dinner. Gotta love Korean street vendors! Only in Korea can a street vendor get away with pulling out tons of tables, chairs, and one big massive cooking counter. Why any one would want to set up a legate restaurant and deal with rent and such other fees like electricity why you can just pop up your tent or pull up your truck and pop up some tables and chairs?!

4. Spent the afternoon window shopping and searching out the perfect perfume with Seo ... it was a perfect afternoon.

5. Around 7pm we started to make our way do to the beach for the big fireworks festival. We had heard that it'd be better than Vancouver, Canada's very own Symphony of Fire and so we eagerly rushed to see it. Turns out practically half of Korea also rushed down to see it... the beach was packed! And when I say packed, I mean disgustingly packed... like sardines. Seo was
skeptical about whether or not we'd get a seat but I pushed our way through the crowd and scored us an inch on the beach.

6. At 8pm there was the big magically countdown and it all started... wow... it was so incredibly
beautiful! There were tons of spotlights on the bridge, music, about 30 boats loaded to the max with fireworks, lots of police and tons of people.

7. Oh my gosh... my camera battery died!!! Ya... totally kicking myself for that!!!

8. For the grand finale, they blasted off tons of fireworks and then, much to our amazement, over our heads flew a couple of mechanical birds. Their bodies were outlined in lights. It was so amazing. The crowd roared as these birds circled above our heads... so pretty!

9. Getting home was quite the hassle. Just to get into the subway tunnel, you had to wait in line. It was crazy! The lines were infested with people like ants on an ant hill. Seo and I walked to whole way back to his house... which was "interesting". First, there was the fact that we argued about where I could pee, then drama with Young Chan evolved as he texted me "boo me" messages about me not saying goodbye to him... ya, add in a couple dozen thousand people and well, it's safe to say it was a long walk home. Actually, it wasn't so bad. I just really had to go to the bathroom, oh gosh....

10. We decided that we were going to go dancing and so we got decked out and hit the club. At this one club there was this one girl, oh gosh. She was b-r-u-t-a-l. Now there's a HUGE difference between someone who's a bad dancer but is having fun and someone who just flats out sucks but thinks they rock.... ya, well, she was the second of the two. The poor dude she was with sat on the corner of the stage while she busted out her moves. I felt embarrassed for her and awful for him. Watching her was like some kind of Chinese torture. Had I not noticed her "I'm too sexy" expression on her face, I seriously would have thought she was having a seizure.... hehehe. She was pretty bad. Regardless of seizure girl's totally distracting "convulsing/wild-turkey" dance though, we danced the night away and had a wicked time. I love it how Seo always agrees to dance with me despite admitting that he can't dance... he's not bad actually. "A" for effort!

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do you smell burnt toast?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
It's all fun and games till someone loses an eye.
-- Author Unknown

On Sunday Young Chan leaves for his Europian golf tour and so he'll be heading to Seoul. I doubt I'll be able to say good-bye to him and so I totally am bracing myself for some drama. Despite it all though, I know he's a good guy. He just needs some fine-tuning.... some GOOD fine-tuning that is.

Wow, great hair Young Chan... you look so pretty with your "boy band" hair.

Highlights of my Day.. Friday, October 19

1. Rushed into school with five minutes to spare and ran into one of my first period students. He's a super sweet student who is always quick to give me smiles, bring me coffee and after class he lingers around to talk to me. As we rushed off to class, he stopped me in the stairwell to ask me if I had a boyfriend. I laughed off the question by answering, "Yes, Mi Nam" (he knew that was my dog's name) but after I started really thinking about it. Do I have a boyfriend?! I mean, Seo and I broke up but we've been talking lately and well, our conversations haven't exactly been on a mutual friendly level. He's returned to calling me "babi" and tonight I'm going to Busan to see him.

2. Second period class was stress... as it always is. It's English with my dance major students, most of which (80%) wouldn't know the difference if I were speaking English or French to them. Thank God for the 4 dudes in that class though. They seem to be the only ones who care to answer my questions. I tried to do the midterm review with the class but they weren't participating and so I refused to give them the answers. The 4 dudes were eagerly listening but all the girls were giggling, writing notes, or starring at themselves in their mirrors. I'm sure those who also teach in Korea can vouch for the mirrors I'm talking about. They drive me bonkers!!! Nothing is worse that seeing students pull out these handheld mirrors (which aren't so small in many cases) so that they can stare at themselves during class.

3. Stopped the class and took a quick note on who had been giggling through out my midterm review. They asked me why I was counting the number of students laughing and so sarcastically I told them, "cause I doubt those laughing today will be laughing next week... be warned. Many of you will fail my exam!" I knew that was kind of brutal to say but it was so true. There's some girls in this class that have paid attention so little in my class that I doubt they even know my name, and because of this, I am stressed out about such students and the midterm!

4. Two students took up my offer for help and so they came to the office to drill me about the midterm. We went through their textbook and my lecture notes, page by page, circling what they should focus on. It took about an hour to do but you know what, it made me feel so proud to be their teacher. I really hope I was this kind of student to my teachers.

5. I've been working on my abs like an animal lately and so today at boxing Junior Mint wanted to test them out... oh gosh. He motioned at my stomach and then said something that I didn't quite understand but, based on the look on his face and the fact that he braced himself, I knew something was about to happen. That's when he punched me. He punched me right in the abs... yup, it hurt. It wouldn't had hurt so much if it was only one punch but he about five times. By the second punch I had totally flexed but dang, that first punch almost knocked the wind out of me!

6. Tonight Junior Mint and the committee for my boxing club held a dinner party. I met up with Junior Mint around 7pm and so we headed to the restaurant together. Unlike last time though, tonight I couldn't stay long. I had planned to go to Busan and so I was hoping to catch the last KTX train out of Cheonan.

7. There were were, 24 guys and 3 women. Had the guys all been boxers, I would have been loving the ratio but they weren't. Most of the men present were members of the board and so they were all dressed up in suits. I had come wearing a cute new dress but upon seeing that it was two massive tables full of business men, I got so shy. My dress was a tad bit too short to start off with and so having to take my boots off and sit on the floor was quite the challenge. Junior Mint stuck by my side and so that was sweet of him. He's an awesome coach. Sung Min and Hyo Gun (also known as Handsome Boy) showed up and so I was thankful for that.

8. As we all filed out of the restaurant, they all tried to convince me not to leave. I remember the last dinner party though. Dinner led into going to a bar, then a singing room, followed by another bar... and then home around 4am. How these full grown business men can party like rock stars is beyond me. By the time dinner was over, I was already getting tired. The head of the board (who speaks English) told me that he expects to see me at the next dinner party.. great. Apparently they have them every month. Honestly, I don't mind having dinner with them and I know I should be schmoozing with them, after all, these men are responsible for setting up my fights and can really help me out, but staying out till 4am isn't so attractive to me anymore. I think I'm getting too old for this kind of stuff.. hehehe.

9. Myoung June swung by the restaurant just as we were about to leave. He refused to let me take a taxi to the KTX and so he drove me in his pimped-out gangster car. I don't know what was with me though, whether it was something I drank or what, but I was in a really weird mood and so I turned to him and blurted out, "I envy your girlfriend. She has a great man. You tell her to be careful with you." Kind of a strange thing to say and ya, I'm sure he only understood like 40% of what I said but I just felt the urge to say it. A few things to know about Myoung June, he works for LIG Insurance, owns his own bar, boxes, and is quite to help his friends at the drop of a hat. He plans on getting married next year and so that's awesome. He's a really cool guy whom I really respect.

10. After a train ride that seemed to take forever, I showed up in Busan at 12:40am and was greeted by a shy-looking Seo. He came walking right up to me with his head down and a sad look on his face. We went down the escalator, he turned me around and then hugged me right in front of a packed escalator.

QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's next?

QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Enjoy today because it's a gift. Yesterday was the past, tomorrow is the future but today is a gift, that's why it is called the present.
-- One of my university friends, J.