With too much time on my hands today, I thought I'd show you my new leather flower belt. Last night I joked with my team mates, telling them that they better be careful cause I got my champion belt on... hehehe.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Highlights of my Day... Saturday, May 31
1. If I don’t live to see my 28th birthday, I’m totally blaming Mi Nam and his Hiroshima-like bongu-bombs (“bongu” means gas in Korean) that repeatedly left me choking today and gasping for air today like a fish out of water.
2. Went grocery shopping and stocked up on pretty much every green vegetable imaginable and treated myself to some peanut butter and bread. And no, it wasn’t Skippy’s… I wish!
3. Headed into boxing today and did a gruelling ab workout at the end that left me with swollen abs… and I loved it.
4. Discovered that I have yet ANOTHER holiday coming up, this Friday. Sweet.
5. Got brushed off and had plans cancel on account that I have a boyfriend. Apparently I’m not so cool cause I’m not single anymore. Telling people I have a boyfriend is, evidently, quite the “friend strainer” and honestly, that’s quite alright with me.
6. I swear, if more people were like Mi Nam, this world would be a far better and happier place. Just think of it… Mi Nam, my four-legged pup, finds enjoyment in the simplest of things, like socks. He’s not picky with what he eats, he’s quite alright just relaxing at home, he’s extremely low maintenance, he’s carefree and loving, and finds comfort in a simple pat on the back and kiss. Moreover, he never fights, only play fights but even those end in kisses and licks, and he is incredibly loyal. I find it rather ironic that people tease him in the streets when you consider the fact that I much rather be with Mi Nam than a huge percent of the people I have ever met. Mi Nam may be a four-legged, poop-eating, pee spraying, feet-licking pup, but he definitely has a bigger heart and a better personality than many.
7. And so on that note, I decided to stay home and chill with Mi Nam for a good part of the evening.
8. Hanna texted me, asking me to meet up with her so that we could go check up on Jae Min. We met up a little after midnight and headed to Mbar where it was obvious they were still morning Chung Hong’s tragic death. Jung Hyuk has started working at Mbar again, mind ya, I think it’s so that they can keep a close watch on him. He literally looked like a walking zombie… no emotion, pale skin, blood shot eyes from crying, and zoned out.
9. I suggested to Hanna that we should leave, not cause it was depressing the heck out of me but well, ya, it was depressing the heck out of me.
10. We ended up going to this one bar that just opened up. Hanna’s friend is a DJ there. Turns out Saturday night is club night there and so there were lots of B-boys and B-girls ripping it up on the dance floor. Hanna’s DJ friend was cool and he was loving the fact that I spoke to him in Korean. I had a good laugh though when I noticed a massive table of foreigners sitting next to us. I’ve never seen them in Cheonan though.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
When will some people grow up?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Man is what he believes.
-- Anton Chekhov
2. Went grocery shopping and stocked up on pretty much every green vegetable imaginable and treated myself to some peanut butter and bread. And no, it wasn’t Skippy’s… I wish!
3. Headed into boxing today and did a gruelling ab workout at the end that left me with swollen abs… and I loved it.
4. Discovered that I have yet ANOTHER holiday coming up, this Friday. Sweet.
5. Got brushed off and had plans cancel on account that I have a boyfriend. Apparently I’m not so cool cause I’m not single anymore. Telling people I have a boyfriend is, evidently, quite the “friend strainer” and honestly, that’s quite alright with me.
6. I swear, if more people were like Mi Nam, this world would be a far better and happier place. Just think of it… Mi Nam, my four-legged pup, finds enjoyment in the simplest of things, like socks. He’s not picky with what he eats, he’s quite alright just relaxing at home, he’s extremely low maintenance, he’s carefree and loving, and finds comfort in a simple pat on the back and kiss. Moreover, he never fights, only play fights but even those end in kisses and licks, and he is incredibly loyal. I find it rather ironic that people tease him in the streets when you consider the fact that I much rather be with Mi Nam than a huge percent of the people I have ever met. Mi Nam may be a four-legged, poop-eating, pee spraying, feet-licking pup, but he definitely has a bigger heart and a better personality than many.
7. And so on that note, I decided to stay home and chill with Mi Nam for a good part of the evening.
8. Hanna texted me, asking me to meet up with her so that we could go check up on Jae Min. We met up a little after midnight and headed to Mbar where it was obvious they were still morning Chung Hong’s tragic death. Jung Hyuk has started working at Mbar again, mind ya, I think it’s so that they can keep a close watch on him. He literally looked like a walking zombie… no emotion, pale skin, blood shot eyes from crying, and zoned out.
9. I suggested to Hanna that we should leave, not cause it was depressing the heck out of me but well, ya, it was depressing the heck out of me.
10. We ended up going to this one bar that just opened up. Hanna’s friend is a DJ there. Turns out Saturday night is club night there and so there were lots of B-boys and B-girls ripping it up on the dance floor. Hanna’s DJ friend was cool and he was loving the fact that I spoke to him in Korean. I had a good laugh though when I noticed a massive table of foreigners sitting next to us. I’ve never seen them in Cheonan though.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
When will some people grow up?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Man is what he believes.
-- Anton Chekhov
Friday, May 30, 2008
Highlights of my Day... Friday, May 30
1. Surprised even myself today when I decided to wear my flat dress shoes to school today. I don’t really care for flat shoes cause, well, I’m short enough as it is and having students tower over me feels kind of strange. I blame their height on all those veggies and kimchi they eat. I blame my shortness on being Polish. Regardless, I wore my new shoes.
2. Seriously considered going home to change shoes in between class after way too many students told me I looked like a Japanese student. Not too sure where they got that idea but with my 3/4 length dress pants, flouncy white blouse and pearly shoes, I went from being 27 to looking like I was more like 16.
3. There’s a particular young Korean professor (or administration staff… not sure) here on campus that keeps on saying hi to me. I usually see him once or twice a week, as I rush off to class across campus. Not too sure what the deal is with him and I’m not too sure if he knows I’m a professor here or thinks I’m a student. Anyways, I saw him, Mr. Smiles as I’ll call him from now on, while in one of the campus stores. I was buying banana milk when he spotted me. He swung into the store to pick up some coffee and then he ended up buying me my milk. “You many banana milk drink!” and then he left. How does he know I like banana milk? Maybe he was just making short conversation, I don’t know. Very strange.
4. My last period class has this ongoing sarcastic joke and they love using this one-liner, “Not funny Michelle” and what’s so funny is that they say it with such a good poker face and so it always causes me to burst out in laughter.
5. Koreans always say “dae” in conversations but about a month or so ago I taught them the English equivalent, “uh-huh”, and it’s like they can’t get enough of it… hehehe. They seem to find it highly amusing and so they try to use it every chance possible, or so it seems.
Me: Did you enjoy festival week?
Class: Uh-huh.
Me: Did you bring your textbooks today?
Class: Uh-huh.
Me: … and your homework?
Class: Uh-huh.
I caught on pretty quick and so I amused myself by asking some fun questions.
Me: Did you miss me last week?
Class: Uh-huh.
Me: Are you going to buy me lunch?
Class: no answer
Me: Uh-huh?!!
6. Have you ever had one of those nights when you just feel so in love with everything, like everything is just so perfect?! The way people say your name, the way your clothes feel, the sights and smells around you, the looks on passer-byers, the incredible good mood that has seemingly taken priority over everything inside your body?!... tonight I had one of these nights.
7. Honestly, I wasn’t too keen on going to the boxing party tonight. I usually end up being the only girl, which, many think is great, but it means the Boxing Commission members at the dinner bombard me with questions, attention and force me to sit at their table. Their table, where none of my other team mates want to join me cause it’s all the top dogs and older men. Thank God Junior Mint sits with them cause he’s my only comfort at the table. Initially, I had wanted to go training instead but Junior Mint had made it impossible for me to train tonight by closing the club extra early. Q swung by to pick me up and as I approached the front doors of my building, there stood a man with his back to me. He was all dressed-up in business clothes, blocking the doors. When I got nearer to him, he turned around. It was Q. Wow. He’s definitely evolving into quite the real life Prince Charming. At work he wears very casual clothes but he said he raced home and changed into something nice for me…. wow. Yup, I’m for sure going to marry this guy. I may not being any kind of fairytale princess by any means but I’d be mental to let this Prince Charming get away! Ya… I am definitely not a princess. God knows even my arms don’t fit into those princess dresses… it’s true… ask my dry cleaners. The other day I ripped the lining in a super expensive silk jacket cause I thought it’d be funny to flex. Ya… not funny!
8. It was nice to see Sae Too Gee at the boxing dinner party tonight. I’ve been trying to encourage the other boxers to extent friendship to him in hopes that when he returns to Japan, he’ll have fond memories of Korea. There were 28 of us, 26 guys and 2 of us girls. I had come late and so I wasn’t able to sit beside Sae Too Gee but I kept a close eye on him, making sure he was having a good time despite the huge language barrier. Tonight he was introduced to soju and, surprisingly enough, he was able to walk away ON HIS OWN after the ordeal… hehehe. What a strong guy!
9. After dinner, we split into two groups: old men and young men (plus me). We ended up going to Khan where I found out that Black Skinny is buddies with all the workers there, including the Khan Hyun Bin. Talk about scattered conversations… hehehe. We talked about everything it seems. From why I dyed my hair black to friends getting married, to summer plans, we talked about numerous things but ALL topics seemed to venture back to boxing. Am convinced that my other friends would hate hanging out with my team mates for the simple fact that all we talk about is boxing.
10. Q is quite the happy-go-lucky kind of guy and so he totally cared less that Moonja-ah Boy (the feisty and flirtatious boxer) was overly chatty with me tonight and that Black Skinny kept on sticking his tongue out at me, squeezing the heck out of my leg, and pretending to be a pervert...sooooo funny! That was the theme of the night apparently, sticking our tongues out and me pretending to punch them… hehehe. Black Skinny is awesome though and is totally harmless… not too sure if I can say the same about Moonja-Ah Boy though. Nonetheless, we had a blast tonight and by the end of the evening, I was totally loving my team mates… they rock!!!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's more crazy, me willingly getting punched in the head (boxing) or ever considering giving it up?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Personality can open doors, but only character can keep them open.
-- Elmer G. Letterman
2. Seriously considered going home to change shoes in between class after way too many students told me I looked like a Japanese student. Not too sure where they got that idea but with my 3/4 length dress pants, flouncy white blouse and pearly shoes, I went from being 27 to looking like I was more like 16.
3. There’s a particular young Korean professor (or administration staff… not sure) here on campus that keeps on saying hi to me. I usually see him once or twice a week, as I rush off to class across campus. Not too sure what the deal is with him and I’m not too sure if he knows I’m a professor here or thinks I’m a student. Anyways, I saw him, Mr. Smiles as I’ll call him from now on, while in one of the campus stores. I was buying banana milk when he spotted me. He swung into the store to pick up some coffee and then he ended up buying me my milk. “You many banana milk drink!” and then he left. How does he know I like banana milk? Maybe he was just making short conversation, I don’t know. Very strange.
4. My last period class has this ongoing sarcastic joke and they love using this one-liner, “Not funny Michelle” and what’s so funny is that they say it with such a good poker face and so it always causes me to burst out in laughter.
5. Koreans always say “dae” in conversations but about a month or so ago I taught them the English equivalent, “uh-huh”, and it’s like they can’t get enough of it… hehehe. They seem to find it highly amusing and so they try to use it every chance possible, or so it seems.
Me: Did you enjoy festival week?
Class: Uh-huh.
Me: Did you bring your textbooks today?
Class: Uh-huh.
Me: … and your homework?
Class: Uh-huh.
I caught on pretty quick and so I amused myself by asking some fun questions.
Me: Did you miss me last week?
Class: Uh-huh.
Me: Are you going to buy me lunch?
Class: no answer
Me: Uh-huh?!!
6. Have you ever had one of those nights when you just feel so in love with everything, like everything is just so perfect?! The way people say your name, the way your clothes feel, the sights and smells around you, the looks on passer-byers, the incredible good mood that has seemingly taken priority over everything inside your body?!... tonight I had one of these nights.
7. Honestly, I wasn’t too keen on going to the boxing party tonight. I usually end up being the only girl, which, many think is great, but it means the Boxing Commission members at the dinner bombard me with questions, attention and force me to sit at their table. Their table, where none of my other team mates want to join me cause it’s all the top dogs and older men. Thank God Junior Mint sits with them cause he’s my only comfort at the table. Initially, I had wanted to go training instead but Junior Mint had made it impossible for me to train tonight by closing the club extra early. Q swung by to pick me up and as I approached the front doors of my building, there stood a man with his back to me. He was all dressed-up in business clothes, blocking the doors. When I got nearer to him, he turned around. It was Q. Wow. He’s definitely evolving into quite the real life Prince Charming. At work he wears very casual clothes but he said he raced home and changed into something nice for me…. wow. Yup, I’m for sure going to marry this guy. I may not being any kind of fairytale princess by any means but I’d be mental to let this Prince Charming get away! Ya… I am definitely not a princess. God knows even my arms don’t fit into those princess dresses… it’s true… ask my dry cleaners. The other day I ripped the lining in a super expensive silk jacket cause I thought it’d be funny to flex. Ya… not funny!
8. It was nice to see Sae Too Gee at the boxing dinner party tonight. I’ve been trying to encourage the other boxers to extent friendship to him in hopes that when he returns to Japan, he’ll have fond memories of Korea. There were 28 of us, 26 guys and 2 of us girls. I had come late and so I wasn’t able to sit beside Sae Too Gee but I kept a close eye on him, making sure he was having a good time despite the huge language barrier. Tonight he was introduced to soju and, surprisingly enough, he was able to walk away ON HIS OWN after the ordeal… hehehe. What a strong guy!
9. After dinner, we split into two groups: old men and young men (plus me). We ended up going to Khan where I found out that Black Skinny is buddies with all the workers there, including the Khan Hyun Bin. Talk about scattered conversations… hehehe. We talked about everything it seems. From why I dyed my hair black to friends getting married, to summer plans, we talked about numerous things but ALL topics seemed to venture back to boxing. Am convinced that my other friends would hate hanging out with my team mates for the simple fact that all we talk about is boxing.
10. Q is quite the happy-go-lucky kind of guy and so he totally cared less that Moonja-ah Boy (the feisty and flirtatious boxer) was overly chatty with me tonight and that Black Skinny kept on sticking his tongue out at me, squeezing the heck out of my leg, and pretending to be a pervert...sooooo funny! That was the theme of the night apparently, sticking our tongues out and me pretending to punch them… hehehe. Black Skinny is awesome though and is totally harmless… not too sure if I can say the same about Moonja-Ah Boy though. Nonetheless, we had a blast tonight and by the end of the evening, I was totally loving my team mates… they rock!!!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's more crazy, me willingly getting punched in the head (boxing) or ever considering giving it up?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Personality can open doors, but only character can keep them open.
-- Elmer G. Letterman
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Highlights of my Day... Thursday, May 29
1. After having some time to digest Chung Hong's death, it has hit me; he's gone. I dwelled on this thought today and thought about how many people's lives have changed. Today I wondered what his mother was doing as I got up to get ready for my day. Someone once told me that the worst thing you could ever experience is the loss of your child. Yesterday his mother experienced this... and she will continue to feel it. There's nothing in this world anyone could ever do or say to change this. And so, today, I felt so consumed with thoughts of his mother.
2. I hadn't slept good last night and so today I arrived at school looking rather worn down. Instantly, I blurted out in front of several of my coworkers, "yesterday some fishermen found my friend's bloated body in the water so... I'm having a rough day already".
3. Arrived home after school and ended up passing out for 4 hours.
4. Woke up and holy second wind... I was so hyper. I had so much energy it's like I didn't know what to do with it... hehehe. Ended up giving my house a good cleaning, washed all my bedding, played with Mi Nam, did my homepage and then took Mi Nam out for a long walk.
5. You know you're bored when you find yourself washing the leaves of your plants, individually... one-by-one... every single one.
6. Mi Nam made some new friends today... hehehe. Some random Korean girl in my building who's seen him before was in the elevator with us today. We had just returned from a long walk in the heat and so I let Mi Nam out of his harness. He flopped down on the elevator floor, totally exhausted and gasping for air. The girl gave a long, "Ahhhhhhh...." and then tried to pick him up. She was so shocked at how heavy he was but was even more shocked when I told her that he's only 1 year old. I was more shocked at the fact that she even tried to pick him up, let alone not scream at him like most Korean girls. And trust me, Mi Nam was totally loving this Korean cutie's attention... hehehe.
7. Am officially addicted to this strawberry body wash I bought at GS 25. It's awesome. Unlike other body washes or strawberry scented things that smell rather cheap, this body wash rocks and left me seriously wanting to taste it... hehehe.
8. Training was awesome tonight. S-line-Wanna-be jumped on the scale today. She's lost about 6kg and so I flooded her with compliments. Mind ya, in her training, she's somehow managed to lose her bum... oh no! I, on the other hand, am back up to 54kg... but never felt better! My body is just so comfortable at 54kg and it seems like no matter what I do, I end up staying at the 54kg mark. I was down to 53kg the other week but have since added on weight with my intense weight training. I'm smaller now but weight more. If it weren't for the fact that I'm literally forced to step up on the scale every week is the only reason why I even bother with my kg number. I'm more interested in how my body feels, looks, and performs.
9. Am curious, what percentage of Korean woman are officially underweight?... And what percentage of Westerns are overweight? I think I rather be overweight than underweight. Nothing is sexy about a coat hanger but a big teddy bear is always good for cuddling ;)
10. Got clipped across the head today by Junior Mint for joking about how one of my friends at the club can't skip to save his life. Turns out he's punch drunk... wow. He use to fight for another club but they signed him up with too many fights and not enough time to recover.... so he never did recover. Apparently he went from being at he top of his weight class to now, not being able to skip, having shot reflexes, and his coordination is kind of messed up. That's pretty sad, especially when you consider he's about my age.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What is the difference between quitting and stopping?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself.
-- Oscar Wilde
2. I hadn't slept good last night and so today I arrived at school looking rather worn down. Instantly, I blurted out in front of several of my coworkers, "yesterday some fishermen found my friend's bloated body in the water so... I'm having a rough day already".
3. Arrived home after school and ended up passing out for 4 hours.
4. Woke up and holy second wind... I was so hyper. I had so much energy it's like I didn't know what to do with it... hehehe. Ended up giving my house a good cleaning, washed all my bedding, played with Mi Nam, did my homepage and then took Mi Nam out for a long walk.
5. You know you're bored when you find yourself washing the leaves of your plants, individually... one-by-one... every single one.
6. Mi Nam made some new friends today... hehehe. Some random Korean girl in my building who's seen him before was in the elevator with us today. We had just returned from a long walk in the heat and so I let Mi Nam out of his harness. He flopped down on the elevator floor, totally exhausted and gasping for air. The girl gave a long, "Ahhhhhhh...." and then tried to pick him up. She was so shocked at how heavy he was but was even more shocked when I told her that he's only 1 year old. I was more shocked at the fact that she even tried to pick him up, let alone not scream at him like most Korean girls. And trust me, Mi Nam was totally loving this Korean cutie's attention... hehehe.
7. Am officially addicted to this strawberry body wash I bought at GS 25. It's awesome. Unlike other body washes or strawberry scented things that smell rather cheap, this body wash rocks and left me seriously wanting to taste it... hehehe.
8. Training was awesome tonight. S-line-Wanna-be jumped on the scale today. She's lost about 6kg and so I flooded her with compliments. Mind ya, in her training, she's somehow managed to lose her bum... oh no! I, on the other hand, am back up to 54kg... but never felt better! My body is just so comfortable at 54kg and it seems like no matter what I do, I end up staying at the 54kg mark. I was down to 53kg the other week but have since added on weight with my intense weight training. I'm smaller now but weight more. If it weren't for the fact that I'm literally forced to step up on the scale every week is the only reason why I even bother with my kg number. I'm more interested in how my body feels, looks, and performs.
9. Am curious, what percentage of Korean woman are officially underweight?... And what percentage of Westerns are overweight? I think I rather be overweight than underweight. Nothing is sexy about a coat hanger but a big teddy bear is always good for cuddling ;)
10. Got clipped across the head today by Junior Mint for joking about how one of my friends at the club can't skip to save his life. Turns out he's punch drunk... wow. He use to fight for another club but they signed him up with too many fights and not enough time to recover.... so he never did recover. Apparently he went from being at he top of his weight class to now, not being able to skip, having shot reflexes, and his coordination is kind of messed up. That's pretty sad, especially when you consider he's about my age.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What is the difference between quitting and stopping?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself.
-- Oscar Wilde
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Highlights of my Day... Wednesday, May 28
1. I am officially a level 3 Korean language student… in full effect, baby!!! Today I whipped open my level 3 text and dove in with my teacher. The textbook is thicker, harder,… and I’m such a geek for saying that I’m loving it.
2. Bought my first pair of flat shoes that aren’t either sandals or running shoes. With my left foot STILL killing me, I figured it was about time I listen to the doctor, give in, and try to at least like flat shoes. I give them about a week before Mi Nam either eats them or I realize I’m just too stubborn to give up my high heels.
3. About a month ago one of my friends named Chung Hong, a coworker of Jae Min’s at Mbar, went missing. He had gone fishing and just never returned. Today he came back… in a body bag. Some fishermen had discovered his body as it raised up to the surface after a month of being on the bottom of some random lake.
4. I found this out when I returned from my Korean class. Usually I just go straight home but today I dilly-dallied and did some eye-shopping at Yawoori. Upon arriving at my apartment, I ran into my friend Jung Hyuk. He was all dressed in black and sporting some mad baggy and sad looking eyes. I questioned him what was wrong and he broke down, right in the middle of the GS 25 store with customers all looking at us. I stayed with him for some time, trying to comfort him but stumbling on my Korean.
6. When Jung Hyuk’s ride pulled up to GS 25, the window rolled down and inside I could see it was packed with Mbar staff. Jae Min’s sister and my Korean Mbar mom were also inside the car. It was then that I realized just how much I wish my Korean was better. If only I could have better express my sympathy to them… if only….
7. Chung Hong was Jung Hyuk’s best friend. He was a young guy who I had met when I first came to Korea. I met him at Mbar and he’s been working there ever since. With his sexy style, cool hair, posh glasses, and smooth lines, he’s no stranger to the admiration of girls and jealous guys. Regardless though, he always complained of having a sad heart. I never understood this and joked about wanting to meet his mom so I could tell her to lock him away. He had more looks than one should be allowed to have… that was our ongoing joke.
8. Needless to say, at boxing tonight I was very distracted and in no mood to chit chat or wear a smile. I felt sick having heard of Chung Hong’s death and I felt so stressed. I pounded away at the pads and heavy bag.. it didn’t really help though. It just left me exhausted but still sad and stressed.
9. We had driven way out into some far corner of Cheonan where it was super dark and the street lamps were limited. Down the road was the hospital, although it’s not really a hospital. It was kind of like what we’d consider a funeral home except it was hidden in the country and definitely had a gloomy and sickening feeling that you couldn’t help but feel as you approached it.
10. I finally met his mother, at his funeral tonight… not exactly how I wanted to meet her. She approached me, took me by the hands and so I told her who I was. Her pudgy hands loosely held mine and were shaking. I thought to myself, “Oh God,.. what could I possibly say to a mother who’s lost their child?! This is terrible.” I cried as she held my hands. I wanted so bad to tell her all my memories with Chung Hong but all that I could say was, “He was my friend… I am so sorry.” Here in Korea, funerals are very different compared to Canada. On the day that the person dies, they have a funeral. Friends and family meet to give money, drink away their sorrows, and eat. Because Chung Hong was a young guy, no older than 25, unmarried and with no children, his funeral will only last one day. One day… that’s all he’ll get. It breaks my heart cause he was so young. His life hadn’t even really started. Older people however, those who are married with children have a three day funeral. I found little comfort in noting how many people had come to pay their respect to Chung Hong. The place was packed. Q and I didn’t stick around for very long despite Jae Min wanting us to. On the way out, Chung Hong’s mother approached me again, thanked me for coming and reached out for my hands. I stood there holding her hands, just looking at her. I had no idea what to say. As we walked away, I looked back at her and waved. She remained standing there, alone, and so I thought to myself, this is wrong… this is so wrong.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What do you say to make it better?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it.
--Danny Kaye
2. Bought my first pair of flat shoes that aren’t either sandals or running shoes. With my left foot STILL killing me, I figured it was about time I listen to the doctor, give in, and try to at least like flat shoes. I give them about a week before Mi Nam either eats them or I realize I’m just too stubborn to give up my high heels.
3. About a month ago one of my friends named Chung Hong, a coworker of Jae Min’s at Mbar, went missing. He had gone fishing and just never returned. Today he came back… in a body bag. Some fishermen had discovered his body as it raised up to the surface after a month of being on the bottom of some random lake.
4. I found this out when I returned from my Korean class. Usually I just go straight home but today I dilly-dallied and did some eye-shopping at Yawoori. Upon arriving at my apartment, I ran into my friend Jung Hyuk. He was all dressed in black and sporting some mad baggy and sad looking eyes. I questioned him what was wrong and he broke down, right in the middle of the GS 25 store with customers all looking at us. I stayed with him for some time, trying to comfort him but stumbling on my Korean.
6. When Jung Hyuk’s ride pulled up to GS 25, the window rolled down and inside I could see it was packed with Mbar staff. Jae Min’s sister and my Korean Mbar mom were also inside the car. It was then that I realized just how much I wish my Korean was better. If only I could have better express my sympathy to them… if only….
7. Chung Hong was Jung Hyuk’s best friend. He was a young guy who I had met when I first came to Korea. I met him at Mbar and he’s been working there ever since. With his sexy style, cool hair, posh glasses, and smooth lines, he’s no stranger to the admiration of girls and jealous guys. Regardless though, he always complained of having a sad heart. I never understood this and joked about wanting to meet his mom so I could tell her to lock him away. He had more looks than one should be allowed to have… that was our ongoing joke.
8. Needless to say, at boxing tonight I was very distracted and in no mood to chit chat or wear a smile. I felt sick having heard of Chung Hong’s death and I felt so stressed. I pounded away at the pads and heavy bag.. it didn’t really help though. It just left me exhausted but still sad and stressed.
9. We had driven way out into some far corner of Cheonan where it was super dark and the street lamps were limited. Down the road was the hospital, although it’s not really a hospital. It was kind of like what we’d consider a funeral home except it was hidden in the country and definitely had a gloomy and sickening feeling that you couldn’t help but feel as you approached it.
10. I finally met his mother, at his funeral tonight… not exactly how I wanted to meet her. She approached me, took me by the hands and so I told her who I was. Her pudgy hands loosely held mine and were shaking. I thought to myself, “Oh God,.. what could I possibly say to a mother who’s lost their child?! This is terrible.” I cried as she held my hands. I wanted so bad to tell her all my memories with Chung Hong but all that I could say was, “He was my friend… I am so sorry.” Here in Korea, funerals are very different compared to Canada. On the day that the person dies, they have a funeral. Friends and family meet to give money, drink away their sorrows, and eat. Because Chung Hong was a young guy, no older than 25, unmarried and with no children, his funeral will only last one day. One day… that’s all he’ll get. It breaks my heart cause he was so young. His life hadn’t even really started. Older people however, those who are married with children have a three day funeral. I found little comfort in noting how many people had come to pay their respect to Chung Hong. The place was packed. Q and I didn’t stick around for very long despite Jae Min wanting us to. On the way out, Chung Hong’s mother approached me again, thanked me for coming and reached out for my hands. I stood there holding her hands, just looking at her. I had no idea what to say. As we walked away, I looked back at her and waved. She remained standing there, alone, and so I thought to myself, this is wrong… this is so wrong.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What do you say to make it better?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it.
--Danny Kaye
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Highlights of my Day... Tuesday, May 27
1. The other day I noticed on my coworker’s Facebook status that he is engaged and so today I thought I’d ask him when him when they think they’d be getting married. Turns out they got married last Friday…. Congrats!!! Just goes to show you how out of touch I am with my coworkers :(
2. One of my students has been sick for quite some time now. Today she returned to school… half her size, practically. She was already a super small gal but today she was… wow… too small. She was in the hospital for 20 days and so it was great to she her again. I was starting to really miss our girl chats after class.
3. Kim Tae is back in Korea from Australia!!! Today he showed up at Dankook and we went out for coffee. I had a good laugh though when I approached his truck and he stood there looking at me, not really knowing who I am. "Wow Amy!... you look so comfortable looking like a Korean girl!" was what he greeted me with. He talked about having a hard time and how he’s so glad to be back in Korea. I was so impressed with his English.
4. Hearing that Byunk Hyuk is having a hard time in Australia but may be staying for two more years was hard to listen to. Sometimes on campus, I catch my self looking for him, hoping that he'll suddenly appear and we'll go to the track to have another one of our usual chats. I miss him!
5. Congrats to Kim Tae for traveling miles away for so long and being able to maintain his relationship with his girlfriend here in Korea. I don’t know how he did it, she’s quite the overly possessive and jealous girl who’d easily cut my throat and his if she knew he came to see me. Kim Tae’s friends are no stranger to who I am and so she’s been well informed that he use to be head over heels in love with me. The way I look at it is, if I really wanted him don’t you think I would have already had him. Now I have a boyfriend and he has a girlfriend… and that’s that.
6. Dodging downtown’s crowds and sitting in the corner of Coffee Bean in hopes of avoiding any word of our meeting getting back to his girlfriend wasn’t so cool. Kim Tae and Byung Hyuk are two of my closest friends in Korea but it hurts to know that he has to keep me a secret. I can’t really say anything to him though, he really wants their relationship to work and I care a lot about him. He’ll learn his lesson eventually.
7. Q and I met up for dinner and we headed off to this tiny restaurant where the waitress loaded our table up with side dishes…. Ahhh… side dishes. I’m all about the side dishes. More interested in them than the actual main meal.
8. Took the night off training on account that I trained yesterday and I was really just wanting to be with Q tonight.
9. After dinner we ended up meeting up with two of Q’s coworkers and the chicken restaurant with the fighting ajjumas and the “poo house” on the menu… hehehe. I’m still hesitant about eating chicken and so I stayed clear of touching it.
10. When we left the restaurant I finally mustered up enough courage to Q that the little girl every has labelled as super adorable among his friends is nothing but a spoiled brat who many people seriously need to learn how to say no to. Apparently I am the only one so far. I feel sorry for her in that they all tease her for being pudgy… she’s 5 years old. Maybe if they didn’t give her food every time she cried then she wouldn’t be so pudgy. Moreover, it’s called a pair of running shoes and two feet to fill them; her feet. Come to mention it, I’ve never seen her walk. Someone is always carrying her around. Nothing is cute about a spoiled brat…. My mother would have a fit and would NEVER let me act like her and if I did, I’d sit there knowing that when I got home I was definitely getting a spanking.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Why can't some people learn how to say no to a child?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
There was a time when we expected nothing of our children but obedience, as opposed to the present, when we expect everything of them but obedience.
-- Anatole Broyard
2. One of my students has been sick for quite some time now. Today she returned to school… half her size, practically. She was already a super small gal but today she was… wow… too small. She was in the hospital for 20 days and so it was great to she her again. I was starting to really miss our girl chats after class.
3. Kim Tae is back in Korea from Australia!!! Today he showed up at Dankook and we went out for coffee. I had a good laugh though when I approached his truck and he stood there looking at me, not really knowing who I am. "Wow Amy!... you look so comfortable looking like a Korean girl!" was what he greeted me with. He talked about having a hard time and how he’s so glad to be back in Korea. I was so impressed with his English.
4. Hearing that Byunk Hyuk is having a hard time in Australia but may be staying for two more years was hard to listen to. Sometimes on campus, I catch my self looking for him, hoping that he'll suddenly appear and we'll go to the track to have another one of our usual chats. I miss him!
5. Congrats to Kim Tae for traveling miles away for so long and being able to maintain his relationship with his girlfriend here in Korea. I don’t know how he did it, she’s quite the overly possessive and jealous girl who’d easily cut my throat and his if she knew he came to see me. Kim Tae’s friends are no stranger to who I am and so she’s been well informed that he use to be head over heels in love with me. The way I look at it is, if I really wanted him don’t you think I would have already had him. Now I have a boyfriend and he has a girlfriend… and that’s that.
6. Dodging downtown’s crowds and sitting in the corner of Coffee Bean in hopes of avoiding any word of our meeting getting back to his girlfriend wasn’t so cool. Kim Tae and Byung Hyuk are two of my closest friends in Korea but it hurts to know that he has to keep me a secret. I can’t really say anything to him though, he really wants their relationship to work and I care a lot about him. He’ll learn his lesson eventually.
7. Q and I met up for dinner and we headed off to this tiny restaurant where the waitress loaded our table up with side dishes…. Ahhh… side dishes. I’m all about the side dishes. More interested in them than the actual main meal.
8. Took the night off training on account that I trained yesterday and I was really just wanting to be with Q tonight.
9. After dinner we ended up meeting up with two of Q’s coworkers and the chicken restaurant with the fighting ajjumas and the “poo house” on the menu… hehehe. I’m still hesitant about eating chicken and so I stayed clear of touching it.
10. When we left the restaurant I finally mustered up enough courage to Q that the little girl every has labelled as super adorable among his friends is nothing but a spoiled brat who many people seriously need to learn how to say no to. Apparently I am the only one so far. I feel sorry for her in that they all tease her for being pudgy… she’s 5 years old. Maybe if they didn’t give her food every time she cried then she wouldn’t be so pudgy. Moreover, it’s called a pair of running shoes and two feet to fill them; her feet. Come to mention it, I’ve never seen her walk. Someone is always carrying her around. Nothing is cute about a spoiled brat…. My mother would have a fit and would NEVER let me act like her and if I did, I’d sit there knowing that when I got home I was definitely getting a spanking.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Why can't some people learn how to say no to a child?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
There was a time when we expected nothing of our children but obedience, as opposed to the present, when we expect everything of them but obedience.
-- Anatole Broyard
Monday, May 26, 2008
Highlights of my Day... Monday, May 26
1. My sports students used “misunderstanding” as a means of justifying why ONLY 5 students (one of which, I should note here, is technically not my student) showed up for class today.
2. That’s “Bogus” with a capital B… and I don’t buy it. They said they didn’t understand my email. My email, which was about 4 simple sentences long and ended with, "enjoy the festival and I will see you next week in class" and which I know for a fact, well over half of them don’t get, don’t read, or don’t care to understand. And so on that note, it stressed me today to know that in a class of 26 students, 14 of them have failed.
3. Discovering the my prized student, who’s technically not even my student cause he’s on some other teacher’s attendance sheet, won’t be allowed to earn a mark in my class was really frustrating. I was hoping that the other professor and I would be able to work things out with regards to giving him a mark as supposed to a fail, but it’s not realistic and it isn’t going to work. My expectations (presentations, quizzes, etc) are different than his and so it’s not possible. Telling my student this, after he has week after week gone beyond what I expected of him and has been incredibly awesome in class and outside of class to me, was kind of heartbreaking. He’s one of my top students and yet, how ironic, he’s not even my student.
5. While walking back to my office with one of my students, I freaked out at the sight of what looked like a student hanging off one of the buildings. I yelled out to the student and then approached them. There, on the second floor, was what I thought was a student holding on for dear life and only me being concerned about them.
6. Joke was on me… apparently it’s a part of an art exhibit. Not too sure what is really so artsy about a bunch of manikins hanging off buildings but the students seemed to be amused.
7. Despite having last week off school, many of my students showed up today so exhausted. I had told them to use the week to get lots of sleep. I guess one girl didn’t take my advice cause she totally crashed in class… literally. I noticed her head bobbing and then… BANG… off her chair she flew, crashing on the floor and bringing all her books and make-up with her. Hats off to my sleeping beauty who recovered from her crash by getting up and blurting out, “I’m tired!”… hehehe. The class was in tears from laughing… so funny!!!
8. Scored a brutal bruise on my left thigh at training tonight, which means I definitely won’t be able to pull out my hot pants from the closet and strut around in them any time soon.
9. Telling Junior Mint that if he hit me like this in Canada he’d be in jail wasn’t exactly funny to him, nor was it the best thing to say during pad work as it only resulted in him hitting me even more and yelling out, “Here Korea!”
10. After I showered, I look down at my leg and there looking back at me was a bruise quickly forming. I remember when I was young, I was always getting spanked. I thought my days of "tough love", as my mom would call it, were over. After getting spanked, I'd go running up to my room crying and then check to see just how red my cheeks were. Only once did my mom make me wash my mouth out with soap but she then went back to spanking me. I think it was because I didn't really mind the taste of the soap. I remember my mom use to use this broken wooden cutting board to spank us with and it wasn't till much later that one day I decided to steal it and hide it. It was like a sacred trophy to me... ahhh, the wooden paddle. With it's a million and one scratches and numerous spanking stories it would tell if it could speak, I felt so powerful and invisible with it in my little hands. It was as if my mom was some great super hero and I had just taken her weapon away. It was the most feared object when I was younger, more feared than walking in the dark, being alone at night in the basement, or discovering another dead animal my cat Bobo use to bring home. I think I may still even have that very same paddle packed away in one of my many boxes at my parent's house in Canada... hehehe. Ahh the paddle... it taught me manners, how to quickly smarten up, it knocked some sense into me, ... and it taught me how to flex my butt... hehehe. Thanks for the spanks!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
If some people think spanking is so wrong, than how do you explain why I came out so good?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
You're not too old to be spanked.
-- my mom
2. That’s “Bogus” with a capital B… and I don’t buy it. They said they didn’t understand my email. My email, which was about 4 simple sentences long and ended with, "enjoy the festival and I will see you next week in class" and which I know for a fact, well over half of them don’t get, don’t read, or don’t care to understand. And so on that note, it stressed me today to know that in a class of 26 students, 14 of them have failed.
3. Discovering the my prized student, who’s technically not even my student cause he’s on some other teacher’s attendance sheet, won’t be allowed to earn a mark in my class was really frustrating. I was hoping that the other professor and I would be able to work things out with regards to giving him a mark as supposed to a fail, but it’s not realistic and it isn’t going to work. My expectations (presentations, quizzes, etc) are different than his and so it’s not possible. Telling my student this, after he has week after week gone beyond what I expected of him and has been incredibly awesome in class and outside of class to me, was kind of heartbreaking. He’s one of my top students and yet, how ironic, he’s not even my student.
5. While walking back to my office with one of my students, I freaked out at the sight of what looked like a student hanging off one of the buildings. I yelled out to the student and then approached them. There, on the second floor, was what I thought was a student holding on for dear life and only me being concerned about them.
6. Joke was on me… apparently it’s a part of an art exhibit. Not too sure what is really so artsy about a bunch of manikins hanging off buildings but the students seemed to be amused.
7. Despite having last week off school, many of my students showed up today so exhausted. I had told them to use the week to get lots of sleep. I guess one girl didn’t take my advice cause she totally crashed in class… literally. I noticed her head bobbing and then… BANG… off her chair she flew, crashing on the floor and bringing all her books and make-up with her. Hats off to my sleeping beauty who recovered from her crash by getting up and blurting out, “I’m tired!”… hehehe. The class was in tears from laughing… so funny!!!
8. Scored a brutal bruise on my left thigh at training tonight, which means I definitely won’t be able to pull out my hot pants from the closet and strut around in them any time soon.
9. Telling Junior Mint that if he hit me like this in Canada he’d be in jail wasn’t exactly funny to him, nor was it the best thing to say during pad work as it only resulted in him hitting me even more and yelling out, “Here Korea!”
10. After I showered, I look down at my leg and there looking back at me was a bruise quickly forming. I remember when I was young, I was always getting spanked. I thought my days of "tough love", as my mom would call it, were over. After getting spanked, I'd go running up to my room crying and then check to see just how red my cheeks were. Only once did my mom make me wash my mouth out with soap but she then went back to spanking me. I think it was because I didn't really mind the taste of the soap. I remember my mom use to use this broken wooden cutting board to spank us with and it wasn't till much later that one day I decided to steal it and hide it. It was like a sacred trophy to me... ahhh, the wooden paddle. With it's a million and one scratches and numerous spanking stories it would tell if it could speak, I felt so powerful and invisible with it in my little hands. It was as if my mom was some great super hero and I had just taken her weapon away. It was the most feared object when I was younger, more feared than walking in the dark, being alone at night in the basement, or discovering another dead animal my cat Bobo use to bring home. I think I may still even have that very same paddle packed away in one of my many boxes at my parent's house in Canada... hehehe. Ahh the paddle... it taught me manners, how to quickly smarten up, it knocked some sense into me, ... and it taught me how to flex my butt... hehehe. Thanks for the spanks!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
If some people think spanking is so wrong, than how do you explain why I came out so good?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
You're not too old to be spanked.
-- my mom
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Highlights of my Day... Sunday, May 25
1. Q's new English word of the day: forklift.
2. Q's word of the day, forklift, all came about after he told me and some friends that he had an electric car driving test today. At first I was a bit puzzled as to why he'd be thinking this would help all to his list of job qualifications but, whatever... I don't understand many things Koreans do and so I thought I'd just add this to the list. Turns out he meant forklift. We drove by one today and he commented about it. I instantly burst out into laughter. The best way I could think of to explain what an electric car was by telling him, "Back to the Future movie car".... hehehe.
3. Somehow, not too sure how but I'm guessing it's cause he's so darn cute, Q convinced me to eat beef for lunch. I asked the waitress if this was American beef, not to be funny,... actually, not to be anything really. I just wanted to know. Ouch... I tell ya though, if looks could kill!!!
4. Spent the next two hours curled up on the floor at Kyobo Books with Q and a good book, "Tuesdays with Morrie". Basically, the story is about a prized student who, much after graduation, learns that his favorite professor is now dying. I'm only about 2/3rds into the story and the storyline is quite touching but what I like most is the wording. The author uses a lot of imagery...
"... his sagging cheeks gathered up like curtains."
"... it [his skin] was loose, like skin hanging from a chicken bone."
"The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't work, don't buy it."
5. Did some quick grocery shopping with Q. The deal was that I'd pay for the food if he cooked it... pretty sweet deal if you ask me. It meant for a really great dinner too. God knows if I was left to do the cooking for us that we would have eaten scrambled eggs and raw cucumbers... hehehe.
6. Apparently the theme of this week has been "serious" but isn't the week over?! It's been a very serious week, filled with loads of serious talking about serious issues and sporting some real serious feelings. Tonight was no different.
7. The word marriage stayed hot on our lips today but then it hit me today, marrying Q means marrying Korea. He joked and said, "Well, if I marry you, I also am marrying Mi Nam"... fair enough. Love me, love my dog. But Mi Nam is awesome and as awesome as Korea may be, a dog and country are not the same thing.
8. I gave Q two options: a (me) or b (friends/family). Now, before you get me wrong and think I'm making him unfairly pick between the two, let me explain, it's not that at all. I picked a (him) and so I've agree to stay in Korea with him... HOWEVER... there may be a time when I get too homesick to stay here and want to move back to Canada. So, when or if this happens, I want to know that he'll support me and decided WITH me on what to do, not restrict me from the start and say I must stay in Korea for good... forever. That's not fair. It was the luck of the draw that we met in Korea and not in Korea. If the situation we reversed, I'm sure that he'd expect the same from me. He'd want me to pick a. I know Q loves me more than I probably know, or will know, but I need to know that my happiness is happiness... I need to know he can pick a.
9. Right now, I don't think he can pick a and so, because of this, I am eagerly anticipating visiting Canada in the summer. I think me being out of sight will be kind of a reality check for him.
10. "Every time you go to Daejon to be with your family, remember, that's one less time I can see mine. Every time you meet with your friends and join them for celebrations, remember, that it's one less time I can do that. And every time you run to help your friends, remember, I can't do that."... he needs to understand this. He knows this but I don't think he can really digest the real value of my words.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Will he ever pick a?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
The conception of two people living together for twenty-five years without having a cross word suggests a lack of spirit only to be admired in sheep.
-- Alan Patrick Herbert
2. Q's word of the day, forklift, all came about after he told me and some friends that he had an electric car driving test today. At first I was a bit puzzled as to why he'd be thinking this would help all to his list of job qualifications but, whatever... I don't understand many things Koreans do and so I thought I'd just add this to the list. Turns out he meant forklift. We drove by one today and he commented about it. I instantly burst out into laughter. The best way I could think of to explain what an electric car was by telling him, "Back to the Future movie car".... hehehe.
3. Somehow, not too sure how but I'm guessing it's cause he's so darn cute, Q convinced me to eat beef for lunch. I asked the waitress if this was American beef, not to be funny,... actually, not to be anything really. I just wanted to know. Ouch... I tell ya though, if looks could kill!!!
4. Spent the next two hours curled up on the floor at Kyobo Books with Q and a good book, "Tuesdays with Morrie". Basically, the story is about a prized student who, much after graduation, learns that his favorite professor is now dying. I'm only about 2/3rds into the story and the storyline is quite touching but what I like most is the wording. The author uses a lot of imagery...
"... his sagging cheeks gathered up like curtains."
"... it [his skin] was loose, like skin hanging from a chicken bone."
"The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't work, don't buy it."
5. Did some quick grocery shopping with Q. The deal was that I'd pay for the food if he cooked it... pretty sweet deal if you ask me. It meant for a really great dinner too. God knows if I was left to do the cooking for us that we would have eaten scrambled eggs and raw cucumbers... hehehe.
6. Apparently the theme of this week has been "serious" but isn't the week over?! It's been a very serious week, filled with loads of serious talking about serious issues and sporting some real serious feelings. Tonight was no different.
7. The word marriage stayed hot on our lips today but then it hit me today, marrying Q means marrying Korea. He joked and said, "Well, if I marry you, I also am marrying Mi Nam"... fair enough. Love me, love my dog. But Mi Nam is awesome and as awesome as Korea may be, a dog and country are not the same thing.
8. I gave Q two options: a (me) or b (friends/family). Now, before you get me wrong and think I'm making him unfairly pick between the two, let me explain, it's not that at all. I picked a (him) and so I've agree to stay in Korea with him... HOWEVER... there may be a time when I get too homesick to stay here and want to move back to Canada. So, when or if this happens, I want to know that he'll support me and decided WITH me on what to do, not restrict me from the start and say I must stay in Korea for good... forever. That's not fair. It was the luck of the draw that we met in Korea and not in Korea. If the situation we reversed, I'm sure that he'd expect the same from me. He'd want me to pick a. I know Q loves me more than I probably know, or will know, but I need to know that my happiness is happiness... I need to know he can pick a.
9. Right now, I don't think he can pick a and so, because of this, I am eagerly anticipating visiting Canada in the summer. I think me being out of sight will be kind of a reality check for him.
10. "Every time you go to Daejon to be with your family, remember, that's one less time I can see mine. Every time you meet with your friends and join them for celebrations, remember, that it's one less time I can do that. And every time you run to help your friends, remember, I can't do that."... he needs to understand this. He knows this but I don't think he can really digest the real value of my words.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Will he ever pick a?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
The conception of two people living together for twenty-five years without having a cross word suggests a lack of spirit only to be admired in sheep.
-- Alan Patrick Herbert
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Highlights of my Day... Saturday, May 24
1. Am seriously considering becoming a vegetarian after a couple of my friends canceled on lunch cause I told them I wanted to go eat cheese tak galbi (chicken). With the huge sick chicken issue still being highly talked about, eating chicken isn't really appealing.
2. Moreover, in front of Yawoori, there's people lined up with candles at night, picketing American beef. So now I don't really eat chicken and I sure as heck am not going to eat any beef!!! I saw on the news the other day how one Korean literally turned into a human vegetable after eating some sick beef that was sold to Korea from America... that was enough to spook me and turn me off!!!
3. Apparently Mi Nam is ALL for eating animals... in particular, HIMSELF!!! He's started this really weird habit of biting his backside, no, not his bum. And with him having white fur, you can clearly see the effects. Black marks have appeared that, at first glance, look like natural fur spots. He already has some natural spotting on his fur but I guess he wants more?!!! One of the girls at the boxing club owns a pet store and so she gave me a big bag of dog food: kangaroo meat and vegetables. Great... so not only is Mi Nam into eating him self but he also has an expensive liking towards the taste of kangaroos... hehehe.
4. Junior Mint texted me today, urging me to come to the boxing club. At first I thought it meant I'd be meeting a sponsor. Nope. Turns out he had to go renew his housing contract and so this meant I got stuck sitting around a sweaty boxing gym in good clothes for about 2 hours. (Dang... I should have wore my training gear!!!)
5. Answering the club phone was very amusing. The person on the other line didn't even bother to really talk after I gave it my best shot at pretending like I was a Korean voice recording on an answering machine... hehehe.
6. After sitting for about an hour and a half with no members coming to workout, answering the phone was the only real entertainment for me. Gangster Man came into training and so I basically zoned out while looking at the massive tattoo on his leg.
7. Returned home only to head back out to the boxing club, this time for training. Total time spent at the boxing gym today: 4 hours.
8. The other day I asked Sae Toe Gee (Japanese boxer visiting Korea) if I could treat him out to dinner. Besides Q and I, the only other person who has extended any kind of friendship has been the front desk clerk at the hotel he's staying at... that's brutal. Tonight Q and I took him and his friend Mor Le out for dinner at an overly expensive Chinese restaurant where we stood out like a sore thumb. I don't know whether it was because there we sat, three countries, the fact that we laughed extra loud, or the fact that we were the only ones there that didn't look retardedly rich. It was quite funny... at the cost of burning a hole in our wallets that is.
9. Khan was packed to the brim and so we had to go to a second choice. I haven't been out like this in quite some time now. We decided to take them to cozy pub where you felt like you had just stepped into Mexico but the cages hanging from the ceilings kind of freaked us out... hehehe.
10. After Sae Toe Gee and Mor Le left for their hotel rooms, Q and I ventured back to his house to continue on with the night. We curled up on the floor and got into quite the discussion. Topic of discussion tonight: women's magic; the good, the bad, and the ugly (... hehehe... oh gosh!!!)
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's so magic about that?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
I can't understand it. I can't even understand the people who can understand it.
-- Queen Juliana
2. Moreover, in front of Yawoori, there's people lined up with candles at night, picketing American beef. So now I don't really eat chicken and I sure as heck am not going to eat any beef!!! I saw on the news the other day how one Korean literally turned into a human vegetable after eating some sick beef that was sold to Korea from America... that was enough to spook me and turn me off!!!
3. Apparently Mi Nam is ALL for eating animals... in particular, HIMSELF!!! He's started this really weird habit of biting his backside, no, not his bum. And with him having white fur, you can clearly see the effects. Black marks have appeared that, at first glance, look like natural fur spots. He already has some natural spotting on his fur but I guess he wants more?!!! One of the girls at the boxing club owns a pet store and so she gave me a big bag of dog food: kangaroo meat and vegetables. Great... so not only is Mi Nam into eating him self but he also has an expensive liking towards the taste of kangaroos... hehehe.
4. Junior Mint texted me today, urging me to come to the boxing club. At first I thought it meant I'd be meeting a sponsor. Nope. Turns out he had to go renew his housing contract and so this meant I got stuck sitting around a sweaty boxing gym in good clothes for about 2 hours. (Dang... I should have wore my training gear!!!)
5. Answering the club phone was very amusing. The person on the other line didn't even bother to really talk after I gave it my best shot at pretending like I was a Korean voice recording on an answering machine... hehehe.
6. After sitting for about an hour and a half with no members coming to workout, answering the phone was the only real entertainment for me. Gangster Man came into training and so I basically zoned out while looking at the massive tattoo on his leg.
7. Returned home only to head back out to the boxing club, this time for training. Total time spent at the boxing gym today: 4 hours.
8. The other day I asked Sae Toe Gee (Japanese boxer visiting Korea) if I could treat him out to dinner. Besides Q and I, the only other person who has extended any kind of friendship has been the front desk clerk at the hotel he's staying at... that's brutal. Tonight Q and I took him and his friend Mor Le out for dinner at an overly expensive Chinese restaurant where we stood out like a sore thumb. I don't know whether it was because there we sat, three countries, the fact that we laughed extra loud, or the fact that we were the only ones there that didn't look retardedly rich. It was quite funny... at the cost of burning a hole in our wallets that is.
9. Khan was packed to the brim and so we had to go to a second choice. I haven't been out like this in quite some time now. We decided to take them to cozy pub where you felt like you had just stepped into Mexico but the cages hanging from the ceilings kind of freaked us out... hehehe.
10. After Sae Toe Gee and Mor Le left for their hotel rooms, Q and I ventured back to his house to continue on with the night. We curled up on the floor and got into quite the discussion. Topic of discussion tonight: women's magic; the good, the bad, and the ugly (... hehehe... oh gosh!!!)
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's so magic about that?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
I can't understand it. I can't even understand the people who can understand it.
-- Queen Juliana
Friday, May 23, 2008
Highlights of my Day... Friday, May 23
1. Spent my morning researching adoption in Korea... long story there but I won't get into it.. yet.
2. Most of my day was spent relaxing with Mi Nam. Deciding to play ball with him in the house sounded like a good idea, initially, until buddy-boy decided to chump down on my ear... ouch!!!
3. Headed off to the fitness gym for an early morning run and ab routine. Slowly, but surely, people have been trying to talk to me. Today it was this buff dude. I must have made every attempt under the sun to avoid eye contact and ignore his attempts to get my attention. Surprisingly enough, I'm really liking the whole idea of them not knowing a thing about me. I come in, work out hard, wear my intense look, and then leave. I hope it stays this way. It makes for adistraction-free workout.
4. While I was out, Mi Nam decided that he was going to search out his new shirt I bought him the other day; his stripped wife-beater. I had thrown it into the laundry bin but apparently he found it. Mind ya, in discovering his shirt, he fell into the laundry bin and got trapped. My laundry bin is a cloth bin with a metal frame and so I'm sure he was quite uncomfortable. It was super funny though.... hehehe.
5. Last laugh was on Mi Nam though... after I stepped out of the house again, this time to go to the bank, Mi Nam decided that he was going to eat a part of my step...nice.
6. In support of S-line Wanna-be Girl, I wore my dampbo for training tonight at boxing... just to prove my point. My point being that a dampbo is awesome for losing weight. After busting my butt I jumped back on the scale... I had lost just a little under 2kgs!!! Mind ya, that's 2kg of body water that I lost but still, it really works to give your body a harder workout. Harder = better, at least in my books.
7. Goal: Get my abs, get down to 50kgs (110lbs) and stay there. Got a couple of more pounds to go.
8. Called my mother in Canada to wish her a happy birthday and ended up blurting out, "I might be getting married next year"... quite the conversation starter.
9. Would Q like Canada? Maybe... probably, but not to live. Korea is NOT Canada!!! The people here are very communal and so I feel this in so many ways. I feel this in the fact many of my neighbours (whom I barely know) make me kimchi or help me carry my bags, I see this when I go to restaurants and see clusters of people sitting together, I feel it at work among the assistants who are always trying to invite me to join them for lunch, I see it at boxing with Q helping out all the amateurs before he gets the chance to train... etc., etc. Canada is too independent for Q and although I think he'd like to visit Canada, I think a visit is all he could adapt to. He'd be shocked to see Canadian road rage, the clothing girls wear (and lack there of it), the wide spread of broken families, and just how preoccupied Canadians are with themselves. He'd feel so alone. Then there's also the fact that his English isn't the greatest, which brings me to an interesting point I realized today. Here in Korea, when you speak even a little Korean, Koreans are easily impressed and you can feel they really respect our (foreigner's) attempts at learning their language. However, in Canada, we tend to get mad at foreigners who don't speak English. It's like we expect them to speak it, regardless.
10. Despite my hopes of airing my show on uStream.tv, tonight I crashed. If any of you are online and want to jump on uStream.TV with me, message me telling me what day and time you prefer. It'd be nice to have a whole whack of people to chat with on uStream.tv.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Can you really have your cake and eat it too
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
-- Christine Bovee
2. Most of my day was spent relaxing with Mi Nam. Deciding to play ball with him in the house sounded like a good idea, initially, until buddy-boy decided to chump down on my ear... ouch!!!
3. Headed off to the fitness gym for an early morning run and ab routine. Slowly, but surely, people have been trying to talk to me. Today it was this buff dude. I must have made every attempt under the sun to avoid eye contact and ignore his attempts to get my attention. Surprisingly enough, I'm really liking the whole idea of them not knowing a thing about me. I come in, work out hard, wear my intense look, and then leave. I hope it stays this way. It makes for adistraction-free workout.
4. While I was out, Mi Nam decided that he was going to search out his new shirt I bought him the other day; his stripped wife-beater. I had thrown it into the laundry bin but apparently he found it. Mind ya, in discovering his shirt, he fell into the laundry bin and got trapped. My laundry bin is a cloth bin with a metal frame and so I'm sure he was quite uncomfortable. It was super funny though.... hehehe.
5. Last laugh was on Mi Nam though... after I stepped out of the house again, this time to go to the bank, Mi Nam decided that he was going to eat a part of my step...nice.
6. In support of S-line Wanna-be Girl, I wore my dampbo for training tonight at boxing... just to prove my point. My point being that a dampbo is awesome for losing weight. After busting my butt I jumped back on the scale... I had lost just a little under 2kgs!!! Mind ya, that's 2kg of body water that I lost but still, it really works to give your body a harder workout. Harder = better, at least in my books.
7. Goal: Get my abs, get down to 50kgs (110lbs) and stay there. Got a couple of more pounds to go.
8. Called my mother in Canada to wish her a happy birthday and ended up blurting out, "I might be getting married next year"... quite the conversation starter.
9. Would Q like Canada? Maybe... probably, but not to live. Korea is NOT Canada!!! The people here are very communal and so I feel this in so many ways. I feel this in the fact many of my neighbours (whom I barely know) make me kimchi or help me carry my bags, I see this when I go to restaurants and see clusters of people sitting together, I feel it at work among the assistants who are always trying to invite me to join them for lunch, I see it at boxing with Q helping out all the amateurs before he gets the chance to train... etc., etc. Canada is too independent for Q and although I think he'd like to visit Canada, I think a visit is all he could adapt to. He'd be shocked to see Canadian road rage, the clothing girls wear (and lack there of it), the wide spread of broken families, and just how preoccupied Canadians are with themselves. He'd feel so alone. Then there's also the fact that his English isn't the greatest, which brings me to an interesting point I realized today. Here in Korea, when you speak even a little Korean, Koreans are easily impressed and you can feel they really respect our (foreigner's) attempts at learning their language. However, in Canada, we tend to get mad at foreigners who don't speak English. It's like we expect them to speak it, regardless.
10. Despite my hopes of airing my show on uStream.tv, tonight I crashed. If any of you are online and want to jump on uStream.TV with me, message me telling me what day and time you prefer. It'd be nice to have a whole whack of people to chat with on uStream.tv.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Can you really have your cake and eat it too
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Doubt whom you will, but never yourself.
-- Christine Bovee
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