Anyone want an overly slaved-over homemade advent calendar that's been disregarded and left on my floor?!Tuesday, November 30, 2010
I Want a Divorce... Tuesday, November 30
It’s been a testy week already.
I’m training like an animal, eating like a bird, sleeping like a bear in hibernation, and consequently have become super sensitive to things only but a week ago I would have let rolled off my shoulders.
Today I got overly sensitive about my in-laws and I cracked.
Yesterday will forever be remembered in my books the day I almost fell off a 40-foot on ramp (scary story involving a transport truck crashing into 4 cars, unexpected ice, me on my scooter, and my knee slamming against the ramp wall being the only thing that stopped my body from plummeting) and today will forever be remembered as the day I gave up trying with my in-laws.
I want a divorce.
I want a divorce from my in-laws.
I use to joke with Snickers, telling him his family exercises “stalker-like” behavior towards him. They call him at all hours, randomly show up outside our house, and always call on him to help him with this or that. Ever since Snickers left for Japan I’ve really tried my hardest to fill the rolls he played with his family but in doing so, in trying to really create a kind of family bond with my in-laws, I have only made myself feel like an outsider among them more than ever. I’ve given all I could to trying to make some kind of family-feel with them but today I gave up.
The breaking point for me was with the homemade advent calendar I made for the twins. Tomorrow marks the first day of December, consequently the first day of the advent calendar, but it still sits on my floor. I feel like a fool for having spent so much money, time, and effort towards it. A fool for getting so many of my friends to help me with it and a fool for trying to share something that’s so important to me – my culture and a piece of my childhood. I won’t get into the full extent of the whole situation but I put a lot into this only to realize that I am the only one that cares. I am the only one that apparently cares about what I’m trying to do – make a relationship with my in-laws.
I never did get an invites to any of Mama Kim’s little day trips, I didn’t even get asked to attend Grandpa Kim’s funeral anniversary, and finding out that K-Gere moved Sunday and the whole family was involved (the whole family minus me that is) involved me driving over, discovering an empty house, and yet again feeling like a fool. It's just one thing after another that they so easily omit me from and then try to make up for it by giving me an envelop of money. Money isn't what I want from them, a sense of family is.
Snickers is always telling me “they’re your family” but this isn’t what a family should be about. They all treat Snickers like some golden child who needs constant caring for but leave me like some kind of beggar at the side of the street for someone else to deal with. I know this is harsh but it’s exactly how I feel.
“From now on, don’t call them my family” I cried over the phone to Snickers. “I already have a family and they sure as hell don’t make me feel like the crappy beggar, second-rated person your family does.”
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What expectations do you put on what you think a family should be?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
I can't think of anything to write about except families. They are a metaphor for every other part of society.
-- Anna Quindlen
I’m training like an animal, eating like a bird, sleeping like a bear in hibernation, and consequently have become super sensitive to things only but a week ago I would have let rolled off my shoulders.
Today I got overly sensitive about my in-laws and I cracked.
Yesterday will forever be remembered in my books the day I almost fell off a 40-foot on ramp (scary story involving a transport truck crashing into 4 cars, unexpected ice, me on my scooter, and my knee slamming against the ramp wall being the only thing that stopped my body from plummeting) and today will forever be remembered as the day I gave up trying with my in-laws.
I want a divorce.
I want a divorce from my in-laws.
I use to joke with Snickers, telling him his family exercises “stalker-like” behavior towards him. They call him at all hours, randomly show up outside our house, and always call on him to help him with this or that. Ever since Snickers left for Japan I’ve really tried my hardest to fill the rolls he played with his family but in doing so, in trying to really create a kind of family bond with my in-laws, I have only made myself feel like an outsider among them more than ever. I’ve given all I could to trying to make some kind of family-feel with them but today I gave up.
The breaking point for me was with the homemade advent calendar I made for the twins. Tomorrow marks the first day of December, consequently the first day of the advent calendar, but it still sits on my floor. I feel like a fool for having spent so much money, time, and effort towards it. A fool for getting so many of my friends to help me with it and a fool for trying to share something that’s so important to me – my culture and a piece of my childhood. I won’t get into the full extent of the whole situation but I put a lot into this only to realize that I am the only one that cares. I am the only one that apparently cares about what I’m trying to do – make a relationship with my in-laws.
I never did get an invites to any of Mama Kim’s little day trips, I didn’t even get asked to attend Grandpa Kim’s funeral anniversary, and finding out that K-Gere moved Sunday and the whole family was involved (the whole family minus me that is) involved me driving over, discovering an empty house, and yet again feeling like a fool. It's just one thing after another that they so easily omit me from and then try to make up for it by giving me an envelop of money. Money isn't what I want from them, a sense of family is.
Snickers is always telling me “they’re your family” but this isn’t what a family should be about. They all treat Snickers like some golden child who needs constant caring for but leave me like some kind of beggar at the side of the street for someone else to deal with. I know this is harsh but it’s exactly how I feel.
“From now on, don’t call them my family” I cried over the phone to Snickers. “I already have a family and they sure as hell don’t make me feel like the crappy beggar, second-rated person your family does.”
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What expectations do you put on what you think a family should be?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
I can't think of anything to write about except families. They are a metaphor for every other part of society.
-- Anna Quindlen
Monday, November 29, 2010
Do you know what this vegetable is called?
Neither does Mi Nam.The packaging on this little delish new vegetable I discovered in the grocery read that it's called "청경채" but there's no such word in any of the Korean dictionaries I've used. Regardless, this rather expensive but super tastey green veggy made for a great addition to my meals!!!
Punching In The Numbers... Monday, November 29
I'm down to my last two and a half weeks till my fight. I've already upped the intensity of my fight. I now box 7 days a week, weight train 6 days a week and go running 5-6 days a week.
Every day is training day.
My pad work at boxing now consists of 4-5 rounds of non-stop punching. No more thirty second rest periods inbetween rounds. My weight training now consists of supersets and my running usually consists of me strapping on ankle weights and loading up on lots of layers so that I can work up a sweat and get in a really hard run.
I am feeling like a machine, but I like it. My friends, on the other hand, aren't really liking it too much, those who aren't my friends from the boxing club that is, because when I'm not training I'm usually at home sleeping.
And then there is my game diet that's started. I no longer eat my six meals a day but instead eat only four times a day -- breakfast, once after running, and once before and after boxing. I've tried to incorporate Snickers' "food weigh-in" by weighing myself both before and after training, and then I weigh-in my food. The only exception being my breakfast; I can't start my day on an empty stomach so I refuse to give up my protein-packed pancake.
The point to weighing your food is to eat less grams than the grams of body weight (aka sweat) you lost during training. I lose a little over 1kg in sweat during my heavy runs but I only allow myself to eat 300-400 grams of food.
It's by no way a healthy diet -- don't do this at home kids.
But as a boxer, weigh-in is so important and the boxing commission doesn't care how you get down to your promised weigh-in number just that you got there.
Depending on what foods you pick, 300-400 grams of food can actually be quite satisfying. Unlike me and my dedication to clean eating, Snickers' 300-400 grams of food usually consists of eating ice cream, popsicles and those sugar-infested kids' yogurt drinks. These foods, if I'd even dare to label them that, are fairly light and because they're filled with lots of sugar, he's able to eat a lot and is left feeling totally energized.
The game weigh-in diet Snickers and I have become accustomed to is so restricted so the key is in what foods you pick. Snickers food is obviously not healthy but they do leave him with more energy than my foods do because of the sugar content.
Anyways, today I made my own kind of bimbibap. It consisted of lots of leafy green veggies, three eggs, a bit of red pepper paste, and a handful of brown rice.
It was delish.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What have you convinced your mind not to matter?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Just do it.
-- Nike
Every day is training day.
My pad work at boxing now consists of 4-5 rounds of non-stop punching. No more thirty second rest periods inbetween rounds. My weight training now consists of supersets and my running usually consists of me strapping on ankle weights and loading up on lots of layers so that I can work up a sweat and get in a really hard run.
I am feeling like a machine, but I like it. My friends, on the other hand, aren't really liking it too much, those who aren't my friends from the boxing club that is, because when I'm not training I'm usually at home sleeping.
And then there is my game diet that's started. I no longer eat my six meals a day but instead eat only four times a day -- breakfast, once after running, and once before and after boxing. I've tried to incorporate Snickers' "food weigh-in" by weighing myself both before and after training, and then I weigh-in my food. The only exception being my breakfast; I can't start my day on an empty stomach so I refuse to give up my protein-packed pancake.
The point to weighing your food is to eat less grams than the grams of body weight (aka sweat) you lost during training. I lose a little over 1kg in sweat during my heavy runs but I only allow myself to eat 300-400 grams of food. It's by no way a healthy diet -- don't do this at home kids.
But as a boxer, weigh-in is so important and the boxing commission doesn't care how you get down to your promised weigh-in number just that you got there.
Depending on what foods you pick, 300-400 grams of food can actually be quite satisfying. Unlike me and my dedication to clean eating, Snickers' 300-400 grams of food usually consists of eating ice cream, popsicles and those sugar-infested kids' yogurt drinks. These foods, if I'd even dare to label them that, are fairly light and because they're filled with lots of sugar, he's able to eat a lot and is left feeling totally energized. The game weigh-in diet Snickers and I have become accustomed to is so restricted so the key is in what foods you pick. Snickers food is obviously not healthy but they do leave him with more energy than my foods do because of the sugar content.
Anyways, today I made my own kind of bimbibap. It consisted of lots of leafy green veggies, three eggs, a bit of red pepper paste, and a handful of brown rice.
It was delish. It's been a hard transistion, going from eating loads of healthy foods, 6 times a day, to eating a very restricted diet of only 4 meals a day. And I should note that my so-called meal before boxing really isn't a meal, it's a small cup of boiled milk with two scoops of coffee grains and a bit of sweetner. I has the effect of a double espresso on my system, leaving my brain jumping within my skull and leaving me a bit on edge and hyper -- perfect for getting me through my grueling boxing and to my next meal.
At this point in the game, EVERYTHING is mental.
Everything from my eating, training, and even my sleeping is mind over matter.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What have you convinced your mind not to matter?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Just do it.
-- Nike
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Speechless Over the Senseless Loss of One of Our Own... Sunday, November 28
This was the pop-up on Dankook University's website, he was one of my students.
I got word today from a former coworker that I in fact know one of the marines who was killed on Tuesday. Jeong Woo was one of my students when I first started working at Dankook. He was a good kid... key word being "kid" and I can't stress enough. He was a good student who had almost finished his two year mandatory military service and had almost finished completing his degree. But he was just a kid, so it's very sad to know that the life he was just about to start was so quickly robbed from him.
I had already viewed Tuesday's shocking turn of events as senseless and sad but finding out today that I knew one of the people who had been killed, it just really brought Tuesday's events to a whole new level in my mind.
My heart and prayers got out to not only to Jeong Woos friends and family but all the staff and students of Dankook University who, like me, are just in complete shock to see just how home North Korea hit.
He was one of us.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Turning Frowns Upside Down... Saturday, November 27
The only real thing on my schedule today was to finish that advent calendar that I started for my nephews, the twins. But every time I sat down to work on it I was constantly distracted. Ok, so I wasn’t so distracted as I was just flat out unmotivated to work on it. I ended up distracting myself by cleaning the house. What?! Was I honestly more interested in scrubbing my toliet and picking out junk from the sink that doing some arts and crafts with my advent caldendar?! Apparently so. Actually, I found the calendar rather depressing to do. Christmas isn’t a big deal here in Korea. I’ve always regarded Christmas as a kind of family-overload, friends sipping on apple cider, and in-your-face decorations and Christmas carols playing non-stop. Christmas just isn’t the same here in Korea. It’s so… blah… and it always tends to feel like a Charlie Brown Christmas – lacking and brown.
I had tried to convince myself that this year would be different but with Snickers’ return date being questionable and me being overly distracted with other things on my plate, like tutoring and my upcoming fight, I’m not really looking forward to Christmas, yet again.
I thought that making an advent calendar for the twins would turn my frowns upside down but it hasn’t really worked. Making this advent calendar only served to remind me that my two nieces (my brother’s daughters) and family in Canada will be spending yet another Christmas without me.
What did work to turn my frowns upside down today though was putting my efforts towards my training. Headed into the boxing club to do some weight training and, oddly enough, did quite a lot of dancing too… hahaha. I had popped in my iPod, cranked up my tunes, and rocked it out for a bit. Dang… I miss the good old days when Milk Dud and I use to bust out our old skool break dancing moves and spend our time testing out new moves.
Me trying to look all relaxed after my 12km night run but don't be fooled, my heart was racing like a mile a minute.
And here's me trying to prove the efforts of my run -- one overly sweaty sweater despite running in chilly weather.
I had tried to convince myself that this year would be different but with Snickers’ return date being questionable and me being overly distracted with other things on my plate, like tutoring and my upcoming fight, I’m not really looking forward to Christmas, yet again.
I thought that making an advent calendar for the twins would turn my frowns upside down but it hasn’t really worked. Making this advent calendar only served to remind me that my two nieces (my brother’s daughters) and family in Canada will be spending yet another Christmas without me.
What did work to turn my frowns upside down today though was putting my efforts towards my training. Headed into the boxing club to do some weight training and, oddly enough, did quite a lot of dancing too… hahaha. I had popped in my iPod, cranked up my tunes, and rocked it out for a bit. Dang… I miss the good old days when Milk Dud and I use to bust out our old skool break dancing moves and spend our time testing out new moves.
Heading into the club when it's closed means automatically being put on laundry duty, and yes, there were more than towels I had to fold and put away but I don't think you care to see my coach's undies... hahaha.
Me trying to look all relaxed after my 12km night run but don't be fooled, my heart was racing like a mile a minute.
And here's me trying to prove the efforts of my run -- one overly sweaty sweater despite running in chilly weather.Later in the evening I went for a good run. I had anticipated going around midnight but ended up going around 9pm. Tonight marked the start of my “heavy runs” and by heavy runs I am referring to the winter wear I load up on for specific runs. When I go for a heavy run I wear a second-skin shirt and pants, sweater, and a wind-breaker winter jacket with matching pants. The whole outfit weighs in at about 6lbs. I love incorporating in a couple of heavy runs every week because the added weight helps me run faster on days I don’t load up on my running gear and it means I feel so much lighter at boxing. Sometimes I go a step further and strap on ankle weights, adding an additional 2lbs.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What makes Christmas feel like Christmas for you?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Bah humbug.
-- Scrooge
Friday, November 26, 2010
Tips and Tidbits... Friday, November 26
Every week I think up, type-up and send my personal training clients tips and tidbits. For today's entry I thought I'd share some of my tips and tidbits for any of you fitness enthusiasts out there. Enjoy.
Got any great tips?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Choice, not chance, determines one's destiny.
-- Author Unknown
QUESTION OF THE DAY...CLEAN EATING
- Rule of thumb when shopping is to try to stay on the outside perimeter of the grocery store. The outside perimeter is where you’ll find the fruits, veggies, chicken, and dairy, but the more you go into the center of the store you’ll find things like the frozen foods, cookies, chips, etc.
- Never go grocery shopping on a hungry stomach.
- Add yogurt to your clean eating. Yogurt contains protein and fat, is high in calcium, and is a fermented food that helps aid your digestive tract. When picking a yogurt, get one that’s low-fat or nonfat yogurt. Avoid extra added sugar by picking a plain yogurt and then add in your own selection of berries.
- Be extra choosy with what night time snacks you eat. Remember, even though your body will still be burning calories when you are sleeping, eating something heavy or with sugar (natural or artificial) will sabotage your clean eating.
- Add spices to your food for a flavor boost that can help you feel satisfied.
- Sooner or later, you're going to be faced with a stressful situation. Instead of turning to food for comfort, be prepared with some non-food tactics that work for you.
- Knowing the reason why you react to certain emotions with food will make a difference in changing your eating habits. You want to identify the payoffs and benefits you think you're getting, other than the taste, and then create the same type of feelings in other ways.
WEIGHT TRAINING
- Save your hands by considering buying some workout gloves.
- Be sure to listen to your body. If you’re feeling over trained or exhausted then don’t be afraid to take a day or two off training. Rest and recovery is just as important as training.
RUNNING
- Cotton socks will only lead to blisters; invest in socks designed for running.
- Accept and understand the fact that not every single run can be a good one, but even a bad run is better than no run at all.
- Don’t expect every run to be better than the last one; some of them will hurt.
- Avoid eating spicy foods before running and the night before your long runs.
- To aid recovery the most crucial time to eat and drink is in the hour immediately after you run.
- Double knot your shoe laces so they will not come undone when you run.
- Four laps around the local the high school track equals one mile.
- Do abdominal breathing to get rid of side cramps or “stitches.”
- Dress as if it is 10 degrees warmer than the temperature on the thermometer.
Got any great tips?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Choice, not chance, determines one's destiny.
-- Author Unknown
Thursday, November 25, 2010
I must admit that it's sometimes intimidating to have a husband who has a wickedly sick six pack that never seems to go away despite eating ice cream and that awful Korean ramine, but I'm trying to get my own six pack going on.
Crashing Hard... Thursday, November 25
Was going on minus levels of energy today, this usually happens mid-week. Waking up at 4:45am during the weekdays for my brutal early morning tutoring kills me, seriously. Today I woke up, did the whole walk Mi Nam, cook my protein-packed pancake, get dressed, and then head out the door. Blazed it to Samsung in Asan, a drive that takes about 20 minutes, only to arrive and get a text message from my student that he slept in so he won't be having class today. It's not that I don't mind getting paid for canceled classes but dang, it's cold outside!
Arrived back at Ggum Guum, ate my apple and homemade almond butter -- a little piece of Heaven that I'll be damned if I ever am forced to share with someone... hahaha -- talked to Snickers for ten minutes and then crashed.
It was lights out till about 11am when I woke up for meal number three, a tuna-veggie stirrfry with brown rice on the side.
I only work one hour on Thursdays and had anticipated getting in a good run, heading off to boxing early, and then meeting up with Cheeto Girl for dinner.
No such luck.
Did absolutely nothing today beyond roll over and turn off my phone. Although I must admit that I did in fact get out to do some grocery shopping, that was a given I had to do regardless of my twindeling brutal energy level. Mind ya, no sooner did I return from grocery shopping but then it was back to sleep for me.
Snickers has been getting on my case lately about wanting me to get a "normal" job because waking up super early for tutoring and all my daily traveling does take a toll on me, hence the mid-week crash I usually get. But I had a normal job, I worked at Dankook and I resigned. I hated the politics of the job and didn't care too much for some of the people I worked for and with, or should I say worked against. Nowdays I only work 19 hours, which isn't much less than the hours I pulled at Dankook, but the pay and flexiblity of my work kills that of Dankook. Not to mention the only stress of the job, and by job I'm referring to here is my tutoring, is the traveling to and from. I feel so much more successful as a private tutor because I have actual solid relationships with the people I tutor and those I work for.
The Samsung VP that I tutor in the morning is super easy going and often tutoring time with him consists of chatting the hour away about running. My other Samsung VP, the one I tutor Monday and Wednesday from 11am to 1pm always amazes me with his insanely high intelligence. He self-taught himself Japanese and his English level is very impressive. My Tuesday night group class consisting of a handful of Samsung workers is a lot of fun. They're all guys around my age so it's a super relaxed class and our two hours together is filled with lots of joking and chatting. And as for my Church Kiddies, they're just flat out adorable. They laugh at my silly jokes and they think it's funny when I threaten to punch them for whatever. I really feel like an older sister to them so we have a pretty close relationship.
But enough rambling about that... I really don't care to get back to a "normal" job. What's normal anyways?!
So ya... today I totally crashed. Trying to juggle my tutoring hours and my boxing training is quite a task that often is overbearing. As it stands, I've got about three weeks to lose about 10lbs. Yesterday I pretty much killed myself at boxing. I had pushed myself way too hard, to the point where I literally had to stop to shake my head and relax a bit. I'm not a diabetic but am somewhat on the verge of almost being considered one. It was something I found out back when I was on the cross country running team in high school. I use stash cinnamon hearts near the side door in my house for when I returned from a long run. My blood sugar level would drop so much and I'd get the shakes if I didn't eat a small candy upon returning. Today I got the same shakes so Junior Mint stopped and made someone grab a chocolate bar from the club's fridge. A couple of pieces was all I ate but boy did I feel so much better after.
I've never been one to over indulge in food but whenever I am in game fight diet mode I do get the strangest cravings and I've been known to over eat one particular food in attempts to not only satisfy a craving and keep me sane but also to shock my system. I like to lean on carb-cycling at the start of my game fight diet and then in the last two weeks prior to my fight I lean on weighing my food. Sounds odd, I know, but trust me it works. It's not the healthiest but hey it's a sure way to make the weigh-in.
As for my carb-cycling, me overeating one particular food, usually some kind of carb, is then followed through with either a day of no carbs or one really long run. Oddly enough, during my game fight dieting, I crave milk and bread as if they're going out of style. I've been known to down a full 2 liter carton of milk and once I ate a whole loaf of bread and, though it left me ultra thirsty and it wasn't particularly tastey, it felt so good to just feel so incredibly full. Today it was crossaints from Lotte Mart. I ate six large plain crossaints. It left me feeling like a stuffed pig ready for roasting but boy did it ever feel good... hahaha.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What do you crave?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
It's not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.
-- Author Unknown
Arrived back at Ggum Guum, ate my apple and homemade almond butter -- a little piece of Heaven that I'll be damned if I ever am forced to share with someone... hahaha -- talked to Snickers for ten minutes and then crashed.
It was lights out till about 11am when I woke up for meal number three, a tuna-veggie stirrfry with brown rice on the side.
I only work one hour on Thursdays and had anticipated getting in a good run, heading off to boxing early, and then meeting up with Cheeto Girl for dinner.
No such luck.
Did absolutely nothing today beyond roll over and turn off my phone. Although I must admit that I did in fact get out to do some grocery shopping, that was a given I had to do regardless of my twindeling brutal energy level. Mind ya, no sooner did I return from grocery shopping but then it was back to sleep for me.
Snickers has been getting on my case lately about wanting me to get a "normal" job because waking up super early for tutoring and all my daily traveling does take a toll on me, hence the mid-week crash I usually get. But I had a normal job, I worked at Dankook and I resigned. I hated the politics of the job and didn't care too much for some of the people I worked for and with, or should I say worked against. Nowdays I only work 19 hours, which isn't much less than the hours I pulled at Dankook, but the pay and flexiblity of my work kills that of Dankook. Not to mention the only stress of the job, and by job I'm referring to here is my tutoring, is the traveling to and from. I feel so much more successful as a private tutor because I have actual solid relationships with the people I tutor and those I work for.
The Samsung VP that I tutor in the morning is super easy going and often tutoring time with him consists of chatting the hour away about running. My other Samsung VP, the one I tutor Monday and Wednesday from 11am to 1pm always amazes me with his insanely high intelligence. He self-taught himself Japanese and his English level is very impressive. My Tuesday night group class consisting of a handful of Samsung workers is a lot of fun. They're all guys around my age so it's a super relaxed class and our two hours together is filled with lots of joking and chatting. And as for my Church Kiddies, they're just flat out adorable. They laugh at my silly jokes and they think it's funny when I threaten to punch them for whatever. I really feel like an older sister to them so we have a pretty close relationship.
But enough rambling about that... I really don't care to get back to a "normal" job. What's normal anyways?!
So ya... today I totally crashed. Trying to juggle my tutoring hours and my boxing training is quite a task that often is overbearing. As it stands, I've got about three weeks to lose about 10lbs. Yesterday I pretty much killed myself at boxing. I had pushed myself way too hard, to the point where I literally had to stop to shake my head and relax a bit. I'm not a diabetic but am somewhat on the verge of almost being considered one. It was something I found out back when I was on the cross country running team in high school. I use stash cinnamon hearts near the side door in my house for when I returned from a long run. My blood sugar level would drop so much and I'd get the shakes if I didn't eat a small candy upon returning. Today I got the same shakes so Junior Mint stopped and made someone grab a chocolate bar from the club's fridge. A couple of pieces was all I ate but boy did I feel so much better after.
I've never been one to over indulge in food but whenever I am in game fight diet mode I do get the strangest cravings and I've been known to over eat one particular food in attempts to not only satisfy a craving and keep me sane but also to shock my system. I like to lean on carb-cycling at the start of my game fight diet and then in the last two weeks prior to my fight I lean on weighing my food. Sounds odd, I know, but trust me it works. It's not the healthiest but hey it's a sure way to make the weigh-in.
Side note here on carb-cycling:
Carb-cycling is great for kicking a plateau or when you have to drop fast weight, like for a wedding or competition. It's very tough but very effective, however, it isn’t meant to be a prolonged eating routine. It’s is based on a three day rotation: high carb day, low carb day, and no carb day.
High Carb Day -- 4/6 of your meals consist of a carb (50-60 grams) and a small fruit (50-100 calories). The meal before and after your workout MUST have a carb in it.
Low Carb Day -- 3/6 of your meals consist of a carb (38grams) and a small fruit. Make sure the meal following your workout has a carb. Your other three meals consist of just protein and veggies.
No Carb Day -- All your meals consist of ONLY protein and veggies. NO fruit and NO carbs. (It's impossible not to eat carbs but by 'no carbs' I mean no obvious carbs like sweet potatoes or grain products)
The key is to rotate these three days. Never put two high carb days or two no carb days back-to-back. For example, Monday no carb, Tuesday low carb, Wednesday no carb, Thursday high carb, Friday low carb, Saturday no carb, and Sunday high carb.
As for my carb-cycling, me overeating one particular food, usually some kind of carb, is then followed through with either a day of no carbs or one really long run. Oddly enough, during my game fight dieting, I crave milk and bread as if they're going out of style. I've been known to down a full 2 liter carton of milk and once I ate a whole loaf of bread and, though it left me ultra thirsty and it wasn't particularly tastey, it felt so good to just feel so incredibly full. Today it was crossaints from Lotte Mart. I ate six large plain crossaints. It left me feeling like a stuffed pig ready for roasting but boy did it ever feel good... hahaha.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What do you crave?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
It's not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.
-- Author Unknown
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
It's not that I hate babies, I certainly don't love them though, but it's more of the in-your-face old skool ideas that are so yesterday that I still have to deal with on a daily bases. 
What I do love though is strong women, like the beautiful Korean female boxer Choi Shin Hui who is helping to redefine Korean gender roles and what is viewed as beautiful. I'm definitely all about men but I must admit she's just flat out gorgeous. If I as a foreigner am constantly getting a lot heat for breaking the gender roles than I can only imagine the stress she goes through. Mad, mad props to you Shin Hui!!! She fights in the ring but everyday must be a constant fight for her, wow.Never Been So Happy for Something So Bad... Wednesday, November 24
Last night, after my evening Samsung tutoring class, I headed over to my mother-in-law and sister-in-law’s house. I was hoping Mama Kim would ask me if I was hungry – I was absolutely starving – and she did. She ended up heating up a full grilled chicken that had sticky rice stashed away in the middle of it. My eyes widened as soon as she slapped that bad boy down before me on the table.
I ate the WHOLE thing, well, in all fairness I did mention that I was starving!
Had I been able to eat the bones I probably would have eaten them too… hahaha. It was pure delish. Lately I’ve been training like an animal so my food expenses have gotten a bit out of hand, rounding out at about $70 per week! It’d be more too if I hadn’t already stocked up on organic strawberry spread, oatmeal and frozen blueberries at Costco the other month.
After I wolfed down the whole chicken, I caught glimpse of Mama Kim looking at me in shock. “You ate the whole thing?!” she noted. Yes, yes I did. No sooner had I gobbled down the chicken but then my mother-in-law weaseled the whole give-me-a-baby talk into our conversation.
“Just one – one daughter” she repeatedly said to me.
“Just one” I said over and over again in my head. Just one, like it’s no big deal to drop everything I’ve got going on with my boxing and training – my life -- and pop out a butterball baby. The only butterball I want in my life is the one I put on my plate and gobble down.
Mama Kim likes to put it on thick when she brings up baby talk. I tried to steer away from the baby talk by telling her about my upcoming fight but that was only greeted with a dropped jaw and majorly frowned eyebrows. “I thought you quit boxing… you’re married now” she noted. Married yes but stopped boxing, certainly no. I didn’t realize that life supposedly stopped after marriage, boy did I really screw that up!
Just for the record, I’ve been offered four fights this year, four fights that I had to decline because of my honeymoon, traveling to the Philippines for Snickers’ fight, and then two because of my trip to Canada.
“Married women should have babies… married women don’t box.”
What?! Did she just say that to me, was she serious? Yes, she was, that’s the problem and the more and more I thought about that one comment the more and more I could see why K-Gere divorced her. I know that’s super harsh of me to say but that’s the initial thought that popped into my mind. K-Gere has never ever told me to have a baby and he’s been nothing but overly supportive of my boxing. I’m not even married to Mama Kim but I too want to divorce her. I know she means well, on her own terms and in her own totally old skool Korean way of thinking, but she makes me want to scream sometimes.
Ever since Snickers left for Japan I have really tried to see my mother-in-law in a different light. I make a plan of visiting her at least once a week. It's a twenty minute ride to her house across town that means I have to bare the brutal massive roads I spend all week trying to avoid. I then usually stay a couple of hours and then of course I have to make my way back home. I really do want to love her and I really do want to have a good relationship with her but it seems like the harder I try, the harder she comes at me, and what can I do but take it.
Anyways, I tried to keep this disappointing conversation from Snickers but when he called later on and noted that he had heard from Mama Kim that I had visited, without thinking I blurted out “Now I know why K-Gere is moving to Busan!” Not exactly a nice thing to say, I know, but I am so done with old skool ideas.
This all went down yesterday but today I woke up all ticked off about it. I didn't sleep well because of it and I wanted nothing but to be put in the ring with this old skool mentality and beat it to a pulp.
I am of the generation that allows its’ women freedom. The generation that doesn’t believe women are meant to be barefoot and pregnant and at their husband’s beckoning call. I know it’s a cultural thing but how many times are we going to have to have this conversation before she gets it through her head that I don’t want a child?! Call me crazy but I feel like I’m beating my head against a brick wall about this issue, so when Snickers said, “but I think our child would be so cute… I want to see our baby” I snapped.
“It’s called photo shop…. learn it, use it.”
It’s no secret that I physically can’t have kids and you know what, tonight as I laid down to sleep and said my bedtime prayers, I gave thanks to God for making me reproductively challenged. It all stems back to when I was 18; I almost died. While I practically laid on my death bed, the doctors tested this drug and that drug on me. My body was struggling to go through puberty but between the steroids, numerous other prescribed drugs and the extreme stress on my body, my system got all messed up. Then, when I started to go hardcore with my weight training and then later on with my boxing, my system never did get a chance to recover. Physically I look like any other woman but on the inside, well, things are pretty confused.
My doctor once prescribed birth control pills to try to get my body on track, telling me that they’d help regulate me so that later when I do want to have a child I can. Snickers keeps on buying them for me but they, along with the previous accumulated months of pills sit in the bottom of my underwear drawer and make their way down the toilet every so often.
I’ve never been so happy, felt so relieved, and felt so overly blessed to not be able to have kids as I am tonight.
Thank you God for drugs, they saved my life!!!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What old skool idea would you just love to kick to the curb?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not.
-- James Gordon
I ate the WHOLE thing, well, in all fairness I did mention that I was starving!
Had I been able to eat the bones I probably would have eaten them too… hahaha. It was pure delish. Lately I’ve been training like an animal so my food expenses have gotten a bit out of hand, rounding out at about $70 per week! It’d be more too if I hadn’t already stocked up on organic strawberry spread, oatmeal and frozen blueberries at Costco the other month.
After I wolfed down the whole chicken, I caught glimpse of Mama Kim looking at me in shock. “You ate the whole thing?!” she noted. Yes, yes I did. No sooner had I gobbled down the chicken but then my mother-in-law weaseled the whole give-me-a-baby talk into our conversation.
“Just one – one daughter” she repeatedly said to me.
“Just one” I said over and over again in my head. Just one, like it’s no big deal to drop everything I’ve got going on with my boxing and training – my life -- and pop out a butterball baby. The only butterball I want in my life is the one I put on my plate and gobble down.
Mama Kim likes to put it on thick when she brings up baby talk. I tried to steer away from the baby talk by telling her about my upcoming fight but that was only greeted with a dropped jaw and majorly frowned eyebrows. “I thought you quit boxing… you’re married now” she noted. Married yes but stopped boxing, certainly no. I didn’t realize that life supposedly stopped after marriage, boy did I really screw that up!
Just for the record, I’ve been offered four fights this year, four fights that I had to decline because of my honeymoon, traveling to the Philippines for Snickers’ fight, and then two because of my trip to Canada.
“Married women should have babies… married women don’t box.”
What?! Did she just say that to me, was she serious? Yes, she was, that’s the problem and the more and more I thought about that one comment the more and more I could see why K-Gere divorced her. I know that’s super harsh of me to say but that’s the initial thought that popped into my mind. K-Gere has never ever told me to have a baby and he’s been nothing but overly supportive of my boxing. I’m not even married to Mama Kim but I too want to divorce her. I know she means well, on her own terms and in her own totally old skool Korean way of thinking, but she makes me want to scream sometimes.
Ever since Snickers left for Japan I have really tried to see my mother-in-law in a different light. I make a plan of visiting her at least once a week. It's a twenty minute ride to her house across town that means I have to bare the brutal massive roads I spend all week trying to avoid. I then usually stay a couple of hours and then of course I have to make my way back home. I really do want to love her and I really do want to have a good relationship with her but it seems like the harder I try, the harder she comes at me, and what can I do but take it.
Anyways, I tried to keep this disappointing conversation from Snickers but when he called later on and noted that he had heard from Mama Kim that I had visited, without thinking I blurted out “Now I know why K-Gere is moving to Busan!” Not exactly a nice thing to say, I know, but I am so done with old skool ideas.
This all went down yesterday but today I woke up all ticked off about it. I didn't sleep well because of it and I wanted nothing but to be put in the ring with this old skool mentality and beat it to a pulp.
I am of the generation that allows its’ women freedom. The generation that doesn’t believe women are meant to be barefoot and pregnant and at their husband’s beckoning call. I know it’s a cultural thing but how many times are we going to have to have this conversation before she gets it through her head that I don’t want a child?! Call me crazy but I feel like I’m beating my head against a brick wall about this issue, so when Snickers said, “but I think our child would be so cute… I want to see our baby” I snapped.
“It’s called photo shop…. learn it, use it.”
It’s no secret that I physically can’t have kids and you know what, tonight as I laid down to sleep and said my bedtime prayers, I gave thanks to God for making me reproductively challenged. It all stems back to when I was 18; I almost died. While I practically laid on my death bed, the doctors tested this drug and that drug on me. My body was struggling to go through puberty but between the steroids, numerous other prescribed drugs and the extreme stress on my body, my system got all messed up. Then, when I started to go hardcore with my weight training and then later on with my boxing, my system never did get a chance to recover. Physically I look like any other woman but on the inside, well, things are pretty confused.
My doctor once prescribed birth control pills to try to get my body on track, telling me that they’d help regulate me so that later when I do want to have a child I can. Snickers keeps on buying them for me but they, along with the previous accumulated months of pills sit in the bottom of my underwear drawer and make their way down the toilet every so often.
I’ve never been so happy, felt so relieved, and felt so overly blessed to not be able to have kids as I am tonight.
Thank you God for drugs, they saved my life!!!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What old skool idea would you just love to kick to the curb?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not.
-- James Gordon
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Today's Weather: Showers of Shells from the North... Tuesday, November 23
At 2:34pm today Kim Jong Il decided to bombard South Korea by launching 170 artillery shells onto South Korean marine bases and civilian areas on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong Island in the West Sea. The South then fired back, launching 80 shells from K9 self-propelled howitzers [small canons] thirteen minutes after the North initially opened fired. It’s been reported that two marines and two civilians have been killed, and 18 have been wounded.
Today’s crazy turn of events has been labeled as the “fieriest attack since the Korean War”. With an estimated 28,000 American soldiers stationed in Korea, mixed with the already high Korean army numbers and the unpredictable behavior of Kim Jong Il, it was rather unsettling to hear the South Korean President Lee Myung Bak tell reporters today that “enormous retaliation is going to be necessary to make North Korea incapable of provoking us again.”
Needless to say, I think pretty much everyone today in South Korea was glued to the news today.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Why can't we all just get along?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Make love, not war.
-- the motto of the hippies
Today’s crazy turn of events has been labeled as the “fieriest attack since the Korean War”. With an estimated 28,000 American soldiers stationed in Korea, mixed with the already high Korean army numbers and the unpredictable behavior of Kim Jong Il, it was rather unsettling to hear the South Korean President Lee Myung Bak tell reporters today that “enormous retaliation is going to be necessary to make North Korea incapable of provoking us again.”
Needless to say, I think pretty much everyone today in South Korea was glued to the news today.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Why can't we all just get along?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Make love, not war.
-- the motto of the hippies
Monday, November 22, 2010
Here's a couple of pictures of some pictures for you.
This first one is a picture of one of the shots taken of me today at my boxing fight promotional photo shoot.
This next shot is of a game poster for a tournament that the Cheonan Bulldog will be fighting in. I'll be exactly one week prior to my game so December will be a great action-packed month.
Keep Doing What You Do... Monday, November 22
A bit chunk of my life revolves around my boxing, I’m sure this is probably obvious. Whether it’s actual training at the boxing club or doing other related training, like weight training or running, meeting with boxing sponsors, watching boxing on TV or live in person, or simply talking about the sport, no day goes on without boxing making it’s way into in.
Most of my paycheck comes from my English tutoring but where I put most of my time, effort and passion is into my boxing. I’m an English tutor by day but boxer 24/7. Tutoring is what I do, boxing is what I am. Sure I love tutoring, my students rock, but I do it mainly to make ends meet cause let’s face it, being a professional athlete is a hard knock life for the most part. Sure there are many famous and filthy rich athletes that you could list off the top of your head but even the most successful of athletes resort to doing additional work, like creating their own clothing line or cologne, doing advertisements and promotional work, and so on.
I had arrived early at the studio and no sooner had the photographer walked in but I then decided to strip down to my game uniform. I thought nothing of it until I saw the look of the photographer’s face and noticed the front seating area full of people stand up to peer into the private studio room where I stood wearing my game shorts and a top smaller than the sports bra I had under it. I guess I should have waited for him to close the curtain... hahaha.
I’ve come to the conclusion lately that no matter what anyone says about my boxing, both the negative and positive feedback, they can’t take away from me all the experiences I’ve gained because of boxing, also both the negative and the positive. I say this because it’s easy for people to say what they want but it’s another thing for them to do what I do. I know I am doing what so many people wish they could do but don’t and I consider myself blessed to be able to pursue my boxing. I’ve got an overly supportive husband who has made a world of a difference in how I feel about boxing and how I train, a supportive coach and numerous awesome teammates who have become a second set of family members to me, sponsors who have helped me along the way, and I am no longer the underdog in female Korean boxing but am instead a known and favored face.
I originally took up boxing in Canada after a brutally violent fight that sent me to the hospital with a broken hand and the guy I faught home with groan injuries. Boxing was a means of protection I took up but never did I ever imagine in my wildest dreams that I'd continue on with my boxing to become the first foreign female in Korea to turn professional. Boxing has opened up a whole new world to me and though I know I am not the best of boxers, I’ve never claimed to be, I do know that I put a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and a hell of a lot of heart into my boxing.
I am the best boxer I can be right now but tomorrow I will be a better boxer than today.
No one can say I don’t put my best foot forward or don’t put all my heart into it. And no one has any right to say anything negative about me with regards to what I’m doing because they’re not in my shoes… I guess I should say "my boots" (as in my Adidas boxing boots, hahaha).
It’s one thing to talk, it’s another thing to DO.
So to all those of you reading this who are doing whatever their heart desires and are going at it with full force and complete dedication, major props to you!!! Do whatever makes you happy and disregard those out there who may try to stand in your way. They are but mere speed bumps in life.
Stay focused, stay strong, and stay true to yourself.
Do what you do and don’t stop!!!
On a side note, on Sunday I got approached to return to Japan for a kind of revenge fight, so I’m debating that right now. I’m also in the process in setting up a date with tbs eFM who called me up and wants to do a radio interview with me... very cool.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What do you do that you absolutely love?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions.
-- Alfred Lord Tennyson
Most of my paycheck comes from my English tutoring but where I put most of my time, effort and passion is into my boxing. I’m an English tutor by day but boxer 24/7. Tutoring is what I do, boxing is what I am. Sure I love tutoring, my students rock, but I do it mainly to make ends meet cause let’s face it, being a professional athlete is a hard knock life for the most part. Sure there are many famous and filthy rich athletes that you could list off the top of your head but even the most successful of athletes resort to doing additional work, like creating their own clothing line or cologne, doing advertisements and promotional work, and so on.
Today I had my photo shoot for my upcoming fight. KBC is going to be doing a promotional poster for the tournament that I’ll be fighting in so they asked me to get some shots taken. I decided to go with a photographer I’ve worked with before, the same photographer that Snickers’ used for his Philippines’ fight poster picture.THE TUTORING PART OF MY WEEK
Samsung Asan VP = 5 hours
Samsung Cheonan VP = 3 hours
Samsung Group Class = 2 hours
Church Kiddies Class = 9 hours
Total Tutoring Hours = 19 hours
THE BOXING PART OF MY WEEK
Running = 6 hours
Boxing = 6 hours
Weight training = 4 hours
Sponsor meetings = 2 hours
Watching boxing on TV = 5 hours
Personal training = 2 hours
Helping Out at the Boxing Club = 3 hours
Total Boxing-Oriented Hours = 27 hours
I had arrived early at the studio and no sooner had the photographer walked in but I then decided to strip down to my game uniform. I thought nothing of it until I saw the look of the photographer’s face and noticed the front seating area full of people stand up to peer into the private studio room where I stood wearing my game shorts and a top smaller than the sports bra I had under it. I guess I should have waited for him to close the curtain... hahaha.
I’ve come to the conclusion lately that no matter what anyone says about my boxing, both the negative and positive feedback, they can’t take away from me all the experiences I’ve gained because of boxing, also both the negative and the positive. I say this because it’s easy for people to say what they want but it’s another thing for them to do what I do. I know I am doing what so many people wish they could do but don’t and I consider myself blessed to be able to pursue my boxing. I’ve got an overly supportive husband who has made a world of a difference in how I feel about boxing and how I train, a supportive coach and numerous awesome teammates who have become a second set of family members to me, sponsors who have helped me along the way, and I am no longer the underdog in female Korean boxing but am instead a known and favored face.
I originally took up boxing in Canada after a brutally violent fight that sent me to the hospital with a broken hand and the guy I faught home with groan injuries. Boxing was a means of protection I took up but never did I ever imagine in my wildest dreams that I'd continue on with my boxing to become the first foreign female in Korea to turn professional. Boxing has opened up a whole new world to me and though I know I am not the best of boxers, I’ve never claimed to be, I do know that I put a lot of blood, sweat, tears, and a hell of a lot of heart into my boxing.
I am the best boxer I can be right now but tomorrow I will be a better boxer than today.
No one can say I don’t put my best foot forward or don’t put all my heart into it. And no one has any right to say anything negative about me with regards to what I’m doing because they’re not in my shoes… I guess I should say "my boots" (as in my Adidas boxing boots, hahaha).
It’s one thing to talk, it’s another thing to DO.
So to all those of you reading this who are doing whatever their heart desires and are going at it with full force and complete dedication, major props to you!!! Do whatever makes you happy and disregard those out there who may try to stand in your way. They are but mere speed bumps in life.
Stay focused, stay strong, and stay true to yourself.
Do what you do and don’t stop!!!
On a side note, on Sunday I got approached to return to Japan for a kind of revenge fight, so I’m debating that right now. I’m also in the process in setting up a date with tbs eFM who called me up and wants to do a radio interview with me... very cool.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What do you do that you absolutely love?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions.
-- Alfred Lord Tennyson
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Headed off to Suwon today,
Junior Mint,
Cheeto Girl, me, one of the High School Kiddies (who I guess I shouldn't really put him into that category anymore cause he's now a uni. student), and some fans.
The purpose of today's road trip was to watch the High School Kiddie take on and take down his opponent... mission completed!Another Bloody Sunday... Sunday, November 21
Sundays in Korea have often be referred to as "Bloody Sundays" because Sundays at Ggum Guum are always filled with UFC and boxing blarring on the TV. Today it was yet another Bloody Sunday but this Sunday was a very live, very in-your-face Bloody Sunday with a bunch of us heading out to Suwon to watch a fellow UP boxer fight.
When they called the name of our Boxing club's fighter a bunch of stood ringside and cheered him on. Cheeto Girl took pictures while the rest of us watched on. Junior Mint and I stood there yelling out shots but it was the High School Kiddie who yelled out quite the shot in the second round when he knocked down his opponent. I didn't catch what exactly he had blurted out but it was then that the game took a spin and got quite aggressive.
Down his opponent went again. The High School Kiddie gave a super cute jump for joy that made the crowd of onlookers laugh and then they called the game. He won by knock-out... sweet!!!
Ran into several of my favourite Korean Boxing people, of which I was happy to see my ever-so-cute favourite ring official, Thomas (a boxing coach in Seoul) and my friend the Japan promoter, Loren.
When they called the name of our Boxing club's fighter a bunch of stood ringside and cheered him on. Cheeto Girl took pictures while the rest of us watched on. Junior Mint and I stood there yelling out shots but it was the High School Kiddie who yelled out quite the shot in the second round when he knocked down his opponent. I didn't catch what exactly he had blurted out but it was then that the game took a spin and got quite aggressive. Down his opponent went again. The High School Kiddie gave a super cute jump for joy that made the crowd of onlookers laugh and then they called the game. He won by knock-out... sweet!!!
Ran into several of my favourite Korean Boxing people, of which I was happy to see my ever-so-cute favourite ring official, Thomas (a boxing coach in Seoul) and my friend the Japan promoter, Loren.
After the fights we headed back to Cheonan, had to deal with Gotti being MIA and stuck at Home Plus, and I was super damn hungry. Decided to dine out with Cheeto Girl, so together we dined on what translates to "raw beef with mixed vegetables and rice". Raw beef, yes, you read right. This is one of my favourite Korean dishes to dine on, though I must admit that I add only but a couple of spoonfuls of rice cause I don't care for white rice let alone empty carbs.
After dinner Cheeto Girl and I got down to business with dealing with Gotti. She ended up totally working her charm and, in addition to getting the repair man to skip his dinner, she got him to go pick up Gotti on his truck, take it to the shop, fix it, and then return it right to my door step. She milked her good looks even further by insisting he give her a break on the price in addition to the already obvious up-and-beyond help he had already provided us.
SCORED!!!! Scored a huge chunk off the price and Gotti returned with a new engine belt.
Prior to Gotti returning to Ggum Guum, Cheeto Girl and I headed out to Tom N' Toms to wait for his return and to chat up a storm over a cup of joe.
Cheeto Girl doesn't like drinking coffee so she sipped on hot chocolate and got quite picture-happy with taking about a dozen shots of me randomly drinking my black coffee... hahaha.
Snickers is convinced that Cheeto Girl loves me -- not that kind of way, relax -- because she's always texting me and has been known to randomly drop by my house. I for one will be the first to say that I think she's an awesome girl. The other day she literally went through my fridge and cupboards to note what kind of food I was eating. She really wants me to help her lose weight but she's hates exercising. No problem. Exercising is only 10% of the equation, genetics are 10%, but diet is 80%!!!
One thing is for sure though about what Cheeto Girl loves, she too loves Mi Nam, so she amused herself by lying on the floor tonight with Mi Nam and snapping numerous shots.
When it was time for Cheeto Girl to go home, we jumped back on Gotti and zoomed down the street, or so we tried. In front of me was the probably the slowest moving cars that had taken the phrase "Sunday driving" to a whole new brutal level. Based on the drivers' brutal speed and the fact that they hit three pilons and almost two passing cars, Cheeto Girl and I both questioned whether or not this person was drunk.
I must have followed behind this brutal driver for about five minutes and watched them so desparately struggle to drive straight when all of a sudden they stopped and backed-up, hitting Gotti and us!!! I was ticked, ticked enough to tell Cheeto Girl to stay put on the back of Gotti.
"I'm gonna punch this drunk ajjuma!" I blurted out.
Yes, I was definitely set on punching what I assumed was a drunk older woman dangerously driving downtown Cheonan. I walked up to the driver's side, opened up the door and it was then that the driver looked up to me. I was shocked. It was a girl no older than about twenty and she looked like she was about to cry.
"Damn chick, you're lucky you're young cause I was about to give you something to really cry about!" I told her (along with some other not-so-nice comments). She and her passanger, who I assumed was her overly-skinny boyfriend, both stepped out of the car and repeatedly appologized to me.
I didn't know what to say next, I mean I was totally expecting her to be some drunk older woman or a drunk man, so I told her "Stay in school fool" and drove away. Cheeto Girl stayed quiet but it wasn't until a minute or so later until I broke the silence by bursting out into laughter. Gotti had no scratches or whatnot from the ordeal but Cheeto Girl and I continued to drive around downtown joking about it. I had really spooked that girl and though I felt bad for having had yelled at her, it really turned out to be super funny.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What pushes your button?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Never get into fights with ugly people, they have nothing to lose.
-- Author Unknown
What pushes your button?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Never get into fights with ugly people, they have nothing to lose.
-- Author Unknown
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Frustrations and Pride... Saturday, November 20
Headed into the boxing club to do some weight training. I've devised a new training schedule for myself, incorporating some effective weight training into my boxing training. I usually stick around to do weight training after boxing anyways but the new routine I've created consists of several supersets and a three-day split routine.
Monday and Thursday -- chest, triceps and shoulders
Tuesday and Friday -- abs and legs
Wednesday and Saturday -- back and biceps
Considering the leg work that I already get in weekly with my running, Tuesdays and Fridays are pretty light for weight training and focus more on abs. Today was Saturday, so I worked on my back and biceps.
Some of today's exercises included seated back rows, narrow under-grip chin pull-ups,
alternating bicep curls, and hammer heads.
Note my bad posture here... I was trying to act like a tough Polack for the building landlord who had decided to stop in and watch me train... hahaha.
After weight training I raced home to shower and get dolled up so that I could visit K-Gere, my father-in-law. He was at home busily preparing various things for his natural medicine. I sat down with him and we chatted for a good hour. Turns out he's moving. Snickers had noted that someone in his family was moving and, to be totally honest, I was keeping my fingers crossed that it'd be his mother, definitely not his father. K-Gere has always been my favorite in-law, not because he's been 100% supportive of me from the very start but because he's never been anything but supportive of Snickers and he treats me like a person and not like a foreign girl.
I felt really sad to hear him talk about moving to Busan but was even sadder when he noted that he'd be moving next month. I envy him for being able to just pick up and move to Busan, one of my ultimate favourite cities here in Korea. It's an ocean side city loaded to the brim with beautiful beach side cafes and plenty of great things to do and see. It surely kicks Seoul and it's overcrowded smelly streets and grey skies to the curb and though it has no UP Boxing Club, it also kicks Cheonan's butt to the curb.
I guess Cheonan just isn't big enough for all of Snickers' family to live, something I joked about back when his mother dropped everything and moved to Cheonan about a year ago.
After my visit with K-Gere I headed off to Home Plus where I did some light shopping. I had spotted a beautiful fake fur blanket at the end of an isle and, honestly, it was like spotting the last Tickle Me Elmo!!! No sooner had I reached my hand out for it but two Korean ajjumas came racing towards it. I scooped it up, leaving them standing there eagerly waiting for me to put it down. It was the last one. I didn't really need a blanket and I wasn't really sure whether or not I even wanted to buy it but I wasn't about to let these third-gender ajjumas get their pudgy hands on it... hahaha.
Walking around with this blanket, pondering whether or not I really wanted it scored me a lot of unwanted attention from various ajjumas who eyed it. Even when I approached the cash register an ajjuma approached me and asked if she could have it.
Ended up buying the blanket.
Loaded up Gotti with my bags of goodies I had just bought, jumped on, popped in the key, and... NOTHING. Gotti's battery had died, leaving me stranded at 9:30 at night in the parking lot of Home Plus.
Ended up having to leave Gotti there, said a little prayer that no one would steal him, and struggled for the rest of the evening on what to do. The Scooter Man wasn't working tonight so there went that idea and Motor Cross was out in Seoul, so that idea was a no-go. Snickers called me during the middle of this and told me to call Mouse Doctor but now that I'm good friends with Cheeto Girl I'm kind of sitting on the he's-a-jerk bandwagon, so I didn't want to call him. I had already asked the Scooter Man and Motor Cross for help, two people more than the usual zero I usually ask when I need help. Snickers complained about this, telling me not to let my pride cause more problems. He's right though, I know, I do have a lot of pride. One of my frustrations with living in Korea is the notion that I can not help myself as easily as I can were I living in Canada. With the exception of Snickers, I absolutely hate depending on others but even with him I often rather struggle to do things on my own than accept his help.
Plan is to deal with it tomorrow.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What frustrates you?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.
-- Author Unknown
Friday, November 19, 2010
My Church Kiddies don't really agree with me switching my hair to ash brown but they made me promise I wouldn't dye my hair black. "But I loooooooooove black hair" I explained, "you all look so beautiful with your jet black hair. I want beautiful black hair too!!!" They think it's hilarious how Korean ajjumas love to touch my hair and today they took it upon themselves to tease me about it. Here's a picture one student drew of me. I love how she drew me with my scooter helmet and yes, that's exactly what I wore today, knee high boots and a cute sweater dress.
My Church Kiddies Get the Last Laugh... Friday, November 19
On Monday I told my Church Kiddies the story “Attack of the Korean Ajjumas” – a story summing up how Korean ajjumas and how their wondering pudgy hands seem to be drawn to my hair – and today they came to class aiming to play up that story. They had made a pack today to touch my hair at any and every given chance possible. They had discussed it amongst themselves prior to class and had agreed to keep it as subtle as possible… this, of course, I didn’t find out till I confronted them about it at the end of class.
It all started when I did a homework check. Students usually slide their notebooks along the desk and up to the front but today they individually brought their notebooks up to where I was sitting. I disregarded what I thought was someone accidentally brushing against my head but commented when another student stopped me in mid sentence to tuck my hair behind my ear. “New earrings?” that student commented and with that I thought nothing more of it. Other attempts at touching my hair without me knowing were made when I made my rounds around the table, checking to see if they understood the activity. Our five minute break time was filled with range and strange excuses they dug up to touch my hair. While some excuses were believable, like “you have something in your hair” and “what new colour is your hair?”, others were just flat out silly and ridiculous. “Your head is the size of my hand, see” and “I think your head is cold”… hahaha!!!
Finally I stood up and asked them why they were being so strange.
They all broke out into quite a large laugh… hahaha… and that’s when one student told me they were just teasing me about the whole ajjuma story. It was then that another student passed me a piece of paper and on that piece of paper was a picture she drew of me… hahaha.
Saying goodbye to them after class was accompanied with ALL them running up to me and touching my hair. Some thought it funny to pet my hair while others flat out grabbed a chunk of my locks. We stood there laughing and even after I drove away on my scooter, I thought about the whole situation and continued to laugh.
The whole situation reminded me of when I was in elementary school. I think I was in grade seven when I met my first Asian. His name was Evan and, oddly enough, I was overly fascinated with his small eyes that I just thought were so gorgeous. However, it was his hair that I was so overly curious about and I wanted for so long to touch it hair because it seemed just so different than mine. Unlike my hair, that's very soft and has been compared to baby hair, his hair seemed to automatically stand on end and reminded me of a porcupine. Evan was my first real crush and I remember in grade eight when he took me to our grade eight graduation, I asked him if I could touch his hair... hahaha.
Evan was Chinese but I totally blame Evan for sparking my fascination with the Asian culture. Laugh, as I'm sure you will, but one of the first things I asked Snickers when we first started dating was if I could touch his hair... hahaha.
Much love shout-outs today to my Church Kiddies, to my childhood crush Evan, to my beautiful husband Snickers, and much love to all the Koreans, and all the Asians for that matter. I love your hair... hahaha!!!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What did you laugh at today?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
The more you find out about the world, the more opportunities there are to laugh at it.
-- Bill Nye
It all started when I did a homework check. Students usually slide their notebooks along the desk and up to the front but today they individually brought their notebooks up to where I was sitting. I disregarded what I thought was someone accidentally brushing against my head but commented when another student stopped me in mid sentence to tuck my hair behind my ear. “New earrings?” that student commented and with that I thought nothing more of it. Other attempts at touching my hair without me knowing were made when I made my rounds around the table, checking to see if they understood the activity. Our five minute break time was filled with range and strange excuses they dug up to touch my hair. While some excuses were believable, like “you have something in your hair” and “what new colour is your hair?”, others were just flat out silly and ridiculous. “Your head is the size of my hand, see” and “I think your head is cold”… hahaha!!!
Finally I stood up and asked them why they were being so strange.
They all broke out into quite a large laugh… hahaha… and that’s when one student told me they were just teasing me about the whole ajjuma story. It was then that another student passed me a piece of paper and on that piece of paper was a picture she drew of me… hahaha.
Saying goodbye to them after class was accompanied with ALL them running up to me and touching my hair. Some thought it funny to pet my hair while others flat out grabbed a chunk of my locks. We stood there laughing and even after I drove away on my scooter, I thought about the whole situation and continued to laugh.
The whole situation reminded me of when I was in elementary school. I think I was in grade seven when I met my first Asian. His name was Evan and, oddly enough, I was overly fascinated with his small eyes that I just thought were so gorgeous. However, it was his hair that I was so overly curious about and I wanted for so long to touch it hair because it seemed just so different than mine. Unlike my hair, that's very soft and has been compared to baby hair, his hair seemed to automatically stand on end and reminded me of a porcupine. Evan was my first real crush and I remember in grade eight when he took me to our grade eight graduation, I asked him if I could touch his hair... hahaha.
Evan was Chinese but I totally blame Evan for sparking my fascination with the Asian culture. Laugh, as I'm sure you will, but one of the first things I asked Snickers when we first started dating was if I could touch his hair... hahaha.
Much love shout-outs today to my Church Kiddies, to my childhood crush Evan, to my beautiful husband Snickers, and much love to all the Koreans, and all the Asians for that matter. I love your hair... hahaha!!!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What did you laugh at today?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
The more you find out about the world, the more opportunities there are to laugh at it.
-- Bill Nye
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