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