No Donna Juanitas

http://ak2.static.dailymotion.com

I have to thank Erin for the link to www.angryseafood.com. It's pretty much pure, strange hilarity. I found this video. And you all must watch it immediately with sound. I'm dying over here. It's from a dating tape (?) from the eighties. This is the funniest thing I've seen in a loooong time.

I can't post videos on my blog from You Tube in Korea for some reason ("Real Name Verification Law"? What is that?), so you'll just have to click on the link. And enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bomkgXeDkE&feature=player_embedded

Some extra saucy comments I just could not resist

(these are direct quotes)...

Hi I'm Maurice. I'm an executive by day and a wild man by night.

Hi, my name's Monroe. You've probably already noticed that I have incredibly blue eyes.

I like to talk to people deep into the night.

Hi I'm Mike and if you're sitting there, watching this tape, smoking your cigarette, well, hit the fast forward button, 'cause I don't smoke and I don't like people who do smoke (Mike pictured above).

I'm not afraid to get sand on my tuxedo.

Hi mom.

I'm looking for a trendy girl with a simple smile.

I took a sponge ball and was pulling him out of a little girl's ear.

I'm looking for the goddess. Are you the goddess? Who is the goddess? The goddess is the woman, is a woman, is any woman, is all women.

No fatties, no hampsters. No dopers, no smokers, no alcoholics. No Donna Juanitas.

We don't like to write cheques.

Do you like cats?

Life is a playground and I want someone to play with.

I'm interested in most phases of data processing.

Done, Done, Done, and Done!

I've submitted the last of the assignments for Module 2 for my AQ course. Thank the lord. Functions? Really? I don't even remember what those are (I think those are functions [my functions] above. Heeeeere's hoping!). And yet, here I am, talking about them like regular folk. I think this calls for a glass of vin. Bon!

Looking for signs...

http://www.manolohome.com/

Korea's full of gaudy things: neon signs that are bound to keep you up all night, flashing in your window; annoying salespeople at not-quite department stores, urging you to buy things from their kiosks; and pushy older women, intent on knocking you down just so that they can get to where they are going a liiiiittle bit faster. But no where, no, no where, do you see Halloween decorations. You can look anywhere, even at the Halloween store and still not find a single pumpkin or witch bejewelling a window or door.

At home, the tell-tale signs are all over when a new holiday approaches: black cats in store windows, jack-o-lanterns all over schools, and fake spider webs in doorways and up staircases. Houses are decked out in all the layers upon layers of witchcraft and costume-ery. And it's not just for Halloween: we put hand prints-turned-turkeys in windows for Thanksgiving (note: how cute is this?)...

from http://www.fretless.us/ (such a cute blog)

Canadian flags on every doorway (okay, some doorways...not everyone is as nationalist as I am) and hanging outside on the first of July, and so many Christmas decorations every single place you look, starting November 1 (which is on Sunday by the way, God, how time flies).

It's amazing to me, in a city that's this bombarded with stimuli, and so burdened with a floundering economy, that there would be nothing in store windows urging you to buy buy buy whatever you might need (hahaha) for the upcoming Hallmark holiday. What better excuse do you have to whip out your wallet? I can't think of one.

Which leads me to think that perhaps Korea will be void of all things Kris Kringle as well. Not that I'm a fan of Christmas or anything, but holy Joseph, there must be some tacky decorations kicking around here somewhere! I love the cheesiness of Christmas: the ridiculously huge "get your picture taken with Santa Claus but don't cry, sweetie, mommy is trying to send this to Gramma and Grampa in Florida!" displays in the malls; the overdone but so amazingly beautiful stars, trees, tinsel, and light decorations on the sign posts downtown; the enormous trees outside city landmarks. I mean, this is all part of the season, part of the buildup (and, inevitably part of the let down), and I just love it.

I cringe at the thought of there being no Christmas decorations. No nativity scene? I'll have to get a tree for sure. And decorate it with the best of the worst Korea has to offer. For now though, I'm back to painting my butterfly wings for the party tomorrow night. Since I couldn't get a costume, I figure my ingenuity will make up for my lack of large costume display. I guess I'll have to be all the Halloween decoration I can handle.

P.S. How awesome is that turkey's green feather tail? Does it GET any better?

Halloween Detour

Matt and I went in search of a Halloween costume last night in Sandang, as promised. We took the bus first to Beomgye and then the subway, since it's a bit faster, thinks I. Here is a typical scene in the subway station, especially after work. That staircase is pretty narrow and only comfortably fits five people across it. And there we are, crammed together. I'm sure they really appreciated getting their picture taken while commuting. Damn foreigners.

And then I saw something remarkable: a Western bum in Asia. Let me explain...most people here have very svelte figures. They are well built, they work hard, they work out hard, and they keep remarkably thin frames for the majority of their lives. Here's a bum that just doesn't fit in (soooo Hamilton!):

We traveled for about 45 minutes to get to this Halloween store and, low and behold, it was closed. Three days before Halloween. At 7:30 pm. Ha-what?! Oh Korea, you got me again.

So we wandered around a bit, our spirits bruised and broken, bent and paralyzed, because we hadn't gotten what we came for. Sigh. I found this cafe called Mozel Tof Cafe and just had to go in. A Jewish reference in Korea? Unheard of. Inside, the promise of tranquility became a reality. They had a lovely menu with just the necessities: wine, chocolate cake, and cheese. Could this get any better? So I coerced Matt into sharing some cake with me and I sipped at some wine. They had the most beautiful glass flowers arranged in vases and about ten staff members (note: there were ten patrons there at the time and at 8 pm on a Wednesday, how many more were they expecting?) to dote on us. It was great.

Yours truly, taking a break...

On our way home from our uniquely non-Korean experience, we had a totally normal Korean experience in the subway. This man is giving his travel companion a face we like to call, The Startled Korean. Naturally, there are other names for it, but that one suits his face well. Priceless.

Sometimes I need to take a minute away from my life: this life. It's all well and good to want more, to strive for more, but sometimes I need a break. I spend so much time on this course I'm taking, spend even more time preparing for lessons so that my time with the kids is spent making English fun, instead of boring, spend (not enough lately) time running...and it all makes me very tired. On top of that, my body (and the healthy bodies of those around me) are struggling like crazy to remain illness-free while the brats who surround us are laden with what could be the Swine Flu (turns out, not so funny). To just sit and enjoy a glass of wine, some good dark chocolate, and not be inundated with constant stimulation is sometimes just what the doctor ordered. Seemed so simple back at home: I did this all the time. But somehow here, it's not as regular to just take some time and relax. I'm going to the public bath again this weekend to help get rid of some more toxins. Between that and tonight's yoga, I think I'll be clearer than I felt yesterday.

I guess striking a balance here is harder than I thought. Getting my bearings and getting comfortable was easy enough, but finding a happy medium between socializing and quiet time is proving to be a bit harder.

Hot Child in the City

I was talking to Laura about moving to Toronto when I get home before I left. I said that living in Korea would give me a taste of what it'd be like to live in the city back home. She scoffed: living in Korea isn't a CITY, it's a metropolis, and it really isn't a fair comparison. Well, I have done some thinking about it, and I can confidently compare Anyang (including Beomgye and Pyeongchon, where we spend most of our leisure time) to Toronto. I've included some pictures so you can get a feel for what it's like to travel around our fair city.

This is a shot taken from inside the bus. The city is spread before us, awash with lights.

Looks like Toronto, non?

Think of Anyang (where I live) like the Hamilton mountain: a little older, with less diversity, a whole lot less nightlife. And think of Beomgye and Pyongchon (they are virtually beside each other. You can easily walk from one part of town to the next) as downtown Hamilton (but nicer!). I'll shorten it to "B/P" for simplicity sake. It's got the nightlife, restaurants, vast numbers of people (ew, I'm imagining Gore Park now. Please don't do this if you are doing a comparison). I just wanted you to get an idea as to the distance between Anyang and B/P and the difference between the day to day life there.

Typical Korean bus

The bus ride to B/P takes about ten minutes and on the way we pass E-Mart, the wonderful place to shop on a Sunday (free samples, Costco-styles), shopping "centres" like large department stores that also sell food, and various bars we frequent. This photo shows pretty much all those things, again, lit up like Christmas.

The Poisonwood Bible

Image of a poisonwood tree from http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1260/601941919_d859bdc23b.jpg

I just finished The Poisonwood Bible. It was a great read. It took far longer than any other book I've had the pleasure of perusing here, but it was well worth it. I know she's black and all, but why does Oprah always or at least most of the time choose books about Africa? They are rather different, I'll give her that, and the population is so enormous, we should probably give some attention to the people, but I just wonder if she is purposely looking for these books or if these are really the best ones out there. I've read some pretty good books that aren't about Africa. Just putting that out there.

So here is what I took away. There were so many poems and really amazing literary twists. One character reads things forwards and backwards, often making entire poems that are palindromes (same forward as backwards, like "mom" and "kayak"). It was a hoot for me to read that stuff, being as I heart the English language as much as I do.

Further to this, I was interested to know that all of the sisters (the narrators of the book) actually stayed in Africa when their "sentence" there was over. As eager as they all were to return to Georgia (what what!), they felt a pull to just stay. Hmm...sounds familiar. Now that I'm away from home, this is the new home, this is my new life. And how easy would it be to just stay? Very. I've met a few "lifers" as we call them: people who've been in Korea for six and seven years. Can you imagine? Oddly, I can. I don't plan on staying that long, trust me, but it was interesting to read about an experience where a seemingly simple decision (that to return home) was made very difficult once they got used to their new surroundings. I'm still off kimchi, so I doubt I could stay that long.

Back to what I took away from the book...

"Sugar, it's no parade but you'll get down the street one way or another, so you'd just as well throw your shoulders back and pick up your pace."

"My mother said, 'Well, but, sugar, it goes both ways. You know how to speak English and they don't'.

I knew she was right, but I took no consolation from that. Speaking English was nothing. It wasn't a skill like being able to name all the capitals and principal products of South America or recite Scripture or walk on top of a fence. I had no memory of ever having to work hard for my native tongue..."

I've now started The Stone Diaries and after only three pages, I realize I've read it before. But hey, I'm in a foreign country and I can't remember past this part, so I'm going to read it. I find it hilarious that Laura leaves little tidbits of herself in her books. In The Poisonwood Bible, it was a sample packet of Tylenol. In this one, an "iwantg.com" bookmark, from her old law firm. I find it so endearing...it's like a little piece of her is here with me. I can almost smell the back room of the old apartment.

I think I'll head over to the Halloween store in Sadang for a costume. Party on Saturday and I haven't any inspiration.

Celeb Tidbits of the Day

What a birthday pressie! Leanne's cousin, Matt Beleskey, got called up to the Anaheim Ducks the other day and will hopefully play in tonight's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. How amazing is that? It's thrilling. According to the Ducks' website, the game airs tonight at 7 pm California time (I guess that's 10 pm Toronto time). Matty is number 39.

Also, Eat, Pray, Love is being filmed right now. Must they turn every good book into a movie, catapulting it from something I read and loved into a "chick flick"? And now the book will be a cliche. I can't stand that. Anyway, I'm happy to see that Julia Roberts, our resident 40-something mother of three (I think it's three) is rocking it out in a bikini while she shoots the film. I heart Hollywood.

I'm playing Scattegories with the kids today. Can teaching here get any better?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PANNY!

Leanne,
Have a fabulous day! I can't wait to see you in Bangkok! Until we meet again and can celebrate in style, have a wonderful birthday and an outstanding year. May your accomplishments be grand, your mind calm, your heart light. I love you!

Juuust wondering

Anyone else find it odd that Regis Philbin's director/producer/stage hand is named, Gilman? Why are their names so similar? Did they plan that? Seriously. When I was a kid, I thought Regis was talking to himself.

from http://www.people.com/

Found: Disgustingness

I was just making some dinner and cutting up some broccoli when, out of no where, out jumps this THING. I freaked out. I didn't know what to do (save take a picture), so I ran into the hallway, gobsmacked (this is what neighbours are for. Recall the time Sasso found a mouse in my apartment and my neighbour Franca finally made her way up to save me after two and a half hours of my screaming? Mercy.).

I knocked first on Matt's door, hoping and praying he's home. But then, will he be able to take care of this? I don't know him as a very manly man...can he handle this? I didn't have the chance to find out: he wasn't home. Frantically, I knocked on Steve's door. Again, no help. Last, Tom's door. Thank Christ I heard some movement inside. I couldn't even get out the name of what it was that was causing this panic...he was totally prepared for a mouse, cockroach, whatever. Thank God for manly men.

We returned to the apartment, I jumped on the bed, and Tom couldn't find the effing thing. Finally we found it, huddled under a broccoli head. Tom says it was a silkworm. In my fridge. Yuck. So the Korean English teacher in the hallway told me I had nothing to worry about: that a silkworm (silly girl) couldn't bite me. Well, duh. I wasn't going to touch it, I just didn't want it in my food or in my kitchen. Yuck.

Anyhoo, Tom flushed it down the toilet and the crisis was averted. Now, those who know me know I like to buy produce at the discount rack and I love love love making something from nothing. What about the broccoli? I asked the Korean man as well as Tom what they thought about salvaging it. Both agreed wholeheartedly that I could easily wash it off and enjoy it tonight. So (I know...I'm gross), I'm eating it right now :)

Adorable Treasure

I just found a video on my camera that my cousin, Sarah, shot just before I left for Korea. I thought it was her sister, Mia, just babbling on about something-or-other, but I discovered (after putting my ear up close to the speaker on my camera) that she's actually telling a story. So without further ado, because I know you'll enjoy it that much, here's Mia's story:

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess. Her name was...Sarah. And she was very small. She makes her breakfast, she makes her...all business (biscuits?). But she didn't have anyone to play with! She was all alone and she didn't know which way to GO! She even had a mailman and the mailman said, "No, I don't have any mail."

I can't make this stuff up. She even says it like, "Saaaaaaa-rah". Note that the actual Sarah is almost as tall as I am. Please also note her perfect grammar. The kid is three. Thought you might like that :)

Looking Back...Part Two (Note that Part One was too personal to publish)

http://2.bp.blogspot.com

I've been spending some quality time with quadratic functions (the beginnings of calculus) for the last three days and I'm just about at the end of my rope. I went to my surprise party, made cream of mushroom soup, painted a masterpiece, went on two big runs, attempted to play frisbee, went grocery shopping...it's not like my life has just been math for the last three days, but it sure feels that way. Here's a snipit of what I'm talking about...pour the sympathy on anytime:

"determine, through investigation, the transformational relationship among the family of quadratic functions that have the same zeros, and determine the algebraic representation of
a quadratic function, given the real roots of the corresponding quadratic equation and a point on the function" Seriously?

So I've been reminiscing about the past this weekend, because reminders of high school (math) does that to you. I can feel Laura cringing now.

Let's start with the party...I used to have great parties. We had an in-house dj and even though we had our fair share of lovers quarrels, we both still had a good time. There was food, music, friends. It was a really nice way to spend a night. Enough said: this I recall fondly.

Second, it's everyone's birthday back home. Well, they're coming up soon enough. I hate missing things like this. I'm planning great Christmas pressies to make up for my absence, believe me :)

And lastly, these are some of the Damien Rice lyrics for his song, "I Remember". How fitting, being that it's all I seem to be doing this weekend. Back in the still-in-Canada days, when I thought I would come to Korea and spend all my Sunday nights with one person, listening to acoustic guitar renditions of Free Fallin', these words helped to explain why I actually took the plunge and came here.

I remember it well
The first time that I saw
Your head around the door
'Cause mine stopped working
I remember it well
There was wet in your hair
I was stood in the stairs
And time stopped moving
I want you here tonight
I want you here
'Cause I can't believe what I found
I want you here tonight
I want you here
Nothing is taking me down, down, down...

I remember it well
Taxied out of a storm
To watch you perform
And my ships were sailing
I remember it well
I was stood in your line
And your mouth, your mouth, your mouth...
I want you here tonight
I want you here
'Cause I can't believe what I found
I want you here tonight
I want you here
Nothing is taking me down, down, down...
Except you...

Oh well...things change, right? Well, except for math. Those dang quadratic functions are still there, still taunting me. I'm a sucker for punishment though: I'm going back in for more.

Saturdays in Korea

So as we talked about the drama and comedy of last night, we also painted. The apartments look so bland, they needed some pick-me-up. Even though my plant is amazing, she's just not enough. So I painted this and put 'er up right between the two windows in my apartment. You can see it right when you walk in the door. It was awesome trying to get the screws in the wall (yeah, no nails in sight...used screws. I felt like I was DIY'ing on Duke Street again!) using these rusty pliers (wow, I don't think we hear that expression enough). Anyhoo, got it done and it looks fab, if I do say so myself :)
Clearly this math assignment is bringing me enough grief that I am procrastinating like a hero. Argh...back to it. Good night.

My Birthday Party: Part Two

When they heard that I don't celebrate my birthday much, and preferred for this year to just let it go without much of a do, Katie and Carolyn arranged a surprise birthday party. Then I arranged the dinner, so the party became more of a housewarming instead. Nonetheless, there were Asian Happy Birthday balloons there for me (and for Doug)...and enough cheese to stop a train. Twas a good, good time. I love it when, at a party, one ruthless, inappropriate, and ill-timed comment follows another at break-neck speed, until everyone has been numbed by what used to be insults, but have turned into a comedy routine. I mean, it's all in good fun, so we all take these comments well. But when it's a whole night of debauchery like that, the Saturday morning (afternoon?) post-party follow-up is always a hoot. I think Matt, Katie, and I spent a good two hours rehashing the hilarity this afternoon.

Here is an example of what Katie had to offer: pizza, beer (I'm back off the beer again...that was a dark time in my life. Never again), two MOUNDS of cheese (the white one on the back left corner and the orange one on the back right...unreal), chips and salsa, and chocolates she brought from home. The food (and wine) kept coming too: it was a great time.

Katie's school had given her a vat of tiny yellow tomatoes. We took care of those as well. Here's Dan. In THE shirt.

Ah yes, after an errant kiss, the girls were too embarrassed to face the camera. Correction: Katie was too embarrassed to face the camera. Carolyn's ingested wine was not.

Here's a gorgeous picture of me and Tim, one of the Riley twins. De-lish.

I think it's officially over, this birthday celebration. I'm glad they went all out, Korean styles.

Birthday Pressie!

Thanks mummy for sending such wonderful Starbucks goodies. When school's done tomorrow, I'm off to get me a steaming vanilla latte. What a great place to spend a fall afternoon. Plus, nothing gets me jazzed up for a run like a strong cuppa coffee. Nice to know you were thinking of me :) Love you!

P.S. Amazingness...Starbucks now has instant coffee in teeny tiny pouches. Now you can take your Bucks on the go! Thrilling. Of course mom sent one of these little diddies!

Saturday Night Movie...and street food

Oh Korea. Here's a man playing an accordion outside our subway station. I took about five pictures of him...him posing the entire time. How sweet.

Dan and I went out on Saturday night to see District 9. Don't go: save the $12 and buy a bottle of wine instead. It was a strange Nazi-war-crimes-onhumanity-but-on-aliens type of movie (if that is a "type" of movie) and it was entirely creepy. Gave me nightmares. Then again, maybe the nightmares came from this street food. Hmm...not entirely sure.

Nothing conjurs up an appetite like a strange movie. Here's what Anyang has to offer in the way of street food:

Here's Dan, explaining something about something. Or something like that. Still can't believe he's leaving in less than two weeks. He's off to Thailand before going home, so I'm sure Leanne and I will get some pointers (and see some pictures) before The Big Thai.

Okay, here is an example of a fine array of meat on a stick, Korean styles. What is this meat?, you may ask. I have no idea. I know that something resembles chicken, but nothing else really seems to be anything I have ever seen before (or trust). They do serve a lot of spam in Korea (thank god for the tofu in my fridge).

Here's a vat of sauce (as in, "Maria, tell them about the sauce"). After purchasing your meat on a stick, you take the paintbrush that's been dipped all day and night in this bowl, and wipe the sauce all over your meat. There are about ten to choose from. It's great: it is the best part about the stick for sure.

So today we noticed a small sign indicating that an area by the school was known as a "Green Zone" for the next 200 metres. We obviously had to know what that meant: organic food? Vegetarian food? Who knows. JiYoung knew (she's Matt's coworker. She's only allowed to speak English, though she's Korean. She's awesome) Because the area is near the school and plenty of kids eat around there, this tiny area is only allowed to serve, as she called it, "clean food". Hmmm...another quandary. She went on to explain that some food in Korea is known as "dirty food"...meat that doesn't quite meat the grade, that sort of thing. Think, not FDA approved. I'm cringing: it's that gross. Apparently they import some food from China that doesn't meet anyone's standards and sell it dirt cheap to kids, because they're hungry, they're poor, and they'll buy it. After that, I am seriously reconsidering my penchant for Korean chicken (fondly known as, "meat on a stick").

My Birthday in Korea

These are my friends. And I know for certain we are friends because they stood still for about half an hour as various Korean children attempted to snap this photograph until, at long last, I abandoned modelling and took up photography. This was post-dinner, as we dispersed for the evening.

Here's Matt and I in the cab on our way to dinner...(oh, that's my new scarf!)

This is the inside of Nino's in Pyeongchon (near the station and E-Mart, on the second floor of I Park Apartments). Service was slow, bread was piddily, but the pasta, oh, the pasta. It was amazing.

We took up two tables (most of the restaurant)...here's a shot of Erin and Jeffry (in the forefront), John (fondly known as Yonny), Chris (one of the hot twins), and Dan.


And here is the pasta...not mine, but a baked glory nonetheless. Ahh...home for an evening.

It's Happening...

www.saomaitours.com

Alright, Leanne's booked her flight to The Big Thai and because I was having trouble booking online from Korea, I asked her to ask Mark's brother, Chad to look into doing it for me (he's a manager of a Flight Centre). A remarkable few hours later, I got an email back with two options for flights and one was less expensive than the cheapest flight I found on my own! I'm so excited! So I paid the old VISA, sent an email to the both of them, and there we go, I'm in the process of getting booked myself. This has been quite a week! I can't believe we are going to Thailand! When all goes as planned, we arrive in Bangkok on January 7. Yeah!

As we plan our adventure, I'll post more itinerary...I'm so lucky that Leanne's as good as she is at planning travel (no mention of the Davey Crockett Inn, please): we're bound to have a great time :)

To Run or Not to Run

www.sport-annecy.com

...the debate continues. The choice remains difficult

Ready, Set, Thrive

from www.pressdisplay.com

Here's Laura in the Globe and Mail today, Small Business section. It's a great article, it's getting some good attention already, and I'm so proud. Take a look...

http://laurazizzo.com/doc/globe_ad_oct_20.pdf

Looking Back (already?)

I just stumbled upon my first few blogs when I moved here and I'm just amazed at how much has changed. I know it's still really early to say that, since I've only been here about four months, but I go back, read what I wrote, and feel those emotions. I was super scared. I looked outside of my windows and saw nothing but lights in the night sky that didn't appear to belong to anyone. God, am I glad that's over.

It's my birthday and I'm thrilled. This year, there is no disappointment, just joy. Everyone at school was great (My Man made a sarcastic joke today...a great one. I just KNEW he'd get there eventually)...I got a pound cake for breakfasts (from Mrs. Lim) and a Starbucks travel mug (My Man). Who doesn't need one of those? And I just happened to be eyeing them last time I was in there.

I miss my friends and I miss the family dinners...but we're going to an Italian restaurant tonight and I know it's going to be great.

My Friend: the Published One

from http://www.zazzle.com/

Laura's article was published in HazMat Magazine in their Fall 2009 edition. Click on the link here and read away. Great exposure, great article, great job, Laura. I'm very proud of you!

http://digital.hazmatmag.com/xta-asp/pageview2.asp?pc=hm&tpl=base_v2&mv=2009/09/01&edname=September%202009&w=1280&h=778&redir=yes&sp=

I'm singing a song and thinking about you...

"I'm coming up. I want the world to know, got to let it show."

The Sweetest (Canadian) Thing

This is perhaps the cutest thing I have seen in a long while and I thought you all needed to see it. This is my mom and her husband, Doug, and their Wilson Dog. I think the best part is the hats, for sure. You have got to love the hats.
I love you guys! Thanks for thinking of me :)

http://sharing.theflip.com/greeting/6795502/sid/536f56b82795b91845f0282f48c2cfa1

Matt brought over croissants and a cheesy bagel from Paris Baguette. The day is shaping up quite nicely. And I wore my new scarf today...looking fresh to death ;)

Pure Heart of Life

I'm a huge (new) fan of William Ho. As I've mentioned in past posts, he's from Toronto and though I'm not much for Asian art, this stuff is amazing. Here's Pure Heart of Life (Lotus), in celebration of this great day. (By the way, thanks for calling last night, mom, and this morning, dad. It was so nice to see the grandparents again! I'll talk to you again on your Saturday night.)

I treated myself to a Hot Yoga class at the CGV, about three blocks from my house. It was amazing. The room was heated to 36 degrees, but the floor was heated too (God, I heart Korea today), so when I was lying on the ground, my whole body was being warmed in all ways. It was awesome. I didn't cough once in 70 minutes. So, acknowledging that the cold really does make the coughing worse (as it dropped to a really cold temperature this afternoon), I stopped at 2001 Outlet and bought a cute scarf. The lady at the store was super nice, told me which one looked best, and tied it around my neck for me. Yup, loving Korea today. Diana Krall is playing on my new speakers and I'm off to read some Joy of X: then I'm off to bed.

Good night, year ;)

I can't believe I forgot to post this until now. Author writes about 1000 awesome things in detail. It's so good and wholesome. And everything really is awesome. For instance, #1000 is "really old Tupperware". It IS awesome. Check 'er out:

http://1000awesomethings.com/

New Sound

http://www.bearseatpeople.com/

Ryan Gosling (yeah, Southwestern Ontario) has a new band called Dead Man's Bones. I'm reminded of Ray Lamontagne, the Felice Brothers, and Jim Calexico all at the same time. They're blues-y and very Old South (think Savannah...dream of Savannah if you will)...and I'm loving it. the gossip sites are going nuts for him, especially of his use of the LA Inner City Mass Choir. And we all know (or you will now) how I feel about a choir: I heart a choir.

Here's a sampler (trust me, hear it out: it's worth it)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEvF7qUf2Pc&feature=related

oh, and in case you've never seen this little ditty, give this a gander too (from "I'm Not There" [the story of Bob Dylan]):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnVVKANqP3s&feature=related

My School

Though it's not the best picture of the school, you can get an idea of what I see on my walk to work everyday. My high school is the brown and white building on the left. A new school is being built to the left. You can't fully appreciate the size of the hill....next time it rains, I'll snap a shot of us walking up with the kids. It's astounding.

This is the view from the restroom on the fifth floor. You can see the rest of the high school (brown) and the new construction that will, from what I can assertain, the new high school.

As you walk up the ten thousand flights of stairs from the first floor entrance to the first grade teacher's prep/lounge room, this student-created art decorates the stairwell. It's quite impressive, especially since the walls are relatively barren.

View from outside my office. To the far left, a water fountain, adorned with a picture of many roaming sheep. To the right of that, the student bathroom (few toilets, many squatters), and classrooms to the right and left of the hallway. It's a small school, shaped like a rectangle. This is primarily the first grade school (there are three buildings all together). Oh, and "first grade" means "ninth grade".

Maybe you won't find this that funny, but I find it HILARIOUS. Everyday that I see it, I chuckle. These are sign boards that the students create for advertising/internet class. The beaver (hahaha) on the left is wearing a shirt that says, "Green Beaver". Like, does it get any better than that? No.

The third floor opens up to the courtyard that links this building to the second grade building (to the left) and to the middle school (up the stairs) where Matt teaches, and to the pathway that leads to the third grade building. Okay, maybe it's not such a small school, but my little part is.

This is looking out on the same view, just up one floor. Again, the 2nd grade school to the left, middle school straight ahead. The courtyard is quite a lovely getaway. There are benches under shade trees...it's cute. They even have a portable where a man sells food...like a candy shoppe, but with bread and chocolate milk. It's wicked awesome.

Ah yes, and this is the view from my office. My apartment is out there somewhere and Suri Mountain is in the background. Pretty nice view, if I do say so myself.