Awesome Workspace

Thanks again to the Bedlam of Beefy for splaying this image on your blog. I love it. In fact, the instant I saw it, I was reminded of the book Laura lent me, Alienist. She and I agree that we have to find a place just like the workspace described in Manhatten, circa...um, the 1800's, early 1900's? I can't remember. Here is the manifestation of what I thought it would look like...

Photographer is Douglas Friedman and his work can be seen here. He's remarkable.

In the spirit of wanting to try things I've read about, I think we'll head to Delmonico's when we're in NYC. Talk about tantalizing steak dinners!

What ARE you doing?

You may question what I'm doing with ALL this time off. Sometimes I wonder where nearly a week has gone myself. However, I find the day is FULL most of the time. From going to physio for three hours in the morning and an hour in the afternoon, to making a good lunch to doing my laundry and organizing my summer schedule, I stay quite busy. Yeah yeah...I'm a slacker. I know. But today I ventured out to the Pension Refund Office. I was there about ten seconds, filled out a teeny bit of paper work, and was sent on my way. So simple. Sometimes I'm amazed at the efficiency of these governmental offices in Korea. Being that the consulate made the visa process nearly painful, it's hard to believe that once one comes to Korea, the systems are simplistic and FAST. I think that's the hardest thing to accept: you are in and out of these places in less than a half an hour. Ever been to the OHIP office without an appointment? Ha!


Anyway, aside from mailing home my winter clothes (not yet completed only because I fear carrying all that stuff to the post office and throwing my back out further), I have everything ready to go for my departure. Amazing how quickly a year has gone by and how unremarkable my leaving this country really is. We are all important to someone, to a group of someones if we are lucky, but really, we're just a blip.

This experience (the move to Korea, not the injury) has solidified a few things for me:

First, I like responsibility. For my career, my well being, paying my mortgage, visiting my grandparents and knowing that once I'm there I'll have to make about 8 phone calls on their behalf, for nurturing my friendships. I miss all that stuff...a lot. I thought, when I first arrived, that a life without responsibility for a year would be GREAT. And, for the most part, it HAS been. But I'm ready now to move on to a place where I actually have to think about...well, everything (or at least important things).

Second, I will never, EVER take the beauty, cleanliness, freedom, and liberalism of my country for granted again. It's the best place on earth.

Third, a year is really not that long.

Forth, reading a book every two weeks shouldn't be an accomplishment: it should be an enjoyable past time for an educated mind.

Fifth, simple food is best. I have been without the things I love most: good wine, cheese, baked goods. Though it is POSSIBLE to have them here, they are expensive and far away. A good grocer is going to be my best friend this summer. However, I have subsisted on foods I know and trust: food that nurtures me and keeps me feeling good. They sell them in every country in the world (correction: most countries. I'm reading a book about an exile from Sudan...I don't think they sell tofu and broccoli there)...finding food that makes you feel good is easier than it at first seemed.

Sixth, one can get by in the kitchen with one wooden spatula, one pasta scooper, two knives (one big, one little), one spoon, a set of chopsticks, two mugs, and two bowls, Even WITH company, as long as this same person has three wine bottle openers. One has to keep one's priorities straight.

Seventh, winters in Korea are brutal. Summers in Korea are equally toxic. If I had to choose one, it would be one of the hardest decisions I'd ever had to make...all kidding aside. Again, I love you, Canada.

Lastly, health comes first. You have to put your own oxygen mask on first or else you'll pass out before you can help those around you. It's paramount, then, to ensure mental and physical stability in order to not be a total leech on society.

Enjoy your day!

May Vogue 2010

Apparently May 2010's Vogue features our beloved Sarah Jessica Parker. And since the girls in Korea and I are having a rooftop soiree with bevvies to commemorate the movie debut here before heading out to see it, I thought it appropriate to show you a few shots I found just fabulous.

images courtesy of ecstasy-lover.livejournal.com

Affirmations

The Bedlam of Beefy is one of my oft-read, not-widely-enough-praised blogs that I will mention today. He's not only brought my attention to Kevyn Aucoin, but also dots his memoir with just gorgeous photographs, usually taken himself.

Since hurting myself and talking to the Mother Hen about what I need to do to get better, I'm on the hunt to find positive affirmations that will help me heal faster. I like Aucoin's notion that you can't let anyone else have a more important opinion of yourself than you. What's that quote?...

"What everybody else thinks of you
is none of your business."

I like that. Let's adopt that one as I venture into 23 days left in Korea and a whole summer of living ahead of me.

Kevyn Aucoin was the first makeup artist to design and launch makeup for women of ethnicity. Up until the 80's, makeup was only made for white people...black and Asian people just had to make it work, Tim Gunn styles. After doing the makeup for all Vogue covers for two years in the late 80's, he charged upwards of $6000 per session. Nice. He also wrote Face Forward and Making Faces,

image thanks to and books available here

virtual bibles for many tweens figuring out how to wear make up for the first time. Sadly, he died in 2002.

Here are some words of wisdom from a guy who felt very little in the way of support as a kid. He believed in himself...something we all need to be reminded to do every now and again.

Have a great day.

Teaser

I know some of you aren't Glee fans (why we have anything in common then, is beyond me), but for those of you who can't get enough, here's a teaser from the season finale.

Enjoy your day!!

Updates

image courtesy of wordboner.com

I think we are in need of an update. Since my father doesn't even know what I'm doing come September, I figure we need to post a wee status update. Can I use the word, "update" anymore? ;)

Alright, let's start with my getting out of here. There is question at this point about whether or not I should take medical leave for the 11 days of instructional time I have after utilizing all my sick days. After some careful research about what actually happened to me, and after talking to my own orthopedic surgeon friend back home, I have reason to think that this Korean doc isn't taking this serious enough. And since I'm such a youngster, it would behoove me to reconcile my health issues promptly to avoid the risk of re-injury. I'll see how I feel at the end of this (excruciatingly boring bed-rest-ridden) week.

The Mother Hen says running is out for life. I say, "not on your life." But that issue can be dealt with later.

My flight is officially booked for July 1. I will be home at 9 pm on Canada Day. How fitting. Actually, I leave at 9 pm on the first from Korea, and I arrive at almost exactly the same time 13 hours later. Freaky right? It's like I'm crossing the street instead of flying 10,000 kilometres home. Love that.

Picture of an actual Korean Air plane, courtesy of techtreak.com

I have a thousand and five plans for the summer. This will be one for the books, certainly. We are headed to several cottages, one road trip (NYC, baby!), and there will obviously be many a party for the bride-to-be, Leanne.

I'm sorry...it's just too cute.

And since I'm on a VERY reduced diet (since my physical activity has been reduced to walking to the ladies room), there will be a lot of eating. And may I say there are a lot of foods I've been without for the last year. It's time to revitalize my tastebuds!

image courtesy of Ryan Szulc for Toronto Life Magazine

I've made an extensive list of all the things I want to do while I'm home. Here are just a few...

• eat dinner at Terroni
• tour the CN tower (because it never gets old)

image courtesy of Leanne Pieroni and Mark Jackson

• eat far too much gnocchi at Nonna's
  
• see the Canadian side of Niagara Falls
• lake swimming and dock tanning here...

thanks again, Leanne!

• eat dinner at Frank's Kitchen (see reviews from Coco and Lowe and The Best Life Ever). Let's face it...I'll go for dinner anywhere. Bring it. Oh, I haven't forgotten the Lynn Crawfords' prix fixe at Ruby Watchco, either (review from Toronto Life Magazine).
  
• sit poolside for countless days (this might not seem that luxurious, but after a year in Asia, believe me, it's heaven)
• get my hands dirty in a garden (hopefully it's yours, Joelle!)
• visit as many relatives as I possibly can
• cook. Cook cook cook cook cook. And bake. I can't wait to get back into a full-sized kitchen!
  

After spending a languid, yet simultaneously exhilarating 2 months at home, I'm bound for England. I'm interviewing this week (the schools were on vacay last week...I hope this speaks for my endless weeks of vacation once I move there!) for two schools in London. I would be their high school math teacher. I will only go abroad now if I can teach any of my three subject areas: math, science, or biology. The advantage to being able to teach in England is they are giving me my own classroom in which to teach mathematics: a subject I have never taught before. I have the accreditation, but no experience. What a thrill to be able to put this opportunity of formal teaching on the old resume! I'm pumped!

And finally, I will tour Europe. I won't backpack and I won't stay in hostels unless I absolutely need to. I will see what there is to see in any of the countries that pique my interest during my tenure in the UK. It will be a thrill. I, of course, want to head back to Italy and France (who knows...they might just approve my application for citizenship so I can teach in the EU...miracles have been known to happen!), but I also want to see Austria, Switzerland, and Spain. If my grandfather has his wish, my cousins will join me at some point and we will tour together. Awesome!

So that's what's new in my life. I'm feeling remarkably better after only three days of therapy, but I'm taking this injury as serious as I should. I'm off this week (much to the chagrin of the school), and I intend to do as much reading an relaxing as I can.

I might need a holiday before my holiday, the way this summer is shaping up :)

How was your weekend?

Gross

OH MY GOD.

Since I was a child, I have tended to, and continue to, make a bigger deal about things that don't matter and a teeny tiny deal about things that do matter. Since I'm asthmatic, anything related to breathing, lungs, bronchi, or even coughing is cause for alarm. It was ingrained in me early and stays with me still. The moment I get a tickle in my throat, I constantly think I've got pneumonia or, at the very least, bronchitis.

On the contrary, when I am afflicted with any other physical ailment, I think practically nothing of it. Hence the putting off of the searing hip pain for nearly 6 weeks.

After calling in sick today and turning down an offer to go to Gangnam for Mexican (it must be really bad if I turn down Mexican food), I decided to saunter on down to the orthopeadic clinic on the second floor of my building. I literally sauntered. Why hurry, right? There's nothing wrong...I'm just checking things out. After a brief meeting with the doctor who turned out to also be Matt's neighbour, I was told I needed some x-rays to rule out any bone injury.

The man who had been coughing without covering his mouth the entire time I sat in the waiting room, eying him, disgusted, was my x-ray tech. Charming.

You've waited long enough...I have two herniated discs: L4 and 5. From what the doctor told me, the intervertebral discs have slipped back towards my spine, decreasing the distance between the discs down in the lumbar region, where they are usually spaced rather far apart. The good news (because there is any?!): there is no decreased sensitivity, so I haven't injured a nerve at this point. Had I left it, say, 7 weeks instead of a measly 6, I might have hurt myself more.

The treatment? Well, for starters, the doc wanted me in traction 24 hours a day for four weeks. Come again? Sensing that I thought that was a tad unrealistic, he changed his tune: I'd come for physio every day for four weeks, and sit in the traction machine for at least 30 minutes each day. Right. Though this is much better, are you SH*TTING me?

Note: they have to pull my spine apart slightly, more or less, so that the disc slips back to where it's supposed to be. It's compressed now and it needs to be stretched out...not that scary, right?

He also prescribed some pain meds that would render me useless at work, leading to my diminished capacity so much so that I'd need to utilize all the 8 sick days I have left. Silver lining, friends.

Here I am after hearing the shocking news..."Alexis, you've herniated a disc. No...two discs."

"You should be in traction all day, everyday, for 28 days."

And here is what I did for two hours today: read Matt's book about America and attempted to explain via text what a herniated disc was to Black Dress.

This is the traction machine. Looks like an ancient Asian torture device, non? Two bands wrap around the body with belts: one around my chest down to my stomach, and the other around my lower back. The belts are then attached to bars, which are pulled in opposite directions, lengthening my spine. This happens in short intervals of stretching then relaxing.

It wasn't supposed to hurt: it did. It felt like a strong, dull ache all down my back...not at all pleasant. But it didn't feel nearly as brutal as I thought it would. This goes on for what feels like an eternity, but is only really about 30 minutes.

(and no, this woman was not aware that I was taking her picture.
No, I feel no remorse.)

The rolling massage nook is next. The sound of birds chirping is coupled with the sound of a babbling brook up near my head. Huge rollers go up and down my back, massaging the whole way. It was pretty wicked. Oh, I guess I should clarify: it was wicked in a good way, since everything else in this torture dungeon was wicked in an entirely other way.

And last but certainly not least: air compression therapy. These little suckers blow up like blood pressure cuffs around my legs, moving up and down from the foot to the thigh. Not at all pleasant, but, admittedly, not entirely unpleasant either.

So as it turns out, this is what I'll be doing for my remaining time in Korea. How did this happen, you ask? Probably running. Probably we have no idea. The long and the short of it is this: I can do anything I want if there is no pain.

"Since", the doc laughed, "there is constant pain, I guess you can't do anything."

Wow.

Dexter is going to get old real fast.

Election Day in Koooorea

Tuesday was election day in Korea. They voted for individuals at various levels of government and we all got the day off. Pretty, pretty awesome. Beautiful girl called me up and informed me that she'd found The Foot Shop, a massage place in Beomgye that specializes in feet, but also has a sports massage: exactly what I'd been looking for.

As soon as we met in the afternoon, she mentioned we had to pick up a discount card from her dentist friend. It meant the price was to be reduced by about $10 from a measly $40 (for a one-hour rub down! I love this place sometimes). While we were there, she asked, did I want him to give me a complimentary check up? Strange as this would have seemed to me eleven months ago, I have grown to accept that Koreans just give what they have. It's one of the cultural attributes I will genuinely miss about Asia.

To make a long story short, the dentist not only examined me, but took a picture (not an x-ray...is this new Asian technology?), and filled the cavity on the side of my tooth that had been causing me some sensitivity. For free. Naturally, he told me that a service like this costs about $70, probably because he wanted me to know the value of what he was giving away. The best part?

"If you have any other pain or problems, or just want a teeth cleaning before you go home, please come by whenever you want."

Nice-uh.

Next, we wandered over to the massage parlour where we were led into a room containing three beds. Strange-uh. Unfortunately, a sports massage in Korea (as opposed to an aromatherapy one) has the client fully dressed in Korean style pajamas the whole time. The rug burn all over my back hurt almost as much as when he annailiated my disgustingly sore leg.

Nevertheless, when all was said and done, my leg felt much better. I could walk straight again.

Out in the main waiting area of this teeny place, there was a bench located atop a platform. Sitting on the bench, we plunged our feet into the little pools made pretty much for soaking one's feet before a foot massage. It was pretty nice. There were doctor fish there too...these little minnow-shaped guys who nibble at the dead skin on our feet. Well, on HER feet. I'm not a huge fan of fish (as you may recall from my nightmarish snorkeling incident in Thailand), so I didn't partake in the plunge.

Don't you adore the leopard print on the wall behind me?

I adore, even more, the fine specimen of a man my massage therapist was. When he walked in the room, both Beautiful Girl and I were giggling like school girls. Too bad he hurt me so. Within one hour, I had offered him a marriage proposal and then totally renounced our relationship. It was pretty painful. But my, what a nice looking fella, non? If you like that arms-the-size-of-thighs sort of thing.

To top it all off, Beautiful Girl paid for the whole thing. It was a pretty good day :)

Oh, today I had to call in sick because I couldn't walk.
Time to see a real doctor.

I get this feeling...

When I see a rooftop garden like this, I get this feeling inside my gut that one day I'll have a place just like it. I think it's going on the vision board...that way it will eventually be mine.

Check out more outdoor spaces at Apartment Therapy.

Sooo nice.

Ducks...they're all OVER this place!

Beautiful Girl brought me a duck egg yesterday, hard boiled, like a regular egg. It was strange mainly because it was gigantic and because it was blue. I was hesitant...felt really bad about eating this little guy. Well, I guess it was never a little guy, but it was weird and slightly immoral? Yes, that's right. Let me tell you, it was delicious. A little thicker than a normal egg, if that makes sense, and just really good.

I guess I told her how much I liked it because she brought me another one today.

Yet another thing I'll miss? Duck eggs? That's just bizarre.