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| Traditional Korean Performance at Folk Village |
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| Kids playing on a see-saw |
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| Seoul Tower in the distance |
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| Taking pictures with fun Korean Hanbok board-people |
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Korean Folk Village (few pics)
Monday, February 7, 2011
Lunar New Year: Holiday!!!!!!!!
After 2 easy days of classes and the conclusion of my Winter Intensive course - Lunar New Year VACATION DAYS commenced. And holyshit did they take off on the right foot.
Tuesday Night: Got off work, went to Korean BBQ with the coworkers, and decided that this time... we'd get the soju with our meat. Vasuda can be thanked for that one. Dinner gets us tipsy and ready for some more-- so we tried a new place called Diva... where it seemed like a grand idea to pour 2 extra bottles of soju into our soju juice kettle. Slang-ed it up afterwards and continued with tequila. By the time we said goodbye to our friends heading to Hong Kong, it was 4am and we were saucy.
Wednesday: HUNG. OVER. woke up at 4:15pm, got ready, did it all again. But this time, Karen and I headed into Seoul for some fabulous American Chinese food at Ho Lee Chow. Delish.
Went to The Bungalow and hung out in the cute sandy room of the bar with swings and, well, bungalows I guess.
THEN I almost went home on the subway before it closed at midnight. Key word is almost. This was too unlike me, so as per usual, I stayed out all night with Becca and had another 6am bedtime. We had many fun discussions about sorority and fraternity life.
Thursday: Woke up at an awesome, acceptable hour. Made bacon and eggs with Becca-- delish.
Texted some peeps and Vasuda was of course doing something fun and touristy in Seoul- so I proceed to meet her at the Folk Village, last night's outfit and makeup and all! It was great, it was nice out, we went impulse shopping afterwards, and I felt like an accomplished human being.
.....that is until the decision that it was time for Ladies Night surfaced. Got home from spending money, got in the shower, and headed right back out to the subway. I swear it was like college all over again: out, recover, out, recover, maaaaybe go out, get ready, go out...
Ladies night in Itaewon ruled though. Free drinks for those with boobies and ginas yay!
Friday: So get this--- Karen meets a basketball player and he hooked us up with free tix to an SK Knights vs. KT Sonic Boom game. Come Friday, it was quite possible that I'd keel over, but who passes up sports events when you have free tickets?! Right, no one does. So Karen and I prance along to the subway yet AGAIN, this time during daylight. The game was all-around awesome fun. And they won, so that is a plus. I'll put up videos later!
Friday night was time to rest. But I think there was some 'going out' in there... can't remember.
Saturday: Back at it with a house party in Itaewon, followed by Dragon Hill Lodge Spa! <--This is an amazing Jimjilbang, which is basically a huge spa of hot baths, cold baths, body scrubs, a variety of massages, sauna rooms of all different temperatures and scents, infrared rooms, spa treatments, beauty treatments, food, health services, etc. etc. etc.!!! Basically it was loads of awesome, and I fully intend on returning for another body scrub and oil massage. Might even get a pedicure and eyebrow wax next time. Oh, and did I mention you're completely naked??
Tuesday Night: Got off work, went to Korean BBQ with the coworkers, and decided that this time... we'd get the soju with our meat. Vasuda can be thanked for that one. Dinner gets us tipsy and ready for some more-- so we tried a new place called Diva... where it seemed like a grand idea to pour 2 extra bottles of soju into our soju juice kettle. Slang-ed it up afterwards and continued with tequila. By the time we said goodbye to our friends heading to Hong Kong, it was 4am and we were saucy.
Wednesday: HUNG. OVER. woke up at 4:15pm, got ready, did it all again. But this time, Karen and I headed into Seoul for some fabulous American Chinese food at Ho Lee Chow. Delish.
Went to The Bungalow and hung out in the cute sandy room of the bar with swings and, well, bungalows I guess.
THEN I almost went home on the subway before it closed at midnight. Key word is almost. This was too unlike me, so as per usual, I stayed out all night with Becca and had another 6am bedtime. We had many fun discussions about sorority and fraternity life.
Thursday: Woke up at an awesome, acceptable hour. Made bacon and eggs with Becca-- delish.
Texted some peeps and Vasuda was of course doing something fun and touristy in Seoul- so I proceed to meet her at the Folk Village, last night's outfit and makeup and all! It was great, it was nice out, we went impulse shopping afterwards, and I felt like an accomplished human being.
.....that is until the decision that it was time for Ladies Night surfaced. Got home from spending money, got in the shower, and headed right back out to the subway. I swear it was like college all over again: out, recover, out, recover, maaaaybe go out, get ready, go out...
Ladies night in Itaewon ruled though. Free drinks for those with boobies and ginas yay!
Friday: So get this--- Karen meets a basketball player and he hooked us up with free tix to an SK Knights vs. KT Sonic Boom game. Come Friday, it was quite possible that I'd keel over, but who passes up sports events when you have free tickets?! Right, no one does. So Karen and I prance along to the subway yet AGAIN, this time during daylight. The game was all-around awesome fun. And they won, so that is a plus. I'll put up videos later!
Friday night was time to rest. But I think there was some 'going out' in there... can't remember.
Saturday: Back at it with a house party in Itaewon, followed by Dragon Hill Lodge Spa! <--This is an amazing Jimjilbang, which is basically a huge spa of hot baths, cold baths, body scrubs, a variety of massages, sauna rooms of all different temperatures and scents, infrared rooms, spa treatments, beauty treatments, food, health services, etc. etc. etc.!!! Basically it was loads of awesome, and I fully intend on returning for another body scrub and oil massage. Might even get a pedicure and eyebrow wax next time. Oh, and did I mention you're completely naked??
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
FLIP CAM FLIP CAM FLIP CAM ULLLTTTTRRRAAAAA
Just got my Flip Cam in the mail last week (^ this is the first video it uploaded to my comp. so pumped about the quality!) and have already started capturing some great classroom moments, after-work moments, and clubbing moments. Now it's just a matter of getting my MacBook to function properly when uploading the damn things. I have no idea if this thing is just acting up because it's old... like 2006 old... or if I have done something to it. If you have any advice, please let me know.
Here's a list of Sad Mac problems I have. I just got a brand new hard drive installed in August before I left for Korea.
- Extremely slow "thinking"... I hate the spinning rainbow dial, but literally every time I click a different window or switch spaces, it has to THINK SO HARD.
- Shut down the computer properly... although not every night. Usually let it go to sleep.
- Having many troubles with iPhoto. My pictures disappear... my iPhone photo uploads freeze in the middle of the import... even when I click "Don't Import" for duplicate pictures, it still imports them... just so many issues!!!!!!!
- I don't have SimpleText in my applications for some reason. Not ideal for what I'm trying to do with my website ideas.
- Etc. etc. etc. It's slow. And I just want it to perform better.
I feel like my only option is to buy a new Mac. Ya?
Monday, January 3, 2011
Silly freakin Rabbit
Don't know when or where or how 2011 crept up and pinched me in the ass, but it did, and now I want to reminisce about the things I did in 2010.
1. Moved for the 3rd time of my senior year, to Lofts -->great decision
2. Road-tripped to PCB (Panama City Beach) -->great decision
3. Decided I should work overseas -->another great decision
4. Got a job overseas -->"Hell Yeah!" moment of life
5. Graduated -->meh.. 4 years, not enough.
6. Worked in Chicago for a hot minute -->fun while it lasted
7. Had a crazyawesomefabulous summer -->I miss.
8. Threw a joint Grad/Going away party with the sis -->it ruled.
9. Moved to South Korea -->it rules.
10. Worked, played, snowboarded, started learning Korean, partied
til the sun was up, met amazing people, made amazing new friends,
and loved every second of living abroad again. -->to be continued in 2011...
(^.^)
1. Moved for the 3rd time of my senior year, to Lofts -->great decision
2. Road-tripped to PCB (Panama City Beach) -->great decision
3. Decided I should work overseas -->another great decision
4. Got a job overseas -->"Hell Yeah!" moment of life
5. Graduated -->meh.. 4 years, not enough.
6. Worked in Chicago for a hot minute -->fun while it lasted
7. Had a crazyawesomefabulous summer -->I miss.
8. Threw a joint Grad/Going away party with the sis -->it ruled.
9. Moved to South Korea -->it rules.
10. Worked, played, snowboarded, started learning Korean, partied
til the sun was up, met amazing people, made amazing new friends,
and loved every second of living abroad again. -->to be continued in 2011...
(^.^)
Sunday, December 26, 2010
My First Christmas
... Away From Home.
It was pretty surreal to think that the only time I'd be seeing my family for a year was on Skype or video chat. My birthday and the holidays amplified that feeling about ten times over, and for a few days here, I was homesick (for REAL REAL). Extra emo after a few glasses of vino --- I maaaay or may not have cried a little bit after a wonderful Skype sesh with my family on Xmas Eve. But anywho.
Christmas Eve I worked my usual 4-7pm class and then subbed for a 7-10pm class. No, Chungdahm does not give many holidays off. Then, it was Phil's bday (my coworker) and since he kinda rules we ended up having a long, fun night (regardless of the fact that I "was definitely going to bed early since I have to Skype the fam at 8am".... yeah, right.)
Got home at 6am, Skyped the family. Slept for 4 hours.
Christmas morning was epic. (Minus the part where I woke up a tad hungover and still had to get some last minute gifts. Happens every year I SWEAR. This meant going outside, and damn it is cold here. "But you're from Chicago, Syd" people say. I'm tellin you, it is different here. The temperatures are comparable, but it's unbelievably dry here, to the point where each inhale into your nostrils could possibly induce a hardcore nosebleed.) We got together down the hall at Alex, Bryan, and Kyle's apt. Tons of Christmas music + Pancakes with strawberries, blueberries, and chocolate chips commenced. Jelly Bellys and Croissants with Nutella, too. It was delicious and exactly what I wanted Xmas morning to be. I was so pumped for gifts, but I tried to hide it, since we're not exactly 5 anymore.
The presents!
It was pretty surreal to think that the only time I'd be seeing my family for a year was on Skype or video chat. My birthday and the holidays amplified that feeling about ten times over, and for a few days here, I was homesick (for REAL REAL). Extra emo after a few glasses of vino --- I maaaay or may not have cried a little bit after a wonderful Skype sesh with my family on Xmas Eve. But anywho.
Christmas Eve I worked my usual 4-7pm class and then subbed for a 7-10pm class. No, Chungdahm does not give many holidays off. Then, it was Phil's bday (my coworker) and since he kinda rules we ended up having a long, fun night (regardless of the fact that I "was definitely going to bed early since I have to Skype the fam at 8am".... yeah, right.)
Got home at 6am, Skyped the family. Slept for 4 hours.
Christmas morning was epic. (Minus the part where I woke up a tad hungover and still had to get some last minute gifts. Happens every year I SWEAR. This meant going outside, and damn it is cold here. "But you're from Chicago, Syd" people say. I'm tellin you, it is different here. The temperatures are comparable, but it's unbelievably dry here, to the point where each inhale into your nostrils could possibly induce a hardcore nosebleed.) We got together down the hall at Alex, Bryan, and Kyle's apt. Tons of Christmas music + Pancakes with strawberries, blueberries, and chocolate chips commenced. Jelly Bellys and Croissants with Nutella, too. It was delicious and exactly what I wanted Xmas morning to be. I was so pumped for gifts, but I tried to hide it, since we're not exactly 5 anymore.
The presents! |
| My presents from Nahyun. How cute right! |
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| You might ask "Why the hell did you get your friend industrial sized Skippy?" Bryan. Loves. Peanut Butter. |
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| The Koreans never had Reese's cups. |
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| Kyle was happy about his Bread varieties too. Those boys are easy to please. |
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| Ski Socks, Snowboarding gloves.. and they got a Snuggie for their favorite neighbor. So great. |
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| My makeshift family |
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| Danny in his new hat |
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| Meat, Meat, more Meat. Coffee + Sugar |
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| Shiesty pic... but do you see that bucket? It's a bigass Tequila Sunrise. |
Following Christmas morning, I got ready for dinner at Mercado. This place is one of the best Brazilian steakhouses I've ever been to, and with about 25 coworkers it was the beginning of a great night. The sangria alone made me too happy, but the prospect of going out in Seoul with everyone afterwards was icing on the cake. Or the star on top of the tree, whichever.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Christmas is coming!
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| Cookies, Candy, Christmas Tree, and Wine (The makings of a great pregame) |
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| Danny, Latoya, and Kenny enjoying some Xmas cheer |
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| Tree decorating time! |
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| I love hosting, good company is all I need! |
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| My cute little tree. The lights don't work, though.. wah wah. |
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| Alex, Kyle, and Holly |
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
4 MONTHS
Welp, today hit the 4 month mark. One of my friends told me it seems like I got here way before August 21st. Perhaps that's because we spend sooo much freaking time together.. from work, to 4am bar nights after work, to the gym, to dinner... this is college: glorified.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Snowboarding in SoKo
It's early in the Korean skiing season, but my company planned a little 1-day ski trip to get it started. It was ONLY 45,000Won (~$45) for a lift ticket and rentals.... I had no choice but to get back on a board and try it out again, even if the last time I snowboarded was winter '08 ---> when I was on my ass the whole way down the slopes and crying.
Vivaldi Park rents out legit equipment, and I was pleased with the "children's" board and bindings they gave me. The boots were comfortable, too, and this time around my genius friend Alex taught me that wearing only 1 pair of socks keeps your feet much toastier. He was right. Changed my entire experience.
Aside from having no gear (Illini Dance Team sweats and 2 pairs of leggings + 2 long sleeves and a North Face fleece + my NF puffy vest + nice gloves and a beanie/ear muffs .... that was about it) I stayed extremely warm and hardly got wet from the fake snow. This warmth and dryness ALSO meant that I was actually RIDING down the mountain - - - not just falling down it. Yes yes yes, I think I finally broke the learning curve this 5th time around, and was actually able to carve the snow and pretend I knew what I was doing alongside the Azians.
Video of my mad skillzzzz on Facebook
Vivaldi Park rents out legit equipment, and I was pleased with the "children's" board and bindings they gave me. The boots were comfortable, too, and this time around my genius friend Alex taught me that wearing only 1 pair of socks keeps your feet much toastier. He was right. Changed my entire experience.
Aside from having no gear (Illini Dance Team sweats and 2 pairs of leggings + 2 long sleeves and a North Face fleece + my NF puffy vest + nice gloves and a beanie/ear muffs .... that was about it) I stayed extremely warm and hardly got wet from the fake snow. This warmth and dryness ALSO meant that I was actually RIDING down the mountain - - - not just falling down it. Yes yes yes, I think I finally broke the learning curve this 5th time around, and was actually able to carve the snow and pretend I knew what I was doing alongside the Azians.
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| One of the last runs of the day. The sweatpants lasted! Success. |
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
First Thanksgiving in Korea.... plus 4 days of Birthday
When my Birthday and Turkey Day rolled around, I started to miss home. For once.
(Kidding. But not really.)
So the branch emailed us the inevitable "Hey the company is taking away our annual Turkey lunch because of budget cuts, yada yada"
BUT we could pay 12,000WON to have turkey and all the fixins delivered to the school on Thanksgiving. Of course I was in! .... just didn't know how good it would really be.
Can't forget all of the wonderful, adorable and thoughtful gifts from my students and friends-- everything was so unexpected and I could not have possibly felt more loved! Seriously, in 3 months, I didn't think it was possible to build such great friendships. I almost cried like 5 times and probably thanked everyone about a hundred... it was a fabulous birthday to say the least. :) :) :)
(Kidding. But not really.)
So the branch emailed us the inevitable "Hey the company is taking away our annual Turkey lunch because of budget cuts, yada yada"
BUT we could pay 12,000WON to have turkey and all the fixins delivered to the school on Thanksgiving. Of course I was in! .... just didn't know how good it would really be.
....it was deece. This Turkey was delivered to us with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, cranberry stuff, and pumpkin pie... NOT BAAADDDD. (the pictures don't do it justice..whatsoever..I almost didn't post these cause it looks so booty)
The REAL DEAL was that following Saturday, when a few friends and I gathered in Alex, Kyle, and Bryan's room for dinner. It was a potluck of sorts - Alex made a risotto, Jieun and Justin brought guacamole/chips & kimbap, Danny made pasta with an amazing veggie sauce, I whipped up the garlic mashed potatoes, Bryan built a huge salad, and Nahyun made little sandwiches and some Korean rice-filled things (yubu cho bap). The rest was from Costco- rotisserie chickens, apple pie, pumpkin pie, baguette bread, sparkling cider, and wine. EVERYTHING WAS DELECTABLE. Honestly, everyone brought amazing dishes, and we were all so impressed with each other's cooking. Insane food coma ensued, but not until more birthday cake was eaten - this time Hello Kitty cake!! (From Jieun, such a sweetheart. And Nahyun got an amazing blueberry bday cake from Bryan)
Can't forget all of the wonderful, adorable and thoughtful gifts from my students and friends-- everything was so unexpected and I could not have possibly felt more loved! Seriously, in 3 months, I didn't think it was possible to build such great friendships. I almost cried like 5 times and probably thanked everyone about a hundred... it was a fabulous birthday to say the least. :) :) :)
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
November 24th, 2010
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Shit, I'm 23?
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Shit, I'm 23?
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