Hellooooo~~
Been a long time huh?! Don't even know if anyone is following this blog anymore! :P
Anyway, a lot of updates for you:
- Wedding in less than 2 months!!! OH MY! YAY!! ^_^ I am so stressed right now, but I start break after this coming week and that means I'll have more time to get some organization and planning done!
Major blessing coming next week too!! I applied to take part in the 301 money (we have to do a few "extra" things...that honestly help with my teaching so I don't mind doing them!) and we get half of it before the holidays!! Which means I get some extra income for the wedding!!! :D This makes me so happy and a lot less worried about things. We should probably put it towards the Disneyland Honeymoon so we can reserve our room and such.
- Christmas is coming~!! We are going to spend the Eve with Ian's family and head to NM to see my family on Christmas and possibly stay an extra day. Need to call my mom today and finalize all that.
I decorated the little white tree I have and bought a few extra things to put around the house. Not much but I'll make an effort to hunt for deals on decor that we can use next year. It's a big house to decorate! :P
- Also on the house...we're pretty much moved in! I have a lot of things at John n Ashley's since I'm living there, but that will get moved out probably the last week in January or after the wedding. ;) It's going to be busy!! I am only taking the day before the wedding off from school. But, I've already had a few people suggest I take the week off. It's so much easier not to plan for a sub, tho! We'll see how January goes and I'll decide. I just don't have enough extra days off! I'm using them already with the wedding and honeymoon. I accrue days but enough for what I've already asked off by then. I think it'll work out~~~
- We hosted Thanksgiving at our house too! It was a blast and a little stressful. But our kitchen isn't quite set up enough for more than a few people cooking in there. We had almost 4 people trying to cook some dishes!! It was busy busy~~~The food was delicious!! Had a lot of leftovers even after we passed it out to send home. ;)
- I'm at home today...woke up stuffy and coughing yesterday so I decided to take it easy this weekend. I have another week of school so I wanted to fight this cold off before it got worse. Especially because I have too much to do during break!! Hope it works~~~keep praying for health for everyone during this season!♥
- Goal today: Clean up a bit (need to get my body moving!) and possibly work out. I'll do yoga since that's a little easier on my energy. I slept a lot yesterday and last night, so I should be okay on that but I don't wanna overdo it~
Have a wonderful day and week!♥
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011
things to come
It's been even more busy since the last time I updated. I didn't know that was possible!! :P
We put in an offer on a house. It was everything we wanted! Perfect size, gorgeous kitchen, nice layout. Everything! But, it had 7 other offers...and sadly we didn't get the house. We recovered and went searching again last weekend. Found a house just as nice, with a different layout. It's two story, but we feel that with the houses being sold so fast, we have to keep options open (we were only looking at single story). It's a small size, but large enough for us. It's also in Rancho Sahuarita! They have some awesome amenities. :)
Also started teacher orientation last week. The kids come back the day after tomorrow!! :D I am so not ready, but pretty calm about it. I teach Special Ed resource so I won't be seeing the kids outside of the classroom until next week, sometime. That means I'll have time to get a schedule made and some lessons organized.
The classroom still needs work too. But I share the large room with three other teachers, so it was hard to set up without them all there. Finally had that chance today. :) It'll come together!
I moved closer to my work, staying with my friend Ashley and John. They have been wonderful and so helpful to me! It's gonna be a nice transition into the new home once Ian and I are married. Still unsure whether Ian or I will move into the house. He has an apt contract that he might not be able to change. But he just renewed it, so it might be easy. We'll see~~
I guess that's it for now. Getting adjusted to the early days. It's only 8pm and I want to go to bed! :P I might just go and read until 9. One final day to prepare for the kids!!! Meet and greet at school is tomorrow! Wish us luck~~~♥
We put in an offer on a house. It was everything we wanted! Perfect size, gorgeous kitchen, nice layout. Everything! But, it had 7 other offers...and sadly we didn't get the house. We recovered and went searching again last weekend. Found a house just as nice, with a different layout. It's two story, but we feel that with the houses being sold so fast, we have to keep options open (we were only looking at single story). It's a small size, but large enough for us. It's also in Rancho Sahuarita! They have some awesome amenities. :)
Also started teacher orientation last week. The kids come back the day after tomorrow!! :D I am so not ready, but pretty calm about it. I teach Special Ed resource so I won't be seeing the kids outside of the classroom until next week, sometime. That means I'll have time to get a schedule made and some lessons organized.
The classroom still needs work too. But I share the large room with three other teachers, so it was hard to set up without them all there. Finally had that chance today. :) It'll come together!
I moved closer to my work, staying with my friend Ashley and John. They have been wonderful and so helpful to me! It's gonna be a nice transition into the new home once Ian and I are married. Still unsure whether Ian or I will move into the house. He has an apt contract that he might not be able to change. But he just renewed it, so it might be easy. We'll see~~
I guess that's it for now. Getting adjusted to the early days. It's only 8pm and I want to go to bed! :P I might just go and read until 9. One final day to prepare for the kids!!! Meet and greet at school is tomorrow! Wish us luck~~~♥
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Back in the states~
I'm back in town! Have been since July 3rd, but I've been a busy bee~~~I have wedding and job stuff to take care of. Here's an update:
I made cake pops!! :PPPP They turned out better today than when I started them on Monday. Although, the next recipe I might try less cream cheese frosting just to save on those calories and sugar. They're very rich!
We want to use them for the wedding favors! So cute, right?! XDDD Here's the link for the recipe and a pic of my attempt:
CAKEPOP RECIPE
Also found my dress!!!!!! :DDD I bought it last week~~ Here's a link to the pic of me. That way if Ian wants to check out my recent posts, he won't see it. ^o^
DON'T CLICK THESE BB!
FRONT
BACK
Even went and figured out tuxes today! Found a store much better than David's Bridal! Guh they were charging me so much and I didn't like their styles for the vests. Word of advice: Go with the smaller rental shops, they'll charge less and take care of you~~much better customer service! And we haven't even dealt with the fitting...
Still working on bridesmaid dresses. I can't decide on styles/lengths. It's going to be February but Arizona is not that cold in winter and it's an indoor wedding. But, I'll just go with some of my girls and have them try a bunch on. XP One of them is requesting longer styles.
JOB! I HAVE A JOB!! I was offered the Spec Ed position at Continental Elementary School in Sahuarita/Green Valley area (South of Tucson) The only delay is on my end; I have to convert my teaching certificate. It just requires some letters and signatures from my two previous employers, though. It's hard to get a hold of everyone in Korea what with the time difference.
But, I have a job! Ian and I will start looking for houses out there sometime this month. We can get a great loan if we buy before October. I also would like to be out there by August mostly because I start teaching then. We'll see!
That's all for now. I'll probably change the name of this Blog since I'm no longer in Korea. :P we'll see...
Love ya!! <3
I made cake pops!! :PPPP They turned out better today than when I started them on Monday. Although, the next recipe I might try less cream cheese frosting just to save on those calories and sugar. They're very rich!
We want to use them for the wedding favors! So cute, right?! XDDD Here's the link for the recipe and a pic of my attempt:
CAKEPOP RECIPE
Also found my dress!!!!!! :DDD I bought it last week~~ Here's a link to the pic of me. That way if Ian wants to check out my recent posts, he won't see it. ^o^
DON'T CLICK THESE BB!
FRONT
BACK
Even went and figured out tuxes today! Found a store much better than David's Bridal! Guh they were charging me so much and I didn't like their styles for the vests. Word of advice: Go with the smaller rental shops, they'll charge less and take care of you~~much better customer service! And we haven't even dealt with the fitting...
Still working on bridesmaid dresses. I can't decide on styles/lengths. It's going to be February but Arizona is not that cold in winter and it's an indoor wedding. But, I'll just go with some of my girls and have them try a bunch on. XP One of them is requesting longer styles.
JOB! I HAVE A JOB!! I was offered the Spec Ed position at Continental Elementary School in Sahuarita/Green Valley area (South of Tucson) The only delay is on my end; I have to convert my teaching certificate. It just requires some letters and signatures from my two previous employers, though. It's hard to get a hold of everyone in Korea what with the time difference.
But, I have a job! Ian and I will start looking for houses out there sometime this month. We can get a great loan if we buy before October. I also would like to be out there by August mostly because I start teaching then. We'll see!
That's all for now. I'll probably change the name of this Blog since I'm no longer in Korea. :P we'll see...
Love ya!! <3
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Packing tips ^.^
I leave Korea in 9 days! This fact carries a ton of bittersweet feelings. I am very happy to be coming back home, closer to my loved ones. But, I'm sad that I have to leave the ones I've come to love over this past year: my kids, the friends, the food, this country. I have adapted well here and have enjoyed every good and not-so-great moment. It's taught me so much!
But, I digress. My experience can be told another time. :) I'm here to help those who might be in need of some packing ideas~~~
It's amazing the amount one can acquire in just 12 months. I think the amount of stuff I have doubled during this year. I had to send home 3 boxes. Okay, the first box was smaller because it mostly had the gifts I bought. But, today I brought 3 boxes to the post office. One large box contained clothes and 2 medium-small boxes had some books, cds and some clothes to protect everything. I was lucky to bring my co-teacher with me (She's amazing I tell ya! Always willing to help me!) and she explained that the guy in the box-packing room suggested I put it all into 1 giant box because it would be cheaper.
Turns out they measure the boxes by volume, not weight! So, keep that in mind when you think sending 4 little boxes is the way to go.
Anyway, he took everything out of the smaller boxes and wrapped it quick and nice~it only cost me 5,000won! that included the box, the wrapping and his work. :P
I went to the counter with my labels filled out (they want addresses, numbers, cost of items, and a general idea of what's inside) and sent them off! The cost for both large boxes was around $200. I event sent it by plane, which mean it won't take 2 months to arrive! yay~
Another thing I discovered the other day sending a box of gifts home: If you want insurance, it will cost you the amount the items inside the box cost. I averaged all my gifts to be almost $200! Sadly, I did not choose to add insurance to that box. The other boxes are just winter clothes and a bunch of notebooks and cds. Just keep that in mind when writing down the cost of items inside! It might help the keep the cost down, if you really want to use insurance.
Those were the major things I came across at the post office. Hope this helps! If you have questions, feel free to comment. I'll help in any way I can. The easiest way, honestly is to make sure someone who speaks both English and Korean is there to help. There's only so much that can be explained with your hands! :P
Take care~~~
But, I digress. My experience can be told another time. :) I'm here to help those who might be in need of some packing ideas~~~
It's amazing the amount one can acquire in just 12 months. I think the amount of stuff I have doubled during this year. I had to send home 3 boxes. Okay, the first box was smaller because it mostly had the gifts I bought. But, today I brought 3 boxes to the post office. One large box contained clothes and 2 medium-small boxes had some books, cds and some clothes to protect everything. I was lucky to bring my co-teacher with me (She's amazing I tell ya! Always willing to help me!) and she explained that the guy in the box-packing room suggested I put it all into 1 giant box because it would be cheaper.
Turns out they measure the boxes by volume, not weight! So, keep that in mind when you think sending 4 little boxes is the way to go.
Anyway, he took everything out of the smaller boxes and wrapped it quick and nice~it only cost me 5,000won! that included the box, the wrapping and his work. :P
I went to the counter with my labels filled out (they want addresses, numbers, cost of items, and a general idea of what's inside) and sent them off! The cost for both large boxes was around $200. I event sent it by plane, which mean it won't take 2 months to arrive! yay~
Another thing I discovered the other day sending a box of gifts home: If you want insurance, it will cost you the amount the items inside the box cost. I averaged all my gifts to be almost $200! Sadly, I did not choose to add insurance to that box. The other boxes are just winter clothes and a bunch of notebooks and cds. Just keep that in mind when writing down the cost of items inside! It might help the keep the cost down, if you really want to use insurance.
Those were the major things I came across at the post office. Hope this helps! If you have questions, feel free to comment. I'll help in any way I can. The easiest way, honestly is to make sure someone who speaks both English and Korean is there to help. There's only so much that can be explained with your hands! :P
Take care~~~
Monday, May 16, 2011
Down to the wire
So, I have less than two months left here in Korea. My contract is up July 2nd and they cannot renew me (although they do want to) due to money. The budget I'm under isn't giving them enough for the next semester.
BUT. That's ok! Ian and I moved our wedding to February 1st (or somewhere near that date) and have been looking at houses in Sahuarita.
Nothing is certain, but there are a number of schools in the area that I can apply to. I am in contact with one school (Continental) through email and the lady at HR has been very helpful. They seems to have teachers retiring so they have openings. I just finished the application and sent it to them today. They should get it tomorrow, seeing as it's the evening in AZ now.
I also applied with the Sahuarita School District, and they have many schools with positions I am qualified for. I think I uploaded my application for about 8 positions. Something is bound to come up, if that's where Ian and I are meant to be.
Of course, I am looking into TUSD. Of course I won't hold my breath because they are mostly hiring within the district.
I do have a connection in the Special Ed department, but I'm not sure what's available. Oh! I did get a phone call this morning from a school. They are looking for someone for their self-contained Autism class. It's on the South side, though. Not an ideal place, in my opinion.
I am also pretty set on Sahuarita. It's such a nice place and still close to Tucson, so I can see friends and family easily.
We'll see what comes up. Just keep praying it happens positively and with little confusion. It's really difficult to deal with this from miles across the sea. :P
The plan today after work: Groceries, and some gifts-for my wedding party and family. I need to start sending some packages home so I have less to travel with. There's a lot I've acquired during this year.
Hope to update another time, soon! Check my twitter and facebook for more current updates. :)
http://twitter.com/#!/musicsporty1
facebook.com/clairebear05
Love you all!! :D ♥~~~
BUT. That's ok! Ian and I moved our wedding to February 1st (or somewhere near that date) and have been looking at houses in Sahuarita.
Nothing is certain, but there are a number of schools in the area that I can apply to. I am in contact with one school (Continental) through email and the lady at HR has been very helpful. They seems to have teachers retiring so they have openings. I just finished the application and sent it to them today. They should get it tomorrow, seeing as it's the evening in AZ now.
I also applied with the Sahuarita School District, and they have many schools with positions I am qualified for. I think I uploaded my application for about 8 positions. Something is bound to come up, if that's where Ian and I are meant to be.
Of course, I am looking into TUSD. Of course I won't hold my breath because they are mostly hiring within the district.
I do have a connection in the Special Ed department, but I'm not sure what's available. Oh! I did get a phone call this morning from a school. They are looking for someone for their self-contained Autism class. It's on the South side, though. Not an ideal place, in my opinion.
I am also pretty set on Sahuarita. It's such a nice place and still close to Tucson, so I can see friends and family easily.
We'll see what comes up. Just keep praying it happens positively and with little confusion. It's really difficult to deal with this from miles across the sea. :P
The plan today after work: Groceries, and some gifts-for my wedding party and family. I need to start sending some packages home so I have less to travel with. There's a lot I've acquired during this year.
Hope to update another time, soon! Check my twitter and facebook for more current updates. :)
http://twitter.com/#!/musicsporty1
facebook.com/clairebear05
Love you all!! :D ♥~~~
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Dream come true~~
I'll post later about MT...BUT I HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET YUNHO AND CHANGMIN♥♥♥♥
Who are they you ask? (Since a lot of my friends seem to not know) They are 2 members from my all time favorite Kpop group, Dong Bang Shin Ki (TVXQ or DBSK). This group was the group to get me into Korean music, language, and culture. They are the cause for wanting to come here! :D No matter how indirect it may be, I do often think of them when I realize where I'm at now.
Anyway, on to the fansign!!! I rushed home after MT, showered and rushed out to get to the other side of Seoul by 4pm. My friend Krista and I both got in, so I was able to enjoy it with someone. We met by 4 and took a taxi over to the venue, got our tickets after some confusion (apparently they can't figure out what order to read the names in English), and ran off to grab a bite to eat.
The signing started at 6pm. We sat around for a bit kind of interacting with those around us (not many fans can speak English, or won't speak it) and freaking out as time came closer. We were asked to write our names on a post-it for them, but to write in Korean. Luckily I know how to do that! :)
The boys came out...looking gorgeous, as usual. Changmin had on a nice blazer, Yunho had a grey sweater over a button up shirt and a cute heart pin~! Yunho is my favorite, but Changmin is definitely more gorgeous than Yunho. Yunho comes across more handsome. Both looked fantastic though!
We were lined up almost immediately, being in the second row. I didn't have time to really process being there, but I probably would have just psyched myself up too much and been to excited. :P
Krista and I were babbling about how gorgeous Changmin was and how Yunho was going to be the chatty one, as always. His line was already starting to get longer (he takes time to talk to everyone and will listen to you)
Anyway, it was my turn. I was slightly surprised I didn't get a big reaction for being a foreigner but they are used to having foreign fans, I think. I walked up to Changmin, we both bowed and said hello, in Korean. He asked me another question in Korean...I'm pretty sure it was "Where are you from?" but my brain shut down at this point and I was prepared to only say hi and thank you. I responded in Korean "what?" then he asked me if I spoke Korean (Again, brain shut down and I knew I would be rushed so I was having trouble with simple sentences) I told him I know a little. He might have said something else, but I'm pretty sure that was it. He told me thank you, twice in Korean both formal versions and smiled. I replied in Korean and walked over to Yunho's line.
Freaking myself out even more by this time. I just attempted to have a conversation with Changmin and now I was going to be meeting Yunho! I was so nervous. I walked up to him, said hello. He looked at my name, read it slowly then realized it was an English name and repeated it with less of an accent. This is where I died. LOL It was adorable! He asked if I went to Inkigayo (they performed there just before the fansign, and won!!) I told him no. Again, I forget if there was anything else said here, mostly because I was distracted with watching him sign (he added a star next to his ^^ smiley face). He and I said thank you and I went back to my seat.
We stayed to watch the rest of the signing, mostly because it didn't seem like it would take too long to finish and we might not have been able to leave early anyway.
Few highlights from the event:
~Changmin was either resting his voice or getting sick, but he spoke so soft and quietly. It was really nice to listen to, though because it came out slightly lower than usual.
~Yunho was smiley and chatty, as expected. Hi line was getting so long!
~He was also distracted by a fan that had her young son there (he was maybe a year old~so cute!) Every time the baby would make noise, he would glance over and smile. *^_^*
~Two boy fans! But one was awesome cuz he asked Yunho to hit his hand and that made him dance. It was cool! Everyone cheered for him. :D He danced another time and walked off stage with the hugest grin ever.
~Boy fan got a shout out from them, and Yunho even pointed and gave a thumbs up to him at the end. Boy fan was on cloud nine after that! (pretty sure he was crying later~♥) It made my day just to see that. Yunho is awesome~~^^
~Yunho dropped his pen before everything started because he was twirling it in his fingers. :P
We had to wait to leave, because they wanted to get the boys out of there before the fans could get outside and follow them. I went home (took forever! ugh i was so tired from MT) and crashed. I'm sick this morning thanks to the limited amount of sleep I got this weekend. But it was all worth it. ^^
Who are they you ask? (Since a lot of my friends seem to not know) They are 2 members from my all time favorite Kpop group, Dong Bang Shin Ki (TVXQ or DBSK). This group was the group to get me into Korean music, language, and culture. They are the cause for wanting to come here! :D No matter how indirect it may be, I do often think of them when I realize where I'm at now.
Anyway, on to the fansign!!! I rushed home after MT, showered and rushed out to get to the other side of Seoul by 4pm. My friend Krista and I both got in, so I was able to enjoy it with someone. We met by 4 and took a taxi over to the venue, got our tickets after some confusion (apparently they can't figure out what order to read the names in English), and ran off to grab a bite to eat.
The signing started at 6pm. We sat around for a bit kind of interacting with those around us (not many fans can speak English, or won't speak it) and freaking out as time came closer. We were asked to write our names on a post-it for them, but to write in Korean. Luckily I know how to do that! :)
The boys came out...looking gorgeous, as usual. Changmin had on a nice blazer, Yunho had a grey sweater over a button up shirt and a cute heart pin~! Yunho is my favorite, but Changmin is definitely more gorgeous than Yunho. Yunho comes across more handsome. Both looked fantastic though!
We were lined up almost immediately, being in the second row. I didn't have time to really process being there, but I probably would have just psyched myself up too much and been to excited. :P
Krista and I were babbling about how gorgeous Changmin was and how Yunho was going to be the chatty one, as always. His line was already starting to get longer (he takes time to talk to everyone and will listen to you)
Anyway, it was my turn. I was slightly surprised I didn't get a big reaction for being a foreigner but they are used to having foreign fans, I think. I walked up to Changmin, we both bowed and said hello, in Korean. He asked me another question in Korean...I'm pretty sure it was "Where are you from?" but my brain shut down at this point and I was prepared to only say hi and thank you. I responded in Korean "what?" then he asked me if I spoke Korean (Again, brain shut down and I knew I would be rushed so I was having trouble with simple sentences) I told him I know a little. He might have said something else, but I'm pretty sure that was it. He told me thank you, twice in Korean both formal versions and smiled. I replied in Korean and walked over to Yunho's line.
Freaking myself out even more by this time. I just attempted to have a conversation with Changmin and now I was going to be meeting Yunho! I was so nervous. I walked up to him, said hello. He looked at my name, read it slowly then realized it was an English name and repeated it with less of an accent. This is where I died. LOL It was adorable! He asked if I went to Inkigayo (they performed there just before the fansign, and won!!) I told him no. Again, I forget if there was anything else said here, mostly because I was distracted with watching him sign (he added a star next to his ^^ smiley face). He and I said thank you and I went back to my seat.
We stayed to watch the rest of the signing, mostly because it didn't seem like it would take too long to finish and we might not have been able to leave early anyway.
Few highlights from the event:
~Changmin was either resting his voice or getting sick, but he spoke so soft and quietly. It was really nice to listen to, though because it came out slightly lower than usual.
~Yunho was smiley and chatty, as expected. Hi line was getting so long!
~He was also distracted by a fan that had her young son there (he was maybe a year old~so cute!) Every time the baby would make noise, he would glance over and smile. *^_^*
~Two boy fans! But one was awesome cuz he asked Yunho to hit his hand and that made him dance. It was cool! Everyone cheered for him. :D He danced another time and walked off stage with the hugest grin ever.
~Boy fan got a shout out from them, and Yunho even pointed and gave a thumbs up to him at the end. Boy fan was on cloud nine after that! (pretty sure he was crying later~♥) It made my day just to see that. Yunho is awesome~~^^
~Yunho dropped his pen before everything started because he was twirling it in his fingers. :P
We had to wait to leave, because they wanted to get the boys out of there before the fans could get outside and follow them. I went home (took forever! ugh i was so tired from MT) and crashed. I'm sick this morning thanks to the limited amount of sleep I got this weekend. But it was all worth it. ^^
Friday, March 25, 2011
Small update, sorry it's so short!
Hey all~~~ I don't have a lot of time right now. I have to meet the Salsa club at 3pm for the MT (Membership training AKA "party time") ^_^ Basically, it's a chance for those involved in the club to get together and have a nice weekend. On the agenda: Soccer or Kickball, FOOD, dancing (of course!), maybe some karaoke, more food and hanging out. All from Sat evening until Sunday afternoon-ish. It's gonna be fun! and tiring...I woke up this morning with a terrible sore throat so I hope I'll be okay. I would cancel, but already paid the money and am super excited to go~~~ I'll just make sure I sneak to bed as early as possible? :P Which will be hard with all the exciting things going on. I can probably nap tomorrow once I get back home.
More things to update on but I only have ten minutes before I should head out. Have a wonderful weekend, I'll try to update soon!!♥
More things to update on but I only have ten minutes before I should head out. Have a wonderful weekend, I'll try to update soon!!♥
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
work dinners.
The other day, my co-teacher asked if I wanted to join the "fellowship" that the school has. I guess it's like a Union, but the money we give to the program pays for dinners and other outing events for the teachers to take part in. I decided to join the fellowship because I will be staying one more year (I haven't officially signed, but have spoken to my co-teacher that I want to stay).
Korea is a very close-knit culture and doing things together is a big deal. I've had many a times where my Korean friend, Sungmin, has had to cancel on me because he has a work dinner. Now, I understand why he has done so. Tonight was my first official work dinner. It was interesting, fun, tiring, confusing, and great. I of course, enjoyed the food, as always. :) But, this time, I spent the evening talking to many of the 5th grade teachers. Some of them do speak some English! One of the male 5th grade teachers decided to test me on my Korean reading skills. He kept handing me a new bottle to read! :D It was fun. I supposedly get a prize tomorrow, for that. haha~
In Korea, towards the end of the meal, you are supposed to travel around to other tables and share a "shot" with your co-workers. It can be Soju (alcohol), cider (sprite), or water. I chose Soju for the most part, because I felt like it was important to do so with my principal (i guess I wanted to impress him - we were also running out of cider!). I managed to share drinks with a few 5th grade teachers, the head 5th grade teacher, the principal, and another high in office teacher (3rd in command??). It was such a nice night, getting to know them and practicing my Korean - or lack thereof!! I am thankful I decided to join in this because I didn't want another year of being the waegook (foreigner). I even have an invite to the 5th grade teacher's office to do my nails. :P (The head teacher is female, and really good at doing nail art)
Here's to a fun second year~~~chan! (cheers!) ♥
Korea is a very close-knit culture and doing things together is a big deal. I've had many a times where my Korean friend, Sungmin, has had to cancel on me because he has a work dinner. Now, I understand why he has done so. Tonight was my first official work dinner. It was interesting, fun, tiring, confusing, and great. I of course, enjoyed the food, as always. :) But, this time, I spent the evening talking to many of the 5th grade teachers. Some of them do speak some English! One of the male 5th grade teachers decided to test me on my Korean reading skills. He kept handing me a new bottle to read! :D It was fun. I supposedly get a prize tomorrow, for that. haha~
In Korea, towards the end of the meal, you are supposed to travel around to other tables and share a "shot" with your co-workers. It can be Soju (alcohol), cider (sprite), or water. I chose Soju for the most part, because I felt like it was important to do so with my principal (i guess I wanted to impress him - we were also running out of cider!). I managed to share drinks with a few 5th grade teachers, the head 5th grade teacher, the principal, and another high in office teacher (3rd in command??). It was such a nice night, getting to know them and practicing my Korean - or lack thereof!! I am thankful I decided to join in this because I didn't want another year of being the waegook (foreigner). I even have an invite to the 5th grade teacher's office to do my nails. :P (The head teacher is female, and really good at doing nail art)
Here's to a fun second year~~~chan! (cheers!) ♥
Friday, March 4, 2011
South Korea
Here's a video someone I know posted. It explains a lot about Korea, more than I ever could! There are a lot of things in this that I've seen firsthand, others I haven't had the chance to experience yet. But, I love it! The video is a little long, but you can skip a bit, if you want.
http://vimeo.com/18114813
http://vimeo.com/18114813
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
concerts, culture, and...tacos!
Eric Clapton concert was a few weeks ago. It was awesome. Not at all like the other concerts I've been to here, it was very chill. I had a good time listening to all the different styles. His band had some neat tricks! And of course, Clapton was a genius on his guitars. I enjoyed it. My favorite part of the night was definitely when he did "Layla" acoustically. It's my favorite Clapton song. :) Met up with some other friends after the show and headed home together, chatting about the concert.
I started another dance class last week, as well. It's soooo hard! It's a hip-hop class, but I think it's intermediate. XP I have no idea why Pedro (my Jazz dance instr.) recommended I take that one. But, I'm definitely getting a workout! I'm gonna look goooooood. hahahaha
Last Sat was supposed to be a packing day with my friend Sarah, but Fri night I went out to celebrate another friend getting a new job. So, We didn't meet up til late and ended up going to get breakfast in Gangnam. Butterfinger Pancakes is soooo good! I ordered the waffle set - comes with eggs, bacon, sausage, and potatoes. YUM. I even finished some pancakes that my friend couldn't eat. XP I am such a pig. lol
After that, we met up with Katie and Soo and went to see The Mechanic. Not that great of a movie...of course it was rated R and starred Jason Stathom. I need to stay clear of his movies; they're gonna be full of a lot of fighting and killing. Normally, I like action, but this was just painful to watch and gave me a headache.
Sunday I woke up to rain...and another headache. So, I stayed home and did more laundry.
Sunday night, I met up with some friends in Ansan and went to a tradition Korean Restaurant. We had this huge 3-4 course meal with wine. :) The place was awesome~It was a gorgeous place (I'll share pics once my friend posts hers-my camera died). The food was delicious! Even all the seafood was enjoyable. I tried everything. But, definitely a good experience, I'm glad I decided to deal with the rain and venture out.
On to my day today. I did more laundry (I got lazy this past week/end) and went into Seoul to meet a new Korean friend. On the way, I made another mental note to comment on the culture. As in most (if not all) areas, there are people who are poor or homeless. I have often seen someone kneeling/bowing on the stairwell, with a basket laid in front of them. I do see people give them money, but more often than not, I feel like they are just ignored. I've always been uncomfortable just giving money (thanks, Dad) to those in need, and I also don't quite understand the culture well in this situation...so I just walk passed.
On the subways, there are usually people walking from car to car, placing a typed up note into your lap. Now, the first time I received one, I didn't think to observe first and just placed the paper in my purse. As I paid more attention, I noticed that most people will completely ignore the note in their lap. Some will pull out a few bills or coins to give to them when they return (after they give out the papers, they walk back collecting the papers).
I also have noticed that those who are blind will walk from car to car with a basket and music playing. The music is usually some sort of hymn that you can hear before you see the source. People will subtly move further away from the center to keep away from them. I don't think they are despised, just someone people are not comfortable being around. It seems that way to me.
Anyway, that's all for the culture today. I'm sure more will come to me as I continue experiencing Korea.
Today was a day off --It's Independence Day for the South. I met up with a new friend and we chatted about ourselves over coffee and tea. We met after she decided to add me on Facebook. We were both invited to a graduation party in Hongdae, at one of the clubs. After tea, we went over to the mexican food place I discovered a few weeks ago. I enjoyed another burrito and Gracie had a taco. Randomly talked to a foreigner there who was from Phoenix! Small world, even in Korea. I didn't know her, but we talked about how wonderful the restaurant was. :)
Went home after deciding with Gracie we need to meet up for tacos more often. She enjoyed the meal. ^_^
Oh! Before I forget, it's not official, but I am most likely staying another year. They want me to resign and seem to be optimistic (my co-teacher is, at least) about me being able to get some extra time off for my friend's wedding. I also have another friend asking me to be in her wedding, but the date is not certain. I'm hoping for the summer so I can be there!!
I get new students this week! The new semester starts Thursday; I'm assigned to only teaching 5th grade this year but I have a few more English classes. I'm excited to get some new students and the chance to work with just one grade. It means I'm more included as a 5th grade teacher, so the Korean teachers are going to invite me to more things, I think. :) We had lunch together last week when all the teachers were in to set up for the new year. It was nice~! I'm hoping this will help me get more into practicing my Korean. I hope~~~~
Ok, gonna run. I think my clothes finished drying. Love and miss you all!!!♥
I started another dance class last week, as well. It's soooo hard! It's a hip-hop class, but I think it's intermediate. XP I have no idea why Pedro (my Jazz dance instr.) recommended I take that one. But, I'm definitely getting a workout! I'm gonna look goooooood. hahahaha
Last Sat was supposed to be a packing day with my friend Sarah, but Fri night I went out to celebrate another friend getting a new job. So, We didn't meet up til late and ended up going to get breakfast in Gangnam. Butterfinger Pancakes is soooo good! I ordered the waffle set - comes with eggs, bacon, sausage, and potatoes. YUM. I even finished some pancakes that my friend couldn't eat. XP I am such a pig. lol
After that, we met up with Katie and Soo and went to see The Mechanic. Not that great of a movie...of course it was rated R and starred Jason Stathom. I need to stay clear of his movies; they're gonna be full of a lot of fighting and killing. Normally, I like action, but this was just painful to watch and gave me a headache.
Sunday I woke up to rain...and another headache. So, I stayed home and did more laundry.
Sunday night, I met up with some friends in Ansan and went to a tradition Korean Restaurant. We had this huge 3-4 course meal with wine. :) The place was awesome~It was a gorgeous place (I'll share pics once my friend posts hers-my camera died). The food was delicious! Even all the seafood was enjoyable. I tried everything. But, definitely a good experience, I'm glad I decided to deal with the rain and venture out.
On to my day today. I did more laundry (I got lazy this past week/end) and went into Seoul to meet a new Korean friend. On the way, I made another mental note to comment on the culture. As in most (if not all) areas, there are people who are poor or homeless. I have often seen someone kneeling/bowing on the stairwell, with a basket laid in front of them. I do see people give them money, but more often than not, I feel like they are just ignored. I've always been uncomfortable just giving money (thanks, Dad) to those in need, and I also don't quite understand the culture well in this situation...so I just walk passed.
On the subways, there are usually people walking from car to car, placing a typed up note into your lap. Now, the first time I received one, I didn't think to observe first and just placed the paper in my purse. As I paid more attention, I noticed that most people will completely ignore the note in their lap. Some will pull out a few bills or coins to give to them when they return (after they give out the papers, they walk back collecting the papers).
I also have noticed that those who are blind will walk from car to car with a basket and music playing. The music is usually some sort of hymn that you can hear before you see the source. People will subtly move further away from the center to keep away from them. I don't think they are despised, just someone people are not comfortable being around. It seems that way to me.
Anyway, that's all for the culture today. I'm sure more will come to me as I continue experiencing Korea.
Today was a day off --It's Independence Day for the South. I met up with a new friend and we chatted about ourselves over coffee and tea. We met after she decided to add me on Facebook. We were both invited to a graduation party in Hongdae, at one of the clubs. After tea, we went over to the mexican food place I discovered a few weeks ago. I enjoyed another burrito and Gracie had a taco. Randomly talked to a foreigner there who was from Phoenix! Small world, even in Korea. I didn't know her, but we talked about how wonderful the restaurant was. :)
Went home after deciding with Gracie we need to meet up for tacos more often. She enjoyed the meal. ^_^
Oh! Before I forget, it's not official, but I am most likely staying another year. They want me to resign and seem to be optimistic (my co-teacher is, at least) about me being able to get some extra time off for my friend's wedding. I also have another friend asking me to be in her wedding, but the date is not certain. I'm hoping for the summer so I can be there!!
I get new students this week! The new semester starts Thursday; I'm assigned to only teaching 5th grade this year but I have a few more English classes. I'm excited to get some new students and the chance to work with just one grade. It means I'm more included as a 5th grade teacher, so the Korean teachers are going to invite me to more things, I think. :) We had lunch together last week when all the teachers were in to set up for the new year. It was nice~! I'm hoping this will help me get more into practicing my Korean. I hope~~~~
Ok, gonna run. I think my clothes finished drying. Love and miss you all!!!♥
Saturday, February 19, 2011
A little bit of culture
So, I went out on Friday night with some friends. Met up with Matthew, Andrea, Mike, Sunna, Dan, Kyujin, Jason, and JJ for dinner in Seoul. We went to a traditional-style place and ordered Korean pancakes. We had the ones with seafood, meat n veggies. Also ordered a few bowls of bean paste soup (it has a malt-o-meal texture but is very good!) As with most Korean food, it came with a lot of side dishes! There was kimchi, pean sprouts, various sauces, meat (duck and pork), radish, some fishcakes, and a salad (with some sort of melon dressing). Here's a picture!
Basically, we ate so much food. That's typical here. I thought I was losing weight, but discovered the other morning I'm still at the same weight I was before I left; perhaps just a few pounds lighter. I also stopped dance class for a month thanks to my foot, so hopefully I can get rid of some of it again.
After dinner, we went to another place nearby for some drinks and snacks (which we didn't really eat, we we're still full!)
Went out later to some club in Hongdae (one of the University areas). This place has a lot of foreigners. Just a bit more than I liked, but the place was also very packed. We had a good time dancing for awhile then left for some more food. It was past midnight by this time, so we were hungry. Ordered some dokkboki, a fishcake soup, and fried veggies and seafood (like tempura?) I guess we had gotten some of the food for free because they were out of a dish we had wanted. I love that most places in Korea will give you some sort of "service," a free drink or dish. It's mostly because you attend there often, from what I gather. The chicken restaurant in my apartment will always give me a pepsi for free with my order. I don't really like Pepsi, but will drink it because they gave it to me! I've been to a few other places that will give you something extra when you order, but I can't think of what specifically.
Sunna and I were going to head to her house to sleep, but we got confused on who was going where when we took the taxis so we ended up joining Matthew and Jason at the Sauna. This is different from back home. At the ones I have been to here, you pay, get your towel and clothes and go change (remove your shoes, of course). We took the elevator to the women's floor and got changed and washed our faces. You can buy any sort of shower things you need because there's an area next to the lockers where you can shower and sit in hot-tubs. The fun part is you get to wander around naked in that room. XP I'm being sarcastic, of course! We didn't shower, but the last time I went my friend and I did. Luckily it was just her and I so we weren't uncomfortable.
Sunna and I then headed down to meet up with Matthew and Jason. There's a common room where you can sit in some heated rooms and chill on mats. Since it was around 3am by this time, everyone was sprawled out all over the place, asleep. We tried to find places to sleep and eventually some spots opened up and we laid down for a bit. I got too hot because the floors are heated so Sunna and I went back to the women's shower house. We found a corner room in there that had more places to sleep so we got comfortable and went to bed. It's not the best place to sleep but I've gotten used to a hard bed so I was ok. It wasn't as warm as I would have liked but I just put the towel over me and crashed. We only planned to sleep until we could catch the train home, but ended up sleeping til 10am. Got up and changed back into our clothes and headed out. Matthew and Jason had left, so Sunna and I went home. I made it home then crashed again. I slept on and off for awhile and just did some laundry.
That's some of the culture that I realize is different, so I thought I'd take the time to share! It's really quite interesting, but I enjoy these little aspects of the culture. With how large and driven this country is, people are so nice and are always wanting to get to know you. People will ask questions such as: "how old are you?" "what's your blood type?" "when's your birthday?" "do you have a boy/girlfriend?" It's never meant as an insult; they just feel those are important questions to ask in order to know who someone is and to become closer with them.
Anyway, I'd probably keep writing, but I've gotta head out to meet Sarah for an early dinner and the Eric Clapton concert! :) It's my last concert for awhile, so hopefully I can get more culture posts up for you. ^_^
Take care~~!!♥
Basically, we ate so much food. That's typical here. I thought I was losing weight, but discovered the other morning I'm still at the same weight I was before I left; perhaps just a few pounds lighter. I also stopped dance class for a month thanks to my foot, so hopefully I can get rid of some of it again.
After dinner, we went to another place nearby for some drinks and snacks (which we didn't really eat, we we're still full!)
Went out later to some club in Hongdae (one of the University areas). This place has a lot of foreigners. Just a bit more than I liked, but the place was also very packed. We had a good time dancing for awhile then left for some more food. It was past midnight by this time, so we were hungry. Ordered some dokkboki, a fishcake soup, and fried veggies and seafood (like tempura?) I guess we had gotten some of the food for free because they were out of a dish we had wanted. I love that most places in Korea will give you some sort of "service," a free drink or dish. It's mostly because you attend there often, from what I gather. The chicken restaurant in my apartment will always give me a pepsi for free with my order. I don't really like Pepsi, but will drink it because they gave it to me! I've been to a few other places that will give you something extra when you order, but I can't think of what specifically.
Sunna and I were going to head to her house to sleep, but we got confused on who was going where when we took the taxis so we ended up joining Matthew and Jason at the Sauna. This is different from back home. At the ones I have been to here, you pay, get your towel and clothes and go change (remove your shoes, of course). We took the elevator to the women's floor and got changed and washed our faces. You can buy any sort of shower things you need because there's an area next to the lockers where you can shower and sit in hot-tubs. The fun part is you get to wander around naked in that room. XP I'm being sarcastic, of course! We didn't shower, but the last time I went my friend and I did. Luckily it was just her and I so we weren't uncomfortable.
Sunna and I then headed down to meet up with Matthew and Jason. There's a common room where you can sit in some heated rooms and chill on mats. Since it was around 3am by this time, everyone was sprawled out all over the place, asleep. We tried to find places to sleep and eventually some spots opened up and we laid down for a bit. I got too hot because the floors are heated so Sunna and I went back to the women's shower house. We found a corner room in there that had more places to sleep so we got comfortable and went to bed. It's not the best place to sleep but I've gotten used to a hard bed so I was ok. It wasn't as warm as I would have liked but I just put the towel over me and crashed. We only planned to sleep until we could catch the train home, but ended up sleeping til 10am. Got up and changed back into our clothes and headed out. Matthew and Jason had left, so Sunna and I went home. I made it home then crashed again. I slept on and off for awhile and just did some laundry.
That's some of the culture that I realize is different, so I thought I'd take the time to share! It's really quite interesting, but I enjoy these little aspects of the culture. With how large and driven this country is, people are so nice and are always wanting to get to know you. People will ask questions such as: "how old are you?" "what's your blood type?" "when's your birthday?" "do you have a boy/girlfriend?" It's never meant as an insult; they just feel those are important questions to ask in order to know who someone is and to become closer with them.
Anyway, I'd probably keep writing, but I've gotta head out to meet Sarah for an early dinner and the Eric Clapton concert! :) It's my last concert for awhile, so hopefully I can get more culture posts up for you. ^_^
Take care~~!!♥
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
This has been long overdue.
I'm updating!! Now let's all take a moment to relish this...because we know it doesn't happen often these days. HAHA :P
Anyway, I had a list somewhere that reminded me everything I needed to post about, but I might have misplaced it by now. woops. I'll just do my best!^^
Let's get the Kpop stuff out of the way since I know a lot of you don't care...and if you do, I either already told you or went with you to the show! ;) If I didn't tell you, feel free to bug me for more details later.
Musicals:
1. Went to Thrill Me a few more times (I think only once more!). More cuteness from him, even a hug! I was pleased~~^^
2. Spamalot!!!! LOL It might have been in Korean, but I understood it! Thank goodness for being so into the movie. :P The best part? SPAM IS BIG HERE. So, those jokes were extra funny. Yehsung was adorable fail and has a gorgeous voice. We didn't stalk afterward because it was late and we didn't want to deal with the fans.
3. Since I'm thinking about musicals, I'll talk about Three Musketeers next. Kyuhyun (the youngest in Super Junior) played D'Artagnon. This was more of a rock musical, which isn't Kyu's strong point; nevertheless, he did a decent job. He was pretty cute with his uncertainty and awkwardness. It was his first musical. But, all in all I enjoyed it! The rest of the cast was pretty awesome, too!
4. GOONG! YUNHO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!! YAY! hahaha Goong is a popular drama, that finally was turned into a musical. Yunho from DBSK (MY ALL TIME FAVE GROUP EVER) was the main lead. He was fantastic! He has come a long way since their debut. He was never the main vocals in DBSK, mostly because he has the lower range and wasn't all that strong before. This was definitely worth it. It was a cute show, pretty funny, even though I didn't understand much, and the songs were great. No pics because I forget most places allow cameras at musicals, during curtain call. I think I found some pics online, so I'll share one of those maybe. :)
5. On Air! This is the most recent musical I've been to. It stars Kevin from UKISS. He's Korean, but born and raised mostly in San Fransisco. SO HE SPEAKS FLUENT ENG (cue NON akward moments!^^) We've been a few times now and had the opportunity to speak with him, too! My friend put in her name during an audience talk moment. He found out our names and where we're from! *squeeeee* (sorry had to get that out haha!) Also got a handshake~~~ ^_^
Here's the shout out he gave us from the first time we came: http://twitpic.com/3soset/full
Also took some fancams! The sound is weird because my camera doesn't filter well. Turn the volume down! http://youtu.be/DLP6whcx8dg and part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM0ln6_R3N8
He's pretty tall, taller than I expected? He's just so small and *pretty* that I expected him to be smaller than me. He's taller than me, but not by too much. ^^ I hope he does more musicals in the future because it definitely has helped his singing improve! Now for Soohyun "powervocal" to star in a musical!! :D That would be great~~~
Now to the concerts!! (BIG POST IS GONNA BE BIG) :P
1. FT ISLAND ~~This was so fun!! They're more ballad/rock? They play their own instruments and aren't as mainstream (well didn't used to be). Here's a sample! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5F9kL0DMGo
Anyway, they rock. The end. ^^ I have some awesome pics, I just need to resize and post. Posting pictures...ya, that's somewhere on my To Do List. We also got to be filmed as the audience for Secret Garden (Korean drama)! Can't find the two white girls though. *sadface* But, it was an awesome drama anyway~~
2. Lee Seung Gi ~~Went with my friend Sarah who became a fan all on her own (AKA I didn't introduce her to his music!) I knew of him, but never got into his stuff. Regardless, it's kpop so I agreed to go! I'm glad I did. That boy can put on a show. He's very well rounded and a really great singer. He can do ballads, rock, and few things in between. His concert was definitely interesting. He did a few trot songs I knew, some ballads from his drama (My Girlfriend is a Gumiho) and rock covers. It was a good time. No pics from that concert, mostly because that venue is pretty picky about cameras.
3. YG Family (Includes: Big Bang, Se7en, Psy, 2NE1, Gummy) ~~SE7ENNNN!!!!!!♥ He's my favorite solo artist. He was basically the only reason I chose to go. I know, crazy right?! Big Bang is super popular, and I choose Se7en over them. :P I like them but I like him more. haha
Got a fancam of Se7en and maybe a few pics. But, again the venue is picky about cameras. I was having too much fun partying it up with my friends anyway. Moral to this story? Gummy is an awesome singer and can make 2NE1 songs sound way better; Se7en is still my favorite; 2NE1 is fun; Big Bang is even more fun (TOP is awkward turtle LOL, Daesung is such an awesome performer, and the others are cool too. :P); Psy is crazy! LOL I'll stop there. Again, if you want details, we can chat later.
4. CN BLUE ~~Yay more live bands!! I mean those that play instruments. ^^ Not fantastic seats, but still pretty cool. They are wonderful live. Poor Yonghwa killed his voice cuz he got so into it. He cracked only a few times and managed to cover it up with being so into everything. :) He's awesome. Oh and Jungshin (bass player) is adorable! He's so not a typical bass player...he hops around the stage! It's cute. I bought one of the big packages and my Christmas card was SIGNED!♥ *squeeeee*
BTW, who wants to send me poster sticky-stuff? I ran out and it's not sold here, as far as I know. :(
5. JYJ ~~The three members of DBSK that left SM Entertainment (or are trying to?). Fun concert, I'll share some pics on facebook, later. Most of the songs were in English because they can't use any DBSK/SM Ent songs. Junsu was gorgeous and his voice was perfection. I love him. Jae's voice came close to it, but I enjoyed hearing him sing anyway. Yuchun, I care less about. Sorry Chun fans. I feel like it's his fault for this split.
6. SHINee!! ~~YAY. Awesome boys are awesome. I had so much fun, even with the issue with having my camera. Minho is soooo fun to watch. He runs around like a little kid, trying to make all the fans excited. Onew is still a unique leader, what with him almost falling off stage (he was spinning too fast hahaha) and choosing to sing an opera song!! That boy amazes me. Here's a fancam because I can't not share it. Even his voice cracks were covered well! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FFZ7a2GC7w
Key is still fierce and crazy. He covered some song called "My first Kiss" and wore a bright pink leather jacket with jewel studded sunglasses. All in all, a fun concert! We even got to see members of Beast, SNSD and DBSK in the audience!! Yunho and Changmin♥!!!!! :)
7. 2AM Concert ~Fun! They're a ballad group, but totally know how to put on a fun concert. Started off with the ballads, eased into some jazz-style cover songs, had one guest (SAN-E yay!), solos, and fun remixes of their songs. Changmin is the oldest and one of my favorites. Mostly because he has gorgeous voice and some nice muscles. ;) All I noticed were his legs. Jinwoon brought me over to his fandom, though! He did like 3 double takes with the group of foreigners I came to the show with. And each time, he waved and grinned like the baby that he is. :P He's the youngest of the group. He also countered that cuteness by COVERING MUSE. ON THE GUITAR. He sang, too, which was lovely! I have now become a Jinwoon fan (Changmin who? LOL) Good times. ^^
Nothing else to share. My culture experience has only been concerts and musicals. Ian and I didn't go to the aquarium or city tour when he was here. But that's ok, it was a fantastic time anyway!
I wanted to post a little bit of things I've experienced that I know are different culturally, but it's hard to remember to pay attention to those things. I guess I adjust well to the culture here; I don't notice those things that most others would find strange or different. I will definitely try to take note when I can.
AND I'M DONE. FOR NOW. :P Long post was long...but now I don't have to worry about it now! Another post SHOULD come after this weekend. I have KRY (Super Junior sub group) Concert, On Air Musical (again), and a New Year Brunch. Hope to be semi-on time with those posts!! Sorry this was long, but I'm sure those that read it will enjoy~~~Love you!♥
Anyway, I had a list somewhere that reminded me everything I needed to post about, but I might have misplaced it by now. woops. I'll just do my best!^^
Let's get the Kpop stuff out of the way since I know a lot of you don't care...and if you do, I either already told you or went with you to the show! ;) If I didn't tell you, feel free to bug me for more details later.
Musicals:
1. Went to Thrill Me a few more times (I think only once more!). More cuteness from him, even a hug! I was pleased~~^^
2. Spamalot!!!! LOL It might have been in Korean, but I understood it! Thank goodness for being so into the movie. :P The best part? SPAM IS BIG HERE. So, those jokes were extra funny. Yehsung was adorable fail and has a gorgeous voice. We didn't stalk afterward because it was late and we didn't want to deal with the fans.
3. Since I'm thinking about musicals, I'll talk about Three Musketeers next. Kyuhyun (the youngest in Super Junior) played D'Artagnon. This was more of a rock musical, which isn't Kyu's strong point; nevertheless, he did a decent job. He was pretty cute with his uncertainty and awkwardness. It was his first musical. But, all in all I enjoyed it! The rest of the cast was pretty awesome, too!
4. GOONG! YUNHO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!! YAY! hahaha Goong is a popular drama, that finally was turned into a musical. Yunho from DBSK (MY ALL TIME FAVE GROUP EVER) was the main lead. He was fantastic! He has come a long way since their debut. He was never the main vocals in DBSK, mostly because he has the lower range and wasn't all that strong before. This was definitely worth it. It was a cute show, pretty funny, even though I didn't understand much, and the songs were great. No pics because I forget most places allow cameras at musicals, during curtain call. I think I found some pics online, so I'll share one of those maybe. :)
5. On Air! This is the most recent musical I've been to. It stars Kevin from UKISS. He's Korean, but born and raised mostly in San Fransisco. SO HE SPEAKS FLUENT ENG (cue NON akward moments!^^) We've been a few times now and had the opportunity to speak with him, too! My friend put in her name during an audience talk moment. He found out our names and where we're from! *squeeeee* (sorry had to get that out haha!) Also got a handshake~~~ ^_^
Here's the shout out he gave us from the first time we came: http://twitpic.com/3soset/full
Also took some fancams! The sound is weird because my camera doesn't filter well. Turn the volume down! http://youtu.be/DLP6whcx8dg and part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM0ln6_R3N8
He's pretty tall, taller than I expected? He's just so small and *pretty* that I expected him to be smaller than me. He's taller than me, but not by too much. ^^ I hope he does more musicals in the future because it definitely has helped his singing improve! Now for Soohyun "powervocal" to star in a musical!! :D That would be great~~~
Now to the concerts!! (BIG POST IS GONNA BE BIG) :P
1. FT ISLAND ~~This was so fun!! They're more ballad/rock? They play their own instruments and aren't as mainstream (well didn't used to be). Here's a sample! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5F9kL0DMGo
Anyway, they rock. The end. ^^ I have some awesome pics, I just need to resize and post. Posting pictures...ya, that's somewhere on my To Do List. We also got to be filmed as the audience for Secret Garden (Korean drama)! Can't find the two white girls though. *sadface* But, it was an awesome drama anyway~~
2. Lee Seung Gi ~~Went with my friend Sarah who became a fan all on her own (AKA I didn't introduce her to his music!) I knew of him, but never got into his stuff. Regardless, it's kpop so I agreed to go! I'm glad I did. That boy can put on a show. He's very well rounded and a really great singer. He can do ballads, rock, and few things in between. His concert was definitely interesting. He did a few trot songs I knew, some ballads from his drama (My Girlfriend is a Gumiho) and rock covers. It was a good time. No pics from that concert, mostly because that venue is pretty picky about cameras.
3. YG Family (Includes: Big Bang, Se7en, Psy, 2NE1, Gummy) ~~SE7ENNNN!!!!!!♥ He's my favorite solo artist. He was basically the only reason I chose to go. I know, crazy right?! Big Bang is super popular, and I choose Se7en over them. :P I like them but I like him more. haha
Got a fancam of Se7en and maybe a few pics. But, again the venue is picky about cameras. I was having too much fun partying it up with my friends anyway. Moral to this story? Gummy is an awesome singer and can make 2NE1 songs sound way better; Se7en is still my favorite; 2NE1 is fun; Big Bang is even more fun (TOP is awkward turtle LOL, Daesung is such an awesome performer, and the others are cool too. :P); Psy is crazy! LOL I'll stop there. Again, if you want details, we can chat later.
4. CN BLUE ~~Yay more live bands!! I mean those that play instruments. ^^ Not fantastic seats, but still pretty cool. They are wonderful live. Poor Yonghwa killed his voice cuz he got so into it. He cracked only a few times and managed to cover it up with being so into everything. :) He's awesome. Oh and Jungshin (bass player) is adorable! He's so not a typical bass player...he hops around the stage! It's cute. I bought one of the big packages and my Christmas card was SIGNED!♥ *squeeeee*
BTW, who wants to send me poster sticky-stuff? I ran out and it's not sold here, as far as I know. :(
5. JYJ ~~The three members of DBSK that left SM Entertainment (or are trying to?). Fun concert, I'll share some pics on facebook, later. Most of the songs were in English because they can't use any DBSK/SM Ent songs. Junsu was gorgeous and his voice was perfection. I love him. Jae's voice came close to it, but I enjoyed hearing him sing anyway. Yuchun, I care less about. Sorry Chun fans. I feel like it's his fault for this split.
6. SHINee!! ~~YAY. Awesome boys are awesome. I had so much fun, even with the issue with having my camera. Minho is soooo fun to watch. He runs around like a little kid, trying to make all the fans excited. Onew is still a unique leader, what with him almost falling off stage (he was spinning too fast hahaha) and choosing to sing an opera song!! That boy amazes me. Here's a fancam because I can't not share it. Even his voice cracks were covered well! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FFZ7a2GC7w
Key is still fierce and crazy. He covered some song called "My first Kiss" and wore a bright pink leather jacket with jewel studded sunglasses. All in all, a fun concert! We even got to see members of Beast, SNSD and DBSK in the audience!! Yunho and Changmin♥!!!!! :)
7. 2AM Concert ~Fun! They're a ballad group, but totally know how to put on a fun concert. Started off with the ballads, eased into some jazz-style cover songs, had one guest (SAN-E yay!), solos, and fun remixes of their songs. Changmin is the oldest and one of my favorites. Mostly because he has gorgeous voice and some nice muscles. ;) All I noticed were his legs. Jinwoon brought me over to his fandom, though! He did like 3 double takes with the group of foreigners I came to the show with. And each time, he waved and grinned like the baby that he is. :P He's the youngest of the group. He also countered that cuteness by COVERING MUSE. ON THE GUITAR. He sang, too, which was lovely! I have now become a Jinwoon fan (Changmin who? LOL) Good times. ^^
Nothing else to share. My culture experience has only been concerts and musicals. Ian and I didn't go to the aquarium or city tour when he was here. But that's ok, it was a fantastic time anyway!
I wanted to post a little bit of things I've experienced that I know are different culturally, but it's hard to remember to pay attention to those things. I guess I adjust well to the culture here; I don't notice those things that most others would find strange or different. I will definitely try to take note when I can.
AND I'M DONE. FOR NOW. :P Long post was long...but now I don't have to worry about it now! Another post SHOULD come after this weekend. I have KRY (Super Junior sub group) Concert, On Air Musical (again), and a New Year Brunch. Hope to be semi-on time with those posts!! Sorry this was long, but I'm sure those that read it will enjoy~~~Love you!♥
Sunday, January 9, 2011
The story!
Ok, so I haven't updated in foreverrrrrr...but here's a more recent update that I know everyone wants to hear!
I AM ENGAGED!!!♥ *^_^*
So the story...Ian came in to Korea on Monday. I was convinced he was going to propose mostly because I had guessed and after he spoke with my parents, my mom let the cat out of the bag (good job mom hahah). She had assumed I knew for a fact because I was talking about things he'd been saying and doing. But, I had just recently convinced myself it wasn't going to happen. I didn't want to get my hopes up.
Anyway, he comes and brings presents from his family. Which I love by the way! ;) Since he found out my mom told me, he decided to come up with another gift to get me thinking it wasn't gonna happen. The present is cute, now that I'm over the idea it was the only gift he had planned! He got an old soccer picture from my family and made it into a puzzle. This, he explained, was why he went to Glenwood to see my parents. It was quite funny, because I believed him and so I was super disappointed with the present.
We planned on going to the aquarium with my friend and her parents on Wednesday but things were rushed and we were all running pretty late...so we didn't make it (Ian told me later he planned to propose there,in front of the turtles!!♥) Ian and I were waiting around waiting for my friend Sunna to show up because we were meeting her for dinner, so we decided to get sticker pictures done.
It was a confusing process seeing as I didn't know the photoshop in the mall had Japanese booth (I mean seriously?!?! I can speak Korean, not Japanese!! >.<) But, anyway, Ian was apparently impatient and worried I would find the ring so he decided to do it there. As I was trying to figure out the next picture, I turn around and he's got the ring out! It's so pretty~~~and all I can do is smile and tear up. :-P Of course the picture machine was not on our side and took forever to take the photo! So the look on my face was still a pleased one, but his was more silly.
He put it on and *GASP* it did NOT fit! Either I lost weight, or I had my size wrong. No worries! I'll get it re-sized here, most likely. I have some girlfriends here who can help to translate and get cost estimates. For now, I wear it on my index finger.
That's pretty much it! We met Sunna for dinner and talked about plans (seeing as I might stay another year...still up in the air, though).
Here's the picture, seeing as some of you cannot access my facebook~~~
I AM ENGAGED!!!♥ *^_^*
So the story...Ian came in to Korea on Monday. I was convinced he was going to propose mostly because I had guessed and after he spoke with my parents, my mom let the cat out of the bag (good job mom hahah). She had assumed I knew for a fact because I was talking about things he'd been saying and doing. But, I had just recently convinced myself it wasn't going to happen. I didn't want to get my hopes up.
Anyway, he comes and brings presents from his family. Which I love by the way! ;) Since he found out my mom told me, he decided to come up with another gift to get me thinking it wasn't gonna happen. The present is cute, now that I'm over the idea it was the only gift he had planned! He got an old soccer picture from my family and made it into a puzzle. This, he explained, was why he went to Glenwood to see my parents. It was quite funny, because I believed him and so I was super disappointed with the present.
We planned on going to the aquarium with my friend and her parents on Wednesday but things were rushed and we were all running pretty late...so we didn't make it (Ian told me later he planned to propose there,in front of the turtles!!♥) Ian and I were waiting around waiting for my friend Sunna to show up because we were meeting her for dinner, so we decided to get sticker pictures done.
It was a confusing process seeing as I didn't know the photoshop in the mall had Japanese booth (I mean seriously?!?! I can speak Korean, not Japanese!! >.<) But, anyway, Ian was apparently impatient and worried I would find the ring so he decided to do it there. As I was trying to figure out the next picture, I turn around and he's got the ring out! It's so pretty~~~and all I can do is smile and tear up. :-P Of course the picture machine was not on our side and took forever to take the photo! So the look on my face was still a pleased one, but his was more silly.
He put it on and *GASP* it did NOT fit! Either I lost weight, or I had my size wrong. No worries! I'll get it re-sized here, most likely. I have some girlfriends here who can help to translate and get cost estimates. For now, I wear it on my index finger.
That's pretty much it! We met Sunna for dinner and talked about plans (seeing as I might stay another year...still up in the air, though).
Here's the picture, seeing as some of you cannot access my facebook~~~
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