Blog award

I got this from Laura. She gave me an award. Now, I'm not entirely convinced that my blog is award-worthy, so I'm determined now to being worthy of this award.

Here are the rules:

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog.
2. List who gave the award to you and use a link to her blog (or hyperlink).
3. List 10 things that make you happy.
4. Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know about the award.

So here is Laura's blog- (which I love reading as it has my favorite people in it and great film reviews to boot). http://therecoveringdrifter.blogspot.com/

My 10 things that make me happy- in no particular order.

1. daisies- they're just so friendly
2. cooking at home- I guess I am a housewife at heart
3. a happy puppy in the morning- Tai definitely makes getting up at 630 better
4. friends- those whom I count as close friends are so cherished
5. chocolate chip cookies- I cannot lie, just thinking about them makes me happy (where, oh where is my oven?)
6. being able to finish a sewing project- I love the feeling of finishing something fabulous
7. Stumble (which I got from Diane)- as an Input person, I love having this installed on my work computer where i can learn all sorts of neat things just at a click of the mouse
8. photography- I've been on hiatus for awhile now, but I think I need to pick it back up, because it really does make me happy
9. travel- I love moving to new places and seeing new things. Looking forward to a trip to Busan in May and home in August!
10. recipes- finding new recipes is a hobby now, if only I would start trying them! I am happy when I find an interesting take on one of my favs (case in point- eggplant parmesan...so freaking delish and so much healthier than chicken parmesan fried up)

I give a blog award to-

Fed Up With Lunch: The School Lunch Project - fascinating read and shows a real concern for what kids are eating in school. http://fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com/

The Great PBJ Battle- one mom's account of healthier cooking vs. her kids - their option if they don't like dinner, a PBJ sandwich (blech). http://thegreatpbjbattle.blogspot.com/

Tai

Here he is, my new family member. Tai is a yorkshire terrier/shitzhu mix. He was abandoned in Seoul a couple weeks ago and I found his listing online. Met him yesterday and brought him home! He's so adorable, two months old, no health problems, quiet, cuddly, friendly, and pretty much the best dog I could have found. Enjoy!

Glad to be back

I spent three days this week at an orientation for GEPIK teachers. It was good, I learned some things, got some new ideas to implement in the classroom and made some new friends. But more importantly, I am SOOOOOO glad to be back at school. I missed my kids. Got a couple hugs today and really enjoyed my classes the last two days. I know that not every day will be like these, but I just have to say that I am happy to be back at school and teaching. I really am.

Black Day

Today is April 14th. Single Ladies Day in Korea. But it's not really a happy holiday. Today I'm supposed to go eat jjajjangmyeon out in public to let single men know that I am available. After which, said man is welcome to come share the food with me.

Yes, because I want a complete stranger coming and eating my black bean noodles...

So there's not much about this day that I do like. Really not. It's not like Valentine's Day isn't bad enough. So yes, let's throw in another day! Haha.

On this note, I had a date Saturday night. It was nice. Nice to actually have a date as it's been almost two years since I last had one. It was with a Korean guy I met a few weeks ago. Let's call him Nervous Guy. Because he definitely was. He took me out for dinner for his favorite dish- spicy chicken. Laura calls it 'crazy chicken' because, well, it is. Ddokdoritang is a very spicy dish and I think he was really surprised that I was able to eat it. Then we went out dancing at the West Coast Swing club that I really like. The biggest problem I had with the date was that he was REALLY nervous. I get it a little bit, I'm a foreign women, he doesn't really know any foreigners well (told me that) and had a strong case of "English sickness." It's a Korean thing where they get really ill (not sure if it's really physical or just psychological) when they are around foreigners and have to use English. But I still would have liked to go on a date with a Man...not a boy.

I do have to give Nervous Guy props for conducting the entire date in English. I know I couldn't conduct a date in Korean or French. But still. A guy should have some nerves of some kind when on a date. I felt like I was pushing for anything. Pulling teeth would have been easier. But it was still nice. Until we got out to Hongdae and met up with some of my friends to hear a band. I liked the music and didn't need to have a drink to relax, but Nervous Guy did. And did again, and again, and again. I'm not OK with that on a first date. A person shouldn't need a lot of alcohol to relax around someone. So I finished the date and then we parted ways. My friends and I got a taxi home and that was the end.

So it looks like I will be eating the jjajjangmyeon a bit longer at a table alone as I don't see this going further and it's been four days since the date and I've still not heard from him. Ce la vie.

new interests

I have a new interest...bloggers. I find it fascinating that people have the discipline and the motivation to blog regularly about a topic. For instance, there's a blog I now follow about school lunches in the US. I remember the school lunches from growing up, I even ate them occasionally when I substitute taught at my old Junior High in Herrick. But I take for granted how much healthier my school lunches are in Korea than they were back home. It's an interesting blog about a teacher who has determined to eat school lunches for an entire year, documenting it for the whole world (well, for those who follow her blog.)

http://fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com/

And let me tell you, the meals do NOT look appetizing. Ugh. Which brings me to my second new interest- Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. It just started back home and it's absolutely fascinating. Mind you, I'm basically in love with this man anyway. (Seriously Jamie, if you come to Korea, I would LOVE to have you come cook for me...just an FYI) I really enjoy his cooking shows and I've seen a couple specials before on his passion regarding wholesome eating. Bear in mind that he does love his food...it's not like he's trying to get people to eat celery and lettuce all the time. It's just all about using natural, fresh ingredients. Anyway, tangent there...his new show. It's about his effort in a town in Virginia which had been labeled as the unhealthiest town in the US (according to some research). The first two episodes have aired and it was all about him trying to make a difference in an elementary school. It was an eye-opener for me. I mean, I get that the schools do what they can with all the rules that the USDA throws down on them (we are notorious for our red-tape obsession back home, I have to admit), but to honestly feel that serving pizza for breakfast is a good idea...my God. And I know that my own childhood school district does the same thing. Anyway...So just to compare lunches.

My favorite school lunch when I was a kid was chili day. Big bowl of chili, fruit cocktail, peanut butter sandwich (for dipping) and carrot sticks (which I, of course, never ate). School lunch today: mixed veg and octopus soup (spicy) containing onion, potato, zucchini, sprouts and some green leafy thing, rice with beans (always a small portion because I'm trying to eat better), kimchi, greens in some sort of sesame oil...just enough to flavor it, and a side of pork (not fried) to dip into the best dipping sauce in korea (don't ask me the name, because I still have no idea, but it's what you get when you go for barbeque here...seriously, making my mouth water right now). I realize that chili is actually one of the healthier options on the public school menu at home, but compared to what I had today in Korea, there's no comparison for health benefits. Half of what I ate today was vegetables, a third was rice and the smallest portion was meat. That's pretty stinking awesome if you ask me. Maybe I should do something with this...maybe blog about my school lunches. After all, I do eat them five days a week. And my school lunches are pretty yummy. It's just too bad that they're really not pretty to look at most days! Haha. So that is what is consuming my free time at work these days. When I'm not prepping for classes, I'm reading and thinking about this.

My apartment...

I know I said I'd do this earlier...but did you honestly think I'd do it when I said I would? Yeah, probably not!

But here they are, pictures of my apartment. Facebook is being annoying with the photo option, so this is the best way.


Yes, those are rocket stickers on my windows...I'll never get them off.



My not-so-comfy couch, but give me a comforter and a pillow and it's passable.


My really tiny kitchen, but at least my washer has a built-in dryer!




The view from the back wall of my bedroom loft area...I hit my head every single day. Without fail.

Why is there a nook behind my bed...how is a bed supposed to work here anyway? It's weird and it does bother me.