flower child

Not counting the drugs and free love, I've always been drawn to the 1970s. So here I am, in the 2010s and always find myself torn between my inner flower child and the reality that I cannot actually be that girl. So I find little things that help me release her. I used to love putting flowers in my hair and have very recently decided that I want to wear them again. I went shopping for some last night and didn't find any that I liked and was willing to pay for. So what do you think I did? I went home and made some. I've got more ideas to work out on some new ones, but I like the messy quality of these. What do you think?

Five for Friday

It's been a bit of a strange week. No students all week long and not really much to do at school. Which I guess is nice, but it's just making time drag really. But it's time for my 5 for Friday. Here you go!



I started watching the miniseries on the BBC of a modern Sherlock. It's hilarious.



Skype makes life very easy living abroad. It's so cheap and can oftentimes just be free. I love it. I appreciate it so much this week in that a 3 hour phone call only cost me 4,000 won. :)



This week I have been really enjoying Katy Perry's Teenage Dream album. Can't help it and can't deny it.



Seriously twisted comedy. That's "The League of Gentlemen." So very funny and a good laugh. "Good morning Job Seekers!"



Daisies, daisies and more daisies. Spring has been tempting me all week and I can't wait for daisies to start popping up. They are definitely my favorite flower.

Happy Friday everyone!

Monday blues

I had an off day today.

First I found out that I do not get to teach with Mrs. Jang this year. She was awesome and I am going to miss her, even though she's just down the hallway with her 3rd grade homeroom class now. Instead I have to teach with Mrs. Eun, who does not speak any English and has told me through Juliet that she's not going to speak any English in class with me...which means I have to teach 3rd and 4th grade all alone basically. Thankfully the other two ladies, Juliet and Sunny, are really helpful and are translating all my class rules so I can do it alone. Yikes.

Then came food today...I woke up late, didn't get breakfast and forgot to pack a lunch. Went ahead and ordered lunch with the other teachers today and had to wait over an hour for it to arrive. It was WAY too spicy and made me feel sick in the afternoon. Then I had to go to a teacher's dinner tonight at Venice Buffet. Let's just start with the fact that I cannot eat my money's worth at a buffet at all. Especially a seafood/sushi buffet. Maybe if I actually liked sushi... No one talks to me at school dinners also. Juliet is always busy since she's the event planner for the teacher's club. Luckily I had my Kindle with me and I read for most of it. I think I feel blech because of the food I've had today. Eating out in Korea really doesn't agree with me much.

I really miss my friends today, no particular reason, I just do. A lot. Tomorrow I have to go to a training conference for the new text books...I wonder if it's going to be in English at all. I'll bring my iPod and Kindle just in case.

Today wasn't a total drag though. I did sew 3 things tonight. I went through my closet and pulled out things either I don't wear or things I don't really like. I have a pile of colorful clothes just waiting to be reborn into something else. Tonight I turned my only winter tunic into a really cute miniskirt and a lovely summer top with embroidery and crocheting into a cute little girl's dress. I'm thinking about holding onto it until I go back to New Zealand and give it to Alice...she'd look really cute in it. So here's the dress I made.




Front view



Back view...kinda boring



Close-up of the collar...I cut off most of the original collar and reconfigured it.



Cute button clasp. Amazingly enough, the button-hole setting on my machine worked for me tonight!

Now I just need to be around some little girl to have her model it instead of it lying on the floor. :)

5 things this week

I think this may be a good idea I have- to post each week 5 things that are making me happy. It's good to remind myself of the good things I have in life so I don't get down in the dumps.

So here you go- this week's top 5.



Two of my favorite West Coast dancers- Jordan Frisbee and Tatiana Mollman. I never tire of watching videos of them dancing and really hope to one day see them dance in person. Simply Ceroc is having them again this year in Wellington in September or October...maybe I can see them this year!



Applesauce is cooking on my stovetop as I write this. Have you ever smelled applesauce cooking? It's intoxicating. I love it, and I can't wait to take it to school for a snack this week.



How can you be sad or gloomy when you're wearing these shoes? You can't, I'm telling you. I got them yesterday and I'm looking forward to wearing them when I leave my apartment today...yes, I'm still at home at nearly 4pm...



Basil is probably my favorite herb (can you have a favorite?) and I planted some more last week. It's sprouting now! It's nice to know I don't kill every plant I come in contact with.




This is another thing I bought yesterday...it's so bright and cheerful. I'm ready for spring to come to Korea and to be able to wear bright colors again. I tried on so many cheerful little dresses and tops yesterday (but didn't buy too much). It makes me feel good to even try on something super cheerful. And the bright colors continue for me. I'm tired of black and brown and orange...I'm through with them. Give me red, or green, or bright purple.

confession...

I may have a problem...

Sometimes I just can't help myself.

Ok, so it's more often than sometimes...

It's an everyday occurrence.

I dance...a lot.



It's hard to explain why, but I just can't help it.

I spend a lot of time listening to my ipod here in Korea and I just can't resist tapping my toes, tossing my head, shimmying my shoulders or running through a few West Coast Swing steps...

On the bus, walking to my home, sitting at my desk, cleaning my classroom...I do it everywhere!

I must look like a complete idiot sometimes doing this, but guess what?

I

DON'T

CARE!

My students think I'm crazy, my co-teachers probably do as well, but ya know what?

Dancing makes me soooo happy.

Along with dancing thing, I also have a thing for pop music. It's good to dance to, currently I'm listening to Katy Perry's Teenage Dream album and dancing in my desk chair. I can't wait to get home and turn it up really loud and dance around my apartment with no inhibition.

I always wonder how people can listen to their ipods here (and sooo many people have them) without enjoying the music. They usually all look pretty bored. What do they listen to then? Geez.

Valentine's Day

So I got to school today and discovered that I don't have to teach at all today. I am an avid detester of Valentine's Day, but I stumbled onto this image earlier and needed to share it.

I like the analogy of life as a puzzle- there are lot's of pieces and many people who fit into the puzzle that is my life. You know who you are- I love each and every one of you. So happy V-day from a piece of your puzzle.

Organized and ready to create

This has been a strange weekend. I feel a little lost and without much to do. My new class in my MAED program is really easy, so I get most of my weekend back to myself. Friday night I had curry with Mari and caught up. Friday night I woke up twice in the night because of my cold and couldn't sleep for ages. Saturday morning I was bored, so I redesigned this blog, chatted with Doug and spent the afternoon on the couch before boredom drove me to Gangnam for dancing. That was fun, I always enjoy dancing.

Today I was bored a lot again. Caught up with Mom and Dad, then caught up with folks back in New Zealand, made lunch, reorganized my spice cabinet, organized my sewing and craft supplies, did my homework, planted seeds, considered a walk (but it's really cold today), watched League of Gentlemen and now it's 8:17pm and I have nothing to do for the next couple of hours before I go to sleep. What is wrong with me? Seriously, there's gotta be something wrong here. I used to spend my weekends in my pajamas and lazing about without any qualms. This weekend? I'm antsy and easily distracted to the point where I'm driving myself crazy. Anyway- here are my pictures of my organized sewing desk and craft storage spaces...I'm all ready to do some creative stuff...just as soon as I can decide what to do.

I have to be careful with myself in this state of boredom. If you're wondering why I don't just go out- if I go out like this, I'll end up shopping and buying things I don't need at all. Since I'm trying to save as much as possible the next few months, this would be highly detrimental. Let's hope I can keep myself occupied without going crazy. :)

My Six favorite things this week.

Having just gotten back to South Korea from 3 weeks in New Zealand, I'm finding it dreary here with all the grey and gloom that is a Korean winter. So here are the things that are cheering me up this week. Many of them are NZ inspired.

redesign

I'm going to redesign this blog...

I use this as an outlet to whine about things, but I think it's time to change it or delete it. So we're going to try to change it first.

I will spend the weekend hashing this out and expect something new next week. I have so many interests and I spend so much time online looking and learning things, but I don't do anything about it. I need a place where I can share what I'm passionate about and the things that bring me joy in life. Because I do have a joyful life, there are so many wonderful things happening around me that I should be sharing. The raindrops will be gone very soon.

:)

vacation downfall

The worst thing about a vacation is the fact that it ends. I suppose it wouldn't be a bad thing to have end if it was terrible. But when you have a wonderful, fabulous, amazingly awesome vacation in a beautiful place, it REALLY sucks to come back to reality. That is what I have right now. Coming down off the high I've been on for the last 3 weeks (and bigger the last week I was in New Zealand-more to follow later) has been pretty terrible the last 24 hours.

Going back to NZ was one of the best decisions I've made in awhile. It was an amazing trip for many reasons. I feel like if I had gone earlier in the year, I might have had a bad time because of where I was personally. Not properly dealing with my brother's death for nearly 6 months brought me to a new low I didn't know was possible over the holiday season. I was worried about myself and finally started taking care of myself after Christmas. I needed to do this in order to find myself again. Thanks Laila for helping me confront it and start finding Debs again. (I think I found her hiding in New Zealand). Being able to go on this trip without this huge cloud covering me made a difference. I'll never forget my brother, but I realized that I need to start living again.

Seeing old friends in Nelson was a blessing I cannot describe...there weren't too many people who kept in touch with me when I left NZ last February, but those who did are true friends. I loved catching up with them and talking about my plans to move back there.

Part of the whole "living-my-life" bit has been a decision-making process and a trip to be honest with myself and figure out what I want out of life. I know what I want now. I want to live in NZ, have a garden, maybe some chickens, live a quiet life with people I love around me in a place that I can't imagine leaving. And yes, that place is definitely Nelson.

Not only was it great seeing old friends from Nelson, but it was a time for new friendships and relationships as well. Marianne Brooks is a new friend whom I can't wait to hang out with more when I go back. Doug Brooks is a much better friend now, as close as a brother really (which may be why I punch him a lot). Alice, their daughter, is just an adorable little girl who is in the ranks of the cutest kids I love.

Now for the reason why my last week in NZ put me over the moon. For months now I've been hearing about schemes from Laura and Doug concerning me and some guy named Jeff. For months Doug has been telling me tidbits about his brother and Laura has been telling me how similar we are. Well, we are very similar. We also get along really well, and the last week I was there something special happened. (No, not THAT something...lol.) I made an amazing connection with someone I had only just met and after spending my last night there talking with him until 6 am, I realized I did not want to leave, but I wanted to stay and see where this went. He waited with me at the airport that night and getting on that plane was one of the hardest things I've done in awhile. I don't want to lost what has happened during this time and I think things will sort out somehow for us to keep growing in our relationship. We're not dating technically, but we're getting to know each other. Something I can't wait to continue doing. That's the high I'm coming off of. That's why I feel a bit sad and happy at the same time. That's why I didn't want to come back to Korea.

I'm home though, got Tai back home and about to sleep before work tomorrow. I will post some pictures either tomorrow or Thursday, but all this traveling makes me tired and I just want to cuddle with my puppy and have lovely dreams about New Zealand. Gnite all!