Garak Market, Seoul

December 11, 2010
Thumbnail image for Garak Market, Seoul

I love the markets in Korea. Markets in America = Wal-Mart (unless you want to argue about a three person farmer’s market that might come once a week).  In Korea, markets are intense with people selling all kinds of foods… vegetables, beef, pig heads, dogs, etc. This is Garak Market in the South of Seoul. [...]

Tagged as: ,

Read the full article →

my happiness chart

December 8, 2010
Thumbnail image for my happiness chart

If you’ve known me longer than 5 minutes, then you’ve most likely been forced to look at one of my many spreadsheets.  I put everything in spreadsheets: from simple things like bills and weight loss to more complex equations like which city to move to and what camera to buy. When I read GRETCHEN! Rubin’s [...]

Tagged as: , ,

Read the full article →

Kpop review: T-ara’s great song, horrible video, and indian outfits

December 6, 2010
Thumbnail image for Kpop review: T-ara’s great song, horrible video, and indian outfits

I love T-ara.  Their first album had more good songs than most Kpop groups or American pop singers put out in 3 years (see Like the First Time, I Go Crazy Because of You, I’m Really Hurt, Bo Peep Bo Peep, Apple is A, and TTL)… even my Mom likes to break down with the [...]

Tagged as: ,

Read the full article →

Movie review: The Housemaid (하녀)

November 30, 2010
Thumbnail image for Movie review: The Housemaid (하녀)

Overall grade: 95 Acting: 4/5 Directing: 5/5 Writing: 5/5 Filming: 5/5 I finally got around to seeing The Housemaid (2010). Before talking about the movie, I must encourage everyone to watch the first 5 minutes.  It is one of the best dissections of Korean night life I’ve ever seen. As for the movie, it was [...]

Tagged as: , , ,

Read the full article →

Korean night life; The Housemaid (하녀)

November 29, 2010
Thumbnail image for Korean night life; The Housemaid (하녀)

I finally got around to seeing The Housemaid (2010).  Before talking about the movie, I have to encourage people to watch the first 5 minutes.  It is one of the best dissections of Korean night life I’ve ever seen. It has almost everything: singing rooms, fish restaurants, barbecue coals, ahjummas doing back-breaking work, ahjummas speed [...]

Tagged as: , , , ,

Read the full article →

the hula hooping hallabeoji (the hula hooping grandpa)

November 28, 2010
Thumbnail image for the hula hooping hallabeoji (the hula hooping grandpa)

A few days ago I was with some friends while a TV was on in the background.  Midway through some Christian telling me how Howard Zinn couldn’t possibly be a Christian (I assume due to his anti-war, anti-poverty, and anti-slavery positions), I was given the opportunity to completely tune the guy out (allowing him, the [...]

Tagged as: , , , ,

Read the full article →

Changdeokgoong… again

November 22, 2010
Thumbnail image for Changdeokgoong… again

By chance (i.e., human error) I was able to go back to the moonlight tour of Changdeokgoong (Changdeok Palace) with a couple of friends.  Changdeokgoong was one of the main palaces of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897).  It was completed in 1412, and while only 30% of the original palace remains, it is still a sight [...]

Tagged as: , ,

Read the full article →

book review: The Korean War by Bruce Cumings

November 18, 2010
Thumbnail image for book review: The Korean War by Bruce Cumings

Bruce Cumings’ The Korean War: A History (July 2010) is worth a read if you’re looking for a quick (288 pages) primer. The Korean War (1950-1953) is often referred to as the Forgotten War… and for good reason.  There’s not much good to come out of it on the American side (we lost, we helped [...]

Tagged as: , ,

Read the full article →

turning 31

November 14, 2010
Thumbnail image for turning 31

31 is my favorite number.  And 31 is the birthday I’ve been waiting for for years.  Last year I wrote how excited I was to turn 30, and that was true… I couldn’t wait to be liberated from the terrible twenties.  But the big one for me is 31. This last year has been very [...]

Tagged as: , ,

Read the full article →

my favorite small camera — Canon s90/s95

November 12, 2010
Thumbnail image for my favorite small camera — Canon s90/s95

I love helping people with technology decisions.  Rather, I love spewing my opinions onto anyone who mentions anything remotely related to a technology decision.  This being said, I cannot believe I haven’t mentioned my camera until now. When I got back from the Philippines last Spring, I was so upset because I had to get [...]

Tagged as: , , ,

Read the full article →

current status

November 9, 2010
Thumbnail image for current status

I have been rather busy lately.  I started studying Korean at a private academy (or hagwon), which has taken all of my money and all of my time.  But, I’m really enjoying it. I am thinking of buying a new camera and I can’t decide on the Canon 60D or the Nikon d7000.  The Nikon [...]

Tagged as: , , , , ,

Read the full article →

Kpop countdown: Girls Generation — Hoot

November 3, 2010
Thumbnail image for Kpop countdown: Girls Generation — Hoot

When I first moved to Korea over a year ago, I did not understand all the cuteness.  Now, after succumbing to Oh! and Balloons (quite possibly the cutest thing ever) and countless other cute things, I think it’s time I fully embraced my love of Korean cuteness. I love Girls Generation‘s new video, Hoot.  It bothered [...]

Tagged as: , , , ,

Read the full article →

Nami Island

November 1, 2010
Thumbnail image for Nami Island

I went to Nami Island this weekend with two friends (who write the very funny and frank blog, Shotgun Korea). I love the Fall.  It is my favorite season, and so happy that I get to see beautiful places like this.  The only drawback was that out of the 5,488 people there, I was evidently [...]

Tagged as: , , ,

Read the full article →

the happiness project: 5 things I’ve learned about being happy

October 28, 2010
Thumbnail image for the happiness project: 5 things I’ve learned about being happy

Cousin Emily suggested I read Gretchen Rubin’s book The Happiness Project ($15 @ Barnes & Noble).  It is a book about the author’s one year project to make herself happier. As GRETCHEN! says (she’s so high-strung I can only think of her in ALLCAPS and exclamation points), sometimes we aren’t happy doing the things that [...]

Tagged as: , , , , ,

Read the full article →

Buseok Temple — beautiful temple from 676 AD

October 27, 2010
Thumbnail image for Buseok Temple — beautiful temple from 676 AD

I went to Buseoksa (or Buseok Temple)… it was incredible.  It is one of the most beautiful temples I’ve seen in Korea (along with Naksansa and Donghwasa) sitting in the beautiful mountains of the Northern Gyeongsang province. The history of the temple is quite impressive.  It was originally built in 676 AD during the Silla Dynasty [...]

Tagged as: , , , , ,

Read the full article →

moonlight tour of Changdeok Palace

October 26, 2010
Thumbnail image for moonlight tour of Changdeok Palace

I had the rare opportunity to visit Changdeok Palace at night.  The Palace is normally closed at night as it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has limited electricity.  It was one of the best things I’ve done since moving to Korea.  It was incredible. They only allowed 100 people in this tour, and [...]

Tagged as: , ,

Read the full article →

Westernophobia

October 18, 2010
Thumbnail image for Westernophobia

It’s no secret that I’m afraid of other Westerners (i.e., white people) in Korea.  I don’t like being around them, and I try to avoid them most of the time. I know I’m missing out on a lot of potentially great friendships, but I’ve had some bad experiences… The two hours before my Korean language class, [...]

Tagged as: , , , ,

Read the full article →

sibpalgi military performance at Namhansan Fortress (video)

October 17, 2010
Thumbnail image for sibpalgi military performance at Namhansan Fortress (video)

After my plans of going to the countryside were thwarted by thousands of festival-goers, I quickly went online to find the nearest cultural landmark to my house (one great thing about Korea is that you’re almost never more than a few minutes away from a National Treasure, temple, or cultural asset). So, I went to [...]

Tagged as: ,

Read the full article →

MSG and me

October 13, 2010
Thumbnail image for MSG and me

I have never known what MSG was.  I knew through osmosis that it was supposed to be really bad for you, and I just assumed that the trial lawyers had taken care of the “problem.” I never imagined that it would be sold in the grocery store by my house and I never imagined that [...]

Tagged as: , , ,

Read the full article →

2NE1: Can’t Nobody video

October 6, 2010
Thumbnail image for 2NE1: Can’t Nobody video

Can’t Nobody is my new favorite Kpop song.  I got the 2NE1 CD a few weeks ago (along with a poster and school folder!), but am just now really listening to it. I love it… it’s fun, it’s catchy… and it’s much more interesting than most girl groups in Korea.

Tagged as: , ,

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →

UA-10342496-1