Oh. Hello, again.

Hi there, blog readers.

You know, every time I sit down to write one of these lengthy diatribes, something stops me--too many distractions in Korea I suppose. I got up early and readied myself for a day of teaching and then prepared my gym bag for BC tonight at 7 pm. I haven't been sweating on the gym floor since Friday morning. So I'm sitting in Starbucks, enjoying a cup of coffee and enjoying being relatively healthy.

Saturday I spent most of my time in a story meeting (finished the book I've been writing...now it's editing time siiiiiiiiighhhhhh). Then I went out with one of my friends, B, to a Shin Dig--a 50's and 60's music dance party. We stayed for a few hours and had fun singing to one another but then we went to Apgujeong to go meet up with some other friends and stayed out til 3 am. Not bad for a couple of old ladies. ^^

Sunday, B and I went to church. Since I have been in Korea ( A year and 9 months on Friday) I have not been fulfilled by a church in Seoul. They were all a little strange for me and I didn't feel at home. This church, while it wasn't Willow, was pretty great.
After the service, we went to lunch at The Flying Pan--a great restaurant near the church and our apartment building.

Now...in the background of all of this, I wasn't really feeling all that stupendous. I had some tummy issues. It started Saturday night...and didn't end until this morning. Praise Jesus, the Lord done set me free! ^^

So....my last entry was in April....it's now August...what has happened? Oh, ya know...nothing. ^^

Lost some more weight. Came back to the gym stronger than ever. Went on some reeeeeaaaallly terrible dates with Korean men. hahahaha Wrote a book. Found out two special people will be visiting Korea at the end of September/beginning of October. And I'm getting my life on track.

So yeah. I've been productive. Too productive to write about it apparently. Sorry for that. I could say that I will do better next time, but let's just be honest. I say that a lot. A lot a lot. I'll try to post as often as I can. That is about as much as I can.

Until the next time, faithful readers. Until next time.

Hugs and Kisses,

c

A Q&A Session, Brought to You by The Bubble Bath Goddess Herself

Hello lovelies.

So one of my nearest and dearest, Jess, wrote a blog entry centering around 11 questions and she tagged me to do the same. I haven't written on here in such a long time I figure it would be a welcome back moment.

But a quick update. I still love Korea. I am still working out. I am down 41 pounds since I arrived here a year and five months ago. And yes. Korean boys are still the best thing in the world. A friend posted on my facebook wall, reminding me to not discount the "American" hotties. I could only respond with, "They do nothing for me anymore." Sigh. Korean boys are hot. What can I say?

Anywho...the questions, yes?

Here are the rules to this game:

1. Post the rule. (done)

2. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their blog post.

3. Create 11 NEW questions to ask the people you've tagged.

4. Tag 11 people and link them to your post.

5. Let them know you've tagged them.

And now for my Q&A session...


1. What do you do for a living? Do you enjoy it or is it just a way to pay the bills?
I am an English teacher at an academy in Seoul, Korea. I love my job. And while I don't plan on doing it forever, it is a wonderful place to work. I love my school, my bosses, my co-workers and friends. It is paying the bills, yes, but it does much more than that. I love having conversations with my students about the things that excite them. Most of the time, they don't really want to learn English--it's something that their parents are pushing for, but I know that they see the value in what I do. So even on my worst days, I can always gain a sense of positivity.


2. If you went to college, what was your major? If not, what was your favorite subject in high school?
I majored in English Literature. When I started on my collegiate journey, I never thought that I would actually graduate. I thought I would coast through until I found someone to marry and then just do that. I changed my major a lot early on..theatre (never took one theatre class because I was too scared), business (because it was safe), and finally came to English--it was my best subject in high school and I have always enjoyed reading and writing stories. After a few classes, I was hooked. I don't regret any of my English classes because I met some of the most amazing people in my classes at Roosevelt, both students and professors. I couldn't imagine my life without them. It would honestly be unbearable.

3. What are the worst and best dates you've been on?
You might find this funny--at least I do--I have never really dated anyone. So keep reading the blog--you'll surely hear about it. I never made time for love or dating--mostly because I had a terrible sense of self-worth until I got to Korea. I have really been working on me, finding out why I have done some of the things that I have done in previous relationships and where I plan to be now and in the future. For the first time in my 32 years, I am open to love. I wasn't before. I kept myself closed off to the subject and kept my nose in books. Now, things are changing and I have confidence. And I may have a date soon...I'll keep you posted. ^^
4. Beach or mountains?
Beach. Even though I don't tan at all--I love living close to water. I grew up in Florida and when I lived in Chicago, I was two blocks away from Lake Michigan. Mountains are surely majestic, but they lack salty sea air, cries of seagulls, the soothing sand, and the roar of unpredictable waves. I do prefer the beaches in Cape Cod though--anytime you can wear a sweater on a beach, I'm a happy girl.

5. What is your favorite color?
Green. Any shade. I love green. It has nothing to do with money, or nature, for that matter. It just has this calming effect on me. Current nail color? Sparkly green. ^^

6. Do you have any pets?
Sometimes I think that he has me. hehe I have a doll faced persian kitty named Dresden. I adopted him almost a year ago and I love him. We snuggle. We play. He eats. ^^ He is a great companion. While it is true that it is harder to travel here when you have a pet, I have a good deal of friends who adore him and are willing to give him some food and water when I want to travel.

7. If you would have won the $656 million Mega Millions jackpot last week, what would you have down with all of that money?
What wouldn't I do? Seriously. Obviously pay off my student loans. Set up college funds for my niece and nephews. Pay off my parents bills/mortgages/etc. Buy some property in Korea--maybe Hannam-dong area. Donate money to charity. Pay off my sister's mortgages/debts/get her back into college. I would probably give a lot of it away. Invest in some companies. Travel, for sure. Mostly I would use it to serve other people. And buy some nice clothes. ^^ Perhaps buy a family vacation home on Cape Cod. I do miss the Cape.

8. Who is the biggest role model in your life?
There are too many to list. Obviously my parents--they have done the best they could with what they were given. My Papa Shea--he had such integrity. Kat. Obviously. She is so inspiring. She has transformed herself in such an amazing way. She truly lives with positivity and love. Christ. Of course. There shouldn't have to be an explanation there. And while I know that many people are going to roll their eyes, I have to say it: Choi Seung Hyun (TOP). The kid was fat. A really big dude. And he knew that if he wanted to become an idol, he had to change his life. And he did. And he writes about tremendously personal things in his songs and that takes courage to be able to let the world see your scars.

9. When you die, how do you want to be remembered?
I want to be remembered as someone who triumphed. Someone who did not flinch in the face of adversity. Someone who had passion. Someone who inspired others to create their own possibilities. Someone who lived with integrity. When I die, I want people to say, "Heaven got a little brighter." I want to leave this Earth brighter than when I entered it.

10. Do you have a favorite quote? If so, what is it?
I have many. I love William S. Burroughs line of "I don't care whether people like me or not. In fact, I assume that they don't. The question is whether they are in a position to do anything about it." Yes. It's kind of negative. But it got me through a rough time in my life. The best one though, is probably from my Dad, " Nobody counts how many times you get knocked down. Just how many times you don't get up."

11. What are you doing today?
Well...I went to Boot Camp this morning, I'm writing on this blog, I will hop in the shower, get ready for work, eat some lunch, go to work, teach, go home, eat dinner, clean my house a bit, and get ready for Thursday. Not very exciting, I know. But there are always nuggets of greatness within those kinds of days.

I'll update who I am going to tag a little later.


Live with greatness, everyone!

xox
c

Bloggity Blog Blog Blog

So report cards are due next week and what am I doing? Writing to you all. Feel worth it, damnit. Feel the worth.

That's an interesting thing--feeling the worth. Often we don't possibly understand our own worth because we measure our successes the way we count our credits and debits in our bank accounts. We love to degrade ourselves because it's funny or we think it makes us more humble. But does it really? Are we really better people when we refuse to understand what we are truly worth?

Anyway...

I've made a promise to myself that I am going to keep up with writing this blog, and so far, I've been doing a decent job at it. YAY for self-affirmation! Work is going well--it's almost Friday here and while I will be doing report cards for the bulk of the weekend, I plan on having a skype session with a good friend that I haven't seen since I've been in Korea (10 months, can you believe it?)

Dresden is fine, thanks for asking. I am almost done knitting his hoodie--however I am going to have to frog some of it come Sunday when I have my weekly knitting meet up with Bri because I jacked it up. Knitting patterns can be more difficult to read and comprehend than a Noam Chomsky book sometimes.

It's starting to get colder here, and thank God for that! I was dying this summer--I knew coming into this whole Korean experience that Korea has the winters of Chicago but the summers of Florida, and while I grew up in Hell's bastard brother of a state, I had forgotten some of the cardinal rules of living in humid conditions...like don't even try to wear any kind of make up because it will only melt like a demonized ice cream cone. Oh Florida, how I miss the people who inhabit you, but never you and your muggy self. You rat bastard.

I watched a documentary by Cameron Crowe this week, courtesy of Mr. Pockets, called Pearl Jam Twenty and I must say it was pretty damn interesting. I was always more on the Nirvana side of the "Nirvana-Pearl Jam debate," but in my later years I have been giving Eddie Vedder and Co. more credit than they probably should have gotten from me all along. Oh well, we live and learn, right?

It's been a pretty good week for communication for me too--I've talked to some of my really good friends from Florida as well as Illinois. I do miss home--but that is inevitable. When you're blessed to know so many amazing people it makes the heart ache for older days and yearns for reunification.

I suppose I have procrastinated enough on my report cards. Until the next post, dear readers.

xo
c

One Sassy Store. One Sassy Giveaway! Only from Three Sassy Sisters!

So my dear and lovely friends at Three Sassy Sisters are having another fabulous giveaway to celebrate their 900th sale! These ladies are amazing and so are their pet supplies! They have recently expanded to the dog lovers and have been a mainstay on Etsy for their cat-tastic toys and collars. Dresden actually rocks one of their collars and he LOOOOOOOVES his blazer mice. ^^ Especially since now that he got shaved, you can actually SEE his awesome shamrock collar.





















So how do you enter? Go to their blog and there are many different ways to get in on this sassy deal!

Happy pets make the world go round! ^^

xo
c

Last Post on July 12th?! Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Shea!

Hiho, Miss Christine here. So sorry about the delay--has it really been three months since my last blog entry?! Good Lord. I feel like I should be apologizing every time I enter onto blogger's site. Ahh negligence, the only true form of procrastin...ation.

So what has happened since July? Things have been busy busy busy at school. I still love my job and my co-workers--the kids are okay. ^^ heheh Kat moved out of our apartment building so I don't get to see her that much anymore. We have new teachers and they're rad. I turned 32. We had a vacation and I did a lot of knitting. I'm writing stories again (AWESOME!) and I have finally have a knitting buddy in Korea. I have done 2 5K's and I'm really enjoying the time that I get to go out and walk.

Yesterday I took Dresden to the Salon (aka The Vet) and now he has a lion cut. I thought they would have left more of the mane but he has this oval-ish face now and it's so stinking cute.

Here is a before shot, the morning of, no less...



And the aftermath....



He is so much happier about the hair being gone. Even when I adopted him on June 4th he didn't care for me grooming him on his back, near his tail. Now he is all sorts of free and quite lovey.

A few months back I had contemplated going home for Christmas and taking Dresden with me and then leave him at my Mom's house and then come back to Korea--that way he'll already be acclimated to "American culture" (har har) and I would be free to travel. I'm glad I decided against it--I don't think I would want to be without him.

My hair has gotten wicked long--I still haven't gone to get it cut here. I am rather apprehensive about going to a Korean salon because they don't really know how to cut foreigners' hair. Korean hair is pretty thick, so they normally get it thinned out. And while I usually get my hair thinned out because I have so much of it, I would rather just wait it out. Recent picture, you ask? Well, okay.



So yeah. I turned 32. I got fabulous presents from Mumsy, Jess and Jeremy, Joey, Kat, Sarah, Shane, Bri, and Ben. And three birthday cakes! ^^ I bought myself a new iPod Touch, an awesome pair of Ray Bans, and a fabulously fake Le Sport Sac purse.

I'm currently knitting Dresden a hoodie, so pictures will be up of that soon, but I did finish two scarves for my friends Brittany and Shane.

This one is Britt's


And this one is for Shane


Over the vacation I went around and took pictures of Seoul Tower, and hung out with Joey and his girlfriend Sam, who was visiting from Florida.















Most of these shots were taken with my iPod Touch with an app called "Camera +." It comes highly recommended.

So that's about it. Class is about to start so I had better scoot. Until the next three months.

Stay classy, Seoul and beyond. You've earned it.

xo
c

Insane Ramblings...What's A Girl To Do?

Intention can be a funny word...it brings into thought what you ought to do, what you meant to do, what you meant, or should have meant. I don't have many intentions these days. Nothing is done with a purpose--at least, I'm getting lost in the haze that is the process. Perhaps it's just Monsoon Season and I have too much water on the brain. Or maybe not enough coffee on the brain. In either case, my intentions are still lacking.

What my intentions are and what I actually manifest rarely ever align themselves, but at least I recognize this? Right? That's a step in the correct direction, if there is ever a correct direction...right? I spend too much time thinking in terms of right or wrong, as if everything is really that cut and dry, black and white, Edward and Jacob. Wait...what?

Last week was phenomenal. This week, I'm drowning. I'm questioning everything I do, I think, and say. What kind of life is it to constantly sit in inquiry and mull over the things you did, thought, and said? Yay to thinking in inquiry--and a big fat nay for the mulling of things. I know that we can only become better versions of ourselves if we sit and meditate and ask questions of ourselves--searching for understanding seems to be man's "groove." But to rip yourself to shreds is not apart of said groove.

I feel so far away from home right now and I'm not even talking about "family" home. I'm referring to "me" home. Perhaps I should rephrase that, the border patrol might pick me up for sounding like an immigrant. A few months ago I was soooo gung ho about what I wanted and who I was, and I feel like I've fallen into a tiny ravine. I'm pulling myself out of it, for sure--I can see the bright sunlight, hear the birds cheering me on, but I'm not there just yet.

I've noticed that when I am completely dissatisfied with my life, my living space becomes too cluttered--and last night I did an overhaul. Throwing out things that I neither need nor want and I feel 100 times better. So that's a positive thing. My Yia Yia once saw and episode of Dr. Phil and he said on the program that people who are terrible house keepers have something mentally wrong with them. I vehemently disagreed with her. But now I see where they may have a point. Having a cluttered mind translates to having a cluttered living space. You hold onto things that you don't need, because you're afraid that if you let go, then you'll drop everything that you've been holding onto. You know that you're not in any position to pick up anything else, but these things have grown attached to you, and you to them. So you hold on. Look for a bigger space so that you can put more things in places, but in all actuality, you're enabling yourself to hold on to more and more crap. When you just need to let go. Let go of the hurt, the shame, the guilt. Only when are arms are truly open can we receive the things we really want and need, not what we think we want and need.

I've been creating this curriculum for the JR high kids that asks the question, "Are we over medicating our kids?" And I came across a pretty interesting statistic--our brains do not fully mature until we're thirty. THIRTY! So it's no wonder that I don't have all of my shit completely straightened out yet--I'm just now getting to maturity! ^^ Oh humor, you never fail me.

I've started the "what the hell am I going to do after Korea" talks and I'm still at a loss. I yearn for stability and discipline but I can't seem to get my mind to understand that just because I have discipline doesn't mean that I can't have creativity. I'm working on this concept and it seems really easy to understand but I've had this block against discipline for so long that it brings Pink Floyd's "The Wall" to a whole new level.
The saga continues I suppose.

Who's up for some pictures?



This is a plate my sister can appreciate. ^^



Sandrich anyone?



This is the Starbucks in Insadong--it's the only one I know of that the sign is written in Korean. Holla!



Because we all need a little style...or styl even.



Does this font look familiar? Hello pirated Disney font!!

Sigh. Okay. I feel a little better. I'm seeing Harry Potter after work tonight so it's time to say "expelliarmus" to these crummy feelings.

xox
c

Holy Bloggerton, Batman!

Hoy Hoy Dear Readers,

All three of you... hehehe I keeed I keeed.

You know, I started this blog out with the intention of writing more and more, and lately it just hasn't been the case. In a matter of 4 days, yes, 4 days, I will have been in Korea for 7 months. SEVEN MONTHS! Can you believe it? Where has the time gone? Certainly not to blogging about it...Perhaps I should start again....

Why hello there, Dear Readers!

Much has been going on--most of it in the teaching area, but it has kept me from writing to you all. Apologies and beers all around.

School has kept me pretty busy, but I really enjoy it. I'm fairly certain I will be signing up for another year after my contract ends in January. It's an easy job (relatively, anyway) and I can make some pretty good money to pay off these pesky student loans. In the 7 months I have been here, I have been a play, helped a couple of causes that I believe in, worked out more, tried all sorts of different kinds of foods, experienced life in a different culture, been approved for an American Express card (Hooray! I'm Somebody!!), and I am currently undergoing the dreaded monsoon season. It's sunny right now, but the rain will come later tonight. Then we will have thunderstorms every day until Monday. Hooray? I don't dislike the rain, I just don't like it to rain EVERY day. We all deserve a little sunshine now and then. I'm told that when we get into the thick of Monsoon Season that the rain won't really cool anything off--it's just a hot, wet mess. ugh. There is a reason why I left Florida...hehe At least there aren't any alligators here, right? Right?! ^^

I haven't travelled anywhere as of yet--although many of my co-workers go to Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia for our holidays. I have been venturing in to Seoul and checking out the many different places. I even adopted a cat, which makes it a little harder to go travel for a week. In September we have another holiday (Chuseok--The Korean Thanksgiving) and we get an entire week off...I have decided that I will undergo lasik surgery so that I do not have to be dependent on my glasses and contacts anymore. I'm told that it will take a week to recover so it's a good thing that I will be doing this over the holiday. I do plan on going to places though--Vietnam is first on my list. I would also like to go to Cambodia and Japan, but Vietnam first.

In other news...I will be participating in my FIRST 5 K on July 17th!! Wish me luck! Granted, I will be walking it, so I may not need THAT much luck, but kind wishes are always appreciated. ^^ I live near Seoul National University of Education and they have a track that I can walk on at night. Because It is going to rain tonight, I just may go to the gym instead--but I seriously need to stretch my muscles. My best friend, Kat, and I went to a boot camp workout yesterday morning and BOY am I ever sore. Tuesday was "cardio" day and I nearly had cardio-failure. ^^ My calves, thighs, and obliques are KILLING ME. I still want to keep this momentum going though. I've gone down a pant size already since I've been here but I need to do more. ^^ Korean food is actually pretty heathy stuff so that is always nice. I generally don't eat foreign (i.e. American, Greek, Mexican, etc) food because well, for one thing it is expensive. You have to pay a VAT tax when purchasing meals at restaurants. Another reason I don't really dig the foreign food is that it simply isn't AS good as it is back home. I've adopted my Yia Yia's mantra of "why bother?" ^^ Of course, she would say this when she saw minimal christmas lights up around the neighborhood. :)


Anyway...it's time for some pictures, yeah?







The first is of the latest addition, Dresden Baptwo Shea--My friend Erica brilliantly quipped that I should post this picture around town with the words, "Dresden Disapproves." I love this face.



Picture two depicts some Korean kitty litter-- notice how the homeboy kitties are whipping it out--and checking each other's junk out...classic! "Oh Korea..."



This is a busy street in Myeongdog--a tremendous shopping area in Seoul.



This was taken around Buddha's birthday celebration. All of Seoul was covered with paper lanterns. It happened to rain on his birthday so many of the celebrations were cancelled.



This is a building that promises "viewtiful views!" heheh Gotta love the Konglish!


Anywho...I hope all is well with you and I will try to post more often.

xox
c