...for a boyfriend/best friend who can make me feel like a kid again despite a dumpy week.
This was recorded last week. Enjoy my mad bball skills.
I'm thankful...
2.28.2011
2.27.2011
Last week was supposed to be productive: I had an interview with a blacksmith-turned-pizza-maker for an article I am working on, I was supposed to begin my intensive Korean-language studying, I had many fun blog posts lined up and I had an entire list of things to do before my mom arrives Wednesday!
Well, all that went down the drain when I lost my wallet on Monday. I spent the day with Jamie in Hongdae as we walked around, window shopped and ate in the beautiful (& warm!) weather. But sometime after dinner and before I reached into my purse to grab my wallet at the convenience store did my wallet meet its doomed fate. By the time I realized it was gone, it was already 9:30 p.m. and too late for me to go back to Hongdae before everything closed. I called the restaurant that night with no luck, so the next day, I decided I'd retrace my every step after work.
[In Hongdae when all was good, aka before I lost my wallet]
[The sun was beautiful that day!]
[The last place I used/saw my wallet]
[That yellow stuff isn't mustard; it's delicious egg oozing over :)]
With high hopes the next day, I set off, determined I'd find my wallet. What encouraged me more was everyone telling me that it's highly unlikely someone stole it. If it's lost, I should expect it in the mail.
Let me just tell you, it has been a week since then and I'm still walletless and my mailbox is empty -___-
Anywho, after about 2 hours of searching, I went to the visitor information office, where a nice woman offered to call the local police station to see if anyone turned it in there. The station was closed, so she asked me to come back the next day. Meanwhile, I called every subway station's lost & found office, but nada.
The next day (Wednesday), I went back to Hongdae only to be told they do not have my wallet. By Thursday, I was so exhausted from all the dead-ends and sulking that I finally decided to do something about it. I went to the bank to get a replacement card, so that I could access my account, but then, they informed me that I needed my identification card to do so. I explained to them that my ID was also in my wallet and in order to get a new one, I'd need money, which I can only access with a new bank card. They kind of shrugged me off and said "tough luck." By the way, is it just me or are all banks around the world just impossible??
[Or if that doesn't work, you can always go to the local park to blow off some steam]
Generously, Mark lent me some money to do everything I needed to do and on Friday, I went to the immigration office to get my replacement ID card. I had to wait a few hours (the experience is comparable to a day at the DMV, except the employees are much more pleasant) but as soon as I got my new ID, I rushed over to the nearest KB Star bank. Unfortunately, it was 4:10 by the time I reached one and they closed at 4 p.m.
To avoid getting extremely frustrated, I kept reminding myself that at least I got my ID card because that requires the longest process anyway.
It's Monday now, my mom is due in two days and I've not prepped at all, still no wallet, interview for my article was canceled, no new bank card yet and I haven't had access to my account in order to buy a Korean book.
But it's a new week and sometimes all we need is a new start. Cheers to another Monday!
PS- As you can see, no matter how bad the week is, it's not going to stop me from playing! :D
Well, all that went down the drain when I lost my wallet on Monday. I spent the day with Jamie in Hongdae as we walked around, window shopped and ate in the beautiful (& warm!) weather. But sometime after dinner and before I reached into my purse to grab my wallet at the convenience store did my wallet meet its doomed fate. By the time I realized it was gone, it was already 9:30 p.m. and too late for me to go back to Hongdae before everything closed. I called the restaurant that night with no luck, so the next day, I decided I'd retrace my every step after work.
[Jamie's attempt at giving the decal a new head]
[In Hongdae when all was good, aka before I lost my wallet]
[The sun was beautiful that day!]
[The last place I used/saw my wallet]
[That yellow stuff isn't mustard; it's delicious egg oozing over :)]
With high hopes the next day, I set off, determined I'd find my wallet. What encouraged me more was everyone telling me that it's highly unlikely someone stole it. If it's lost, I should expect it in the mail.
Let me just tell you, it has been a week since then and I'm still walletless and my mailbox is empty -___-
Anywho, after about 2 hours of searching, I went to the visitor information office, where a nice woman offered to call the local police station to see if anyone turned it in there. The station was closed, so she asked me to come back the next day. Meanwhile, I called every subway station's lost & found office, but nada.
The next day (Wednesday), I went back to Hongdae only to be told they do not have my wallet. By Thursday, I was so exhausted from all the dead-ends and sulking that I finally decided to do something about it. I went to the bank to get a replacement card, so that I could access my account, but then, they informed me that I needed my identification card to do so. I explained to them that my ID was also in my wallet and in order to get a new one, I'd need money, which I can only access with a new bank card. They kind of shrugged me off and said "tough luck." By the way, is it just me or are all banks around the world just impossible??
[Sometimes the best remedy to a bad day is an evening at a cafe with your love, a good book and some ice cream]
[Or if that doesn't work, you can always go to the local park to blow off some steam]
Generously, Mark lent me some money to do everything I needed to do and on Friday, I went to the immigration office to get my replacement ID card. I had to wait a few hours (the experience is comparable to a day at the DMV, except the employees are much more pleasant) but as soon as I got my new ID, I rushed over to the nearest KB Star bank. Unfortunately, it was 4:10 by the time I reached one and they closed at 4 p.m.
To avoid getting extremely frustrated, I kept reminding myself that at least I got my ID card because that requires the longest process anyway.
It's Monday now, my mom is due in two days and I've not prepped at all, still no wallet, interview for my article was canceled, no new bank card yet and I haven't had access to my account in order to buy a Korean book.
But it's a new week and sometimes all we need is a new start. Cheers to another Monday!
PS- As you can see, no matter how bad the week is, it's not going to stop me from playing! :D
2.21.2011
No matter how beautiful the day is or how bright the sun shines, any day can take a sudden turn for the worst when you've lost you're wallet in a foreign country.
So tonight begins my retracing of steps...
Wish me luck!
So tonight begins my retracing of steps...
Wish me luck!
2.15.2011
Sometimes words aren't necessary to capture what a cool city I live in. Enjoy...
2.13.2011
Happy Birthday, Mark!
Mark's 24th birthday was this past Saturday and it turned out to be really, really great! On Saturday morning, he video chatted with his family while opening his birthday gift, which was a combined effort of his parents, siblings, me and Jamie: the Panasonic Lumix GF1. He's been wanting it for awhile now but hasn't had the extra funds to purchase it. In fact, he was planning on using whatever birthday money he could get to buy the camera, so it worked out perfectly. He had absolutely no idea and his reaction was priceless. Here's the video below:
[On the way to lunch, we spotted people playing the Korean traditional game Yut!]
[Mark loves his camera!]
[Our DELICIOUS Gorgonzola cheese pizza served with honey..mmmm!]
[Introducing the new street photographer: Mark Ratto]
[Yep, that's right, that's a poop-shaped red bean pastry]
[Ssamzie-gil in Insadong]
[Marking our territory]
For dinner, we met up with his Korean co-teachers for some delicious Korean BBQ. They were all so sweet and wonderful...it was really neat to see what kind of people Mark works with everyday. There was Sue Teacher, Goldie Teacher, Judy Teacher, Flora Teacher and his vice principal Kay Teacher. They all love Mark so much that even though they had a 9-hour workday on a Saturday no less, they still came out to celebrate :)
When asked why they came out, they said they did it because "Mark is so wonderful" and "we love him." They love him so much they even got him some hand cream, lip balm and face wash from Etude House, a frilly, as-girly-as-you-can-get pink cosmetic store.
Although nothing is better than spending a birthday with your friends and family from home, we had a very jam-packed, fun-filled day spent with great people. I think Mark was beyond satisfied with his birthday celebration!
Until next time, bisous xoxo
PS- Here are the rest of the pics from Mark's bday!
Mark's 24th birthday was this past Saturday and it turned out to be really, really great! On Saturday morning, he video chatted with his family while opening his birthday gift, which was a combined effort of his parents, siblings, me and Jamie: the Panasonic Lumix GF1. He's been wanting it for awhile now but hasn't had the extra funds to purchase it. In fact, he was planning on using whatever birthday money he could get to buy the camera, so it worked out perfectly. He had absolutely no idea and his reaction was priceless. Here's the video below:
Mark's Reaction from Elysabeth on Vimeo.
He finished chatting with them around 11, so we headed to Bukcheon-dong for some delicious pizza. We ended up eating, sitting and talking for 2 1/2 hours, bringing me back to my days in France where 4-hour meals were the norm. After that, we walked around the area, looking at all the wonderful hanoks (traditional Korean houses) and then, we headed to Insadong, which is touristy but a great place to walk around and people watch.
[His delicious birthday cake courtesy of Jamie!]
[On the way to lunch, we spotted people playing the Korean traditional game Yut!]
[Mark loves his camera!]
[Our DELICIOUS Gorgonzola cheese pizza served with honey..mmmm!]
[Introducing the new street photographer: Mark Ratto]
[Yep, that's right, that's a poop-shaped red bean pastry]
[Ssamzie-gil in Insadong]
[Marking our territory]
For dinner, we met up with his Korean co-teachers for some delicious Korean BBQ. They were all so sweet and wonderful...it was really neat to see what kind of people Mark works with everyday. There was Sue Teacher, Goldie Teacher, Judy Teacher, Flora Teacher and his vice principal Kay Teacher. They all love Mark so much that even though they had a 9-hour workday on a Saturday no less, they still came out to celebrate :)
When asked why they came out, they said they did it because "Mark is so wonderful" and "we love him." They love him so much they even got him some hand cream, lip balm and face wash from Etude House, a frilly, as-girly-as-you-can-get pink cosmetic store.
[@ Wara Wara with his coworkers]
Although nothing is better than spending a birthday with your friends and family from home, we had a very jam-packed, fun-filled day spent with great people. I think Mark was beyond satisfied with his birthday celebration!
Until next time, bisous xoxo
PS- Here are the rest of the pics from Mark's bday!
2.09.2011
Last week was Lunar New Year, so my dad and brother came up from Busan to spend time with the family. I had to work, which was kind of a bummer (but not really since I only work twice a week for 2 hours), but everyone had work off after Tuesday. Jamie flew off to Japan just a few days after returning from Thailand and Mark was using his time off by doing absolutely nothing. Just kidding, he did do something...he watched some ESPN online. ;)
The week was beautiful. Warmer weather graced Seoul with a very short presence (it's already cold again), which allowed me to go on a few runs along the river...something I've been dying to do since winter started. I'm beginning to feel like a hamster in one of those balls at the gym. On Wednesday and Thursday, I went to my grandma's house. Wednesday was the day of preparation while Thursday was when everyone (all my aunts, uncles and cousins) came over. I was bummed that I had to leave early to start researching the night's news, but I was thankful to get some of that delicious food in my tummy before I left. And it's always fun hanging out with the family...they're all characters!
[Mealtime with half of the family on Thursday morning]
On Friday, dad and bro went back to Busan while Mark and I welcomed Jamie home from Japan. That evening, we went out to Hongdae with one of Jamie's college friends, Jason, who travels to Korea often for business. We all hung out together when Mark and I first got here, so it was really cool to see him again four months later. Reminiscing about our first weekend in Seoul made me feel like I'm a completely different person from just four months ago...weird huh?
[Jamie's laughing at Mark. Mark's scowling at Jamie. Jason's tired. Typical Friday night.]
The rest of the weekend was just as pleasant. I spent most of Saturday watching movies at home until I met up with Mark to go ice skating in Gwanghwamun, which was an interesting experience to say the least. The city builds an outdoor skating rink every winter near city hall; there's no admission fee, only a $1 rental fee. The rental skates were literally roller skates with rusty butter knives as blades...no joke. Mark thought I was going to bust out all of my Michelle Kwan moves but I was just as much of a beginner as anyone else that night!
[Itaewon at night]
And Sunday was special because it was my first day tutoring a 10-year-old boy in English! It went really well and I'll be seeing him twice a week until April, which is when he goes to Germany for international school. He's really small and cute and gets bored really quickly, reminding me a lot of my youngest brother Robert. Tee hee hee ;)
All in all, a very relaxing weekend, which can only mean a very refreshing start of the week! And that has most definitely been the case so far.
I hope all of you have had a great first half of the week. Until next time, bisous xoxo...
The week was beautiful. Warmer weather graced Seoul with a very short presence (it's already cold again), which allowed me to go on a few runs along the river...something I've been dying to do since winter started. I'm beginning to feel like a hamster in one of those balls at the gym. On Wednesday and Thursday, I went to my grandma's house. Wednesday was the day of preparation while Thursday was when everyone (all my aunts, uncles and cousins) came over. I was bummed that I had to leave early to start researching the night's news, but I was thankful to get some of that delicious food in my tummy before I left. And it's always fun hanging out with the family...they're all characters!
[30 degree weather isn't stopping me from running around!
By the way, that's ice at the bottom of the photo -___-]
By the way, that's ice at the bottom of the photo -___-]
[Mealtime with half of the family on Thursday morning]
On Friday, dad and bro went back to Busan while Mark and I welcomed Jamie home from Japan. That evening, we went out to Hongdae with one of Jamie's college friends, Jason, who travels to Korea often for business. We all hung out together when Mark and I first got here, so it was really cool to see him again four months later. Reminiscing about our first weekend in Seoul made me feel like I'm a completely different person from just four months ago...weird huh?
[Jamie and Jason deciding what we're going to eat]
[Jamie's laughing at Mark. Mark's scowling at Jamie. Jason's tired. Typical Friday night.]
The rest of the weekend was just as pleasant. I spent most of Saturday watching movies at home until I met up with Mark to go ice skating in Gwanghwamun, which was an interesting experience to say the least. The city builds an outdoor skating rink every winter near city hall; there's no admission fee, only a $1 rental fee. The rental skates were literally roller skates with rusty butter knives as blades...no joke. Mark thought I was going to bust out all of my Michelle Kwan moves but I was just as much of a beginner as anyone else that night!
[Itaewon at night]
And Sunday was special because it was my first day tutoring a 10-year-old boy in English! It went really well and I'll be seeing him twice a week until April, which is when he goes to Germany for international school. He's really small and cute and gets bored really quickly, reminding me a lot of my youngest brother Robert. Tee hee hee ;)
All in all, a very relaxing weekend, which can only mean a very refreshing start of the week! And that has most definitely been the case so far.
I hope all of you have had a great first half of the week. Until next time, bisous xoxo...
2.08.2011
After many requests from friends and family and an equal amount of refusals on my part, I finally caved in and posted a sound clip of what I do at the radio station.
For those of you who don't know, I report on international news on TBS eFM's The Evening Show every Tuesday and Thursday. I just started doing the news segment a couple weeks ago. But before that, I co-hosted a segment every night on the same show called "The Bigger Picture."
This clip is from Tuesday night's show. Enjoy! (and remember: be nice...tee hee hee)
2.8.11 International News by elysabeth8
For those of you who don't know, I report on international news on TBS eFM's The Evening Show every Tuesday and Thursday. I just started doing the news segment a couple weeks ago. But before that, I co-hosted a segment every night on the same show called "The Bigger Picture."
This clip is from Tuesday night's show. Enjoy! (and remember: be nice...tee hee hee)
2.8.11 International News by elysabeth8
2.06.2011
I know, I know what you're thinking. "Can they get any bigger!? ;) Oh, and excuse the sour face, I was extremely bored from being indoors all weekend and I missed the 3-2-1 count on Photobooth. haha
I've been needing a new pair of glasses for about a year now, but I never got around to it in California. Well, little did I know that in Korea, you can walk in, buy glasses, take an eye exam and walk out with a new pair in 30 minutes for $20. Not bad, eh?
I may just have to get myself a pair for every day of the week....
Kidding.
...kinda.
I've been needing a new pair of glasses for about a year now, but I never got around to it in California. Well, little did I know that in Korea, you can walk in, buy glasses, take an eye exam and walk out with a new pair in 30 minutes for $20. Not bad, eh?
I may just have to get myself a pair for every day of the week....
Kidding.
...kinda.
Some new hobbies of 2011
Now that I'm only at the radio station twice a week as opposed to every night, I have even more time on my hands. Rather than sitting in front of my computer or window-shopping (two of my vices), I've devoted more time to being creative. Not only am I trying to write more frequently (I'm shooting for every day!), I'm also exploring other creative outlets like music and art. Art has never been a strength of mine...I managed to keep my drawing abilities looking "average" until middle school, where people really began honing in on their natural talents. Rather than embarrass myself by trying to draw something more than a fancy stick figure, I decided to completely neglect any forms of drawing or painting...until now that is.
My love, Mark, is working on a really neat project and the other evening when it was too cold to be outside, we decided to get some pastels, paper and sketch away. It was a lot of fun too! We probably spent a few hours just acting like kids again and getting our hands dirty. By the end of it, we were relatively pleased with our masterpieces :)
Remember around Christmas time when I told you I got a used guitar? Well, when Mark and I snagged it at the Dongmyo market for $50, I was more ambitious than ever to master it. I pictured the two of us playing on the street or at the local venue in no time...ha! Yeah right. Everyday I'd look at that thing sadly sitting near my window collecting dust. Every once in awhile I'd pick it up, pluck a few strings and in a bout of frustration, put it back where it looked better as a piece of decoration than an actual instrument.
Then, a couple weekends ago when we were in Busan, my dad and I met up with Mark for some brunch and what does he walk up with? Yep! A brand spankin' new guitar...for me! My dad was pretty impressed ;)
The back story is that the night before, when Mark was with his friend in Busan, they went to a live show. Their tickets also served as raffle tickets, which they didn't think much of. But right before the second act was about to go on, one of the band members got on stage and announced that it they had an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar to give away. Now, usually when something like this happens, most of us think, "Eh, whatever, I'm not gonna win anyway." But apparently, for Mark, he just had a feeling. And that feeling proved to be right because he won the acoustic guitar!
And like the sweet, sweet guy that he is, he gave it to me. He said he knew that the reason why I wasn't practicing the guitar was because it wasn't a very good guitar. The thought never occurred to me, but I have to admit, the sound of this new guitar is so much more beautiful than the first one. And, in fact, I've been practicing a lot more. It's just much easier to see and appreciate the fruits of your labor with a guitar that sounds beautifully naturally :)
I'm also trying to learn how to cook more Korean dishes, which I've mentioned here before. It's hard to do since I can eat out for so cheap, but I'd really love to learn now so I can perfect it as I get older (like my aunt...btw, she's coming out with a recipe blog soon. I'll keep you posted on when, but I guarantee you there will be something for everyone on there. Keep your eyes peeled!). I tried making daengjang jjigae, which is soybean paste soup, earlier this week. It is SO easy to make but my first try turned out just ok. It was definitely missing some kind of punch. So I tried again a couple days later except this time, I added more garlic, more peppers and more paste and it was delicious!
My love, Mark, is working on a really neat project and the other evening when it was too cold to be outside, we decided to get some pastels, paper and sketch away. It was a lot of fun too! We probably spent a few hours just acting like kids again and getting our hands dirty. By the end of it, we were relatively pleased with our masterpieces :)
Remember around Christmas time when I told you I got a used guitar? Well, when Mark and I snagged it at the Dongmyo market for $50, I was more ambitious than ever to master it. I pictured the two of us playing on the street or at the local venue in no time...ha! Yeah right. Everyday I'd look at that thing sadly sitting near my window collecting dust. Every once in awhile I'd pick it up, pluck a few strings and in a bout of frustration, put it back where it looked better as a piece of decoration than an actual instrument.
Then, a couple weekends ago when we were in Busan, my dad and I met up with Mark for some brunch and what does he walk up with? Yep! A brand spankin' new guitar...for me! My dad was pretty impressed ;)
The back story is that the night before, when Mark was with his friend in Busan, they went to a live show. Their tickets also served as raffle tickets, which they didn't think much of. But right before the second act was about to go on, one of the band members got on stage and announced that it they had an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar to give away. Now, usually when something like this happens, most of us think, "Eh, whatever, I'm not gonna win anyway." But apparently, for Mark, he just had a feeling. And that feeling proved to be right because he won the acoustic guitar!
[Me practicing; courtesy of Mark]
And like the sweet, sweet guy that he is, he gave it to me. He said he knew that the reason why I wasn't practicing the guitar was because it wasn't a very good guitar. The thought never occurred to me, but I have to admit, the sound of this new guitar is so much more beautiful than the first one. And, in fact, I've been practicing a lot more. It's just much easier to see and appreciate the fruits of your labor with a guitar that sounds beautifully naturally :)
I'm also trying to learn how to cook more Korean dishes, which I've mentioned here before. It's hard to do since I can eat out for so cheap, but I'd really love to learn now so I can perfect it as I get older (like my aunt...btw, she's coming out with a recipe blog soon. I'll keep you posted on when, but I guarantee you there will be something for everyone on there. Keep your eyes peeled!). I tried making daengjang jjigae, which is soybean paste soup, earlier this week. It is SO easy to make but my first try turned out just ok. It was definitely missing some kind of punch. So I tried again a couple days later except this time, I added more garlic, more peppers and more paste and it was delicious!
[My perfected daengjang...mmmm!]
[As much as I love Korean food, sometimes a nice juicy grilled chicken breast hits the spot!]
Another thing I'd really love to pick up is knitting. Every once in awhile I see women on the subway knitting away and it looks so peaceful. I once learned and I remember it being a really fun past time hobby because once you get the hang of it, it's just this thoughtless motion that you do. And before you know it, voila! you've got yourself a nice scarf :) Plus, with how cold it gets here in the winter, I should get started on making myself a good collection of scarves.
In fact, I might head to Dongdaemun Market this week to pick up the supplies to get started!
So those are my newest activities so far. It has been fun discovering new hobbies that give me a break from discovering Korea, which can be very time consuming and exhausting.
Have you discovered any new hobbies this year? I hope so because we're never too old to learn and try new things :)
Until next time, bisous xoxo
In fact, I might head to Dongdaemun Market this week to pick up the supplies to get started!
So those are my newest activities so far. It has been fun discovering new hobbies that give me a break from discovering Korea, which can be very time consuming and exhausting.
Have you discovered any new hobbies this year? I hope so because we're never too old to learn and try new things :)
Until next time, bisous xoxo