New Favourite Song

I still like buying CDs, but I can't really do that in Korea (too expensive and no space in my one room apartment...not that that stopped me from buying too many books and collecting bunny and sheep soft toys won at the arcade).

But I really want this album. Sigh.

A Day Out in Seoul

Yesterday I went to Seoul with the help of my sweet bf in order to renew my passport. Now, the things that stress me out most are form-filling, paperwork, bureaucratic, governmental, official type business transactions such as this one. I don't know why, but forms make me feel panic-y.

The day started off well as we got to the train station in time to change our tickets to an earlier train. This would prove to be extremely fortunate in the near future. It was very cold so early on a January morning so I was thankful to have brought a hot pack thingy that you shake to create instant heat and comfort. I don't remember seeing these in Canada but here they're everywhere.

When we arrived in Seoul the temperature dropped down several more degrees, my sinuses felt frozen. Luckily, we didn't have to go far to reach the downtown area where the Canadian Consulate lives. Office buildings in Canada seem pretty boring and dark to me, closed off from the outside world and ready to trap you inside (and make you fill out forms forever and ever until you forget your real identity and lose your mind). The Canadian Consulate is on the ground floor of a lovely building and the wall is basically all glass, so while you're sitting in a comfortable chair, waiting for your number to be called, sunshine pours into the room and makes you forget that this is a government office and not a lovely, bright room in which it's okay to talk above a whisper and even laugh occasionally.

Anywho, I soon realized that I had forgotten to bring my passport photos. This is like my worst nightmare, I'm sure I've dreamt of this exact situation sometime in the past. Thankfully my bf is not a bundle of nerves as I sometimes often am. Right away he found out where the nearest photo studio was and we marched out into the cold and walked around until we found it. He even asked for directions. He never asks for directions but I guess the situation was dire enough. Thank goodness we'd taken the earlier train. So we walked into the studio and my face was red from the cold and I also had hat hair - perfect for a passport photo! While we were waiting for the photo to be photoshopped developed, I filled out another form.

We got back to the consulate with plenty of time to spare, I filled out more information (because what you bring is never enough...never!). The ladies working there were actually very kind and their interrogation was gentle, sometimes even accompanied by a smile. Finally, my forms were adequate enough to be accepted, I paid my money, said thank you many times (and told the lady how stressed this process had been for me. Why? Sigh, I'm still a child.) and ran out of there, feeling free and able to breathe again.

We walked around the neighbourhood for a while - the weather had warmed up and the area is actually very beautiful and peaceful. We walked into an art gallery and looked at some modern abstract art (the free part of the gallery). I still prefer the old stuff. Give me Impressionism any day. Dots and splashes of paint will never cease to perplex me and make me wonder about the definition of art.

The photo is my lunch at Le Pul Sandwich Bar. BF ate a panini with ham and cheese. I think my shrimp salad was better and far more colourful. A good meal must feature some colour.

The best part of the day was going to a big(ish) English bookstore in the Itaewon neighbourhood. I haven't seen more than a couple of book cases of English books in one place for almost a year now. When we walked into a store selling exclusively English books (and mostly literature) I started to shake (with excitement rather than panic this time) and got happy float-y euphoric feelings. My bf sat down while I toured the store and inhaled all the books, smiling and feeling nourished and peaceful again. I bought four books and had to tear myself away. Once again, I thought how wonderful it would be to live in a bookstore. Bf laughed, thinking I was being humorous, but really...

We took a limousine bus home (so comfy! why don't we have these in Canada?) and I started reading The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. It's so good!!! We also ate walnut cakes - sooo delicious! I continue to be amazed by the street food here (along with all other food also). Some of the most delicious things I've eaten are dirt cheap and taken for granted (it's just ordinary street food) but to me they are like little bites of heaven. Anywho, I had to stop reading when it got dark (so sad!) and watched TV instead (limousine buses always have a big TV hanging at the front). The programming was about traditional food and showed three ladies visiting various countryside locations and eating the special local dishes there. It made me hungry. I also think that would be an awesome job to have.

But why am I still writing? This is getting super long and it's time to get back to the The House of Mirth, I'm already addicted to this book. All I want to do is drink tea (or hot chocolate), maybe treat myself to a biscuit, and READ!

And I do hope my passport makes it back to me someday soon.

Sustenance...

Yesterday it finally snowed! While we didn't have a White Christmas this year, it was a pleasant surprise to look out the window yesterday and see big fluffy snowflakes dancing around. Today the sky is blue, clear, and bright but you never never - maybe I will get snowed in and be forced to drink hot chocolate and watch movies all day. Hey, I'm on vacation - I can do that anyway gwahaha :-)

This delicious, super fresh salad is from Seoga & Cook, one of my favourite restaurants in my area. It is accompanied by garlic-y shrimp fried rice - enough rice to be shared by two or even three (very small) people. One of my goals is to cook shrimp fried rice at home and have it taste 1/3rd as good as this. My bf and I have made the attempt a couple of times but it's harder than it seems. And the salad? It is miiine, aaaaall mine...and my bf usually eats the corn. Corn is extremely popular here. Even on pizza.

Other sustenance - books! I want to mention a couple of books that I read in 2011. These were page turners that I couldn't tear my eyes from. First up - North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. After reading Wives and Daughters I couldn't wait to read more by this fabulous author. Her writing is lovely - elegant, full of truth, and all about everyday life and relationships though never mundane or predictable. Her characters are fully formed and they sparkle with life and their own independent thoughts. Her female characters are especially interesting - intelligent, thoughtful, sensitive, and full of deep feeling. And of course I fell in love with Mr. John Thornton...I think he is similar to Mr. Darcy in some ways but much more interesting, intelligent, and admirable. Gaskell also manages to present major societal issues, such as the clashes between different classes and the desperation of the poor in a human way that gives us a close-up view of the goings on rather than discussing the issue theoretically. Does that make sense? When I read books, what I care about most are the characters and their personalities and relationships and feelings. Gaskell's characters are simply brilliant. You can't help but feel along with them.

The other book I'll mention is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. This one did not have real flesh and blood characters, but it did have magic and an incredible atmosphere. This book transported me to a beautiful, fascinating, stylish place and I was very happy to go along. Hooray for magic!

2012 = reading more books!!! I only read a handful last year since I was adjusting to a new country and a new job and now I am sooo hungry for books!

Old-fashioned me...

I often wish that I could travel back in time...the 1800s, 1920s (flappers!!), 1960s, 1980s...basically any time before now. I think it would be quite lovely. And not like Pleasantville at all, of course not! More like Midnight in Paris - definitely!

When I think of the rich culture, traditions, slower pace of everyday life, face to face relationships and vibrant conversations, textural music (textural is a word right?), less screen time, and obviously higher quality of life back in those days (yes, I tend to exaggerate and romanticize), boy do I ever want to go there :-)

Of course many would argue that now is the best time of all. Smart phones + the internet + digital everything are so incredible, groundbreaking and communication is so astounding, soon people will be bionic and Monsanto will own all our food so on and so forth but I think my energy just doesn't quite fit with modern energy.

I greatly enjoy walking, the sound of turning pages, writing things by hand, mix tapes, lady-like things of various kinds, cooking and eating real food, things that have shape and weight, eating meals with my family, discussing all sorts of things with a sense of romanticism rather than cynicism, fresh air, green spaces, taking time rather than instant everything, unique textures + designs + places, and just the sense that my life is associated with a certain time and influenced by the unique colours, smells, feelings, pictures, things of that time rather than being suspended in a digital, shapeless, ageless, black and white plastic nothingness. Oops, am I exaggerating again?

So another one of my goals for 2012 will be to add texture, colour, and shape to my everyday life rather than whining about this. It's up to us to make our lives into whatever we want them to be and, really, what is there to stop me? No one is saying I have to live a certain way. I can light candles, read musty old books, play board games, and listen to records if I want to and there's nothing wrong with that. Gwa ha ha! :-)

I'd like to say more about how fascinating it is to live in Korea - a land of the latest technology (home of Samsung and LG! and soooo many cell phones!) as well as being a land of tradition and Confucianism...but I will save that post for another time methinks :-)

Have a marvelous day :-)

Comfort...from the screen

There are some movies, TV shows, songs, books, other various media whatsits that never fail to cheer me up, or bring forth oodles of nostalgia, or make me feel intensely happy to be alive. Instant coziness and comfort! Here are some of the aforementioned whatsits:

Movies:

- Almost Famous
- Roman Holiday
- Pretty in Pink/Sixteen Candles/The Breakfast Club/Say Anything...
- Elf
- Little Women
- Edward Scissorhands
- Wallace and Gromit and the Curse of the Were Rabbit
- Sense and Sensibility
- Only You
- The Shop Around the Corner

Television

Gilmore Girls
Arrested Development
Freaks and Geeks
Rugrats
Frasier
The Vampire Diaries (hehe)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Seinfeld

Music

- Simon and Garfunkel
- Queen
- The National
- Cat Stevens
- Bat for Lashes
- Silverchair
- 80s music in general
- Christmas music
- old soft rock that gets played on the radio
- movie soundtrack songs and TV theme songs....ex) Time of My Liiiife or I Don't Want to Wait

Books

- His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
- Roald Dahl - especially Matilda and The Witches
- Jane Austen
- Elizabeth Gaskell
- Tamora Pierce (the Lioness Quartet, Immortals Quartet)
- Victorian lit (especially by female authors) in general, fantasy (esp by female authors) not quite in general
- Agatha Christie
- Sherlock Holmes stories
- Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen
- Hamish Macbeth series by M.C. Beaton

And now to wind things up as it is time to refuel and watch some Gilmore Girls! Hooray for vacations!!!

Taking a deep breath...

I've now been in Korea for almost a year and in not too many hours we'll be counting down to 2012 - amazing! After the school semester finished, I felt pretty frazzled and ready to collapse and take a looong rest. Now I'm getting excited for the new year. Moving to a different country, starting a new job, looking after children, and throwing my old routine out the window has been tremendously liberating, fun, and adventurous. It was quite a shake up and now I am ready to settle down a bit more and get centered again. This seems like a good time to reflect on the past year and figure out what I want to fit into the new one.

1. Meditating
I used to think meditation was some exotic, unapproachable, mysterious activity that appeared humorous and soundly unnecessary. Then I tried it and felt incredibly good. Taking a few minutes in the morning to clear my head, consciously relax, and slow down my overly busy and cluttered thoughts is one of the healthiest and most energizing things that I can do. If I feel grumpy, stressed, overwhelmed, etc. I know this is what helps me most, but during most of this year I've neglected to take that time. The last few days I've gotten back into it and I feel sooo much better. It's like taking a luxurious bath for my mind haha...ahem, moving on now.

2. Cooking
Before I left Canada, I got pretty comfortable in the kitchen and really enjoyed cooking soups, stews, stir-fries, and dabbling in baking. The last few months have featured very little cooking by me. I have a cute, brand new kitchen and though it is small, there's no reason for it to go unused. It's time for me reclaim the lead role in the kitchen and let the rice cooker step down to an assisting position. I had lots of excuses not to cook much - lack of energy after work, unfamiliarity with the ingredients here, living in an apartment surrounded by lovely and cheap restaurants - but the truth is I love cooking and I miss it a lot. It gives me energy, grounds me, and makes me feel nourished and healthy. It's also just fun!

3. Studying Korean
This is something I must do. I'm no longer a beginner but I'm far from being at a conversational level and I really really want to understand what people are saying all around me. I want to communicate and feel at ease and be more independent. So, my goal is to study every day, even if it's only for a few minutes. One day, I want to have an actual conversation with my boyfriend's parents.

4. Spending time in nature
Living in a big city here is very different from living by the ocean, surrounded by trees and natural beauty. I realize now that I took nature for granted. I could just step outside and breathe fresh air and feel inspired by beautiful ocean views. Parks and gardens and hiking trails were everywhere, so easily accessible. There is plenty of natural beauty in Korea and hiking in the mountains here can be breathtaking. However, it takes more effort to get to the mountains or the countryside. I haven't made enough of an effort this past year and I'm craving nature badly. I live quite close to some beautiful mountains so I will try to actually pay them a visit at least once a month.

5. Exercising
So this is a boring one, but I do feel a lot better when I exercise regularly. During vacation it's not a problem, but it's hard to get motivated after a tiring day at work. So, even if I just hula hoop for ten minutes, do some jumping jacks, or pretend to execute some ballet moves, I will try to fit more conscious movement into each day.

The new year is just around the corner, and I feel excited, energized, and ready to celebrate! Hooray! :-)

Have a holly jolly cozy Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

In my corner of the world, Christmas was a little strange this year. I kept looking forward to it, yearning and dreaming of magic, perfection, shiny trees, roaring fireplaces, snowflakes, warm hugs, and freshly baked cookies. Then I realized that I was in a different country that doesn't really celebrate Christmas and that my family was on the other side of the world. Then I eventually figured out that half of that sentence mattered but that the first half did not.

Being here has made me think about what Christmas means to me, why I always make it out to be the most important, eagerly anticipated, obsessed over day of the year. A month ago I started looking out for Christmas trees, dreaming of cups of hot chocolate, straining my ears trying to hear Christmas carols everywhere I went. I pointed out decorations whenever I saw them and examined festive looking food at the supermarket. I dreamt of enjoying the perfect, romantic Christmas with my boyfriend. Somehow, none of this felt good or happy or joyful or merry or fun.

So what makes Christmas Christmas? It seems obvious to point out that it's not about the presents, fancy decorations, or department store Santas. It's not the turkey or the mistletoe either, although I do heartily enjoy those things when they are available. It also seems obvious to point out that Christmas is all about being with the people we love - appreciating them, laughing together, eating together, and feeling grateful to have such love and togetherness during the darkest, coldest part of the year.

I couldn't be with my family this year and this made Christmas less Christmas-y. Thank goodness for Skype.

My boyfriend and I are now on vacation and we spent Christmas together, eating donuts and pizza, watching movies, staying warm and cozy, and feeling grateful to have found each other. We didn't have a super exciting, colourful, extraordinary celebration...but I finally realized (and I feel ashamed that this is something I had to realize in the first place) that being able to spend a quiet evening together with the person I love is a gift, and it is all that I want.

Why wait for something extraordinarily perfect to happen when it's already hitting me on the head in this very moment? Why yearn for magic when simply holding someone's hand feels like the loveliest thing in the world? I hope I never take the people I love for granted. I want to appreciate them and enjoy our lives together without ever forgetting how precious and important that is.

Cue hugging time!

Cue the music - All I Want for Christmas is Youuuuuuuu!