First Snow!

Hooray, yesterday night brought the first snowfall of the year and it was gorgeous! It felt like a real snowstorm, with howling wind and swirling snowflakes galore :-) Waking up to fresh, untouched snow on the ground is quite lovely and makes up for the less enjoyable consequences.

There's more snow on the way apparently, so I'll make sure to take some photos later. Today I was mostly inside and only ventured out to return a library book and buy some food, including a roasted barley drink that I'm trying out in place of coffee. I've always been more of a tea person, but lately I've been wanting coffee for some reason. Maybe it's the aroma and comforting richness :-)

Yikes, it's only 9.30 and I'm falling asleep already! Ever since the sun started setting so much earlier, I've been unable to resist sleep at ridiculously early hours. Oh well, sleep is good. But I also want to eat more in the evenings, so I feel a little like a hibernating bear.

I have a couple more weeks of work left and then I'm taking a long vacation before (hopefully!!!) flying off to Korea. It will feel amazing to have oodles of free time - cooking, exercising, meeting friends, making Christmas cards (or at least writing messages in them) - there will be time for everything! I'll miss the students a lot though :-(

Alrighty, my comfy bed is calling me :-) Sleep is utterly irresistible :-)

Have a fantabulous winter-y weekend!

Cozy winter-y mornings...

...oh how I love them :-) It's so great to get up when it's still a little dark and completely peaceful, make some oatmeal and hot tea, and have a leisurely breakfast by the fireplace. It's quite cold here so I've been forced to sit by the fireplace a lot :-) It's a hard life :-)

November is suddenly pretty much half over, wow! When I went shopping there were Christmas decorations everywhere and there was already a festive feel in the air, but no Christmas music yet thank goodness. All the delicious Christmas chocolate is so tempting though :-) Yum yum!

Instead of chocolate, I ate a seafood pancake at the Korean store downtown and bought some kimchi, ramyun, gim (a roasted seaweed snack), and oyster mushrooms. Most purchases were healthy...the ramyun not so much but it brings back lots of great memories :-) Food is amazing that way - it's not just about momentary taste but rather it's right at the centre of people coming together and sharing good times and connecting...nice.

I'm hoping the weather will be cooperative today so that I can go for a long, refreshing walk. Winter walks are so much fun when it's not windy and/or rainy. Especially if you have a hot beverage in your hand, a warm hat on your head, and a friend beside you :-)

Have a terrific weekend!

'Tis November...oooh, darkness!

It's 7am but it feels like the middle of the night! Daylight Savings Time ends tomorrow and I'm looking forward to having some light in the morning!

Aaaaand, it's November already! That means Christmas lights and decorations will soon make the cold winter much more enjoyable and cozy :-) I never put up any decorations before late December but I certainly enjoy admiring them and feeling immersed in a Winter Wonderland :-) For me it's still the most magical time of the year :-)

Well, I had my EPIK interview at the Korean Consulate and it went well! Suddenly, it feels like going to Korea is more of a reality and not just a vapour-y dream. It's exciting...and hard to believe! Maybe soon my life will change so much I won't be able to recognize it anymore :-) It's amazing how quickly things have changed already in the past few months...in a natural, flow-y kind of way :-) Going with the flow feels great :-)

Happy First November Weekend! Stay warm and cozy :-)

Kim Yoo Kyung - Starlight Tears (Fan-Made MV)

This is a song from the Korean drama I'm currently watching (Boys Before Flowers). It's a lot funnier than it appears in this video :-) But yes, full of romantic intrigue also :-)

Happy Halloween!

Agh, wow, it's November next week, when did that happen? Not that I'm complaining - I can't wait for the holiday season :-)

Yesterday we celebrated Halloween at school and it was oodles of fun. Most of the students don't have this holiday in their countries so they were taking photos of each other's costumes all day with great enthusiasm. Of course I forgot my camera, eek!

But there was a reason for that! I found out that my EPIK application had never been received after I'd e-mailed it so I spent Thursday evening preparing all my documents and handed them in to the Korean Consulate right after school on Friday. STRESS!!! I hope everything goes more smoothly now. I should have known by now - it's always better to do things in person.

This is a photo from a traditional Korean restaurant in downtown Daegu. It was sooooooo good. The mandu in the middle tasted pretty much the same as Russian dumplings, I was so surprised. Mmmm, delicious :-) And because there were five of us we got plenty of side dishes :-)

Okay, time to get the weekend started! Have a spectacular day!

So Happy!

This weekend was so beautiful...maybe not weather wise but in other ways...this Fall everything seems to be clicking into place and flowing in a wonderful way! I really feel like I'm on the right path and every day is fulfilling and exciting and different and eye-opening and full of joy :-) Well, most days at least :-)

I still haven't heard from EPIK but I talked to some people who have taught in Korea or have some knowledge of it and they said the process is usually quite slow so it's not surprising or abnormal. In any case, I feel like one way or another I'll be wherever I need to be at the right time :-)

In the meantime, Vancouver is gorgeous in its own glorious way. The ocean looks amazing and I love the freshness in the air. I've also been enjoying cappuccinos, homemade pita pizza, butternut squash soup, pumpkin seeds, shopping for boots (and buying some really awesome ones!), trying on headbands and hats, feeling cozy by the fireplace, eating spicy noodles with noodle loving friends, watching hilarious Korean dramas (that also feature great fashion!), listening to 90's music, watching Ghostbusters, planning my Winter vacation (my friend from Korea is coming to visit!), and watching leaves fall to the ground (it's more interesting than it sounds).

Here's to a wonderful Autumn! I hope it brings everyone joy, energy, and strength to carpe diem!

Happy Autumn!

And it really does feel like Autumn now - crisp air, some colourful trees (but very few in my corner of the world - most of the ones here stay green year round), layered clothing and cozy boots, and I've even turned on the fireplace a few times. Oh, and all those tasty cups of warming tea and bowls of comforting soup - yay!

I sent my application to EPIK so all I can do now is wait and hope that I will get an interview soon. It's hard when you can't actually DO anything - you just have to wait and wait and try to be patient.

This is a beautiful traditional house on the campus of my friend's university (in Daegu). It was amazing to see - the architecture is so completely different and so soft and gentle on your eyes, I really liked it. It would be great to have a luxury house that looks like an old traditional house on the outside but has modern comforts on the inside. :-)

I miss Korean food! I had delicious seafood rice porridge when I first arrived there and I've been craving it so badly but I don't know exactly how to make it, and it wouldn't be the same anyway. Agh, I miss everything! Must remind self - accept and enjoy the present moment and make the most of every second :-)

Have a beautiful October weekend!

Korea's Awesome Cafes

One thing I really loved about Korea was that it had so many cozy and unique cafes, coffee shops, and restaurants. It was so great to get away from endless chains and see and experience something way more unique and special. My friend took me to Succa Cafe, where you get your own little room (with a cute curtain for a door) in which you can chat, watch TV/movies, look at magazines, play video games, and eat as many snacks and drink as much as you want within the time you pay for. We paid $6 per person for 3 hours and ate ice cream, pop corn, and chips and drank herbal tea (so really it was totally balanced and healthy ;-)). I noticed they also had limitless alcohol that you could drink but we stuck to the tea, thank you very much :-)

I'd never been to a place like that before so it was really fun and interesting. It was perfect for catching up and having a nice long chat. I think some guys would maybe refuse to come here (pink! so cute!), but in Korea it was normal for couples to go there - so sweet! Did I mention they also enjoy wearing matching outfits and feeding each other? It's delightful :-) You can buy couple T-shirts, hoodies, shoes, socks, etc. and it's totally common to see couples wearing these matching things. So cute! And uniquely Korean :-)

Right now I'm drinking Korean ginseng tea (something else Korea is very famous for) - an energizing way to start the day! I might head downtown for a bit of shopping. Yesterday I bought two awesome pairs of boots but I still need some winter appropriate clothing to go with them. And I have to get ready for work - it's back to class tomorrow! And I'll be teaching the elementary level for the first time, eeeek! It's good to be able to teach all the different levels though.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Weekend!

Mmmmm - this is a delicious GIANT waffle I had in Korea...it ended up being dinner for two :-) There were even a couple of tomatoes somewhere in there so overall it was pretty balanced, no?

Today I started off the long weekend with a trip downtown. It was fun to walk around, go to the beach, eat some Korean food for lunch (hooray for downtown Vancouver's Korean gems), drink a hot beverage in the rain...nice. Relaxing :-) I also picked up some kimchi ha ha. I'm totally addicted :-)

I'm still working on the EPIK application and it's causing me STRESS. It's sooo long and complicated and on top of it all they keep stressing how everything should be submitted ASAP because hiring is done on a first come, first served basis. I don't like these kind of rushed, competitive affairs. Oh well, I'm very motivated to do this so I will most definitely do my best and keep on hoping :-)

My lunch consisted of a seafood pancake (Korean pancakes are delicious!!) that was like a light, fluffy pizza and I also had a pork and veggie dumpling (mandu), yum yum. Good fuel for a day of walking in chilly weather :-)

Okay, time to feed before returning to my application. Have a fantastic day!!

I'm Back! And, oooh, I miss Korea already!

Wow, I can't believe I'm back in Canada already - it feels like I just left! Korea was a whirlwind of fun, adventure, excitement, beauty, delicious food, neon signs, Samsung TVs, culture, gorgeousness, green, mountains, laughter, warmth, friendliness, and all things wonderful!!! I really really really didn't want to leave, and I've already started the process of applying to teach there next year through the EPIK program. I can't wait to go back!!!

Honestly, I've given up on trying to plan anything in my life. Things just seem to happen on their own and I'm happy to surrender and go with the flow. I never thought I'd ever travel to Asia and now all I want is to go and live there! Crazy! But it feels so right and natural and wonderful - resistance is futile :-) I love Korean culture, so many people that I met are incredibly warm, kind, group-oriented and full of life and passion. Their traditions and even everyday interactions are steeped in meaning and respect. It was amazing to experience!

I will write more later and give a full run down of the places I visited but right now I have to work a bit on my application :-)

Lastly, I have to add that I LOVE Korean stationary. Well, I love all their cute, colourful things in general but I have a thing for stationary so getting cute pens and notebooks was heavenly :-)

Happy Weekend!

Tegan and Sara - Alligator

This is a fun video for a catchy song that tends to get stuck in my head. Hooray for knitwear!

Last Weekend before Korea!!!

Good morning! It's still dark outside and I feel nice and cozy, sitting in a loft :-) I love mornings - so peaceful and rejuvenating and energizing! It's great to have some stillness and quiet before the day gets busy.

This is a Korean dish called 'japchae', which I've eaten a couple of times now. It's potato noodles with meat, veggies, sesame oil, and sesame seeds, oh and lots of garlic too - and it's sooo delicious! Good party food :-)

I've also been eating kimchi everyday. It started as a way of getting more accustomed to Korean food, but now I'm completely and utterly addicted to it and eat some every single day. There's a Korean specialty food store near my school so it's easy to pick some up before I head home. It reminds me a little bit of sauerkraut, which is also fermented cabbage, but kimchi contains more ingredients and it's pretty spicy! Yum yum!

This weekend will be all about packing and preparing for the big trip. I'm excited and also nervous...but at this point it's still not quite sinking in that in just a few days I'll be on a plane to Korea. I'll try to squeeze some extra language practice in as well - it's the language barrier that I find to be most intimidating.

I keep thinking how important it is to step outside of your comfort zone and take leaps - try new things, go to new places, meet new people, shake up old ways of doing things. It's the only way to grow and experience life fully I think. Otherwise, you're just stuck - stagnant and uninspired. I like feeling safe and comfortable, but all the greatest times in my life happened because of change and going beyond the familiar. Lately, there have been a lot of changes in my life and in some ways it's felt like waking up and feeling so much more alive! So yes, I hope I am learning to embrace change and to go with the flow, without resisting or running away from things. Carpe diem ;-)

Cheerio!

Rainy Weekend

Wow - is it dark or what! It's after 7am but still feels like night time. For some reason I woke up early and didn't feel like staying in bed, so here I am, listening to rainy day music and getting ready to enjoy the weekend, weeee!

Lately I've been reading quite a few books about the mind-body connection and how it applies to health. I've always been interested in this topic and I'm trying to learn as much as possible about it. In my case, somehow I'm ultra sensitive and my mental state, stress response, feelings, etc. have a huge effect on my physical well-being. I would like to learn how to create more harmony and balance so that this connection can work in a positive way. While everyone seems to prescribe meditation, I find it quite challenging and often fall asleep, eek. But I will keep trying :-) I wish there was a forest in my backyard, being surrounded by trees and nature is the best thing!

This weekend I'm having another potluck so I'll be tasting some Korean and Vietnamese food that I've never tried before, mmm! I love potlucks. The good thing about dark, rainy weather - it makes cooking even more enjoyable!

Have a fantastic weekend!

She & Him - In The Sun

Zooey Deschanel is absolutely delightful and when I first heard She & Him's music I was pleasantly surprised - it's actually really good and she has a lovely voice. It also has an old-fashioned sound, and all things old-fashioned appeal to me :-) This is a fun video, and since it's raining outside it's a good way to bring some sunshine into the day.

Belle and Sebastian - Wrapped Up In Books

For some reason, crisp Autumn days always make me think of this song. It's lovely and the video is lots of fun too :-)

Happy September Weekend!

Woohoo, another gorgeous sort of summery weekend is here again, ready to be fully enjoyed :-) I had a lovely short week at school. The theme of my afternoon classes was 'Movies' so we all had a good time talking about our favourite films. I'm amazed at how many Hollywood films the students have seen, even though their own countries produce wonderful movies themselves. I guess there's no escape from American culture. But there's nothing wrong with having a strong affinity for Johnny Depp ;-)

I also found it interesting that horror movies seem to be extremely popular in Korea and Japan, especially amongst women. And everyone seems to love action movies.

Yesterday we had a potluck in my morning class - everyone brought a dish from their country, yum! I had some delicious Korean japchae and I would definitely recommend this dish. It's great party food and lots of fun to share :)

Today I'm hosting a mini potluck at my house so I'll be tasting more new dishes and (hopefully) serving up something Russian. I still haven't decided what to cook, agh! Let the countdown begin!

This photo is from Whistler, yay! This was the view after taking the gondola up to the top of the mountain - it was breathtaking!

Well, the sun is calling me! It was supposed to rain all weekend but right now the sky is blue, the sunshine is brilliant, and I'm ready to play some tennis!

Have a splendid weekend!

Rainy Labour Day

Tomorrow everyone is heading back to school and getting back into a different cycle now that summer is pretty much officially over. Saturday and Sunday were beautiful here and I played loads of tennis and went to Van Dusen Gardens - where I saw an owl! Actually, I saw two. One was sitting high up in a tree and another one flew over (very close to my head!) - it was pretty magical. They were so huge and almost mystical looking. I've always wanted to see an owl in the wild so another one of my dreams has now come true :-) I tried to take photos but the zoom on my camera isn't very good...blurriness does not good pictures make :-)

Today, however, it's raining and cooold! The only tennis available to me is the U.S. Open on TV. That's okay, a cozy day filled with hot tea, relaxation, and attempting to learn Korean is always welcome. Speaking of learning Korean, I highly recommend this hilarious romantic comedy adventure TV series: My Girlfriend is a Gumiho. There are English subtitles of course. A gumiho is a nine-tailed fox originally featured in Korean folk tales. No knowledge of this is required to enjoy the show though - you can just sit back and enjoy an entertaining, original, and absolutely delightful story :-)

This photo was taken at a Korean restaurant near my school. This dish is bibimbap - rice with assorted vegetables, a little beef, and egg on top. Oh, and spicy sauce of course! I've gone to this restaurant a couple of times and will probably go again. The food is like real, homemade food and there are loads of great, healthy choices. The only problem is that they give you sooo much, including many side dishes. It's wonderful to share and go for a long walk afterwards :-)

I feel like I'm becoming more and more interested in Korean culture. Who knew that getting this job would open a door into a completely new world? It's all so rich and fascinating and just a joy to experience directly.

I also have to admit that in North America, it feels to me like people are kind of drifting without much of a culture or community or traditions to ground us and connect us and give more meaning and pleasure to our lives. I really miss that about Russia - I still have so many memories of community, family gatherings, feasts, togetherness, and connectedness and I haven't found that anywhere else yet. I think it's amazing that in Korea they still uphold so many ancient traditions, ceremonies, and that people really take care of each other and have more of a group-oriented rather than individual-centred society.

Well, I'm going to do a little bit of lesson planning - it's back to school tomorrow for me as well after three lovely days off.

Cheerio!

There and back again...

Wow, I missed August altogether, how did that happen?? I guess that's what vacation time is all about though - slipping into the present moment and forgetting about time completely :-) I feel so much better now - reenergized, refreshed, rested, and ready for whatever comes next. I also started meditating regularly again - in the evenings by candlelight - nice!

It definitely feels like transition time right now - the sun is setting earlier, the weather is changing, there's a crispness in the air, I'm eating apples again, and lots of people around me are moving/starting new jobs/going back to university/etc. It's an exciting time for sure!

My big news is that I'm travelling to Korea for the first time ever at the end of this month. I'm only going for one week, but since I've never been to Asia before it's going to be a huge, brand new experience for me. Hopefully a positive one :-) Learning about Korean culture from my students has been so incredible - I never predicted when I first started my job that I would have such an enriching and deep experience, but now I understand that the whole beauty of the school comes from the bonds that are made between everyone there. We are all sharing this experience of coming together, learning together, laughing together, and learning about each other in a very positive and supportive environment. It's absolutely wonderful!

Photo time - this one was taken in Whistler. I went there once before in the wintertime but going in the summer was completely different and so much fun! This was the amazing view from my lakeside hotel. The best part of the trip was doing the Peak to Peak - going to the top of Whistler mountain on a gondola, then taking a chairlift even higher up, then taking a gondola from the top of Whistler to the top of Blackcomb mountain, and then taking a chairlift all the way down. It was incredibly exhilarating and I'd love to do it again! We ate our lunch at the top of a mountain, ahhh, so nice.

And now for the last thing I cooked. Simple fare: a brown rice black bean risotto. In one pot I cooked brown rice with sauteed onions and garlic. I used extra water to make it really soft and creamy. In another pan, I sauteed lots of veggies including red bell pepper, onion, celery, and lots of mushrooms. When the rice was ready I added it to the pan, along with some black beans.

Now it's time to enjoy the long weekend! Three days off, woohoo! It's important to soak up the last bit of Summer :-)

Cheerio!

I Looove Summer!

The Summer heat continues so I've been enjoying plenty of days at the beach, eating gelato, and strolling around wearing my big sunglasses. Even school feels less like work and more like Summer camp...with lots of grammar.

This morning I went raspberry picking and contributed to the baking of delicious banana brownies. I can smell them right now, yuuuummy! They're for a potluck, so this time I'll be admiring their fragrance rather than their taste.

I will start posting more regularly in a few weeks, but right now is uber busy enjoy-Summer-while-it-lasts and play with your friends until the sun sets season, so I'm trying to avoid my computer. I love the ridiculously long, warm days of Summer - it's paradise!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Summer Hotness

I'm back! My internet connection has been very wonky and frustratingly inconsistent and slow lately, but only on my main computer, my laptop works fine. Technology continues to perplex me :) Yesterday I was walking around in Vancouver and I saw a store selling beautiful old typewriters - now that's more like it :) I stopped and admired them for a full minute :)

In other news, Vancouver is experiencing a heatwave - I guess the weather has to balance itself out :) I'm enjoying it - being able to wear sandals, flowy skirts, and tank tops after months spent bundled up in jackets and scarves is sooo liberating and wonderful! I can finally feel the sunshine on my skin :)

As for food, I recently tried some delicious Korean tea. There are many interesting flavours but so far my favourite is a nut blend. It comes as a powder packaged in individual little pouches. Just add hot water and you get a rich, creamy, nutty, extremely tasty cup of tea, mmmm. This particular tea was given to me so now I'll definitely have to go and try to find a place in Vancouver that sells it.

Have a wonderful weekend! Happy middle of July (aghhh!)!!

Happy Canada Day!

Ahhh, I love holidays! Especially happy and festive ones like Canada Day :) It's grey, it's gloomy, and it's raining, but the celebrations will continue nonetheless and we can enjoy some lovely time off to relax, recharge, and do something Canadian. Maybe I will eat some maple syrup :)

This kind of weather always makes me want to listen to Jeff Buckley. I'm like the dog who hears Pavlov's Bell :) Soon I'll have to stop though - because I'm going to get my hair cut this morning!! Eek, this time I will ask to keep it as long as possible, I don't want it too scary, military short!

Have a wonderful holiday day :)

Jazz is always good

Yup, the Vancouver Jazz Festival kicked off last Thursday and on Saturday I headed over to Gastown for some lovely music, food, and festival-y fun. It's such a great atmosphere, I always enjoy it. This is a picture of (part of) a fantastic Swedish/Nordic band that played a very unique blend of rocky, spacey jazz. They were definitely my favourite, but unfortunately I've just forgotten their name, eek.

What else? The weather is still weird and unsummery, sigh. It's difficult to get beyond this fact. Thankfully, my birthday day was full of sunshine (and wine and cheese on a rooftop!) and there's still hope for July and August.

Carpe diem (rain or shine)!!!

Yay Summer(ish)!

Well, it's officially Summer - we've even passed the Summer Solstice now, ooh la la! I marked this stupendous occasion by wearing a skirt with sandals rather than tights and boots, hooray!

The school week is flying by as usual. We have a professional development day this Friday (my birthday!) so it will be nice to relax and slip back into the role of a (lazy???) student, aaahhh.

Today I tried some delicious, homemade (not by me but by a lovely Korean lady) Korean food. I started with seaweed soup and then there was rice with oyster mushrooms, cucumber, carrot, sprouts, a little ground meat, egg, seaweed, and SPICY red sauce. Everything was very tasty and I loved the sauce but it was deceptively spicy (it kicks in a few seconds after it's been in your mouth) so I couldn't eat all of it. But yes - utterly delicious, I was very impressed :) I can't wait to try more Korean food.

Cheerio!

Summer days...

...well, yesterday was a Summer day. Today is a bit sketchy but I'm sure we will persevere nonetheless :) Yesterday was a perfect Summer day - beautiful, sunny, warm, and filled with good friends, tennis, cake, hiking, and berry farm visiting :) So my birthday celebrations (agh!) are off to a good start :)

As usual, I went to Krause Farm for berries as it is the ultimate berry destination. They just opened their doors last Monday and the strawberries are flying out fast! And for good reason - they're not bland and watery but bright red, delicious, sweet, and fragrant.

Today is dark and gloomy, but I think my batteries were pretty much fully recharged yesterday so I'm ready to face the greyness and carpe diem :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Nice...

The sun is shining, birds are chirping, music's playing and I feel so happy! Yesterday was the definition of a Friday - games played in class, cupcakes, field trips, all finished off with a lovely outing to Granville Island. G.I. is one of my favourite places in Vancouver - there's always something to see, live music to enjoy, good food to eat, and a gorgeous view to gaze at. I've also gone to see a few plays at some of the small theatres there and they were absolutely fantastic.

Today will be a day of tennis and cake :) My birthday is next week so this weekend will mark the beginning of my celebration :) But really it's about relaxing, playing tennis, and forgetting that I'm getting older. Especially since I don't really feel like it...at all. I feel like I'll never really grow up in some ways. I want to feel completely alive and to laugh and play forever :)

I'm also trying to compile a list of things to do in the Vancouver area this Summer. I've lived in the area for, oh, six years now?! And yet I still haven't really been anywhere. I want to do the Grouse Grind, go to Lynn Valley (for the suspension bridge), and also go to Lighthouse Park and the Cleveland Dam. So exciting!

Alright, time to get this beautiful day started :) Cheerio!!

Radiant!

Ahhhh, how I love sunsets at the beach! Another plus that comes with all the loveliness of Summer. The weather's still topsy turvy around here, but that just makes sunsets like this all the more special and precious I suppose :)

I had some delicious red pepper soup today, along with salmon and brown rice - delicious and nutritious :) Dark and gloomy weather makes me want to eat more, but this dinner was wonderfully satisfying :)

Enjoy the sunset!

Please send the clouds away...

...after another week of mostly gloomy weather, yesterday brought glorious sunshine, warm temperatures, and a bounce to my step. After getting my teeth cleaned and checked out (all is good, hooray), I headed to the beach with a friend and it was goooorgeous! Everyone was out and about, playing volleyball, throwing frisbees, flying kites, and smiling giant summery smiles. I was even inspired to buy a few summery items of clothing :)

Well, let's get back to today. I woke up to sunshine peeking through my blinds. Nice. Two hours later and it's cloudy, dark, and sort of depressing again :( Sigh. Going from light to dark makes me realize just how huge of an effect the weather has on me. I don't know how much more gloominess I can take! What to do, what to do...

In other news, I'm reading this book right now: Women Who Run with the Wolves, and it's absolutely fantastic. It's all about reconnecting with our wild, natural selves and learning to trust and follow our own bodies, our intuition, and our souls, rather than trying to conform to the limiting expectations and conventions of the outer world. The writing is quite poetic at times, and I love how the author uses old folk tales and archetypes to explore these issues.

Well, I will try not to let the weather get me down. Tis haaaaaard.

Cheerio!

Happy Saturday!

I'm still a little out of sync with the seasons - the gloomy weather is making it feel like winter rather than summer so everything's a bit topsy turvy. I hear the sun is supposed to make a comeback soon though :)

Since it's not raining at the moment, I'll be playing lots of tennis today - a friendly tournament of sorts :) I haven't played in a week so I'm certainly looking forward to it :)

In other sports news, we're having a World Cup theme at school next week so I better try to find out something - anything! - about it. I know there is a ball. The ball gets kicked a lot. Agh, I'm so ignorant :) It will be fun to learn loads more and get into the spirit of it all.

Ahhh, life is beautiful, even on the grey days. The sun is always there, whether it's hiding or dancing for everyone to see :)

Happy June!

Bizarro Weather Alert! Well, it's June 2nd but it feels more like January - dark, cold, and rainy! It doesn't feel like Summer at all so I still can't catch up to the present moment :)

This is a photo taken at Van Dusen Gardens in Vancouver - some lovely pink flowers to brighten up a gloomy day.

Many of my students are actually feeling quite blue because of this weather. Some don't even come to school, or they come late. I really hope the sun comes back to visit us soon, for the sake of everyone's health and well-being :)

In the meantime, I'm drinking lots of hot tea, eating soup, and listening to The Magnetic Fields :)

A little piece of the sun is always burning inside of us :)

End of May

The sun has set, it's peaceful and beautifully mysterious outside. The perfect night for some slow music and a glass of something tasty and sweet.

Time has been flying by lately...it's important to slow down sometimes and treasure these precious little moments. And to feel so amazingly alive... :)

Bon nuit...

Rainy Saturday

The Time of the Big Rain continues, so here's a little bit of California sunshine to lighten things up a bit.

This morning was filled with relative clauses for me, and now I'm just waiting for some guests to arrive so we can be cozy and have a warming, tasty lunch :) It's the ideal day for coziness and relaxation - so there are some positive things that come with the rain too!

It's also good weather for music and, uh, general reflection. Although it can be hard to have overly positive reflections when it's so dreary. That's why you need some upbeat, inspiring music to go along with all the reflecting :)

Alrighty, I smell something delicious! It's a vegetable tart, yum yum. Nothing like healthy, carbohydrate-y food to comfort us in the dreary month of May (slight sarcasm can be inserted here :) ).

Cheerio with a bell pepper on top!

Foggy Misty Fog

I feel like I should post a poem...the weather outside is misty, mysterious, and definitely not Spring-y. It's poetry weather :) But I will refrain from spurting out my silly musings and stick with a brief recap of the past...week? Has it been a week already? The long weekend was lovely, relaxing, and occasionally gorgeous. I went to Van Dusen Gardens and felt completely inspired and rejuvenated. It's still one of my favourite spots to visit - all those beautiful flowers, the waterfall, cute birds, so many different walks, and there's always a new discovery around the corner.

This week was a little bit stressful, especially at the beginning. I'm now teaching Mid-Intermediate rather than Low-Intermediate English in the mornings and it's quite a jump. I did lots of grammar research and preparation so that I'd be able to teach modal verbs properly but it was challenging nonetheless. Also, the students in my class changed as well so it was quite a juggling act with too many moving parts. Thankfully, things are settling down a bit now and I'm getting back into a good rhythm. I hope :)

There's been absolutely no tennis this week due to rainy weather and many people are feeling a bit down. It's almost June! I really hope the sun comes back soon-ish. We need those happy rays and some more Vitamin D :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Time for the Long Weekend!

This week the weather has been absolutely CRAZY! Sun, wind, rain, storminess, sunniness, mugginess, everything rolled into one...and it changes about fifty times a day, or more. Yesterday we had Sports Day for half of the school day and we went to a lovely park by False Creek. We had lots of sports to choose from - soccer, football, basketball, badminton, bocce, croquet, dodgeball, and other improvised Korean games :) Good times were had by all, despite the bizarro, occasionally freezing weather.

Attempting to play soccer reminded me how much I enjoy kicking things. Maybe that's another sport I should throw into the mix :) Hitting balls with a racquet is pretty fun, but power kicking is also highly enjoyable and strangely satisfying :) I wish we had more sports days at school :)

And now it's time for some tennis! I haven't played in a week and I'm hoping I'll be able to play lots this weekend, without rain getting in the way.

Cheerio!

Stunning!

Ahhh, another glorious weekend! Yesterday I headed to the beach and sat on the grass for hours, just enjoying the view, relaxation, and some good conversation. I also enjoyed a delicious scoop of straciatella gelato - yummy! Just like in Italy :) There was a bit of trouble when I got home though - I looked in the mirror and realized that my face was totally sunburned, except for the area where my sunglasses had been. Not a pretty sight! I hadn't expected the sun to be so strong! So I've been applying various creams and trying to even things out my wrapping the red parts of my face with a scarf and exposing the pasty parts to the sun. I think it helped a bit but the outline of my glasses can still be seen. And I'm still red, sigh.

I took this photo yesterday. It may not look like much, but in real life it was extraordinary - the sun was circled completely by a full on rainbow! I couldn't believe it, it was so magical! So that's the bottom half of the rainbow, as seen from my blanket.

I've been eating delicious spicy broccoli soup the last couple of days. Even when the weather's warm I still like to have a bowl of soup with my dinner :) I've also been eating apples, bananas, and juicy grapes, mmm. I think I need to find some new snacks though, I've been edging towards my jar of peanut butter moreso than usual.

Have you ever gotten a bad sunburn? Did you do anything special to counteract the damage? This is yet another example of prevention being the key :)

Halfway through May?!

Already?! Really?! Alrighty then, I have no problems with frolicking in these gorgeous May sunshine. This morning I actually left the house without a jacket, gasp!

It's been quite a lovely week so far - good lessons, great weather, and now the aroma of freshly baked cookies. On Tuesday I took a group of students to see Iron Man 2 and they seemed to enjoy it, although some felt bad about not understanding much of the dialogue. I keep telling them that it's all about practice - after all, we learn by exposing ourselves to the language as much as possible, but of course it's not very encouraging to watch something and not understand what people are saying.

Tomorrow will be a day full of field trips, hooray! I need to come up with more field trip ideas as well...too bad I don't actually live in Vancouver so I don't know all the good spots. Since the weather's so good tomorrow, I'm taking one of my classes on a picnic. I haven't gone on a picnic in aaages so hopefully it will a pleasantly relaxing and highly enjoyable experience :)

Hmmm, it seems all I ever talk about anymore is school! That's what my life revolves around at the moment, ha ha.

Oh, and the photo was taken in Venice - a magical, unreal, fantastical place! I'd love to go there again someday, it was absolutely gorgeous. A floating city, oh my!

Cheerio!

Alrighty, maybe I'll

An ounce of cuteness

Life is bursting with unexpected moments of tenderness (and extreme cuteness!!). I took this picture while out on a field trip with my class on Friday. We were walking along the water, surrounded by flowers, greenery, and basking in the sunshine, when these darlings came along.

This weekend felt like full-on Summer! So glorious, so warm, so energizing! I feel very refreshed and ready for a brand new week.

Do you ever feel like you need sunshine to recharge your batteries? I think I must have been reptilian in a previous lifetime :)

And now back to regularly scheduled lesson planning :)

Beautiful Day!

So this photo isn't a realistic depiction of what it's like outside...since it's a picture of Verona back in Autumn :) But, oh, isn't it a beautiful old place? So romantic! I was actually considering going to see the new movie Letters to Juliet, starring Amanda Seyfried, but the reviews have been sort of horrible so far so perhaps I'll opt for something else :)

I'm currently recovering from a cold (yuck!) - lots of people at school have been sick and unfortunately I succumbed to the ickiness. I still played tennis with some of the students on Thursday and then felt sooo exhausted and sore afterwards...but it was totally worth it :) Tennis is so much fun. I'm still sore today, and a little bit sick, but I can't resist tennis in this gorgeous Summerlike weather - lots of sunshine, blue skies, birds chirping, no wind...ahhhh, paradise :)

Lastly, I have to mention Glee (again!) because this week's episode was SO GOOD! Seriously, this show continues to impress me. Here's a good song from this week to check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yelF5xnXnuQ&feature=related I recommend listening from start to finish :)

Okay, time to get organized and start the day with some tennis (and coughing)!!

Happy May!!!

Tennis all weekend long!

I took this picture yesterday - and what a glorious day it was! Perfect for a walk on the beach - my shoes got deliciously muddy :)

Some of my students have been asking about White Rock and are possibly interested in visiting. Too bad it's so far away, otherwise it would be such a great field trip. A bunch of them have bought tennis rackets and I'm starting an after-school tennis club/activity thing next week. Hopefully it won't rain all week...that's what the weather forecast is saying but it's often wrong. It doesn't really feel like May at the moment - it's windy, dark, and cold. Oh well, it's not raining so I still got to play tennis :) Yesterday AND today, what a treat :)

Is there anything that you're addicted to buying? For some people it's shoes, maybe clothes, maybe even some particular food items. For me, it's definitely books. Lately I've been buying ESL books (in the hope that this would improve my lessons and give me lots of material to present). At first it was all perfectly fine and useful, but now my entire "office area" is overflowing with books and it's a bit ridiculous. And I still want to keep buying more, ha ha :)

I finally uploaded my photos and figured out how to use iPhoto - it's so handy!! And the slide show feature is fantabulous - it even plays music and gives you several options of how you want the slides to appear (sort of like the options in Power Point I suppose). Awesome.

Some Russian family friends gave me cute little traditional Russian mushroom rolls. I haven't tried them but the plump dough-i-ness looks very inviting indeed. Soon the White Rock Farmer's market will start up again and I'll probably buy more than a few Russian cabbage rolls at the European bakery booth. But I digress.

Time to go and buy a new kettle. I had a relatively new Cuisinart stainless steel kettle that cost almost $100 and it broke two days ago - it's not doing anything. I don't think it was more than a year old so I'm not sure how that happened - it's a pretty straightforward device, right? Not a lot of crazy complicated parts. In any case, I need my nice hot water for tea and oatmeal and such, so off I go - kettle-hunting!

Have a lovely weekend!

Photos will be back...soonish

Agh, my blog is suffering from lack of visual..ness again! Why? Because I'm using my brand new computer and I haven't uploaded any photos as of yet. Plus, I want to take some new photos displaying the beauty of Spring 2010 and put them up.

Dine Out Vancouver is happening right now and I really want to go and eat some tasty food! All three (well-priced) courses of it :) Vancouver is full of some fantastic restaurants, some of them in obvious locations and others hidden away, just waiting to be discovered. I don't eat out very often so when I do, I like to go for something special - flavourful, properly cooked, and made of high quality ingredients. Mmmm, thinking of food is making me want to eat a second dinner :) Speaking of flavourful, high quality ingredients - today I ate pita pizza for dinner for the third day in a row, eek! On the plus side, I had some healthy zucchini soup along with it...but really, three days of pizza (even if it's homemade) is a bit much.

Are there any foods that you could eat every single day without ever getting sick of them? I never get tired of my delicious oatmeal. I also like nuts, bread, brie, and soup ever so much :)

Mmmm, yummy food... :)

Cheerio!

An addition has been made...

...and it happens to be a gorgeous new computer! It was definitely time for the old one to gracefully retire (before exploding completely...or just crawling to a permanent stop). Now I have a lovely Mac with a ginormous screen (and it's the smaller of the two options!!) and way more desk space.

This weekend was chock full of chores. Mostly shopping-type chores. And hopping on over to the bakery :) I got more ESL books so now my resource collection is almost completely complete. Oh, and I indulged and got the first volume of the Glee soundtrack. Not the kind of music I normally listen to but, kind of surprisingly, I've really been enjoying the show and I like all the theatricality and modern choir sounds. Plus, it's just oodles of fun and I can use it in class. Yup, for educational purposes.

It was quite sunny and warm today, so I strolled around admiring all the flowers that are blooming so beautifully right now. My neighbourhood is bursting with gorgeous colours - it's such a treat!

Well, hopefully I can figure out a lot of the fantastic features on this lovely computer. I'm sure it's very useful in addition to being pretty :)

Cheerio!

It's Friday?!

Wowza, time has flown by like a hummingbird this week!! It was a really fun week, filled with laughs and surprises and (hopefully) some learning and a field trip to Whole Foods :) The students seemed to like it and they completed their shopping list + write down some new foods you'd like to try assignments but they agreed that it's uber expensive (as everything tends to be in Vancouver). I also showed a couple of DVDs at the end of the week - one class watched a hilarious episode of Fawlty Towers (such a great show! John Cleese always makes me laugh with enthusiasm :) ) and another class watched a bit of Wallace and Gromit and the Curse of the Were-Rabbit, a lovely and also hilarious film.

So I've been teaching for a month now! Crazy! It feels good, I'm really loving it. And I haven't laughed quite this hard in a long time - it's beautiful how even when a bunch of people come from different places and don't really understand each other easily they can come together and bond and laugh...a lot :) Hooray :) Seriously, the students in my classes are so sweet and funny and wonderful it makes it seem like this isn't really work at all - it's too fun to be work :)

In other news, I might buy a new desktop computer this weekend. The one I have now is, oh, a decade old. It's pretty ancient and getting to be completely un-usable. So I want to buy a nice Mac :) I've done some research on the internet and will head on over to an Apple store tomorrow. Eek.

Do you enjoy buying technological gadgets and things or is it something that you avoid?

Happy weekend!!

Weekend over...

...and it was oodles of fun :) I went to Vancouver and found a neat little Russian store (filled with sooo much chocolate!), also bought some good ESL resource books for 30% off. I love buying books on sale. Well, I just love buying books in general, but getting them on sale brings an extra layer of satisfaction :)

Today I got to soak up lots of sunshine and I finally played tennis, hooray! The tennis courts were packed with eager players, it was awesome. I tried to go to the beach later but there were no parking spaces and it was just way too busy - no room to walk!

Alrighty, it's time for some sleeep. Oh, I tried homemade pizza baked on panini bread today - it was delicious! Lots of mushrooms and red onion, yum yum.

Sweet dreams!

Hooray for the Weekend!!

Ahhhhh. How splendid to sleep in, relax, and have a leisurely day. It's dark and gloomy at the moment...and I think it will probably rain...but that doesn't put a stop to a fun day :)

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous and summery. I took my D block class on a bit of a field trip. We had a lovely walk by the water, surrounded by magnolia trees, flowers, and boats (and people walking their dogs!). The last stop was Granville Island but we didn't have enough time to explore it much, which was fine by me because I'm directionally challenged and would have gotten us lost :)

After school, I met up with a friend who just recently returned from Panama. She was there for many months and I missed her a lot, so it was wonderful to catch up over tea and share our adventures.

The best part of dinner last night was a creamy zucchini soup. There was no cream in it - just the magic of an immersion blender. I looove soups with a thick texture. Watery soups just don't do anything for me :)

Cheerio and have a magical weekend!

A Gorgeous Spring Day

Wow, I need to whip out my camera and take some photos - it is sooo beautiful outside! After all the recent storms, wind, hail, coldness, power outages all this sunshine feels fantastic!

The week is flying by - a blur of textbooks, photocopies, classrooms, sandwiches, mountain views, buses, newspapers, and students' bright faces :) Seriously though, I can't believe how quickly time goes by these days! Perhaps I need to do some grounding exercises :)

Today at lunch time one of the teachers was telling us about a class he used to teach called the Book Club class. He would choose a simple novel (like a Roald Dahl book, or other children's books such as Charlotte's Web, Anne of Green Gables, etc.) and each student would be assigned a character. So everyday they would read the book aloud, with every single student playing one of the parts. That sounds like my dream class! Teaching + reading + acting + children's literature = oodles of fun! I hope one day I get to teach a class like that :) Well, at this point I'm just hoping I'll be given the chance to keep teaching for a long time :)

Today I also learned something interesting from my Korean students - April 14 is Black Day in South Korea. Traditionally, people who are single (as in they have not found their other half just yet :) ) eat noodles with black bean sauce on this day and it's kind of sad. On Wikipedia it says that single people get together and celebrate their singledom, but my students made it sound like a less-than-happy event. It sounds like everyone wants to get married :)

Do people in North America celebrate their singledom? I think for the most part people prefer not to be single, but we do have a lot of individual freedom and it's okay to be single as well. Although men are seen as attractive bachelors while women quickly become old maids. Anywho, time for me to eat a nice, juicy orange :)

Cheerio!

A Little Bit of Procrastination...

Here I am, sitting on the edge of my seat...ready to type up some lesson plans but not really delving in just yet :) The past weekend was glorious - so warm, sunny, and wonderfully relaxing! I went to the beach and it was absolutely packed. I didn't mind, I love seeing people enjoying themselves outdoors and I'm glad to be part of the fresh air bunch :) It's much more fun than being a TV watching mole person :) Not that I don't watch my share of quality television sometimes...

Monday mornings can feel a bit rusty since it's all about getting back into the swing of things - the routine of your regular work. I feel so lucky to have lovely teachers around me. Hanging out in the teachers' lounge and chatting away while admiring a gorgeous ocean + mountain view = loads of good fun and laughs :) I also take my breaks there and it helps so much to take that breather between classes, connect with other teachers, and re-focus for the next class. I find that just about any experience is way better when you share it with somebody. Treading a new path on your own can be difficult, but going on an adventure with lots of friends beside you feels much better. Of course, there are some tasks that we have to tackle on our own. Like making a perfect sandwich :) But really, independence and self-sufficiency are super important too.

Ramble, ramble, ramble...see what procrastination can do?! I'm in need of some focus right now, methinks!

Do you find Mondays to be more difficult than other work days? Or is it all pretty much the same?

Happy Monday!

Ready for the Weekend!

Whew, I got threw my first 5-day working week at IH (after last week's long weekend) and it looks like I've survived :) It was actually quite enjoyable and stress-free for the most part. Three of my four classes are a delight to teach, and my timing/pacing/planning of various activities seems to be working fine so far. The fourth class I teach is a bit of a struggle though - it's a bigger room, hot, many of the students are tired, it's the lowest level that I teach so basic communication is more challenging, there's no structure/guide for me to follow....so yes, just lots of things that add up to the messiest, least smooth class of my day. I have to figure out how to keep them engaged and focused and motivated and positive.

There was also some pretty crazy weather this week - howling winds and cold temperatures galore. On Wednesday night I woke up to the sound of hail against my window - it sounded like the window would break! When I left the house, the ground was covered in hail and actually looked quite magical. I didn't have time to admire it though, as I was too busy trying to run to catch the bus while wearing heels :)

Food food food. I've been eating lots of green soup, legumes (mostly chickpeas), onions, zucchini, apples, oranges...and brie :) Amongst other things :) Yesterday I went to an Indian restaurant on the beach (gorgeous view of the ocean!) and had chana masala with naan. Very tasty (especially eaten outside on the patio under the glow of sunshine!), but later on I ate an orange and after that my stomach rebelled. It still feels a bit funny but I'm hoping it will get better as the day goes on :)

Well, it's time to get some things done! It feels so good to have a day off - freedom! Time to recharge those batteries :)

April showers...

...bring May flowers! And, oooh, I can't wait! April has been pretty stormy so far - we've had howling wind, heavy rain, intense gloomy darkness, (very) occasional bursts of sunshine - and it will be so lovely to see flowers, vibrant colours, glorious sunshine, butterflies...someday in the near future I hope :)

I had a three day weekend and on Monday it was back to work, work, work! I didn't mind, it was good to get back into the swing of things. I find that it's MUCH easier to learn new things when you're completely immersed in those new things, rather than dabbling in them occasionally. My week is going great so far. I feel incredibly lucky to have such wonderful, funny, sweet students :) Of course, classroom management and discipline and all that school-y jazz is still a must, but for the most part (mostly) everyone is quite well behaved :)

I've been eating some delectable halibut lately. Well, I've eaten it two or three times within a couple of weeks :) And of course I went for options that supported sustainable seafood, overfishing is a huge problem and it's super important for us to stay informed and make earth friendly choices :)

And now it's time for a very hot cup of tea.

My hair is VERY (boyishly) short so I need hot beverages to keep me warm, unprotected as I am by long flowing locks of luscious hair :)

Happy April!

These flamingos at San Diego Zoo are probably frolicking in the sun right now :) Boy, do I wish I was frolicking in the sun too! It's so dark I have the lights turned on and I think everyone must still be sleeping due to this strange, dark weather (cue thunder and lightning...).

Hooray for the long weekend! Time for rest, relaxation, and reflection. And maybe even some exercise! My feet hurt from walking around in heels all week and I feel a bit stiff, so some stretching and moving would do a world of good.

Looking back on this week, I must say it was a blast! Now that I know what to expect and no longer feel like I'm stepping into a mysterious black hole, I can actually enjoy it and work on making my lessons a whole lot better. Especially the afternoon ones, which we have to plan ourselves using various books and audio tracks...right now it still seems quite challenging to put together a really good lesson at the appropriate level for all the students. I'm hoping this will get easier with time and experience.

In about an hour I'll be getting a haircut! So my hair will be super short again - just the way I like it. My hair is very thick and right now it's sticking out in all directions...it has a life of its own :)

Do you like to experiment with different hairstyles? Or keep it simple and stick with the same length most of the time?

I'm back!

Wowza, this week has been INTENSE! Monday was my first day of teaching and I was quite terrified beforehand. I didn't really enjoy the weekend as I kept thinking about the unknown territory I was about to enter :) It actually went decently well. In the mornings I teach General English - the core curriculum which includes grammar, vocabulary, listening, various exercises all out of a lovely textbook that I simply have to follow. The structure's all there so it's stress-free. My students in that class are so lovely, funny, and sweet that it's a pleasure to teach them :) The afternoon is a bit trickier as it's less structured and focuses more on conversation, and I have different students in both of the afternoon classes so it's a bit all over the place. It takes more planning to teach the afternoon lessons, but there's more freedom/room for creativity and the students get to talk a lot more (after a morning full of grammar!).

So yes, today was my third day, whew! The first couple of days I felt a bit like I was acting and pretending to do something I didn't really know how to do. Today I felt a lot better...even though I still haven't had that much experience! Hopefully now that I know what to expect and now that I feel more at ease I will keep improving as a teacher.

April starts tomorrow! How exciting! The sun was shining so brightly today, I even took off my jacket on the way home. This is the perfect time of year for big changes, the fruition of goals and dreams, and making room for new experiences and adventures!

Do you feel different when Spring rolls around? Energized, refreshed, more active perhaps?

Cheerio!

Eek!

This is part of a mural at the San Diego Zoo. There was a whole wall of the cutest and funniest pictures of pandas and this was one of my favourite segments :) I'm looking for lots of smiles today as I am incredibly anxious about next week!!

Here's what happened: I found out earlier this week that International House (where I was doing the ESL teacher training) had hired me to teach. I was supposed to come in on Friday to find out the details. Somehow, I'd thought that I would be eased into the whole thing gradually as I pretty much have zero real experience. Instead, I was handed over a full time schedule, pointed in the direction of some useful resources, given a photocopy code, and that was pretty much it. So I'll be teaching four classes starting on Monday, from 9-3.45, and I don't really know what I'm doing. Hence the high anxiety level, agh!

It's funny, because when I was observing classes I was thinking, 'Wow, I really hope I have the opportunity to teach here, it's fantastic blah blah blah and I can totally do this" but now that I actually have to start teaching for real I'm scared. I'm hoping that after the first week I'll get into the swing of things and feel like I know what I'm doing. Anything brand new that you've never tried before is outside the comfort zone and takes time getting used to I guess, I just wish I wasn't quite this nervous :)

So this weekend will be all about lesson planning and trying to get well prepared. As prepared as possible :) Eek.

Have you ever felt anxious about jumping outside of your comfort zone?

Have a fantabulous weekend!