Future luxuries that I would like to enjoy in my life (not the eggs and tofu in the photos, though I like them too, very much)

So cooking is going well so far. A little home cooking every day makes the world brighter and more nutritious. And actually it makes my apartment feel a lot more like home, nice. Unfortunately, my photos are not of the shiny magazine type. I took them with my iPod. Which people always mistake for an iPhone. I should pretend it's the latest super thin and sleek model and make imaginary calls with it.

By the way, onions + mushrooms + garlic + olive oil = heavenly :-) I love when simple things taste great. I adore mushrooms and they're much cheaper and more common here, especially oyster mushrooms. 

Now let's get to the main part of this post - Future Luxuries That I Would Like To Enjoy in My Life

1. A fireplace. It's warm, instant coziness - comforting, atmospheric, pretty, and suggests the feeling of Christmas. Imagine - outside the weather is horrific...freezing rain is beating down, multiple winds are howling in every direction, the darkness of the sky portends doom...but you manage to drag yourself to the safety of home and collapse in front of your lovely fireplace. The flames are warm and comforting. You wrap yourself in a blanket, have a cup of hot cocoa, and suddenly all is alright in the world. 

2. A library/study room. Lined with book cases. With a table and some comfy chairs and a sofa because reading while you're lounging around rather than sitting upright is the best. Why sit and suffer when you can luxuriate on your very own sofa? Maybe the sofa is from Versailles...or at least a replica. If it doesn't resemble a sofa from Versailles it's not really a luxury, is it? It's just any old sofa. But this room is about books, not sofas! And how could you not want to study in such a room? Just going inside it will make you smarter - an intellectual with an affinity for antique sofas. Lovely!

3. A samovar. I have vague recollections of giant samovars from the Old Country (Russia) but they remain a little mysterious in my eyes. Yes, they are clearly for tea time. And princesses. And since it's so big you can have a whole tea party, princess style, and make casual samovar references to your friends so they can fully appreciate the amazingness (and mystery) of your samovar. "Masha, would you like another cuppa from my giant samovar? Oh, don't worry, there's still lots of tea left - the samovar is very big".

Good things - salad and notebooks!

Martha Stewart has her "good things" so why not share a couple of mine? As you can see by glancing at the photos, my "good things" are a little less refined (but only a little).

First up, the previously mentioned cute notebooks! I think this is actually becoming a problem for me. I keep buying notebooks even though I have more than enough already. Usually I a) fill out a few pages and then use a different notebook (because obviously each topic deserves its very own set of pages) or b) have trouble writing anything at all in the notebook because it's so pretty and I don't want to wreck it. Another conundrum: the inability to choose between different cover designs...resulting in the purchase of multiple notebooks. I'm so bad...one more notebook and I just may fall off the edge.

Next up - salad! I had a hard time adjusting to food shopping here at the beginning but it's gotten a lot easier and it's always super fun. I constantly see new things (sometimes I don't know what they are) and try lots of samples (usually I know what these are). Anywho, this is about salad, not grocery shopping. This is an example of "good cooking" - throwing together some romaine lettuce, baby greens, lemon juice, olive oil, and sesame seeds. Clean, delicious, simple and it makes me feel like a superhero, woohoo! Best followed by a mug of hot chocolate :-) And also the rest of your meal, because salad just isn't enough.

Here's to the good things in life :-)

It's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with youuu...

The Bracebridge Dinner episode of Gilmore Girls is one of my favourites. So cozy, magical, featuring a feast (who doesn't love a feast? especially with those awesome costumes and candles, I'm pretty sure there were candles, right?), sleigh rides that bring people together, and it basically captures the feeling of Christmas for me.

Yesterday I found out about Grey Gardens - how did I not know about this before?? A mother and daughter living in a crumbling house for decades...seemingly living in the past and depending on each other to hang on to their identities. It reminds me of Miss Havisham in Great Expectations - but it's real life! Truth is stranger than fiction indeed. Fascinating and also creepy.

Cooking has been going pretty well. My bf's favourite dish so far is tomato + shrimp pasta - it's so simple and fast to make and he loves it. I'm not sure what to try next - I think I will have to experiment with different vegetables since the staples I used before are either nonexistent or expensive luxury items in Korea (like carrots and broccoli! I will never take them for granted again!). The crackers and brie in the photo were a delicious snack yesterday. I warmed up the brie in a pan so it was soft and a little melty - delicious!

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! :-)

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!

Beating Holiday Stress

The holiday season usually implies fun and festivity, tasty food, and cozy times with family and friends. Wow, that sounds great! However, all the expectations that come with the holidays - perfect meals, perfect decorations, perfect presents, etc. - can contribute to stress levels in a not so fun way. Of course, it's great to take the emphasis off of superficial ideals and silly gifts that we don't really need and to bring our focus back to relationships with our loved ones; however, that does not mean that any Christmas magic has to be lost.

What makes a perfect meal? When food is cooked with love, care, and enjoyment rather than worry it tastes better! Cooking for someone is a powerful way of showing your love for them. Not only is it special because you've done something just for them, but by feeding someone you're nurturing them in a very direct way. Of course, it helps if the meal tastes good too :)

To help with that, choose a recipe that you're comfortable with - it doesn't have to be fussy and pretentious to taste fantastic! Get all your ingredients prepared, and if you can, do some of the cooking ahead of time. For example, if your starter is a soup, then make that a day ahead. Then there's less work on the big day, and many soups taste even better once they've had some time to settle.

If you feel comfortable with other people's help in the kitchen, then why not ask someone to help with chopping veggies, greasing muffin pans, keeping an eye on the oven, etc. Having company in the kitchen can be fun, and it makes the work load less daunting if you have to cook quite a lot of food.

My last cooking tip is to trust your own instincts and to taste your food as you go, rather than following recipes religiously. Cooking is an art, and it makes more sense to make it your own and to use flavours that excite you rather than to worry about following the perfect recipe. Substituting ingredients, using less or more spices, adding something extra can work very well most of the time and is not something to be afraid of. Baking is a bit different as it is like chemistry, but even then you can usually make some changes, such as substituting some whole grain flour for the white. The key is to do only what you feel comfortable with. If you're trying out a recipe for the first time and don't want to risk it by changing anything, then follow the recipe, taste the result, and then decide if you'd like to make any changes next time. Just remember, cooking is a fun creative act and you are the master of the kitchen, capable of creating the most delicious dishes that will feed you and your loved ones in a deeply nourishing way :)

As for decorations and presentation, I think it makes more sense to once again go with your own instincts and to follow your personal creative impulses than to copy pages out of a magazine. Whatever warms you heart, makes you feel cozy, makes the room feel special and welcoming - that is what works. Presenting someone else's idea of Christmas will never have that special touch. And there's no pressure when you're just doing your own thing and expressing your own soul :)

Whether you're cooking in the kitchen, putting up decorations, or thinking up a gift for someone you love, just do what feels right and toss out any preconceived idealized images of what things are supposed to look like.

Also, don't forget that exercise is a great stress-buster too :)