psychosomatic

i've moved!

2008-01-10T18:24:00.000-06:00

well, i mean my blog has moved.

to here.

come find me. maybe i'll even start posting on a regular basis about more interesting things.

but probably not.

2008 resolutions

2008-01-05T21:40:00.000-06:00

1. eat more
2. read more
3. cook more
4. sew more
5. bike more

so, basically, i'm just going to be doing a lot more of the stuff that i already love to do.

sounds good to me.

(if i had to add a #6, it would be: graduate, get married, sell everything, move across the ocean while remaining stress-free the entire time.)

ben's article for the korea times

2007-12-22T16:00:00.001-06:00

ben's latest article... published a few days ago.

Who Should Be Held Accountable?

...

2007-12-11T20:00:00.001-06:00

enough with the snow already!

this and that

2007-11-30T14:46:00.001-06:00

i just spent the entire morning/early afternoon purging my closet of all the clothes that i don't wear anymore. the amount of garbage bags that are filled with clothes to give away is kind of ridiculous. they range from jeans i wore in high school to shirts i bought last year.

taking time to clean out my closet has been long overdue. loooong overdue. and i know i was procrastinating because i didn't want to let go of some really sentimental pieces of my past, even if they are two sizes too small for me now. but ben's *officially* moving in, and i needed to make room for him and his things. and i needed to prepare myself for the big move to korea next summer when i'll be taking all of my possessions with me and selling the rest.

so i spent the better part of today emptying out my closet and going through it, piece by piece. it's almost funny how difficult it was for me to pack some of those clothes into garbage bags headed for goodwill. i debated items and dreamed up scenarios where i might possibly need that electric blue sweater in the future for some job interview. and then i'd force myself to realize that i probably wouldn't wear something so bright to an interview that i probably wouldn't ever have... and that sweater probably still wouldn't fit me anyway.

and then there were the clothes that were tied to very specific memories for me. like the shirt i wore on my first date with ben in korea and the dress i wore to a close family member's funeral. both don't fit me anymore but both are items that i can't imagine parting with. but i'm wondering what'll happen to these things in the future. will i carry them around with me for the rest of my life? probably not. i guess when i'm ready to let them go, i'll know, right?

so now i'm left with multiple garbage bags sitting in the middle of my apartment filled with clothes that i should've gotten rid of a long time ago. it was so hard for me to decide which items to pack in the bags, but now that i'm done, i can barely remember which clothes i packed in there. i guess this proves that i wasn't as attached to them as i originally thought. they are just clothes, afterall.

my shoes are next.

a birthday-kind of weekend

2007-04-22T19:27:00.000-05:00

i turned 25 this past weekend.

the weather was amazing.
i talked to lots of people that i love.
i ate some of my favorite foods, including birthday cake and homemade granola at marigold.
ben got a really great article published on the front page of the capital times (okay, so that happened on wed or thurs... it still made my weekend).
i went for a bike ride.
i saw an okay movie.
i sat around outside in the sunshine and read magazines.
i thought a lot about seeing my friends this summer in california.
my feet got really tan (maybe not a good thing).
i went to the first farmer's market of the year.
i got some great books, cookbooks, annnnnnd a sewing machine(!!!), among other things.
i found out that my parents finally took my dog to get a haircut (which she REALLY needed).
i went to see the decemberists, who put on a great show.

all in all, it was an amazing way to start out this year of my life. my family and friends are so good to me!!

wi film festival

2007-04-16T22:15:00.001-05:00

due to lack of time (and an effort to save money), ben and i only had a chance to see one movie this year at the film festival, but we picked a great one. i've had the theme song stuck in my head ever since.

if i had to do it all again, i'd still choose to go see "linda linda linda."

san francisco

2007-04-09T22:38:00.000-05:00

ben did such a wonderful job summarizing our amazing, week-long trip to san francisco that i feel no need to write anything more about it.

read about it here.

pictures here.

thanks to dp and her roomies for giving us a place to stay and showing us around. and thanks to my cousin for taking us out for some of the best thai food i've ever had (seroiusly).

it's thundersnowing and starbucks can eat it.

2007-02-25T00:35:00.000-06:00

we're in the midst of a blizzard here in good old wisco. we could get up to 24 inches by monday morning. yikes.

espresso royale was the only shop to stay open past 7pm tonight on state street (including starbucks... so nyuh!)... which would have been fine, except for the fact that i was working until midnight. even the buses stopped running before 6pm. and then i came home to find out that the ceiling of my bathroom leaked a shitload of water and dirt all over the bathroom rug, the toilet, and the shower.

bah!

brrr.

2007-01-31T15:34:00.000-06:00

it's days like today that make me wish that teleportation existed.

um.

2006-12-21T11:42:00.000-06:00

i just saw my mom break an apple in half...

...with her bare hands.

i almost died.

bah!

2006-12-11T22:44:00.000-06:00

they're filming an american version of the korean movie, "my sassy girl."

that makes me really sad...

story time.

2006-11-18T17:55:00.000-06:00

when i was in korea almost 2 years ago, two of my friends and i had a tradition where we would go out to lunch together every wednesday. after we'd eat, we would usually spend the next hour or so stopping into little shops and poking around or going to coffee shops and gorging ourselves on little cakes and tarts. it really was the perfect way to spend the afternoon: amazing friends, delicious food, and great conversation.

after one wednesday lunch, towards the end of our year-long stay in korea, we stopped into a little jewelry store and each bought a necklace with a pendant of the first korean character of our first names. they were pretty and simple, and although it sounds corny, it made me feel closer to my two friends... especially after we returned to america, back to our respective home states.

it's been well over a year since i've been back, and although we've done a good job keeping in contact with each other (except for recently, sorry girls!), i've only seen my friends once. but i was always reminded of them whenever i wore my pendant.

about a month ago, i was biking around with ben and lost it somewhere along the way. we retraced our footsteps later on foot twice, and ben went out a third time to look again. we stopped into stores that we had passed along the way and kicked through piles of leaves that were covering the streets. it was pretty much a lost cause from the start. to make things worse, the company didn't sell that particular pendant online, so i couldn't re-buy it. as pathetic as it sounds, i was heartbroken. that necklace was a tangible reminder of my friends and the incredible time i had in korea. i cried. a lot.

last weekend, ben and i celebrated 2 years of dating. time has gone by so fast that i couldn't believe it had already been 2 years... but then again, i also felt like i had known ben forever, so i couldn't believe it had ONLY been 2 years. in celebration, ben treated me to dinner at sardine, a new french restaurant in madison (owned by the marigold guys!). as a gift, he presented me with........... a new pendant (of the one i had lost)! i was completely taken by surprise. it was so sweet.

apparently, he had contacted one of our friends who was still in korea and asked her to go out and buy me another one and mail it to him. not too shabby, considering that he only had about 2 weeks in between the time that i lost it and our anniversary to acquire it.

he's definately a keeper.

then, we spent the entire day of our actually anniversary (sunday... we went to dinner on saturday night) at the library writing term papers and studying for midterms.

the end.

happy pepero day!

2006-11-11T07:39:00.001-06:00

totally seroius

halloween in madison

2006-10-28T14:45:00.000-05:00

you better believe i'm not going anywhere near this mayhem tonight.

at the orpheum

2006-09-24T15:36:00.000-05:00

starlight mints:

mates of state:

the new super h-mart in chicago

2006-09-07T13:23:00.000-05:00

we went so that we could stock up on ready-made foods that i could just heat and serve on those nights when i'm too busy (and don't have the will) to cook dinner.

we came home with this:

...and this isn't even all of it.

maybe next time i'll have a little more self control when it comes to buying sweets... but probably not.

sweet italian basil

2006-08-26T12:28:00.000-05:00

back home...

2006-08-24T21:21:00.000-05:00

safe and sound! we returned to madison last night to the sound of deafening thunder, tornado sirens, and huge streaks of lightening throughout the sky. ahh, wisconsin in the summer!

we had such an amazing time in new york meeting up with our yonsei friends! i loved the fact that we could just pick up from where we left off like nothing had really changed. i was especially happy that i got to hang out with my brother during his birthday weekend. it was so great that he got to meet all of my friends from korea and they had a chance to meet him (even though the similarities i noticed between him and ben k kind of wierded me out).

anyway, there's not much more i can say about the trip other than it was much more than i hoped for and better than i could have ever imagined!

great friends. great food. huge thanks to naerim and brian for taking care of us and showing us around!

oh yeah, one last thing, we went to nobu next door for jason's birthday dinner where we ran into the bush twins. one of their secret service shoved jason. happy birthday!

more pictures on my flickr.

finally

2006-08-16T20:09:00.000-05:00

tomorrow i leave for new york to reunite with old friends and hang out with my brother during his birthday weekend.

i'm so ready to get out of the midwest for a while, even if it is only for a week.

heat advisory

2006-07-31T11:38:00.000-05:00

i feel like i'm melting.

Happy Birthday, NAERIM!!!

2006-07-23T17:40:00.000-05:00

it seems like only yeterday we were in korea acting like total fobs...

the forecast for today

2006-07-16T09:24:00.000-05:00

High of 97F
Feels like 101F

(my parents') adventures in africa

2006-07-06T12:34:00.000-05:00

my parents just got back from africa and amsterdam last week, and i just wanted to put up some photos they took (mostly because this is the only way jason will get to see them). as usual, my dad took hundreds of pics, but i'm just going to put up the highlights of the africa trip, in no particular order...

africa pics...

2006-07-06T12:32:00.000-05:00

more africa pics...

2006-07-06T12:27:00.000-05:00

more africa pics...

2006-07-06T12:24:00.000-05:00

more africa pics...

2006-07-06T12:21:00.000-05:00

more africa pictures...

2006-07-06T12:18:00.000-05:00

more africa pics...

2006-07-06T11:55:00.000-05:00

update for the month of july

2006-06-30T17:32:00.000-05:00

you know it's summer when you see people driving around with their left foot sticking out the window. i don't want to see your dirty, hairy feet, people! is this only a wisconsin thing? and how do they even drive like that? i feel like my balance would be off.

this past wednesday, i had class continuously from 8am until 8:30pm. that sucked.

but i got to see elvis costello last night at summerfest with ben. because we got there so late, we were stuck in the very back with a pretty crummy view. it wasn't so bad though because we were right next to two extremely wasted 45 year old women who were not only sporting an unnecessary amount of cleave, but dancing erratically and waaay to sexually for their age. so at least we were entertained.

my parents just came back from africa where my dad ran the mt. kilamanjaro marathon... which means he's officially finished running marathons in 50 states and all 7 continents!!! and, although he's been running marathons for over 14 years, he only began this 50 states/7 continents thing 5 years ago. i'm so proud of him! and i'm glad that he can finally relax now...

and lastly, although i don't particularly enjoy summer, i do love the summer fruits that are in season during this time! so, i'm making it a goal to try to make as many pies, cakes, and other baked goods as possible using summer fruit while they're still cheap. on the list for today: fresh blueberry and yogurt cake.

there's nothing like baking on a hot summer day.

2006-06-08T16:32:00.000-05:00

i made my first batch of blueberry scones today!

mmmmmmm!

pictures to come later (if i feel like it).

it's official.

2006-05-11T22:24:00.000-05:00

my wonderful brother is graduating from medical school tomorrow morning!!! he'll officially be DR. OUGH. i can't believe it! i'm so proud of him!

and then in a month, he'll be on his way to new york for his clinical at monte fiore and residency at nyu. i'm so sad that we'll be living so far apart. he's always only been a few blocks away at most (except for that year i spent in korea... but that doesn't count), and now we'll be almost 1000 miles apart.

ah well... i guess i had to grow up some time.

congrats, jason! love you!

photobooth is the best.

2006-05-06T21:16:00.000-05:00

2006-02-22T20:03:00.000-06:00

sometimes i feel like i just can't get it together.

it's "thunder-snowing!"

2006-02-16T09:50:00.000-06:00

woooooooooooooooooooooooo-hooo!

georgia-ho!

2006-01-14T17:00:00.000-06:00

as of this afternoon, my dad finished the last marathon he needed to join the "50 states" runner's club. he's been running marathons constantly for the past 13 years or so, but only recently began running in different states and countries. by the end of 2006, he'll have finished all 7 continents as well.

after that, he'll conquer the ultra-marathons.

kick. ass.

2006-01-11T04:59:00.000-06:00

i can't believe that i'm still awake right now...

2005-12-18T19:26:00.000-06:00

w h y a m i p r o c r a s t i n a t i n g ?

2005-12-09T23:29:00.000-06:00

it's so damn frustrating/time-consuming for me to write a stupid bibliography.

i'm so over school.

so ready for thanksgiving.

2005-11-19T08:45:00.000-06:00

last week at the gym, i may or may not have worked out next to weatherman, charlie shortino.

welp. that's about it for last week.

midterm pick-me-up:

2005-11-04T18:19:00.000-06:00

i laughed. i cried. and i'll never look at the internet in the same way.

link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6739710473912337648

from ben:

2005-10-26T16:24:00.000-05:00

seriously sweet...

sick and tired of being sick and tired...

2005-10-25T09:42:00.000-05:00

i've decided to skip the rest of my classes for the day because i feel like it.

i've also decided not to go work out this afternoon.

the rest of the day will be spent curled up in bed, feeling sick and sorry for myself, and perhaps reading for and catching up (and maybe even getting ahead) in all my classes.

85 degrees with humidity...

2005-10-04T08:34:00.000-05:00

is so unnecessary in october.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUSAN!

2005-09-27T21:23:00.000-05:00

i hope you're always this happy:

and i hope you get this for your birthday:

i love rainy days...

2005-09-22T13:50:00.000-05:00

because i get a free car wash.

2005-09-12T21:42:00.000-05:00

it's not even october yet, and i've already eaten sickening amounts of it.

i'm going to go throw up now...

goodbye, summer!

2005-09-01T21:50:00.000-05:00

ben came to wisco for 9 days and left yesterday. it was great having him here and showing him around madison and a little bit of chicago. i was a little worried that we wouldn't have anything to do (i DO live in the midwest), and we definately had some down time where we just kicked back but, overall, it was completely entertaining. i'm pretty sure my favorite memeory will be the night we ordered chinese food and sat around and watched stephen chow kung-fu movies. totally awesome.

my apartment is so quiet now...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY...

2005-08-20T17:47:00.000-05:00

to my brother, jason!

you are ooooooooold!

i'll just say it...

2005-08-10T17:58:00.000-05:00

my old template was ugly.

back from seattle

2005-08-06T10:54:00.000-05:00

seriously

2005-07-24T11:23:00.000-05:00

Beloit's weather forcast for today:
Abundant sunshine.
Hot and humid.
Heat index near 120F.
High near 100F.
Winds W at 15 to 25 mph.

HEAT INDEX NEAR 120F?!

i hate summer.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NAERIM!

2005-07-23T10:47:00.000-05:00

you're one step closer to being an ajuma!

FREE FLICKR PRO ACCOUNTS

2005-07-15T18:07:00.000-05:00

who wants one? i have two to give away and i guess i need to do it by the end of today, so let me know asap.

reminiscing

2005-06-27T18:58:00.000-05:00

NEW CELL PHONE NUMBER!

2005-06-17T15:41:00.000-05:00

i finally reactivated my phone. if you'd like the number, let me know.

home again

2005-06-17T13:30:00.000-05:00

i'm back in america... AND I'M NOT JETLAGGED!

okay, so i actually am jetlagged, but it's no where near as bad as when i came home in december. back then, it took me about a week and a half before i stopped sleeping all day and running around hyper all night. this time around, i think i'll be okay within a few days. we'll see how long it takes me today before i pass out.

i've only been home for a day and i already miss seoul and all of my friends. things move a lot more slowly here in wisco.

beijing pictures are going up slowly, and some more random pictures of my last days in korea.

the ticket's been bought...

2005-05-28T01:51:00.000-05:00

the date is set.

i'm coming home to america on june 16th for good.

2005-05-25T18:29:00.000-05:00

back from beijing safe and happy.

pictures up on flickr and slightly more detailed post when i'm not so tired and i have some extra time.

2005-05-18T08:46:00.000-05:00

going to beijing tomorrow for 6 days!

my digital camera seems to not be cooperating (at all), so it looks like i'm going to have to take my slr and use actual film. awesome.

quick may update

2005-05-14T01:30:00.000-05:00

first things first, thanks to everyone who sent me birthday wishes from home and here in seoul. it was a really great to hear from everyone, especially those friends from home that i haven't seen in a while or kept in the best contact with... it really made my day that you remembered! i really miss you guys! celebrating my brithday here in seoul was pretty perfect. ben took me out to dinner and when we came back, my friends surprised me with cake and balloons and flowers. it was just a really sweet way to wrap up my day, and one of the most memorable birthday's i think i'll ever celebrate.

anyway, my time here's been flying by so quickly. my last term at yonsei is already more than halfway over. my midterms went a lot better this term compared to last (possibly because i actually studied for them this time... although, i had a really good excuse for not studying for them last time, seeing that sam was visiting me). i'm starting to feel a little anxious to go home though. not to say that i'm not completely enjoying my time here and that i won't want to leave once the time comes, but i guess i just feel like i've had my time here in seoul to play, and now im ready to go home and get my life back on track. meh.

i'm going to beijing on may 19th for 6 days. i don't know who's more excited, me or my dad (who won't even be going on the trip). i really love how excited he gets for me when i travel though. it's awesome to get parental support in your life. anyway, hopefully i'll get to see the great wall and forbidden city and all those terracotta statues etc. although, i'm wondering how much of it will be under restoration and reconstruction since the upcoming olympics are going to be held in beijing. i guess all i can do is cross my fingers that the whole city won't be covered in scaffolding.

i've missed out on the last 3 episodes of the oc. where have my priorities gone???

happy graduation to all my friends back home who are leaving their undergrad years behind them!
and lastly, late happy birthday to spamuri! hope your birthday was even more awesome than mine was!

japan was great!

2005-04-13T02:11:00.000-05:00

i realize this is coming kind of late, seeing that i got back two weeks ago, but i've been busy (lazy) so i haven't had a chance to properly update. (more pictures up on flickr)

naerim, susan, and i left for narita on march 24 and spent two days wandering around tokyo with our friend, jeanie, who was an amazing tour guide. we spent our time shopping in harajuku, eating sushi and candy, clubbing in roppongi, and roaming around shinjuku and shibuya, taking in all of the sights and basically eating nonstop.

saturday night, susan, jeanie, and i took the night bus to osaka to meet up with naerim and her relatives who reside there. the original plan was to take the shinkansen with naerim, but unfortunately, tickets were alot (A LOT) more expensive than we had thought they would be (or at least, the internet told us). so intead, we spent 8 hours on a bus and arrived in osaka at 7am to spend easter sunday with the kim family! we were able to stay with naerim's grandmother, who was so sweet and cooked us breakfast every morning and fed us strawberries and oranges at night. we spent sunday at naerim's grandfather's church and milling around america and europe streets (which reminded me nothing of america and europe).

the following monday, we met up with some other friends in kyoto. we were able to visit a really beautiful temple and see a few cherry blossoms in the rain, although it was still a little too early for them to all be in full bloom.

we headed back to tokyo (once again, on the night bus), and spent our last days doing a little more sight seeing and a lot more shopping. and on our last day, we hit up shinjuku central park, which was incredible (the fact that the weather was perfect helped a lot too).

and now i'm back in seoul with all of my japanese candy eaten and a burning desire to own a japanese bicycle (the ones with the little basket). class has restarted, ben is finally back i

I'M IN TOKYO

2005-03-24T08:20:00.000-06:00

...and it's awesome.

2005-03-23T18:20:00.000-06:00

within three days, i've broken a bed, a clothes rack, and my desk chair.

...i think it's time for me to go to japan.

2005-03-21T04:31:00.000-06:00

carrying (or rolling) your suitcase up a very gentle incline is a lot harder than you'd think it would be.

2005-03-19T19:54:00.000-06:00

naerim and i are moving out of room 226 today and into a hasuk.

i'm going to miss this room and all of our friends (not that i won't be seeing them... we're moving within walking distance) i'm going to miss yelling out the window at people we know. i'm going to miss the ajushi's that work in the office. i'm REALLY going to miss being able to dry my clothes in a dryer instead of line drying them.

it looks so warm and sunny outside, so at least moving all of our stuff won't be so terrible.

i pulled a muscle in my chest a couple of weeks ago and it still hurts... how does someone, who does very minimal physical activity, pull a muscle in their chest?

i'm getting very very excited to go to japan. i have this feeling that i'm going to come back from our trip with my hiking bag filled with candy and nothing else... which i'm totally okay with...

my alarm doesn't wake me up in the mornings anymore.

2005-03-14T10:35:00.000-06:00

korean holidays suck. peppero day, valentine's day, white day, black day (and now i hear that there's a rose day too... when does it all end?!)... they're all poo. the only holiday worth celebrating is sam gyup sal day (march 3), which is a day where you basically just eat pork... and i didn't know about that one until it was already past...

good news, my parents are in seoul right now. they seem a little tired since they just came from a 2 week trip to argentina and antarctica, where my dad ran a marathon. they only had one day of rest before flying out to korea and i think it's all catching up to them now. i know they'll be so happy to go home and finally be able to relax in their own house, sleep in their own bed, etc.

my finals begin tomorrow. my parents leave on saturday. i move out into a hasuk (homestay) on sunday. i leave for japan on thursday. my time here is flying by too quickly.

i have the greatest friends ever.

2005-03-06T07:22:00.000-06:00

i really adore all of my girl friends. i have so much love for them all. tonite, i mentioned to susan how i wanted to eat a donut because i was craving something sweet. so, sometime after 9pm, she snuck away, walked into town alone (through edae campus, which is always really empty and a little creepy after dark) and came back with a donut for me.

my friends are so good to me!!!

dinsay plays the frute...

2005-02-27T09:57:00.000-06:00

"i wonder what dried grapes taste like?!"
--naerim kim

i rub my roommate!

2005-02-27T03:26:00.000-06:00

that was the BEST episode of the oc ever.

i want to live in the oc.

2005-02-26T22:54:00.000-06:00

new post!

sam came to visit me here in seoul for 10 days! i can't remember the last time i ran around so much. i ended up getting sick while she was here, and towards the end, i was running on the last of my reserve energy, but it was so great having her here. since she wasn't allowed to stay in the dorms with me, we ended up shacking up at a love motel in sinchon (they're definately not as sleazy as they sound). i took her to see a lot of touristy stuff, and we got to see some things that i hadn't gotten around to visiting yet, like the dmz and seoul tower (so pretty at night!). the weather could have been a lot better, but i'm pretty sure she had a good time anyway.

and being the sweetheart that she is, sam brought me so much american chocolate! and each piece she brought me had significance, which was so awesome. plus, it all reminds me of the time i spent 45 minutes in the candy aisle at copp's, only to decide that they didn't have the candy i was looking for and then make sam drive me to the next grocery store to look again. ah, good times...

anyway, on friday, all of the classes in level two of kli had to put on a little song and dance in front of everyone. it was ridiculous. some of the classes did a really great job, while others (mine included) just kind of did the bare minimum. i think it was pretty obvious that we didn't have our song completely memorized. there were definately parts where my entire class was just kind of mumbling along to the music... and then we'd all start singing along again when it got to a line we all knew. from what i hear, my face was pretty red the entire time...

my parents are coming to korea in two weeks! and then a few days after they leave, i'm going to japan for a week (we finally bought our tickets on friday)! and then when i come back, ben will be here! march is going to be great...

2005-02-06T07:07:00.000-06:00

i've started vounteering at my dad's friend's free clinic, st. joseph's, a couple of times a week. it's a place where the less fortunate, many of them homeless and alcoholics, go to get health care. all of the doctors and nurses are volunteers, as well as the rest of the staff. in fact, there are so many helping hands that a lot of times, there's really nothing for me to do. even so, it's been a great opportunity to get involved in some community service while i'm in korea.

starting tomorrow, i'm going to be teaching an english class there for the staff. they kind of planned everything out already, which was great, except the method they want to use to learn english is maybe not the best idea in the world. apparently, i'm going to be reading the bible out loud in english and they're going to follow along in korean (did i mention the clinic was catholic?). anyway, they seem very eager which is always great.

so i'm going to go tomorrow and teach them with the bible and we'll see how effective it is. they're definately going to be learning some interesting verbs, like 'begat' and 'smote,' which should make for some interesting english conversations later...

i feel like i've been hit by a bus.

2005-01-30T05:23:00.000-06:00

this weekend, i went to gangchon lg resort to go snowboarding with about 20 other people. it's the first time in a few years since i've gone, so it was like starting from scratch again, and naerim had never gone skiing or snowboarding at all. so, we started out on the bunny hill, but weren't getting anywhere (literally... it was really flat), so robb, d.lo and ricky took us up a mountain and tried to teach us from there. needless to say, we ate it numerous times, but it was actually a lot easier to learn on a steeper hill.

and then the tyme machine ate my woori bank card.

we woke up this morning in a lot of pain. everything aches. we can't lift our arms or turn our heads. walking seems to be a problem. and all i want to do is lie in bed and dream about pain killers...

highlights of the trip:
-when i took out the ski lift operator while trying to get off of the ski lift.
-standing at the bottom of the hill and watching naerim face plant (okay, so that turned out to be really painful for her, but it looked awesome from far away)
-when naerim and i went down the mountain for the first time without help from the guys... we mapped out places where we were going to force ourselves to fall so we would stick together.
-walking down the stupid bunny hill because it was taking too much energy to try to build up any momentum.

one last thing: HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY, AMY!

2005-01-22T20:38:00.000-06:00

i never thought i'd actually say this, but i miss winters in wisconsin.

i miss sledding and throwing snow and tackling each other and sliding around on the ice on the lake. i miss walking around outside in the frigid cold and then stepping indoors and feeling the heat slowly prickle through your entire body. i miss watching people wipe out on the sidewalks on the way to class. good times.

this weekend was just kind of blah, and now it's over.

3 weeks until sam comes to visit!

GREAT.

2005-01-20T01:19:00.000-06:00

as if public speaking didn't suck enough already... now i have to memorize this crap, it's in a foreign language, AND i've suddenly developed a stutter?

2005-01-18T08:46:00.000-06:00

my dad's friend had a photo exhibit last night here in seoul at the fuji photo center. i've seen slides of most of his shots, but to see them blown up into larger versions was amazing. he also put together a really great photography book that i got a copy of... then, naerim and i went out for steak dinner. awesome.

a few of dr. kim's photos:

2005-01-16T22:58:00.001-06:00

i've decided that my roommate and i are responsible for the success of the my-chew and hi-chew candy companies. our consumption of their products is keeping their businesses afloat. it's a good thing that that's all we ever really eat... i wonder what the nutritional value of each candy is?

2005-01-13T22:55:00.000-06:00

it's friday!

the first week of class has been pretty routine. i'm liking my class more and more though. i really lucked out again this term and am in another section full of interesting people. my class is made up of mostly chinese and japanese students who are really lively and talkative, which is awesome. i was also really fortunate to get placed with two of my friends from last term, who are the only other english speakers in my section.

my teacher definately has adhd. she's really hyper and easily excited. and she occasionally uses sarcasm, which i find pretty unusual for a native korean...

other than that, things have been pretty quiet here! i can't believe i've only been back for two weeks. it feels like i never left at all...

my roommate, naerim!

flurries

2005-01-08T09:52:00.000-06:00

blizzard
Originally uploaded by janough.

my window doesn't have a screen... just wanted to share that.

awww

2005-01-08T09:01:00.000-06:00

continuing the familial tradition of making stupid faces for the camera
Originally uploaded by ohio snap.

so bored...

2005-01-07T10:57:00.000-06:00

plane2
Originally uploaded by janough.

somewhere over canadia?

2005-01-07T10:56:00.000-06:00

somewhere over canadia?
Originally uploaded by janough.

delayed in chicago

2005-01-07T10:49:00.000-06:00

delayed in chicago
Originally uploaded by janough.

2005-01-05T06:08:00.000-06:00

i'm back in korea as of last night. and so far all i've done is unpack a little, sleep a little, and... well, that's pretty much it.

my plane ride here went pretty smoothly. we were delayed for a little over an hour at o'hare because the weather was so shitty, but i was pretty okay with it. the plane was really empty, so i ended up getting an entire row to myself. and since i was doped up on sleeping pills, i slept most of the 14 hours.

and now i'm back in seoul, back in the dorms, and back in the exact same room. it was so great to see some familiar faces last night and today, but it feels weird to be back. the dorms are so empty right now and it's so quiet. plus, i'm jetlagged again, which always proves to be a good time. and now all i have to do is pass the days until class begins on monday...

one more thing...

2005-01-03T01:53:00.000-06:00

to everyone who i gave my temporary cell phone number to: starting tomorrow, my mom will be taking it, so no more drunken phone calls at 3am, okay? i have a feeling that she won't appreciate them as much as i did...

it's about that time...

2005-01-02T18:40:00.000-06:00

i'm leaving for korea again tomorrow morning.

packing doesn't seem to be happening, which is unfortunate.

i guess i'll be seeing you guys in june.

2004-12-22T18:39:00.000-06:00

today proved to be another exciting addition to the amazingly interesting outings i've had since returning stateside. i went to the dentist! where i learned that apparently, i am an exceptional flosser.

the end.

snowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnow

2004-12-21T10:07:00.000-06:00

it snowed last night!

i thought i woke up to the rumble of a snow plow this morning, but by the time i actually rolled out of bed, i thought maybe i had just been dreaming.

hopefully it'll last... i love me a white christmas.

still kind of sleepy...

2004-12-19T22:49:00.000-06:00

so i've been back in america for exactly one week now. and, as sad as this sounds, i'm just getting used to the whole time change. i have no idea why it's taken me so long to adjust back to central standard time... it was difficult when i first arrived in korea, but not this difficult. it's definately better though. pretty soon, i hope to be a perfectly normal, fully functioning adult.

i finally had the opportunity to go back up to madison for a bit (it's a little difficult when you're suddenly without a car or cell phone), which was much needed. it was so great to be back and see friends that i missed so much while i was gone. i loved being able to go through campus and finally have a sense of direction again, and going down state street and seeing that nothing has changed... (even the construction... what the hell? wasn't taht supposed to be done in october or something?).

so now i've only got about 2 weeks left here in the states before i head back to seoul. i'm trying to make the most of it, but it's a little difficult when all of your friends are going home for the holidays or working all day. hopefully, i'll have a chance to hang out with most of of them before i go, but if not, it was nice being on the same continent as you guys! i'll see ya in june 2005!

i'm wiiiiiiide awake...

2004-12-13T05:01:00.000-06:00

i flew into o'hare this morning and have been in america for maybe 20 hours now.

it feels so strange to be back in my parents home. it's so quiet here and everything seems to move a lot slower than it did in seoul. and maybe it's delirium from lack of sleep setting in, but i'm already anxious to go back to korea. i know i just got back and i'm tired and i just need to give myself more time to get used to things again. but, somehow things just feel different here now.

i am happy to be back though and i've had a lovely day so far though. i got to see my folks and my puppy, eat some great food, take a nap in my own bed. and i can't wait to see jason and amy and some friends in madison. i'm sure i'll readjust to life in wisco in no time... and then i won't want to go back to korea in january... oh, it's a cruel cruel cycle!

and now, because of jet lag, i've been up all night, completely awake and bored out of my head. and they really don't show anything interesting on tv at night anymore. what happened to all the infomercials i used to watch when i couldn't sleep? i've been rotating between m2, mtv, and vh1 and i'm pretty sure i've seen the same green day video 5 or 6 times already. gah.

k, more later... i'm so antsy, i need to go run around or something to burn off some energy...

2004-12-06T01:31:00.000-06:00

i'm leaving korea on sunday, but i have to move out of the dorms by wednesday. so i'm moving into a friend's apartment. unfortunately, that means that i get to pack twice... sweet.

who knew packing could be so stressful? i've somehow accumulated twice as much stuff since i've gotten here, and i swear that i haven't bought anything other than food product. so my question is, WHERE DID IT ALL COME FROM? and why can't i fit it all into the two bags i brought? and i'm only bringing my huge hiking bag home (which doesn't seem so huge anymore) and leaving my suitcase and some other things at another friend's apartment, so i'm trying to squeeze everything i'll need for my month at home into one bag... AND i just remembered that i still need to go christmas shopping and somehow fit gifts into my bag along with everything else... oh. my. GOD.

soooo, right now i'm just kind of freaking out. this is totally ridic. i don't even know what to do with myself right now.

i just took my last two finals...

2004-11-28T22:25:00.000-06:00

amen.

GAH!

2004-11-28T11:38:00.000-06:00

i am looOOOoosing it. i've been studying for my last two finals tomorrow and it's approaching 3am. i forgot how enjoyable it is to lose all grasp on sanity... everything has been HI-larious to me tonite. i love it when i laugh so hard i can't breathe and my lungs feel like they're going to collapse.

but i'm hitting the point where i can't retain anything. i read the same line over and over again and have no idea what i just read. and the more i study, the more confused i get. and i'm so pooped but completely hopped up on caffeine and sugar, so i don't think sleeping is an option right now. AND i didn't leave the dorms today (other than to occasionally step outside for a smoke... i mean, fresh air...), so i'm getting a little stir crazy. and did i mention that i think i'm losing it?

but to end on a happier note, i downloaded 'the office: christmas special' and watched part 1 this morning. i really do think that show is total brilliance, but the xmas special (at least part 1) was just kind of depressing... still funny, but depressing.

2004-11-26T22:23:00.000-06:00

it snowed for the first time in korea yesterday afternoon. and it was the best kind of snow (minus the acid rain part), big fat flakes falling pretty heavily. unfortunately, it didn't snow for very long so none of it stuck. but the best part was seeing the reaction on the face of one of the exchange students from australia who had never seen snow falling before. it appeared to be an equal mixture of excitement and elation (whoa, i almost wrote 'elatedness' instead of 'elation').

so i ended up having a thanksgiving dinner last night after all. the uc eap folks were so great to hook us up, even though a handful of us weren't uc students. it was really lovely and there was so much great food. it wasn't quite like home, but i was so thankful be surrounded by people that i have so much love for.

i recieved the new 446 double disc in the mail the other day... i could listen to them all day long and be so happy. favorites so far include 'gay marriage (promosexuality)' and 'my what is like whoa.' and, of course, i've always had a soft spot for 'bangers and hash.' am i the only one that thinks d sounds like mc chris/mc pee pants/sir loin (that's not a bad thing, i swear!)?? anyway.. best study music ever.

it's not fun being in a foreign country on thanksgiving day.

2004-11-25T02:34:00.000-06:00

so it's finally been decided. mark your mental calendars (in pen!), i'll be coming back to america on december 12. i'll be around for about 3 weeks before coming back to korea, a few days after new years. that should give me just enough time to readjust to the time change and clean wisconsin air before i come back to polluted seoul and cough my lungs away. wee!

other than that, things are going swimmingly here. i took my first of four finals today, but it happened to be the easiest one, so it wasn't too terrible. i've been spending this last week pretty consistently going through the same routine: sleep, class, eat, nap, study, sleep, repeat. it reminds me a lot of studying for finals in madison with sam (except, replace "class, nap, and study" with "people watch at college library for 15 hours a day"). ah, good times...

2004-11-21T09:48:00.000-06:00

you know what's awesome? when you can't get through a day without taking a nap... and by 'awesome,' i mean 'pathetic.'

last night i fell asleep around 10pm... it was a saturday night. i got into bed to rest my eyes for a couple of minutes and then woke up this morning. pretty sad, yes?

oh, korea. what have you done to me?

2004-11-19T03:16:00.000-06:00

long time no postie!

my visa extension is finally being processed! i ventured over to the immigration office this morning with all the paperwork necessary in hand, and myself fully ready to cry on cue if they turned me away again. thank God it didn't come to tears (but don't think for a second that i wouldn't have done it). anyway, all's well and i just took an awesome nap and now it's the weekend!

unfortunately, i have finals next week. okay, seriously this time, WHERE HAS ALL THE TIME GONE? i feel like i just arrived here last week and now all of a sudden i'm going to be tested on all of the korean i've learned (or not learned)? i wasn't too worried about studying, but apparently, our final's going to be slightly more complicated than our midterms. and just witnessing other people freak out is making me pretty damn nervous.

yesterday, i finally mosied my way up to the top of the mountain that yonsei is (kind of) settled on. it was a pretty trying experience for someone who doesn't exercise and smokes on a daily basis. and it was slightly discouraging to see all of the older couples just zip right by me on their trek skywards, but with a little fortitude and some encouragement from ben, i made it alright (really, it wasn't that bad... i'm dramatizing for the sake of a more interesting post. is it working?). it definately made me rethink smoking those last 20 packs or so of cigarettes though...

the view at the top was fantastic though. the city kind of sprawled out from every direction, and i just felt so peaceful and at home... i love that seoul feels like home to me now. it was a little 'foggy' out, so we couldn't see the horizon clearly, but i think it was almost prettier that way. it made it seem like the city kept stretching on forever. i hope my pictures turn out okay...

and on one last note, i'm so sad to be missing tha 446/dpc show on friday. will i ever get another oppurtunity to see tha 446 live again? can't wait to get the new double disc in the mail...

2004-11-16T23:39:00.000-06:00

http://www.iloveegg.com/winopen_ani/eggsong.htm

oh my dear lord...

this is so messed up...

2004-11-10T04:34:00.000-06:00

PRESIDENT BERRY.
borrowed from the westwash.