a quick insight to my "DEEP THOUGHTS"

Some things which popped into my head these couple of days:


[at Central Market]
"Wow….the ground is really clean here!"

[at Woolworths supermarket]
"Oh my GOD. Look at this whole refrigerator of CHEESE. WOW."

[still at Woolworths 3 minutes later]
"Oh my GOD. Look at the CHEESE……"

[waiting for the Tram]
"Hmm…. nobody here is wearing a sparkly flowery bow in her hair"

[turning the street corner and a lady bumps into me and says “Oh, I’m sorry. Are you okay?]
"Yes. Yes. YES. I can speak ENGLISH TO YOU AND YOU UNDERSTAND ME"

[walking down the street]
"Hello there muscular men…it’s been a long time since I’ve seen pecs and arms."

[still walking down the street]
"Wow. Boobs. Big boobs….everywhere….."

What's today? Today's a happy day!

I am sitting on the floor next to the heater, with a korean fuzzy blanket on my lap. Yes, it is CRAZY because it is winter here in Adelaide. Apparently, it’s the coldest August in a long time. Why is it the “coldest” everywhere I go? It was the coldest winter in Korea too…. and now here. *sigh* I guess the cold loves me more than I love it.

Anyways. I’ve been giggling to myself for about 24 hours now. I don’t know…maybe it’s all the MSG I’ve ingested. Maybe it’s so cold that my brain isn’t working right. Maybe I’m just too happy from rolling around in my queen sized bed. Or maybe it’s the adrenaline rush I got from driving again. Maybe it’s all of the above… but I strongly suspect the FOOD to be the cause of my bout of happiness.

I will just tell you what I ate today.

I had a turkey sub on wheat bread with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, beetroot, pickles, jalapenos, olives, onions and honey mustard at SUBWAY. Yes. Would you like to make that into a meal? YES. What cookie would you like? ALL OF THEM I screamed in my head…but I said, White choc and macadamia. YES. Inside my head, I burst into laughter and did a little dance.


Then I had a Caesar salad from Sumo salad. It wasn’t the best but it was pretty damn good. I laughed a bit more in my head and let out a small giggle.


Afterward, I went to Hogs Breadth and had a steak! Medium rare prime ribs with garlic prawns on the side and curly fries and veggies. Mmmm…… This time I laughed out loud and even did a little wiggley dance in my chair.


I then had a coffee from Cibo. Such good coffee. Hello good coffee, long time no see. I took a sip and haven’t stopped smiling since.


In between all these, I had Baci chocolates…as I unwrap each piece with anticipation, I read those corny love lines…. such as : The heart has its reasons which reason does not know… and I take a little bite. Mmmmm…. then pop the rest into my mouth. I can feel this giddiness rise up in me and I wriggle around in my chair once again.



So yes, right now, I’m sitting next to the heater, going on facebook, watching Korean drama and yes, I am still laughing and giggling. Why? I’m not so sure….maybe it’s the food. You tell me..!

Quick Update for all my *secret* readers

Hey you, yes YOU. I know you secretly read my blog ;)

Quick UPDATage:

Kuala Lumpar airport is the most boring airport I’ve ever been to -_-” Their selection of food ranges from Burger King to Starbucks with nothing in between. The “freshly brewed coffee” tastes crappier than my Homeplus 3000 won bags… *sigh* Maybe it’s not that bad. Maybe I just miss everybody already…..

This morning Nicole gave me a surprise visit to say bye. So did Michael. Well, he said he’d come help me carry my luggage to the taxi stand but yea, it was a surprise to see him too. He looked like he had died somewhere in Seoul the previous night and someone dragged his corpse back to Ansan. He looked terrible. I know he’s sad to see me leave, but I didn’t think his appearance would also “reflect his emotional state of being”.

ME AT KUALA LUMPAR, MALAY AIRPORT BEING BORED OUT OF MY BRAINS. DRANK TOO MUCH TERRIBLE COFFEE. BEING A NERD BLOGGING AT THE AIRPORT. TIRED. VERY TIRED. FELL ASLEEP ON THE CHAIR EARLIER BUT WAS SCARED SOMEBODY WOULD STEAL MY STUFF! CRAZY!!

Quick SHOUT-OUTS…..

TOMMY! Thanks for staying up online with me last night… and thanks for the movie links. hahah

Audrey!!! Thanks for messaging me so many texts this morning! *take the jacket!! it’s awesome*

Meagan…I don’t know if you use internet cos you’re from Minnesota (JOKING) I would love to come visit you one day and you can take me ICE FISHING. I know I was making fun of you about that but it does sound kind of intruiging…..

NICOLE… I love your little note. YES we will go to Thailand together. YES. MUST. Get your arse off your chungdahm chair now and go book a ticket…..i will see you in Chuseok.

Mike~ If you are reading this, ooops…I mean you were impeccably handsome this morning. We should go to Ghana together. Or come along for the Chuseok holiday (providing you shave and not wear belly shirts)

ZEE~~~~ i have your little bunny hanging on my camera kekeke i love it! you’re too cool~

Grace -  you are one of the most openly judgmental and racist person I’ve met….but you turned out to be pretty cool hahaha where were you on Saturday?? I think I might miss your jokes about mexicans and poor korean children hahaha

I am so tired I think I am in ZOMBIE-MODE right now. I haven’t slept since what? Saturday 4 am?? What day is it right now? What time is it? Catching planes make me feel like I’m travelling in time….I have no idea. Okay wait…let me think. It’s…. Monday 8:30 pm. WOW. I am AMAZING. I’m a fricking machine fuelled by bad coffee. So yea, sorry I’m not making much sense. Anyways…. I didn’t forget anybody but just that I guess I didn’t get the chance to get to know you as well as I would’ve liked…..

One more time…..

GOODBYE!

With the development of transportation and the frequency of airplanes these days, I am sure we will all meet once again. It’s just a matter of TIME. Once I become the trophy wife then I can have enough money to come find Y’all….

p-ee-ni-shy... *Korean for Finish*

I am sitting in my half-empty apartment. I do not know how its even possible to be only half empty. I swear, I gave away everything worth giving away. I threw away everything worth throwing away. *sigh* Life is hard. But nobody told me packing would be this hard….

But I keep going. The thought of going home…that keeps me going. Ahhh…it almost feels like I am breaking up with Korea. Weird, but that’s just how I feel. I guess me leaving is like pulling an “it’s not you, it’s me” kinda excuse. Yes Korea, it’s not you, it’s me. 

After hearing my students scream “Peenishy” every day. I can finally say it too. Yes! I peenishy! No more Korea. Olleh~~~

Oh Korea. I think I will miss you.

I will never forget the way drunken men are passed out all over the place by 10 pm. I will never forget living in a building where you can also find a “massage” parlour and a place called “Kiss ME”…Nor will I ever forget the sheer amount of glitter sprayed over everything….nor the fake flowers in every fake Italian restaurant. I guess I won’t forget the awkwardness of Korean bosses either. Yes Korea….I will miss these things.

But remember, it’s not you, it’s me. And right now, I peenishy.

my last mega class...

Today was the last class with this Mega class. Sally, James, Michael and Chad.

Sally reminds me of Jessica from America’s Next Top Model Cycle 14 - she’s sweet and always smiling.

James is hyperactive, will never sit still and likes to jump at me from every possible corner at every possible chance he gets. He makes me scream with fright at least 3 times every lesson.

Michael is the brainy one of the class. He is also very good at acting and every time he fake cry, I will believe him. One time he pretended to have a seizure and I screamed and almost had a heart attack.

Chad’s father is a marine biologist and his mother is a painter. He is always telling me about weird sea creatures or bringing me shells from Hawaii.

the main

pan fried foie gras

The main…. pan seared salmon,crushed idaho potato, butter poached crayfish, green peas, vine tomato coulis. I think the photos speak for themselves. The presentation was amazing…

dessert - lemon olive oil cake, ginger meringues and rich chocolate mousse

But I must say the dessert was really the spectacular of the show that night. It was literally a “blow-your-mind” kind of good. That chocolate mousse…..one little taste of it was like somebody had shoved 10 bars of chocolate into my mouth. The richness of the chocolate just exploded in my mouth. I had to put my fork down and just sit and smiled like an idiot because I could not think for a good minute. It was that good. Yes, if anybody says, Chocolate is better than sex, then I will think of this chocolate mousse. And just when you think the chocolate is too rich, you’d take a bite of the lemon olive oil cake and order is restored once again. It is light, but not bland and balances out the richness of the chocolate. Absolutely brilliant!

If you ever visit Korea, or is in Korea right now and love good food, I would suggest you give it a try. The atmosphere is quite nice, a bit eclectic, but that’s Korea for you. The price isn’t very expensive and it is definitely well worth it for the ingredients, heck, for just the fine presentation of the food! We had the Prestige Dinner and it was priced for just 39,000 won. The service was also excellent - the waiting staff come to check on you every so often, changing your silverware with each dish and their faces were always friendly and nice! 

It’s near Hanganjin Station (Subway line 6) Exit 3.

02-749-2596

The Spice

I wanna be a billionaire so fricking bad..

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/BVxT_c5S5xg?fs=1]Buy all of the things I never had

Oh every time I close my eyes
I see my name in shining lights

A different city every night oh
I swear the world better prepare
For when I’m a billionaire

Okay, I don’t really want to be a billionaire. Yes, Jamie doesn’t go well with conventional norms because she’s a crazy naive girl filled with idealistic dreams.

Anyways, last night, I really did kind of wanted to be rich. Or at least be able to milk somebody who’s rich.Why, what happened, you ask?

*SIGH* I still feel like I’m living in that dream….did it really happen?

Two heavy wooden doors, with the words “Modern European Cuisine” inscribed in red across the black paint of the doors. Push it open and you enter a whole new world which I have never seen in Korea. Long white sheer curtains drape down from the ceiling. Red velvet u-shaped lounges in the corners. Three disco balls spinning ever so slowly in the centre of the ceiling. Modern white plastic chandeliers hang over each and ever table. Floor to ceiling glass panels separate the kitchen whilst still allowing diners to watch them in fascination. Waiting staff dressed impeccably in starched white shirts, black aprons around their waists and red converse shoes usher us to a table.

First came the bread. Oh the bread. It was a basket with 5 different types of bread. Each piece was soft, warm, fluffy and just absolutely beautiful. I pulled off bite sizes and dipped it lightly in olive oil and the sweet aromas took me to heaven. Did I mention that this isn’t even part of the meal? It’s complimentary.

First course was…. foie gras. Seared on the sides, it has the right amount of texture before it melts in your mouth, bringing on an explosion of flavours. The fruity flavour of the plum and jelly balanced the overpowering taste of the foie gras. And there was just the right amount of crunch with pieces of croutons. Between every bite, a sip of red wine kept everything just perfectly wonderful.

And so I thought… I wish I were a billionaire. Then I could do this all the time. No wonder the French don’t get fat… the taste is so overwhelmingly good that just one bite would suffice to bring me to satisfaction. You would never have to stuff your face when eating such beautiful foods.

The waiters came and cleared the table and gave us new silverware between each course. Really makes you feel special.

Next was soup. Mushroom soup. Oh I don’t even know where to begin… usually, I do not really like mushroom soup because of that grassy, earthy taste. Oh how different this was! Each spoonful was a mix of pan seared mushroom and creamy milk. Aromatic and delightful.

A salad was served following the soup. Truffle oil. It’s a new taste for me, but I liked it. I don’t know how to describe it, but it was good. It was not bitter like the rest of the “salads” we have grown accustomed to in Korea. The bacon was like little pieces of taste explosions. Mmm…..

The main…. the main….oh….

I need a moment to regain my composure. Last night at dinner, I was seriously lost for words. It was so good that I didn’t know what to do with myself. Oh….

Is there a rich man out there who would like to serenade me with a delightful dinner?

All in the name of Fashion.

Reid Peppard, designer of label RP/Encore…. uses dead animals as accessories. What do you say? Chic? Or has fashion gone out of control?

who ever said there's not enough hours in a day?

Where do I even begin? Saturday morning there was a crazy storm and it was raining… horizontally. Yea, the wind was so strong that the water was pouring in from all directions. We sat in our usual table in Dream Coffee while we watched in awe at the horizontal rain and gasped as lightening struck. I looked down and realized that every time I wore that dress, it was raining…. “Go get changed!” Audrey exclaims.

As suddenly as the rain came, it went away. So I didn’t have to change and I proved that this dress wasn’t some part of a rain dance ritual.

Our original plan for the weekend was to stay in Seoul, so that we could wake up and HAVE BRUNCH. Oh how exciting! So we packed our bags full of samples - shampoo, rinse, BB cream, cleansers, moisturizers…you name it, we got it - and headed out for Seoul. We went to “buy souvenirs” which roughly translated into buying new outfits for Sunday.. oops. Or maybe not.

Jimjilbang has always been a crazy experience. There was a cold pool with two suspicious-looking buttons on the wall. We held our breath and jumped in and pushed the buttons. What happened?? There was a waterfall spraying down from the ceiling AND there were waves coming from one end of the pool! It was almost like we were in a jungle swamp or something. Awesome!!

So that was the fun part. And then came the not-so-fun part. Sleeping. Yea, sleep is always something that I consider a waste of time. If it were not a biological need, I don’t think I would ever sleep. Anyways, we crawl upstairs into this loft and try to get ourselves comfortable on thin mats and block pillows. Not long after we are all nicely settled in, this loud whooshing water sound comes running through these pipes in the ceiling. And it doesn’t seem to stop. Then when I got used to that water sound, there were mobile phones ringing, people talking, people hushing others, people scrambling about. And then it was 7am.

I wandered around the jimjilbang going in and out the hot rooms and ice room and PC room. Then Nicole and I decided to go out grab a coffee and wait for Audrey and Meagan to wake up. Walking out and being in Seoul already and going to a coffee shop just made me feel like some rich housewife. We planned our imaginary life….. Mondays, we’d do Yoga. Tuesdays, we’d get a mani-pedi. Wednesdays was pilates day. Thursdays would be high teas and Fridays we’d go shop or do our hair. Yep. Hey, it was early and we were sleep-deprived and not yet caffeinated, okay?

Fast-forward a couple of hours and we’re at What The Book? It’s a neat little book store which sells both new and used books and I found myself a book written by none other than Sigmund Freud himself. Yea, I told myself I wouldn’t buy any more books but I could not resist. I have never been one who’s good at exercising self-control nor will-power. And I’m a sucker for boring books.

Fast-forward a little bit more and it’s….BRUNCH TIME! Yea, we’d already been up for 6 hours but it’s still only NOON. It’s crazy to be walking around for so long and still have the sun shine so brightly. Keep in mind that we don’t get out of work till 10pm. Yes, brunch was great! I just love the idea of brunch. Not quite breakfast, but not really lunch. Ahh…. perfect!

And then the real adventures begin…………………………

Oh, we did so much today that I cannot possibly write about it all in one post. Who ever said there’s not enough hours in a day is wrong. Just wrong. I felt like I had a week-long holiday… but in reality, it was just a day and a half! How crazy…..

Keep reading. Come back another day. ♥

Just dance.. and maybe, just maybe...

Once there was a small group of kids who decided to go to a park in the middle of the city, and dance and play, laugh and twirl. And as they played in the park, they thought that maybe another child would pass by and see them. Maybe that child would think it looked fun and even decide to join them. Then maybe another one would. Then maybe a businessman would hear them from his skyscraper. Maybe he would look out the window. Maybe he would see them playing and lay down his papers and come down. Maybe they could teach him how to dance. Then maybe another business man would walk by, a nostalgic man, and he would take off his tie and toss aside his briefcase and dance and play. Maybe the whole city would join the dance. Maybe even the world. Maybe….. Regardless, they decided to enjoy the dance.

TOO CUTE!

Things I've done lately...

I’m sitting here too hyped up to sleep. What have I done lately that’s gotten me all excited? For one…I’m going home soon. Maybe that’s why. Or maybe it was all those toxic fumes I inhaled from cleaning my apartment. Or just the adrenaline rush from running across the intersection when the lights were red and humming the theme song to SALT and pretending to be chased by CIA agents and pretending to be handcuffed by super long handcuffs AT THE SAME TIME. Call me crazy, go ahead, but you would do that too after you watch that crazy movie SALT. It was ridiculous but entertaining all the same. Masterfully articulated in such a way that you would wince and laugh inappropriately and still feel the action. Good job, Angelina. You have surpassed all my expectations and delivered a movie worse than I could ever imagine. Good job.

Okay, so what else have I done lately? On Saturday night, I went to a punk rock concert called SHOW ME THE PUNK. Oh yea. I saw lots of leather jackets. Oh yea….it was probably 30 degrees that night but that did not stop them punks dressing up in leather. Not just leather, but fully studded leather jackets. Never have I ever seen anybody or anything with sooo many studs. It was eye-opening. I admire their ability to withstand the heat. They wore boots, skin-tight pants. And those in the mosh pit kicked and hopped around and it was very entertaining. They looked like little hobbits clad in leather. I saw some of the skinniest and shortest men I have ever seen (and please remember that I AM in Korea right now too).

Oh and did I mention that I got accepted into grad school? So I guess that is also feeding my constant high. Or maybe its the sun? Today’s weather was absolutely brilliant. For the first time, it did not feel sticky. The sun was actually out. The sky was somewhat blue. I could even see white fluffy clouds. What a rarity. And so maybe I got so much sun that my happy hormones are in overdrive and I’m going bonkers in the head.

Hmm…..

Is it okay for a clinical psychologist to be crazy ?

Just a thought……

WHO AM I??

• I never die
• I weigh 95 pounds
• I have portraits of spiders hanging all over my home
• I climb walls
• I wear a matrix-style long coat
• My hair is impeccably perfect no matter what
• Did I mention that I never die?
• You can still see my boobs when I wear a bullet vest

Still don’t know who I am?

One more hint…

• I can fly down an elevator shaft and still be in one piece
• I can get punched in the face five times and still look awesome
• I can jump from a helicopter into an icy cold lake and still survive
• I can be handcuffed but I can still do whatever I want
• There’s only me….but I can kill ALL the Russian spies.

Who am I? I am…SALT.

모기 : mosquitoes *pronounced - moe-gi

I strongly believe that Korean mosquitoes are some sort of mutant horrendous creatures. They bite you no matter what repellent you have on, no matter how thick your jeans are. No matter what. They just bite and suck your blood. Then they leave their mark on you. Like a sign of victory for them. And as if it wasn’t enough that they took your blood, they mock you with that crazy itch. A week’s gone by and it is still just as swollen as the days before. And just as itchy as the first day you got bit. I could not fall asleep because I had to use all my will power in order to not rip my entire leg off. Now I’m sleep-deprived and I blame it all on those mutant six-legged monsters with a liking for my blood….

Okay, so that’s my ranting for today.

I just cannot understand how something so tiny can have such a negative impact on my life! I feel ashamed to even admit that I am slightly inhibited in my life because of these creatures! I am afraid to sit outdoors, I am too scared to open the windows at night… I am utterly crippled by these little guys…WHAT??!

monotone, sleepyhead, hungover mess.

Listening to the same test CD for a week straight really has a numbing effect. So much that my mind goes blank and I swear I get a little dumber each time the monotonous man talks. “This is a TEST…”

The worse thing is, it’s only Wednesday. So I technically am only halfway through. Often, I look forward to test week because I think, “cool…I get to sit all day and not teach” (okay, I confess I do this more often that I should..) But anyways, I often look forward to this week.

However, when it comes, I hate it! The week feels like its a month long. That man’s voice really induces drowsiness. It’s like a sleeping pill. I don’t know why some people have trouble falling asleep. Then there’s also the sitting all day. My bum hurts. But if I’m standing, I have nothing to do either. It really is a very long and boring week.

Winnie the Pooh once said (yes, Winnie the Pooh…)

Although eating honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were.

 Yes, Pooh, YES. He said it SO WELL. We all want honey, but sometimes, wanting is better than having. Okay, I’m not making much sense now…..

Forgive me, for I’m hungover. Yes. Go on. Pass your judgments. It’s a Wednesday and I’m hungover. WHATT??

It was a friend’s birthday (Happy Birthday Mike if you see this) and also I have happy news! No, I’m not pregnant. I got accepted into the clinical psych program! Yay. So I had good reasons.. and I really like wine.

Hmm…maybe I’m still drunk. I was thinking last night that it’d be really cool if I could be high all day whilst remaining highly functional and capable of reason.

Just a thought..

I had a dream.

I was in the middle of a dream when my alarm clock jolted me awake. Maybe because there was no end to my dream, but I woke up with a weird feeling of unease. Kind of like that feeling you get when you walk out the door and just know you have forgotten something, but you don’t know what it is exactly.

Quick recap of my dream:

I am in a car. Somebody’s driving and I am in the backseat. There are two men in the car with me. One’s in the passenger seat. The other is sitting next to me. They are both wearing black beanies. I don’t know who is driving, but in my dream, we are allies. The two men are demanding something from us. The car manual. They want to take the car manual from us. The manual is the same as the one in my own car in my real life; it has a blue cover and it says FORD on it. We try very hard not to give it to them. Then they start looking for it and finally see it. I try to hide it, but they see it and take it from me. Then I wake up.

It is not often that I remember my dreams, let alone feel weird about them.

Today is test day at work and all I have to do is watch the kids take tests. So I went on google and this is what I found….

- Having something stolen from you can represent being taken advantage of, feeling disrespected and/or manipulated. It could also be that you feel you have been treated unfairly.

- Being captive suggests feeling trapped in some aspect of your life and there may be something you are refusing to acknowledge or in denial about.

- Being in the backseat of a car indicates that you are allowing others to take over. This may be a reflection of self doubt and lack of confidence.

- The colour blue represents a desire to get away.

- Feeling anxious suggests that you may have unexpressed emotions and resentment. It also denotes that you are disastrous mixing business with pleasure.

For some really odd reason, I feel like the explanations somehow make sense. Maybe I’m just PMS-ing though…it’s hard to tell.

August Seoul