Annie's Life

The Tiger Kingdom!!

2009-10-23T08:39:00.001-07:00

So, as the title suggests we also went to the Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai. Well, I went...and dragged dean along with me :) I got to see and hang out with adult tigers and 4 month old baby tigers. For the baby tigers, we paid someone to snap a crapload of pics....I picked the best ones.

This is me behind the bars...eeek!!
Puuurrr big kitty :)
Just another day....chillin with tigers....me? I do it all the time ;)

How to piss of a tiger? They have a really good sense of smell....stick a flower near its nose when its trying to have its afternoon nap.

The results of a little play between tigers....doesn't look like fun to me....but hey

Tiger paw V.S. my hand.......although the tiger's paw is a little more dirty than mine...I have a thumb ;)
And now come the babies :)

They didn't want to do this...I kinda feel bad for the lil guys....they get pulled around all day by tourists and their trainers...poor lil guys.

Posed? Ofcourse...noooo the baby tigers are mauling me ?
When we were about to walk out of the tiger cages I decided to take a quick look at the two oldest tigers....while walking over there we caught a glimpse of some really really young baby cubs....I think they were about a month old or something....maybe less....still drinking out of a bottle and super duper cute!

That's the end of the tiger kingdom adventures :) Next post will be about Cambodia!!!

Finishing up the rest of ChiangMai

2009-10-16T18:03:00.001-07:00

Just to finish up the pics of ChiangMai....

This is Dean's impression of a Zebra...I think. It's a fun camera game. Get the camera ready...tell someone that you are going to call out an animal name and they must act it out...at the same that you call out the animal name...snap a picture.

Chiang Mai by day...

and by night...

A really old wall which used to surround the city with a moat around it....now the city has grown past the walls of the old Chiang Mai.

I'm not really as pink as I look...

A shadow :)

Dean and I decided to be adventurous... well adventurous for us anyway.
We heard about this temple with 300 stairs and thought it might be fun to climb up it. These pics are of the largest number of the steps....went up a few and then stopped to take a few pics...in awe of the massive staircase ahead...

Giant Dragon and I just chillin.

I guess this is part of the temple being repaired.

Once we got into the temple we decided to take some pics inside. Dean was wearing shorts and figured that he probably shouldn't go inside of the temple because of the rules (even though I saw tonnes of tourists going in with shorts on).

Everything was gold. Gold statues, buildings, wall art....everything :) It was really amazing to see its too bad the pics don't do it justice.

I suppose you are wondering what the heck this is right? I wondered the same thing. Upon closer inspection I noticed that it was coins stuck on a board/stone/something. I think they use melted wax, dip a coin in it and stick it to the thingy....maybe its like a good luck thing or something....not too sure.

These guys were hard at work scraping old melted wax off one of the candle offering thingys....(I have great explanations right?)

Gonggggg?

And then I became hot...llike really hot....like my hanky was not enough to wipe off all the sweat hot...

All done and my cheeks are still shiny.

View from the temple down into ChiangMai.

And the walk down...

Met up with my friend Lez from Korea (she was doing a SE Asia stint before moving back to the US.) Miss her but it was awesome to see her there :)

Stay tuned for more....sorry that everything is from a long time ago...but nothing interesting is happening with my life right now.

Cooking Class in Chiangmai

2009-10-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

So unfortunetly I made Dean end our Pai adventures early. Why you ask? I wanted to do a cooking class. I feel bad that the entire trip seemed to be "me" oriented...but then ya'll know me right?

Okay so the menu was: PadThai (which I totally burned), Hot and Sour Prawn Soup (Delish!!), awesome green curry, a trip to the market, chicken and cashew nuts, spring rolls and a dessert of sweet sticky rice and mangos. OMG I was full and completely happy by the end of the day....now if only i could replicate these recipies :(

This is the work area....it was really nice and airy, always important when cooking in a tropical climate!!! There were six students for the first half of the day. The second half of the day was just two of us :)

Our wonderful teacher!!!

the first menu item, Pad Thai....looks better than it tasted....I tried to make this once I got home...a complete failure. Dean was a real sweetheart about it...seriously I know he was trying to make me feel better. "Well it's not Phad Thai Annie, but it tastes like really good noodles". Well bless him, he's such a sweetheart. It reminds my of that country song where the guy eats a bunch of burned meals so that he doesn't hurt his wife's feelings....well I tried anyway. :(

Next up, Tom Yam Soup....absolutely splendid. I have a bunch of packs and I intend to make this for dean at some point. Hey maybe I'll make it this week!
Ingredients for Green Curry. Who'd a thunk that there were different kinds of egg plant....The bulb like think and the little pea shaped things are actually different kinds of egg plant. Cool huh?

MMMM splendid!

A quick break to check out the stinky local market. It reminds me of the markets I took my family to in Guatemala. Remember mom? The one where Grandma threw up into a garbage can after eating something funny?

Chicken and Cashew Nuts- ingredients all chopped and prepared.

Result? Divine!

Also Divine!

And words can't describe how friggin good this was....I'm drooling just thinking about it!!!!!

Pai randomness

2009-10-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

Just a few random pics for ya'll to enjoy.

Can you see the moth????

The View from our awesome room!

Me after a crazy shot of Sambuca!!!

Touring around Pai/Hotsprings

2009-10-01T18:26:00.000-07:00

So, after getting our tattoos, Dean and I decided to go for a lil scooter ride around Pai. These are a few of the pics of the area and specifically a few pics of the hot springs that we hung out in.

Area near Pai...really pretty, really green!
Again...but you can see Pai from this pic....for a while we drove around and then we had to stop and ask someone where to go....NO...we weren't lost ;)

Sportin my Sexay! helmet....it is right? Seriously though, I don't think that helmet had ever been cleaned. It was the most stinky and nasty dirty helmet ever....I'm surprised I didn't pick up some creepy hair fungus or somethin.

A little hut on our way to the hot springs.

My baby Dean lookin all sexy in his sexiness!!

The beginning of the hot springs. Apparently this water is about 80 degrees celcius (HOT) and during busy hours you can see lil old ladies boiling eggs for people to buy. I dunno if I'd buy an egg boiled in this water...it'd probably smell even more like sulphur than eggs already do.

Picture time!

It's important to test the water before you get in....I mean, you wouldn't wanna jump into water thats like 80 degrees right? That doesn't sound like it'd be much fun.

I am woman hear me roar!!!

Time for my weekly bath. I was wondering when I was gunna be able to find a public bathing pool...I was starting to collect a film of dirt on my skin.... ;)

Smile for the camera happy couple!

Another point where the hot water had flown downstream and created a pool.

After our adventures, we decided that we should go for something to eat. So we didn't eat the plants...just hung out near em.

This is my dirty, sweaty, I'm hungry, why is it raining, serious face :)

MY TATTOO!!!

2009-09-28T01:51:00.000-07:00

Thing that everyone has been waiting for...drum roll please....ok shut up Annie...be honest does anyone really wanna see my new tattoo? Well maybe a few but whatever, if you don't, that's okay too. I love it and that's all that matters to me. It's really personalized. I got my parents' two favorite songs tattooed on my back...Dad's is Auld Lang Syne and mom's is Amazing grace. I was able to combine the two songs together, for the most part to make one cohesive piece of music. There is only one spot I'm still considering putting a quarter note but its nothing that I can't change later. I hummed and hawed about it for the longest while and decided to just keep it the way it is. Have a look and let me know what ya'll think.

Don't mind the bra and whatnot...that's just my attempt at being sexy...hehe.

This is the outline drawn and traced onto my back.

When Korn is doing my tattoo, he needs an assistant to hold the skin tightso that the tattoo is better quality.

This is what the needle looks like as it is going into my skin. Nice huh? That is basically all his tools. He used three different sticks each with a different number of needles for the different styles of inking.

Wiping it off for a check over by me!!

After a touch up here and there I decided that it looked great and I was a super happy customer. Now however, it looks sad and lonely on my back. I want something else to join it so it doesn't look so alone. Any ideas?

Deans Video tattoos part Two!!!

2009-09-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

This last video is Dean getting his hand tattoo. It's the whole process from start to finish. Since it was just a small tattoo, Korn didn't get anyone to hold the skin tight. The whole process took about 7 minutes. And it looks really good :) Argh its taking FOREVER to upload onto this darn website!!!

Deans Video tattoos!!!

2009-09-21T17:14:00.000-07:00

In this video Dean is super cute. Just before he got his tattoo he saw a pic of himself dressed in a sexy Calgary Stampede shirt from a previous visit to Pai. So there you have it.

Pai!!!!--Thailand Adventures Part Two!

2009-09-14T18:05:00.001-07:00

So, Dean and I decided that we'd take off to Pai to relax and get some tattoos. I don't know if Dean remembered his previous trips or if he was just trying to be funny but while the road trip in the back of the van was beautiful, it certainly wasn't fun.

For those of you who live near mountains, you know what mountain roads can be like right? They're long and windy. Well taking a 3 hr ride in the back of a van didn't seem like a bad idea until we started on the winding road. I don't usually get car sickness but on this trip I was certainly not feeling well. A lady near us threw up into a bag and then got moved near the front. That was a bonus. Then her partner was trying to convince us that these "coca" pills that he literally takes for everything, "they're good for everything. just take one and you'll feel totally better!!", are not illegal in the country that we were in. Some how I don't believe him but whatever.

This is the train station. So in true SE fashion, after our guy picked us up, he dropped us off here and told us to wait for the van. We of course, the van was super late so we ended up waiting for a VERY long time. Then we finally got in the van and headed out for our wonderful 3 hr journey.

Pai was one of the few places that Dean hadn't booked us a room for the first night so, being tired and all, we decided to park ourselves at a place that wasn't too far away and was thus a we bit expensive. It turned out to be a great place and I'm so glad that we stayed there.

Here, Dean's relaxing. We put our stuff down and basically walked to the tattoo shop. The guy wasn't there for the longest time so we just chilled till he finally arrived.

This is the view from our bungalow...it's a beaut isn't it?

Now it was time for Dean to get one of the two tattoos he got and me to start planning the tattoo that I was gunna get!!! The tattoos that we got in Pai are from a guy named Korn with a store named Korn Bamboo Tattoo. Yes, you guessed it right, bamboo tattoos. No, they don't stab us with bamboo. He takes a stick of bamboo and ties a few needles to the end of it. With this he moves the needles up and down with his one hand and guides it with another. Because he's using both hands to tattoo, he has someone else holding the skin tight. I really loved this experience because it was so quiet. There was no machine blaring in my ears just his music and the feeling of the tattoo being done...sure it doesn't feel the greatest but no tattoo feels good when its getting done.
My Dean, relaxing while getting his leg tattoo.
You can see the two people working on him. At first I was a little worried about getting a tattoo in Thailand cuz I've heard that it isn't the most sterile. But this place was really good. They both wore gloves and Korn wore a face mask. The room was really clean and I was happy enough with it to consider the tattoo that I had wanted for quite a while now...

Okay real part one- Chiang Mai First time around

2009-09-10T07:10:00.001-07:00

Here I am waiting..and waiting at the airport.

We had a quick stop-over in Taiwan??? Like really quick...20-30 minutes??? It's funny, in the waiting area they had a drink machine...but ofcourse it wasn't in dollars or Korean won... It wasn't until I decided to go for a walk outside the lounge (probably not recommended if you don't wanna risk missing your flight) that we noticed the places with food. BUT ofcourse the plane food had done a number on me and I wasn't hungry....isn't that always the way it works?

SURPRISE!!! we made it alive. So, after we arrived in Bangkok we stayed over night in a motel in the backpackers district and then took another plane the next day to a place in northern Thailand called Chiang Mai. This was maybe 20 bucks more than the 13 hr bus ride and well only took around 45 minutes.

The guesthouse that we stayed in in Chiang mai was really great...aside from the two twin beds pushed together. I kept getting stuck in the crack between the two beds....but there was lots of room if you didn't wanna cuddle. The above pic is a restaurant near where we were staying...no it really isn't indie food (though I'd be interested to know what that would taste like) it was indian food...and Dean said it wasn't delicious. I did eat at a couple of good places though. I had my first taste of Fried Morning Glory (OMG absolutely marvelous---and no I don't think it's the same as the weeds that grow in our gardens back home...though I'm tempted to test that theory out on some unsuspecting victims when I return home...tempted).

And ofcourse the beginning of an adventure is not perfect without a shopping spree. I bought quite a few things while in Chiang Mai (I think just before we went to Cambodia and after we returned from Pai) but in this pic we were either just coming back or going too a shopping trip. Dean looks pleased doesn't he? He keeps bugging me that I spent all our money on stuff (maybe...but not all of it) but I did offer to pay. What do you say to someone that offers to buy you things....no?????? SCOFF!

Okay, it's 11:30pm and I am tired from sitting here and writing already. I hope you have enjoyed this installment of Annie's Adventures in South East Asia. Stay tuned for my next installment....Pai and our tattoo adventures!

Thailand Adventures Part ONE!!

2009-09-10T01:49:00.000-07:00

So...I made it back safely from Thailand and finally got all the photos transfered. I've just finished deleting all the blurry or horrid pics of myself (vain) and have put them all into their respective files. I will see about doing this as quickly as possible. The file upload system for this blogger site is ridiculous so we'll see how much I get done before I freak out.

Dean (my man) and I left early in the afternoon of the 3 to make sure that we didn't get stuck in a traffic jam and miss our flight. Unfortunately we left so early that we ended up having about 3 hrs to kill in the airport. We ended up walking around for a while, looking at all the chocolate that shouldn't be consumed and make-up that couldn't be bought. Ok, I looked...Dean followed. We ate like the worlds most expensive Burger King (later to realize that BK is just really friggin expensive whether your at an airport or not). When it was finally time to get on the plane, we were relieved and I was friggin tired. In total on our whole trip I think we took off about 8 times (inc. the stop-overs in Taiwan and ???).

I've never really flown with someone who was really nervous about flying. But honestly, next time I might wear some boxing gloves. Dean, my dear loving Dean, held my hand during every take-off and landing...

So, in the next few posts I hope you are able to see and enjoy Thailand and Cambodia ... if only a fraction of what we did. Honestly, the pics don't do it justice, but I'll try to entertain you with my witty comments and in site that you have all craved for the past....well really long time.

hehe...yah witty.

OK OK OK

2009-08-31T10:11:00.001-07:00

So apparently i've been neglecting my site. Neglecting it so much that people are going to my friend Jennifer's site to try and track me down.

Well since the end of March I've been seeing this really amazing guy and I've been kinda distracted. We just got back from a wonderful month long vacation to Thailand and Cambodia and start a new semester this week. Starting tomorrow, I'm going to fill you in on the details. I promise I will stop not-writing...as long as you let me know that you are reading.

P.S. who the heck is Anonymous? You can always type your names in the messages if you don't have an account. It's soo one of my pet peeves.

Busan with Jen!

2009-03-13T02:27:00.001-07:00

Jen and I went to Busan for a wonderful little weekend getaway! I've never had an awesomer (if thats not a word it is now) time traveling than with my best friend!!!!!

A pic of Busan at night.Jen and I went a little sparkler crazy. She has the videos on her camera and if she reads this....she should also include those videos on my picture cd so that I can post those too.
Next Jen and I decided that it was just waaaaaaay too cold by the ocean to actually sit and enjoy it. Instead we got up to no good in a nice warm hof (beer establishment) and made funny faces.
Me warming my mitts by the nice roaring fire.
Funny faces like this....
and this...

More sparkler fun!

Busan at night.

I had to do some things in Busan the weekend before I left and Jen decided that since she'd never been there, she would take the chance to go with me. We had a great time! I'm glad that Jen went with me....this was only a prequil to the shenanigans that we would be having in a much warmer and much nicer beach!

MANDU MAKING!!!

2009-03-12T09:36:00.001-07:00

I've been talking to Aaron about heading to Doksun and his house for a long long time. Finally I got a week break at work and decided to take advantage of their hospitality. Little did I know, I would be attempting to fashion this little menu and trying to make it appear edible.

Aarons "tough-guy" pose....yah I know...kkk hilarious

Doksun doing the women's chores....JOKES...but really.

This is what is called Mul Mandu (or water mandu) its stemed and inside is a bunch of veggies (sometimes meat or kimchi but since Aaron is a vegan we opted for just veggie ones...healthier anyway).
Fried mandu....
I have no idea what this is called. Its a sweetened fried tofu triangle stuffed with fried rice mixture....actually super delish!

The meal.........which wouldn't be complete without a beer. We made soooo much food they mustve had leftovers for MONTHS!

Stay tuned........the next update is Jen and my trip to Pusan........and then finally Vietnam.

Volunteering

2009-03-11T02:25:00.001-07:00

I've started doing some volunteer work in Seoul whenever I'm around. I'm volunteering at a soup kitchen whenever I come in on Fridays and its been really nice. I like to help out, though some times I think I'm more of a nuisance not being able to understand the commands that people are yelling at me and what not.

Anyway, after the soup kitchen, a group of us went for waffles and gelato at Mrs. Waffle and Mr. Gelato (or something like that).

Doesn't that look delicious?

The awesome group of people that I volunteered with one Friday.

Fun in Hongdae on a saturday night. Couldn't ask for a better group of people to hang out with :)

Life b4 Vietnam- Immigration Fiasco!

2009-03-11T02:03:00.000-07:00

On the way to ChoonChun Immigration office.

oRich and his lady Lucy! They're so cute together.
i
just to catch up on shtuff before I put all my vietnam and philippines pics up.

Many of you know that just a week before I left for Vietnam I had to make a trip down to the ChoonChun Immigration office to get my visa renewed so that I could legally work in and enter Korea once I came back from my vacation. This turned out to be more of an adventure than was anticipated.

After driving an hour or so through the Korean country-side, we (packed in my coworkers car) arrived in ChoonChun. Not following the simple directions given to us by our friendly Yonsei office staff, we got lost. After about 20 minutes of driving around, we found the immigration office. (On the way back. we realized how simple it really was to get there).

While trying to park, my coworker backed into a parked vehicle and left quite a bit of damage. Thank goodness he had insurance and the guy didn't beat the crap out of us.

Upon entering the immigration office, the other teachers had no problems renewing their E2 visas. I on the other hand was denied a renewal on the basis that "I" had not submitted my criminal record check. Complete bullcrap as I had submitted everything with my application the year previous. Anyway, after flipping out for a little while, as I'm known so well for, I remembered that I had an extra copy of my criminal record check at home. The lady told me that I could fax it to her and then they would send my passport to me in Wonju. I told her that since I was going to be leaving to another city for the weekend, this would not be possible. She said that I would then have to come back the next day (Friday) and bring it with me. WELL!!!!!!

I went back to the school(office) with the hope of finding a signed and sealed criminal record check. The next morning upon arriving at the school, I look into my file and find an OPENED signed and sealed criminal record check. WTF!!! Who opens something that has been signed and sealed for the immigration office....stupid people, that's who! I literally said out loud "you've got to be fucking kidding me!" in the middle of the office. At this point I was furious!

Anyway, I drove the 1 hr to the immigration office with my letter in hand. Upon arriving, the lady told me that this letter was acceptable however, it now needed to be notarized by the Canadian Embassy, because it had been opened!!!!!! Note, notarization costs 60.00CDN! Thankfully, the woman processed my visa with the stipulation that I submit the notarized criminal record check upon returning to Korea. Wonderful.....super duper....the school better pay for this.

*Update....I have now gotten my criminal record check notarized and will be taking it to the immigration office on Friday....cross your fingers that they don't say "I'm sorry, this criminal record check is a year old, you are going to need to submit a new one".

I think its funny

2009-02-17T00:58:00.000-08:00

I've noticed this trend since I've started reading peoples' blogs. It seems that when people have something that they know isn't the nicest thing to say but still want to write it down, they post it anonymously. I think its hilarious. Honestly, do you think I'm going to get mad? When I have something to say to someone, I just say it. Even if its not the nicest thing in the world. Wut are your thoughts on this? Its easy to hide behind your anonymous comment isn't it :)

kkk

Annie

You guys aren't very good at guessing.

2009-02-15T21:02:00.000-08:00

Are you serious? I've had a few people guess 400.00/ 600.00 but honestly...how much do you think one full suit costs? It's still tailor made to fit my body. There was approximately 64 things there.......even if I only paid 10.00 each I would still be over 600.00 USD. you people aren't very good at guessing are you?

Jenn is the closest at 2000.00 though I paid a little less than that for everything. and I probably would have paid around 4500 for everything in Canada I'm guessing. that's going to the mall to get everything (and nothing being custom fitted).

Total is 1054.00USD (Jen was a little off....but i think anyone who thinks they can get this shit for 600 is insane ;).

1. 2 pairs of silk pants (one black/ one silver) (10 USD each)=20
2. 1 short sleeve vietnamese design silver and blue shirt (10)
3. 1 long sleeve ...... turquoise (15)
4. 3 pairs of pants (all same price) (10)=30
5. 2 silk dresses (western style party dresses)(25 each)=50 (one of the dresses was designed from the Victoria Secret catalogue and the price was 75.00USD!)
6. 3 regular anytime dresses (2 cotton/ 1 I have no idea) (20 each)=60
7. 1 full slip/2 slip skirts (20 total)
8. 2 pairs of knee-high boots (1 green silk/1 converse runner red-black paid style)(26 each)=52
9. 1 pair burgundy ballet slippers (13)
10. 5 pairs of beach flip-flops (2 each)=10
11. 1 spring/summer kaki jacket(26)
12. 1 wool winter coat (40)
13. 2 best quality suits (1 brown- jacket, pants, and skirt/ 1 gray- jacket, pants) (390 total)
14. 3 cotton skirts (knee length)(12 each)= 36
15. 2 t-shirts (little nicer than a t-shirt though)(8 each)=16
16. 6 button-up dress shirts (2 at 30, 4 at 12)=96
17. 2 tieing 1/2 shirts (I have no idea wut to call these)(8 each)=16
18. 3 short sleeve shirts (8 each)=24
19. 1 long sleeve shirt (15)
20. 2 cotton halter tops (8 each)=16
21. 2 cotton tank tops(8 each)=16
22. 5 hats (4 at 4USD, 1 at 7 USD)=31
23. 7 necklaces (5 at 3 USD, 1 at 16, 1 at 8)=39
24. 5 pairs of earrings (2$ each)=10
25. 1 bracelet (3$)

Okay that's what I paid. Is that a lot? I think you might think that's a lot if you shop at walmart and get poor quality....but i was actually surprised with the excellent quality of the products that were made specifically for my body. Chances are, they won't fit your body.......my arms/legs are too short....YES no one will borrow clothes from me again! jokes. But when i get to boracay i'm going to model for Jen...and we are going to take pics of everything (well maybe not the slips). ;P
Anyway,,,talk to ya'll again soon.
P.S. i colored my hair again...red ofcourse...and cut it all off in the back...well really short anyway....just the way i love it.
i actually got into a fight with the hairdresser because I wanted it to be cut shorter in the back so that it looked like it went up and not longer so it looks straight. Mom, you totally know wut i'm talking about.

A SHOPPING SPREE in Hoi An Vietnam!

2009-02-12T21:27:00.000-08:00

Okay...so most of you know that I'm in Vietnam. I've been here for 11 days....and have gone waaaaaaayyyy over my budget.......why may you ask??? I went on a shopping spree in Hoi An. Later in this post I'll list most of my major purchases for you to guess on the prices. Now I'll just talk about why I spent so much.

So ya'll know i live in Korea....well Korea...Canada it doesn't matter where I am, the clothes never fit me. Either the sleeves are too long, my chest is too big, the pants are too long, my calves are too skinny, or some other random thing that makes the clothes not fit properly and either results in my begging my mother to hem them, walking on the bottoms of my pants until they are ruined, rolling things up, showing off my breasts to innocent bystanders (my dress shirts have been known to gaps between the buttons exposing my beautiful bras for the world to see), wearing the item and hating it and never wearing it again, or just giving up and never buying the cute item at all (probably the better choice but rarely the one I choose). As such, I purposely made time in my oh so "busy" schedule to take a short trip to Hoi An....clothes making capital of Vietnam and a shopaholics paradise....or hell (I prefer the word paradise but my bank account prefers the word hell).

Upon arrival, I feasted my eyes upon store after store of shops whose sole purpose it is to make you clothes that make you happy. I arrived on Monday evening....I'm now leaving, 5 days later...on friday evening. Did I see many cultural heritage sites in this historical town? Ofcourse not...........I ... was shopping! I spoiled myself and I'm tickled PINK! well....I may also be pink from the sun....maybe half sun and half the excitement from shopping! Yah that works.

Now....I'm going to list my items that I have purchased...I'll give you a brief description and a chance to guesstimate the costs of each item. (You can just make a general guess if you wish...you don't have to guess every item.) Anyway...the person who is the closest is a champion and will get a highfive from me when I see you next!

1. 2 pairs of silk pants (one black/ one silver)
2. 1 short sleeve vietnamese design silver and blue shirt
3. 1 long sleeve ...... turquoise
4. 3 pairs of pants (all same price)
5. 2 silk dresses (wester style party dresses)
6. 3 regular anytime dresses (2 cotton/ 1 I have no idea)
7. 1 full slip/2 slip skirts
8. 2 pairs of knee-high boots (1 green silk/1 converse runner red-black paid style)
9. 1 pair burgundy ballet slippers
10. 5 pairs of beach flip-flops
11. 1 spring/summer kaki jacket
12. 1 wool winter coat
13. 2 best quality suits (1 brown- jacket, pants, and skirt/ 1 gray- jacket, pants)
14. 3 cotton skirts (knee length)
15. 2 t-shirts (little nicer than a t-shirt though)
16. 6 button-up dress shirts
17. 2 tieing 1/2 shirts (I have no idea wut to call these)
18. 3 short sleeve shirts
19. 1 long sleeve shirt
20. 2 cotton halter tops
21. 2 cotton tank tops
22. 5 hats
23. 7 necklaces
24. 5 pairs of earrings
25. 1 bracelet

Okay...that is the list of things that I purchased...essentially: a whole new TAILOR-MADE wardrobe....minus underwear and bras right? well....now its your turn to do some work.........how much do you think I spent? Better yet....how much would this have cost in Canada.....I will follow up with a subsequent post with the total amount at a later date.

Take care everyone....miss you all tonnes!!!

Love Annie

What to pack?

2009-01-23T00:59:00.000-08:00

Okay so most of you know that I'm traveling to Vietnam and the Philippines for a month. I've never traveled for a month before, unless it was to move to a place semi-permanently like in Guatemala or Korea. I'm worried about what I should be taking with me. I want to pack as light as possible because I don't want to be stuck with a bunch of suitcases and have to carry them around when I'm traveling. I'm keeping it to one bag and if I have to I will mail anything that I buy back to Korea or Canada. That way I can just keep on the move and not worry about the luggage. Does that sound like a good idea. I don't know much about backpacking since I've never really done it.

What are some things that you could recommend I take with me. Obviously I'm taking my camera!!!!

-camera
-1 pair of jeans
-two pairs of capris (one black one offwhite)
-3-4 t-shirts
-1 sweater (cause it is apparently chilly there right now though I'm sure nothing compared to here)
-sandals
-my converse runners (cause they are almost dead anyway and I'll probably pick up a few pairs of cute shoes when I am there) (should I take my running shoes?I'm probably not going to do a lot of strenuous exercise...but I may go on a hike)
-underwear and bras....ofcourse
-socks
-two summer style dresses
-cardigan
-ipod
-passport/copy of passport and birth certificate/e-tickets
-bathing suit
-book to read
-x-stitch thingy to keep me entertained
-guide book
-money (Philippine and Vietnam) can be done at the airport
-shampoo/conditioner/bodywash/toothpaste and toothbrush/ makeup and face cream
-???

Can you help me? What things am I forgetting? I'm starting to get nervous....this is unlike me :)

What am I supposed to do with my coat? Do I take my winter coat with me?

Thanks for your help guys

Annie

That nasty Gollum

2009-01-12T17:25:00.001-08:00

This was an assignment for one of my Freshman Intermediate English classes. The students were required to submit a video or audio recording of themselves reading an piece from their favorite movie. This student did a monologue by Gollum in Lord of the Rings. Absolutely hilarious and wonderful! The part where he looks like he is having some "issues" with the bear, I think the bear is supposed to be a hobbit and he's supposed to be wrestling with it. Certainly looks different from that. hehe

A really messed up and crazy dream---- some swear words.

2009-01-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

Okay so... today I had a nap right after I got home from work....yah I finish at 10 and start at 7am so I was a little tired. Anyway that is besides the point. The dream that I had was horrible.

The dream started off with a dream about a group of children traveling in a bus and the bus exploding on a major highway. I was really disturbed by this dream I remember. All day I had this super uneasy feeling. Anyway. Then I was walking down a road and my friend pulls over. She's got her kid and her older "butch-looking" friend in the front seat with her. I don't know why but I decided to get into the driver's seat with my friend. It was a really tight squeeze but she kept driving. My friend's driving skills were limited at best and I knew she often drove erratically. I decided that I didn't want to sit where I was and some how while she was driving I managed to move into the middle seat with the little boy on my lap. Apparently I really knew this little boy and loved this little boy like he was my own and the mom could really care less. My friend continued with some really crazy driving and asked me for a nail cleaner. In the car and while driving, she proceeded to clean underneath her nails.

She was starting to drive really horribly. At certain points I had to grab the wheel and pull the car back into place. Myself and the other woman were very very scared. I kept remembering the dream I had about the bus of children that went barreling out of control and killed thousands of people in the accident. My friend was pissed off about something. At one point we knocked over a couple of those pylons and some warning signs. Then she drifted too far and went into a lane that takes you to another road (sorry my English is horrible...just woke up)....yes off ramp. All the while this is happening my friend is driving really really really fast. I decide to put my seatbelt on around myself and the child. The woman sitting beside me grabs the "Oh Shit" handles and I grab her arm. The driver is more pissed off today than she'd every been. All of the sudden, we see the father of the child on my lap sitting on the side of the road. The little boy screams "daddy!!" and the woman screams, "that f-ing ass**** I'm going to get him." Both myself and the woman look at each other.

Then some weird things start happening in the dream. It's almost like I was trying to create a sense of normalcy in the rest of the world while this HORRIBLE thing was happening to me and the other people in the car. There was kind of a parade to celebrate women. There were women on the sides of the street rushing out to passing cars and stopping them to give them a kiss. As we were passing I saw these two women basically making out! Strange. Anyway...The slow down in traffic made my friend even more pissed off and she began darting in and out of traffic. Finally we get to an intersection where my friend does a u-turn (screeching of course) and yells "I'll show that bastard!" At this point I realize that we are on the same highway of the bus in the accident in my dream. I start freaking out and telling my friend to pull over. But she's not listening because she's pissed off about her ex- and also the people that keep running onto the road half naked.

All of the sudden a radio announcement comes on "We've just received news that there is a bus full of children that is barreling down Highway(something) on fire. If you are on this highway, get off immediately!" I screamed at my friend and then the lady sitting with us looked back and said "HERE IT COMES!" At this point, the bus hit a bunch of parked cars and fire and all drove over us and blew up infront of us. At the same time this was happening, the lady put her arm over my chest to protect me. I was holding onto the little boy as tight as I could as my friend slammed on her breaks. The force of the blast caused the front window to shatter in towards us. My friends car slowed down to a halt and she dizzily got out of the car. The other woman also got out of the car. We were all in a daze and the little boy was crying. I held him to my chest and I remember how small and frail his body felt. His mother yelled at him to stop crying and he did (I think because he was scared of his mother). I turned his face towards me and he looked bad. He had gashes all over his body and there was blood everywhere but he looked not too bad. The woman was trying to get passer-bys to stop but most of them just honked thinking we were part of the entertainment of women. (I don't think they had noticed the burning bus of children up ahead yet either). Finally this super weird make-shift ambulance rolled by. My friend and the woman were no where to be found so I crouched into the ambulance as it was doing a rolling stop. I heard "where's Annie? Where's my son?" I looked behind and I saw the women I had been with previously and told them I was also in the ambulance.

Once we arrived at the "hospital", though I don't know if you could call it that, the nurse asked me if I was okay. I said I was fine but the little boy was bad. He was bleeding from his eye. The woman told me to lay him down on what looked like a loading trolley, you know those ones that warehouses use but plastic and smaller. The little boy fit diagonally. I remember thinking to myself, what the hell is this place? I think the mother was with the butch woman at this point and I was looking after the little boy. I wouldn't let him out of my site. Once we got to the room I looked around. There was a sink, an ashtray attached to the base of the sink and a little table with some medical supplies on it at the end of the cublicle of a room. The woman said the doctor would be right with me. I kept thinking to myself that this is a strange emergency room but i was so freaked out that I didn't care.

I held the little boy in my arms. I was walking around the room with him and I asked him if he had to pee. He said he was peeing right now and I noticed that there was pee running down his pants and his pants were soaking wet. I opened the bathroom door (whihc ofcourse had magically appeared) but there was pee everywhere, on the floor and everything and I didn't want to go in there. I pulled the little boys pants down and he finished peeing in the sink. Then he had to poo and that is what I'm not going to describe in writing cause it was just strange. After the boy went pee, his boy started to go limp. I was crying really loud and holding his head to my chest telling him he's not allowed to go to sleep. It was not bedtime yet. The little boy kept saying he was so tired. I told him that I loved him and he wasn't allowed to go away. After a few minutes the doctor walked into the ghetto room (the door had been open the whole time and I had always had a good view of the mother and the other woman). At the point that my friend came running up screaming that the doctor wasn' allowed to tak her baby away. I told her to stop said some bad words and then told her to let the doctor do her job. (in the entire dream the only man was the father who was sitting on the side of the road) While the doctor was working on the little boy, I found myself lifting up my shirt and looking at my chest in the mirror. My whole body, chest, arms and face were covered in cuts and bruises. At some point while I was looking at my chest I remember thinking that at some point I had gotten a huge tattoo across my chest and down to my stomach. The image that appeared on the mirror of myself was two doves with a ribbon in each's mouth. I don't remember the other stuff. I shook my head and thought that I must've been imagining that. When I looked back at the mirror I could see the real damage for what it was. I had a huge mark across my chest where the other woman's arm had held me back during the stop (weird that one woman could be that strong but apparently she was). My arms had these huge sickly bruises, I had cuts all over my face and I had blood all over me. The little boy was being really quiet but I could see that he was awake and the doctor was cleaning him up. I went to talk to my friend and the woman. I told them that the doctor said the little boy would be okay and that it was a miracle that he wasn't hurt more severely.

I think at this point in my dream I skipped a few scenes because the next moment i was entering a hospital room with beds. As I was walking by a grandmother had fallen asleep with a baby in her arms. All of the sudden the little baby rolled out of her arms and at the same time that this happened, I caught it before it hit the floor. It made a huge slap when the babies warm skin contacted with my hands and the husband, the mom and the grandmother all woke up. They had been sleeping while the grandmother was looking after the baby. Then they looked at me like i was trying to steal their baby. I explained the situation and they thanked me.

The next bed was the little boys bed. He had a bandage on his head and was still covered in bruises but all the blood was gone. I skipped a few scenes again and then I remember taking the little boy out of the hospital. I was crying so hard because of the tramatic time that we had all had (that day??? I'm not exactly sure of the time line because at this point, the boy was almost back to normal except for the cuts and bruises). I was dressed in something different too so I can assume that it was a few days later. At this point I fell to the floor with him and I was crying again. But it was an unusual crying and I remember trying to correct the sound of my cry but I couldn't. I actually think that I was really crying outloud in my sleep and that was the sound I was hearing in my dream. Strange huh? Anyway, at this point the focus is on my friend and the woman who are all smiles. They have a camera and take a picture. They show the picture to me and I smile and embrace the little boy again and tell him that I love him. He hugs me. At this point, the camera goes away from me and towards my friend and the woman that are going through pictures. It shows the little boy and I when he's a teenager, and then when he's a grown man and then when he has his own little girl. Then when his little girl has a little girl and so on and so on. Ofcourse I was only in the first three pictures, I wasn't some kind of creepy alien or anything. Anyway, then the camera pulls back and reveals and audience. The audience is all crying and saying what a beautiful movie it was. I still had the little boy in my arms in the theater and I hugged him tighter, glad that he had never died and that nothing crazy had ever happened to us.

What a crazy dream huh? Really that was everything, I didn't make any of it up. The dream was so messed up that I shake my head now. How could I not have known that it was a dream? And I swear that mother must have been a druggy or something because she really didn't care about the child. It was almost like it was my child but not ofcourse but I treated the little boy like he was my own son. It's crazy. It was definitly a crazy dream.

Forgot your Name (Surrogate Sharers Ep.4)

2008-12-23T18:04:00.001-08:00

kkkk I should really send this out. I'm horrible with names....HORRIBLE

Crazy dreams

2008-12-17T16:59:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you guys, but lately I've been having all sorts of crazy dreams. I think its directly tied to the two things that have changed in my life.

1st dream

A few days ago I woke up from a serious nightmare. I was at a cabin of sorts with my parents and Hodge. Hodge and I weren't talking at the time (indicative of our none existent relationship now) so things were pretty awkward. All of the sudden my ex-(let's call him Small Town for the sake of not publishing his name) Small Town came into the picture. He started following me around and telling me how much he loved me. Then all of the sudden he gave me a ring (a really hideous one) and asked me to marry him. In my dream I was thinking about this guy that i've been hanging around with alot lately Collegee and was thinking about how I would tell Collegee that it was over now because I was getting back with Small Town.

So that was that f-ed up dream. I woke up sweating and freaking out around 3am because of a stupid dream wtf.

Dream #2
I had this dream today and I think I remember all of it. I think its related to my decision to stay in Korea for another 6months till August of next year.

So in my dream I was at school(highschool) with a bunch of my friends. My father was for some reason an English teacher, though that is really funny if you think about it now and if you know my father. He was giving us a lecture on some reading that we had just listened to. For some reason in the dream I couldn't keep my eyes open during the lecture. You know that feeling where your eyelids are so heavy you could fall asleep sitting up? My father was trying to get us to think of synonyms for the words on the paper, most were simple words like home but some were more difficult. At the same time that I was writing my words (trying to anyway) on the paper it was raining. My paper started to resemble a rock with mud scrapings on it and was totally illegible. Nice, now I get in trouble right? Anyway, so he was correcting the words with the students and it went like this.

Teacher: Home
Student A: House
Student B: humble aboad
Student c: nest
Student d: asylum
Student E: apartment
Student F: cow

HAHAHAHAHA....my father just looked at the student with this "WTF" kinda look and shook his head.

Teacher: You have no idea what we are doing right now do you?

Student: (just looks up at the teacher with this totally blank face)

Then later during the dream I was what seemed to be older (maybe a counsellor or something at a camp) and I was helping my father get all the students into the cafeteria. I walked through super dirty and disgusting bathrooms to find the students. Found them and was on my way back to go eat when I bumped into my dad. I showed him what had happened to my classwork (remember the stone and mud) and he just shrugged and said okay.

That's about the time I woke up. Talk about a screwed up dream right? HAHAHA I loved the stupid student part anyway. If any of you have any idea what my dreams really mean I give you the go ahead to translate. Good luck and enjoy :)

Annie

Gangnung Fun

2008-12-01T03:41:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I went to visit a friend in Gangnung (on the east coast of Seoul).

I had a great time and I'm glad I got the opportunity to see more of Korea before I go away. I drove my car all the way and didn't get into any accidents or take the wrong highways! This is a real accomplishment for me since I'm not so good with directions and I've never driven "Silvia" (yah thats my car's name so wut) outside of my little home town.

So on with the pictures....

First stop....the sea at night. These two pictures were taken just after the sea had rushed up and drenched my shoes up to my calves....wonderful when I only had one pair of shoes. It was okay because Ji Hoon dried my shoes the next day with a hairdryer....lol.

This is my angry face....I'm pretending to be angry with the camera man for telling me to keep walking backwards....into the water.....funny that he didn't get his shoes wet.....bugger.

Year of the Boar (pig or whatever). I heart 1983. This is the Chinese zodiac symbol carved in human sized form....thank god pigs aren't that big. That would be a little frightening no?

After I got my shoes wet, JiHoon and I decided to call it a night since I'm not the type to carry around a spare pair of shoes...okay sometimes I do...but not this time. The next afternoon Jihoon took me to the sea again but this time to the fish market. I didn't take any pictures of the fish because JiHoon told me that if I look at something people would basically force me to buy something, and I have no use for a squid...no matter how squiggly they are. This is a picture of me overlooking the sea and a slew of boats!

These are the boats that they use for catching squid...they turn all the lights on and the squid flock to the light making it easier to catch them....kinda like a moth I suppose. I did get a pic of this man working on his boat....I really wanted a pic of the people separating the fishing nets for my dad but Jihoon, being as Korean as possible, was too worried about people getting annoyed with my picture taking. I tried to explain that I could say it all cute and make that cute face but I think he figured I would just scare them ;)

The life of a fisherman does not look like an easy life at all.

Meet Jihoon. This is a friend that I actually met on the internet. We met a few times before and I figured that I would go see him in Gangnung before he moves back to Wonju after finishing his final exams. I must say that this man has a lot of patience...he didn't even get frustrated with my stupidity, silly poses, and constant picture taking!
Me.....not my favorite picture.
The fishermen enjoying a wonderful Sunday. They climb down the water break and fish off the little cement blocks....
View from the water break...

This is the water break....those weird shaped things are used to ....break up the water......I can only assume.
One of my favorite pictures from the trip. I look really peaceful and happy.....I was in this picture for sure :)
Our next stop was lunch. We decided to stay at the fish market to have lunch. The circle things are squid and the other things are different types of fish.
Jihoon showing off his mad chopstick skills...lol

Oh yah I'm shoving a loverly piece of O-Jing-Oh (BBQ Squid) in my mouth...I actually enjoy squid as crazy as it is.
I like this pic too.....pictures of me eating are few and far between............................not!
I'm unsure in this picture....the things on my chopsticks are actually fish eggs...pretty large fish eggs. They make a popping feeling in your mouth when you chew them...its a little awkward. I really like the really small eggs that you usually eat with Sushi but these ones are not the greatest. BUT I did try them :)

The after math of trying the weird eggs......or was this the point where Jihoon explained that the somewhat yummy brown sauce was the insides of the squid squished onto the top of the bbq'd squid pieces...weird and kinda gross.

Our next stop was to the world's Largest cruise ship that is on land. It also doubles as a hotel and really cool tourist stop.

I love this picture.....grab the bull by the horns....it's the way I try to live my life.

Jihoon is 6 feet tall.......he makes me look like a midget.......sick

A picture from the cliff....absolutely gorgeous....you wouldn't get from this picture that it was FREEZING COLD!!!

A picture from the boat at sunset.......

hmmmm just relaxing and enjoying life.

Another pic with me at the front of the boat........WTH is the "front" called?

That's it. Life is great and I had an absolutely wonderful time hanging out with JiHoon. I loved it and I can't wait for my next road trip in Korea :) Thanks for reading.

An Octopus Delite

2008-12-01T03:09:00.000-08:00

Sorry guys. I have just realized its been WELL over a month since I last updated. I had stuff to update, but then things went into the shitter. I'm slowly getting happy again with the help of a bunch of great friends and my loving family.

Those who don't know, I'm planning on moving back to Canada next year. I've decided that I'm not staying in Korea. I need to get some initials behind my name, and then I can decide if I might want to come back in three years or so. I don't know if I'm going to want to come back here. There are a lot of great memories but there's not a lot for me here anymore.

Don't get me wrong. I have really loved and hated Korea at the same time. I'm not leaving with bad memories, most are good :)

Anyway, I don't wanna highjack this post with my life-drama.

I loaded my pics on my computer and came across some pics with Jennipal that I just had to add to my site. Jen has been the best of friends that a gal could have in the past two weeks when I needed one the most.

These pics are from quite a while ago.

I'd like to introduce you to Octy our octopus friend that decided to take a swim in the frying pan and didn't quite survive....it's a sad story really.

Should I???????

Naa.....he's just too cute :)

A skeptics life

2008-10-20T03:43:00.000-07:00

I don't know what the deal is with me but since I've lived in this country, I have become a skeptic. I don't trust anyone's word anymore. I never thought that it was necessary that I get things in writing. I never had the need before.

Since coming to Korea, I've seen people pushed around by hogwans (small teaching businesses), cheated money, denied pension, etc. These are just the foreigners. Some of my close Korean friends have been promised things numerous times only to have their plans or dreams ruined.

Have people become too trusting? Or am I just letting myself be affected too much. Honestly, my life in Korea has been good. I just don't like to see the people around me being hurt. I know I let things affect me more than they should.

How do I tell people that put so much faith in others that the only person one can really count on is themselves. It's so distrusting, but with the way that things have been going for some of the people around me, I often feel it. How do you tell someone that in order to get the things accomplished that they want to do, they need to stop relying on strangers' promises for aid. Argh. I'm so frustrated about how I can help people when they never take my advice (which most of the time ends up being correct). I suppose we all need to learn from our mistakes, but after so many disappointments, the mistakes pile up and become too much to handle.

I need help on this situation.

Calling Home- A sad story

2008-10-14T15:41:00.001-07:00

Why is it that I'm the only one that is responsible for calling home?

This is my little venting session.

In the past I've emailed friends. I've written them extensive messages. I've even called them (though not as much as I should I suppose). But yet, I get a little one-liner from them back. I understand that everyone has busy lives. I do too, but I don't forget about my friends at home. I guess I figure that just since I'm in another country doesn't mean that I should be forgotten about. When I do come home, people don't even make the effort to take time out of their busy schedules to see me. I mean...I travel to the town their staying it, and they don't even give me a long-distance-free phone call. This isn't everyone. Just some people. One of my other friends are going through similar feelings of "distancing" I'll call it. It's like I've become an inconvenience now that I'm living so far away. People only seem to talk to the people that are with in the same area code. and even then, I have to make the plans. I have to make the effort to go and see these people. I understand that I have moved to another country but don't you think that friends would call you once you got into the country? Or atleast stop by your house. Maybe I've become bitter towards the whole process after going home twice and being in Korea for almost three years.

That brings me onto my family. The only time I hear from my brother is if I contact him. He's never on MSN. He never emails me. Right now, I don't even know if he's alive. I know he's going through big changes in his life right now, but I would appreciate if he would put some effort into being my friend (which we have been since we went to Uni together).

My mother and father: Last time I was home, I set up a Skype account for my mother. I put money on the account so that she could call me anytime that she wanted. I always have my cell on so that wouldn't be a problem. I even programed my phone number into Skype for her and told her I would renew the money when she ran out. Have I received a phone call yet? No. The only time my mother emails me is when she thinks she has a job opportunity...and usually that is my father emailing only with the link of the possible job that I'm in no way qualified for. I haven't called my mother in over two weeks...well over. She hasn't messaged me, emailed me or called me. Even my mother, who considers herself my best friend hasn't stopped to take the time to make sure I'm okay. I've been wanting to call her but each time I think about it I stop myself. I know its the wrong thinking but I think if my own mother isn't going to call or email after I've put all the effort into making it possible, why should i? I have a lot of resentment towards this "me" mentality that is swimming through my head. But I can't stop the way I feel. I keep getting told that I shouldn't put myself into other people's shoes but its hard when I see my friend getting phone calls every Sunday like clockwork which last about an hour each and parcels every 4-6 months.

I feel like people in Canada have forgotten who I am simply because I'm not there. I haven't forgotten these people and I have tried to make an effort to talk to them...but no one takes time out of their busy schedules to call me up or even shoot me an email. I feel like I'm now doing the same thing that my family and friends at home have been doing for three years....distancing themselves. anyway. Venting session over. I really hope that my mother reads this and realizes that communication goes both ways, even when your daughter lives in a different country.

Wonju Paper Festival!!!

2008-10-14T03:51:00.000-07:00

This is a big post for me:

A Few weeks ago my coworker and I decided to stop by the Wonju Paper Festival. I wanted to see what was so special about paper that it deserved a festival. Well, I was sure "educated". I had so much fun at the festival. I spent about 6 hours at the festival. I made a few things and have brought some ideas home with me that I'm going to hold a class in paper lamp making in a few weeks.

These lamps were all hand painted. They are made of paper and so probably are not able to stand up to the horrible rainy Korean weather. Nonetheless, they're absolutely beautiful. At night time (which I was unable to witness) I assume they have tealights in them... I'm sure the soft yellow glow coming from them would be really gorgeous.
Me. Posing in front of the red paper roses...remind me of Alice in Wonderland sort of.
Yes, that's a real snake....it was fun. The poor snake was being handed from child to child. Must have had a super gentle temperament. I'm sure I would've bitten or strangled atleast one child by the end of the weekend.

As I said, I came home with a few souvenirs...Anna and I made these really awesome paper lamps. I have the pics of each of the steps that were taken. They provided frames and whatnot that made it a lot easier to make than the ones that we are going to be making in the class I'm teaching!
Here is Anna...showing off the goods.

Step 1:

If I had access to some woodworking equipment (cough mom's house in canada-end cough), then I could make this little wooden thingy. It made it a lot easier to poke the holes through...rather than the way I have to do them at home now. Anyway it's a new fun activity. I think I'm going to send some home for mom to try to sell in the craft faire. I'll send them soon enough momsy :)
Step one involves poking the already existing holes...hahaha. Anyway. A little thingy already poked holes, but some of them were not completed so I used a little machine to poke the holes clear.

Step 2:
Glue the pretty Hanji (Korean paper) to the white frame. Just use stick glue...crazy I know...but it works.

Step 3: Poke holes again through the holes (can be seen through the paper).
Anna showing off her rectangles....looking good!

Step 4:

Thread string through the holes. It should come out looking like shoe laces.

Anna wouldn't let me be behind the camera and stole a few shots of me.
Step 4:

Tie the bottoms of the strings in knots so that the strings remain tight.
Step 5:
Smile and have a sense of accomplishment!

The next activity that I did was paper making. This was messy...but I heart messy.

Take the screen and dip it into the paper/water/glue or starchy mixture.
Decorate it all pretty like with flowers or leaves or the like.

Then use your hand to pour a little more watery stuff on the top...

Squish it down. Lift the frame off.

Next, carry it over to the old ladies (ajumas) and have them place it on the hot steamy irony thingy. They brush it what not.
Let the old lady peel off the screen and have the iron thingy dry the paper. When the paper is dry, get the old lady to peel it off.
Granted...this was probably meant for little kids. But has that really stopped me before? Noppers, and it didn't stop me this time. For those who want to try this at home, make sure you get one of those little old ladies and that big iron thingy...otherwise your not doing it properly.

Hooters

2008-10-03T06:09:00.001-07:00

Hooters? Hooters where?

I don't know.........enough said.

A picture of my name

2008-09-30T04:16:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I was walking through Insadong (a touristy place where I bought most of my souvenirs for my family) when I stumbled upon a man sitting on the side of the street doing some paintings.

This painting is a picture of my name. My mom has a similar one. They are so cute. This one cost me 5 bucks and took the guy less than 20 minutes to complete. That's pretty good money for Korea....lol.

Jame Blunt

2008-09-27T18:43:00.001-07:00

Okay, So this is a few months old.........like a lotta few months old. Anyway....I figured I needed to start somewhere.

Jen, SungHyun and I went to see James Blunt on...April 26. It was frigging awesome. He is a great singer and put on an awesome show. It was good to get out of Wonju (even though I'd only been here for 1 month). I wasn't used to being away from all my friends so it was real nice to hang out with Jen.

After the show, Jen, SungHyun and I had a sleep over. Before the sleep over and on the way home SungHyun cranked the tunes and Jen and I sang at the top of our lungs all the James Blunt tunes! People were looking at us funny so SungHyun rolled up the windows and put the childproof locks on. Spoiled sport :)

Look at the size of that tongue.....geez louise!

Updates to the site

2008-09-12T08:42:00.001-07:00

I'm trying to become a little more technologically savvy. Let me know if something sucks. I've just put a visitor counter on my blog but right now it doesn't look like much, so maybe I screwed it up. I also put a thing for anyone that may feel a little crazy and actually want to subscribe to my blog.

Most importantly though, there is a mp3 file of another song that Hodge wrote and recorded. Unfortunately he hasn't videoed it yet so you can only listen to it and not be distracted by his gorgeous face :) Drool drool...well that's me anyway...

Let me know what you think. Don't be afraid to put some comments down :)

Love you all

Annie

What Keeps Me Alive

2008-09-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

This is another song that Hodge wrote. I don't know if I'm going to get in trouble from him for putting this on my blog, but he put it on a Korean site so I don't think he'll be too angry. Anyway, the song is great! The day that he put thee song on the internet it received so many hits that it was in the top three most viewed videos for a day! That's a pretty big thing considering that so many people watch videos in Korea on that site. I am so proud of him for his accomplishments! I just wish there was another way for him to show his talent to the rest of the world!

Fatima's Diner

2008-09-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

This is a song that Hodge wrote, a long long time ago. It's not about me....actually don't wanna think about who its about lol. Anyway, it's for Jen because she really liked this song (it's not your favorite but one of them). I really liked this song. Hodge's voice was one of the few things that kept me strong during his time in the army. Anyway I hope you all enjoy.

To The Fortunate Me

2008-09-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

Really, the title is wrong. Really, I'm the fortunate one, he just doesn't recognize that yet. Hodge is the one thing in my life that gives me strength to do the crazy stuff I do. I love my man! This song that he wrote for me is only prove of his talent and his love. Most of the lyrics are shared memories but I think ya'll can get the jist. Gosh, he makes me smile and gives me goose bumps when he sings. I can't wait for the day when I can finally have him all to myself so I can "greedily" make him sing for me whenever I want.

Hodge I LOVE YOU BABY!

Lyrics :

to the fortunate me - 운좋은 나에게...
by hashy

the fragrance of
apple crisps and cigarettes...
sugared coffee with lots of cinnamon
your hazel eyes...
begin to look at me with love...

and all our troubles...
are lost between the glare...

the simple things...
the lovely things...
the broken dreams the broken roads...
it's all we have...
but that's alright (okay)
coz we'll have more... someday...
i dont need eyes...
to see I'm blessed... (the fortunate me)
coz... you love me.. either way...

sunny days...
without no curtains for the light...
having breakfast...
watching corner gas with you...
let's take our time...
we've still got 60 years to live...
just let me fix this...
i'm a mess but i'll be fine...

Is the internet world out to get me?

2008-08-26T21:41:00.000-07:00

I think the internet company has something against me. I finally decide that I'm going to update my blog, somewhat regularily and then what happens? My internet decides that its not going to work. Not only is IT not working but my TV, which is also connected to it, is not working. Talk about a PAIN in the arse. So, I'm going to try to contact my Internet GUY and ask (in broken Korean) if he can help me figure it out. Last time it took 1/2 hour....I'll update with how long this conversation actually takes. I'm sure it's somethin so stupid and trivial like I accidentally unplugged something (though I really hope I'm not that dumb...maybe).

Update on my life,

1) I came back from Canada. I'm finally back in Korea, a place that feels more like home than my mom's house. Funny that I think my mom's house isn't home but really I only lived in the new house for a few months before coming to Korea. Is it wrong to find Korea homey? I like being someone different in this country. Sure, I don't get to act super obnoxious like I do at home but is it really necessary? When I went home, my brothers friend Houser told me that I'd calmed down alot and that he missed the old Annie. I guess I have changed, but I wouldn't say that it's been in a bad way.

2) I moved into my new house. I have two separate bedrooms, a BATHTUB!!!, a huge kitchen, and a living room. It's basically what would pass as a normal 2 BDRM condo in Canada but is the biggest place that I have stayed in yet. I am anticipating a spike in all of my bills (more than double) but that is neither here nor there considering I'm paying 100.00 a month for rent!

3) I've decided to go to University next year. I'm still trying to decide where I'm going to go. There is a pretty good school in Korea that I'm going to be doing some research on. Also, there's a school in northern BC, and I'm going to check out a few more schools in the States. Where I go is still undecided. I'm a little nervous about deciding. It's my future and I shouldn't take other people into my decision. Where I go will put a huge strain on my relationship with Hodge. I know that we could make it through but I struggle with my decisions. Moving back to North America could either make or break our relationship. Oh, I know all the things that people are going to say about this arguement. If its meant to be it will be, don't sacrifice your own life for a man, your future is more important than some boy. But those who say these things are only trying to look out for me. They don't think that one of the reasons I am happy is because Hodge is in my life :)

That's it for now....sorry no pics.

Annie

ON STRIKE ANNIE

2008-08-11T10:37:00.001-07:00

I have decided that I'm on strike until further notice. I came home and had all these grand plans to update my blog. I brought a burned CD with some of the pics I want to add from a long time ago.....and I have access to a computer 24/7. HOWEVER, upon arriving at home I was asked why I haven't updated my blog in a million years? I replied, oh well I didn't think people actually read it. And to be honest, I figured I was just writing to myself, not the most fun when you think about it. So, until I see fit, or until people begin to respond to my blog, I will be on strike. No longer will I be writting witty captions for stupid photos of me. Nope....strike.....

*Note....for those who got on the slow train, the way to stop this strike is to respond to my blog. Let me know that you are enjoying reading it. Leave your name. Do something to let me know that my blog is part of your weekly enjoyment....(I may increase to weekly...if I get enough responses!)

Cheers from "ON Strike Annie"

A happy post

2008-04-08T02:53:00.001-07:00

I just figured it is time for me to provide you all with another update on my life.

I'm doing a lot better now. Hodge and I worked out our differences and we are happy in love and actually together now. We both decided that it is worth it to be together as I know for sure that I can't live without him :) I hope that he feels the same way....I doubt hope is needed :)

Most of you know that I recently moved to Wonju, GangwonDo (about 2 hours outside of Seoul City). I got a job working at a university teaching the mandatory English course to Freshmen and Sophomores. I LOVE this new lifestyle. I really enjoy teaching these students because they often have something productive to contribute in class. Sometimes, I actually feel like I'm helping these students improve their English. This is a really great feeling.

I finally have a nice looking house. My back yard is a mountain/graveyard...but that's okay because it looks beautiful.

I started Korean language classes again too. My classes are a little bit difficult for me but I will work hard to improve my Korean. I had to choose a korean name for myself. My Korean name is An So Yeon. An--like the sound of my first name (but would actually by my last name), So-- which means cute, and Yeon--which they described as Woman. I really want to be able to communicate with my Korean friends, and with my Korean coworkers. Wish me luck :)

My house is awesome. Everything looks exactly like I want it too. I bought some stuff online for the first time last week. It all arrived in less than a week, I was super impressed. There are only two more things I need for my house to make it absolutely perfect: curtains and my pictures from china in frames and hanging on the wall! I hope to find a framing shop tomorrow in Wonju. That is my goal for the holiday tomorrow:) Well, that, review my Korea, and make lesson plans for next week:)

I'm going to leave you with some super cool pictures of my snail....enjoy :)

Stalker

2008-03-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

So, I've spent the past hour or so searching for things about Hodge on the internet. Maybe this is creepy, but I wanted to find some things that maybe he'd done and not told me about. Like a new band website or something like that.

Honestly this break-up thing is harder than I'd imagined. I thought it was supposed to get easier as time goes on. Every time I seem his picture I get this ache in my chest, like something really important to my life is missing...someone is missing in my life. Hodge, this isn't easy for either of us. I wish there was a way you could forgive the things that I've said and allow us to work together and make our relationship work. I've made many mistakes in my life and apparently I'm not getting any better at making my own decisions.

Anyway, I found this old blog of his and his ex-gf (she seemed kinda like a psycho Hodge---you know the blog I'm talking about) from about 4 years ago. You've been able to forgive people for some pretty awful things and you've been stronger than I think I could ever be.

I don't know if you are going to read this, think about this or even think of me.
Maybe you are going to think I'm a total nut job (not far from the truth) that I would blog about my feelings like I'm a 15 year old kid again. Truth is, I don't know where to turn, you always told me to write to you. Now that you're not there to receive or read my letters, who can I write to?

I wrote a song.....I'm going to put some music to it....but it's gunna take a while.

No Longer

I've felt you push away
gets harder for me each day
it hurts to know that you
no longer want me
in your arms

I want to reach through the dark
hold onto your hand
know that I want
to stand by your side

I've tried "sorry" a hundred times
made no difference in your mind
it hurts me to know
you longer want me in your heart

I reach through the dark
to hold onto your hand
I want you to know
I stand by your side

Forgetting is not an option for me
your my life, and always will be
but baby, it hurts me now
how could you let me go?

So I tell you to... ...

Reach through the dark
and hold onto my hand
I want to always be
forever by your side, forever in your heart, forever... forever...

Okay that's sappy I know. Is it the break-up me talking? Yah probably. I know its a shitty song....I can't write like Hodge can. I wish I was that talented.

Well, in my stalking of Hodge on the internet I did come across something that made me laugh and pull the heart strings a little. I found a pick of hodge when he was a few years younger. It made me laugh, cause he really hasn't changed that much....

Okay over and out :-I

The Presentation !

2008-03-23T02:03:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, every year the hogwans in Korea do a presentation. It's usually an excuse for the school to show off the students talents in an attempt to get more students at the school. This year was no different.

This student wanted his picture taken.
And again...
Super star Anne-Marie Teacher
Don't mess with him!

The students dress up in these often hideous and rarely cute outfits. Some of the outfits are boarder line slutty....don't worry I made sure my five year olds didn't have their bellies showing. Unfortunetly they were stuck wearing these hideous puffy hats. Oh well.....you can't win them all.
My kids sitting down and coloring while they calmly wait for their turn to perform for their parents.....they had no idea what was going on......poor little guys.

These boys were being bad. They were not from my class but they were still being bad and so I, being the EVIL teacher, told them they had to stand against the wall. Yes they are dressed up like blue and yellow bears :(

The End.

Thanks guys

2008-03-23T01:09:00.000-07:00

I just want to thank everyone for all the moral support and help in the past few days. This has not been a good week for me. It's been difficult, trying, and heartbreaking. I'm going to be spending the next few weeks putting the pieces of my life and my heart back together. Until then...
Here are a few pictures that I hope can cheer up my blog a little.....it needs it

Annie

This is the wonderful cake I made for Hodge for Valentines day....I'm sure he and everyone that ate the leftovers would agree that this was simply divine! Thanks for the recipe mom!

Yes! this man is standing on top of the wires on this power pole! Only in Korea....no harness and no one else around. These were taken near my old home.

This is a typical snowy day in Daebang........no I know it doesn't look like much for the folks at home.....but this is a snowy day in Seoul. And yes for us.......it was cold. And yes the snow usually melts right after it lands.

These were my students (minus one)

That was HeeMin's grrrrrrrr I'm angry face! Niceuhhhh

I don't know what I've done

2008-03-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

I feel absolutely horrible right now. I broke up with Hodge today. I do know what I've done...but I'm scared that this was a huge mistake, that we won't be able to be friends, that he's going to forget about me and just move on with his life. It's been two days past a year since we officially started dating. I'm not going to get into the details but I knew i loved him from that moment.

I think the hardest part about breaking up with someone that you truly love, is hurting the other person. I know I hurt right now but honestly that isn't what I'm thinking about. I'm thinking about Hodge. I am thinking about how much he must be hurting right now. He's been too good to me.

Needless to say, we have started drifting down our own paths. Hodge told me some things that I've tried to accept and haven't been able to. It's hard to let that someone that you love so dearly go. I just want him to be happy in life, live comfortably and succeed. I don't think he can do that with me, as much as that hurts.

Anyway.....I guess other updates will be waiting until I bloody well feel like updating.

Annie

A while

2008-03-18T18:54:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I last blogged. A lot as changed and I'm going to update for ya'll tonight!!! Talk to you soon!

Moving

2008-02-29T06:42:00.000-08:00

I move tomorrow. I'm a little nervous...scratch that, I'm really nervous.

On the other hand, I'm excited to have this opportunity. On the other hand, I just found out that my bed is only a single bed (argh....its hard enough trying to stay on the bed....why couldn't I just get a nice double bed like come ON!)

The moving truck will be here at 9am. I have everything packed up except my toothbrush and bedsheets which I need to sleep on tonight.

I just found out that my socks have holes in them and I packed away all my other pairs of socks. Oh well.

I wish I had time to clean my apt. but they want me out by tomorrow morning so that doesn't really give me a lot of time to clean up the place. I was able to put some stuff in the garbage and its not like I'm leaving a huge mess, but I still feel bad. Why should I though? They pay someone to do a half assed cleaning job here anyway. Hmmmmm.

I have a bunch of stuff in my freezer that I need to transport to my new house....I hope it doesn't thaw before the trip is over.....or I'm going to be eating a tonne of veggies and maybe half a tonne of peroggies! I could probably eat that many perrogies but I'm not too sure about the veggies.

I might not be on for a while....I'll talk to you guys when I can....

Cheers!

20 Things I've learned since being a Kindy Teacher

2008-02-15T05:24:00.000-08:00

1. kids give no warning if they are going to throw up....they just throw up
2. if they don't understand, they still say "yes"
3. my children love to hug
4. teaching someone else's child how to pee can be awkward for both parties involved
5. a child can walk around with poop in her underwear and not say anything until an adult notices that something smells funny
6. my children MUST all go to the bathroom atleast once an hour to prevent "accidents"
7. if you have an ouchy you can guarantee that every student will also miraculously have an ouchy (even if you can't see it)
8. strawberry milk is the worst thing to throw up
9. projectile vomiting DOES exist
10. a hug from a child can totally melt the heart of a bitchy teacher
11. My students really to believe EVERYTHING I tell them, as long as they understand what I say
12. if a student can't speak English, he WILL repeat everything that you say word for word.
13. stickers are great for bribery
14. kids can be stubborn
15. sometimes its better to just sit down, put the teaching materials away and talk. Kids have the most interesting stories.
16. I'm the only one that understands how my children's minds work (sometimes I'm the only person that understands what they are saying)
17. locking yourself in the bathroom is scary for a child
18. they like my dress, my shoes, my hair, my pants, my eyes, my nose, my mouth, my leg, my earrings, my necklace, my fingers, my watch, my...... (that one is for you mom!)
19. 3 years old is almost too young to start learning English
20. I'm going to miss being a Kindy English Teacher......kinda!!

Manners Education

2008-02-10T01:00:00.000-08:00

So I know by the title you all think that this is the class that I probably should have taken as a youngster. Well, here's the thing, and I can admit it, I probably would've failed.

There its out, I'm not polite, I do not pretend to be polite, although a times I do try to contain myself....yes it happens occasionally.

Anyway, my students had a day of manners Education recently at school. This basically involved the students dressing up in their cute little hanbok outfits and learning how to bow, drink tea and make cookies properly.

I still can't get over how adorable these little Korean angels look in their Hanboks. ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE.

Funny story: Heemin hates his hanbok. Not only does he hate it, I firmly believe he would rather see it in a garbage can and have someone step on it rather than wear it. I set beside him with the hanbok in my hand and politely asked "Heemin would you please put on this super-awesome Hanbok?" To which he replied "No". Okay, to be honest, I can understand where he's coming from. The colors in the hanbok certainly aren't all his favorite colors. The pants are yellow, not red. (It took Heemin probably 4 months to wear the gym uniform simply because it was yellow and not red). While the top is Red it also has all these other colors: blue, yellow and white. Certainly there must be some mistake. He would never look like a red power-ranger in this outfit.

I know I certainly didn't look like a mighty power ranger in mine.

I tried to show Heemin that I had on a Hanbok and that I thought it was pretty cool. Truth was, I look like a beached whale and couldn't quite get used to all the layers of fabric that I was trapped under. That approach didn't work as well as I had hoped because he still responded with "NO".

Sympathizing with his cause, I had to figure out some way to get Heemin to wear the non-power ranger hanbok. Finally, it came to me. STICKERS!!! Heemin loves stickers. Now, I don't give stickers out a lot and so my children know they must do something very special in order to receive a sticker. I told Heemin that if he put on his hanbok I would give him a sticker.

After I said it I realized what I had done. Had I reduced myself to bribery? OH gosh. the one thing I hate to do most, bribe my children, and I did it. But...the real question is.......did it work?

I think the answer to that question is yes. While in this picture Heemin looks totally defeated, he is actually attempting to bow.

The following are a few pictures of my children and some of the other children in the class listening carefully to the teacher. I didn't charge my camera battery before school and so on key, my batteries died.

This little cutie is Shine. Yes her name is Shine. No I did not name her. She came from Sri Lanka and is probably one of our best English speakers in A Class. She's also one of the best behaved students as well.
This is a picture of the girls. It gives you an idea of the kinds of dresses that are traditionally worn in Korea. The little one with the curly hair in the front is Rachel. Behind her is Sara (whose dress I LOVED....it was all black and red thick silk....absolutly beautiful). Kelly's face is hidden.
Now it was the boys turn to try the bows

As you can see, the boys weren't really paying attention

This is the way you will usually catch Heemin, in other words.....not paying attention.

The little boy beside Heemin is Robert. Or Loberch as he likes to call himself. Robert is the youngest student in class ( I don't even think he is 4 years old yet). Funny thing is, he's the biggest student in class. He towers over Heemin and probably weighs twice as much as him. Robert tries his hardest to impress me. I love the kid to death but I think until he passes through the "repeat everything I say because you don't understand what I'm saying" phase, he should take some time off school. I would consider him too young for this school.

But then, look at those faces....how could you ever truly stay frustrated with them. Whenever I get frustrated, I just ask them for a hug and then all my anger or frustration completely melts away. Little angels indeed.

Another funny story: I NEVER CLAIMED TO BE GRACEFUL.

Mom, do you remember when I was a little girl? I used to sit on the floor coloring with my legs sprawled on the floor and my skirt all pulled up? Well I kinda had a similar experience.

I was watching the students bowing and I thought to myself, "well self, that doesn't look too difficult. I bet you could do that self."

So. I tried it.
First, clasp your hands together at your stomach. Okay check. This is easy so far.

Second, raise your clasped hands up to your eyes. Wow this is pretty easy. I'm getting this with no trouble!

Third, lower your body onto your knees. Okay that takes a little more concentration. A little wobbly, but still good.

Fourth, lower your whole body to the floor in a bow. Yes! I did it....right?

Fifth, (wait there is more?) raise your body and arms up to a sitting position. Check I'm good there too. Wow, I should've been Korean!

Sixth, stand up from the kneeling position without using your hands. Wait! Do what? Okay....I can do this. Wait, where are my feet? I can't see my feet. Why is there so much fabric in this dress? I think my feet are caught in the fabric. I don't want to break the dress. It's not my dress. Okay, everyone is looking at me, I have to do this. I can do this. Okay, one leg up. Good. Now the other leg. Darn it just as I suspected, my leg is caught. How can I do this gracefully? I don't think there is any way. Wait, why is the ground suddenly getting closer to my face? Dammit. My kids are laughing at me. The other teacher saw. He's laughing too. Okay just get up and act casual. They really didn't notice.....right?

An update about my life

2008-02-02T01:51:00.000-08:00

Recently my friend Jennifer complained that I'm not updating my blog. Well yah, its true I'm not. Well I wasn't. The reason? My life has been friggin complex lately.

First, I went in circles trying to obtain a CRC (criminal Record Check). Ofcourse I would expect this and have always been amazed that I didn't need one before to teach in Korea. Especially since I've been teaching children.

Second, I have been trying to get my papers in order for my new job. I had recently gotten a job at a middle school. I was trying to get specific housing for my tastes.....cause we all know I have a lot of shit and my lots of shit takes up a lot of room. Also, there were reference letters from my previous employer (of which she is now on maternity leave). Finally figured that one out. Getting a medical check done to make sure I don't have aids or am taking any drugs. Phew cleared that one....just kidding. Get some other paper work from my school. and finally I had amassed a total of 10 different and yes of course necessary documents.

Third, I'm currently in the process of fighting for my pension. I know this might sound weird to those folks at home but the ones in Korea know all about this. For a foreigner to be employed at a school and NOT be married to a Korean they must be on an E2 visa. This classification names us as employees of our school (basically the property of our school). All employees of a company must pay into the National Pension Scheme (NPS) Funnily enough, our school has registered us as independent workers (basically like substitute teachers for a year). In this way they have gotten away with not paying out pension. Maybe you ask Why would you want pension anyway.
Pension is a saving system. The canadian government has an agreement whereby we pay 4.5% of our monthly salary into the pension, the school also pays 4.5%. At the end of our time in Korea (whenever that may be for me) I can claim my accumulated pension and have it deposited into an account in Canada. Now, 9% on 2.3 million won is 207,000 a month. Multiply that by the 13 payments we receive it comes out to 2,691,000 won (approximately 2600.00 candian). That is a lot of money that I am missing out on from my employer (half the contribution is from him). So yah, I'm in the process of fighting for that (with everyone left, right, and center telling me to be careful for fear of raising a stink and either getting fired or being put on watch by the labor board). Well there is a slim chance that my boss could get really pissed off and I would get fired but again that is a slim chance. As for being watched......for fighting for my legal rights as a tax payer in Korea? hm......

The last tidbit of information will shock and awe most of you.....

I'm going to NOT take the middle school position because I'm moving to Wonju (which is about an hour and a half from Gangnam, Seoul). Why would I do that you ask? BECAUSE I GOT A JOB AS AN INSTRUCTOR FOR YONSEI UNIVERSITY!!!!!! wooooooooooot! yah that's right, little Annie is going to be teaching University students....scary thought I know. I went to the university today and signed my contract and everything. I'm so excited. I think its going to be a great opportunity for me and its going to look great on my resume!

For those of you who don't know, Yonsei is the institute that I studied Korean in for that one semester. Its also one of the top universities in Korea (kind of like UofT is in Canada). I'm going to be teaching at the satelite university in a little quiet place all nicely nestled into the mountain range! No not big skiing mountains but still mountains. I'm relaly excited for the challenge. I know I will be working a lot harder but I'm okay with that because this opportunity is too good to pass up.

Apparently the housing is amazing. The school just installed new two-door refrigerators........yah no kidding. We didn't even have these at home in Canada. New bedding, AC (very important in Korea), new wall papering. My apt. is going to be a MASSIVE 500 Square feet....that's big in Korea....with a separate bedroom! I'll take tonnes of dpics.......

Now the question is, what do I do with the stuff that I have accumulated thus far? Jen what do I do with the couch and chair? The other stuff I'm going to sell (not your stuff don't worry).

Wish me luck on my March adventure into adult teaching!!!!!!!!!!!

"Home to you"

2008-02-01T05:31:00.000-08:00

Hodge always writes me songs. This is his most recent project called "home to you" and well its about me! Honestly, I can't wait until my love does come home to me. I miss him so much every day and its not getting any easier.

I hope you know I love you babe! I love you and I want you to come home to me too!

My last visit to Mokpo- Hodge don't open on base

2008-01-31T05:18:00.000-08:00

Okay, so Hodge informed me mid-January that he would be getting one more one-day break. On these breaks he is allowed to go into Mokpo and stay over night. His movements are limited so we usually just veg in a hotel, watch movies, and snack on some oober fattening food that Hodge has been missing (usually pizza). HAHAHA this time I was on a health kick.

I ordered a beef soup called Solang Tang and Hodge ordered a dumpling soup. My soup was kinda yucky......but fortunetly Hodge let me have some of his in exchange for some of my rice. :) Hodge also discovered that yes indeed side dish trays that are stacked usually have food on BOTH trays. That made him happy until he tried some of the side dishes. hehe. Its kind of a hit and miss with side dishes in Korea. Some of the stuff is really delicious and well some of it tastes like feet. I guess its the same at home.

Hodge and I decided to try a hotel by the sea. But ofcourse it was dark and we couldn't really see the water. I forced him to go out and walk a little....but he (being a little weakling) couldn't take it and the trip was cut short. Oh well...we managed to pick up some super yummy green tea flavoured soybean milk that I've been constantly craving. mmmm....I wish I had some now.

We also managed to take a few pictures. They're not in an particular order....nor are they particularily interesting. I hope you enjoy.

Hodge has the cutest little grin on his
face in this picture. I just love it.

I think that is his "trying" to be sexy face...lol jk.

Now that is definitely his sexy face. Probably one of the best reasons I have for loving that crazy man!

Man of many faces....this is his Sergent Kim Ho Jung face.

This is my rock and roll face....lol

my.....LOOK AT ME KOREAN PEOPLE face

and yes I guess I was cold too because my nose was apparently red.

This is the guitar that Hodge was looking at. Ofcourse.....after he stops breaking mine.lol

That was a nice series called The Hat. Good? I think so........good night!

Misc Debris

2008-01-31T04:39:00.000-08:00

One of my most recent adventures with my oven was the cooking of my Auntie's famous (well to me anyway) tart recipe. Now, I've never made butter tarts so i was a little apprehensive about the whole ordeal. But, I had recently purchased a pretty kick-ass pastry blender and rolling pin and felt that now would be the best time to try it out. The secret about these butter tarts is to keep them runny. Yes, I love my mom's butter tarts but she can never stomach the runniness that my father and I love. I decided to give it a try.

This is a picture of the lovely mess I was making on my table . Yes it is a glass table, and yes I washed it. Honestly though, it was the only working surface I had in my house besides my floor.

This is the super YUMMY filling that I used to make the super yummy tarts.

Okay, so I'm not the neatest person when I cook. My mom swears I try to use EVERY dish that I possibly can. We its true...I used to do that because my brother william would have to wash the dishes, but now I'm stuck with this habit....and IIIIIII have to wash the dishes. So i guess it backfired on me.

The result of these tasty treats??????? a handful of heaven. Honestly they were perfect, they were sweet, runny and the crust was perfectly flaky! I know if I ever want to make a crust for a pie I'm going to use this crust recipe....it was so perfect and yummy! I took them to work with me so that I wouldn't be tempted to eat them all.

Later, I also made some for my boyfriend. Well I was trying to do it fast and put them all in a big 12 cup pan....the ones on the inside cooked faster than the ones on the outside. It didn't work the way I wanted........but don't get me wrong......they still tasted good.

My next project.............perogies again.....its going to be easier to mash the potatoes now that I have a real potatoe masher.......and real bacon!!!! mmmmmmm can't wait.....I'll freeze you some Jen okay?

SURPRISE!!!!!! No don't get confused, this isn't a smurf............IT"S ME! Yes I bought some awsome blue tights that I just had to wear with my AWSOME blue sweater......If it wouldn't sound conceited, I would say I look pretty damn fine!

My students at the science Museum

2008-01-18T03:10:00.000-08:00

Just a few pics of my students at the science museum. I'm really going to miss my set of kindies....even though I'm moving on to bigger and better things. They really grow on a person. This was a few months back of course. My kids really enjoyed the trip....even though like most other trips it was far too quick. Most trips constitute....hustle hustle...pic....hustle hustle...lunch....pics....hustle hustle.....home. This one was no different.

This is Shane attempting to get his student to pay attention to the camera....ha ha. He finally gave up and just smiled for her.

I tried to do the same......I think I mostly scared this one...
These are the 5 students that went on this trip with me. They are adorable no?

This was the first part of the mirror room. Sara was completely mesmerized with the mirror effect. She said. "teacher look! Many!" Which in Kindy speak means...look there are many Sara's when you look in the mirror

TIme to Finish China

2008-01-18T02:23:00.000-08:00

It's been far too long and I guess I should finish the china trip....dont' you agree?

On the way to the Square I ran into a beautiful park. This was a really quiet and serene place and I was able to relax, take a few pictures and get stared at. All in all...I was glad I went through the gate!

Bejing- Tiananmen Square----the scene was set for the Olympics!

Everywhere the squared was getting Olympisized...I guess that would be what I would call it. It was weird. They had these cute little figures that apparently were supposed to symbolize the different activities of the olympics....I could figure out some of them however.

I think I'm a little better looking. But you tell me what you think!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New year

2007-12-31T11:23:00.000-08:00

I had a great end to a great year. I want to thank all my friends and family that helped make this year wonderful. I have two ....no three ... a too many to count... new years resolutions.

1. start an exercise routine on Jen's eliptical (while i have it)

2. Write Hodge a letter as often as I can, and actually send them.

3. study Korean

4. finish my Tesol program

5. start a "real" life with my man

6. update on my blog more than once a month

7. take more pictures

8. laugh more

9. explore Korea/Seoul

10. take ear plugs to shows (my ears are ringing)

11. grow my hair (Hodge likes it like that)

12. Find someone to start a band with, I want to be a singer but I can't do much else.

13. work on the future school plans

14. take a warm shower tomorrow morning :)

15. watch less TV and do more hobbies (ie get off my ass)

16. learn to play the guitar

I think that is about it for now....if I can think of anything else I will let you know.

So, many of you know, I had a Christmas party this year. It was awesome. Somehow, I managed to cram 11 people into my small little apartment. Anyone living in Korea knows how small the apartments are. Mom and dad....its about the same size as my old apartment...but nicer.

I was too worried about cooking a turkey so Jesse and Rachel went halfsies on a pre-cooked turkey from Popeyes....aparently it was a seasonal special....whatever it was...it was friggin delicious. The meal was great. Turkey, stove top stuffing, smashed potatoes (Made with love my Myra), gravy, creamed corn, steamed broccoli, and fried rice for the vegan in all of us (courtesy of Master Chef Hodge). I made Tiramisu, Jello Cheese Cake, and the strawberry jello shit that my mom always makes us (who knew it could be that easy mom). By the time everyone had finished dinner, barely anyone could think of dessert.

I almost forgot, I also made Buns....but I think I forgot to put in a cup of flour when I was making them and Hodge had to help me out. I was so frustrated that I couldn't make these stupid buns. Never mind that I had never made buns unsupervised. Hodge recommended that next time I make something that I've never made before, I should possibly try it out a few days before the big event....well sure tell me that NOW. :)

I had so much fun that I forgot to even use my camera. If you want to see any pics, look on my facebook.

Love always

Annie

I miss him

2007-12-02T02:32:00.000-08:00

I recently went to Busan to visit some friends. All in all it was a short and sweet trip. Had coffee, got lost, you know...the usual. Anyway, I don't know why but I kept seeing all these young soldiers in the same uniform that Hodge wears. I know all about the stripes that they have on their shoulders, one strip-four strips....This shows how long you have been in the army if you are in the manditory program that Hodge is in. Hodge is at a four now. He has 100 days left and I'm getting super excited. But this weekend was hard. For some reason, I just was reminded of him at every turn. Someone would walk by wearing his military uniform. From seoul there was a boy going to Busan....I imagine that that must be what Hodge looks like when he's heading back to base....but then I remember hodge only takes the bus....not the super fast KTX.

Christmas is coming and I'm getting nostalgic. I remember Christmas last year. It was so much fun. I remember that the house was filled with so much warmth. I'm planning on having a Christmas dinner at my house this year. I might have to borrow a table from school to put all the food on....I don't think my table is big enough. Hodge, Jesse, SungHyun (maybe), and whoever else wants to come are invited. I want my house to be as warm and inviting as my mother's house is. I'm trying to procure some Christmas goodie recipes at this time....so hopefully it will be a wonderful day.....lets all hope!!!!

Anyway,

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas season and I hope everything is as chaotic as its supposed to be!

Love Annie

China 4- Tienanmen Square (changing of the guards/lowering of the flag

2007-12-02T01:40:00.000-08:00

I have some more stuff from China....I have been procrastinating and I figure if I don't do it now....I never will. I have decided that I'm going to update regularly aka once a week.....please email me if I don't.

The following pics are of the changing of the guards. I read in my trusty travel book that this is a very interesting event. People flock to watch the lowering of the flag, not even just tourists. I tried to see the changing of the guards earlier in the morning....but I was not successful. As such, I camped my butt near the front of the fence and waited for the change....................and waited............and waited. Until finally an hour later, it happened. It was funny. I think I was the only white person there. People kept staring at me and pointing. When the guards came out I was grateful because there was no attention on me anymore. I guess people thought it weird that a foreigner would wait for such a long time for something that would be unimportant to me. Well anyway. The guards have to stand still and they can't make any faces or anything. This one guard was doing really well until a bug came near him. A few people were pointing. Finally the guard cracked a smile, quickly shook the smile away and was stone-faced again. I bet he would play poker pretty well...lol. The ceremony had music, the flag was lowered, the soldiers marched in time with each other...I was quite amazed with how well they marched. It must've taken years. I would assume, any man who is guarding Tienanmen Square must be high ranking....but maybe not. Anywho, here are the pics.

The First Snow

2007-11-19T04:59:00.000-08:00

So, Its true! We had our first snow for the winter season tonight. Well, okay maybe it was mostly rain, but that's besides the point. It was kinda snowy......kinda. I'm excited but at the same time it doesn't help cure the homesickness I've been feeling lately...I mean, I miss it...I miss the super cold dry winters....kinda. Maybe I just miss all the memories that are attached to snow filled winters. At this time last year I was just getting used to the cold again. I was at home, Dad had just gotten back from a hunting trip with his prize and was hanging it in the garage. Oh the good ole days. I bet they have a tonne of snow at home.

Right now, mom is getting ready for the craft fair...I know it might sound crazy, but I miss helping her prepare for the craft fair....no matter how bitchy she was getting....lol. I wonder how the little Japanese kid that is staying at my mom's house is handling the cold. I hope he's doing okay as it can be a bit of a shock at first.

Again....its snowing/raining here now....this means another season of cars skidding around because this country doesn't use winter tires; contemplating whether the snow is going to be wet enough to take an umbrella; clinging for dear life as I attempt to walk up my slick-slush covered stone steps (last march I broke off a piece of the railing as I tried not to plummet to my death...as I almost did again today); waiting for the one snow fall that is big enough to have a kick-ass snow ball fight; freezing my butt off because its too hot on the subways and inside to warrant wearing a giant parka; sweating on the subway because I wore the giant parka; and watching the snow gracefully fall into the light cast by the lampposts on the street. I think this winter is going to be wonderful....I can tell already! :)

Annie

P.S. I finally found mollases and I made some absolutly delicious ginger snaps with Jennifer earlier this past week.

All in All

2007-11-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

All in all Hodge's trip was wonderful. We went to VIPS yesterday, it was yummy. We both ordered the exact same thing, Steak med-rare.....but they brought both of them rare. Mom would've gagged.....dad would've been proud. I said goodbye to Hodge, this time not a tear was shed. I don't know, maybe I'm finally getting used to him leaving. Honestly mom, I don't know how you did it when dad traveled to columbia....I guess we kept you busy.

New developments on the Korea situation. Looks like I'm going to have no choice but to return home in March......Surprise mom. Well, I might come home, its still up in the air.....Korea is implementing these new regulations on E2 visa holders that if we want to work here we must return to our home country, get our visa and do an interview in the closest embassy....maybe I will make a trip to Ontario this time....we'll see. Again, everything is up in the air about this. I will keep you posted. Mom, you might be lucky....you might see me TWICE in this next year....second time with my boyfriend....excited?

Annie

Have you ever been so suprised your face turned red?

2007-11-07T06:38:00.000-08:00

So, like my title suggests, I was recently given a huge surprise from my super romantic boyfriend. If you remember my last blog, Hodge had told me that I was going to meet his father and that he was going to drop something off for me at my school. This was supposed to happen after work at school yesterday and so I was really nervous all day. By the end of the day, I was so nervous I wasn't even feeling hungry like I usually do. I also got a cold sore simply from the nerves and thats never happened before.

As I walked into the office to give my co-teacher my attendance sheet, who do I see but non other than my loving boyfriend sitting on the chair waiting for me. I was completely shocked. I just stood there with my mouth wide open (I'm sure with the most retarded grin on my face) and my face beat red. Words can't describe the happiness that I was feeling at that moment. He said something like, "sorry my dad couldn't make it but I hope I'm okay" or something like that I can't remember but around those lines.

Anywho, he surprised the hell outta me. I knew that something was strange about this meeting with his father but I just couldn't put my finger on it. It turns out there was something strange. Hodge had to lie to me and he later told me he was sorry about lying to me. What an angel. if that is what lying gets me......bring it on!!!....really just joking hun.

Well I better head off cause I need to have some rest.....and hodge is online. :) Take care everyone!!

Annie

The boyfriends dad

2007-10-31T21:06:00.000-07:00

So, apparently I'm meeting the boyfriends dad on tuesday....without the boyfriend.........any hints as to what I should do?

Dreaming about baking cookies

2007-10-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

I had the most unusual dream this morning. So unusual that I thought I should write about it. I fell asleep last night shortly after discussing making cookies and the ingredients I would need to do so. This morning I woke up after the most unusual dream. I was back in Canada searching for the rarest product to be found in Korea.....I don't know why I didn't go to the store....Instead, I went to the old coffee shop that I used to work for. They were in the process of trying to make icecream....it seemed a very difficult and arduous task and so I left them to do it alone. Suddenly I found myself in my old baby-sitter's house....she was still alive and said for goodness sake if I was looking for Molasses I would find it in the top shelf of her corner cupboard. After a difficult search, I was able to find it.....then my kitchen sink woke me up!

Weird huh?

Ice Bar

2007-10-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

Hodge and I went out the last time he came out. We ended up going to an ice bar where we met up with Jennifer, SungHyun, and later my friend Roberta. The first pictures are from after the ice bar but whatever....

This is Jesse and Sun from Spot.....my favorite bar.
The bar is literally made from ice......its about 0 degrees in there so its cold enough when all you are doing is sitting.....they make you wear a parka.....but its still cold.....the drinks are served inglasses made of ice.....cool huh?

Enough said.....we were just joking around.....but its scary how similar Hodge and I think.....we are both giant perverts.

We are so alike.....its scary.

I don't think its cold enough for your pee to freeze hodge.....no he's not REALLY peeing. ew.

China 3- The Forbidden Palace

2007-10-17T04:21:00.000-07:00

The first night in Beijing. I didn't really want to stay in for the night so I introduced myself to some random people and we all went out for drinks. Fun was had by all.

I'm stuck in the middle of too chatters in this pick.
Us in all our glory.
Me and my new roomate AnnSophiefrom france/

We ordered a bunch of shots....ten I think.count. I think only two actually tasted yummy....the rest well....we let the guys finish them. Ugh.
This is a type of kite made of paper. You light the little thing on the bottom and it fills with hot air. Eventually it has enough hot air that it slowly floats up in the sky and finally disappears.

This is the next morning. We tried to make it early enough.....but ofcourse I slept in.....we were still early enough.
Entrance.

These guys were marching and I thought they were doing such a good job that I would take a picture.
Or two...
Or three...
Inside the palace.

Could you imagine....the little gray lines....those are all little flat stones piled up to make a gently sloping path... like miniature stairs.

Some musical instruments.

I was amazed with the stone carvings.

The original paint.

During Japans occupation of China....the Japanese scrap
this was one marble stone...the moved it in one piece.....amazing!
I bought a series of paintings from this artist in the Palace....it was the four seasons.....absolutly beautiful!
The dragons are symbolic of something.....dammed if I could remember what.

The lions are protectors. The lion above rests its paw on a lion cub...this is the female lion.
This lion is playing with a ball......it is the male lion.
This tree is over 300 years old...imagine the history this tree could tell.

A little garden for the Emperor.

This is the performing arts theater that was used to entertain guests in the Palace.

That's it and that's all for now.....I also have some pics to put from Tiananmen Square...it might take a while....I have a special post about my trip to the ice bar that is coming up very soon.

China Number Two

2007-10-14T04:14:00.000-07:00

To continue with the saga on China.

I arrived on time to the train station in QingDao. The taxi dropped me off at the backside of the bus station. There was a million taxis. As soon as I got out of my taxi, an old woman instantly came to me trying to sell me some gum or something. I was a little frustrated and confused....since I couldn't see the train station. I finally found my way to the train station and sat down beside this nice really nice man who helped me find my seat and what not.

These are a few pics of the train....it was pretty nicer....nicer than I was expecting....though I didn't really know what to expect.

This is the famous beer factory in Qingdao.....sorry dad I didn't have enough time to take a tour....maybe next time eh? The beer was okay....a little weak for Canadian standards but nice and cold on a warm day.

I arrived in Beijing. I managed to catch a taxi with the help of the lady who had been sitting next to me on the train. I seem to meet people that are willing to help me all the time. Next time someone needs my help I will remember this and help them because maybe they are in a similar situation. I was taking the taxi and I'm pretty sure he took the long way around because it was twice the price of taking a taxi back from the place the taxi dropped me off at.

Don't you find it amusing when the taxi driver asks you how to get to an area that you've never been to? I get it alot in Korea and apparently it is a common thing cause it happened in China, even though I had a card with directions. Well as the taxi driver was driving, I looked out the window and saw a sign pointing to the hostel (as we drove by). I got the taxi driver to turn in that direction, but about a block later. He got to the end of the road and proceeded to ask which way he was supposed to turn. I tried to explain I didn't know and that HE was the taxi driver. Finally I just said let me out here. Then I had the fun of explaining that I needed the card back that had the directions on it. I was getting a little frustrated at this time and I think he was too. Finally he gave me my card and I set out on a search for this hostel. I never found it. Instead, I came upon a nicer hostel. I didn't take any pics cause I'm dumb. But it was really nice, quiet, and had plants and flowers everywhere. I ended up getting a private room this time but ran into a girl who was having some troubles finding a place to stay. I told her she could stay with me. I will update about this later.

I had time to waste and invited myself on a biking adventure with another man I met at the hostel. That is him. THough don't ask me his name. After about an hour of riding around, we FINALLY found the shopping market that we had been searching for. It was a 5 story building filled with knock-off items (ipods, clothes, watches etc.) it also had a bit of art and what not. I bought a few things but not a lot since it was my first day in Beijing. I biked back to the hostel by myself in the dark....I wasn't too nervous, they have biking paths and everything. I only got a LITTLE bit lost. As I was riding past the place where I was supposed to turn, I was thinking, that turn looks really familiar. Finally, I got to Ti'ananmen Square and figured I had gone too far. I turned around and made it back in one piece......take that DAD!

Sunset in Beijing....it was prettier in really life.

until next time my friends!

Love is tough

2007-10-10T14:50:00.000-07:00

So,

I have been debating about whether I should be posting on this thing about my relationship with Hodge....thing is its nice to hear what others think about what I should do....if you comment at all......please comment on this one.

Hodge and I have differing opinions about where our lives should be based. Of course I'm biased and I think that Canada would be a great place and he thinks that Korea is a great place. Its more complicated than that and involves family and the Korean males responsibilities towards family. I guess I really need to decide if I'm ready to live in this country for the rest of my life. I think its horrible that I come to the same conclusion every time but I don't think I will be able to be in this country for ever. This place isn't my home and would never be the place I want to raise my kids.

Annie

China

2007-10-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

It's about time I do an update....I've been out of sorts in a way and I since I'm feeling better and my ankle isn't being a jerk anymore I figure I should write about my trip to china.

For my first two days in China I had a bit of free time and was able to write a journal....I'm posting that now (with some pictures of course).

Sept. 22

Today was good. I got on the airport bus at 9:00am. We got to the airport at 10:30 but we thought it would've taken longer considering that its chusok right now. The plane ride was uneventful except for the fact that we got a meal.....on a 1 and a half hour plane right....totally wasn't expecting that one. The other thing was some creepy guy who kept telling me I was beautiful because I think they were the only english words he knew. I said thank you in Korean and he proceeded to speak at length in Korean back to me totally ignoring the blank looks I was giving him.
After the airplane ride to Qingdao airport....about as small as Saskatoon airport, I met up with Sammie and Sue again (whom I went on the trip with). We proceeded to reconfirm our tickets for the trip back to Korea....it turned out to be quite interesting. Sue ended up speaking in Japanese to a representative from Japan Air. After, we got onto the airport bus and it took us closer but not exactly to where we where going. We proceeded to ask a passer-by and he asked if any of us spoke french. Sammie, being from Montreal spoke with the man half in English and half in French. Isn't it weird how languages can help us get around even if its not the first language of that country?
Finally, we arrived at our destination, a hostel and that is where I am writing this letter to you. The hostel is quiet and fairly clean....esp compared to my house....kikikikiki. I'm sleeping in a dorm room for 8 ppl....right now there are 4 others....I haven't really talked to anyone but as everyone knows, that'll quickly change I'm sure. I have finally decided that I'm going to go to Beijing tomorrow. I'm going to take the 7:00am train....it takes 5 hrs because its the rapid train......kinda like the KTX. I should be able to wake up that early. oi. I don't know quite what I'm going to do....will write more later.

Sept 22 9:30pm

So, I went downstairs to buy my tickets to Beijing and find a place to eat, but on the way and in typical Anne-Marie fashion, I met someone. She is Chinese but speaks English very well. Her English name is Nymphissi. She also wanted to eat and so I went with her to hunt down some food. On the way we also picked up an alarm clock.....I figured it was probably pretty important that I wake up on time for my train....not a good way to start a trip by sleeping in after all.
She took me to this outside restaurant/street stall thing. it was selling charcoal grilled squid covered in this messy barbeque sauce. I was hesitant to try it but I finally said a the hell with my stomach and dug in. It was delicious but ofcourse having the "Hickson genes" in my blood I spilled all down the front of my shirt. I swear its genetic! Darn you MOTHER!

We also ate some noodles. They were yummy too (even the cilantro didn't taste that bad). However, the pile of oil on the top of the soup was a little hard to take... noodles in Korea just don't have the grease that the ones in China do, atleast the ones I tried in China....I didnt get to eat a lot of different dishes... you all know I like to try new things but it takes me a while to warm up to different country's cuisines.

Well I guess its time for me to got o bed. I have to wake up at 6:30 tomorrow to make sure I don't miss my train. I know....how boring can I get. Oh yah....I also did a little shopping...suprise suprise....I bought a cute wallet and a funky black and white box (that I now use to hold even more junk).

Cheers till tomorrow!

Ouchy on the Gochu

2007-09-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

So, many of you know who Heemin is, the little 3 year old in my class. He is the smallest of the two boys and also the youngest. This is a little story about Heemin....

Last friday, we had a field trip to a contemporary art museum, don't ask. I'm pretty sure it was one of the most boring trips my students have ever been on....almost as bad as the railroad museum "toot" "toot"! Anyway....there was this statue of a little naked boy with his penis showing. Heemin ran up the the statue and grabbed the penis proudly calling it "Gochu"! Gochu is the word for a spicy, long red pepper that is commonly found in Korea. Adults also commonly refer to the penis by this word as a type of slang. The lunch ladies found it hilarious.....the curator...not so hilarious....after all.....it was supposed to be art. Heaven forbid you touch it.

On monday, we had a little incident in the classroom. I was hugging one of my students and Heemin wanted a hug too. As many children have done before him, he climbed up onto the chair, carefully stepping only on the edges....it was planned I'm sure. His little bit of weight caused the chair to tip over, gravity pulling Heemin to the floor. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Heemin falling in what seemed like slow motion. First, his mid-section landed on the edge of the upturned chair, second, his face landed on the leg of the chair, third his hands finally landed on the floor. Truth be known, children do not land feet first. After a short pause, a deafening scream pierced the air. Heemin was most definitely in extreme pain. I whipped him up and hugged him as he was crying. after he calmed down a little I asked him where he hurt. He pointed to his groin. Knowing he didn't know the word for penis I asked him if it was his Gochu that hurt. He shook his head yes and began crying again. The lunch lady thought this was hilarious that I called it his Gochu....but honestly don't you htink it would've been the wrong time to teach him the word penis?

Annie

Going to China

2007-09-14T21:54:00.000-07:00

So all,

I'm going to China for 5 days starting on the 22 of September. I'm really excited to add another stamp and visa to my passport. Even though I'm only going to be there for a week I'm pretty excited. TOmorrow I'm going to spend the day planning my itinerary.

In other news, I have found a place to house my cats. Right now I'm boarding them at a veterinarian office. I couldn't take the sleepless nights anymore. It's hard to wake up at 5:30 every morning, despite what my mother may say....I'm not that ambitious. I swear i'd have to be paid a lot of money to willingly wake up that early and my cats are not really worth my personal health.

I feel horrible because I had to go through all these hoops to find a place to put them. I guess in a way I feel guilty like I'm just pawning them off. I understand how this could look to some people butI just don't feel that I can provide the loving household that they needed. nonetheless, its still hard to deal with other people's reactions to my irresponsibility. Maybe that's what it was, irresponsibility. I really like to think that I'm being responsible by finding someone that can take better care of them than I can rather than neglecting them. Tell me I'm not crazy in thinking this way?

My mom was the one to say I was stupid to get cats in the first place....well not those exact words. Maybe I was. It really opened my eyes though. It has made me realize that I'm not ready to have a pet or children until I'm settled in a home with my husband and what not. Not that I have a husband right now....but that's kinda the idea. I'm not ready to look after something for a LONG time. Live and learn is how it goes.

Ugh, right now my house is a disaster.....I have very little ambition to clean and its starting to drive me insane. I need that show "Clean Sweep" to come and re-decorate my house. Really that's what I need is a clean sweep.

This past week at work has been interesting to say the least. My co-teacher confronted me. She insulted my teaching style (of which she isn't one to talk) saying that it is unacceptable at this school. She sent me a horrible letter that states how I should never speak to her, we are not friends and that if I have something to say I should write it down in the book rather than talk to her in person. Under those working conditions, things might begin to go splendidly I've decided. She says she tells me these things to get me better marks on my monthly evaluations. I say......what the hell do her bloody marks have to do with anything. I've busted my ass off that this school for 6 months, staying late doing work at home etc....and have not once received the monthly bonus. a vast majority of a teacher's grades is based upon the number of students.......how the HELL am I able to control the number of students I have. I believe I will never get the teacher's bonus simply because I have one of the least amount of students. Last month, I had the second highest score for teacher evaluation and I still placed third simply because I don't have the students. I even retained ALL of my students and gained 2!

Another contentious issue between the two of us was changing my students pants when they piss or poop themselves. I don't know about you, but I didn't go to school for 4 years to be a friggin babysitter. I've changed their pants before and it has taken away from the time I spend actually TEACHING my other students. When I got a complaint from co-teacher about doing preparatory work during down time in my classroom I decided that this was unacceptable. She also mentioned in the letter that it was my responsibility to change dirty pants. Go figure, I am not allowed to do work that will benefit my students' learning while they are busy writing in their books, but I am expected to take time out of actual teaching to change a child's underwear? Where is the logic in that? My preparations during class, does not affect my ability to teach. An interpution from a bathroom accident does however. Logic? None.

I told my manager upon discussion of this incident, that under no circumstances would I change another child. I would send them to the office to be dealt with as it was "disturbing and affecting my ability to be a good teacher" which they seemed to be so concerned about. Manager said that it was my responsibility to do it as I was a kindy teacher. I told her that I did not get hired into this school to become a babysitter. As such, she could fire me if she wanted, but I would never change my students again. Later she said that that would be fine. As such, I'm not fired and Possibly am being taken a little more seriously. I'm sick of being treated like a child in this institution....soon I expect we will be given a dress code of giant puppet suits so we can dance around and make the children laugh and giggle. That will keep our enrollment up, the kids will learn nothing, and the school will be happy with the big fat paycheck they receive of which we only see a small percentage.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa bitch fest completed.

2007-08-15T16:54:00.001-07:00

Hodge is in my mind, the sweetest, most caring man I've ever met. I recently went through a phase where I was doubting my relationship with my boyfriend and my relationship with Korea. Basically I was going through what I would classify as a mild state of depression. Nothing seemed to get me out of my funk. This weekend I went to visit Hodge. My love is so compassionate and selfless. I don't know where I found him but I best never think about losing him again. I know now that I can and will always be happy with him. The following are some of the pictures from .....a month ago. Hodge came out of the military for ten days. I was fortunate enough to spend five wonderful days with him. We went to Chongju where we spend three days just hanging out, drinking Mokoli (i like to call it whale sperm...cause only whales could produce that amount of awful tasting milky substance---sorry auntie), going to a bar with really cool tables, and walking in the rain. We had a lot of fun...and I'm glad I took my camera!

THis is"School Boy" hodge......by day school boy....by night......lady killer.......hahaha geek

The geek is at it again.........this boy loves his video games....possibly more than he loves me.....but I doubt it.

Evil Eyes----

One minute........can't you see he's busy looking sexy.
and he's definitly sexy!!----though I often wonder what our childrens eyebrows will look like.....remember....I do have my father's eyebrows.........though I get rid of 3/4 of the original eyebrow to make them look as beautiful as they do in this pic....lol
mmmm good ol' smoking!
Feels good doesn't it?
He took another picture of me....of just my cleavage.....but I figured it was better I didn't post a pic of that......for all the family members reading out there.
Hodgie took me SHOPPING.....can you believe that mommy? He doesn't even sit on the old man's bench.....he actually enjoys shopping........or if he doesn't......he plays it pretty well.
Upside down us
And off to McDicks...mmmm ice cream.......how's it hitting the spot hodge?
Sexy Diane
I think that is extacy face.

Hodge's One finger salute.......wayta minute......How'd Diane get in the picture......aaaaaaaaaa...

The trip home was tiring.......I'm pretty sure Hodge drooled on me.....but that's okay.....I'm pretty sure I drooled on him too!

I love you baby!

Chicken Enchilladas

2007-08-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many of you have had my mother's chicken enchilladas.....if you have you know how delicious they are. I have been craving them since I first returned to Korea for Canada. I purchased all the "expensive" supplies and invited a few friends over. I whipped up the enchilladas......no problem. Put them in the oven for 45 minutes....taught Diane a piano lesson in the mean time. Jennifer came and the three of us had a lovely meal. These are some of the pictures of our amazing time!

I had Diane and Jennifer over. They seem happy to eat no?
The masterpiece. Granted it doesn't look like much....but when you bite into it......mmmmmm
I had to force Jen to eat her veggies!

A satisfied customer!
The view from my apartment window at night. I think its a pretty picture!
Caught the cat sleeping like this. i thought it was really cute.
Boo joined her shortly after!

Boryeoung Mud Festival...

2007-07-31T16:42:00.000-07:00

Okay guys.........this is a HUGE post. I finally finished uploading all the photos for it....now I'm going to spend probably a good hour writing about each picture. Some of the stuff doesn't need an explaination. So bare with me and I'm sorry if half the stuff I write doesn't make sense......its been a LONG day!

Self explanitory. Jen and I thought it would be cute to write these for our boyfriends. Needless to say that we are giant losers!

Jen's first trip on a train.....ever. I think she had a fun trip. Its just like riding a bus but less stops and well a little faster. We didnt' take the KTX which goes 300km/hr....next time Jen.
Inside the train. THe way there was really cushy...the way back......looked a little cheap

The man who serves us food. and me eating eggs and Squid and drinking beer!
THe bus trip to the beach was a little crowded.
GIGI and Grant
View from our window
Boy was burried by his gf.
Sky looked weird.
Just a few people were there.
Shane attempting to look hot and failing in comparision to his gorgeous girlfriend...

After beaching it.....we decided to go for a clam bake. I swear I ate all the clams. It was unlimited....and we all know what unlimited means to the Kidd family. Daddy you would've been proud!This one was kinda creepy....it remided me of a face....but it was okay.....I ate him anyway!

Youjeoung fell asleep. That was funny.
Off to watch the fireworks. They were really good. Long too.........we thought they had ended like three times and then they started up again.
A group of the cute guys we met and ended up hanging out with during out time at the mudfestival.
After fireworks we all went for samgyupsal at the boys' hotel. It was nice. The boy below I named Nemo...his korean nickname was little fish so I found it fitting. We had gone swimming earlier in the evening. It was cold. I was cold. Jen and I went home and got some warmer clothes on and went back. Then I got drunk!

Notice the wardrobe change?

The next morning Jen and I and everyone else in the motel were greeted with a 9AM WAKE UP CALL....what is this camping with Father???? Gigi apparently decided that it was time for all of us to wake up..........even though Jen and I didn't return home until 6am.

We met up with the hot boys again and went swimming, played a little beach volley and Jen and I got ourselves a wee bit muddy!That's what my new tattoo looks like mom incase you are wondering.

We are magically clean again. All in a good swim!Stupid scary face time!

Okay so.......we decided to have a competition. Who's belly is the sexiest????
wOW IS THAT A NORMAL PICTURE OF ME???? STRANGE!!!

That is all for the photos for this update. Sorry it took so long. Maybe the next ones will be out tomorrow.................................maybe!

Where to start

2007-07-31T05:29:00.001-07:00

I have this giant pile of photos on my computer that I guess I just have been too lazy to get to. Where to start? Some random park pics from last week. I seem to have this horrible habit of forgetting my camera and these are the most recent pics I've taken....and stolen from other people.
Mathias being the camera man that we all know he was born to be.

These two were cuddled up. I find korean men to be very touchy feely with each other. Suprisingly though....most Korean men that I've been around are hesitant to show affection to their girlfriends in public. I still can't figure out why its okay for two guys to hug and jump up and down with each other....but socially unacceptable for a man and woman to do the same.

Paul relaxing.

C something or other......damned if I could remember his name.
Rachel.......looks like she's eating or something......not too certain. Yumi, dressed conservatively because Paul's mother was coming to see him play. As long as she doesn't know Yumi has tatt's, everything will be fine!
This is "boring" matt. He recently went on a "bitch" fest on the Broke board complaining about how boring the net board was. Well.....make it interesting then. geepers!

Next blog is Mud fest......pics will take a Friggin long time. Possibly done today....possibly not.

Student pics

2007-07-19T05:44:00.000-07:00

So my mom had informed me about privacy policies a while back and as such I had removed most of the photos of my children....as you recall or don't I don't really care. As such.....I asked my boss today if it would be okay to post pics and videos of my children in class and on field trips. She said it should be fine.....so....look for some updates soon. Sorry I know I'm a week behind and I've been promising. Maybe I will get some up tomorrow....maybe not....but hopefully this weekend for sure.

Boryeong Mud Festival

2007-07-15T06:52:00.000-07:00

I got home an hour ago from Boryeong Mud Festival. I got muddy (needless to say) and I had a hell of a time. I forgot my camera at school again...I don't know what it is with me and forgetting my stupid camera. Well regardless...Jennifer and I took turns taking pictures and so I will post a FULL report either tomorrow or Tuesday for all to enjoy.

Love you all!

Annie