Annie's Life

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