|
Raised on promises She couldn't help thinkin' that there Was a little more to life Somewhere else After all it was a great big world With lots of places to run to Email me: lao.ocean @ gmail.com December Photos Now Playing: Sorak-san The Windmill Salmon Festival Soccer Goal   Where do visitors come from? (Since 20-Dec-04) Fave flowesr: Plumeria Birthday: DEC 31st
Dance like no one can see Love like you've never been hurt Live like it's heaven on earth 
 Let's set it straight - Is the country Laos or Lao?Here's the answer This week... Things that make me happy
Movies I've seen this month
What they're saying about me
"She's a nut! Not too sure how else to describe an "at-first-glance" seemingly quiet girl who dances like a chicken when she thinks no one else is looking, who likes to pass off her "made up" answer for fact, until you look at her and see her hopelessly trying not to crack a smile, who WITHOUT FAIL remembers to put a line of dental floss in her purse before she goes out (and isn't afraid to use it after dinner, thankfully NOT at the table!!). I can always count on her to know the hottest hollywood gossip, and to dance till all hours of the morning with me." "My co-worker just told me that there was a premiere for Bridget Jones 2 last night, just blocks from my work, and we missed it! Hugh Grant, my beloved and the framework upon which my future husband is based, was just blocks away, breathing the same oxygen, and I missed it! If I had a friend here who was as savvy with E-news as you are, this catastrophe would never have occurred!" Guess what I heard... Oh my god!! This donut is so good! - Ras about a Krispy Kreme donut "I want to do! But what is paintball? There is no such word in dictionary." - Suwa, Japanese teacher "I am now skipping church to see if I am going to win my bids!!!" "YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA.....I won the felt tip pens!!!!!!!! Yippeee...."who let the dogs out...arf, arf, arf, arf"...."let me hear you say Y..M..C..A"....oh yah, who's your daddy!!!" - Renee Other favorite quotes:
A gift is an offering. A selfless act that adds something to someone's life. Something that they need. Have you ever walked by something and you just had this feeling that someone you knew would absolutely love it? Faith is believing when there is no rational reason to believe. Homer: "We Americans are England's children... I know we don't call as much as we should, or aren't as well behaved as our goody two shoes brother, Canada... who I should mention has never had a girlfriend... I'm just sayin'..." Anything less than mad, passionate, extraordinary love is a waste of time. There are too many mediocre things in life, and love should not be one of them. The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it. When your heart speaks, take good notes. Travel has a way of stretching the mind. The stretch comes not from travel's immediate rewards, the inevitable myriad new sights, smells and sounds, but with experiencing firsthand how others do differently what we believed to be the right and only way. It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting. Sometimes to see the light, you have to risk the dark. |
Easter Candy
4/12/2004
I came to work today with four, count 'em FOUR packages on my desk! Woohoo!!! One was from my mom, two were Ebay purchases, and one was an Easter care package from Renee! Thanks Renee! That's a great Monday, in itself. If one were to analyze all the things Renee has sent me from Canada, you'd think all I did was eat candy, play with stickers, and read gossip magazines! On Friday night, Kiran and Kate had mentioned that it was Easter the next day. Honestly, that was the first time I had even thought about Easter! My family is buddhist, so it's not a celebrated holiday for us. The only reason I know it's Easter back home, is because of all the hoopla around it, and the candy that goes on sale. Then the following night, Krista also mentioned it was Easter. Once again, I had forgotten, and answer, "Oh yea, I guess it is." But today, I got Easter candy, and an actual Cadbury egg!
  I haven't eaten one of those in almost ten years. I only remember this because the last time I bought one, was in high school. I had seen the commercials for it, and wondered what the big deal was. Would a chocolate egg that a bunny crapped out be any good?!? I think it was okay - can't really remember. I'll let you know how it is this time around. The one Easter candy that I DID eat every year were those marshmallow Peeps. I know it's all sugar, but like cotton candy, I still love it!
I don't know if you've heard about this, but the big news in England are the stories of David Beckham's extra-marital affairs. I would hate to be a celebrity. Your life is never private, and you always run the risk of people in your lives using you to make money. Reading the articles on the News of the World website is like watching the aftermath of a car accident... you know you shouldn't, but you can't help it. Posh Spice is as scary as I thought she would be."The tabloid saga of soccer star David Beckham's love life took a fresh twist Sunday when a second woman reportedly claimed she'd had an affair with him. Malaysian-born model Sarah Marbeck, 29, was quoted as telling the News of the World tabloid she had sex with Beckham hours after meeting him in Singapore in July 2001." When I first heard and saw of him, I didn't think so, but I'll have to agree now, he's hot... His wife is not so much Posh, but Scary Spice.
So Warm
4/10/2004
Spring is here, and I'm loving it. I'm pretty sure that today was the warmest it's been this year - 25o C (~78o F). Ras and I scooted to the beach today, and it was great to wear flip flops for the first time this year. I staired down at my unpainted toes and thought about how Renee and I used to get our toes painted for the spring and summer. Yeah, my feet are really white - veins were clearly visible. We got to Gyeongpo Beach and considered going to a new area, but figured, "what's the point?". We (and any friends that come to the beach with us) always go to the area in front of Family Mart. When you're hungry or need more beer, Family Mart's only a couple minutes away. Plus, the public restroom is close by too (for those that prefer not to pee in the ocean). :) We sat down on the beach and commented on how nice it was - before all the tourists and beach umbrellas start popping up for the summer.
Wigs galore
4/10/2004
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is airing in Korea!!! Sure, I've seen all the episodes from season one, but they're still great. Kiran is defintely Carson (out of the 5). Season 1, episode 1 is airing on Catch On (Ch 22 in Kangneung) on Wednesday, April 14 at noon and 9:20 pm. Episode 2 is airing the following day at the same times. If you've never seen it, don't miss it! Another night at THE WAREHOUSE tonight... I'm sporting my new wig:
25 degrees tomorrow (~78 F)! Yeah!!!! It'll be the warmest this year.
Surfing the Net
4/9/2004
Everyone does it... browse something on the internet, then that leads you somewhere, which in turn, leads you somewhere else. Here's what I found in an hour of browsing.
Oregon
I'd like to learn more about Bit Torrent, but don't have the time to study up on it.
http://www.legaltorrents.com/  http://www.invadecanada.us/ One reason? They stole our basketball teams Since when does the "N.B.A." stand for "Canadians Can Play Too". We need to get Vancouver and Toronto annexed into America to preserve the "N". Sure, she's going to jail, but I still want to buy things from here site. Don't ask me exactly 'why' I want this. ...saw some other things that were nice too.
 $34.00Embellish papers with pretty woven ribbons, whimsical peekaboo holes, "photo strips," and even buttons. This set of five hand-held punches helps you create a host of lively borders and enhancements. Perfect for handmade cards, customized gift tags, and scrapbook pages, too. Set includes 1/16" round, 1/8" round; square, button, and ribbon punches. Exclusive. (5 1/2"L)
A quick scoot
4/8/2004
It was a beautiful, clear day today. After going to the gym and coming home to have lunch, I left an hour early for work. I wanted to scoot around my neighborhood and take in the warm spring day. I drove on the road behind my apartment, which runs parallel to the river (pic 1). There was a lot of construction by the riverbank (pic 2)... I wonder what's going on. Then I drove by Doosan factory, makers of San soju, among others. Passing the soju factory, I went up the hill to Kwandong University. Students were in-between classes, and playing some kind of game that resembled volleyball, but played with your feet (pic 4). I then went to the information office by the bus terminal to get a train schedule to Jeongdongjin. I'm planning on taking a short day trip there and on the way back, see the submarine. School went pretty well today. I started my first class, constantly rubbing my eyes because it was slightly windy, and a lot of dust was blowing into my eyes when I was scooting. In turn, this had my student Thomas asking questions... Thomas: "Teacher, sed?" Me: "What? Sed? What's sed?" Thomas: "Teacher say, 'How are you? I'm sed'" Me: "Oh!!!" (got to work on that pronunciation) "No, I'm not SAD" Thomas: "No, I think Teacher sed" ***I continue to talk to other students for a couple minutes*** Thomas: "For you, Teacher" (He hands me one of his mechanical pencils) Me: "Wow!!! Really!?!" I feign surprise and delight (I'm pretty good at that), as I hold the pencil up to my cheek, caressing it and smiling, as if it were a present from God, himself. Thomas: "See... Teacher sed. Now Teacher is happy!" **Still later on in the class, after I taught the word "KNOW"*** Me: "Do you know my mother?" Thomas: "No, I don't" Me: "Do you know my apartment" Thomas: "Yes, I do." Me: "Really?! How?" Thomas: "I'm stalker!" For my last class, we had a birthday party for John. The last two pictures are from the party. The boys brought some kind of firework and lit it in class. I was a little surprised and concerned because I wasn't expecting it, but it lasted for only a couple seconds and was nice.
Holiday next week
4/7/2004
It's official... Thursday, April 15th is a Korean National Holiday. I asked my director if our school was closed, and she replied, "Of course". All schools, hogwans, and businesses should be closed. If you have to work that day, your boss is screwing you over! I hope it's beach weather that day.
Cherry Blossoms in bloom
3/30/2004
This is the week for cherry blossoms in Kangneung. There's a small time frame to view them while they're in bloom. I believe they started blooming last weekend, and the best buds should be gone by this weekend, especially since it's been windy lately. The delicate petals can't stay on forever. It's really a beautiful site, if you haven't seen them yet in Kangneung. During last weekend, and this weekend, people from Seoul will make the trip to drive along the lake and look at the pink blossoms. Ras and I took a scooter ride out there, and made a stop at Gyeongpo-dae Pavillion. We forked over 600 won apiece and took some nice pictures on the top of the hill, which overlooked the lake. Here are some pictures... the rest can be viewed here.
The Tera Burn (aka Spaceship Cafe)
3/29/2004
Sung to the tune of Gilligan's Island: Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip. That started from this Korean port, aboard this tiny spaceship. (Tera Burn) The mate was a mighty Happy (Valley) woman, the skipper a dancing queen. Five passengers set forth that day, for (at least) a three hour tour, a three hour tour¡¦¡¦¡¦ The drinks started getting rough, the mate's cookies were almost tossed. If not for the courage of the dancin' crew, the T. Burn would be dull; the T. Burn would be dull. The Kangneungers took ground on the shore of this uncharted little spot, with Catherine, the lao-ocean too, the gay guy, and his biatch, the British bird, the snowboarder and Rachael, here at the Tera Burn! The seven of us (Me, Kate, Rachael, Misty, Giselle, Kiran, & Paul) spent Saturday night in Sockcho, livin' it up at the Tera Burn. I've heard of this bar before from others who have been there, but this was the first I went myself. It's a metallic mass of wonder, that is known as the "spaceship cafe" by Korean. We arrived at the cafe and it DID look like some sort of spaceship. I almost felt like I was entering Heaven's Gate's headquarters, and should be wearing my Nikes. The place was really cool inside - a nice atmosphere. Our Kangneung group started to dwindle as the night wore on, because some people were going to hike Sorak-san the next day. Kate and I ended up being the lone Kangneung survivors as we head to the nori-bang with four other people around 4:40 am. By the time we finished belting classic tunes like Bon Jovi's "Bed of Roses", the sun was rising over the beach. I haven't been up with the sun in a long time, and it was such a beautful, surreal sight. It was one of those moments that really makes you glad you're alive. I'm giving an open invitation for anyone from Sockcho to visit Kangneung. If nothing else, the International Folklore Festival is being held in Kangneung from June 11-27, 2004. To see more pictures from this night, click here.
Breakfast at Tiffany's
3/21/2004
For the longest time, I've been wanting to watch old classics, like "Gone with the Wind" and "Casablanca". Everybody knows about these kinds of movies, but who's actually watched them? I think this generation is used to being shocked and entertained by special effects, so I don't think old movies would hold most people's interests. I try to have an open mind about movies, but I find that black and white movies turn me off. I'm trying to get over that... taking baby steps. The other day, I rented "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (c. 1961, in Technicolor!), wanting to see what the big deal was about. I only knew this movie on name alone. I stopped my urge of wanting to read reviews before watching the movie. Of course Audrey Hepburn's in the movie - she's such a classic beauty. You know what I mean? Nothing like Pamela Anderson or Britney Spears. She's just a simply beautiful woman. In addition, I was surprised to see George Peppard in the cast. You know... John "Hannibal" Smith, from the A-Team! ("In 1972 a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team.")   www.ateamshrine.co.uk
As a young man, George Peppard was pretty handsome, in an all-American, ex-football player, kind of way. As for the story itself? Short on plot, but the characters are the real main point. Audrey Hepburn is quirky, energetic, and just simply lively on screen. It's worth a watch on a Sunday afternoon, but don't expect too much action or plot development. "Cross my heart and kiss my elbow" - Holly Golightly (played by Audrey Hepburn)
A day off?
3/18/2004
Will we actually be getting another day off in April??? Let's only hope! April 15th is a Thursday, and that's the deadline for Americans to file their taxes. I don't really want to think about how long it's been since I've filed my taxes.
|
ESSENTIALS THE 411 WHERE TO, NEXT? 
Push My Buttons
Made possible by: Click here to Contact Me Click here for RSS/XML  Layout ?2004 by CHRISTINE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
and Jasmine
