Tuesday, July 22, 2008

summer shoes

because i couldn't resist!

everyday words

exactly. don't forget the words. the cover of my vocabulary book:

over-dramatic much? painstaking?!? yes.

don't worry, forget about it...unless, they are words. (see above again.)

in case you didn't get the memo, nail polish is good for your life:

"nail" that manicure...get it!?!? GET it?! ha ha ha!

super cheese: if you want to smile say, "cheese," but when you want to smile and be really happy, say, "cheese cake."

a delicious idea, indeed!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

sa-wat-di-ka!

most of my images and memories from thailand are stored in my ole noggin, however, these are courtesy of nami!
on the bus from the airport to bangkok city center:

the stunning reclining buddha:

i was so excited to get to the water! i'm running!

poolside:

sunset, ko pha ngan:

our last night, on a tuk tuk ride:

dream more. work less.

i love (loooooooooooove love love LOVE!) receiving postal gifts. despite the modern day conveniences of electronic communication, nothing can replace the sight and tangibility of a handwritten letter, complete with the unmistakable penmanship, the slant of the words, the arrows directing thoughts and afterthoughts. this morning, i received a letter from my delightful, inspiring and dedicated pen-pal, beth. she finished her letter with two sentences: dream more. work less. i could not agree more.

Monday, July 7, 2008

the old and new

(fyi: the camera i used to take pictures of my new camera is my old--i like to call it my grandfather camera, it's so old and crotchety, it tells me when it wants to take pictures or not!-- canon. thankfully the new one has no strange tints and it works, everytime!)




i am a smart consumer, especially when i make big purchases. and by big, i mean anything above 50 g's. a shout out to the various websites and resources (cnet, trustedreviews and photographyblog) who have made my task of finding a camera easier by summarizing the pros and cons of the different brands and models.

i loved taking pictures with my lumix, however, one of the major drawbacks was the lack of a manual mode. nighttime photos were often flashed out from lack of aperture and shutter control. from this, i decided that there were two priorities when choosing my next camera: 1) it had to be compact enough for easy transport and 2) it had to have manual mode. ooh shiny new buttons! i wanted my new camera to be a good in between from a simple point and shoot and the momma jomma semi-professional cameras.

this morning, i went back to yongsan (think technogadget wondermall) where i browsed panasonic's and canon's offerings. it gave me a headache. deciding on one camera out of a sea of lookalikes can be very draining. so tiring in fact, that when i returned home, i took a 2 hour nap. my brain has worked hard today.

let me begin by saying that technology is impressive. not just with cameras, but with computers, cell phones, robotic limbs, dentures, (random, i know, right?! but it's true!) and cars. the greatest challenge is to find the one the best suits your needs. it's very difficult to not get hooked onto the "latest" or "newest" model since the newest is very quickly equated as the best. but if the "best" doesn't have what you want, then shoooot! it is not the best. i was enticed by the latest lumix model but since it didn't match my qualifications, it was not a contender in the chong camera conquest.

after about 2-3 hours (when i say this place is big, i am not kidding!) of tinkering and contemplation, i narrowed my choices down to 2. i am grateful to my friend chris who accompanied me and helped me remain focused. (hee hee, no pun intended!) in the face of too many options, it's extremely easy to get sidetracked. you begin to wonder, wait...do i want this? or that? and all the cameras start to blend into one indistinguishable mass. my new toy is a canon powershot, A710 IS. it's not the newest by any means, but it has what i want and i am eager to learn and utilize all of its dynamic abilities. i'm excited to share with you what i discover!

Sunday, July 6, 2008

how many days does it take to change a light bulb?

i'm no rocket scientist, but i do know how to change a light bulb. or so, i thought! Q: how many days does it take for me to change a light bulb? A: more than one!

on saturday, my bathroom light decided not to work and while i don't mind doing some of my business in the dark, most tasks are best done with light. i went to the store and found myself staring at and studying the different varieties of light bulb options. i was hoping that one of them would jump out and tell me that it was the replacement i needed. that didn't happen, so i picked one that was the correct wattage and length. back home, i took out the old and put in the new...flip the switch and bah! no good. hmmm!?!

sunday: back to the store, picked another bulb, chose a different brand, got reimbursed for the first light bulb and returned home. crossing my fingers (no bathroom light was starting to get irritating!) i flipped the switch. nothing. what?!?! dude. how difficult IS IT to change a light bulb? wondering what i was doing wrong, i convinced myself that it was the light bulb. to solve matters, i walked to a different store and looked at their light bulb selection. while i was trying to match the numbers and letters from my original bulb to the ones on display, a store attendant approached me and asked if i needed help. i must've been staring at them for a long time. i showed her my piece of paper with the light bulb information and she told me that any of the 36 watt light bulbs will work. A-HA! so it wasn't my light bulb at all! it was my light fixture! and sure enough, the maintenance crew replaced the thingamajig to the doohookie and now i'm back in the light. niiiiiiiiiiice!

when the going gets hot, get a haircut!

korean summer air is pregnant, (PREGGERS!!!) with saturated humidity.
no joke.
so when the going gets hot, i say chop it all off!

some of my students remarked on my new short do, but most of them simply stated their observance without opinion, which i found hilarious. "you got a hair cut," "your hair is short," "your hair is different," and returned their attention to the task at hand which was either taking a seat or getting out their books. one student, however, carrie--she's darling!--saw me in the hallway and after noticing my hair, said, "you're beautiful." it was so sweet! i was complimented and touched.