priceless.

see for yourself!

necessary

i wanted to make snickerdoodles some time ago and was missing a crucial ingredient: cream of tartar. (what exactly is cream of tartar anyway?!? answer: cream of tartar is the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid, also known as potassium bitartrate. it is used for:

*stabilizing egg whites, increasing their heat tolerance and volume;
*preventing sugar syrups from crystallising;
*reducing discolouration of boiled vegetables;
*frequent combination with baking soda in formulations of baking powder.)

my super cool brother sent me a goodie package with essential baking supplies. this weekend, snickerdoodles are ON!

butterfinger pancakes

my friend cathy introduced me to butterfingers and i, in turn, have been spreading the good word about this fabulous restaurant. the food was so yummy and so american, i felt like i was in the states! it's a preview of what's to come in may. droooooooool!

cute brown, yellow and blue plates:

circles, big and small:

seasoned potatoes, scrambled eggs, heaps of meat:

pancakes AND french toast for one thrilling "split decision" platter:

mmmmmmmmMMMMMmmmm!

spring's first hike

last saturday, my friend chris and i went intiated this season's hiking adventures with this trail just on the southeast outskirts of seoul. the day was quintessentially spring, our moods mimicked the weather, bright and cheerful.

before we hit the actual trail, we spotted this woman cutting up fresh rice cakes, still warm and gooey! yum!

dduk happy:

mossy:

the thing i like about this picture is that the focus isn't on the eggs--whatever creature laid them!--but on the reflection of the sky and trees:

the fortress wall:

blue, grey:

enjoying the view from the top:

in the hazy distance, seoul:

the day was exactly this:

yellow sun blossoms:

buds in bloom:

busy bee:

buddhist temple:

noodles in black bean sauce, the after hike meal:

getting off...

sex talk in any language is funny, but it's especially funny when it's unintentional.

the other night, one of my students said, "after getting off, i study." and i had to refrain myself from busting out into prepubescent laughter, then and there. heh, heh. he said, "getting off!" i corrected him and said, "after getting off WORK, i study." i explained how the word "work" was extremely important because getting off, is another way of saying having an orgasm. we all laughed and he said, "oh no! that's not what i meant at all!"

sure you didn't. mmmmmhhhhmmm! wah wah wah wah wah!

booked

this morning, i booked my tickets for the states. i leave korea on april 29th and return on may 26th.
I.AM.SO.EXCITED!
get ready motherfuckers!

new things, old things

yessssssssssss! this past week, instead of wearing my winter coat, i wore a jacket. spring is gracing us with her presence and i am her loudest cheerleader! with spring's arrival follows the onset of new thoughts, promising and hopeful. i'm contemplating new job opportunities, positive changes. i'm still teaching adults business conversation and email writing skills but my latest additions include teaching a business morning conversation class twice a week at LG and once a month i record online lectures. i'm busy busy, but i'm also feeling very determined to ensure that i move forward in my plan. i still very much want to take fashion design classes in italy. that's the what's what for now. i'm open to plans changing, but, so far, that's still what i'd really like to do the most.

spring also means that i'm that much closer to boarding a plane home for my may visit! lists to make, places to go, people to see, and SO MUCH GOOD FOOD TO EAT!

3.14.2009

in korea, love days are distinguished by gender. 2.14, valentine's day, is when the ladies give the gents confectionary delights. 3.14, which is known as white day, is when the dudes show the girls some chocolate lovins.

this year i felt noticed! sweet!

from my student, zenith:

assorted goodies:

from my language buddy, 재열:

and from my man friend:

heyri

not only does heyri house dalki land, but it's also home to a community of artists and designers. the architecture of the buildings there were clean, modern, and inventive!

another way of thinking tree house:



lakeview:

monkeying around:


miniature paju house:

i love this sign, it simply says "ha ha ha ha ha ha ha"

dalki land!

welcome to dalki land--a cuteness overload sort of place with kids squealing about strawberries and poop and other such charming characters. i visited dalki land with my language buddy, 재열 (pronounced jae yoehr) and we had a grand ole time, enjoying the sun, posing with our "friends."

childsize, but with much MUCH bigger heads:

me and 재열:

this is not at all posed, but i just happened to take this photo at the precise and fortuitious moment when some unknowing man's ass was strategically placed for the pointy finger to point directly at it:

might i say, very well placed bunny ears! POOP hat!

재열 and his cactus boys:

uh, can you spot me?

dalki, dalki, dalki:

unbelievable

i've been told that i can be rather intense. more specifically, that i feel things very strongly. it's true, i'm not one to hold back my emotions. call me stubborn, obstinate, ridiculous, ingenious, but when i feel, i feel emotions viscerally. which is why i cry when watching disney movies, or get misty-eyed when witnessing something really intimate and special between family, friends, and lovers on the street. i must get the emotion factor from my mother and the stubborn factor from my father. or vice versa or more probably, a little bit of both from each.

unbelievably, i've met someone. i know. i'm still not quite sure it's really happening. let me re-phrase that. it's not unbelievable to meet someone. we meet lots of someones everyday, but the fact that this someone is so incredible is unbelievable. so the more accurate sentence is this: i've met someone unbelievably incredible. ah, yes, that's it. and it's magical. it's sublime. it's intoxicatingly good.

i've allowed myself to feel (not surprisingly--very strongly) and embrace this very special someone, openly and without judgement or worries about what may or may not happen. i'm reminding myself to live fully in the moments we spend together (3 out of the past 4 days!!!) and i'm utterly blissed out.

delightful sweetness

this afternoon, i received a letter in the form of 5 text messages from my former student, min:
(and i quote...)

Dear full of energy, Ji Sun, I'm sorry for not being there for last three classes. I had two great Christian conference which started from last Tuesday to Sunday. And, I took Monday off to attend an entrance ceremony of my boy's school. Anyway, I had so much fun in your class. I learned many useful expressions which I've never used before. I guess I received some energy from you in this class. Energy that not many Koreans carry in normal time. But you were so energetic in expressing yourself sometimes so funny that I couldn't help but laughing loudly. I do not know if I have to attend another English class there again, it depends on me. But the size of class matters to me. And more frequent class I have to have to improve my English. But anyway it was fun and fruitful. I hope you enjoy teaching there. (I think you're enjoying a lot) Bye~

fuck yeah.