sojourn

Monday, February 15, 2010

it's about time i went snowboarding!

i have wanted to try snowboarding for the longest time, i'm so thrilled i finally went! it was a total blast and despite my sore body, especially my left butt cheek that broke just about every fall, i'm absolutely taken by this sport! the thrill of the ride down the hill, figuring out the nuances of control and balance! AWESOME!

friends terry, eugene and theresa:

the lift and slopes:

twin goggles:

theresa and maria on the lift:

GLORIOUS:

strapping in:

the mountains!

the view from our hotel:

spontaneous, silly, special!

for amanda's final saturday in seoul, we made it a point to go to song's kitchen, a restaurant that earns high marks in our book! their ddukbokki is the best that christina and i have tasted in korea. after dinner, we spontaneously decided that we had to go out--a must, indeed for amanda's last saturday!--and it was an all night extravaganza of going to our favorite spots!

our nook at song's kitchen:

the view of the restaurant from our table:

hongdae night lights:

beer goggles anyone?

party on!

junebugs to go:

oi bar:

apple hugs:

hookah heart:

the hookah bar:

the pretty, but disgusting tasting "rainbow" shot:

the nastier tequila shot that followed:

so much fun!

Friday, February 12, 2010

make it fun, it lasts longer!

i already knew/know this, but, i'm realizing, yet again, just how much random yet funny examples stick to my students' brains. por ejemplo: vocabulary words. in this week's unit test, one of the vocabulary words was "indecisive." to demonstrate the word, i told my kids this:

"okay, so you're in a restaurant and you look at the menu. you notice there's spaghetti and meatballs. and then you see that there are also fortune cookies. two of your favorite things to eat! (a student had mentioned fortune cookies in a previous conversation.) so then you think, spaghetti and meatballs!?! or fortune cookies?!? meatballs? cookies? cookies? or meatballs?!? ahhhhhhh!" (insert my overly dramatic indecisive face here!)

and sure enough, about half of my students in this particular class made reference to spaghetti and meatballs and/or fortune cookies in their vocabulary test! i gotta start thinking of more randoms!

Monday, February 8, 2010

something to smile about!

my new teeth!

Friday, February 5, 2010

chicken soup for the soul

i spent wednesday night with my dear friends, theresa and clara, at clara's lovely new home in bundang. to celebrate her new abode, i made chicken soup from scriggityscratch and it was delicious! even during these terribly frigid and bleak wintry months, it's so rejuvenating to remember that it's still, time and time again, the simple things: good food, great friends, warm cozy homes, that make the heart and soul smile.
slug friend in the celery:

theresa loves taking as many pictures (of food too!) as i do:

chick,chick,chicken soup!

yay! for leftovers!

the view from clara's apt:

hair flair

in high school, my friends nicknamed me, "chops-a-lot" because i so enjoyed changing my hairstyle frequently. i've also been known to entertain "hair plans." since my latest hair plan involves growing out my hair past shoulder length, i've become rather bored with my follicles. when my stylist friend suggested a complimentary hair color, courtesy of her salon, i seized the opportunity and i love the results!