exposition

this post has been long overdue.  korea was great nonetheless but there were many individual isolated incidents that occurred over the thirteen months of my working at the school.  those "isolated incidents" are now what seem to be that the school is just a nightmare.  wait a minute.  now?  no.  we've always known in the back of our minds, thus starting this week i am going to start writing entries about many of those isolated situations.  yes i am going to expose the school and the particular branch i worked at for over a year.  many of the ups and downs of working for this business.  what?  i mean the downs.  maybe someday i can pitch this accumulation over to a producer or a writer in hollywood and they can turn it into a movie about an american girl that movies abroad to take a break but .. WELL you'll have to tune in to see  =)
until then, GO AMERICA!

We Have To Stop Calling Girls “Crazy” |

We Have To Stop Calling Girls “Crazy” | Thought Catalog

I will have more to say about this later!

Amen to this dude!

ouch 아야 (ah-yah)

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy 

bubbled children 

the above photographs are from seoul land, an amusement park in south seoul with a zoo and a big rose garden, and yes there are children in big bubbles.
[insert segue here]
but this blog post is about beauty, not just general beauty, but a particular beautification step that my family has advocated for ever since my grandmother was younger than me.  women in seoul have been switching up and advancing regimes for beauty since the colonial times (is that right?).  one thing that has not changed is the art of tattooing.  what's ironic is that recreational tattoos are strictly forbidden in korea and parlors are illegal (does not mean there aren't any here).  something that is not forbidden but is actually the norm, is to tattoo eyebrows and eyelids, yes EYELIDS.  my own grandmother got her eyelids tattooed when she was only 22 years old and they're still there working her beautiful eyes for her!  for those of you who knew me throughout college, know that i got my eyebrows tattooed a few times junior and senior year, courtesy of my parents via christmas.  at the time it was not very common back in the states and I'm pretty sure it still isn't but eyelids were definitely out of the question.  when i came to korea last year, i realized a lot of the young ladies had perfect eyeliner on and i wondered how they have mastered the perfection of black liquid eyeliner.  the answer?  TATTOO it!  i spent eight months contemplating with my friend on whether i wanted to do it or not and finally at the beginning of february i decided, what the heck, it's for beauty right?  no pain, no gain.  the day of the anticipated appointment came and my friend decided the last minute that she did not want to do it in fear of pain and uncertainty.  but nonetheless i went on with it and here goes the process:

1.  they lay you down on a very small but comfortable bed and put covers over you

2.  add an anesthetic gel on your eyelids and leave it there for twenty minutes to settle in.  this is the most painful part, because the cream burns your eyelids while its numbing.  

3.  they wipe off any excess gel and prepare the amount of ink they will need right in front of you, but your eyes are closed shut so you can't see anything, just hear the nerve-wracking clinking

4.  they start the machine and you hear the buzzing of the tattoo pen and the expert just goes for it.  she will talk to you while she's doing it to calm you, it doesn't work for me.  i was profusely sweating.

in total the procession takes about 32 minutes.  the great thing about this tattoo is that it's not obnoxious and jet black.  it looks extremely natural and it's thin so it's perfect for those summery days you don't feel like wearing any makeup but don't want to look too washed out.  my friend regretted not doing it.  

this eyeliner tattoo is one of the best things i've gotten done in korea, next to laser eye surgery (m-lasek).  

 this picture is a dramatized version of the tattoo choices.

so if you're thinking about getting your face tattooed (limitation: eyebrows and eyelids) then i highly recommend that you do, if you're a working girl, or a socialite.  it saves you time in the morning, money on makeup, and makes you feel advanced when it comes to physical attractiveness (self-esteem maybe? idk.).  

i'm going to seoul tomorrow afternoon to get my third and final re-touch of my eyeliner tattoo and very excited to get it darker! best 95 dollars spent!!

fool me fool me

“I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.”

hotel lobby at "times square" seoul

  I'm not going to say I have it all figured out, but I do!  I went to dinner with a new co-worker this week and after dinner they asked me: do you like to be negative about everything?  No doubt it caught me off guard because I wasn't complaining or being pessimistic about anything at the time but I wasn't quick to answer no, so it had me thinking, do I 'LIKE' it?  NO I don't LIKE it, but do I enjoy it?  Sure!  Now more importantly, this wasn't a close friend of mine or a relative or an extended acquaintance.  It was a brand new person who is a tangent of my life asking me such a prosaic question.  Not only did they ask me that, they proceeded to ask another not too long after of whether I am a Democrat or a Republican.  Haha.  I didn't answer.  So enough with the "fluff" talk (all you iBT people know what i'm talking about) and on with my Main Idea (another interactive english teacher's favorite).  

sarah and moi at pavox 

  Living in Korea, you have to be quick to make friends and I learned the easy way fortunately, last year.  So what I'm saying is that I shouldn't have been taken back by their pragmatical questions one after another.  Making friends in Korea is like having a "big girl" interview.  You go in prepared to answer these wit-lacking questions with even better answers or sometimes lack thereof.  It's actually kind of nice because then maybe you're set to go back home to the States and either jump right in with your old friends or easily (maybe) make new friends if you needed/wanted to.  

  This co-worker asked me what I really liked about Korea this year and all I could think about was how lucky I was with the group of friends that I had for the nine months that we were together (every single day).  We were like the breakfast club.  We had a southern black guy, a californian taiwanese guy, a southern californian white boy, and an orange county turned charlottean blonde all with this los angeles turned southern korean-american girl.  We have all walked those different paths of life growing up but somehow and in someway we ended up together in Suwon, South Korea to spend a glorious nine months together with our ups and downs colliding.  Not to mention we had another very good friend for the first three months before she left to go home for a few months, not only to come back again!  

  Hmm so what's my conclusion?  KOREA IS AWESOME!  She has taught me how to quickly make friends whom I will NEVER FORGET!  Now Justin Bieber has taught me to say: never say never, but I think this goes without saying that this time it's okay.  For the new co-worker?  They're cool and could maybe possibly be my new friend here for the following couple months!  

heres my number, call me maybe

valentines day

Love is a game that two can play and both win

unnecessary "gratitude" from brandon 

dark chocolate from student 

I thought Valentine's day was just huge in America and boy was I wrong! There is Valentine's day written all over Korea!  The past few days there has been chocolate and red everywhere, including the occasional bear here and there.  

More importantly though is the month after Valentine's day here!  There is a "White Day" which is the March 14th when men purchase candy instead of chocolate for their girlfriends and wives.  So apparently V-Day here is a day when just the women buy chocolate for their guys!  

And for the singles, March 14th is considered "Black Day" for those which makes sense -- I guess .. 

So White Day started in Japan for some reason and naturally has made its way over to Korea!  Well I got a lot of sweets from my girl students today, so maybe I will get some from my boy students in a month!  =)  Now wouldn't that be nice? 

HOW WAS VALENTINE'S DAY IN AMERICA?  

Being in Korea has made me forget about a lot of important things in my life that I never appreciated, meaning I took for granted (Independence Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Years, Super Bowl, basketball games, and ... Valentine's Day [not a bad thing to lay to rest]).  

That last picture is of five pieces of candy made from scratch from a Masters student named Jane, how sweet and thoughtful of her!! 

got that good good

Do not look back on happiness or dream of it in the future. You are only sure of today; do not let yourself be cheated out of it.

enough said. 

in gangnam 

so I've been hanging out with my friends a lot lately, or trying to at least because they are all leaving very soon!  one of my best friends was let go at work so they are actually leaving a couple weeks in advance  (supposed to leave in two weeks).  most people go through their average five-step grievance process but I'm special so i go through seven steps.  they are bafflement, denial, anger, bargaining, relief (overcompensation), depression, acceptance.  i am currently at number four i believe which is bargaining.  So i am in a little maze where i get lost time to time and i think for me, this stage started later last week.  i keep asking myself: what if and telling myself: if only.  all in all though it is a blessing in disguise for my friend because we are probably not happy at work any way despite the strong bonds we have through our friendships.  
so my other friends are all leaving in a couple of weeks.  i am simply speechless about it.  i have never spent so much time with a group of people so much in my life like the way i have this group the past 8.5 months (sorority does not count).  just feel like everything is happening so fast, almost too fast.  i made friends fast and now i am losing them fast.  but maybe that is telling me something.  maybe after everybody leaves, something else will quickly happen and ill forget i even had this thought in my head.  Maybe ill finally get to read faster.  i don't know but we will see and learn the hard way.  
i found out this week that they are taking my masters class away from me after this term, which i was expecting but definitely not anticipating for.  i have grown very fond of my masters classes this and last term.  the one thing i am almost passionate about, i was able to teach (with boundaries of course) to students who also really cared about it.  at the end of the day though, i have had my fair share of teaching this great class, now it is somebody else's turn to do all of that ridiculous amount of work every week! 
anyways regardless of what has been said, i am really happy because i got to spend time with my aunt, who is also my best friend, all weekend.  she is in town working on the samsung and apple case in seoul so i got to stay at  the grand intercontinental hotel with her there and it was bliss.  i miss my family but i will see them in 3.5 months!  until then!  =) 

what a girl wants

what a girl needs

peace jamie 

frattastic ten minutes 

happy birfday  

snack (ahnjoo) 

  alcohol is my worst and best friend simultaneously. i think ultimately though i am not a drinker, yes i said it, I'm not.  so what am i?  i don't know, still trying to figure it out, but i think I'm a baller (basket).  this past weekend was an old co-workers birthday and we went out for dinner and drinks.  i ordered a strawberry colada at some bar and i don't recall any rum being in it, and not to mention it was eight bucks!  but i guess its okay because I'm working an extra three classes a week now for a few weeks straight (2 down + 2.5 to go).
  speaking of the cause of intoxications, i had quite a frattastic weekend because spontaneously my guy co-workers/friends all got iced one after another on friday evening then i somehow got pulled into this nostalgic trend saturday evening.  i must admit, i can't drink like i used to, this is FACT.  granted korean drinking requires consumption until the whee hours of the morning as opposed to the 1.50 last call back in the states whether in the carolinas or the california. i attempted to ice my friend on sunday evening before dinner but failed because the silly 711 by mi casa didn't have any and in return i was iced again along with two other victims.  i hope this past weekend is the only weekend that smirnoff ice is consumed by surprise.
  aside from booze, i do have quite a sober life, almost too sober.  i work all day every day from 9.10 to 10.15 running on an abundance of caffeine, and on the couple of days that i don't start working that early i go to the gym around that time and kick some butt (or try to).  i got a body analysis done the other day at bobos (my gym here) and the athletic coach/person told me i was fat, she even had all of my data in front of her so it's got to be true -- right?  she prosaically looked up at me and said: this means .. you are fat (paper in hand).  I've been called fat a few times in my life and it was never with numbers and lines on a4 paper until this day so i guess it hit me pretty hard, realistically.  the sad part is, i absolutely understand what she meant.  what a girl wants.  girl wants skinny.  sans alcohol.

ever try to get that close to me

 ~ divas give it to me ~

a moment 

both recovering from facial surgery 

the o trio 

needs more scarves and watches 

so i spent the holiday season outside of the country and away from loved ones for the first time ever!  and i must say it was not bad!  we had christmas eve at my place with a big turkey dinner, and aeri and dave came over, then we had christmas day at sarah and mikes place with a big brunch of bagels and french toast .. it was quite eventful fortunately.  not too much time was spent sulking over being with "strangers" as opposed to close friends and family.
  on christmas eve evening we opened stockings and it was really entertaining!  especially when aeri opened her cd case and it was empty, again fortunately.  christmas day we exchanged gifts (like secret santa but not really clandestine) and once again involving aeri, bryans gift was a big cheerios box filled with mountain dew and then a nice totoro doll below the energy ampers.
  since then the vision has gotten a lot better however it is still difficult for me to stay very far away and things up close like the computer, bummer.  we had our ten day check up the other day and they said they noticed a scratch in my left eye and that i was not allowed to blink too hard.  WTH?  so this means: i cannot yawn, smile big, laugh, nor can i yell at my kids because i squint when i yell (naturally)!  the bright side is that i will be able to avoid wrinkles on my face, especially that furrowed brow that i get when i laugh and yawn.
  segue.  tomorrow is new years eve and we are going to aeri and dave's in anyang to have dinner and pre game for the night.  afterwards we're going to city hall to watch the big ball drop and for the huge countdown in seoul!  i am excited but also anxious because big crowds in big cities really bother me, this is the charlottean in me!
  OH so there is something that has been bothering me this week but maybe it will subside in a couple of more days, we will see, but if not -- maybe i will publish a post regarding this minute "problem" ..

  EVERYBODY HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE EVENING!!  =)

living within our means .. pshh

anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination - oscar wilde

i name her beckee 

pre-surgery elevator ride 

post-surgery artificial tears insertion 

  I have always wanted to get laser eye surgery, with much influence pushed by the mother nonetheless.  So about a month and a half ago a co-worker and I decided what the heck let's go get our consultations done and see how we feel (except the feeling part was dismissed).  Without thought we went ahead and booked our surgery date for a few weeks after our consultation.  The next thing I know I am preparing myself for surgery and getting undressed to enter the pre-operation room.  They sit me down and wipe my face down with alcohol and pull my hair back as another nurse is inserting anesthetic drops into my eyes.  I am carefully walked over into the operation room and laid down on the bed and told to keep my eyes closed for a few minutes for the drops to settle in.  The next thing I know is that I can't open my eyes if I wanted to albeit I probably didn't know I was actually opening them any ways.
  The whole procedure probably took about eighteen minutes and the most painful and yet sensational part was the washing out of the cornea with their power hose of alcohol shooting out like fireworks.  They did this three times each eye.  The second most afflictive feeling was the clenching and tension of my buttocks because I placed my hands underneath them so I wouldn't "accidentally" punch the doctor or the nurse hovering over me.  Other than that, ayy not so bad!
  After, they walked me over to the recovery room where they had me sleep for a half hour on a heated bed with three blankets on top of me causing me to sweat profusely.  Nevertheless I slept like a baby, snoring and everything (except I don't think babies really snore).
  So most people would go straight home after lasek but I trucked my little butt over to frisbee (apple) and bought myself a "good-job" gift!  I finally purchased the two terabyte time capsule and it completed my money spending for the remainder of the month.  I spent 3000 dollars in one week.  WHO AM I?  But like Oscar Wilde says, "Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."  And with my new eyes, I shall imagine, and imagine is all I can do -- because I can't see (still recovering).
  Now I bid you farewell with this beautiful picture of my FRIENDS in korea: Sarah, Michael, and Brandon!!

at the back of rainbow hookah bar 

OH YEAH HAPPY HOLIDAYS -- MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY ~ ~

turkey day ~

 If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice.  ~M 

  So today is technically thanksgiving.  It's weird because I knew this holiday was coming but the depth of it never really hit me until my best friend messaged me about it.  After I glanced at her message and saw the word 'thanksgiving' I thought: oh yeah this is a pretty big day in the states and here we are in korea not even considering it really.  We're having korean barbecue with a friend's family and work friends tomorrow (thanksgiving) night.  If we really wanted to we could go to the work thanksgiving dinner upstairs, apparently they're having turkey and other stuff which would be nice to attend but the friend asked first.
  Last year's thanksgiving was really good because my grandmother was finally out of the hospital and little baby june bug's family was in town including the uncle and my mom!! And this year I have a new family.  It's really awe-inspiring how close I've become with the people around me here.  I couldn't imagine this country without these people.  We are truly a family and I am genuinely thankful for them boundlessly.  This year I am thankful for: Korea, people I work with, my grandmother being healthy, and my happiness (it's not selfish, if i'm not happy, you're not happy -- trust me). Oh I'm also thankful that my mother doesn't have to worry so much about my personal economy, this chick gets by well.
  Anyway, I hope everybody has a very happy thanksgiving and eats A LOT of turkey and stuffing with cranberry sauce.  I am salivating at the moment, cute ~

we need to talk ..

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.
Henry David Thoreau

weezy are baby 

three of brandon's cutest boys in my speech contest round 

three of brandon's girls in my speech contest 

Generally speaking, I am pretty content with my life, but that is about it -- just content.  I worked a total of twenty extra hours within the last couple of weeks JUST for my Masters class and only got paid a hundred bucks for it.  That was very Bush-like of her, to preemptively reward me before I ask to be paid for the 20 additional hrs.  That's like another 650 dollars in my pocket right there I should be getting paid for!  That's a pair of Tory Burch boots right there, or a quaint Louis Vuitton bag.  But I don't have the guts to ask for it.  Why?  Because I just don't even know anymore.  That is my problem.  I just don't know anymore.  What do I not know?  I DON'T KNOW, i don't even know what i don't know (spoken like a true politician).  But what I do know is that in order to be more than content, I need to think it.  I must stop letting the little things get to me anymore.  Little things like people talking about me and my friends about our work behind our backs (HEY DRAMA, thanks for coming with me to korea!).  But like my kids said the other day: Nobody powerful gets their power without drama and aggravations.  They are quite insightful little children.
  On a lighter note, I had shabu shabu for dinner tonight by marah's place.  It was really good, better than the shabu shabu back at home in Cali.  What would be nice is to go visit Amanda at her new place in Japan and have shabu shabu there!  I love Japanese food!  Anyways it was my only meal today so here I sit at home after dinner eating some regular pepero.  I have to eat these sometime right?  I have a total of five boxes left from the ten that I received on Friday (Pepero day).  I don't really understand pepero day but it seems to be A LOT like valentine's day in america.  You just buy these chocolate sticks for everybody and you can buy stuffed animals with them for a loved one.  It's all about advertisement so it's just about money, that's what makes the world go around .. 

skinny bitch

  "But you too don't have to look far: Seek and ye shall find."

sarah and counselor jackie belting

adorable couple mirah (i just came up w that) 

mike posing

kate and me on halloween 

  So I am reading this book called Skinny Bitch about how to be smart and stop eating obvious things that are bad for you.  I have been reading this book for a while now but I think I am ready to finish it and give it back.  Everybody knows I don't eat meat, as in red meat, but I am considering giving up chicken too.  I am going to start this week and see how it goes, so wish me luck, or not -- whatever.  

  This weekend we kind of went on a Halloween cruise in Seoul and it was supposed to be around the Han River but we missed it because some of our group was missing and we were waiting around for them we we should have just gotten on the boat.  Anyway, it was still kind of fun because we got to hang out around the dock and drink and eat more than the people on the boat (no alcohol there).  Before that, we spent a good hour (max) at myeongdong looking for the finishing touches to our anonymous halloween costumes.  I was a chic cowgirl but should have went as a football player, Kate was Ferris Bueller, Sarah was a Korean student (good one), Brandon was Shaft, Jeff was an angel, and Mike was something from some old movie with bad people on it (sorry I already forget).  After the cruise sans being on water, we went to apgujeong (Korea's beverly hills) for a co-worker's birthday and it was fun but the drinks were really expensive (I mean we were in apgu so we should have expected it but still) they were ten dollars a drink.  Here is a blurry picture of the place: 

Bar/Club: Money Lounge 

  Sunday I didn't wake up until one and stayed in bed until four and cleaned the whole apartment head to toe, and here I am only to clean it again one day after.  I hope everybody had a very Happy Halloween and didn't spend as much money as I did (spent way too much in one day, regardless of it being a holiday).  peace. 

dorian gray

Critic is he who can translate into another manner or a new material his impression of beautiful things.

enough said 

trying to get a class photo on my bday 

bday present from a friend 

I started reading the picture of dorian gray about a week ago and i really like it so far.  not going to lie, I'm still in the first chapter but hey SO FAR SO GOOD.  My favorite part as of now is, 

"The ugly and the stupid have the best of it in this world.  They can sit at their ease and gape at the play.  If they know nothing of victory, they are at least spared the knowledge of defeat.  They live as we all should live, undisturbed, indifferent, and without disquiet."  

Which brings me to my topic and main idea of the week: I need to slow it down here at work.  I think I have been trying way too hard to do well and be a good person that I am being put in the spotlight for more judgement and an increase of criticism.  As a wise man told me: Be average, if you're below, you're always not good enough; if you're above, you're always depended on.  I'm neither of the three, I am all over the place and I just need to slow it down baby gotta have some fun (spice girls, anybody?) do do do doo.  I was having an awesome October until Friday.  I love October because 1 it is my birthday month 2 i love opals 3 i love autumn and 4 beginning of four great american cultured holidays (halloween, thanksgiving, christmas, and new years eve).  However, last Friday I had a bad day at work because all of the kids were acting a fool (luda).  It's gotten to the point where these children are so comfortable around me that they think it's okay to talk and stand up and eat, that I can't control them and manage them like I used to (babysitter?).  One little rot head in particular told me that I need to die because I am so mean and I seem to not advocate for democracy at school (he's right, I believe in narcissism).  I'm not going to lie, I am a little anxious about how the week is going to turn out for me, I could possibly get fired -- but what's new?  I think I say that every other week, it's a redundant j.lee expression now and I have a copyright on it, okay?  

  On the bright side, autumn is now here and it is cool (pun intended), and I like it -- because I can comfortably wear my jeans with a t-shirt and jacket =) .  The trees are changing and their leaves are falling and people are raking, I love it.  Halloween is right around the corner which means I can buy all the candy that I want as if I am going to pass it out, but really, it will sit in my closet room for me and only me to eat (yes i am fat, so what).  But no really, I think I am going to make little halloween goodie bags for my kids this week and pass them out on Friday and Monday!  YEAYY~  =D  

  I hope everybody has a very Happy Halloween weekend and please be careful!  

nobodys perfect

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.  

my new cousin and me in gangnam 

on top of the big fountain at the park 

cover of the intercontinental brochure 

I had an interesting week this week.  Last Sunday I stayed in bed all day and watched a whole season of Friends (Season four [After Ross and Rachel break up again and Ross meets Emily]).  It was such a waste of a day but at the same time it was awesome.  First time in a while I got to rest and do nothing even though I could have been playing with the canine.

  I had one kid Tuesday night and I thought it would be amazing, but it was better, we talked and got to know each other.  I had a half day on Wednesday and then had only ten out of eighteen kids on Thursday night for Masters.  

  Friday evening I went to Songtan in Osan where one of the U.S. military bases are and had Thai food with some cool co-workers.  I got the chicken pad thai and milk tea, and although it was good, I did just get back from Thailand -- so it is kind of hard to beat that authentic stuff.  After dinner we went to a bar called Blue Jazz near the strip and had a couple of beers with some American military people who were quite interesting.  I thanked one of them for serving in the military and he said: Oh it's nothing, so now I have a distorted view of what they do.  This man makes about 75000 a year being in the military and only gets taxed 28000 of that 75 thousand dollars he makes.  On top of that, he doesn't pay rent or utilities.  We are both ex-pats (kind of, I should give him a lot more credit than that) and I don't even get paid a third of what he gets paid, I get taxed all of it from Korea, and I pay rent and utilities (even though my rent is chizeap).  I am considering joining the American military, now, do you think they are looking for any stylists or bitches??  Because if so, ah bingo!!  =)  Hope all is well with all of you!  

  By the way, my body hurt for a week long after I climbed that fountain up there, I suggest not to do it unless you're well equipped with strong skin and some fat -- which I am .. 

i think its just a cultural thing

thai military marching away 

pretty awesome fountain at siam paragon, bangkok 

cool fish at ocean world in siam paragon, bangkok 

IT'S BEEN WAY TOO LONG!!  So ever since my last post so much has happened to hanet ree!  One of her best friends came to visit, she got her hair cut really short twice, her first full term ended and a new one began, her cousin came to korea, and last but not least -- she went to thailand .. forreal.  

  Amanda came to vist me for a few weeks and it was awesome, we went almost everywhere in suwon and seoul in less than two weeks!  we shopped almost every day, ate out for every single meal, went to a different part of suwon or seoul every day, and definitely drank ample amounts of korean alcohol and even sang a good amount of korean songs as well.  we had a lot of fun and i cant wait to do it again in japan next time!

  I got my hair cut really short the last week aeri was here in myeongdong of seoul and it was half impulse half a processed thought.  ive been wanting to cut my hair short since settling into korea for a new look but never got around to it until all of the sudden aeri said lets get our hair cut tomorrow and surely enough we proceeded to the following day and i love it~! 
  My first full term at work ended and it was great but the new term is even better.  I have more levels and even a raise for a couple of them, meaning more pay, meaning higher check, meaning more money, = = + shopping .. 
  My cousin, Tina, came to visit Korea a couple of weeks ago and is still here but leaving this week.  We hung out in Suwon and Seoul naturally, eating good food, going to coffee shops, going out to drink, and meeting relatives around the area, etc.  It was awesome seeing her here, I love her, even when we're fighting like sisters!  
  LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THAILAND THAILAND!!  Bangkok is amazing.  This country is like no other.  Nothing like Korea.  Everybody is so nice and happy and poor, it is beautiful.  For a country that has such a low gdp, they are pretty content and satisfied with themselves and I think it's a pretty cool characteristic to have for a nation.  I've never met such a collective group of unattractive and poor, but yet joyful and ambitious people in my life.  The flight and hotel were not very cheap to Thailand, but everything in the country is so cheap, it all evens out in the end -- you end up leaving the country with money leftover to spend at the airport or your layover.  I RECOMMEND EVERYBODY TO GO TO THAILAND, and don't forget to ride the elephants and be nice to them, they're the oldest living creatures on this planet currently -- not including some insects.  
  I promise not to wait this long before writing another post, I have missed you blogger!