sars

so i was talking with kmom today and told her my theory linking kimchi and my thin skin in terms of somewhat extreme weather.. she disagreed saying that's impossible.. and then went on to list the benefits of kimchi.. and ended with 'kimchi is why korea never had to deal with any sars problems' .. now why can't kimchi prevent fan death?

anyways.. she has found another fortune teller for me to try out.. so i'll do that soon.. i'll report later..

korea has made me soft

i'm just writing in my last few minutes before the chaos ensues (teaching the little shits on their last day before vacation) to tell you that frick it's cold here.. i have no temperature to relate to you, and if i did you'd probably scoff at me and call me a whimp.. but really.. the cold feels colder here.. so cold to me that i don't even casually walk anymore.. i half run, half shuffle everywhere.. at least for the past two days.. maybe it's the kimchi.. i'm going to blame the kimchi.. if only because all praise it as the miracle cure to everything.. so screw you korea.. and you're indecisive weather patterns and pickled cabbage which has my me unable to bear the temperatures a canadian girl really should be able to take.. i'm so embarassed.. i don't deserve my passport..

merry blah blah blah

adam at aquarium
me
gyeongbukgong temple
bulguksa temple
gyeongbukgong
outside temple.. mikey, adam, me, jess
gyeongbukgong again
jess and i
adam, me, mikey

so tis the season.. i've been really busy, so busy that i don't really feel christmassy.. it's ok though because i learnt last year if you try to make christmas in korea like christmas at home you're left feeling sad and disappointed..

i've been going to seoul more often.. well, the last 2 weekends.. it makes me want to move there.. basically because there are people there who appreciate my kind of music.. yes that's almost worth changing cities for in my mind..

it's christmas eve right now.. well i guess technically christmas.. i'm winding down from my second christmas party.. saturday was the work one and i got lucky.. we played bad santa and for the first time ever i was lucky when picking something out of a hat.. for my gift i ended up choosing something that mel wanted.. i'm selfless.. whatever, that's how i roll.. today i went to some other friends place for more turkey.. i'm so full right now, but like every holiday, i just want to keep eating.. tomorrow i'm heading to gregs place for turkey number 3 (seriously this is more turkey than i get at home).. anyways so far it's been a good weekend of good people and great conversation.. and even better wine.. all i want to do tomorrow is eat, drink, watch old christmas movies and pass out on the couch.. i miss everyone from home though.. and am especially sad to be missing dawns upcoming wedding..

i have pics from the christmas parties and will upload them later.. up top are some pics from some little trips i took around korea with adam.. we went around daegu for a bit, up to seoul, to gyeongju and to busan.. good times had by all.. i got to do almost everything i wanted.. saw some punk, saw some temples, ate great food, hung with great people.. no hiking though.. couldn't get going early enough in the day and then the weather got a little chilly, especially in seoul..

so merry christmas to everyone.. i miss you all.. especially at this time of year.. maybe i'll be back for the next one..

love you

jen

my body would kick my ass if it could

so sick.. so tired..

so i've been fighting off this cold for a few days.. i was on the winning side of it all until i went out for my birthday last night.. some work related people took me out and though it was a good time i had lost my voice by the end of the night.. when i woke up this morning i still hadn't found it.. i was NOT looking forward to facing the hellions.. but they were surprisingly good.. shocking actually.. they giggled and told me i had a grandma voice.. but they spoke quietly.. helped me where they could.. i don't know what came over them but i like it.. and tomorrow, when they're back to being little shitheads i'll try to remember today.. maybe i'm just too hopped up on cold medication to really notice any bad behaviour.. seriously though.. i heart dayquil.. good call mom.. good call... AND thankgod for exams.. i'm able to rest now instead of dealing with disgruntled teenagers who steal my soul.. really today i just don't have the patience..

tonight and tomorrow are all about the recoup and prep for saturday night in seoul.. film festival perhaps?

yeah.. being 25 still sucks

and..

so it's sad and official.. i'm 25.. i'm sorry if you're older than me and my complaining about being 25 makes you feel old.. you should feel old.. we're all old.. i felt old at 18..

ANYWAYS... thanks for all the gifts so far.. all the calls.. emails and good wishes..

the children were cute to the point of insanity today.. i got candy, chocolate and homemade items like ridiculously girly hair accessories and a scarf (in green, they're cute and remember my favourite colour) .. i put the scarf on right away.. but after about 10 minutes i noticed my neck was starting to feel itchy.. i couldn't take it off though.. nor could i take off the pink blingin hair accessory.. so i'm left with a warm feeling in my heart, as well as small rash..

carey took me out to lunch.. and the work crew tried their best to surprise me with a cake.. hehe.. aaron did his best to fake a crisis to distract me from the lights that kept going on and off in the teachers room.. i'm too clever though.. but i was kind and waited for everyone to get in the room before faking surprise.. now i'm just waiting for the bell so i can meet some people downtown.. i'm hoping for a somewhat relaxed/quiet evening.. who knows.. i'm hoping for the real celebration this weekend..

two more points to note :

1) i forgot that the psychic also said i would grow up to be wealthy

2) for nana and her friends.. i make my life out to be must more daring and interesting in this blog than it is in reality.. don't worry.. she has quite a respectful, cautious granddaughter who never takes unnecessary risks.. it's true.. i basically live like a hermit

korean fortuneteller

so kmom thought it would be a good idea for me to go see her fortuneteller before my birthday. so i got up early (actually set my alarm.. 9am.. shut up it's early for me) and jumped on the subway to go and meet her.. she took me to this little house to meet this ajumma.. she is buddhist and did my reading infront of her shrine on the floor of her apartment.. heh, i could smell burning sweet potatoes the whole time..

she did a little reading for kmom first.. then moved onto me.. she had her buddhist beads and spun them in her hands while she whistled.. the first thing she said was that my mom and dad didn't live together.. i found this strange, not because it was true.. but when i went to see a psychic in canada a few years ago this was her first comment as well..

so i gave her my birthday and name.. and she said i was supposed to be born a boy.. oh, so much becomes clear to me now! all those 'jenny you're a boy trapped in a womans body' comments ring true.. heh.. so because of this i will play the role of a son to my parents.. errr.. i should remind you to consider this whole reading from the perspective of a korean older lady.. so the role of a son means i will be the one to support them physically and financially..
she also said that i'm incredibly intelligent and literary.. had i been born a boy i would have been a govenor or professor (though she claims i still may be the latter).. intelligent, ok.. maybe.. literary.. i dunno.. i like books, but i can mostly just fake my way through literary conversations.. she mentioned nothing about bullshitting capabilities.. in terms of personality i'm kind, generous, open-minded, independent.. too kind sometimes that i am easily taken advantage of.. and so generous that even if i do realize i'm being taken advantage of i will let it happen.. frick this woman was giving me my moneys worth..
i make my own money, and do most things without the support of anyone else.. i will always work, i would not be happy as a homemaker (to me i say duh, but to the older korean lady, in korea this is a surprise)

i am to have a lucky few years (my horoscope actually says this as well). teaching is good for me, i'm good at it, i could open a school she says. though i like to work with kids, i would find it more challenging and therefore rewarding to go back to school, and become a professor.. i will live abroad for 2-3 more years so i will pick up some more languages.. i'm not necessarily staying in korea..

i am very healthy - though should be careful about headaches and re-injuring myself.

i don't have marriage luck until i'm 28. this works out well since i'm living abroad for 2-3 more years. she apologized for the late date.. heh.. 28 seems all too soon for me, especially in terms of marriage.. i didn't want to know about having kids..

i asked about some other people but i don't want to write anything negative on here and she really wasn't as kind about the futures of others. but... of course i asked about blake first...

blake:
was to be born a girl. hehe.. our genders were switched... he is sensitive, sometimes immature, thrifty, greedy, kind, everyone loves him (true).. he will suceed at 37.. he could be an entrepreneur.. he should not marry until 27.. if he marries before he will divorce..

she also started mentioning when people would die and i freaked out and screamed stop with tears in my eyes.. so i managed to get out without too much bad news..

mom:
knew she was on her 3rd serious relationship.. she said something about me having 2 father figures.. apparantly blake and i upset her a lot.. she should open a cafe/restaurant.. she has good cheekbones.. in a past life was the daughter of a god but had too quick a temper so is being punished in this life..

dad:
she actually didn't have too much to say about dad.. other than he didn't live with mom and that he was still single.. and that he loves me a whole heck of a lot.. <
anyways, those are not my words, they belong to someone else.. actually they are my words.. or rather translated words, reworded by me.. but the ideas are someone else's.. and i chose not to include some.. due to personal or negative nature regarding others..

so, it's my last day as a 24 year old.. while i was on the subway i was sitting across from this older lady and i couldn't stop staring at her hands.. and i just kept thinking, one day those will be my hands.. and i will look back, and it will have seemed to go by so fast.. so now i'm filled with this frantic urge to do everything i want to have completed in my lifetime, now.. i always go through this phase around this time of year.. but due to some sad news i feel it more so.. i'll calm down in a few weeks i think..

you're not hardcore

until you live hardcore.

insanely busy weekend. i still havn't had a chance to do nothing and relax. friday night i chilled with benji and mel. ben taught me how to juggle. i think i'm a born natural and will leave korea to promptly join the circus. if i could only get over my fear of heights.

saturday i had some appointments, bought blake his mp3 player for christmas and then went shopping at costco. man the foreigners love costco. i've only been 3 times since i moved here and it's alright i guess but i prefer korean food. i did buy me some guacamole though, and candy canes. saturday night i went out to a variety of places with a variety of people. i have silly friends. i'm going to use the word silly. silly seems appropriate.

today, sunday, i got up and went to susan's baby shower. we went to this place behing my building. though the restaurant was nice, the food was ok.. definitely not worth the price, but it was good to go and see people. i met some other friends in jisan and then ditched them to go downtown. i heard about this punk show but wasn't really sure where the club was. i somehow managed to find it. .but was 3 hours late so i only caught the last half hour of the headlining band, outbreak from the states. the club was frickin tiny and i'm not sure if there was even a bar. only about 30 people were there i think, but there was some moshing, a lot of skanking. i was the only girl and the only foreigner there. my friends suck and wouldn't come because.. well they suck. it's times like these that i miss kocela. he would have been there in a second. so, one point to canadian friends. boo to korean friends. though, they are going all the way to seoul next weekend just for me to go to another punk band. it's for my birthday though so they have no choice.

so it's midnight on monday and i'm finally able to relax.

9 days.