Jungle Onion's Diary

Spring

2011-03-13T12:54:00.001+09:00

I was soooooo depressed I didn't want to do anything for the whole past week. I didn't even had any appetite. Guess I lost some weight.

Felt like I would lose any will to live so decided to go out. Met some friends and had some delicious pasta for lunch yesterday. Spent some time at AK and went for a short walk to the park in front of Bundang Distric Office. Went to grocery shopping with Sam and had a pleasant dinner time afterwards. Guess it is true that love makes people happy and it gives meaning to life. The weather which is getting warmer helps too.

busy days

2011-03-04T07:19:00.001+09:00

The beginning of a new school year is the busiest season of the school. March is the busiest month of the whole year. The first week is the buiest of the month... I'm saying I'm extremely busy these days: too busy to feel sick.

My homeroom students all seem to be good students! That's great and now I have to work hard to be a good homeroom teacher to them.

March is always busy but my mindset is different every year. I remember I was so passionate about teaching and taking care of the students last year. Hope I will regain the enthusiasm I had... Hope everything goes well.

A new school year!

2011-03-02T21:32:00.000+09:00

New school year began today.... I wished time would stop last night.
So much work to do in front of me.
Guess I will be EXTREMELY busy for the first couple weeks of the semester as usual.
It is great to have two big breaks a year, but the beginning of the semester goes crazy every time it begins.
Just want to believe everything will be all right.

Everything will be all right.

Short Break

2011-02-22T22:10:00.000+09:00

Having a short break ... until March 2nd. Moon came to Korea and stayed for eight days.
We met on Feb 14th, 15th, 17th, 18th, and 21st; and still no conclusion.

A new semester starts in a week but I am not excited.
I don't have any appetite, don't want to see anyone, cannot sleep well, ... I don't want to keep going.

I read from a book that the best way to get away from depression is to do the things that I do usually. Yeah.. I found it extremely difficult to do normal things when I am gloomy. The weather was very nice outside today and I thought about going for a little walk, then I just stayed home all day, being idle.

It was not totally wasted, though. I had some quality time with myself; looked back on the past decade and read some of my old diary entries. I have one more week to be with myself... I will try to make this time enjoyable.

February!

2011-02-02T17:12:00.000+09:00

Since I returned from Jeju island, I've been just doing idle... For the first two days back home, I'd been busy scoring the pilot speaking test (NEAT-National English Ability Test -for Korean high school students) and finishing the online writing class.

February began, and suddenly, nothing to do.

I always wished for more time to do something,
and now I want that SOMETHING to do.

I don't want to think this is because Moon is away in Japan... I don't even know when he will be back. He left on Jan 11. It has been three weeks already. He finished writing the conclusion part of his thesis (for master's) but has not received the VISA (to work there; he has the student visa now) yet. He wants to come home but his parents do not let him and I don't know why. When he comes back, will I have enough time and energy to see him? I have too many things to think about right now and the stress level is way too higher than usual.

Fortunately, I am still very optimistic and believe that everything will be okay. Nothing in life ever works out as wanted or planned, so there's no need to worry about the future. When something happens, then it is best just to go through it with the best way possible at hand... I am not even sure about the nearest future... Maybe I should just let life go on ... and do my best every minute.... because worrying about future does not change anything.

a week in jeju

2011-01-26T20:02:00.001+09:00

jeju is a beautiful place
a perfect place to rest...

monday to saturday (jan 24-29)

a week for my soul

A mother of two babies

2011-01-14T11:47:00.000+09:00

Went to Songi's... It's great to have your best friend nearby. When she was living in Gumi, I took time to visit her every break but it was like only two or three times a year. Since she moved to Suwon, it takes 30 minutes to get there by bus. She has a daughter and a son. Her daughter, Sooyeon is 3 years old (born in August 2008) and her son, Minsoo is a year old (born in April 2010). They are generally lovely and adorable and I get along with them well. But this time, I don't know what was wrong with them, but they kept crying for hours!! I couldn't even see their smiling faces, not even once. Songi just spends time with them and takes care of them all day long. Her husband comes home around 8 pm every night and he spends about one hour with the kids and he thinks that's enough. Is it really right for a woman - a mother to take care of the kids all day long without doing anything else? Without anything for herself? Sacrifice is a good virtue for sure and I always feel grateful for Mom...but what about her own life? She had her own career but gave up pursuing her dream after she got married. I've never wanted to have a baby of my own... I am not prepared for the HUGE responsibility as a parent and I don't think I will be very happy to give up everything for it.

Three-day Writing Classes

2011-01-14T11:29:00.000+09:00

Every summer and winter break, I take either online or offline classes. I feel like I should develop my English/language teaching skills somehow. The online writing class I'm taking this winter is quite challenging compared to the online classes I've taken so far. For three days, I had 4-hour-long off line classes at Jongro 4. It was really four hours long, with only 10-minute break in the middle. Still, it makes me want to study harder. It gives me motivation to study. The classes and the assignments help me to write and think about my writing. The instructor for the first and the last day was a professor at Seongshin Women's College. She studied TESOL in England... It has been more than two years already since I came back from America. One more year to go, but then I want to study more... maybe in England this time?

second weekend of this year

2011-01-10T23:18:00.003+09:00

I went down to Gwang-ju to spend some time with Mr. Park-the busy man. He's now preparing to leave for Japan for a while and extremely busy emptying his room and packing. On Saturday, we drove down to Goheung to visit Sorok-do Hospital. Had dinner at Nokdong Port. On the way back to Gwang-ju, we saw the most beautiful stars on the darkest sky...

On Sunday, we went to Damyang to have delicious pork roast for lunch and went for a walk to Jooknok-won (bamboo garden)! It was snowy and the garden looked BEAUTIFUL! Took a lot of pictures but I left my camera there... have to wait until it gets back to me. I will upload some pictures when I get it back. It was just a perfect weekend!

online writing class

2011-01-10T23:03:00.000+09:00

I am taking an online writing class during the winter break. There's a three-day offline classes from Monday (today) to Wednesday. I met two friends there! We didn't even know that we are taking the same class and it was a pleasant surprise. This class has a lot of assignments and homeworks but I find it worth taking. I have to write an essay every two days, and I can get feedback on each of them. It is great to get such frequent feedback on my writing and I am certain this class will help improving my writing skills.

lecture

2011-01-06T16:54:00.001+09:00

delivered a lecture to the teachers who are taking a teacher trainong course at SEEC (Seoul English Education Center). Have done it before and I took it easy but I got nervous at the last moment; the clsss went okay and actually it was better than expected! I ran out of time like last time but the teachers were all patient and eager to discuss with me. Satisfactory! have to study harder to become a better teacher and share what i learned with others!

Already?

2011-01-03T23:26:00.000+09:00

Three days have passed! Wow!
Time flies... and it's unbelievably fast.
I have been being lazy these days...
Too many things to think about,
uncertainty toward the future (this year),
even fear, and worries...

Getting a year older means more responsibilities.
Does getting a year older mean getting wiser too?
I hope so...

Starting a New Year

2011-01-02T01:06:00.000+09:00

We - my family and most Koreans - start a new year with Ddock-guk! Eating a bowl of ddock-guk means getting a year older in Korea. Getting a year older is not always pleasant, though. I wished I would always be thirteen-year-old...

happy while tired

2010-09-11T21:05:00.000+09:00

Two days before my b-day.
I don't know... what is so special about birthdays? It is just one day among 365 days in a year. I am not sure if I want to tell 박군 about it. Actually, I have been hesitating for a week... I don't want to give him any pressure or any mental burden.

The kids are the loveliest these days. It couldn't be better! I love them all.

Lots of things to do. Boundless school stuff. Writing the exam, making handouts, preparing lessons, talking to students, arguing with homeroom kids, blogging, taking pictures, thinking about weekend plans, ...

Extremely happy while exhausted and stressed out.

two weeks have passed

2010-09-05T15:39:00.001+09:00

Two weeks have passed since new semester began..
I've been pretty busy with lots of school work.

I was a little bit scared as usual before the beginning of a new semester, but AS USUAL, it took only a day for me to get used to the hectic school life again.

The kids at school are ADORABLE as ever. I love seeing them, teaching them, and spending time with them. They are just so cute and lovely to be with.

Yet, I'm not so sure about what I can do to them as a teacher except teaching them in the classroom. I can show them I do care, but what else? Sometimes I am worried when I see some kids not paying attention to what they should do; sometimes I feel like some kids are not doing the right thing. I can talk to them but what else?

Regarding the teaching part, the kids at my school are all excellent speakers and learners of English. I think they can do whatever I challenge them to do, but I just teach what is in the textbook. I make handouts to use in the classroom myself, but they are quite simple and easy. Is it really right? I know they can do better...

new semester began

2010-08-24T21:08:00.000+09:00

I've been relaxing in Jeju for a full week and came back to Seoul two days before the new semester began (on August 20). It was the most relaxing summer holiday I've ever had in my entire life!!! It was sooooo nice just to relax and do nothing. I slept a lot, ate well, and had a good time on the beach.

Will I ever be able to rest like this again?

New semester began and about five days passed. Getting used to the school life only takes 5 minutes. The thought of going back to school makes me a little worried before I actually go to school, but when you ARE in school, it just becomes your life again, so naturally. You feel like you were at school yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and so on.

It is sweet to see the kids again everyday and I like ~~teaching~~ spending time with them.

to use iPhone 3GS

2010-08-06T16:53:00.000+09:00

July 29,2010

To start using iPhone 3GS, I had to quit the contract I had with my ex-cell phone.

I had to pay some money, but I didn't care. Paying the money was nothing, but there was some complicated process waiting for me to begin to use this lovely machine. When I start using iPhone, the other phone I was using would be stopped working, so I had to initiate iPhone immediately when I called the person on the KT service center. I went into a PC room nearby (in the Express bus terminal).

Installing i-tunes to the computer

my brand-new iPhone and adapter in the box

connecting iPhone to the computer (after the installation completed)

Then the iPhone itself does everything else.

I got to use this phone from today!!!

iPhone 3GS!

2010-08-06T16:33:00.000+09:00

July 28, 2010

iPhone arrived! yay!

I was looking forward to this new cell phone for a while.

However, I was not so sure what to expect.

The simplest manual and the graphic instruction without any words impressed me.

I feel like I will fall in love with iPhone.

Mr Lim playing piano

2010-07-27T20:58:00.001+09:00

A moment that brought me the ultimate happiness :)

A walk in the evening

2010-07-26T15:50:00.000+09:00

Sunday, July 25, 2010

A walk to Tancheon

7:15 - 9:00 pm

Beautiful weather! Perfect for a walk to Tancheon(탄천)

The clouds in the sky were amazing!

It looked like the sky was burning.

Amazing!

I felt like I was in the movie.

It soon became darker and the moon appeared! Terrefic!

Eat, eat, eat, ...

2010-07-26T15:43:00.000+09:00

Saturday, July 24, 2010

With Moon all day

Lunch at Bennigans (as usual)

Rainbow Salad for me~

Chicken Teriyaki for Moon~

After lunch, we watched Inception! Great movie!

Cafe Tombola next to Bennigans

Americano Fredo & Caffe Americano

Bulgogi place for dinner

yummy~~!

Gogi-ri mountain stream?

2010-07-26T15:30:00.002+09:00

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Gogi-2-bridge

The watercolor is really green, almost emerald color.

We went down to the water!

Near the stream, there's a cozy-looking coffee place.

is the name. Looking cozy.

Little carriages as a room for coffee, so cute!

Ddokbokki

2010-07-26T15:18:00.002+09:00

Friday, July 23, 2010

I guess Ddokbokki(떡볶이) is one of the most loved snacks for Koreans. Not too fancy, cheap, yummy, ...

Went into 'CCorrc'(꼬르륵), a Ddokbokki place near AK plaza.

hmm, I know what you're trying to say...

Ddokbokki, yummy! (떡볶이,2500 won)

Jjol-myeon (쫄면,4000 won)

Anywhere in Korea, you can find one or two Ddokbokki or kimbap place near you.

Field trip: Day 2

2010-07-26T15:08:00.001+09:00

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Breakfast! in a temple way

simple but nutritious and delicious

A lotus park

So beautiful!

Looked around the Backje's old palaces

At the Backje Museum

Some traditional Korean Alcoholic beverages

The water from this spring is believed to have power to make people younger. There's a story about an old man who became a baby after drinking too much water here.

We went aboard this traditional cruise; it lasted for about an hour and I fell asleep.

Field trip: Day 1

2010-07-23T12:33:00.001+09:00

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

On vacation day, 40 teachers including the principal took a field trip to Nonsan, near the old capital of Backje Kingdom. It was a one-night-two-days trip. I was so excited.

We took KTX and had sandwich lunch on the train.

From Nonsan(논산), we went around by bus. The weather was beautiful!

We visited Nonsan Daegeon High school(논산 대건고등학교).

It is a Catholic boarding school.

Making delicious rice cake :)

If you do it more and more, the rice cake becomes chewier.

Picking grapes; my favorite fruit.

It was near the Korean army training camp and we could see some trainers there,

marching under this scorching sun.

Donam Seowon (돈암서원) - a memorial hall to honor scholars and a lecture hall

It's like today's private school.

Listening to a docent

The restaurant we had dinner was located right in front of a large reservoir.

The main dish was a kind of a chicken soup?(닭도리탕)

Beautiful sunset!

Karaoke (we sang and danced -_ for like 2 hours...)

Summer vacation resolution

2010-07-23T08:35:00.000+09:00

Summer vacation started two days ago. I'm SO happy about that.
Here is my resolution for this summer.

1. Read some books. (I made up a library card at Bundang Library at Jeongja-dong yesterday.)
2. Complete the cute blue teddy bear cushion.
3. Improve Photoshop skills.
4. Write on my blog everyday! (Keeping up naver blog & blogspot at the same time.)
5. Look back and organize my life. (Ahhh, too big, but at least I can try.)
6. Start to read the Bible.
7. Take a trip to Jeju for a week.

Soyang-gang-dam

2010-07-13T21:50:00.001+09:00

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Soyang River Dam

the pleasant breezy wind ...

we were sitting on a bench looking down on the water for a while

Insa-dong 2: Starbucks

2010-06-20T23:00:00.000+09:00

Ssamziegil again!

The weather was even nicer than yesterday

꿀타래- the Korean Traditional Honey Roll

This fan is a gift from Moon;;

Actually, I saw this fan yesterday, but couldn't ask Moon to buy this for me, he asked me to buy it first, but still I couldn't tell him to! And he insisted so we came here again to pick it up.

Starbucks coffee written in Korean... somewhat strange

My fan & Green tea frapuccino

Korean traditional masks on the wall

and some other traditional items on the wall

wow I like it!

Insa-dong 1

2010-06-20T22:52:00.000+09:00

Insa-dong; Samulnori

It has been quite a long while since I last came here...

And it was the first time for me to come to Ssamji-gil.

It consists of unique little markets which are very artistic in nature

It was very crowded with lots of couples;;

Surely an interesting place to visit

Tea house at the top

We had Traditional Bingsu at Bizeun Cafe.

Cozy and neat; the bingsu, excellent!

little xian

2010-06-20T22:46:00.001+09:00

Met Moon at Central City, 'Little Xian', 10th floor at Shinsegye Department Store

Violet curtains and nice interior

the view outside

noodle with garlic cream sauce and leek;; ah i cannot remember the exact name of this dish

but i remember the taste. it was really weird and i was wondering whether there would be any person who would like this...

teriyaki chicken and rice

this looked good and seemed that it tasted good

Moon ate this all by himself

noodle with shrimp and squad - this was not too bad, but not too great either

it was just so-so and Moon ate most of it.

Most of the dishes here was expensive and the taste? I'm not sure. I do not recommend this place. If you want to go, you should go at dinnertime. The view and the interior will look nice at least.

late night meet-up

2010-06-16T19:59:00.001+09:00

Late at night (23:15-45);;

The ultimate happiness: spending time with an adorable person

Third week of June

2010-06-15T21:44:00.001+09:00

The ultimate happiness...

Spending time with the people you adore...

정민 who was playing the piano &

정현 who was taking pictures

Second week of June

2010-06-15T21:40:00.000+09:00

Lunch at Mad for Garlic

Starbucks / Espresso Prapuccino

ㅋ

First week of June

2010-06-06T22:08:00.001+09:00

Thank you for the pictures*

A walk to Tancheon

2010-05-02T20:09:00.001+09:00

Went for a walk to Tancheon...

Paris Croissant had this *ginger bread man cookie family* on the window

so lovely

Walked along Tancheon, enjoying the weather

Sitting on a bench, having a good time

family

friends

Goldfish

2010-05-02T20:02:00.001+09:00

my favorite snack, goldfish

Goldfish reminds me of my grandfather in Philly who always bought me this snack.

so cute!!!!!!!!!!

so cute and so yummy

i bought some dark chocolate too

Gortz Bar

2010-05-01T20:19:00.000+09:00

Gortz Bar

breath-taking view from here

Khlua milk & coffee

Khalua stick

*the view is so beautiful*

and the music...

want to come here more often but it's quite far.

Seoul Tower

2010-05-01T20:14:00.000+09:00

beautiful weather and the tower and the moon

people enjoying the weather and the view

and one person enjoying reading

the first and maybe the last hanabi

Tancheon

2010-05-01T20:11:00.000+09:00

cyclists, children, family enjoying the weather

some unusual bike ride :)

mirror-like stream

We were sitting here for like a couple hours...

beautiful weather / good times..

Yangjae-cheon

2010-05-01T20:08:00.000+09:00

Spring has come, finally

Sakura so pretty

I want a bike too

clouds and flowers

2010-04-12T21:50:00.000+09:00

pansy

2010-04-05T21:56:00.002+09:00

spring

2010-04-01T21:50:00.002+09:00

Market O

2010-04-01T21:49:00.000+09:00

Diodia

2010-03-29T21:47:00.000+09:00

DioDia @ El Tower at Yangjae station

It was a pleasant place. Quiet, clean, and the food was great. The servers were kind and nice; they didn't disturb us at all. Well-educated. We really had a great time.

Though it's always sorry to leave the place without having been able to taste all the food you wanted to taste.

Date

2010-03-28T22:11:00.002+09:00

Went to Outback Steakhouse for lunch for the first time I came to Bundang. No special reasons there but I just kept going to Bennigans or TGIF... but Moon likes Outback.

Bushman(?) Bread w/Raspberry butter + Honey butter

Onion Ring Tower! I love its name and the looks! Moon ordered this with a coupon, which made us come here.

Galbi :) Delicious!!

We went to Violet after lunch. I've heard about this place, but it was the first time. I liked the atmosphere. Quiet, great music, large tables and sofas.

Cafe Violet: love the name, too.

White Chocolate Mocha & Caramel Milk Tea

had a great time..with wonderful jazz music

Gift from Moon...he bought it on the airplane back to Korea

Swarovski Flower Mini Pendant :)

Guess I should wear it whenever I see him.

What makes me happy

2010-03-26T21:18:00.000+09:00

flowers that tell me Spring has come

pretty yellow green color leaves

and adorable kids at school

Spring

2010-03-23T19:15:00.000+09:00

on the way to school: snow looks like icing on a cake

so pretty white

on the way home i found little yellow things

in spite of the heavy snow, spring is on its way...

snow!

2010-03-22T18:13:00.000+09:00

It's snowing again! It's march 22 and yesterday was the beginning of Spring. Unbelievable! Am I really in Seoul? It's not sleet; it is snowing in large flakes!! It reminds me of the trip to Hokkaido in March several years ago. It was exactly this time of year; around March 24.

gamoo

2010-03-21T21:15:00.000+09:00

visited Gamoo in Myungdong

2nd floor: i think this is the best, but they save this place for elderly customers

third and fourth floor : younger people come upstairs

we were sitting by the window

Vienna coffee and Tiramisu cake

milk tea and Yogurt cheese cake

strawberry moose cake

i love this place a lot. my favorite coffee place in Myungdong

꽃메마을 (Flower Village?)

2010-03-20T21:35:00.002+09:00

Moon and me and Moon's friend, three of us headed for 꽃매마을 near Jookjeon죽전 E-mart

for the first time. Actually, I've never heard it before, but adventure is always great. There were so many fancy restaurants and cafes.

If they made me choose which one to enter, it would have taken hours, but fortunately Moon just chose this one and we all went in.

it was cozy inside

i ordered the usual milk tea

and Moon ordered his usual cafe affogato

the price was reasonable too

I think i like here better than Jeong-ja dong cafe street.

re-white day

2010-03-20T21:27:00.000+09:00

Chicken Quesadia at Bennigans Bundang for lunch

Pink Calamari Pasta :)

Moon gave me white chocolate and a card for white day last week! It was kind of late, but you know, GODIVA and VAN HOUTEN!! You can always be glad to see them.

white chocolate pearls

Van Houten chocolate

delicious!

in the classroom

2010-03-19T20:42:00.000+09:00

the calendar was what i made last year to decorate the classroom; it's re-usable. i can use it forever! i can just re-organize the paper tiles with the numbers.

when i was trying to take the picture of the time table, Eunseok showed up! he was one of my favorites in my homeroom class.

Eunseok and his friend (i don't know his name..)

class 307 time table

i tried to match the color code of this with that of the calendar, and i like it a lot

things i do in the morning

2010-03-19T20:38:00.000+09:00

on the way to the bus stop / around 6:40-50

when I get off the bus around 7:10-20

my acuvue lenses

i opened a new package this morning

what I drink every morning; either earl grey or English breakfast

sweets... which give me energy

dropped by the convenience store to buy some halls.. that season has come...sore throat

sugar

2010-03-18T20:08:00.000+09:00

Thanks to yesterday's snow, everything was covered with snow this morning. Snow looked like sugar powder.

subway

2010-03-17T20:26:00.000+09:00

Seohyun station...

I prefer taking the bus to school, but sometimes waiting for 9414 tests my patience. It seems that there are only two buses in an hour. I had to be at school at 7:30 AM for the class activity, and took the subway. It has been a really long time since I didn't take the subway. I really need some rest on the way to work! It was not too bad though. I was working on the lesson 3 worksheets. Quite productive. I think it was possible because I went to bed early last night. I fell asleep between 9:54 and 9:57. haha. I sent a text message to Moon at 9:54 but was already asleep when he texted me back at 9:57pm.

white day gift

2010-03-15T21:42:00.000+09:00

White Day Gift from Seung-jae

Pretty Easter Seal was on the envelope

and the best part! was the teddy bear sticker on the card! CUTE!

And sweet sweet GuyLian chocolate &

sweeter message inside :)

It was the best thing ever happened today...

everything else made me dizzy.

too much work

when I was trying to leave for home, Mrs. Lee asked me, "Do you have to go now?" I was like, 'What? I was to go home three hours ago!' argh since when was there this much work?!

music

2010-03-14T16:50:00.000+09:00

On the way back home, I came across these people who were preparing for a mini concert. They were people from Yamaha. They were going to play some music with Yamaha instruments.

I was not really in a good mood, so I decided to listen to them for a change.

They played for about half an hour. Moon river, Beethoven's Pathetique, Libertango were included in the list.

There were a lot of people sitting and standing to listen to them. It was very neat.

Even the workers there seemed to be having a good time listening to them. This is one of the things I like about Samsung Plaza. They always plan various events for the guests and the people.

white day

2010-03-14T16:41:00.001+09:00

It's White Day here in Korea today.

*************************************************

White Day In Japan \from wikipedia\

In Japan, Valentine's Day is observed by females who present chocolate gifts (either store-bought or handmade), usually to a male, as an expression of love, courtesy or social obligation. The handmade chocolate is usually preferred by the receiver, because it is a sign that the receiving male is the girl's "only one". On White Day, the converse happens: males who received a honmei-choco (本命チョコ?, "chocolate of love") or giri-choco (義理チョコ?, "courtesy chocolate") on Valentine's Day are expected to return the favor by giving gifts, usually more expensive. Traditionally, popular White Day gifts are cookies, jewellery, white chocolate, white lingerie and marshmallows. Sometimes the term sanbai gaeshi (三倍返し?, literally, "thrice the return") is used to describe the generally recited rule that the return gift should be two to three times the cost of the Valentine's gift.

In South Korea

White Day is also observed in South Korea, with an additional later Black Day observed for those sharing singleness.

*************************************************

The lobby of Samsung Plaza was covered with all kinds of sweets!wow

Look at the delicious-looking chocolates!

The convenience stores are also covered with sweets...

Paris Baguette

Tous Les Jour

I wanted one from Samsung Plaza, but DS handed me a box of cookies from Paris Baguette. argh. I know I have to thank him, but ...

souvenirs from Osaka

2010-03-13T23:21:00.001+09:00

a gift bag from Moon

sakura daihuku

ichigo (strawberry) cream daihuku

perrier cans

there were some other things too

souvenirs from Japan, Osaka

*Thank you*

the bag was heavy and we put everything in the locker at Seohyun Station. Moon was inserting coins into a wrong locker... when I stopped him, he already inserted 10 coins... It was a long bus trip after all. :)

Saturday

2010-03-13T23:03:00.001+09:00

Moon came to Bundang and we went to Bennigans for brunch.

Bennigans lunch set.. Tomato ade + Potato soup

my usual cajun chicken salad

monte cristo! bennigans all-time top menu

walked to Jeongja-dong Cafe Street...it was such a fine sunny day.

Daskalides Chocolate Cafe

Hot Chocolate

chocolates

tomorrow is white day and so many people bought chocolate here

we came back to samsung plaza

went up to food court for dinner and found this!

noodle song. Moon ordered rice noodles

i ordered rice at saboten

알밥! :)

beautiful Saturday with a nice person♡

Happy birthday to you, moon!

thursday

2010-03-13T22:54:00.000+09:00

on the way to school

still beautiful, beyond description...

lovely and peaceful park

winter wonderland playground

went to Seongnam Art Center to listen to St. Matthew Passion!!

It was just so beautiful. Heavenly harmony.

however, i fell asleep in the middle of the concert...argh..too much work and lack of sleep.

snow

2010-03-10T21:16:00.000+09:00

It snowed a lot. It had been snowing since last night... and it turned the world into a great winter wonderland!

so pretty

it was such a beautiful scenary

I managed to go for a walk with some co-workers to the nearby park to enjoy the view

it was only like a ten-minute walk, but it gave me a strengh to go on till the last period

on the way home

2010-03-10T21:08:00.002+09:00

[march 9]

it was snowing; it was rain at first, and it changed into snow afterwards

I love the business of the night as well as the tranquilness of the morning

dropped by a noodle place near my house with a friend

Bibim noodles was GREAT

I enjoyed the meal and I was glad that I don't have to hate him any more.

way to school

2010-03-10T21:03:00.000+09:00

Whenever I am walking to school, I feel blessed that I can see such a beautiful sunrise every morning.

I walk through the park and it is so peaceful and quiet in the morning... I love this time of day..

and on the bus, too, I love the early morning atmosphere

and the sunrise, it's always impressive.

Dad

2010-03-06T23:51:00.000+09:00

*
Saw Dad in my dream...
He seemed very happy and healthy.
I visited him in his community(?) and we had a good time there.
Love you-*

work work

2010-03-05T23:05:00.000+09:00

*
*
Working for more than 12 hours for the last four days;;
Lack of sleep
Very highly motivated
Lots of things to do
Lots of plans
I'd love to do so many things with my students and my homeroom kids
*
*
Finally got the info about the boy in Indonesia whom I sponsor through Compassion every month
I was reading the card and I felt like crying...
There was something that is moving...
I want to help a lot more kids in the future
It feels great to be able to help someone in need
*
*

work

2010-03-03T22:59:00.000+09:00

*
The beginning of a new semester
It's always hectic at this time of year at school
I know it, but I always struggle
what to do, what to say, what to teach
So many goals I want to accomplish
Everything is possible in Him
who gives me strengh
*
Stayed at work for more than 12 hours for the last two days
I left home with work in hand..
Everything will be all right
and I will be doing thing all right
*
Night, Jungeun
*

D-day

2010-03-01T22:06:00.002+09:00

Stayed in bed until like 11 AM... was not feeling well from yesterday...

Went shopping for a change. On the way to ELLE innerware to get ****, I found these and just bought them right away.

Cledor green tea ice cream

I don't take other pain relievers but only these. (I don't trust Geworin and Tylenol and Penzal make me throw up.) Maybe the stress of having to go to work tomorrow makes me like this... argh.

I feel like I have so much to think about, but at the same time my head feels totally empty.

*
I read my blog entries from the day I left for Potsdam till the day I came back home. It took several hours, and I was.... like travelling back and forth, in and out of my memories. There are so many things, people, and moments that I miss...

*
Need to come back to reality, Jungeun!! Wake up! You can do it! Help me Lord.

sakura

2010-02-28T20:02:00.000+09:00

Sakura Daihuku; gift from moon

kira-kira and cute

*tastes like spring*

Saturday

2010-02-28T19:09:00.002+09:00

Moon arrived at Yatap earlier that the schedule so I met him at Seohyun.

Paris Croissant at Seohyun!

Orange French Toast & Berry Yoghurt!!! SO DELICIOUS! I loved it! What else I liked was that they can let you choose milk if you don't like coffee.

Not too expensive. 15,000won for two including 10% TAX.

After brunch there, we took a long walk to Joongang park through Tan cheon to Yooldong park.

Some new art works...

I like this very much. What was the title?!?! I always look at it and forget.

I was going to go into either wall paper or cafe ciaobar, but both places were crowded and the chair not looking comfy, we headed to our old Tirol. I almost screamed to find that Kindergarten was completely destroyed....and vanished.

I always drink Milk tea here.

He chose Cafe Jelato (I guess I recommended it)

It was raining outside and it was getting cold so we just went into TGIF for dinner.

Broccoli Soup + Cajun Chicken Salad + Gold Medalist

Chop Steak

When we arrived at the bus terminal the tickets were sold out and he had to take the last bus home at 10:30 PM. 12 hours in Bundang!

brunch @BRCD

2010-02-28T17:57:00.002+09:00

Because of the meeting at 1 PM at 한국교육과정평가원, I made all the others come to Anguk stn. We had brunch at BRCD (which is located between Anguk stn exit 2 and 3). I forgot to bring my camera (which is rare), and had to take some (limited) pictures with my cell phone.

Seongha & Tomato Ade (great!)

Omlet Brunch (yummy!!!)
There were 5~7 brunch menus, ranging from 8500-13000 won. You can have brunch set menu when you plus 3500 won to the price. Brunch set includes soup or salad, bread, ade, and coffee afterwards. Nice combination.

Coffee

They also give you the coffee in a take-out paper cup; very considerate. Satisfactory.

Daechon 2

2010-02-27T09:42:00.000+09:00

Went downstairs for breakfast

Some foreigners having breakfast... It seemed that they were involved in the prayer conference.

We ordered Korean style breakfast

GREAT

They even gave us coffee

It was raining outside and the tide was high

Water park side of the hotel

It was a great trip. I love Daechon. It was my 7th visit here and I am sure I will give more visits in the future.

Daechon 1

2010-02-27T09:34:00.002+09:00

At Yatap Bus Terminal: Heading for Boryong(Daechon)

It took quite a while (almost 3 hours and half), but it was an enjoyable ride. The weather at Boryong was nice and sunny.

We had lunch at a restaurant near the beach and headed for the hotel.

Daechon Fun Beach Hotel

I liked the room.

Watched Yeona play. :)

Went for a walk to the beach. More people than I thought.

The sea and the sky and the clouds...

Citizen's Tower Square (시민의 탑 광장)

where lots of memories are buried...

Just so beautiful!

kira-kira

Returned from walk and went in for spa

It was like a spa wonderland!

I just lost track of time in there. :)

sauna was great, too

Came back from spa, had a light dinner, and some alcohol;;

Spring!

2010-02-24T00:43:00.001+09:00

The weather was BEAUTIFUL! Couldn't resist the urge to go on a walk!!! Spring has come!

The stage looks magnificent. Really would like to watch a concert here, under the moonlight.

We were sitting in the sun for a while. It was so nice and warm. A lovely time.

Beautiful red color tree + ever green furry looking tree. :)

Bought some liquor for the trip tomorrow. Hooch Ice Lemon is basically apple wine + kiwi wine+ lemon juice. Doesn't it sound fabulous?! Mudshake is also looking good.

A perfect completion of the day with Kimchi Jjigae(김치찌게)!!!

books

2010-02-23T11:08:00.003+09:00

25 things they regret when they face death

Intriguing... I was able to think of several things myself, but not 25 things. I turned the page.

I wish...

1. I had told thank you to people whom I loved.

2. I had done things that I really enjoy.

3. I had been a little more humble.

4. I had been a little kinder.

5. I hadn't done any bad things.

6. I had tried to make my dreams come true.

7. I hadn't been carried away.

8. I had seen people I wanted to see.

9. I had had a date that I couldn't forget.

10. I had done other things than work.

11. I had gone on trips.

12. I had left my traces on earth.

13. I had thought about life and death.

14. I had visited my hometown.

15. I had tasted gourmet food.

16. I had gotten married.

17. I had had children.

18. I had got my children get married.

19. I had thought about my

20. I had thought about my own funeral.

21. I had taken care of my own health.

22. I had quit smoking earlier.

23. I had made clear of my wills when I was healthy.

24. I had pondered on the meaning of medical treatment.

25. I had known God.

It was intriguing... when the death is near, what will I think I wanted to do but I didn't? What will I regret? What will I think I did well? Maybe these are the most important things in my life.

1Q84 was on the best sellers list, No. 2. Book 2 was on the 8th place. I tried to find the page I stopped reading in Gwang-ju and it was page 460.

From that page, the story begins to get some violence involved. If I had read further, I must have lost all my interest in the book! I read the rest of the book 1 anyway.

*the original purpose of my going to Kyobo Bookstore; selecting topics for my report

holiday*

2010-02-23T00:28:00.004+09:00

Didn't go to work! It has been a while... I didn't have any vacation during this winter. The first holidays this year!!!

Went to Bennigans to have a long lunch. Bennigans Seohyun is just the right place to have lunch because it is never too crowded and the music is just not too loud. They pay enough attention to the music they are playing in the restaurant. Food has been never disappointing.

potato soup

bread and tomato ade

potato and shrimp

bacon mushroom carbonara spaghetti

colorful straws!

coffee

a missed call at 2:22 on Feb 22

a perfect dessert: Moonlight Cookies!

Sunday

2010-02-22T12:11:00.001+09:00

Leaving home

At Dogok Station

Samsung Station

A glass of sparkling wine and a piece of pecan pie

Walk to the park

2010-02-22T12:04:00.001+09:00

On Saturday (Feb 20). Beautiful warm weather. Felt like Spring has come already.

Playing Yoot-nori (윷놀이)

Half frozen little pond. Watching the pond always makes me feel relaxed... I am so thankful for this park nearby. I love living in Bundang and the biggest reason is there are so many parks near.

reunion

2010-02-20T15:10:00.001+09:00

Young-shik & Dong-wook

They used to be my favorite boys in my class. :)

Dongwook, Kyounghee, Youngshik together in front of VIPS Dogok.

I met them when they were in the first year in middle school. They are now in their third year in high school!!! Time flies! They are still so CUTE to me!

After the dreadful meeting at school, we went to Phomein (Gangnam Station Exit. 7) to have some rice noodles. This seafood fried spicy noodles are my favorite, but I think I will order different one next time.

Then went to La Foret (near Jump Milano in Gangnam) to have some tea. Milk tea here is quite excellent.

I liked the warm terrace.

I liked the inside too.

awards ceremony

2010-02-20T14:59:00.000+09:00

Awards Ceremony on February 18th at SETI

She was the supervisor for English teacher trainees, a kind one. :)

Gwang-ju 2

2010-02-18T10:58:00.002+09:00

The second day.. I got up earlier than usual and took a shower. We bought two tickets to the movie Avatar (which I had seen already) in the early morning. We hurriedly left home for the movie. When the movie was over, it was 12:30pm, time for lunch.

We had lunch at a Sushi place in Shinsegye Department Store. I love sushi. I love it when I am not too hungry but want to have something fresh and yummy.

Bokee left after lunch and I had some time alone at this U-Square. I went around inside to U-Terrace and to coffee shops and to some resting places.

At around four, I finally settled in Youngpoong Bookstore and started to read 1Q84. That's when Moon texted me and told me to have dinner with him and I said OK. But he arrived late and I was kind of upset.

We didn't have a lot of time so we went to TGIF and ordered the things on the first page of the menu (and Asahi)! Fortunately (for him), the food was great and I emptied the beer bottle. Thanks to the beer, I was able to sleep so well on the way home for the three hours. It was snowing a lot when I got home.

Gwang-ju 1

2010-02-18T10:42:00.002+09:00

Shinsegye Department

The first impression of Gwang-ju was totally different from what I had expected. In my memory, Gwang-ju was a quiet and peaceful city with few tall buildings and cars. I even was worried that I would not be able to find any decent store to buy some gifts for my friend I would be visiting. On the contrary, Gwang-ju bus terminal had everything in it. Department store, E-Mart, Youngpoong bookstore, CGV (& IMAX), coffee shops, family restaurants, etc. I was so surprised. I thought I would be able to spend two days only in there.

I had lunch and tea with Gwang-il who was staying home for the New Year's and then met Bokee.

She had a meeting at her school (Gwang-ju Girls' High School) so I was walking around in the school for a short while.

The weather was beautiful and the clouds!

After spending some time at her home, we went out for dinner and met another friend of hers. His name is Moon! After dinner we went for a drive and dropped by this pretty tea house near Sosoiwon (소쇄원).

Will it be prettier in daylight?

Viewpoint at Mt. Moodeung (무등산 전망대)

We had coffee and talked about 3 hours and headed home. He took me to this viewpoint which I liked very much. The night air was cold and it was late that I was feeling tired though. Came home and went to bed at midnight.

new year party

2010-02-15T20:14:00.008+09:00

Gorgonzola Pizza from Mad for Garlic

& Dubois (Sparkling wine) from VIPS

yum~ not too sweet, not too bitter.

just perfectly fit for tonight

Stayed in bed until noon, took some rest.

Regained appetite and I'm eating so well these days.

Just would like to have some delicious beer.

Gwang-ju on 16 & 17th, Ceremony [and lunch and dinner] on 18th, School meeting on 19th.. busy again.. will go to bed in 5 mins.. will have 9 hours sleep and then 3 more on the bus to Gwang-ju

happy new year

2010-02-14T14:41:00.002+09:00

Korean New Year's Day & also Valentine's Day

Mad for Garlic Seohyun branch- the impressive garlic lamp on the ceiling

I love the wine bottles on the wall

so lovely garlic lamp stand

the kitchen

Sauteed Mussel with tomato sauce

Gorgonzola Pizza w/ honey

Garlicpeno Pasta

The food here is so fit for Koreans. Nothing too greasy, but spicy and sweet. I do not care for Italian food, but this is an exception. The only thing is that it's a little expensive, but the quality is satisfactory. They never got me disappointed. Planning to visit here again soon!

some GREAT news

2010-02-13T13:38:00.005+09:00

I finally got the report card from SETI; here is the fruit of my effort and time for the last one month.

I was aiming for 99, but they gave me better grades. I came in the 1st place. *wow*

Rosie, Seongeun, June, Me, and Olive

Actually, Rosie and June also came in the highest 5% (8 people out of 160) and will come to the ceremony with me on 18th!

My group really rocks!

Friday Feb 12

2010-02-13T13:36:00.002+09:00

VIPS again! Two days straight.

Grilled Ribeye Steak

Yum Stone Tenderoin Steak

Dubois Sparkling wine :) for the New Year's Day

*the bill*

The same color code with VIPS? The doctor was such a sweet guy.

One Thursday: Feb 11

2010-02-12T20:56:00.003+09:00

3 PM: Apgujeong Post Office (압구정 우편취급국)

What I sent to Grandma :) Happy New Year's Card, Pink Teddy Bear that I made, and socks in a lovely pink Korean traditional pocket. Hope she will like them!!

4 PM: Cafe NESCAFE near exit no.4

7 PM: What K had: Gyudon SET

What I had: Onigiri SET

8 PM: Hisasiburini Tango Seduction

J.ESTINA

2010-02-12T20:47:00.001+09:00

"thank you"

*that made me a perfect valentine*

concert

2010-02-10T19:47:00.005+09:00

Ah, I'd like to go here. Friday, Feb 26 @ seongnam art center

The thing is, will I be here in Bundang on that day?!

->I went ahead and bought the ticket. Looking forward to it already!

Philharmonisches Kammerorchester Berlin
* Bella Bartok
Divertimento for Strings
* Antinio Vivaldi
Violin Concerto "Four Seasons"
No. 2, g minor, "Summer"
No. 4, f minor "Winter"
Violinist / Kwon Hyun-Su
- intermission -
* Astor Piazzola
Four Seasons " Spring" & "Autumn"
* Sergey Vassilievitch Rachmaninoff
Piano Concerto No. 2, c minor, Op.18
Moderato
Adagio sostenuto
Allegro scherzando
Pianist / Kim Mi-Kyung

raining

2010-02-09T20:18:00.001+09:00

it's raining, not snowing;
went to school. it was not too bad.
i survived. only two more days to go, oh no, three.
so many kids who like me; thank you.

One of my favorite sweets brand, HANS (;they are super sweet!)

sweetie world!

Feel like sleeping for another eight or nine hours.
I need to go to bed in an hour.
Love the sound of the rain...

sleep

2010-02-08T14:33:00.000+09:00

*
*
Called in sick.
Went to bed at around 4 pm yesterday; didn't wake up once till this morning.
Finally got up at around 8 am. 16 HOURS of SLEEP!
I was planning on 20 hours though.

*

this week

2010-02-07T15:02:00.001+09:00

the last day at SETI

Feb 1: Group Presentation / the unforgettable PowerPoint Slides...
Feb 2: Closing Ceremony, Mad for Garlic, Gumi

photo zone(?) at 괴산휴게소

Feb 3: Gumi, Juleno's at Yatap on the way back

Feb 4: Back to school.

romantic sky

Feb 5: School Began. Apgujeong. Get-together. Momchoi & Angel-in-us, Tango shoes
Feb 6: School. Lunch meeting, Avatar at Cinus, Chicken, Milk tea @ Cuppa Cuppa, Beer @ Barbarosa

Avaira contact gel lenses

Feb 7: TEPS!!!(The bus broke down on the way, had to run looking for a taxi, then had to run again to be in the classroom at the last minute; what a hassle!), Vege Poridge, RGB lenses...

I've been living quite a busy life recently.
Haven't had enough sleep since the beginning of this year...
Need a lot of sleep, rest, energy, and love.

Apgujeong

2010-02-06T22:33:00.000+09:00

*Get-together on Friday (Feb 5)*

Dinner @ Momchoi

Curry

Omurice

Cafe Latte / Hot chocolate / Red Orange (mine) / Green tea

@ Angel-in-us

K, Chan, Gune, and me

lovely time

love you all

avatar

2010-02-06T22:28:00.003+09:00

Watched Avatar (3D) at Seohyeon Cinus G. Not too excited, not too disappointed.

Chan was right when he said the movie's like a mixture of Laputa & Mononoke hime.

Mad for Garlic;; one of my favorite!

Sauteed Fresh Mussel w/ tomato sauce

Garlic Snowing Pizza

Crab and Lobster Pasta

Garlicpeno Pasta

Garlicholic Rice

Cuppa Cuppa ; one of my favorite, too!

Milk Tea was GREAT! Loved it to the last drop!

sooyeon

2010-02-03T22:45:00.004+09:00

*back*

*left*

*right*

*front*

Went down to Gumi as soon as the closing ceremony was over.

Had a lovely time with Sooyeon~*

She gave me a lot of xoxoxo. :)

Gumi is always so peaceful... second home to me.

Wanted to stay there longer, but have to go to school tomorrow.

Last

2010-01-31T20:05:00.001+09:00

*
*
The last day of January... already?
Spent all day making the PowerPoint slides for tomorrow's presentation*
It was a great opportunity for me to learn all about PowerPoint slides...

Tomorrow is the presentation,
The day after tomorrow is the closing ceremony.

?!#$%

2010-01-30T20:04:00.000+09:00

Called in sick...
I never wanted to do that though.
Sick in bed till afternoon...
Feeling a little better now (7:52pm); but not too good.
Have to start grading the last 175 students...
Bought a new diary; a new start?!

Busy

2010-01-29T22:06:00.000+09:00

\
Yesterday: Finals & grading 100 students
Today: Completed and Submitted group reports & grading 100 students
Tomorrow: Supervise interviewees from 7:50 AM & grading 200 students
The day after Tomorrow: Submit PowerPoint slides & grading 200 students

I should become a Wonder Woman to be able to do all these!

sunset

2010-01-26T18:50:00.002+09:00

on the way home from seti

just so pretty; beyond description

i love sunset

Jungle Onion's Diary

Spring

busy days

A new school year!

Short Break

February!

a week in jeju

A mother of two babies

Three-day Writing Classes

second weekend of this year

online writing class

lecture

Already?

Starting a New Year

happy while tired

two weeks have passed

new semester began

to use iPhone 3GS

iPhone 3GS!

Mr Lim playing piano

A walk in the evening

Eat, eat, eat, ...

Gogi-ri mountain stream?

Ddokbokki

Field trip: Day 2

Field trip: Day 1

Summer vacation resolution

Soyang-gang-dam

Insa-dong 2: Starbucks

Insa-dong 1

little xian

late night meet-up

Third week of June

Second week of June

First week of June

A walk to Tancheon

Goldfish

Gortz Bar

Seoul Tower

Tancheon

Yangjae-cheon

clouds and flowers

pansy

spring

Market O

Diodia

Date

What makes me happy

Spring

snow!

gamoo

꽃메마을 (Flower Village?)

re-white day

in the classroom

things i do in the morning

sugar

subway

white day gift

music

white day

souvenirs from Osaka

Saturday

thursday

*snow*

on the way home

way to school

Dad

work work

work

D-day

sakura

Saturday

brunch @BRCD

Daechon 2

Daechon 1

Spring!

books

holiday*

Sunday

Walk to the park

snow