Yippie, my birthday week officially started yesterday. Haha, I like to give myself a week of birthday treats instead of just a day. Yes, I am full of excuses to pamper myself, but why not. I got some good deals:)

Side rant: On Friday I went to Times Square to meet some friends for dinner, and as I was walking through I suddenly tripped flat on my butt, boy did it hurt. It was so embarrasing because all the people around me just gawked and stared but not a single person came to my aid to help me pick up my things or ask if I was okay. Seriously, that is one thing I don't like here, is that people just ignore unpleasant situations. I've seen grandma's fall and no one does anything, but I'll help them up. I mean it's the decent, and human thing to do, but that kind of thinking doesn't flow there. That was my mortifying moment on Friday, and boy did those times hurt. I guess it was slippery there because one minute I was up, and the next I was down split style. Only, I can't do the splits so it was awkward and painful.

Besides that my weekend was good. Meeting up with friends, watching Vampire Diaries, planning for Japan, finding a really yummy restaurant in Ewha, and ending things with some BBQ last night. Good times with good people. Every Sunday night, I dread Monday. I just want to stay on vacation for the rest of my life, is that too much to ask for? I had a really bad headache last night, but I slept very well, so I feel very relaxed and peaceful. Like when you take anesthesia and you are just really calm. I've been tired since I got back to Seoul, but I think my body is readjusted to being back. We'll see what happens after Tokyo.

I'm feeling good this morning. I found out I have school next Monday, lame. It seems my friends have that day off, but I only have from Tuesday till Friday + the weekend off. I'm excited for Tokyo, and I get to test out my new camera while I'm there. Birthday + Tokyo = Funtastic:)!!!

I hope this week breezes by. Wishing you all a fabulous Monday/week!!!

My favorite song off To Anyone by 2NE1


Be blessed,
~Lola O.~

My morning started great. Left my apartment at 8:10 AM to find that the wind was blowing all around me. A nice way to start my morning. Wind=less/no sweating. I got to my school area around 8:20 AM and I decided to stop by Tous Les Jours for a blueberry bagel (yummy) for breakfast. I picked out my bagel, some strawberry bread thing, and a milk. I had noticed this woman with quite a few sandwiches. We get up to the counter and the cashier is ringing her order up. After the cashier already rang it up and the lady paid, she started saying something about a 25% discount. She should have asked about it before it happened, she made the cashier ring the order over, and in the end the discount card didn't work, and then she started moaning about it. I was really annoyed because this lady made me wait 10 minutes before I could be rung up. Which made me get to school ten minutes later ie 8:40. I'm supposed to be at school at 8:40 but I always try to get there by 8:30, and no later than 8:35 because on time is late at my school. Seriously, I'm  the only person walking up the hill, and the principal is out there, and I feel like I'm going to be reprimanded. So to save myself from the feeling I try to get there early, but because of this adjumma and her non-existant 25% discount my morning took a bad turn.

As I walked up the hill to my school, I thought to myself today is a day I really could use a ride to school. There is this one teacher who gives rides to other teachers when she sees them walking, but she never gives me one. Well today, that teacher passed right by me and kept going as I walked up the hill. I'd usually ignore it, but today it kind of pissed me off. I mean it's not like I'm going to eat up her gas if she stops and lets me hitch a ride with her the 2 minutes it would take driving vs the 7 minutes it would take walking. Whatever!!!

I finally get to school, and one of the crosswalk guys starts saying something to me in Korean, but I didn't really understand what he was saying. I think it was along the lines of taking a different way to school, but who really knows. I go up to my classroom to find a box by my desk area. My co-teacher told me it was from the teacher who retired last week. It totally cheered me up, because inside was a lavender soap, and some all natural chapstick. More importantly, I've never said two words to this teacher before her retirement party and it made me feel all warm inside to be given a gift like all the other teachers. I also got a new name tag that has my name engraved in it, instead of just some typed piece of paper shoved into a name tag holder. My day is looking up. I love not having a class first period. It gives me time to get back into the groove of things and plan my week out.

This weekend I was a lazy bum when I wasn't doing my mom's Statistics homework and her take home test part. Seriously, my MOM's homework. I hate statistics, but I tried my best to help her out so hopefully she gets a good grade on it. I went out with my Korean tutor/friend on Saturday to the Express Bus terminal for what else but shopping. I still think Yeongdongpo/Times Square is better. After, we went to Banpo Park so we could see the Han River light show. It was a really nice day/night. I love being around water, listening to it ripple is very soothing and peaceful. It wasn't too coupledom until the light show started and cheesy love songs started to play. All the couples started moving closer to the water, and taking photos. Yeah, not feeling that, we started walking around the park. People were riding bikes, playing basketball, eating and drinking, and of course making out in dark corners.

I'm defnitely going to go there again. I want to also go to the various cafes that are along the Han River bridges. I would have take pictures, but the new camera I ordered hasn't arrivd yet. I got the Samsung ES25 from GMarket. I needed something that wasn't too expensive because I need to save up for Japan and other mini-trips I want to take over the next few months. I spend a good chunk of Sunday skyping with my friends from back home (Go DABA and sometimes BANDA) hehe :P!!! Those 4 hours of bantering back and forth were really wonderful for me. I love my friends, and am so thankful for the ones I have here and back home. They keep me grounded, while letting me fly off into my own world sometimes. It was great, because we always laugh when we are together whether in the real world or the cyber world. I love people who make me laugh, and they always do. My other Faith hasn't arrived yet. She's taking her time coming into our world, and I am super excited to catch a glimpse of her when she does. It's weird sometimes having two of my closest friends who are like sisters to me married and with kids. Our lives are completely different right now, and I worry that we'll drift apart, but I won't let that happen. They'll never be able to get rid of me:)

I'm already ready for this week to be over, so that my birthday week can arrive. I'm not sure what I'm going to do for my birthday, but I want to spend it with my friends. I'm going to do something nice for myself each day of next week; see a movie, go shopping, eat delicious foods....whatever comes to mind. Just small things that make me feel happy.

Right now I'm in the 7-8 month part of my time here. Time seems to be picking up speed and the days slip into each other silently. I'm busy, but I'm enjoying myself. I'm trying to spend more time exploring more of Seoul. This place feels like my home for now, and I see myself her for another year. I'm not ready to go back to the states, but who knows what the next four months will hold.

Alrighty, I hope your Monday goes by flawlessly and with bits of laughter in there. Have a great day everyone. Here's to a speedy week!

Be blessed,
~Lola O.~

The weather is so depressing today. I usually like gloomy days, but since I have to deskwarm all day I'm not really digging the weather. There is only like 4 people in the building. I'm hoping that they'll let me go home early, but I kind of doubt that. I'm going to use the day to print stuff about my trip to HK and Jeju, and try to study my Korean. I'm really tired though, but in a good way.

I went out with some friends for some BBQ yesterday, and met some friends of friends, and we ended up at a bar named Mike's Cabin, which was a pretty chill place to hang out on a Sunday night. We talked, laughed, played some foosball, and watched some guys playing poker. I have no idea how to play poker, but it seems kind of boring. Just another guy thing I don't understand. We stayed out till a little after midnight, and then a friend and I caught a taxi home.

Since life is never a dull moment, we almost got into a car acciddent with another taxi. The other driver was at fault, and complete moron who doesn't understand what a lane is. He almost slammed into the side of our taxi, thank goodness our driver screeched to a halt and kept us from a early morning trip to the ER. When I though we were going to get hit, I just saw it playing out in slow motion, and I thought to myself great, just freaking great, sorry mom. Then I heard the tires screeching and the other taxi kept going, and I realized we were safe, and then I began to laugh with my friend because that's the thing about life. It changes from instant to instant, and it can go from good to great, great to bad in 60 seconds or less.

We made it home safetly, and I entered my place to see that I had left the A/C on, and I was just like screw it, whatever, and passed on my bed a little after 1. I left a light on because I was worried about not waking up in time to get to school by 8:40. I was so tired when I woke up this morning, and I am still tired but it is a good kind of tired. I had a good time, I laughed, I enjoyed myself, and since today is only deskwarming it was worth it.

I've got to deskwarm tomorrow and then camp starts back up on Wednesday. I'll worry about camp tomorrow night after my tutoring session which I need to study for. I'm tired, but I feel lighter, and I'm smiling. I'm coming back to the world of the living, and I'm starting to get excited about my vacation which I just realized begins next Friday. So soon!!! I'm ready for more adventures, and just some time away from the life here that has become my norm. My friend was saying I look tired, and I said I feel tired, she said I must be burnt out, and she's right. I need a change of place, to breathe air in another place, and just get away for a it, and gain some clarity. I've got 8 days in Hong Kong, 5 days in Jeju to relax. I also got tickets to the Incheon Wave Festival, which is the day before school starts back up and I am so excited for it. I'm making dreams come true in my own way.

Tomorrow, Taeyang's Solar Concert tickets go on sale and I am crossing my fingers I can get my hands on a VIP ticket. It will be an early 23rd b-day present to myself:). When else am I going to get a chance to see Taeyang hold a concert? I really hope that it doesn't get sold out. He's doing 2 concerts, so I hope that helps my chances of getting VIP, or at least getting a ticket. Crossing my fingers, and hoping for the best!!!

Today is the perfect day for reading a book at home curled up on my sofa, but alas I am here at school wasting away.

Be blessed,
~Lola O.~

I've spent my life dreading Mondays. I just hate waking up on a Monday morning knowing I have five days to go till my weekend arrives. It would be less dreadful if I didn't have to get up till noon. I've also spent my life a non-morning person. I don't function at full capacity in the early hours of the day. I'm more of a night person.

Haha...aside from that little tidbit this Monday is looking up since three of my classes are canceled due to my 6th graders having their English final exams. So now I only have to teach one 3rd grade class, and my 2 afterschool classes. Do I dare say that this Monday is looking like a good one. I tend not to get my hopes up with canceled classes because sometimes it ends up not being true. I'm hoping this is legit.

I'm feeling a lot better. I was able to reach home yesterday and found out my grandma had been released from the hospital. She is still recovering, but I'm glad she is able to do it at home. I always smile when I talk to my mom on the phone. I love that she knows it is me calling, and calls my name excitedly when she answers the phone. It's a simple moment of love between us, and I'm thankful for it. I tend to start my Sunday with a call home, and it really perks me up. It's not even what is said in conversation, but just hearing the voices of the people I love fills me up inside. I'm glad everything is calming down back home, which has helped me calm down and shake myself out of the funk I was in last week.

On Friday, I went to see SATC 2 and had dinner with my co-teacher. If you are a fan of the show then you have to see the movie, but for me it felt like they tried too hard. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. Dinner was interesting, because I got to learn a bit more about my co-teacher. We talked about dreams, the ones we'd had for ourselves when we were younger and whether we reached them or not. It was cool getting to know her a bit more. On Saturday, I met up with two friends and we went to Insadong, and then later I went to dinner at Yum Thai in Sinsa which was delicious. I ended the night walking around Gangnam with my friend and it was just a lovely day from start to finish.

I woke up Sunday morning, and laid in bed for a while thinking and praying. I had been feeling a bit shall I say conflicted for the past two weeks. Feeling like I was getting to caught up in things here, and not focusing on what I want. I laid there and thought about why I came here, what I want and don't want while I'm here, and so on. I thought about how life is like that. We are contantly losing and finding ourselves time and time again. We are constantly being tested to see whether we will sink or swim. I was reading a fellow blogger's entry and it kind of just pulled me back to earth, and woke me up from my funk. Life is full of bad days and good days. I don't want to let the bad ones overshadow or belittle the good ones. I don't want to give into negativity or gloominess. That's not the life I want anywhere in this world. Stuff happens, that doesn't mean I have to crumble in a heap and give into it. No I have to be stronger, put some bandages on and get back up again.

My mind doesn't feel fuzzy anymore. I feel clear and tranquil, and I know I have things inside and outside of me that will make me stumble, but even when I trip, even when I fall, I'm not going to give in. I came here knowing that my comfort zone would be non-existant, but that's the point. I want to see how much I can take, how far I can go, what I can overcome, and in the process learn, create, and discover more of myself, bit by bit, day by day.

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves, or be reminded by others why we are here. Why this is the choice we made.

Have a fabulous week:)

Title Song...


Be blessed,
~Lola O.~

Today is the first day of another week. Lately, I've been dreading Mondays for several reasons. First, it means my weekend has come to an end. Like Cinderella, when the clock stricks twelve I realize that the real world has begun to intrude on my dream world. Second, Monday is my worst day of the week. I have 3 classes of 6th grade, 1 class of 3rd grade, and 2 afterschool classes. All back to back, and after I have to lesson plan for the next day, and then there is the teacher's meeting. Monday is my busy day, and by the time I get home I am exhausted, and ready for naptime.

These days time seems to be moving faster, and days slip into one another. For some reason, I couldn't fall asleep last night. I went to bed around 11PM and by 1PM I was still wide awake. I finally fell asleep but it was restless and I woke up around 6AM unable to fall back asleep. So today, I am really tired, and that doesn't help when I have a busy day. At first I felt fine, but as the day went on, and the kids became really noisy to the point of giving me a headache, I realized how tired I really was. What was kind of funny was how hungry I was at lunch today. I didn't notice just how hungry I was until I started eating and for the next 15 minutes my focus was on shoveling food into my mouth. I even got seconds. Now, I'm really sleepy. The nice thing is that my 3rd grade co-teacher is doing a review so she said she doesn't need my help. Yippie!!!

I think it's the combination of lack of sleep, noisy kids, and humidity that is making me feel a little out of balance today. Truthfully, I've been feeling out of balance for the past week. I have so many things I want/need to do like planning my trip to Tokyo and Jeju over summer break. I know I don't need to figure it all right now, but I don't have the energy to start researching it just yet. I'm a very I have to be in the mood to do something kind of person. Also, my school has me doing English camp and afterschool classes at the same time, and they haven't told me anything about what I am doing for the camp, what grades I am teaching, or anything useful. Camp starts in a little over a month, and I would like to have something ready for those 3 weeks. I'm crossing my fingers it won't be mixed grades because that just makes everything ten times harder.

This past Saturday some friends and I headed to Muuido Island for some sun and relaxation. It was exactly what I needed. I felt at peace there. It was so different from Seoul. It was quiet, slow, and the countryside was a feast for my eyes. We spent the day at Hanagae beach and just lounged around for the day, eating junk food, reading books, and talking. I took lots of photos, which will be in another post. It was nice to get out of Seoul, even the journey there was fun. We took the longer/scenic route from Incheon station. If you are in a time crunch (then go to Incheon Airport and take bus 222 or 306 to the ferry terminal). I just loved how quiet it was, no one was in a rush, and everyone was just relaxing. I'm definitely going to do more island hopping in the future. I think it makes a good overnight trip.

The weird thing was, when I woke up on Sunday I was completely wiped out. I was beyond tired, and it wasn't like I really did anything. It was like being jet lagged. I kept on napping throughout the day, but was still tired. I managed to do some laundry, and some grocery shopping. I had to force myself to get out of my apt but once I did I was glad. It was around 8:30 PM and the weather was lovely. As I walked to the Daiso I noticed this side street I had never seen before, making me realize once again how many places in my area I have yet to discover. I love walking around my area; it's great for photgraphy, and I can end up discovering a new restaurant, cafe, or... What I would really like to find is a nice park to relax in. When I was in college, I had this spot I would sit at on my bad days, or when I wanted some solitude to let my thoughts run around. I'm in need of a spot I can go to and do some drawing, writing, and thinking. I don't like cafes for that sort of thing. I always like being outside, under a tree, watching the world around me keep flowing on.

Okay, so about balance. In some ways I am finding mine and losing it at the same time. I feel more comfortable here. I like cooking and eating at home (it doesn't feel lonely anymore). At the same time I'm always doing something. I feel like why stay at home, and miss out on the fun. There's going to come a time though when I'm going to have to take a step back and do my own thing before I get burned out. I'm constantly on the go, and the lists of things to do just keeps piling up. My environment is always a reflection of my current state, hence the sink full of dishes I must wash when I get home today. Being a neat freak, I know that something is up when my apartment starts getting messy, it means my thoughts are messy, and life in general is starting to get messy.

All of this is probably why I couldn't sleep last night. My head felt fuzzy thinking about this and that. I'm realizing that I won't be able to do everything I want, so I should focus on the ones I want the most. So today, I was looking at my list of personal goals I made before coming to Seoul, and it made me smile. I've done a lot in a little over 3 months, and I will do even more in the nexy 9 months. So I am taking a deep breathe, and am going to do things at my own pace. The thing about finding my balance, is that I have to lose it once in a while.

On a lighter note, the sunny weather has been wonderful the past few days. It makes me miss Arizona, and makes me happy at the same time. I am hopefully going to get a weekly Korean tutor for free which would be awesome in learning more Korean (it's a volunteer program in Daerim). I've recovered from my tonsillitis, but now with summer here my allergies are acting up. I have enough money to pay of my credit card, but I might wait to pay it off completely depending on how much traveling over the summer is going to cost me. I'm getting back into reading. I bought Through The Painted Deserts, before I came to Korea, and  this weekend I finally opened it up. The story it close to my heart because it's about leaving home which is what I am doing.

Lastly, it feels like I am going through puberty all over again. I feel like our twenties are full of all these growing pains. It's a bittersweet kind of feeling. I'm excited to be doing/ to do the thing things I have talked about. Whether or not my friends can go with me, I am determined to go to Japan and Jeju. I'm realizing that sometimes you are going to have to do things on your own, there is a kind of freedom and empowerment from it. I feel like the clay and the sculptor.

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” -Thomas Merton-

  

“Women need real moments of solitude and self-reflection to balance out how much of ourselves we give away.” -Barbara De Angelis-

“There’s no secret to balance. You just have to feel the waves” -Frank Herbert-

“Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance.” -Brian Tracy-

Be Blessed,
~Lola O.~