En Corea, the Motherland

Third Day in Korea. 

So far I have gone to Hong Dae to shop and Edae to shop/sightsee. HongDae and Edae have lots to look at and shop for because it's near Colleges. HongDae and Edae are actually universities; Edae is a women's university. Today, we just went to Home Plus and grocery shopped. All the girls later decided to leave us, so Jackie and I went to the food corner of the market and ate fish cakes on a stick, Shikae (Korean rice drink), noodles, and soondae (blood vessels filled with rice and noodles). Then we tried to haul a taxi down, but none were stopping for us. So we walked a bit and some taxi just stopped for us. We were dying; the grocery was so heavy especially because we bought a small bag of rice and laundry detergent. 

I like it here so far. I'm not really used to the stares that everyone gives us, but I'm sure I'll get over it. The older people here are so cute. They think we're models or foreign celebrities when we speak in English. I'm obviously not skinny enough to be a model OR a celebrity, so it's so cute when they ask us. ANYWAYS. The first day we got here, Jackie and I got jipped. The taxi driver made me pay him 6,000 won when it was 4,500 won. 

Tomorrow, I plan to meet up my 2nd cousin, Hyun Jung Unnie or aka Katelyn. She's coming at around 11am to pick me up and we're gonna have some lunch or brunch. She's so nice and speaks English well--that's what I need right now.

AhnYoung!

Review: This Past Week

I haven't blogged in a while because my internet at home sucks ass. I'm actually stealing it from my neighbor because we don't have internet at home. That's because no ones ever home to use the internet anymore. Anyways, I'm leaving on Tuesday! I can't wait, but I'm really really not looking forward to the long flight there, especially on economy. I'm also worried about safety issues. I hear that it's getting really bad there with the rape, drugs and scam. There's the Swine Flu and you can't forget about the supposed bombing by the North Koreans. I'm not too worried because no ones going to talk to me or attack me because I look Chinese. LOL. go communism! (jk..i really didn't mean that). Such a bad year to go, but we'll be fine. My roommates Christine, and Jackie are going too, plus Joy. So we'll be fine; we just need to watch out for each other. AHHH! So excited. 

Today is Father's Day! I haven't prepared anything for him, but I'm pretty sure he's expecting something. My mom usually pitches in for his present; she actually pitches in for 99% of the present. But I think she thinks we have money this year. I'll just get him a sweater or something. He's trying to dress young these days so he really likes it when I buy him clothes. He thinks whatever I buy him is so stylish and young. It seems like we're going to have dinner at home. It's a seafood dinner with coconut drinks in real coconuts and with fried coconut shrimp. Our family really likes coconuts, as you can tell. I should make pina coladas too!

I have to pick up my crap from my uncle's house in Costa Mesa. I'm so lazy to go. Plus I have to go recycle the cans and bottles that we have accumulated at Norte. My mom wanted to go and recycle that yesterday, but I  insisted that we didn't because there's a long line on the weekends. Of course that was an excuse, because there's vodka and beer bottles in there from when the girls drank. Close call. 

Last week I went out to work at my parent's store. I literally just sat there for 8 hours and made Excel spreadsheets for my mom and made a blog for the store so that the customers can look at the new styles before they all start calling us at once. I did a lot and actually felt productive for once. I was going to take breaks and post a blog, but my dad was right next to me working, so I couldn't. Boo. 

However, after a long day at work, I rewarded myself to clubbing with the girls. It was

Hannah's first time clubbing, and I had to see this happen. Hannah can never play with us because she's always so busy with family. She's the oldest and her mom's always sick, so 

takes care of everyone. It was a new club in Hollywood but it was only 3/4 packed; the club was whack because they were too strict and not a lot of people were there, but the venue was

nice, especially the bathrooms. The stalls were so cooooool. You can see out of the stalls, but people can't see in the stalls. Some cool stuff there. Anywhoos, it was fun just because I got to chill with my girls :)                        

                                                  

PLUS. I got a new dog! He's a Golden Retriever and only seven months old, but he's HUGE! His name is Happy and his Korean name is Jumbangee because he has a patch of white fur on his chest. He cries every night because he's home sick. So sad. And yesterday, my dad woke me up in the middle of the night to tell me that the dog has spasms. Kkotneem doesn't like Happy that much. She barks at him all the time, and Happy barks back once in a while, but both don't normally bark. Kkotneem is socially awkward, so she only barks at other animals and when she hears the doorbell. Once, she even barked my miniature rabbit to death.

Count Your Blessings

Everyone is blessed in one way or another--some more, some less, and in different ways. We tend to forget all that God has given us and blessed us with. I feel really blessed, and I am! He has really helped to mend our family and bring us closer into this crazy knot. I used to think our family ties were just hopeless, but everything has changed for the better. Every time I think about how much he has blessed us, it makes me want to tear up. I know I'm a big cry baby, but it's just so emotionally refreshing to think that God is always by our side. 

I've always known that everything happens for a reason, but I recently realized that everything really happens for a reason. My brother had a personal issue that came up recently. With everything up in his face, he couldn't think properly. So he called the people in his life that he knew would care the most. The shocking part is that he called our dad for advice. My brother and my dad always had tension between them as my brother started 'growing up.' So for my brother to call my dad was a big deal. However, despite the tension, my brother and my dad have gotten closer through this ordeal. I honestly thought the tension would last a good 10 years. It's seriously tear-dropping; it's amazing how God can turn something bad into something much more rewarding and worthwhile.

He has blessed us with so much, but sometimes I forget of God's presence and it just so happens that those are the times I struggle the most. I definitely need more God time.

 

EVERYBODY COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!

When will this be over?

I'm still in finals week. I'm trying to manage my time better, but that's not going so well. I slept at 7am last night and woke up at 3:30pm. At least I won't be tired. Now I have to study for Math 4. The test is on Thursday at 10:30 in the morning, so I have to start studying NOW. This quarter I did horribly on my midterms for almost all of my classes. I even got a C+ on my Arts midterm. That's pretty bad considering that Art comes naturally for me because I actually enjoy it. But now I have to try to redeem myself and get A's on my finals. I can't handle the pressure! Even though this quarter I should be more worried and stressed out about finals since it determines my borderline grades, I'm actually more chill and less worried than I was for finals last quarter. I think I over stressed for last quarter finals. I stressed so much that I had a daily headache at around 12-1 pm for two weeks and Advil didn't even work. Weird. It was like timed headaches. I'm glad I'm more laid back for finals this quarter. 

Korea News. I'm so excited for Korea! I haven't been there since 4th grade and I remember the visit to be fun. But this time I'm going with friends so it'll be super fun. I want to go shopping everyday. I plan on not taking so much clothing so that I can bring back so much more. I wanted to visit some relatives while I was there, but I don't think things are going to work out. I have very little cousins in Korea, and those cousins aren't even my first cousins. They're my second cousins and I think they are actually coming to California while I'm in Korea. So much for trying to reconnect with family. 

MOVING OUT. I'm moving out of norte! I'm starting to pack small things like the clothes I don't need all summer. I have so much stuff that I don't think I can fit everything into my car in one trip. Whenever we go grocery shopping and come back to the apartment, Jackie always says, "It's all about one trip." She means we should do everything to get the groceries back home in 'one trip.' I should try to get my stuff home in 'one trip' too.  

I really have to study...I'm procrastinating like crazy. Wish me good luck.

A day before 100B Finals

Last night I slept at 9am and woke up today at 3:30pm. I feel like the whole day just passed me by. I have a final at 10:30am tomorrow and I've been studying for this test for a week and a half now. I feel like I'm prepared, but I'm a bad test taker so we'll see how this turns out. I just hope that I don't get nervous during the test and start doubting myself. That tends to happen all the time. It's so unfair that some are so lucky with tests and are good guessers and some are so bad. The world sets a general standard for all of us when we, as individuals, are completely different from each other. And this goes for many other things in life. 

I desperately need to lose weight. I gained 7-8 pounds in 8-9 months and that's so ridiculous considering that it took me a year of hard work to shed 9 pounds. My friend mentioned the GM diet to me, so I looked it up and it sounds sketchy but I want to have hope that it works. Esther really doubts the diet will work and wants to bet $50 to see if I can actually lose at least 10 pounds. She wants to plan out a strict nutritional diet for me for two months. Plus, she wants me to exercise 6 days a week. Isn't that a little too much? Too much for me to handle. Maybe 4 days a week max. 

As for my girls... They want to go on a trip to NYC during winter break. I researched prices for tickets and hotels and all other necessities and the trip is estimated to cost about $1200-1300 for 10 days. That's so much money. I don't know where I'm gonna get all of that. It's especially hard for me because I don't work. That means that I'll have to save up my allowance, but it's not steady allowance. I get random allowances and they're usually $20-40 dollars each time. So if I estimate, on average, $30 a week, It'll take me 40 weeks to save up $1,200. This is gonna be so hard. That means I can't spend on ANYTHING for 40 weeks, plus my allowance is not regular. There's no way I'm saving up that much by December. I just hope planning this trip isn't too hard. It's always challenging with more people going on the trip.

<3 cchoi, aka SeeChoi, aka ChrisSee, aka ChrisC, aka TinaC...you get the idea    

My First Blog

I'm so excited for my first blog. My roommates actually got me into it. When I say roommates, I mean Esther and Andrew, our fifth roommate. It's 6:08 a.m. and Andrew's looking through a site called asianposes.com. It's interesting because these people are so into the poses and no one can deny that they are actual "asian" poses. Go check it out! Esther and I are planning to post a series of pictures of us imitating these "asian" poses.

It's finals week. The last week of my Sophomore year of college! It feels like I just moved into Norte with the girls just yesterday. But it's been a year now and we're moving out on the 13th! Time really flies by. I want to savor every hour of my college life, just because I can never get them back, but time is going by way too fast for me. 28511 was the motel-house this year just because Andrew was always here watching tv or taking a nap with Esther Kwon, Esther Cho always slept over after her crazy study sessions and occasionally Jacklyn. Plus Jen Chung stayed with us last summer. Lots of memories and fun went down in this house and I'm not ready to leave it!! 

 I love this picture SO much. It's so candid and it would have been a PERFECT roommate picture if Christine was in it. But anyways, I still love it. LOVES it foshiz. The picture tells so much of our house and how much we have fun. We seriously have fun with anything. We gotta make more memories in the last week we stay at Norte. 

KOREA.KOREA.KOREA.

I'm going to Korea on the 24th! I'm going to study for 10 weeks or so, but I think I'm staying longer than that. I'm so excited! I can't wait to shop there and eat all the scrumptious food. Korean food is absolutely delish. I actually started this blog to update all my friends who are staying in the states for the summer. I'll keep you posted!