December where did you come from...

Christmas in Korea...

so, it is finally December and i have been in S Korea for over 4 months now. it seems like i have been here for so long. i must admit that i became really homesick around the last week of November. it could have been the holidays or it could have been just my moment of being over it all. i quickly got over the homesick phase. i emailed a message to one of my bffs. bholley and explained to him that i was over it and he quickly reminded me how lame i was and how i just needed to stick it out and to shut up and leave me alone and that he didn't want to hear it. and i figured it was best to just stay in a foreign country because if i were actually in America and if he had actually said that to me, i would have driven to Miami and beat him with a pair of 4 inch stilettos. but anyway, i am excited to say that i am still in s Korea and i am excited that there are Christmas decorations in my city. although i usually dread the holidays and all that it stands for but it is a little piece of home.

new do'

so, i got my hair cut last wkend while Milly (a Canadian) chick and i went to Seoul for the wkend. i wont get into all of that. but my hair chick did a really good job and i will definitely be back. my hair doctor Mr G would be pleased with my cut. back in the states i got my hair cut and often did hair shows for my doctor (my hair guy, i call him a doctor because he works it out all over my head). i think when i return back home, he will be pleased with what i return with.

speaking of...

so, like i said i was in seoul last wkend and i will be returning next week. this time around it wont be for fun nor will it be for pleasure. i really love seoul and i love being there. but this time around it will be a forced trip kind of like a business meeting. and the only part that really sucks about it is that i HAVE to attend. and i just dread absolutely dread doing anything mandatory. mandatory and i don't work well together. in fact i will do the complete opposite of what i have to do. but in this instance i am going to forget that i don't want to be there and forget that most of the people are lame and immature and i will have a good time. whether i want to or not. i'll just tell myself that if i think bad things that bad things will happen and i plan on having fun and forgetting that i am forced to be there. i really shouldn't say that. considering that i have people from my fbook page that will also be at this meeting. and for anyone who is actually attending this meeting with me and anyone who actually reads this. i'm sorry. it's not you it's me and please don't take it personal. i have come to realize that facebook is taken way too seriously and someone could possibly think i was directing this to them. and i don't wanna create any animosity.

other than that...

not too much is going on. work is going great. i look good and i feel good most of the time. i am in positive spirits. i love the city i live in. i love my hair. i love my makeup. and i love the new shoes that i just bought the other day. and i must say that i need a new pair of shoes like i need a hole in my head. about that whole diet thing that i mentioned during the last blog. well, i haven't really actually buckled down and really done it like i should. i have cut back a little. a very little. but i will be getting serious. once i return back from this seoul trip. okay not this trip because i will be back the following wkend. how about i just say that i will buckle down come the first of the year. i have decided to use bholley's fashion photographer when i return back to the states. i really want to do a cool classic 40's pin up photo shoot, and i am envisioning my self with halter short dresses and a polka dot bikini and i can't pull that off right now, so i have work to do so that when i return i can have a fabulous photos shoot. and i am excited. i have even decided to get with a new friend here and begin salsa dancing lessons and going to yoga with rachel (my neighbor) in the new year. in no time i will be back to my inner sexy self. i've seen the work of bholley's photographer and i don't say this often but i was impressed really impressed and i gotta get my sexy on.

almost forgot...

in my last blog i also mentioned that i have come across this fabulous website where you watch all of the new releases. and i love it. i can't stay off of it. in the past week i have seen about 13 movies or so. well, to be honest i had no choice but to watch movies. the week before last i was rearranging my apartment and disconnected my cable and was shit out of luck with watching tv for a good week (well until the cable man could come out) which by the way he did early monday morning to be exact. i was in mid shower during mid lather and i heard a knock at the door. and it was freezing in my apt. i had to quickly hose off and throw on the clothes on the dirty clothes pile and answer the door. shower cap and sudsy face and all. needless to say he fixed my cable and explained to me (to the best of his ability) that i had the cords all wrong. but that's neither here nor there. the bottom line is that i have my cable on. and i haven't turned on the tv since he came to fix it. i can't stay off of this movie site. and the fact that it is freezing outside makes me want to cuddle at home even more. and what better way than to watch movies and sip hot chocolate. (thank God for my aunt roz's care package)

alright so...

nothing else is going on. things are going really well and i have nothing to complain about. i am sure a lot of interesting things have happened since i last blogged. but i just can't seem to remember them all right now. i will definitely blog more often.

until next time...

Smooches.

Toss up Tuesday....

who licked the red off of your lollipop...

i woke up this morning in the worst mood ever. for me that is rare. i am a morning person and me waking up has NEVER been as issue. today, not so much. i was pissed off this morning and for no apparent reason. i got up this morning and got ready for work. i did the usual, i showered, painted my face and actually today i did not flat iron my hair. i pulled my hair back into a PONYTAIL. yup a ponytail. if i were back at home my hair would have been cut and styled by mr.g and never at a length to actually sport a pony tail. and i am kinda' liking the pulled back ponytail. this is like the 2nd time i have worn a ponytail here. now, next week i am suppose to have my hair cut and if i cut it i wont have the option of wearing a pony tail on the days i don't want to flat iron it. (okay, i have totally gotten off the subject - back to my day) i made a skype call to my mom. i explained to her that i was really annoyed and that i was sick of working and was ready to stop working and become the fabulous rich woman that i am meant to be. my mom's exact words were "who licked the red off of your lollipop this morning?" and then she asked "well are ya' home sick?" i then had no answers. and then i realized how insane i must have sound and before i realized it, it was time for me to gather my belongings and get to work. i'll figure out the rich part later.

getting it on...

when i finished my pep talk with my mom i had just enough time to gather my belongings and walk out the front door. i arrived to work and had a fabulous day! nothing else to mention about it. it was just a really good day.

lose my breath..

so, after work i headed home and had dinner and watched another movie. tonight i watched "The Proposal" and it was a really cute movie. after seeing the nude scene with sandra bullock in the bathroom and walking into the bedroom in search of a towel. i suddenly got the "urge" to get serious about my "body." i actually went to the dirty clothes hamper (why there? well, because all of my sweats were in there and i did not have time to do laundry and that is besides the point) i grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants. i rolled out my yoga mat (which i got yesterday) and i did aerobics exercise for about 3o mins. actually it was 46 mins but i deducted 16mins from the numerous times i had to all but give myself cpr. i am so outta' shape it's not even funny. so, since i plan to marry rich and be a kept woman i have literally 1 year and about 8 months to get it right and that is more than enough time.

okay...

so, after my half ass attempt to work out, i actually feel pretty good. i played beyonce's single ladies and lets just say i know that song burned atleast 400 calories. i played the actual video and did the dance moves. lets just say if i did that song and the dances to that song atleast 4 times a day i will be so super sexy in no time. well, that and cut out the pizza and cookies. which i have already done. im excited! i am almost so super jealous of myself. the old shayla is coming back! and i cant wait to see her again.

nothing else and nothing new...

my day was great, nothing too exciting and nothing fun. just another great day! it began a little rocky but it quickly smoothed out.

until next time...

Smooches!

Sunday November 15th

Yes, so it has been about 2 weeks since my last blog and I have clearly not been posting my blogs as often as I have stated the last few blogs.

Oh well, what can I do? Not a damn thing but post a blog today.

So, because I can never seem to remember anything more than 2 days out, I will only really blog about today and maybe even yesterday I won't get into the past couple of weeks because I simply just cant remember it. This is one of the reasons why I take so many pictures. So, if you want to know what has happened in the past two weeks check out my photos on my fbook page.

Alright, today I did absolutely nothing and that is exactly what I wanted to do. I stayed in my apartment the entire day. Well, I did open the door for the Delivery Guy. Which by the way I shouldn't have ordered anything considering that my midsection is quite chubby. But hell, I will just deal with that tomorrow.

So, what did I do all day long. Not a damn thing is what I did. I got up around noon. I did not Wash my face, I did not put on any clothes and I did not even attempt to open the curtains in my bedroom. I turned on my laptop and Skyped an old friend. We chit chatted for a little over an hour. And I realized that I really should keep in contact with some of the friends that I have met over the years. Now, I am not one to have a million and one friends. I have never been that way. But, it is good to have a few good friends. And from now on I think I will remind myself of that every so often. So we chit chatted for a few and had an "adult conversation." You know the type of conversation that you have with someone and they are just as interested in what you are doing as you are in what they are doing. A conversation where you are actually conversing. You are not listening to the other person talking on and on about their silly life and their silly problems. But an actual conversation where you are engaged with one another. I call that an "adult conversation." Now don't get me wrong, I have had that in S Korea. Surprisingly I have met good people that I could and would definitely keep in contact with when this traveling thing is all said and done. And those people I have established friendships with and others it's not that important to me and I simply just wont waste my time. So, my friend and I chatted for awhile and I then thought okay what next.

Well, then I got an email from a family friend asking how things were going here and was I ever going to return to a career in Fashion. And then I thought shit, now what. So, I spent the next 45 minutes thinking about my future. Oh lord! Yes my future. Should I stay and do this Korean thing. Should I pursue a Fashion Career here? Should I return back to my fabulous place in Florida or should I return to America and move to the Big Apple? I don't know. My mother and I just spoke about appearances the other day and when you work in the fashion industry. It is all an Image game. You have to look the part from head to toe. Its been awhile since I have worked in Fashion and or Photography. Since I have gained, lost and gained weight. So, then I realized if I truly want to return to that superficial world I gotta get my Sexy Back. And then I realized is that really that important to me anymore? And I have realized "Hell yea!" So what am I going to do. I gotta get serious! That's what I got to do. I have a little over a year to get right and get it back to shape. How in the hell am I going to do that? Well, cut backs will be a bitch but it better be worth it!

Then what... so after I had a heart to heart I remembered that I discovered a really cool Movie Website and decided to watch a movie. I turned on the "Hangover" and laughed hysterically! That was a hilarious movie.

Okay, so aside from that not a damn thing happened today and that is exactly how I liked it. My Mom has brought to my attention that I curse a lot. I told her no way, I am a lady and a classy lady doesn't curse like a damn sailor. Oops I guess I am not as classy as I thought. I guess I do curse a lot. Well, if I offend any damn body while they are reading my damn blog. That's too damn bad!!!

Okay so, nothing exciting, nothing fun just another good day!

Until next time,

Smooches

Long time no B-L-O-G

okay, so before i begin i must say that my intentions were good, really they were. i mentioned in the last blog that i would not be posting a blog once a week (too much info to try to recall in one sitting and that i would be doing it atleast twice a week). that didn't work out like i planned. but i think i am back on track and from here on out i will be posting a blog much more often than once a week.

i won't bore everyone to tears with the day by day and minute by minute details of the past 2 wks. i have been ill and i have been busy and it's too much to get into. so, i will start with today.

waking up shayla on tuesday's...

so, last night was quite chilly and for the life of me i can not seem to figure out how to work the digital floor heating unit in my korean apartment. it seems as easy as walking over to the thermostat and turning it on right? um yea okay. not so much. so much more complicated when the instructions are in korean. so needless to say i don't know how i slept so comfortably in my chilly apt last night. but apparently i did because i was so knocked out when my blackberry/ alarm went off very early this morning.

now right now???

i eased out of bed this morning and shut off my blackberry alarm. and like i do every single morning. i look at the clock look at my hands and point to each finger as i manually count each hour, minute and second of how much sleep time i can get in before i have to be to work (of course figuring the time it takes to get ready). this morning, unlike most mornings i actually decided not to put my alarm on snooze and i slowly went into the bathroom turned on the shower and got in and continued the daily routine of getting ready for work (painted my face, half ass flat ironed my hair and layered on about 6 pieces of clothing and ran out the door and as usual i was in a rush to hail my cab.

working it out...

today like most days was a really good day. no complaints. oh actually i almost forgot. so you know how i refer to my blackberry as the blackberry/alarm clock well yesterday i had the pleasure of finding out that the entire time i have been in s korea it has actually served more than just an alarm clock. ha, i totally forgot to change the settings on it so that it automatically goes into "wifi"mode when there is no service available. lord and behold for some strange reason the other day (sunday) i for some reason (God) walked over to the table that my phone has been on since the day i have arrived and picked it up and went to the options icon and turned on the wifi and it had a signal! i was shocked. for some reason i assumed it had no coverage but because i am still under my t-mobile contract i carried my phone to use only for emergencies during my travels in s korea. so, i hadn't thought to turn it on because i wouldn't really need to use it. ( i skype it up). so when i try to find a wifi connection all of the wifi subscribers have locks on their wifi so i wasn't sure if it was actually going to work. so before i headed to work i stuck the phone in my purse and figured that i would try it outside of the building. and when i got to work i heard a tmobile jingle and my heart skipped a beat. my phone was letting me know that i had wifi access and i got a ton of messages on phone that hadn't been retrieved in months! of course i dont open the messages because i am sure it is quite expensive so i do what anyone does when the find out their phone is working i make a call! of course i do! shayla isn't that going to be expensive and why would you do that? well, i just had to see if it was actually really working. so i called my mom. and my intentions were just to let it ring and then hang up. but the ring was so pleasant that i let it continue to ring until i heard my mom's voice. so what did she say when she recognized my old phone number she answered "why are you calling me on your cell phone?" of course i said..."just checking it out...gotta go bye" i was tickled pink. now why was i so excited about this? i do not know. and now that have finished this blog. i dont really know why i have spend the last few minutes spending so much time on this topic.

okay...well thats that

so, nothing really new, nothing really exciting and until next time...

smooches!

ring ring...

so this is how it's gonna be???

so, as promised i am going to begin posting my blogs atleast twice a week. it was way too hard trying to remember each day of the week for one posting on sunday.

so here we go...

monday...

so i went to bed so insanely early monday morning. i slept so late in the evening on sunday i was up the entire night and most of that morning. so i woke up quite early and did my usual routine. of course i showered, flat ironed my hair (speaking of flat ironing my hair i had no choice but to flat iron my hair as a result of my curling iron dying on me). so anyway, so i headed to work. today was not as smooth as it normally is. it just seemed like such a long day. perhaps it was as a result of having such a stressful weekend. well, not really stressful but well, i am not quite sure. i will just call it "uneventful."so at work i was somewhat irritable which i tried not to display my "mood." perhaps it was a combination of going to bed seriously late or just "one of those days." monday i had nothing much going on.

which brings me to tuesday...

so yesterday was my late day i am not scheduled to be to work until pretty late in the afternoon. upon my arrival i was told that i had a presentation scheduled for sometime in november, however, my "idea" of my presentation was due on thursday in addition to so many other assignments that must be completed before the end of the week. i was like wtf is going on. seriously. how do i go from doing my own thing to working like a slave on a hot summer day in 1903. (well, i better not say that, that wasn't nice huh?) but anyway, you get my drift. so of course when i got the news i politely rolled my eyes. sucked my teeth did a half ass smile and said through clenced teeth "sure, no problem i will have all 4 projects completed for you by friday." (but in my head i was like "oh no dis b-*c@ didn't!") but, i successfully completed my day and on the way home i stopped my the accountants office to say "have a good day" and i as shown 2 boxes that had arrived from my mom with goodies from my mom and my aunt. i was excited to get home and crack open my box. really put me in a good mood. i finally went home with a smile on my face and tore into my box and then diligently worked on the tasks that were placed before. in a way, i have nothing to complain about. i work with the best staff in my city and they really take care of me and they show me so much love. and i definitely want to continue a good relationship with them. and technically they really don't ask for much. but sometimes i'm like "yea okay, you want me to do wha????" overall today was a great day! when i got home i changed clothes and did a little grocery shopping. i had to pick up grocery for the rest of the week.

is it weird for you because it's not weird for me...

so, remember i just said i had to go by the grocery store after work. just as i was finishing up and heading to the front counter to check out. i realized i had to go and make a quick exchange. i run through the store and guess who i spot. (remember a few weeks back, i mentioned someone here being hella concerned because they were deleted from my fbook page?) well, i spot this person in the store and not thinking they were not on my page any longer (because it is not that serious right?) i say "hey girl how are you? long time no see?" not really thinking about the entire fbook issue. because for me she was only one of the almost 200 people that i had zero contact with and was just randomly deleted from page. so, it was so obvious that she was so nervous to talk to me. she was turning red. not really making eye contact. acting as if she had been bitten by a rabid rabbit. she eventually warmed up to me and by that time i thought she was 100% insane and politely ended the conversation with a "alright girlie it was nice see ya, don't be a stranger and i gotta' get home before my butter melts." i really don't understand these chicks now a days. seriously there is not a huge age difference between she and i. but it just seems like there is such an immaturity level. the girls worry about the wrong things non stop and are so unable to keep their composure. hell when i was 22 i had graduated. and had a career as a traveling photographer. and living on my own. these kids are just lame and so wrapped up in the wrong things. (such as fbook friendships, worrying about what people think of them and so on and so forth...just lame really lame)

and today is wednesday...

so i actually went to bed early last night. i was so on top of things i completed 2 out of the 4 "projects" and i was kicking ass and taking names and feeling really good about the amount of work i had completed and was satisfied with the completion of my assignment. i went to bed relatively early (well early for me is like 1am). before i went to bed i powered off my laptop and i realized that there was some kind of maintenance that was automatically running on my laptop. i put it to "sleep" placed it on my desk and went to bed. i was feeling good i didn't have to wake up until really late

why is my phone going off before my blackberry???

i was sleeping so hard, so peacefully so snug in a bug like a rug (ha ha i made a funny). and i be damned if my phone was not ringing at like 9:15am. (mind you, i was not scheduled to be to work until 1:30 and i didn't need to be up until 12pm). i get an urgent call indicating that i needed to submit one of my "projects" asap. i am like okay. i would be more than happy to come into work a few mins early and transfer my presentation from my usb to your inbox or even print out my plan. right? um, not so much. it appears it was needed asap. and the best option was for me to send the presentation as an attachment from my laptop into the "inbox" of the requested person. i thought. oh okay no problem i will get it to you asap. so, i got the email information. confirmed the address and ended the call with "it's on its way!" now i open my laptop and notice the screen says it has 6 completed out of the 9 configurations. so what do i do? do i power off the computer possibly losing all data and screwing up my laptop or do i call the person back and tell her to hell with that shit i will bring it to you when i get my ass to work. no sooner or no later. peace! i did the first option. i (even though my laptop clearly stated to not close down my laptop and to wait for the configuration to be completed) i closed it down anyway and even proceeded to flip it over and take out the battery. (what in the hell was i thinking???) i then power it back up and nothing. not a damn thing pops up on my screen. by this point i am like oh hell no! so i shut it down and restart it. i do this for a good 10 mins. i then say a silent prayer go and take a shower waiting for a miracle. i get out of the shower and still nothing. so i am livid by this point. oh i am cursing and shouting to the top of my lungs. so pissed at my self. so pissed that i had to send this assignment instead of waiting until my laptop finished configuring. i decided to get dressed and go into work a good 3 hours early. i was playing out in my head what i was going to say and who i was going to say it to. oh i was pissed. then all of a sudden. something (God) told me to go back to the computer and restart it. just as i did an actual image on my screen came up and it restarted. i was able to send the file without any problems. i said thank you to God and proceeded to finish getting ready for work. now ordinarily i dont go into to work early on the days i go in late. so today, i decided to go ahead and go in about an hour early and have lunch and proceed with the rest of my work day. my day went really well. i had a really productive day and things ended much better than what they began.

and then i am home...

so remember yesterday i casually mentioned i went to the grocery store. well, today when i get home i decide to make dinner. and my dinner was going to consist of american food: french fries and fried beef tips. so i grab the "oil" that i grabbed from the store yesterday. i skype with my mom and ask her how much oil do you put in the pan when making fries (as i haven't actually really owned a pot set a day in my life-i am a george foreman, microwave kinda gal). my moms reply was "quite a bit." i then notice the oil is really watery. and i don't think too much of it. i then sprinkle a little bit in another pan to cook my tips. as the pot with the broccoli comes to a boil i realize that it looks like water and it smells kinda funny. i place the pot right under my nose and take a whiff and my nostrils burn as i inhale the fumes of vinegar. now just who in the hell goes to the store and purchases vinegar mistaking it for cooking oil? me thats who! can you believe it? now yesterday i had made the exact same meal minus the french fries. so my mom asks out of curiosity (we were still chatting on skype) "did you not notice that yesterday?" and "how did you fry your meat in vinegar yesterday shayla." hell. i don't know her guess was as good as mine. i guess i am the lame one after all. here i am calling people lame every change i get. and thinking everyone is totally and utterly ridiculous and i take my crazy to the store and not only do i purchase vinegar instead of cooking oil but i cook with it two days in a row. mistaking it for oil. and does not make the discovery until way after the fact.

so...overall this week has been good. i have been so super busy this week. but it could be worse. i could be bored to tears. and have nothing to do. i know some are probably saying. i must not be too damn busy taking time to write this long ass blog. but to those i say. mind your own damn business and you're lame!

until next time...

smooches

Sunday October 18th

okay so first and foremost, it has been exactly a week since posting my last blog. and i must say i am having a difficult time remember each day so that i am able to update this blog. i know there are a lot of things that happened during the course of the week but i can't vividly remember them. so, with that being said i think that i will no longer delay posting a blog until each sunday.

so today, i will blog about the last two days...here goes...

so, actually let me start with friday night.

here goes...

friday night, i touch bases with miss emma and suggest that she give me a call the following morning. and when she calls me i would consider that my wake up call and i would go ahead and take my time getting ready, have breakfast and get my things together for my wkend trip out of town. i end up staying up pretty late friday night and all of a sudden waking up with the sunday sun peeping through my bedroom window.

here comes saturday...

so, my black berry/ alarm wakes me up hella' early but i decide to shut it off anticipating emma's phone call. i guess i fall back asleep and the next thing i know i awakened again look at the clock and it is after after 12:45pm saturday afternoon. i immediately jump out of bed. reach for the phone and dial up emma. no answer. by this time i am thinking one of two things. perhaps she called me this morning and i was so tired i missed the call. and then i realized i have never slept that hard that i wouldn't be able to hear the phone ringing. i mean c'mon it is in the same room with me less than 20 feet away. so then i think perhaps she changed her mind. i decide at that point to go ahead and make myself "brunch" and skype my mom. hoping to hear from emma soon. one way or another.

suncheon? what already? huh?

so, i st down to eat my breakfast and next thing you know my phone rings. emma called to let me know that she was just about in suncheon (my city) and that she will call me as soon as she arrives. i immediately think. oh no. let me hurry up and eat and get ready to get out of here. as soon as i finish my breakfast (which by the way consisted of 2 pancakes) my phone rings and emma tells me she is at the bus station and to take my time getting ready the bus for busan was not scheduled to depart for another hour and a half (depart time of 3pm). so, then i think okay cool but then i think well, that means we wont get to busan until way late (busan is 3 hours away).

just in the nick of time...

so, i literally shower, paint my face put on my clothes and shoes pack a few things for the trip and run out of the door. with about 45mins to get to the bus station. ordinarily this is more than enough time. today not so much. for the first time ever, i had the most courteous korean driver ever. my driver decided to let every person cross the street. not cut off cars and drive less than the speed limit. and of ALL days he decided to do this today!

open up...

i literally pulled up to the bus station at exactly 2:58. i hauled ass from the cab across the street and ran into the bus station. in search for emma. emma was there with tickets in hand. we hurriedly went to the bus just as the doors shut and the driver was backing out of the parking space. we made it just in time.

next stop potatoes and powerade...

so, about 45mins into the bus ride. we pulled over to a rest stop and got off. i decided NOT to go to the restroom i had just left home not too long ago right? we went into the store and grabbed snacks. i decided to go with powerade. emma and i both decided to grab the potatos that were on the grill cooking. even though my first mind told me to get the corndog.

back on the bus...

now, i told myself that i wouldn't drink too much powerade as there is not a bathroom on the bus. as promised i drank less than half of the powerade and stuck the rest in my purse. all of a sudden out of nowhere, i had to go pee! and i had to go really bad. really really bad! i am sitting on the bus almost in a panic as i uncomfortably sit in my seat frantically looking around the bus hoping to spot an empty isle so that i am able to pee in a cup or something. if i didn't go i was going to wet my pants. how tragic would that be? i finally am forced to ask emma to give me her empty drinking cup and i ask her to switch seats with me as i carefully pull down my leggings and attempt to pee in this cup. because of the stress of literally being assed out on a bus full of people as much as i wanted and needed to go. NOTHING would come out. i then angrily sat there about to cry and wet my pants looking from left to right in search of any possible sign that we were now in busan and ready to get off the damn bus.

bright lights and coat tails...

so, then i finally notice people on the bus gathering their belongings and we approach a city. i am overjoyed that we have arrived. however, by this point i am praying to God that when i stand i don't completely wet my pants. i stand up and as soon as the bus comes to a stop i bolt off of the bus and go into the bathroom where there is a line. i be DAMN. and then someone comes out of the stall and i hurriedly go in and it was the best minute of my life. free at last free at last. thank God almight my urine is free at last!!!!

fire what???

so once we get situated we give cici a ring and we ask how do we get to where she is. cici tells us how to get to the fireworks via subway. we follow the instructions and about 45mins later arrive in the area where the fireworks display are to take place.

move it or lose it sista....

so then after walking for another 15 mins we arrive. well kinda. my word. there were a million plus people there. seriously. there was no way we were going to get close to the beach (where the fireworks were happening) without pushing and elbowing people out of our way. i decide to stand to the side and watch the fireworks in the sky. it was pandemonium at it's finest. it was odd that there was no security to direct the crowd. just thousands and thousands and thousands of people hanging out.

i'm over it...

emma and i decide either we are going to push our way to the front or leave. we decided to go with the last option. we left. heading back to the bus terminal. we were planning to get something to eat in that area and quickly catch our bus back that same night.

dinner for two, three or four....

after walking around i spot a really cute restaurant and ask emma if we should try it out. it was a self serve/cook buffet korean bbq place. great choice.

gwanju or suncheon...

so emma reminds me that if we are going to get the bus back tonight we should finally get out of the restaurant. after realizing she was completely right we leave and go back to the bus terminal.

making a long story longer...

so, needless to say we got turned around on the subway ride back to the bus terminal and ended up missing our bus and we had to stay the night in a hotel. correction motel.

suncheon bound...

after, finding a motel and sleeping un-peacefully. we were up first thing this morning and caught the bus back home. emma heading to gwanju me on a direct bus back to suncheon.

never so happy...

i was so super excited to be back home. i immediately got home. showered, washed my hair put my clothes in the dirty clothes bin, skyped my mom. loaded my photos on fbook and crashed. waking up about 7hrs later.

that was my wkend. nothing to brag about. it was interesting. let's just put it this way the next tme i go to busan i will leave much earlier or not go at all.

until next time...

smooches

Sunday October 11th

okay...so i think the last time i posted a blog was either on this past monday or tuesday. so, i will do like i usually do and catch you up on the days that have passed up until today. how's that? okay...

here goes tuesday..

tuesday i got up super early. i showered, pulled my hair back, painted my face, got dressed and headed out of the door. today i made it a point to go by the store to get mr lee a bottle of soju. and i had planned to mysteriously leave the alcoholic beverage along with the note that i had someone to write for me (with my name and a heart at the bottom-all written in korean of course) and i was to place this on the desk of mr lee and begin my day. so i purchased the soju hailed a cab and arrived to work.

not so fast...

so, i, as always, enter the building. take off my shoes, put on my "indoor slippers" grab the bottle of soju and the letter and head to mr. lee's office. and of course when i walk in the door none other than mr lee is sitting at his desk working away. i then say my anna-ah-say-ohhhs and place the items on mr lee's desk. his face lights up like a christmas tree as he reads the note. he then asks me (in not so many english words) who wrote this for me. i simply tilt my head to the side wink and walk away. mr lee yells from hallway..."shayla thanks so much, i not anger ever no more, yesterday all entertainment." i then tell mr lee of course i know that but i still want to keep him in my good graces. so then i scurry off and begin my day.

wednesday...

so as usual i get up and go to work and have a really good day. i come home from work and then i do the fbook thing, the gmail thing and the skype thing. as i am chatting with an old friend and he tells me that for lunch he had a peanut and butter sandwich i suddenly had the biggest craving for an american pb&j. i quickly end our email conversation with a "brb." put on a pair of sweats with a hoodie, throw on my sneakers and run to Kims Corner. I get peanut butter and Jelly. i then return home and have one of the best meals that i have had all week. i just don't remember pb&j being so yummy. it was amazing. needless to say i had 2 pb&j's and went to bed happy and less hungry. now i know you are probably wondering now how in the hell am i going to get so super sexy before i head to america especially while eating pb&j and pizza hut every chance i get. well, to answer that question. hell if i know. but i will get it together soon. i am missing some american things and i had a moment and i will get back on track soon..on to thursday.

thursday...

i do not remember this day. i am assuming it was a fabulous day and i will just leave it at that. so then we have friday.

friday...

oh i remember friday. so, i decided on this day that i would begin exercising just a little. not too much but a little a day would be a great way to start. i decided to only take the taxi in the mornings to work and catch the bus home everyday. mike was to show me the ropes on catching the bus from work and making it back home. so, in order to make that happen we agreed to meet up around 5pm and head on over to the bus stop.

all aboard...

so yes the bus stop from work was about 10-15min walk. and it was a straight shot. in fact i am wondering why i haven't been doing this. so we got on the bus and awaiting our stop.

next stop shidae...

so then, we get off at our stop which is across the street from kim's club. now as often as i walk to and from the kims club this should be no problem right? um, so wrong. lord have mercy. now as you know the kims club is down the hill. it is not far in distance but it is DOWN the hill. and taking that hike up the hill from the bus stop was tragic. oh my goodness. i was sweating so bad. my legs were quivering and i felt muscles popping up from every chubby spot on my body. when i crawled up the hill i realized how out of shape i am and how i have got to seriously get my act together. but i will begin with babysteps. instead of eating 2 pb&j sandwich's tonight, i will only have 1 and a half. :-)

saturday...

so today i had to get up hella' early for a day that i am suppose to be off of work and i get dressed, half ass flat iron my hair and get dressed to head out for a work related presentation.

how was it...

actually it was not so bad. would i have preferred to be sleeping or in seoul like i had planned? yes. but it all in all it wasn't too bad. not so bad at all.

sunday...

so since i wasn't able to make it to seoul for the fabulous wkend that emma and josie and i had planned we had to do the next best thing. we decided to meet up in gwanju for a girls day. what did we do in gwanju? eat, eat some more and eat some more!!!!! oh and we saw a movie and ate some more. overall it was a good time. a good relaxing, chill time. (pics are on my fbook page)

alright, i am super tired and i must get some rest as i have a busy day at work tomorrow at it is late sunday night for me and i have to get my things together before tomorrow.

until next time...

smooches!!!

sunday october 4, 2009

so, this week not too much has happened. but i will fill you in on the details that were somewhat important.

so lets see...

since, about a week has passed i will begin with the most recent days.

wednesday...

so, on thursday i went to kim's club. what in the world is kim's club? kim's club is a grocery store here similiar to florida's publix, it has a lot of familiar items in there such as american chips and salsa, american salad dressings and etc. so, it is by far one of my favorite places to go. aside from that it is on the basement floor of a shopping mall. kinda like a two for one deal. so, i went to the kim's club and got a few items for the week and was so completely turned around in the store. i kept going the wrong way in the store. went up the wrong isle. i was back and forth during the entire time i was there. so, i eventually found the items i needed made my purchase and left.

thursday...

today, was a good day. i had a really short day at work. today, was the day before my vacation is scheduled to start. beginning tomorrow, there is a holiday in s korea called Chusek it is a korea thanksgiving. it is similiar to america's christmas where the families get together celebrate by eating traditional korean foods and exchanging gifts. so thankfully, for this i am on vacation for work until tuesday. so i was excited to leave work early and begin my first korean holiday.

friday...

so, speaking of beginning my first korean holiday, today i am to get up early and await rachel's phone call so that we are able to spend the day exploring her city. who is rachel? rachel is my assistant. thank God for rachel. she has really assisted me with so many things during my korean tenure. i have had the luxury of having miss rachel to go to the grocery store with me and for me. arrange bus times and ticket arrangements for me and assist me with every possible issue that i have or could have come across since being in s korea. she has been a blessing for and to me. so with that being said. rachel has planned a day for me to go out with her and her family. i got up early friday morning. showered, flat ironed my hair, lightly painted my face and got dressed and patiently awaited her phone call.

got the call...

so, rachel gave me a call and instructed for me to meet her outside of my building. i went down stairs and we were off. we drove about an hour and a half and arrived to a restaurant. we arrived to this restaurant and we didn't know quite what to order from the menu. it seems that rachel and her family were really concerned about what i would enjoy and what i wouldn't enjoy. they actually waited for me to decide on a menu item before they even attempted to look at the menu. to them i did not matter that i was unable to read korean and it certainly did not matter that i was not familiar with all of the different kinds of foods that were displayed on the out and insides of the menu. their only concern was for me to chose a meal.

mm mm good...

so we decided on a chicken dish with a lot of vegetables. it seems like it has been forever since i have had regular vegetables. just plain ole' broccoli or plain ole' peas or corn. just basic stuff. the kind of vegetable that you just add butter too. so when my meal arrived (raw of course, we had to cook it on the table) once it was done it was delicious. i finally had fresh vegetables. plain fresh vegetables. i really enjoyed my mean and i really enjoyed the company that my meal was eaten with.

almost paradise...

so we arrive to our next location and i wont get into too many details about it. i have uploaded enough photos onto my facebook page for you to get the jist of how insanely fabulous my day was with rachel and her family. the view was breathtaking and it was amazing!

on to monday...

overall i had a really great wkend. very relaxing and i was in the company of great people. so, here comes monday. well sunday night i asked Emma Boo to give me a wakeup call (to make sure i was up early and on time to head out-although i was off of work still on my mini vacation there were a few errands that i needed to run)...so needless to say when Emma called me first thing monday morning. i was super tired. i had literally just fallen asleep only a few hours before she awakened me. but hell, i got up showered, half ass flat ironed my hair threw on some clothes put on a pair of sneakers and sprinted out the door.

why the rush on your vacation....

so, today i was going to take a stab at opening up a global bank account all by myself in s korea. without the help of rachel or anyone else. all by myself (well that and the note i had someone to write for me in korean at the school...he he he). so i held my little note with the grip of death as i hailed a taxi and climbed into the back seat and made the request for him to take me to the bank.

it works for me...

so, i arrived to the bank. walked in and was taken care of from the moment i sat down. i wont go into details (as i am trying to shorten this up and hit the sack) but i will just say that God has truly had my back. my additional banking account was opened with out any issues and i was good to go! more errands were to be ran after this. so i think i will skip the details of monday and head to tuesday...

tuesday...

so, i got up this morning. shut of my alarm. sat on the side of the bed and said "shit that went by too damn fast!" (why am i cursing on my blog? because that is exactly how i felt when my feet hit the floor this morning.) so, what did i do. I got my ass up and got ready for work is what i did. i showered, curled my hair (yup no flat iron today), painted my face and got dolled up and headed to work (well, after i skyped, emailed and fbooked).

so how'd it go???

so i arrived to work and i made my rounds by saying hello to every single person in eye sight. just as i was make my way to my room. i hear mr. lee's voice. of course i am like , "what now?" so i smiled and walked to the office and said "yes mister lee." (almost in the same voice as ciley from the color purple) he then tells me is angry with me. and i am like really? huh? and what? he proceeds to tell me that the bills i gave him for my apartment one of them is past due and that i should have given him the bill the day before it was due and not the day of. i of course. smile and say "ah mister lee, i am in korea and i am just stressed out and i forgot. i'm american you know how we are." he then just smiled and said never do it again. he joked about how he would kill me if i did it again and he even rolled his eyes at me. but i clearly understood he was joking although he was serious about me giving him past due bills. so i assured him it wouldn't happen again. until next time...he he he. he then thought that was seriously funny and kicked me out of his office.

what next....

so of course, there are two people you never want to piss off at you job. the head boss and your accountant. more so the accountant. because hell even if you make things tragic with you and the boss if you are cool with the accountant you're final pay check will be what it's suppose to be. so i of course, i had someone to write a letter of apology (in a funny/lovey way) to mister lee. in korean only with love shayla at the end. i will give this to him tomorrow with a bottle of soju (soju would be like a 40 once in the states.) i figured if i goof up and make this mistake again, my pay will always be on time and will always be right. i have got to keep mister lee on my good side and i need to stay on his good side.

so then...

i get home i unwind and relax. i check my emails, fbook and skype for a few. so now with this fbook thing. it appears that i have pissed off another person on fbook. how in the world do i keep pissing off fbook people? i am not so sure. well there was a comment that i posted on an old friends wall that appeared to be offensive to the one of her potential clients. hell, i didn't even know who the client was nor did i mean for it to come off as if i was actually talking about this character. which by the way i still don't even know. i didn't even bother to google him either. so, the situation is that a friend and myself were joking about me being a leo and she being an aries and just happens this person who could have been offended is also an aries. yea, silly i know. but hell. i am just so over the formalities of fbook. and people wearing fbook on their sleeves. so i guess at this point. my whole thing is when people do things i dont like on fbook i simply delete. well hell that is not true. i delete people from my fbook page for apparently no reason. hell if you never say hi to me...delete. but thats just how i operate my fbook page. so the point that i am making is this. so fbook is a computer generated page right? if you don't like the comments you can do one of two things. you can delete the comment. and tell the person hey don't post that on my page. you can change your settings and just make it so that people are not able to post comments on your page or i just thought of a third suggestion. you can simply do what i do. delete the person from your page. easy enough right? so with that being said. yup i can be very misunderstood. and guess what. i just don't really give a damn...((as long as i have the right people by my side the silly non-sense doesn't really matter))

okay so that was that for today. nothing too exciting nothing to funny and or adventurous. just another day in my little life.

until next time!

smooches...

thursday....

first thing...

so, last night i set my alarm to wake me up hella' early, as i had to be to work about an hour prior to my usual afternoon schedule. i was to be a judge for an english competion. so with that being said, first thing this morning i immediately got up and did the usual...

that's what i do...

my blackberry went off and i almost cried outloud at the sound of it. it seems i had just laid down and all i wanted was another few hours of sleep. so i shut off the alarm. sat on the side of the bed and stared at my feet for about 10 mins. i then decided to get out of bed turn on the shower and begin the routine of showering, flat ironing my hair and painting my face.

next thing...

once i finished all of the above and answered a few internet emails and skyped for a few it was time for me to get dress put on my shoes and head out the door.

yesterday's horror...

so today i carefully chose my foot attire. although yesterday i had on a wedgeheel pair of shoes (the most comfortable type of shoe on planet earth) and today i decided on a chocolate pair of mary jane wedgeheels. i figured i couldn't go wrong with this selection. so after i decided on the show, i then grabbed my laptop and my "work bag" and bolted out of the door. especially careful to not fall. Lord knows i did not want to re-live that dreadful incident yesterday.

a star is born...

so i arrive to work and i am walking on eggshells the entire day. my knees and legs were still quite sore from that "dive" i took yesterday. upon my arrival i immediately head to my judging quarters where i will gather the survey sheet and lyrics to the song and dance competition that i solely will be judging. talk about pressure. the winner and or loser depended on my one and only vote. either they are "in" or they are "out." and it is all on me. a lot of pressure i know. so the competition was insanely adorable and it was such a tough competition to judge. everyone obviously work so hard on their sing and dance. but i do think i chose the perfect winner per category.

wine and cheese or something like that....

so, during an intermission during my judging i was taken to the inside of this really cute office area and was served snacks. and i was a hot ass mess eating them. there were nuts that i wasn't quite sure how i should eat them. there were drinks and there were little wrap things and grapes. i ate the food as goofy as could be spilling food and acting as if i had absolutely zero home training. i think i was still a little off from landing on my "coconuts" yesterday (that is what my adorable niece would say). after the snack i then head back to judging the competition.

and the winner is....well, actually...

so, i put in my votes for who i thought should win and after 4 hours of judging, my work was done and i scooted off to the cafeteria as it was lunch time and i wanted to get in there before the crowd was scheduled to arrive..

mmm good...well mostly

so, i grab my chopsticks, grab my tray and my spoon from the beginning of the line and i go down the line saying "thanks, thank you, thanks, gam sam ham ni da, thank ya." i grab a seat and i put down my "work bag" and i begin to eat.

on the menu...

so on the menu today, was the same as every damn day...lets see we had: kimchi, white rice, squid, soup (actually the soup was so good i ate damn near every single bite the only think i didn't do was take the bowl hold it to my mouth and gulp it down and lick the sides-which is what i may have done at home.) the soup was seriously good. so kind of fish / tofu plank thing, the worlds best salad (seriously the salad was insanely good. omg so fresh and the dressing on the salad was delicious they have insanely great dressings great (mom you would love the salad dressing here) i of course at that so quick i damn near went back for seconds on just the salad alone. and then there were eggs. yes baby eggs. whose baby? i am not sure but someone or something with teeny tiny eggs about the size of a quarter. but the eggs were pretty good. (for the record i asked my Emma Boo what kind of egg they served here she told me pigeon eggs. now how true is this, i have no idea. whatever they are, they are tasty). so i ate my food and returned my tray and stood at the water stand and chugged just about all the water that was pumped to me. i then waddled back to the lounge area wondering why in the world would i drink so much water. you know the feeling you get when you drink an insane amount of water and with every movement you can literally feel and hear the water swooshing from side to side in your belly. ugh that was how i felt. and just why did i drink so much water, i just don't know.

finally at an end...

the day is over and i am on my way home. i literally damn near ran out of work and onto the street corner and hailed a cab got in and requested that the cabby drive me home.

home is where my korean heart is...

so, i get home and decide to go with pizza again. this time i decided to not bother Miss Gina and attempt to make that call myself. i stare at the menu for a good 10 mins and then i pick up the phone and dial out (which by the way, is only about my 4th time actually dialing out on my home phone). so i get the same voice that sounded much like the woman the day before. i then say pepperoni pizza. before i could get the rest of the words out as far as my location and or number she says "oh no english call back." i then say okay. hang up the phone and have no intentions of having pizza that night let alone calling them back. next thing you know (within minutes) my phone rings. i assume it is my Emma Boo. she is the only person who ever calls me on the house phone. well either she or my neighbor Miss Rachel. so i answer the phone and i am shocked to find that it is Pizza Hut on the line they ask they verify my address and phone number and ask if i would like the same order as before. i say sure why not. i hang up the phone and dance across the room and go into the kitchen to close the cabinets tonight was going to be dinner and a movie without the worry of cleaning my kitchen. whoop whoop!

birds in my bedroom???

about 30 mins later i hear the distinctive sound of birds and a hawk. and i am wondering just what in the hell is going on. i then hear the someone at the door in broken english yell "PIZZER HIAT." and i assume thats my food! i trot to the door and open the door and again like last time i am greeted by the most pleasant delivery guy ever. he goes into his delivery skit and i just nod and smile and grab the box and bow and say thank you like 20 times. i put down the box and then i grab my shoes and open the door and push the button next to my door and stick my head inside of my apt. Lord and behold the sound of birds and hawks and crickets is my door bell! i learn something new every single day.

and that will be it...

well, i enjoy my dinner, chat on skype, chit chat on facebook, gmail a little and work on a powerpoint for the next day call it a night and head to bed.

overall today was a really great day. mom's always seem to know best. i was somewhat having reservations about going to work today. my mom via skype re-assured me that no one would mention my tumble yesterday and that no one actually probably even witnessed it. and true enough no one mentioned today. it wasn't awkward. and today like everyday was an amazingly great day. thank God i am having a wonderful time in s korea and God has truly had my back.

nothing too fun nothing too exciting just another day in my world. and it was pretty damn good.

until next time...

Smooches!

what a day wednesday...

no different...

now, today was no different than any typical morning for me. i got up showered, flat ironed my hair, painted my face, put on my clothes and got ready to leave the house and i was going to have a longer day and longer evening as usual.

why longer?

well, today i was to meet with my coteacher and jestin and his co-teacher for dinner around 8pm. and also today is wednesday which means that it is volleyball day at my school.

and we all go tumbling down....

so i meet up with my co-teacher and we finalize the plan, which is to go next door to the volleyball tournament and then to head over to tom toms for coffee and then to decide on a location to have dinner or something along those lines. during the intermission of volleyball drinks (alcohol of course) and food is served. i drink and eat and drink and eat. i meet another foreigner and we begin chatting it up right away. after about an hour of chatting the foreigner (by the way her name is rachel and she is canadian) and i decide that we are going to scoot on out of the building and head back home. well atleast she was. now with that being said since i had already planned to have dinner later it was best for me to just stick around and hang out until it was time to go. needless to say i take a seat next to my co-teacher and continue to chat for a few and watch the 2nd round of the volleyball game. so, my co-teacher and i are chatting it up and i decide since it is 5pm and i have been done working since about 2:30pm, i am going to go ahead and head home and meet up with her at 8pm tonight at the coffee shop. i got up and told her i would phone her before i left home and that i would see her tonight. i get up walk out of the gym. say good bye and bow to everyone as i head out of the door. next thing you know the unthinkable happens. you are not going to believe this.

stop, drop but not quite a roll...

so, as i am walking out of the gym. some kind of a way, my heel gets caught in the mat on the ground and i am flying across the floor and i somehow land on my hands and my knees with my bag across the room. the entire gym says, "ohhhhhhhhhhh." i am thinking. are you serious. shayla, did you really just fall in front of the entire administrative staff? seriously? so i quickly get up, probably the fastest i have ever gotten up off the floor. i then wipe off my dusty knees and hands and i quickly grab my bag and hightail it out of the gym. and all along smiling and telling everyone, "it's okay i am good, thanks, but i am fine, no really i am, hurts a little i'll be okay, but thanks, no really!" i literally run out of the door, down the stairs and hail a cab. thank God the cab pulls up just as i hobble out the front of the gym. i was so disoriented. i couldn't remember if i was in the back of the school or in the front of the school and i couldn't remember if i was going home or coming to work. i was out of it for a good 5 seconds. i crawled into the back of the cab and told him where to go. i sat in the cab re-enacting the fall and shame that i just endured. wondering how many people actually saw me bust my ass. now when i fell. it wasn't graceful. it was one of the falls where you really cant say anything about it. it is one of those falls where you would just go up to the person with sorrow and pity and ask if there is anything you can do for them. it was a mess. a hot ass mess. and i fell in front of the entire staff. now, it could have been worse. Lord knows it could have been worse. but this was kinda bad.

home at last...

so once i arrive home. i crawled out of the cab and said a silent "ouch ouch" with every step to my apt building, onto the elevator and all the way up to the 7th floor. my knees were hurting pretty bad. i immediately called my co-teacher explaining to here that i didn't think it was going to be such a good idea for me to go to dinner today, considering i had damn near broken both ankles, back, neck and knees. she totally understood. and even lied and told me that she hadn't seen my fall. i think she said that to spare my humility and shame. i was thankful for that lie. so after that fall i came home, made popcorn (because junk food is about the only thing that makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the insides) and then i propped up my legs. because i knew that if i didn't it may not be good the following day. and then i got on skype and chit chatted with one of my Boo's Miss CiCi. i told her everything that happened. she laughed of course and gave absolutely no support and or sympathy. which was okay. and then we shared our skype screen and watched the final episode of last seasons the hills. we were gearing up for the new season of the hills next tuesday.

in a nut shell...

so, inspite of the horror that happened at work today. my day wasn't too bad. it can always be worse and Lord knows i have had my fair share of embarrassing moments. so this was one of those things were i am sure no one will remember come monday morning. now tomorrow yes for sure they will remember and they will also remember this tragic fall on friday but come monday it will be old news. well, until the next volleyball game on wednesday.

had a bad day...

so i could say that i had a bad day. but to be honest there was nothing bad about it. yea i tripped and tragically fell across the gym in front of the entire staff. but hey, it could always be worse. atleast i have a job to fall in. and atleast i didn't break anything.

nothing else happened today, nothing too fun and nothing too exciting.

until next time....

smooches!

tuesdays....

and then there's today...

today, nothing much happened. last night i went to bed super early. i was so tired. so after, chatting online, fbooking, gmailing and skyping i decided to head to bed as i had an earlier day than usual today.

why so early? ....

well, i was asked on behalf of the school to judge a writing and speaking competition with the entire school, and i had planned to be there super early today.

up and at em'...

so, considering i had an early day. today i did the unthinkable. i actually got up. showered, painted my face, flat ironed my hair and got dressed and i even did laundry before i powered up my laptop. okay well, wait a minute so i told a little white lie. okay so one of the first things i did when i got up this morning was powered up my laptop. but however, i did not actually get onto it until all of the above was completed. wait, actually, come to think of it. okay so, actually i got up, powered on my laptop, showered, painted my face, skyped my mom flat ironed my hair while chatting, put my clothes in the washer. hung up with my mom. skyped with my boo BHolley and then hung out my clothes and then proceeded to get ready for work. okay so, i lied a little. but i did actually get the important things first before i thought of getting on my laptop.

judging...

so, i arrived to work judged the competition (which by the way was interesting) and proceeded with the rest of my work day.

to eat or not to eat??...

today's menu at the cafeteria was super spicy as usual. nothing out of the ordinary. rice, kimchi, spicy squid w/all of it's tentacles,some kind of soup, some kind of really good chicken and spinach. oh yea and a yogurt for dessert. this was a pleasant surprise!!!!

see ya' wouldn't wanna' be ya...

so, i finished my lesson for the day and hightailed it and came back home.

gotta a taste for something...

so, i get home and immediately go onto my porch area and check my laundry. hoping that it is dry. to my surprise they are just about dry. a little damp. but dry enough. i then decide to just grab a fresh washcloth and a towel bring it inside and leave the rest on the rack to continue drying. so, once i did all of that i was kinda hungry. and just wanted something simple. something close to american. something satisfying. something other than kimchi. something good.

mom's goodies....

now, just last week my mom sent me a huge box filled with goodies, i could have easily gone into by cabinets and fixed something that would have "hit the spot."to be honest i was over shoving twinkies in my mouth and chocolate cakes (which by the has had my stomach so super bloated-i am looking almost identical to the michelin man -you know the big marshmallow guy on the tire commerical) but i still wanted something more. so i got to thinking about the lunch Miss Rachel and i had on Sunday afternoon and i went into my wallet and grabbed the Pizza Hut business card that i snagged from the counter and called them to place my order.

pick up or deliver-what????

so i pick up the phone and call Pizza Hut and immediately say "english only." the woman on the phone proceeds with this long conversation which i was assumed were the specials for the day. i then repeat to her "no Korean, English only." she then says in perfect english "ohhhhh, you call back later." so i said okay thanks and called it a day.

i get what i want...

so, after speaking to emma about my situation, she then suggest that i go online to possibly make an online order. My Emma Boo sure does have a brain when she wants to use it!!! j/k (kinda). so i go online to the Pizza Hut site and Lord and behold it is in friggin' korean! and there is not an option to change the text to english. so then i stare at the menu for a good 5 mins and then i decide to turn on my aim and contact my boo, my boo Miss Gina that is. thank God miss gina speaks korean fluently.

my boo comes through...

so, after about a 10 minutes of Miss Gina and i going over the menu options we finally decide on a Pizza Hut pepperoni pan pizza. Miss Gina made the call and about 25 mins later it was delivered and it was hot and it was delicious.

now what???

so, i enjoyed my pizza beat Miss Emma on not only one game but two games of Skype bingo. chatted with Miss Josie on skype for a few. i then fbooked a little, checked out the gossip links on the computer, showered and got ready for bed.

it in a nut shell...

nothing fun and exciting happened today. but overall today was a really good day. thank God for that.

alright, well until next time...

smooches...

its been awhile...w

hello readers...

it has been about a good week and a half since i posted my last blog. i haven't been feeling too well for a few weeks now. and nothing really happened. in the past week. so i will just start from this past friday....(check my photos on my fbook page from this past wkend)

friday....

so, the same as usual i woke up showered, painted my face, flat ironed my hair and left for work. today was a little unusual that usual. my first class was very challenging. well, not necessarily challenging but they were more difficult than the rest. nothing really to be concerned about. my advance students were loud somewhat obnoxious and even a little disobedient. i quickly had to gain control of my classroom and kick about 6 students out. here in s korea the children are raised to have respect for their elders. they obey honor and listen to their elders. so when i saw this particular group acting out. i had to quickly nip this in the bud before it got out of control if not it would have been a long year.

how was it nipped in the bud...

well, i stopped my lesson in mid sentence. told them to shut their mouths when i am speaking. continued with my lesson. the cool kids in the back continued to chit chat amongst themselves as if they were not in class. i then walked to the door of my class room pointed to about 6 boys and individually told them to get out of my classroom and they were not to return until they had learned the meaning of the word respect. i then closed my door and proceeded with my lesson plan.

kids in the hall....

so, about 15mins later the kids that i kicked out of my class came in with another teacher and bowed their heads to me said they were sorry and sat down. we all continued with the class and it was smooth sailing after that. no worries and no problems. i think this class knows where i stand.

cafeteria food...

so, at lunch today i sat down with the other teachers and vice principal. i usually go to lunch relatively early or i will sit with my "ladies." today, i was asked to have lunch with one of the teachers where we sat at the teachers table. during lunch the food is still very very very spicy. and usually as i am eating my lunch i look around the room at the cute little ones and wonder how in the world do they eat such spicy food. i can hardly tolerate it. so i at lunch ate all of my soup which was especially yummy, i ate all of the rice and that was about it. my co workers noticed that i did not eat all of my food. which is uncommon here. it seems that the men and the women have really hearty appetites. now i am twice the size of everyone here and i can not eat the amount of food they put down their throats. it is a wonder how the women are so tiny and they eat so much! well no, i actually know they answer to that. exercise is heavily recognized here and the food that is consumed is very healthy. back to the point of this section of my blog...so my co-workers noticed that i had not eaten most of the food on my plate ( i am watched as i eat) and they asked why was i not eating the food (which by the way i did try to sample everything and attempt to eat everything on my plate) i then had to explain to them the food is amazing however, it is really spicy and i have to get use to it. ugh, it is so annoying having to explain your self and your actions to people. this is one of my biggest pet peeves. people questioning me about ridiculous things and or wanting explanations about my actions and or my thoughts. so super annoying. i however, quickly finished all that i can muster up the courage to eat and excused myself from the table and went to my room.

mokpo bound...

so after work, i headed to the bus terminal and waited for about 1 1/2 hour for my bus to arrive. where i was to get on and head to mokpo to see Miss Emma and Miss Josie.

get on the bus...

so, i got on the bus and to my surprise this was a pretty nice bus. the bus had nice red leather seats. double seating as well as individual seating and a Karaoke machine. i thought this was going to be a nice smooth 2 hour bus ride.

yea right until...

the bus driver drove so hard and so fast. it felt as if i was on a never ending rollercoaster ride. and it did not help that the tv was going and the objects out the window were passing by at the speed of lightning. i have discovered in the past couple of weeks that i get motion sickness pretty bad. the taxi drivers here drive aimlessly and carelessly through the streets and the bus drivers are no better. as a result of this i get queasy when i am in a taxi and or bus.

arriving...

so, prior to my arrival at the bus terminal in Mokpo, Miss Emma and i had decided that we would meet in the glass tv room inside of the bus terminal. i arrive and immediately spot this glass tv room and put down my 30 lb bag and wait for Miss Emma. so i sit and wait and wait and sit and sit and wait. i look up and notice what appears to be Jared and Alex walking to a seated area. i then stand up and then see about 6 people with their backs to this glass seating room that mind you i was suppose to meet Miss Emma in. i then proceed to walk out of the glass seating room and then i notice the backs of Hwannee, Josie, Rina, Jared, Alex and oh wow the back of EMMA. i'm like oh no this bitch didn't have me sitting in the glass waiting room for about 20mins. which by the way was were i was told to meet her and she is out here having a good ass time with the homies. did i tell her that. oh yea. was i mad. nope, actually i was just thrilled they were there to pick me up and shocked that i was going to see and hang out with so many people!

Korean BBQ...

so of course we chit chat, hug and then we start walking to the Korean BBQ place. we had dinner and i got this bright idea to try a bug that was one of the side dishes on the table. this is the first time that i have seen bugs as a side dish on a table. so i figured it must be pretty darn good. so i, of course had Miss Hwannee to count me down (1, 2 and 3) and i shoved the bug in my mouth and began to chew it. it was disgusting. I spit it out. and gagged about 8 times. ordered a beer to wash down my bug juice and ate Korean BBQ.

The Cutest Dessert Shoppe EVER...

so, Miss Emma had been telling me about this really cute PopenSue place that had swings and flowers on the inside of it. and she assured me that i would love it and would want to take a million photos of the inside of it. sure enough i walk inside and it is kinda like love at first sight. this place was so frigging cute. flying chubby pigs hanging from the ceiling, floral archways ohhhh and swings, swings and more swings...too cute. Miss Josie and i took about a million pictures. after our photo session we sat down and enjoyed a couple of bowls of large popensue and get this, toast with whip cream. i know it sounds really really odd but it is actually amazing. yummy!

like we need anything else in our mouths....

it was pretty late at night. mind you, i left my city of Suncheon immediately after work had about an hour and a half layover and it took me about 2 hrs to get their so after dinner and ohhhh wait i totally forgot something. let me back up....so while we were at the Korean BBQ place, there were about 4 ladies who were staring at me off and on the entire time. Alex who by the way speaks Korean came to me and told me that the ladies at the table would like for me to join them. i said "okie dokie." got up and headed to their table. which became very odd and very interesting. all the women wanted to do was tell me how beautiful they think i am and stare at me and flirt with Alex and feed us food and drinks. really interesting flattering but interesting.

back to like we need anything else in our mouths...

so, we are walking the streets of Mokpo and stumble upon a super cute cake shop with the worlds prettiest cakes (maybe not the worlds but the cakes were really pretty) and then we decide to head in and get more "junk."

hanging out and having a good time...

i can't remember every single detail but be sure to check out my photos for more details of my trip to mokpo and muan.

on to saturday...

saturday afternoon i head back to Suncheon and i arrive late saturday afternoon.

sunday's...

so, the night before Miss Rachel (the neighbor) and i made plans to go to lunch at Pizza Hut. So that morning we touch base and finalize the plan. we were to meet up at 1pm and head over to Pizza Hut. the food was so good. we had a Margherita Pizza, Salad Bar and I had an order of chicken strips with mine (had been wanting chicken for days). as always Miss Rachel and i had a nice conversation and a good time. a couple of hours later we head back to our home.

winding down...

i come back home and i am so super tired i decide to take a nap and sleep for a lot longer than what i anticipated. i woke up to find it dark out side and i had let most of the day past me by.

fbook, skype, gmail...

so i get up, power up the laptop to see what i had missed. i check my fbook emails. now let me back up for a few minutes here. a couple of days ago. i went onto my fbook page and thought to myself i have way too many posts on my home page and i was not really that interested in the silly things that are posted on my home page. they are not comments posted to me but you can see every post that your friends make. now let me just say that my fbook page is relatively new. infact i only made a page about a month prior to my departure to s korea and it was as a means to keep in touch with my immediate family and close friends. and that was it. i hadn't really thought about adding coworkers and or highschool friends that i haven't seen and or talked to since 1997. i knew that i would be posting my blog on my fbook page and i really didn't think anyone would read it except for my mom and my aunt roz. so with that being said. i quickly accumulated almost 200 fbook friends. (now that really isn't a lot by fbook standards) but it is somewhat a lot when you post personal information about yourself that was originally only intended for family and real close friends. so i decided to delete the people that i never talk to on fbook or who i didn't know all that well. not thinking it would be a big deal and also not thinking that anyone would actually notice...right?

wrong!

well, let me tell you this. as soon as i deleted members from my page the same people i deleted noticed they were no longer on my page and requested me back. and one chick in particular actually even sent me a fbook friend email stating she noticed i deleted her from my page and didn't understand why i no longer liked her. YES! apparently fbook is that serious. again, i have been misunderstood. i never even really thought that anyone actually came onto my page. i only get comments and or emails from the same few people. so i assumed no one would think much about it or consider it a big deal. i sure as hell didn't and if i were deleted from someone's page. i really wouldn't think much of it. well, take that back, i would if it were someone i actually spoke to via fbook. then i would be like "oh no that bitch didn't!"

Absolute Ridiculous-ness...

okay, so this is it in a nutshell. it appears that your fbook friends are a big deal and i don't think i will EVER delete someone from fbook again. it has truly become a social network and people actually consider fbook people your "real friend." it no longer matters if you actually connect well with the person. nor does it matter if you have anything in common with the person and it sure as hell does not matter that you actually never speak or talk on fbook nor off of fbook. but your fbook friends are your true friends and they should never be deleted. HA yea right! some people just didn't make the cut this round and i just don't know why they are taking it so friggin' personal. this is facebook and it is a computer generated website. and that is all that it is. if you are deleted from someone's facebook page. i can assure you it really probably has nothing to do with you personally. i didn't delete people for personal reasons. you were one out of the 100 and something that just didn't make the cut. get over, it is so not that serious. but i love ya' anyway. peace...

until next time...

smooches

I am so over it…

As you know, as soon as I got in yesterday I immediately, put fresh linen on my bed, showered, put on my pj’s, took my medicine and crawled into my bed. I was awakened about 5 hours later from the sound of my laptop ringing on Skype and then my house phone. But, I was not able to get up and I did not want to get. My nose was burning (the insides from all the blowing and sneezing from the night before). My head felt so stuffy. My throat was so scratchy and I just wasn’t feeling like my usual self. I was not well. I was far from well. Not good. But the show had to go on. So, I checked my Skype and had realized that my Emma Boo finally had her internet set up and she was now on skype so I immediately called her back via webcam and of course she was not home by this time. So, I called her on her Korean cell and told her to call me via Skype when she got home.

Blackberry’s…

So, my alarm goes off and I am not in the mood. I had taken my medicine twice the night before and I had such a rough night last night that the last thing I wanted to do was get up and get ready for work. Well, I will tell you what if I was in America. There would be no doubt in my mind that at that moment of feeling like hell I would have picked up the phone and or sent a text via blackberry. And that message would state that I would not be in the office today. But with me being on unfamiliar territory and unable to pull the stunts that I have pulled and been able to get away with in America I did the complete opposite of what I would have normally done. I snoozed my alarm making sure that I would get up the next round.

Another day another dollar…

So, I lay in bed, half asleep half awake. And I finally decide to get up out of the bed. I walk into the kitchen and decide to make myself a bowl of cereal. I pour my cereal into the bowl, pour my organic soy milk over my cereal (just enough to cover the bottom half of the bowl) and I go to my desk and power on my laptop. I begin checking my emails, my stomach begins to get a little upset. I immediately stop eating my cereal walk over to the toilet pour all the contents of that bowl into the toilet, flush and walk back to the desk. I then skype and check my emails and then I did what I so did not want to do.

Routines….

So, I mustered up enough energy and strength to sweep the floor (emma boo is coming for the wkend and I don’t want her to see the dust bunnies all over the house), clean the bathroom, put away clothes and then I get showered, paint my face, flat iron my hair (actually again today no flat ironing was needed) put on my clothes and quickly rushed out of the door. I did a quick check in the bathroom mirror just as I was heading out of the door. And had a sudden change of heart. The top and the pants that I was wearing would definitely require a “high” heel. And I remembered the bathroom situation and I remembered that I am much better in a dress. So, I quickly ran to my closet area (armoire chest) and grabbed a dress. A blue dress. One that does really require much. One that I can wear my converse or coach canvas shoes with. A dress that I can run down the hiil in to catch my cab.

Risky or Frisky???

So, did I decide to keep what I was wearing on and trot down the hill in a pair of really high heels??? Under non-sick circumstances yes I would have done so. And under American circumstances where I have my pimped out car and no hills to walk down in a pair of heels yes I would have stayed in the outfit that I had on. But this is S Korea and although it is the land of super trendy and ultra chic and cute. Um, I was not going down that hill in a pair of 4 inch heels. Now, my Korean gal pals are notorious for wearing their 4 inch heels going up and down hills. And they are so super fierce with it. But I am just not going to do this. Well, not just yet! And Lord knows I miss my cute 4 inch collection of heels and in fact that is mainly all I ever wear back in the States but, I absolutely can’t walk down a mountain in them. Not in S Korea and not today. Here in S Korea I have adopted the girl next door look. I am not too trendy. I am not flashy. I wear shorts, jeans, cardigans, I wear t-shirts (yes tee shirts), and I wear flip flops. Hell, I even wear converse and coach sneakers almost on a daily bases (well when I am not going to work). Things that I wore on rare occasions just 2 months ago. I am so laid back and I am actually kinda diggin’ it. Now will I and have I adopted this look from here on out? Hell no! Don’t think I didn’t send a long ass detailed list of shoes and clothes that I will be needing my mom to send to me from my detailed and organized fashion filled closet at home.

Back to back…

Oh okay, so now that I have gotten the above off of my chest let me proceed with this journal. So, I change my clothes and grab a dress from the closet / armoire. Grab a cardigan. Grab a pair of wedge heels and quickly change my mind to put on my “coach” canvas sneakers instead. I grab my work bag and literally run out of the door. Yes literally. I then trot down the sidewalk (jog/walk pace) and hop into the back of the cab, state my location and sit back.

Always on time…

So, I arrive to work at 10:20 am and my first class isn’t until 10:50 am. Yes, you are thinking wow all that and I am still a half of an hour before schedule! Not to me. I like to be atleast an hour early so that I can take my time changing shoes, saying my “anneyahsayeohhhs” (hello’s) and not rush to my class. So, I arrived to work and I immediately say hi to everyone and go to my principal. Where of course she gives me a quiz on my Korean words. And I totally bombed out. Now I hadn’t seen her much this week. And she didn’t quiz me daily like she usually does so I forgot some of the words. She told me that I had a quiz on Monday for the words that I could not remember and I promised her that I would get an “a” on Monday and that I would make her proud with my Korean speaking ability. Have I actually learned a lot of new words? Yes I have! Can I remember them all. Absolutely not! But I will!

Tricky tricky tricky…

So, my class today was to teach an Advanced 6th grade English class. And I could not find this class for the life of me. Now with this class it is based on a curriculum and I will not have free range. No arts for them I have to do everything by the book. Now my class is usually held in my art room and all of the students come to me with the exception of my kindergarten classes and my 6th grade advanced class room . I finally find this class room. And the students are chatty and they are waiting for me to get situated as I had to get assisitance finding this room. (normally I like to be in the classroom waiting on the students not vice versa). And normally I am not feeling terrible. So, today I think I was just in a non-tolerable mood. The students weren’t misbehaving and they were too loud I just wasn’t feeling too well and was kinda agitated. So I then, shout to the class to hush their mouths until I call the roll. (now first day of me meeting them and I am being an ass) I then quickly remember that I am just sick and if I start off this way it would totally not be fair to them, as every other class has been amazing. So I sickly but quickly change my “tude” and explain to my students that I am not feeling well and just bare with me as I get set up and go over the rules and what will be expected of my classroom. They were understanding and completely respectful and the class was wonderful. As I did my power point introduction they laughed, I did a couple of games with them and let them watch an English cartoon (and tested their English ability). So 40 mins later I went to dismiss my class and they begged me to continue giving the more cartoon quizzes. I gave them a few more and told them I would see them next week. It was a success and I was done for the rest of the day. Well, I was done until my next and last class at 3:10pm.

What’s next??

So, I then go to the lounge area and power up my laptop and begin working on my journal and review lesson plan ideas for next week. And all the while wishing I was back in my Korean Apt taking medicine and sleeping.

Lunch date???

Um, no thanks I will pass on this today. Today, I did not eat lunch. As I wasn’t sure how my stomach would react. Well, I take that back, in the lounge room there were warm baked sweet potatoes (a standard Korean snack would be: fruit, breads, potato’s ) so I grabbed a sweet potato and considered that to be my lunch for today. Emma would be coming in later tonight and I didn’t want to be any more sick than I already was.

Coming home…

So, my day ended on a good note and I was on my way home waiting for my emma boo to arrive.
Yeaaa My Emma boo is here…

So, I hadn’t seen my Emma Boo since leaving Gwanju and I was super excited about seeing her. She arrived tonight and as soon as she got here we came upstairs to my apartment for a tour. We then immediately left my apartment and went to grab dinner.

Catching cabs is what I do…

So I really wanted to take her to the Bulgogi Korean Barbecue place that I love but for the life of me I just couldn’t remember exactly where it was. So after we almost got killed by the crazy and reckless taxi cab driver we arrived to this cute Italian Restaurant (that I also love) we ordered and sat and talked and laughed and ate and talked and laughed some more. It was pretty late and I wasn’t feeling too well and it began to rain so we headed back to my place. We would finish our touring of my city tomorrow….

Until next time…

Smooches

Off to a late start…

So, last night I had to do laundry and I ate dinner later than usual (as a result of Emma Boo chatting my ear off). After dinner I showered and made a steaming cup of thera flu put on my pajamas and got into bed.

So soon…

Before I knew it, I was awakened by my blackberry / alarm and it was time to get up. Instead of getting up right away like I know I should every single morning I re-set the alarm for a later time and I went back to bed. Worried that I was too tired and I may not actually hear the alarm at the time it is scheduled to go off, I decided it was best that I go ahead and get up. I had another load of laundry to do and I wanted to be sure to hang them to dry before I left for work this morning (in hopes that I will be dry upon my return back home this evening).

Get a move on it…

So, I got up, had breakfast (frosted flakes), showered, flat ironed my hair (actually I didn’t really need to this morning), painted my face, put on my clothes and skyped for a few and was on my way out of the door.

Just in time…

When I left my apartment, luckily there was a cab driver downstairs, I got into the cab and headed to work. When I arrived to work I changed into my indoor shoes and headed to my vice principal to say “anneyasayoooohhhhh.” She immediately asked me what happened to me coming to volleyball yesterday. I explained to her my classes and how I was not able to attend the game as a result of my classes conflicting with the volleyball schedule. I was certain that when I explained this to her she would definitely understand that my classes came first. With that being said. She shook her head in disbelief and told me that “everyone” was looking for me and was wondering why was I not at the game. She the assured me that she would speak to the coordinators of my school and have all of my classes moved around so that I am able to attend the games. I then expressed my gratitude and told her that I would be ever so greatful for the opportunity of playing on their marvelous volleyball team. I walked away and headed to my first class. All the while wondering now how in the hell am I going to get out of this one. I guess I can just look on the bright side and and be appreciative of the opportunity of being able to exercise every Wednesday at 2:30pm.

Standing up…or stood up???

So, after I finished my two kindergarten classes I immediately hightailed it to the lounge area where I was anxious to see my “ladies.” When I opened the door they were not there. But lucky for me they arrived one by one shortly after I came in and got settled. One lady explained to me that again today she had classes and that she would not be able to accompany me to lunch and that It was best that I go soon. So I thought well, that actually worked out perfectly. Seeing as thought I wasn’t feeling too well, I thought that I would just skip lunch today and try not to put anything on my stomach. Minutes later my other “lady” comes in and she also tells me no lunch today and that she couldn’t go, but it was lunch time and that I needed to go now to eat. So I quickly got up and scooted off for lunch.

Always go with your first mind…

So, when I arrived to the cafeteria. I shuffled through the line (yes I actually shuffled, my indoor shoes were so friggin’ slippery I was shaking what my mamma gave me all across the floors on every square footage of the school. On the way to the lunch room an unfamiliar voice called out “shayah!” of course I was like who in the hell knows me in Suncheon, S Korea?? So I turn around. And I am greeted by a woman and her tiny baby. She says to me “you are Shayah, I Lucy Mom, She love you and say you Beautiful. I came to see and thank you. She right you are Beautiful Lady. Thank you for be Lucy Teacher.” I of course, bat my mascara filled lashes and say “gam sam ham nidaaaaaa.” And I also tell her that lucky is too cute for words (which she totally is!) So, I had my lunch tray and I sat down to eat and I attempted to eat a little bit of all of the portions that was given to me. I ate all of the soup, most of the rice and the chicken and a piece of an apple (which by the way I absolutely hate apples). I couldn’t eat anymore food and I immediately excused myself from the lunch table and headed back to the lounge. On the way back I my stomach began to feel really queasy. I said to my self. Oh no, please no. Oh God not right now, not on my favorite pretty dress. Oh no, I didn’t bring my makeup bag and If I puke I will look a hot mess. So I upchuck a little and swallow it back down. I did that another 3 times. Next thing you know I turned my head to the left and puke all over the flower garden! Twice! The gorgeous plants were ruined. I quickly hauled ass to the little girls room. Well, I tried to haul ass but it was more like a sickly trot, of course I felt and looked a mess by now. I get to the bathroom wash my hands rinse my mouth and look at my self in the mirror. Thank God for MAC. My makeup was still flawless with the exception of a smudge on the corners of my eyes. I slowly walked into the lounge and finished my arts and crafts project for my next class.

Tick tock…watching the f*$ing clock…

The time dragged from lunch until it was time to go home. I was getting worse by the minute. Somehow I managed to have another wonderful day.

Crawling out is hard to do…

I literally creeped and crawled out of the school and lazily stood next to the curb and stuck my finger out for a cab. I threw myself in the back seat and stated my destination. Of course the cab drivers wishes to exchange dialogue. And to my surprise, his English was pretty damn good. He asked where was I from. I told him. He then said where in America. I told him. He says ohhhh all beautiful ladies in florida. Ohhhhh. He then says he loves Americans. He asked for how long? I said one year. Next thing you know we were at my building. I got paid, got out and crawled, sweated, huffed and puffed until I made it to my apt door. Once inside. I immediately took my clothes off the clothes dryer, made up my bed with fresh linen and turned on the shower and got into it. I put on my pajamas and took my medicine.

That’s it for today, nothing special. Nothing exciting.
I am off to get better.

Until next time…
Smooches!