Just Another Workday

Leftover PMS Chalk

Mondays Are Better With Pot Pie

Recently I've been experiencing some big banking snaffus. Very annoying. Very hard to communicate. Their fault, though an understandable, compounded by my lack of Korean. It finally seems to have been sorted out and to apologise they gave me some body wash. There is no way a Canadian bank would have done this and it made me smile.



Then Sharlene and I went to Tartine's for their Monday night Beef Pot Pie special. It was the best pot pie I've had so far in Korea, though that it's saying much at all. It needed more gravy. That said, the crust was fabulous, as was the bread, salad and shotglass of chocolate pudding that came with it.

PMS Run

So, I meant to document the entire cooking process. I mean, it's not every day a girl decides to make pita bread for 15, hummus and baba ghanoush from scratch (I even had to juice my own limes), and roasted veggies, along with 4 dozen chocolate cookies in a freaking toaster oven. I started cooking around 8 p.m. on Friday and was still making cookies (five at a time, for 25 minutes each!) at 5 p.m. on Saturday when the hashers started to arrive.

Sadly, the pictures stopped being taken because, happily, I got quite drunk. You see, I had to wait up until 3 a.m. anyway for Melissa's train to arrive from Busan and it had already been a long, long day. So, I started the pita dough, chucked the annoyingly small Korean eggplants in the toaster oven to roast, and cleaned with my giant wine glass at my side. Abigail dropped by and so at one point I had a green face mask on as I made the bread. I had two bottles of wine and texted Melissa to pick another up on her way in. Once we drank that one we went down to the Family Mart, in our pajamas, and me with a half full wine glass to buy another bottle. And I got my picture taken with the Family Mart lady. Hilariousness.

When I awoke the next day, a little hungover and to find flour absolutely everywhere, I started up the cooking once again. Twice people came in the apartment bellowing at me, which I couldn't hear since the iPod was the only way to listen to music while using the blender. I hopped in the shower just in time to be caught by the hares arriving as I dressed. The meeting was fabulous and I think the food turned out well. Somehow I landed a third of a bottle of tequila out of the whole deal, too.






After the hash, we went out. And man, did we go out. We didn't even leave Bless You, but I sampled a variety of shots and ended up with about six other people at G.I. Hoe's place, playing Rock Band for perhaps four or five hours. I dunno, but it sure was sunny when Jason, Melissa and I walked back to my place. There was another stop at the Family Mart (what that woman must think!) and then there was some cooking. Best line of the "night": "Set the alarm so we don't miss the hash at 11."

"Uhhh, it's quarter past now. Maybe we should all go to bed?"

And so we did. Waking up was agreed to be unpleasant unanimously, though how I got suckered into walking down to buy bacon to cure us all from hangover death, I don't know. After bacon, eggs, pancakes and coffee, everyone felt just rejuvenated enough to take another nap! Melissa hit her train back to Busan, Jason took off to meet friends for dinner and I sat down in my bed to do this:

Badass

The most badass alphabet ever.

Week 4

Birthday Party

It's interesting, spending Fridays with the kids and their homeroom teachers. Each teacher runs the activities so differently and the kids are quite different in that atmosphere than they are with me. The funniest of the birthday parties was the last, as Lucy both looked and was treated much like a bride.

WTF is Up?

So the first Korean English teacher lasted three weeks. The second three days. The third will hopefully stick it out, because whoever it is has to translate for me, dammit! I have no idea what the hell is going on most of the time. Granted, I suppose it was the same during the three weeks Jenny was there, but now I've got people asking my clueless self questions. Dude.

Aside from the unexpected appearance of Jess and the printer breaking, it was a pretty boring day. I bought some yeast for the pita bread making, which was good - love the Philippino shop across from me. I really should have thought to pick up some root beer for Melissa too - I've been in a grocery store every day this week and am still out of things.

I should be cleaning tonight, but so far I've been farting around on the Internet and listening to Stereo Mood instead. Suppose I should get on that and go to bed before midnight. And maybe start cooking/baking? I suppose tomorrow night and all morning Saturday should be enough.

Long Day, Good Quiz, Letter Arrived!

What a long day. I really have to start getting more sleep - I'm freaking exhausted all the time and that doesn't mix well with classes of preschoolers. The quiz last night was fun, though we did horribly. Sometimes our success and my appreciation differ significantly. Also, I got a letter, which is always exciting, but this one was extra cool because it came complete with a spider and skull and crossbones on the envelope. Am now going to bed.

Craft Day Is Not My Favourite Day*

At Poly in Hwajung, I loved kindergarten craft day. I had art with my lower level class and it was so nice to be able to spend time with them when they were able to do something they enjoyed, without it being difficult. I would love that to be the case in my new job and maybe eventually it will be, but for now it sucks rocks. These caterpillars were a pain in the arse to make and I made a good portion of 60 of them, plus six demos.



*Hashing song reference. Wednesday is INDEED my favourite day.

Snowy Shopping

Yes, indeed, it was snowing as I went over to the Foreign Food Mart to pick up ingredients for my menu for the PMS run I'm hosting this Saturday.

I plan to make hummus, baba ghanoush, roasted veggies and pita bread (yes, from scratch... I realise this could be "interesting.")

Week 3 - Roy G. Biv

I was really thankful for a theme this week (from the Project 365 community) because I've been tired and not especially in the photo taking mood. It gave me some sort of incentive to keep going - and it's only the third week! Gah!

Violet

Yet again, I found it hard to pick the best one. I went with the second from the top.

Lazy Sunday

Sunday was one of those awesomely perfect days where you do almost nothing, have great conversation, and it the day slowly flows by as you eat and chat and drink.




It started at Flying Pan Blue, home of amazing brunch: I'm not sure where they came up with the idea to stick ricotta cheese on the banana french toast (side of bacon, naturally), but it is pure fucking genius. They also make fabulous coffee. After Ray, Carol and I ate, we popped into What the Book so I could pick up The Economist (and Utne Reader, because I am unable to restrain myself in bookstores) and then headed to Coffee Bean for more caffeine and chat. We were there for ages and then moved along to Sam Ryan's for beer, dinner, and the opportunity to see a few hashers as well.

Lovely.




I love the Tartine display case.

Photo credits to Ray for the coffee, the close up of breakfast, and the picture of Carol and I with our cheeseburgers.