OH!

2011-04-26T13:59:00.003-05:00

i'm having blog identity crisis. i have about 4 blogs because i am fickle about names and the look & feel. and i don't update any of them.

i hate blogging and i know why. it'z cuz i am nowhere near being introverted in the myers & briggs test. i'd rather go outside and ride my bike and happy hour with friends than write about my emotions to imaginary friends. the bigger problem, however, is that only jane reads my shananigans. and i could very well save my time texting her. but, i guess i should somehow continue to record my life. somehow.

this weekend, i went to new york and reunited with so many people i love. inhwa, christeen, dan-ah, LHK, aireen. some photos from the wine tour in hudson valley.

2010-09-08T22:14:00.000-05:00

homemade layered red velvet cake for juan!

2010-08-10T20:39:00.002-05:00

jane esther,
i'm happy to be her sister.

2010-07-29T11:39:00.001-05:00

sketched hailey today with a bleeding pen.

2010-04-22T20:58:00.003-05:00

blogging. zzz. that's how i feel about you.

today at work, i taught a customer how to copy paste text from the internet into an email.. for 30 minutes. then we learned about how to quit an application on a mac. -jimin sunsengnim

i will soon be a grad student. this is huge.
our friends are having a baby. this is also huge.
i ate a whole chipotle burrito just now, and i am huge.

2010-02-04T01:04:00.001-05:00

snow + day off = perfect.

2010-01-28T01:03:00.005-05:00

my hair these days. orange and very tangled.

i have taken bed hair to the unnecessary level.

help me, akiko.

juan and i have set a goal. clues include: room, lights, paints, and a hardworking jimin.

meanwhile, i am getting trained as a mentor at apple. this means i've done a fine job and now i can teach and train new sheks. sunsengnim ohlee.

2010-01-26T17:41:00.002-05:00

view from my lazy couch back in the summer.
i love being lazy on lazy day offs.

2010-01-21T22:45:00.004-05:00

i'm ready for the summer.
kids are just naturally photogenic.

shout out to LHK.

2010-01-12T02:18:00.003-05:00

On this new year, I already feel older. Not older in a bad sense, but older in a much more secure, confident, wiser sense. I am real hesitant about taking the confident part out, since I haven't been feeling all that much of that lately, but I have hope. I can only hope and pray that I am where I am for a reason. I need patience and perseverance. And, a real JOB. Don't get my wrong, I love Apple and all the people I work with, but I need to find my path.. or something.

This year, I will have no resolutions. Or, more exactly, I will have some unusual resolutions set for myself. I don't care to get into better shape or lose weight. I don't care to blog or document my life to the rest of the world (or in this case, my 1 audience. Sorry Jane, haha). I don't really care to set a strenuous and disciplined schedule for myself so that I may be better at this or that or everything. And for once in my life, I don't care to pretend to try to learn how to do something new.

I just want to be thankful, humble, and hardworking.

Cheers to the new year.

And welcome home Jane. =)

2009-10-08T10:11:00.002-05:00

i need to git muh hair did.

i feel as though i look like yoko ono these days, walking around in my majorly damaged bed hair look. the curling iron and the hair were almost bff. the curling iron tries so hard to love the hair. tries to make her better every morning with warmth and steam. but the hair says no no no and crunches and splits and hates life.

i should be a poet.
hair peace. bed peace.
peace out.

2009-10-02T15:56:00.003-05:00

lancaster day trip wrap-up: the only 3 asians in town. preview of d's show. authentic italian at "mg". dukey/knuckles/nomi. the coldest fall night ever. the coldest sleep ever. iphones at prince street. amish market. amish cookies. amish coffee. amish amish amish. power to creative people!

2009-10-01T01:01:00.005-05:00

goodbye summer. it was fun this year. you're always fun. be good now.

i'm taking a one day road trip up to pantyvania to see danars and aileeners. all i know is that this show is going to be BANANAS as rachel zoe would say, and that there are supposed to be tons of thrift stores in this boondox town. more than enough reason to see my favorite two shorties.

today is my 2 month anniversary of getting the best husband ever!
ai-lab-yoo johnny joo arr dee best. ta ta.

2009-09-23T22:18:00.002-05:00

screen shot of my album project above.

today was a productive day, kinda. ym and i had some shrimp tacos, chatted up a storm about how awesome it is to be over and done with wedding planning (she got married 1 week before us), and started our wedding photo album project. i totally thought this would be a piece of cake, but it turns out this may be a much more long-term project than we both anticipated. nevertheless, i am excited because 1. it is testing our creativity, and 2. it's going to be a heck of a lot cheaper than those ridiculous leather bound $1000+ wedding albums. 80 bucks! deal.

in other updates on my life, i am waiting on a super fun retail job, and all these people all of a sudden want to be friends with me for discounts. i also realize i have been the worst job applicant ever alive, since i literally am applying at the speed of a turtle. reasons for this: laziness, lack of discipline, being too picky, not knowing what i want, fear of rejection, etc. but i am motivated now. (am i?) i think i am. i am not happy being a lazy unemployed bum who wastes her life away reading blogs of people i don't even know (jane.. you destroyed me). i have dreams and aspirations, and i'd like to believe i'm a talented and hardworking individual. well i only work hard when it comes to things i like, which is why i should stick with those. good idea.

that was a lot of writing and i may come back in a few and just erase it all. ever regret spilling too much on the blog world? i mean, who reads this stuff, and why do you need to know about all of this? it's a hot mess, and i should learn to be more discrete.

i think i trust the world too much.

things to do tomorrow:
- apply to 2 new jobs
- unpack our california bags (yes, we got back 1.5 weeks ago...)
- new license
- thrift store (sorry jane)
- forever 21 (why am i letting the world know that i shop here)
- dinner w girls

i think that's a pretty even mix of serious and fun activities.

2009-09-22T11:55:00.004-05:00

this is a to-do list for this week:
- social security. officially change my name.
- bank stuff. joint account.
- dmv. with my new name and then i'll have to take a fabulous dmv picture. virginia driver's licenses: black and white photo, and you are not allowed to smile. mug shot style!

sad computer news:
- got smc fan control on my laptop and it says that my mac is currently 95 degrees. holy crap. and i'm only using firefox right now. i die.
- left fan on my macbook pro died. my poor right fan is running this machine of almost 100 degrees all on its own. 6000 rpm. i sound mega nerdy right now but.. yea.
- need to get bigger new hard drive
- i will do all of this by myself using online tutorials.
- if i fail, it's time for a new laptop!

i want an imac and a new macbook pro.
and an iphone. w bejeweled.

after i run all the serious errands:
- h&m
- thrift store
- yogurt icecream

i wish virginia had yogurt land.

2009-09-22T01:44:00.001-05:00

i wonder if i would ever have the strength, courage and love that nie has. her story is amazing and really just.. im lost for words.

2009-09-21T15:53:00.004-05:00

today i have been all stressed for no good reason. so for the first time ever, i will try cleaning things (desktop, kitchen, house, car) in my life to try to relieve my stress. i will also go to a pilates class and a zumba class for extra de-stressing. i am a new person.

in other exciting news, im excited to permanently DELETE all wedding related documents in my laptop. all except for photos of course. look at my desktop right now. wan jun vomit on desktop.

before

i mean, sure, i have had plenty of messier desktops in my past, but the worst part about this is that this is after several attempts of trying to hide and group documents into folders. FAIL.

after

much better.

2009-09-18T11:01:00.006-05:00

FAT bing soo.

so a post before my wedding mentions my lovely florist, manija, a 50 yr old afghan woman who is living her dream of being a florist. last post, i mentioned how i imagined us being friends and her taking me to her home country and blabla. my quick flower consultation would end up as a 2 hour conversation of warm coffee and us talking about our dreams. if she could have it her way, she dreams of owning a barn out in leesburg, va. isn't that just ddak our style? i love barns.

so last time i went to drop off the remainding vases, she asked if i would be interested in helping her out for future weddings. she has weddings of 200+ guests coming up almost every week next month, and she needs help because her helper (her husband) has been really ill. i was never a flower person, but it's just a matter of time till i become a flower expert.

im gonna take pictures for her website portfolio too. but she doesnt know this yet.

EXCITEMENT. i love good people.

pictures of flowers from my wedding.

2009-09-09T11:35:00.010-05:00

made some mini cheesecakes over the weekend for juan's big 30th. then i was hit with the sudden realization that i'll be turning 27 on my next bday. when did we get so old?

- applying to jobs is no fun
- painting more walls in the house, lots of fun
- game nights till 4am and bbq at the house, fun
- going to california tomorrow, fun

2009-09-04T23:55:00.002-05:00

amazing.

2009-09-04T09:22:00.007-05:00

the only times i wish i was rich is when i need to go shopping and i want to travel. but first, a job is necessary. now that it's fall, i want new clothes. i need new black skinny jeans, plaid shirts, t-shirts, scarves, flats, and hats. yes, i want to rock some hats this season. sa-jo.

life was so much easier back then.
and i could've sworn there were abs underneath somewhere.

2009-09-03T09:03:00.019-05:00

i decided i'm going to be a cooking / baking machine.
does that mean i'm also going to become an eating machine?
i need guinea pigs to feed.

pumpkin creamcheese bread!

2009-09-02T14:05:00.004-05:00

she's a ninja.

2009-08-31T21:07:00.002-05:00

today i made vanilla cream puffs. didn't get a chance to take any photos since i ate them all before i remembered to do this. they turned out well, and i believe jane will be able to make them even with her third world country amenities. very simple ingredients. it just takes time and patience.

do it!

next project: tempura icecream

2009-08-28T17:54:00.007-05:00

before

after!

2009-08-26T17:22:00.005-05:00

i love and hate being unemployed. i feel so lazy and unproductive half the time, and the other half, i'm loving my life. i wake up at 10. eat breakfast. work out. run errands. search and apply to jobs. clean my house that never seems to get cleaned. and watch tv.. LOTS of it.

not having cable for the past 8 years, i am going tv crazy. it's so addictive and so bad yet sooo good. my main tv shows have been the following:

1. more to love

this show started off kind of entertaining but i'm beginning to hate the guy in it cuz he's pretty much making out with every single girl on the show and making them feel so beautiful and perfect. not that that may not be true, but ultimately, he's playing with their emotions and u know one of these gals are gonna go crazy after getting dumped and stay depressed for the rest of their lives. me no likey, but i keep watching it to see who will stay till the end.

2. the rachel zoe project

I LOVE THIS SHOW!!! and i love taylor and brad's interaction. this makes me want to go shopping but only within the first few minutes of attempting this i realize i cant really "shut it down" as rachel would say at forever 21 and h&m. now im gonna go buy a 20 dollar plaid shirt i've been deeply contemplating about. big purchase.

3. LA ink

i love kat von d and i love watching the stories and the tattoos. and the blond chick in it is so wack i love it when kat yells at her. the end.

i need a life.. but i love this so much.
peace and love.

2009-08-20T11:55:00.004-05:00

one of the most good looking pictures of us.
we had pretty similar hair styles. here and in korea.
isn't this one of hannah's favorite shirts of yours?
i recall she called it 'africa'.
i see a reflection of LK on the 3rd picture.

2009-08-19T09:39:00.003-05:00

2 awesome things about virginia:
thrift stores and farmers markets

you'll never have to compete for that sexy plaid farmer joe shirt you find or for mason jars and vintage picture frames. if i were a bit more ambitious, i would even pick up some furniture at the thrift store and fix it up. but my ambition is often way larger than me.

i discovered a farmer's market 2 min from my house. i think i was the only non-mother person snooping around with my camera there, but i don't care. jane and i were never really winners in the hip young department anyways. power to the halmonis.

i got these super sweet and juicy plums and a fresh baked pumpkin spice bread. i was thinking of saving some for juan, but ive already eaten half the loaf. might as well go for the kill.

2009-08-14T11:23:00.000-05:00

homemade sushi for lunch!
i need a job.

2009-08-13T21:28:00.003-05:00

i like the moon hitting the sky, clouds, water and sand.

we're back! so dark and fat.
blame it on the all you can eat.

2009-07-27T00:34:00.003-05:00

check the weather, look at the forecast for all next week, and ask me why i am grinding my teeth. from this point, this is one thing that is out of my control, so i will not worry. i mean, look at that weather. na joo guh. God, it's time to step in.

it. can. not. rain.

5 days. =)

2009-07-25T09:23:00.000-05:00

moh-dels.

2009-07-23T15:28:00.001-05:00

9 days.

2009-07-18T22:04:00.002-05:00

oh you know, just a casual day at jim's kitchen.

2009-07-17T11:56:00.005-05:00

i have been making this almost everyday of this week.

1. sautee portobello mushrooms with salt, pepper, olive oil.

2. pesto on ciabatta bread. mozzarella cheese. tomatoes and basil.

3. place on the miracle machine called the panini maker.

4. sprinkle balsamic + olive oil on left over slices and enjoy while watching the miracle machine do its work.

5. admire the good looking product. and eat.

my next goal: make that ridiculously good looking sandwich from spanglish. with the egg popping exactly like the movie cover. drool.

2009-07-16T11:23:00.005-05:00

i've been so good at blogging.
i deserve a prize.

today i met with my florist manija to finalize flower matters for the big day. manija is a 47 year old afghan woman, and i swear, i think we should be friends. after we were done talking about flowers for about 20 minutes, i stuck around her house, drinking coffee and talking about life and dreams, for another hour. again, we should be friends. for a second, i imagined us becoming life-long friends, where she would take me to her country and show me her hometown and cook me some yummy food. i really think she would do this. it could work out.

i get happy when i talk to old(er) happy people.

flowers from the bridal shower are almost all gone. just this one little hydrangea shek is still going strong, although you can see the flower leaves turning color. i like it. and the pretty wild flower aileen brought all the way from union square flea market - hanging dry as instructed from the jjolbaj herself.

i was never a flower person, but okay fine some flowers are pretty.

2009-07-15T13:59:00.002-05:00

once a fatty, always a fatty.

2009-07-14T08:58:00.002-05:00

thank u friends for the best and prettiest bridal shower ever! now that the fun and partying is over, i am left realizing i have only 16 days left. that's 16 days left to loose a few pounds, clean this house and most of all plan my wedding. na jooguh.

2009-07-09T14:06:00.003-05:00

o jooyuh it's crunch time.

i am finally feeling the HEAT.
my life = wedding planning.

2009-07-08T21:57:00.003-05:00

on our way to engagement shots today.
i'm wearing fake eye lashes and i love it. im so fake.

john and i had our engagement shoot today at old town alexandria. i think old town is one of the cutest neighborhoods i've seen. it's an almost mix of brooklyn, frisco, santa barbara and san diego. i hope we come out skinny and hot. good thing i worked out last night.

in other news, i am numoo excited for this weekend.
juanita u should be here!!!
u like how i kind of assume you are the only reader / commenter?

2009-07-01T11:10:00.001-05:00

caverns are cool.
natural wonders are cool.
family reunions are cool.

trying to plan your entire wedding in 1 month?
totally UNcool. 1 month left ya'll.

2009-06-30T15:40:00.004-05:00

new post already.

i think i can totally do this summer vacation thing all year round. it has been exactly a week and a day since my summer vacation / unemployment began, and i am loving every second of it. this is all of course especially fun since by some miracle i am still getting paid for all this playing. i guess in the end, this job was worth it.

everytime i go to the thrift store, i come back w all these goodies. today i found an old wooden chair, an old bird cage, and some more mason jars. of all these, i am most excited for the wooden chair. this will be my first DIY project, and we shall see if this ends as an epic failure or a success.

here it is. my $2.49 glorious chair.
i wonder what color i should repaint this.

2009-06-29T21:03:00.002-05:00

this may shock some of you,
but i think i am completely happy becoming an ajooma.

for the first time in my life, i can say that i actually like the house that i live in. it's completely empty, well, until now since we got some furniture today. john just finished building our brand new dark wooden table, and i love it so much. i imagine hundreds of dinner parties and conversations w friends on that table and i can't can't can't wait. and while i am pretty infamous for being unorganized and messy, my kitchen is always clean. i love my kitchen.

john and i have just 1 month till our wedding, and while i still feel like i haven't done any wedding planning (this is a problem), i feel really at peace with everything. any fears and insecurities i used to have about getting married or leaving my single "free" life - it all has gone away. i am excited for this new step of my life, and i feel like it will stretch and grow me. well hopefully not in that way.

on other life updates, i am back on the search for a new job. i left my teaching job hoping to find something that's more directly related to art, and i am itching to make huge paintings to fill up my empty walls. maybe unemployment will lead me back to my starving artist life. hiya.

well that was a lot of writing.

oh yea. if i could pick to be anywhere else right now besides here at my house, i'd TOTALLY be out there in SEA with juanita. america is only good cuz of friends and family. i think watching anthony bourdain just triggers any desire i have to leave this country as soon as i can. hopefully someday soon in a few years.

1 month till the wedding.
this means working out my backfat.

2009-05-30T08:58:00.002-05:00

depressing life updates
- ive been awful at taking pictures and uploading.
- im incredibly bloated and swollen right now. numoo hot.
- i am 99% sure i am quitting my job.
- i think i will miss the kids. i get too attached.
- i wish my best friends were here. im sure u wish we were there.
- i always imagined an invention to make the world shrink and expand anyway i want so i could fly away to far and deep places and do my thing and also so i could shrink it back and be near everyone i like. good one jim.

shmedding updates
- i dont care about color themes
- i found a dress. it was a pretty nonemotional process. tried it on and said, ok. i guess it's this one.
- danah is making me a one of a kind AMAZING invitation illustration. i have the best friends.
- john and i might still honeymoon to my country mexico. it's swine flu vs. cheap. cheap wins!
- judy = iron fist = my wedding coordinator
- i think i need to work out. back fat, wow.
- i hope my wedding turns out to be like a big outdoor family and friends backyard party w lots of fresh food, chill music, fresh flowers and candles.
- paper store trip today for invitations.
- i need my assistant jane here to go thrift store shopping for mason jars, vintage cans, glass vases, bird cages...

happy life updates
- my next cooking project: soup dumplings. (jane, u should be here)
- my house is huge and empty, and i need friends to fill it up since furniture is too expensive.
- 3 weeks till SUMMER VACATION

-
i love sleeping in on saturdays.

2009-04-27T19:20:00.002-05:00

how was it winter weather last week and all of a sudden we're at a humid 90s? jane probably thinks 90s is cool breezy winter weather, but for most of us who have been hibernating from winter, this was a shockingly hot day. especially when the entire school had no AC and all the boys in my classroom reeked of things that smelled like we dug out from the food compost. raw onion (classic b.o smell) to some rotten fish. i'm thinking, i'm already paranoid about this swine flu. don't be bringing no onion or rotten fish flu in my classroom. would it be offensive for me to buy the boys a little thing of deodorant as a random "welcome spring" gift?

in anycase, let the count down to my summer vacation begin..
june 19th is my last day of work this school year!

2009-04-15T23:22:00.002-05:00

ice skating w my friends

the kid on the last picture is my favorite. i know, we aren't supposed to have favorites, but all teachers have them so i'll have one myself. his name is james and he is so cute but so bad at the same time. this was his lucky day bc he was descent all day thus he got to skate. the last time we went skating, we sat outside the whole time, watching the kids skate away, because he lied about stealing some kids' gloves. i told him liars are not welcomed on the ice rink.

he cried for an hour.

2009-04-13T20:30:00.004-05:00

finally getting through some overdue pictures.

1. soon to be hannah park.
2. she's going to be beautiful!
3. pole dancing is my new favorite dancing.
4. just kidding.
5. bach parties are my favorite parties.

2009-04-12T21:37:00.002-05:00

life has been so busy, and updating my life on this blog has become second priority. brief updates, good and bad.

- my teaching job has been good. i teach DC inner city kids with special needs. it's a public charter art school, where we use art-infused learning methods to help teach students. 90% of our students are special ed kids. i teach 3/4th graders, and my favorite student calls me "ms. jimmy".

- 3 weeks ago, one of our students, erik, along with his mother and little brother, were stabbed to death by the mom's boyfriend. the entire school experienced a very heavy-hearted week, and this along with some other incidents that happened in recent weeks have made me realize that life is precious, that life is unpredictable, and that i need to remember that every day is a gift of life from God. i also realized how much love my students need. please lift up a prayer for this case.

- on a much brighter note, john and i bought our first new house. i get to move in may 8th. wow.

- i can't wait till summer vacation. june 20th... june 20th...

- our school had tickets for the white house annual easter egg roll, where a few students and 2 teachers were randomly selected to go, and I GOT PICKED! this is probably the only time ever in my life that i've been randomly selected to win something. im so going to bring john's camera and try to find obama and michelle. numoo exciting. im going to the white house tomorrow.

- picture updates take too much effort.

i miss you friends.
mainly, hannah, jane, dan-ah and lori. hi guys.
how come we are all so far away?

2009-03-15T20:47:00.001-05:00

saturday
august 1st, 2009
is the date
http://www.hillsboroughwine.com/

=)

2009-03-12T22:00:00.003-05:00

why is it that i always go for jobs that are too hard? that makes me feel like a quitter, but today was ridiculous. the hardest part of this new job is closing my day when i leave the school and leaving it ALL behind. home is my refuge. well, home meaning, my best friend.

2009-03-11T21:46:00.003-05:00

mohonk, ny

valentine's day weekend with unnie and umma.

2009-03-09T21:40:00.002-05:00

half moon bay, california
i'm so gonna move to california one day.

finally, some warmth.

oh, and john and i found our dream wedding site. now let's just see if it fits in our very limited budget.

2009-03-05T22:14:00.002-05:00

i'm making thai curry. john is making his famous chinese chicken salad. this weekend we'll also be making bbq pulled pork sandwiches and crab cream cheese wontons. we are cooking machines.

wanna come over?

2009-03-03T22:59:00.002-05:00

took a secret trip to new york 2 weeks ago.
i'm ready for spring. actually, summer.

2009-03-01T22:48:00.007-05:00

red velvet overload.

muffintop cupcake. look how huge it is compare to the rest.
red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting with my brand new sunshine yellow kitchen aid mixer. what. a. dream.

photos by juan. =)

2009-02-20T00:24:00.003-05:00

meet the rascals. ever-so-cool shekkinoms.

--
okay winter,
that's enough now.

2009-02-16T20:26:00.000-05:00

oooooooooops i got a job.

2009-02-11T14:56:00.002-05:00

something about the date 2/11, i like.
i think the numbers just look nice together.

juan's gift to me: new colored pencils =)

lately, i have rediscovered pandora. i start my playlist with adele then it takes me to a whole list of music i love. then i draw in my room and sing like a tool. unemployment is more fun than i thought. well, that's until it's time to pay the bills. coming up real soon. (nervous laughter).

while my time of unemployment has been filled with a lot of nothing, i have enjoyed it a lot. i think we all deserve a bit of a break, right? a break from working, routine life style, north korea, things i am just not good at, err. only when we take a break from things, can we come back to re-evaluate everything with a fresh perspective. or at least i hope so.

i've been drawing lately, mainly with just pen, pencil and colored pencils. it feels completely new and foreign, and i am enjoying this process. it's hard enough to find your place and voice in this world. finding your place and voice on a piece of paper feels even harder.

jane and i tend to have slightly overachieving lists of new things to do. following through is the hardest part. with this being said, let us begin a new list of goals. cheers for overachievers.

- keep drawing
- learn the guitar
- collect images of interior design i like: for our new house (what a dream!)
- yoga + pilates (took my first class today and i loved it)
- find my direction in life (and a job)
- finish reading the shack.
- wedding planning. wahahah. ive done nothing.

i think that's a pretty manageable & achievable set of goals.

2009-02-06T15:06:00.006-05:00

watched the waitress last night. i really enjoyed it. now i need to go eat a pie. im craving a piece of peach pie a la mode from citarella in new york. i don't care if you hate peaches, you'll love this pie. man, i got my single girls this peach pie for dessert on my valentines day special dinner just 2 years ago. i can't believe that was just 2 years ago.

my once (semi) organized room has become a mess again. instinct should be to reorganize and clean up. but my instinct to leave the mess all at once and find peace at barnes and nobles has won. gonna read the shack at barnes while searching through wedding magazines. ok prob will only do the latter part of the two. can't win 'em all..

2009-02-04T22:25:00.003-05:00

sunset through my windows

curtains from my floor

a sweet nap with my heart socks on

and then i draw.

2009-02-03T00:44:00.002-05:00

homemade latte, belgian waffles and peaches.

my room gets SO much light. my room is still a mess, but we're getting there. for the first time in my life, all the hangers in my room are store-bought nice wooden hangers. i also scored this set of fancy silk dress-hangers (hard to explain) from the thrift store for $1.50. art is being hung in my bare unable-to-paint walls, clothes have been organized, and random crap from my life is being thrown out. the only major task left in my room is to setup my art stuff so i can. what? make art? who am i.

virginia never sounds exciting or romantic. but this is where i call home now. it's got my juan, a good church, really kind and genuine people, and huge thrift stores.

now only if we can get some banging mexican food up in here..

2009-01-29T14:06:00.002-05:00

i can't decide whether or not i have been productive this new year so far. these days i have been waking up, showering, going to panera. tall hazelnut coffee with unlimited refills. free wifi. and it's job searching time all day. half way through the day i get a creamy tomato soup in a bread bowl and eat about 1000 calories worth of carbs. i love carbs.

to evaluate my productivity level, i brought back my list of things to do from a month ago.

- find an apartment (done!)
- buy a car (done!)
- find a job (depressing)
- pack and move (done!)
- doctor appointments before insurance runs out (o well.)
- surgery (done! and recovery was a betchoo)
- wedding location (dc, august, mark your calendars.)
- organize my life (ongoing project)

back to panera. today im going to get a chocolate croissant and a coffee.

2009-01-27T13:07:00.003-05:00

breakfast of (korean chonnom) champions.

this morning- woke up at 11am. ate udon listening to jack johnson. was reminded of jane kakamukolaka chung. those were kind of the good chill days. we made the best of it all. and it was fun w lori. she made me clean and therefore the house was spotless. and we had air-cleaning plant shekkis and lots of wine. the state of our apartment before we moved out of 301, nastiness.

i can't wait to get married. ill have a place ALL to myself (oh and john my soon to be hubby. GASP). these days my biggest tv addiction has been hgtv. i try to watch as much hgtv during the day as possible bc once john gets home from work, it's espn time. i vow to keep my house clean and pretty and use green products. cheers to that.

i'm so going to be dan-ah's biggest collector one day.

2009-01-24T00:26:00.002-05:00

keeping up a blog is so much work. taking pictures of my life is even more work. uploading them into my computer and uploading them into this blog is even MORE work.

my life is so hard.

i lived a week and a half with no internet and no phone reception and i LOVED it.

high five for living a simple life.

2009-01-07T11:35:00.001-05:00

poof.

2009-01-06T12:07:00.002-05:00

our only new years eve picture. i was drugged up (this is probably one of the hottest pictures of me ever), patched up with my white mustache and incredibly swollen from the surgery, and john is all smiles. we were waiting in my new car at the airport during the countdown. jen and eric visited us from california. we love jen and eric.

happy new year!
this new year, may i be able to BREATHE THROUGH MY NOSE!

2009-01-04T21:46:00.003-05:00

i got surgery for my deviated septum 4 days ago, and my new year so far has not been fun. as soon as i woke up from my surgery, i thought, ah hell, why did i just get this. i'm still thinking this right now, but hopefully as time passes and as i recover, i'll be able to breathe properly and i'll have no regrets. hopefully.

some updates:
- got a new car! all on my own. wow.
- still searching for jobs, but may have found a good temp job for now.
- john got a flash as a gift from his family for his slr. this is excellent news. i am vicariously enjoying a dslr through john.
- i have done zero wedding planning.

im dizzy.
drugs make me dizzy.
goodbye.

2008-12-28T00:25:00.004-05:00

this has been the most un-christmas like christmas. christmas passed and now i'm supposed to be celebrating the new year, but it all feels like a very long weekend. that's not a bad thing because juan and i are enjoying being lazy and cooking at home. but it's still weird knowing that the holidays are passing by while we're missing out on christmas trees, snow, big gift exchanges, eggnogs, my yearly attempt to knit, and just good old family time.

i think i will go and buy myself a nice baggy hat tomorrow. that will make it feel more like christmas. good idea.

i still haven't packed, and going at this rate i most likely will never pack. starting tomorrow, i will devote my nights packing and throwing crap away. and setup a mini desk-studio and my internet. FUN.

lately i have been a cooking monster. besides painting, singing, dancing and eating, there is nothing more that i love than cooking and inviting friends over to eat. now this requires a few things which i do not have right now. wishlist time!

- my own place (this will be possible once we get married. wow)
- my own kitchen stuff (ditto)
- friends (this is really sad)
- kitchen aid mixer in black or white

ok the last part was just my own wishlist.. nothing related to hosting small dinner parties. but every time i think back to the time i hand-whisked my cream cheese frosting for my homemade red velvet cupcakes, my arm aches. and i remember jane laughing at me.

there are lots of things i look forward to getting married. and one of the top is being able to hopefully host dinner parties for friends and family. and i WILL have a christmas tree up next year. I WILL.

anyways, my blog is the most boring blog i have ever read. however the only reason i keep this thing up and write about my awesome life is mainly for my 3 readers who i miss dearly but am too lazy and awkward to call them individually and update them on my inactive life.

HI GUYS.
goodnight.

2008-12-21T17:15:00.003-05:00

on my last day at LiNK, i leave you all with this.

who says soju bottles and spoons are only good for drinking and eating? i'm such a fabulous drunk.

now onto my road of unemployment..

2008-12-19T22:08:00.002-05:00

how is it 5 days away from christmas already?

i haven't done any christmas shopping. i have no money for it and i don't think i'll do them. that makes me sound like a bad friend but.. i will try to do something creative for all you special people. don't you be sad now.

let me just say that i wish i was in new york this weekend for the most AWESOME party ever created in all of new york. jjolbaj and d-dog (i come up w the coolest nicknames i swear) are having a 'farts and crafts xmas card making party' at their apartment tomorrow. i just think that's the most exciting party i've heard of all my life. definitely beats out dishing out $175 for a nye party at tenjune which i barely remember. fun times, party jim.

well i've finally moved out of my apartment. link people are leaving in 2-3 days, and i'm a bit lost in trying to figure out what the heck im gonna do come tuesday morning. or wed morning. or thursday. at least it's holiday time and i won't feel like a complete bum. i'll just pretend like im on a very long vacation.

what a long entry. i think i'm much better at expressing myself through a song & dance rather than through words. i'm surrounded by such good creative and funny writers. but i'm happy knowing that my song & dance moves are pretty up there. again, fun times, party jim.

well, i really should go and help juan. he's building my bed all by himself. super high five for boyfriends who help you move. or for moving when you have a boyfriend. ahah. now that i'm ENGAGED and trying to be a wife or something (aaackkk), i'm going to be mature and calm. it's crazy sometimes realizing that we're getting married. i mean, juan is a very mature guy but.. me? seriously?

fun times, party jim.

juan, i know you never read this, but joo are dee best.

2008-12-18T11:41:00.002-05:00

this is why i am marrying him.
our gchat convo this morning:

juan: did you pack last night?

me: yea im not done yet. and i might need some a few more boxes.. but i might be ok. ill try fitting everything into the remaining box and bag and everything else can go into trash bags

juan: omg

you serious?

those bags are HUGE!

and you are so small

and so are your clothes

2008-12-15T09:53:00.006-05:00

i wanna go back to these days when life was less tiring. GAH.

15 days left till 2008 ends, and it's time for me to check on my list of things to do before the EOY.

things to do before the end of the year:
- find an apartment (done!)
- buy a car (looked around. im thinking of trading in my 'jaguar' to offer them a sick sales deal)
- find a job (gasp. not finding anything)
- pack and move (began packing - moving out the 19th. two studly men called juan and dlee are helping me.)
- doctor appointments before insurance runs out (still got time, and thank God i'm healthy as a bull)
- surgery (surgery on dec 31st.)
- wedding location (we're checking a few places out in cali)
- organize my life (ongoing project)
- christmas shopping (no time, no money, no shopping)

i can't wait till it's 2009.
by then, all those things on the list will somehow be done.

2008-12-12T10:09:00.004-05:00

a friend from seattle enjoying the breeze

TGIF. TGIF. TGIF.

2008-12-11T10:28:00.009-05:00

fog, a pink umbrella, and art

pink umbrella in a foggy rainy summer day

during my season of unemployment,
i
vow
to
paint.

i've realized over the past year that i lack so much confidence in myself as a painter and an artist. this is mainly the reason i have not touched a single brush for the past year and a half. there are just a few people in my life who have always been so supportive of my love & hate relationship with art. it's because of those few awesome people that i still have this lingering desire to paint again.

no more talking. start painting!

oh, i also want to learn how to use a camera.
and take some pictures that don't suck.
the solution: my own camera and lens.

kidding. i just need discipline and confidence.
okay, go.

--
2nd post of the day: i need a life
whenever everyone is gone in the office, i sing.
i'm 500% sure i like singing more than anything else in the world.

2008-12-10T17:33:00.005-05:00

orange cat in black and white.

he probably shouldn't be sitting so close to that zapper.

2008-12-08T12:32:00.005-05:00

how is it december already?

brief updates:
- john and i got engaged november 24th, on our 1 year anniversary.
- i miss you juanita. u stay strong now.
- everyone is leaving in less than 2 weeks.
- i like northern virginia. people here are kind.
- God's love and forgiveness. i have been reminded of it.

things to do before the end of the year:
- find an apartment (done!)
- buy a car (sigh..)
- find a job (gasp)
- pack and move
- doctor appointments before insurance runs out
- surgery (i'm getting surgery on dec 31st.)
- wedding location (cali or destination?)
- organize my life
- christmas shopping

i'm tired just from writing this.

i leave you with a photograph i took in china.
i feel like this lady a bit these days. cold, lost and confused.

2008-12-03T12:32:00.003-05:00

it's eerie to be standing across from a country you've learned so much about yet still feel like you know nothing about. It was quiet from the outside. Not sure about what the inside is really like.

more to come. gotta get back to work for now.

2008-12-01T17:11:00.002-05:00

i love some countries in asia, others i don't fancy much.
the ones i love are the ones left untouched, colorful and humble.

2008-11-26T18:45:00.001-05:00

2008-11-21T02:17:00.003-05:00

2008-11-12T13:16:00.002-05:00

the prettiest cutest bride ever!

2008-11-11T13:40:00.005-05:00

my sister's wedding ceremony was the most intense 30 minutes of my life. my sister and i both started to tear until my stomach growled like an angry hungryman and then my sister along with the whole row of the bridesmaids' shoulders started shaking uncontrollably as we tried to not laugh out loud. thank GOD for the growl cuz it would've been a crying fest without it.

photos to come soon. this for now,
the flower girl and ring bearer at the rehearsal.

the wedding was the most perfect beautiful wedding ever.
i'm so happy for her.

2008-11-03T15:01:00.001-05:00

my sister is getting married in 6 days. best sister in the whole wide world.

2008-10-30T16:54:00.004-05:00

fall left us so fast already
i need to hibernate this winter.

2008-10-20T17:16:00.001-05:00

i feel pain.

2008-10-17T11:56:00.003-05:00

santa barbara, ca
california weather > all of east coast weather.

john's sister jane took these photographs. i LOVE em.

well, except that my neck seems to have triple folds. that's my fault. good posture and healthy life style will get rid of that, i think.

i am wearing my favorite purple shirt,
and john is wearing my favorite gray shirt, of his.

2008-10-16T10:32:00.005-05:00

hello, brooklyn.

went to new yawk with john over the weekend. visiting new york feels different than living in it. i miss my friends, endless choices of restaurants (even though we always end up at the same ones), and simple and honest conversations. but just two days of this, and i am left drained and ready to go home. can you believe it? i am calling DC, my home.

party jim has died. say hello to old-no-party jim.

oddly enough, i am completely okay about these changes in my life. i'm soon to be jobless, poor as dirt, living a routine lifestyle, but kind of am the happiest i have ever been. i never want to live a comfortable and passionless life, and am certain i will do anything to avoid this common path. hopefully.

2008-10-14T09:13:00.003-05:00

26 days left till my lovely sister's wedding!

i can't believe we have all grown up to come to this stage of our lives. and meanwhile, my biggest concern is that i, for some unFAThomably obscure reason, do NOT fit into my bridesmaid dress. that zipper in the back of my dress was about to burst. this is just not cool. i wonder if it was the 2 lunches i consumed everyday, or the burger kings and mcds on the road, or the pizza and hot wings every night after a show during the tour, or just the general lack of exercise or any kind of physical movement as a matter of fact.

all of this deep reflection, while i consume my first lunch at 9:30 am.

in all seriousness, my dear 5 readers, big jim is going on a major work out + fit into my dress. this morning, i woke up extra early and hit the gym. BAHM!

on a much happier note of growth, john bought me this sweet little IKEA basil plant-pot. i planted the seeds a week ago, and already there are these little basil shekkis growing in my mini pot! my plan is to have them grow strong so i can make some fresh tomato-basil pasta for john. wahoo.

last but not least, random alaska pictures.

2008-10-08T09:17:00.002-05:00

georgetown cupcakes!

i had a random translation gig at georgetown hospital, which turned out to be a double-booked gig and another interpreter took the job by the time i got there. i was surprisingly pretty calm about wasting my time away from work to go all the way to georgetown. i think mainly because i knew i was going to reward myself with georgetown cupcakes anyway. then after i got these delicious morsels of goodness and a glass of milk, i got a phone call saying i was still going to get paid for the gig since it was a mistake on their part.

thank you God for knowing i am broke flat broke and providing me with the most random opportunities to get some dinero.

my favorite cupcake flavor so far: chocolate cube.

2008-10-06T13:23:00.004-05:00

i've realized that i only know how to use 1% of john's camera which is a complete waste. i'm on a mission to master this camera in the next few months. and jane if you are reading this, i'm telling u for the 100th time, screw the braces, get the camera.

some faces from the tour.

never knew how photogenic chalkboards could be.

2008-09-27T02:15:00.003-05:00

my best friend.

2008-09-25T00:56:00.005-05:00

fun.

there's this game called the funny show, and i am determined to be a champion of it by the end of this tour. i must learn how to bite my lip and swallow my giggles to become a champion.

tomorrow, we go to north carolina.
first time in nc. i'm already thinking of what to eat tomorrow.

2008-09-13T23:51:00.001-05:00

2008-09-02T11:58:00.003-05:00

boohoo the end of summer!
my summer in a nutshell:

lots of - traveling, cities, photographs, food, coffee, sun, nature, hiking
not enough of - john, friends, rest, sleep

and now i am tired.

well, a nice couple picture from the 60s.

ahahahahaha.

2008-08-24T00:34:00.006-05:00

a new york weekend.

saw the louise bourgeois exhibition at the guggenheim. everyone in new york should go see it. new york is the same as last time, except that we are all getting older, thinking of these grown-up thoughts, all wondering where our lives are headed, scared and excited, energetic and drained, crazy but sane - all at the same time.

It is not so much where my motivation comes from,
but rather how it manages to survive.
.louise bourgeois

2008-08-20T15:24:00.007-05:00

could i ?

if i pushed myself, could i do it ?

agnes martin, eva hesse, and louise bourgeois.

my 3 favorite artists of all time. since the first moment i saw each of their art, i have been stunned. i look at their art, and i feel feelings no other art has made me feel. agnes' paintings have the happiness that is nowhere to be found in this world. the sculptures and drawings of eva and louise leave me with the most uncomfortable yet familiar feeling. makes me sick to my guts, but i recognize this feeling, this overwhelming, suffocating eeriness.

i want to make art that is both ugly and beautiful. both uncomfortable yet familiar. but could i really do it? it's not the circumstances surrounding me, but my own doubts and fears that lock me up and hold me.

2008-08-20T14:50:00.003-05:00

eye infection.

1. looks like i got ssanggapool surgery on one eye.
2. i'm totally cross-eyed.

according to wiki, this eye infection is caused by fatigue, stress and poor nutrition. i am always well-nourished, so i must be stressed out and tired.

2008-08-14T10:19:00.004-05:00

alaska jumps!

if at first we don't succeed, we dust ourselves off and try again. and again. and again. and again.. and yet again.

oh yea, we were jumping on glaciers, not just snow.
well done, alaska. well done.

2008-08-13T14:26:00.003-05:00

feeling blue.

today is a triple shot kind of a day.

2008-08-06T01:36:00.005-05:00

alaska at 11pm.

we walked around with sunglasses on
in the middle of the so-called night.