hair-did

i got my hair did here.  it was quite the experience.  imagine trying to tell your hairdresser what you want, but she can't understand a single word you're saying except the word "hair."  and as much as you think you can explain using your hands, you may get across the wrong message.  all i wanted were two colors of highlights.  i held up two fingers said highlights, and that didn't work.  how was she supposed to know what i meant.  so she began highlighting the first color.  when it came time for the second color, she thought i wanted dark brown.  after about a half hour, we cleared things up and i ended up having a wonderful experience there.

when i walked in, there was a bar to my left.  they collected my things and put it in a locker and tied a cape on me.  then they escorted me to table full of magazines.  when i sat down, they gave me a menu with coffee, americano, lattes, cookies, cereal, toast, muffins, teas, juice and more.  everything was included.  i ordered a peppermint tea.  they began highlighting my hair while i continued to sit at that table and reading while they brought over toast with olive oil, more tea, and cookies.  during my hair rinse, they brought over another person to give me a scalp treatment.  a-ma-zing.  she massaged oils into my scalp for a good 10 minutes.

i'm usually not one to like when a hair dresser tries to style my hair.  i always go home and fix it myself, or throw it in a pony tail.  but this girl did wonders to my hair all with a round brush.  i wish i could learn how to do it myself.

by the end of this event, despite an evening filled with miscommunication, we bonded a little with me knowing a few words in korean, and her knowing a few words in english.  she even asked for my phone number and wants to go out on the town soon.  it should be interesting.

exploring the arts

this weekend we went to a new part of seoul: jongno.  it is a district full of art galleries, museums and culture.  our first stop was the ice sculpture museum.  everything but the floor was ice.  they had built ice castles, an ice slide, an ice apartment, ice bar, etc.

i'm just working in my ice office, sending out a few emails on my frozen laptop and catching up on a few calls with my frozen phone.

meanwhile, ryan is just taking a nap on his ice bed in his ice apartment.

after the museum we went through the town down back allies.  this part of town is full of coffee shops and boutiques.  probably every-other building had a coffee shop in it.  down this alley is a tiny cafe.

we walked down an alley and up a few hills and came across this view point.  it was so pretty, and of course we ruined it with our ugly faces.

on the way back down to the main road we found the steepest stairs i have ever seen.  this photo doesn't do it justice.

ryan got thirsty, and out of all the cafes that were everywhere, he chose zoo cafe.  this place was filled with stuffed animals hanging from the ceiling, sitting on the floor and propped up against the counter.

we ended the day at the gyeongbokgung palace.  i love all the palaces here.  they are full of so much culture and interesting ways of life.

clap your hands say clapton

we went to an eric clapton concert here.  big stars travel asia to promote their new records and sing concerts.  mostly they do several shows in japan, but just one stop in korea.  we had a blast.  eric clapton is a genius.  and he played most of the show with his eyes closed.  i don't know how he can play that crazy without looking.

(i tried to upload a couple videos from the concert, but they weren't working.  maybe in another post.)

sorry the pictures are poor quality.  the lighting was really dark.

more valentines

this was the gift to our apartment night manager.  i'm hungry.

valentines

in korea, every 14th of every month is a celebrated holiday for couples.  on february 14 is valentines day where the girl gives chocolate to the guy and treats him out.  and on march 14 is when the guy gives the girl candy and treats her out.  so i figured since i am the girl, i must give chocolate to the guy.  i made many trays of different flavors of fudge, m&m oatmeal cookies, and a strawberry pudding with a chocolate crust.  after i treated my husband out, i gave desserts to the men at our school, the owner of our favorite restaurant, the owner of our favorite coffee shop, and the night manager in our apartment.  all this to say, i had a cavity i had to get filled this past weekend.

January 14: Diary Day
The day of presenting your lover with a cute diary and a basket of flowers

February 14: Valentine’s Day
The day when girls and women present their boyfriends with chocolate and confess their love

March 14: White Day
The day when boys and men present their girlfriends with chocolate and confess their love

April 14: Black Day
The day when people who have no lovers eat black Chinese noodles together and wear black

May 14: Rose Day
The day when lovers present each other with roses to express their love

Yellow Day
The day when those who were unable to eat black noodles on Black Day go to eat yellow curry rice

June 14: Kiss Day
The day when lovers kiss to confirm their love

July 14: Silver Day
The day when lovers exchange silver rings to make a promise for the future

August 14: Music Day
The day of presenting a CD with love songs

September 14: Photo Day
The day when lovers take pictures to keep memories of their love

October 14: Wine Day
The day when lovers drink wine and share love

November 14:Movie Day
The day when lovers go to see a movie holding hands

Hug Day

The day of giving hugs to your loved ones

December 14: Money Day
The day of spending generously for your lover

the best meal in korea

i know i always blog about food, but i like the stuff too much.  ryan and i have found our favorite restaurant, and the great thing is that it is about a 5 minute walk from our apartment.  we have become regulars at this place; so much so that when we walk in the door, they begin preparing our "usual", and by the time we sit down, our table is full of food.  at this restaurant, eating is an event.  it usually takes us about 1.5 hours to finish our meal, and we don't even have to wait for the food to arrive.  sometimes it can be difficult to sit that long, since we are sitting on the floor.

most korean meals have several dishes to them.  this meal, specifically, has a giant plate of vegetables, a plate of raw meat, a bowl of wet noodles, a bowl of dry noodles, kimchi, some other salad-y thing, some cabbage with an awesome dressing, a bowl of rice, and most importantly, the sauce.  there is a bowl on a burner in the center of the table filled with broth.  with this meal, you cut up the vegetables and meat and cook them in the broth, then grab out what you want to eat with your chop-sticks.

ryan and i grab the vegetables and soak every piece in the sauce.  it is possibly the most amazing sauce i have ever had, and i am a lover of condiments.  the sauce is very spicy and very delicious.  we are usually blowing our noses every 30 minutes or so, because it is so spicy, but we can't get enough; we ask for a sauce refill 3-4 times during our meal.  one night they even left the refill sauce on our table for us.

the dry noodles on the right is probably my favorite part.  they are covered in flour, so when they cook they get really full and the broth becomes thicker.  they pair so well with the sauce.

in the dish above is the rice combination.  after you finish all the other items that cook in the broth, they bring over a bowl of rice filled with seasoning, and one egg.  they pour the rice in and cook it, then dump the egg in and mix it.  and just when you think the meal is finished, they bring over oranges.  and usually the owner offers us a cup of coffee or plum juice.  

i'm getting hungry just typing about it.

the owner of the restaurant usually visits our table every 20 minutes to practice a little english with us.  we have become besties with him.  he even invited us to his house, and he bought us a lunar new years gift... some fancy dress socks.

.....and that's why it's our favorite meal in korea!

currently

currently reading...

katie's book.

ryan's book.

currently listening to...

journey.

currently watching...

entourage.

a weekend of luxury

this weekend we decided that since we couldn't find a single ticket out of this country for the lunar new year, we would splurge on a weekend getaway.

we stayed in a fancy hotel that was ridiculously expensive.  it was only one night, so we made the best of it.  we got a bottle of wine and took advantage of the jacuzzi and big puffy white bathrobes.  in the morning we even got a delicious american-style breakfast.

we went to a nice restaurant for lunch with some new friends.  we ended up staying there for four hours, because we were having such a wonderful time.  for dinner, ryan and i went to a korean restaurant for some dimsum.  dimsum comes in these terrific wooden bowls full of a variety of noodle dumplings filled with all sorts of seafood or vegetables.

it's funny to us that whenever we order water in a restaurant, they only bring a half full glass...if that.  it's not very common to drink any beverage during a meal in korea.  we always stand out, because we are constantly ordering more water.

the next morning i forced ryan to go with me to a spa.  it was quite the experience.  first we had to change into these outfits and slippers.  then we stuck our feet in a small pool of warm water full of fish that eat the dead skin off your feet.  it was difficult for both of us since we are both very ticklish.  we squirmed and laughed a lot.

after the fish, we went to a separate foot bath with aromatherapy.

while we were soaking our feet we were served warm herbal tea and given english magazines.

after our foot soaking, we got a couples traditional chinese massage.  it was so fun to be in the same room during our massage, although there was a point during our session when ryan let out a little moan, and it took everything i had in me not to burst out laughing.  we both agreed that it was the most painful massage we had ever had, but also the best we had ever had.  there was a lot of punching and slapping and our massage therapists climbed all over our bodies.  after the massage they stretched us.  that was one of my favorite parts of the whole experience.

happy lunar new year!

for the new year, we went out to an amazing restaurant.  there is no kitchen, just a butcher.  

the meat cooks on the burner in the middle of the table and there is a side basket full of different greens.  you toss a few pieces of meat, some rice and amazing sauce into the green and eat it like a lettuce wrap.  we indulged in a pepsi and a soju as well.

and we topped it off with dessert waffles and ice cream.

when we came home from our evening of celebrating, we looked for our hamsters to play with them.  this is how we found ron.  

and this is how we found power ranger.  after looking everywhere for him, i finally lifted up the blanket we have in his house, and he was underneath it asleep on his back.