Good times ahead

Currently trying hard to procrastinate, so thought, 'why not post on the blog?'.

The first half of this month has gone by super fast. Feels like it was October 1st yesterday and I was thinking, I have lots of time to get done book one, fix up the place, and have time to spare until mom gets here. Well, she arrives tomorrow.

I'm not too worried about having to do too much work while she's here. I'll have to take a few hours here and there to do some work, perhaps when she's taking it easy, or if she's napping due to jet lag. Luckily, the new series for preschoolers I'm working on isn't too hard on the brain, and can even be enjoyable at times. I've also canceled most of my classes for the time that she's here.
I haven't planned too much for me and mom to do. I'd like it to be a laid back visit. If we feel like doing some shopping or seeing a movie, we can do that. Or, if we feel like staying in and knitting, we can do that too. It will be quite different from her 8-day whirlwind visit to Korea 3 1/2 years ago for the wedding!

At Gyeongbokgung, the day after our wedding:

At the Icheon ceramics festival:

So, before she gets here tomorrow, I have to finish writing book one (just the student book), clean up the place, and get a few groceries. Food is going to be interesting. I don't cook much and I don't think she likes Korean food. Also, most western food in Korea is expensive and unhealthy. I guess we're going to have to be creative.

During my July 2006 trip home. We visited the Canadian Rockies.

Near my parents' summer trailer on Lake Nippissing:

Toto's Training

For over three years now, Toto has been our baby...She's slept with us every night, right in between us on our pillows. We're not sure whether she considers herself human, or she considers us cats. Whatever the case, she's pretty attached and feels she can do whatever she pleases.

Up until now this hasn't been a problem. She's a pretty laid back cat -- she doesn't jump or climb around like a lot of cats, thank goodness. We've never seen her on the kitchen counter or island, and she won't eat human food. She sleeps most of the time and always goes in her litter box. Pretty low maintenance. But emotionally, I'd say she's high maintenance. When I get home from an outing, she goes a little crazy, kind of like a dog, jumps on me and rubs her face against mine, purring. It's cute, but I won't be able to afford her this attention three months from now.

So, in order to make it easier on her in the long run, we've started a three-phase training program.

The first phase is trying to eliminate the risk of injury to the baby. This can never be fully eliminated with any animal, of course. But I think Soft Claws help a lot. We put these little plastic caps over her paws and she can't scratch anyone or anything. So far, so good. She's had them on for over a month with no complaints. When one falls off (when her nail sheds), we just replace it. Very easy and much kinder than declawing.

Toto Jo's grade for phase one: A+

The second phase is banning her from our bedroom. The baby will sleep with us for a while because it will be much easier this way, and we really don't have another room to properly fix up for him/her. So, that means Toto has been displaced. Of course we can't risk her cuddling up too close to the baby, even innocently, and also, we just don't want her hair shedding in that room anymore.

Last night, history was made when I closed Toto out of our room. It was really sad, but we have to start somewhere. She scratched and meowed at the door for about 5 minutes before giving up and going to sleep. I got up around 6am to use the facilities and get a snack. She didn't look very pleased with me, and tried her hardest to slink into the bedroom with me. She scratched and meowed for a little longer that time, but eventually gave up. So, she deserves credit for sleeping her first night without us. I was pretty happy with her performance because I thought she'd get upset and pee somewhere out of spite.

Toto Jo's grade for phase 2: B+

(She did well for the first night, and I think she will improve slowly over the coming weeks)

Phase three is simply her keeping on good behaviour around the baby. It's impossible to grade her on this phase right now obviously. We will be keeping a close eye on her when the time comes, and if there is any sign of aggression, we'll have to think about other options. I'm pretty positive, though, that she'll adjust well. She's proven to be a pretty adaptable and easy-going animal, so I hope she continues to impress us.

Toto Jo's grade for phase 3: To be determined

Sax Solo

Thought I'd upload this video I took at the festival. This was Friday night at Jazz Island. Lots of people.

This band was led by Sadao Watanabe, jazz legend from Japan, who is still going strong at 75 years old!

The next day at the festival (but at a different location), we caught the Iiro Rantala New Trio, an experimental jazz band from Finland, and the Giovanni Amato Quartet, a very impressive combo from Italy. I think I enjoyed the quartet the most. They were truly masters of their instruments -- very impressive.

Here's a clip of the Iiro Rantala Trio. They were impressive as well. Notice there are no drums...One of the members does all percussion by beatboxing.

Gapyeong

I've been meaning to post about our trip to Gapyeong last weekend, but the few times I've had some time to myself this week, I've not felt like sitting in front of the computer. But I did have a wonderful time last weekend and wanted to post some photos.

I brought up going to the Jarasum International Jazz Festival to Sejin about a month back and he did the smile and nod thing. Sejin isn't a jazz fan -- he was actually nodding off when we saw Branford Marsalis in concert a couple years back. But I've been really wanting to go to this festival, so he agreed, booked train tickets and festival tickets and I marked it on the calendar.

Then I remembered we had talked to Hayan and her boyfriend, Yungyu, about going away for a weekend. So, I thought, let's just all go to Gapyeong. And why stop there? We hadn't seen Christie and Wonsang for a while, so we invited them along.

Usually I'm not much a group travel person -- I find that traveling with a group usually slows you down, so I prefer to travel with only one or two people with a similar plan in mind, but this trip worked out well. Yungyu booked a nice pension (which we had neglected to do) and Hayan had the excellent idea of visiting Nami Island, which is quite close to Jara Island.

The train ride to Gapyeong was great. One thing to remember about traveling in Korea -- weekend traffic sucks. Last weekend was especially bad because it was a long weekend. The trains here (even the old ones) are awesome. They are quiet, comfortable, not very expensive, and best of all, as with all trains, you miss all the traffic. Hayan, Yungyu, Sejin, and I enjoyed a smooth 1 1/2 hour trip from Seoul to Gapyeong, having some good conversation along with some sandwiches and kimbap. Poor Christie and Wonsang. They decided to drive and we didn't see them in Gapyeong until dinner time -- their trip took them over 5 hours!

That evening we took a walk by the river, and had a barbecue outside our pension. It was nice to hear the peace and quiet, and fall weather was perfect. After dinner, we headed to the festival, which was very busy. We saw a couple of bands perform at Jazz Island. It was a bit chilly, but we had fun and headed back to the pension at around 11pm in high spirits where we celebrated Hayan's birthday.After cake we played cards. I found out Koreans seem to like seeing each other suffer, and so they took great care in thinking of a proper punishment for losing. The loser of each game had to eat a sizable chunk of raw onion. Luckily I didn't lose -- Christie said she could still taste onion the next morning. But to me, the entire table setting looked like punishment enough. As snacks, we had a strange assortment of strawberry birthday cake, tuna, dried persimmons, chocolate cookies, shrimp chips, and of course onions (see above photo collage). They were drinking soju mixed with plum juice.

The next morning we got up, had an equally strange breakfast (the assortment from the night before, plus ramen), and headed to Nami Island. Unfortunately, that Saturday was not a good day to go to Nami Island. I should have remembered, never visit any popular place in Korea on a long weekend! But it worked out well and Nami Island was quite beautiful. I think I'd like to go back on a less busy day to get some better pictures.

After returning from Nami and getting lunch (Chuncheon dalk galbi -- very good), Hayan and Yungyu headed back to Seoul, while the rest of us stayed to catch some more jazz.

Although we were only gone for two days and one night, it was a long weekend and we were pretty tired when we got in the door at 12am Saturday night. But it was a really fun trip and one I'll remember for a long time. It was so great to spend time with friends in the nice weather and scenery, since in another three months I'll be housebound with an infant! I'm hoping to fit in another trip or two before then.

Don't knit late at night

This is what happens when you knit when you're tired, late at night. This pattern is so cute, and well-written, but I screwed it up. Usually if you make little mistakes, like lose a stitch somewhere or forget to make a one-stitch increase, you're not going to notice it in the final product. But when you skip an instruction that says "knit another 16 rows," you're in trouble. I just couldn't figure out why the arms were so skinny. Then a few days later I read the pattern over again carefully and saw the huge chunk of knitting I had missed. Ouch.

So, instead of ripping it all out (which would have been hard because I had done cast offs and decreases, etc), I decided to practice that dreaded skill of picking up stitches. I picked up stitches all along under the arms, front and back. You can see where I did. It looks terrible. And talk about frustration. I just finished this because I wanted to use up old yarn and teach myself a lesson about following directions. I just may knit this pattern again, because it is really cute.

I think it looks good on my bear... maybe bear can keep it. She's been naked for 6 years, so I guess she deserves some clothing.

On Tuesday we saw Amira, Jin and Noah for the last time before they return to Australia. We had a nice lunch in Shinchon and then some treats and shopping afterwards. Too bad they live so far away. That's definitely one of the disadvantages to living in Korea. Friends are always coming and going.

Still don't know

First official appointment at Soonchunhyang University Hospital today. I was hoping to have an ultrasound to possibly find out the sex of the baby, but I didn't get one. On one hand I was kind of impressed that Dr. Choi doesn't demand one at every appointment like they do at Cheil Hospital (I think that was a money grab), but I was really hoping to find out today. I will get one at my next appointment on October 29, so now I'm at conflict with myself about whether I should go to a small private clinic and pay for an ultrasound just to find out. Can I wait another four weeks? I don't know...

So today I had the gestational diabetes test, which was not a big deal, and also my Rhogam shot since I have RH negative blood type. It's hard to believe that at my next appointment I will be nearly 31 weeks. Time certainly has slipped by quickly, and October will go by even quicker since I have lots of work and my mom is coming to visit.

After the appointment, Sejin and I went to Itaewon for pie. There's a great place run by an American man called "Tartine." He makes different types of pies, like pecan, cherry rhubarb, blueberry, etc. Actually, they're more like tarts, but they're done proper. It's also pricey at 6,000 won per pie, but it's a great treat since it's nearly impossible to find pastries like that in Korea. To find Tartine, start at the Hamilton Hotel, pass KFC and take your second right. It's tucked away in that little alley behind the Korean souvenir shop. Or, just remember it's in the little alley right across the street from Outback restaurant.

Picked up some bread, bagels, and deli meat before heading home. Itaewon is definitely not my favourite place in Seoul, but it does have some stuff you can't get anywhere else.

North Face Rip-off

This brand name rip-off stuff doesn't really surprised me anymore, but this one just really made me laugh:
http://sinkorschwim.wordpress.com/2008/09/28/unfortunate-rip-off/

Personally, I'd go for the really good rip-offs available at the Dongdaemun night market that actually say "The North Face."

Yarn therapy

Yarn shopping is one of my favourite things to do. It's so much fun to look at all the colours and textures and imagine what you could make out of them if you only had the time. It's especially fun when you haven't been in a while. I think the last time I bought yarn was in the spring when the vendors got the cotton out. That's a pretty good stretch of time without buying yarn, so I indulged a little today.

So Karen and I headed to Dongdaemun Shopping Town around 10 this morning when it was nice and quiet. We were both looking for baby yarn and we both managed to find some. Unfortunately we both don't know the sex of our babies yet, so I ended up buying yellow, and she bought green. I also bought some which may or may not go to making baby stuff.

Here's the yellow stuff. Just standard baby yarn.

This says baby alpaca, and I'm thinking it'll make a nice scarf and hat set for me, plus a baby cardigan or something.

Finally, just when we were going to leave the building, I spied this Noro Silk Garden yarn, which I had to get. Noro has to be one of the most popular yarns out there and I've heard so much about it, but I've never tried it. I didn't know it was available in Dongdaemun, and I assumed that if it was, it would be too expensive. To my surprise, the man only charged me $65 for the bag of 10 balls, which I think is a pretty good deal. Kind of hurts to shell out that kind of cash all at once, but when you break it down to the per ball cost, it's really not bad at all. I tried knitting up a swatch with it and I can see why people like it. Because of the silk content, it slips very nice over the bamboo needles and the colourway is so gradual and vivid. So it was a great trip. Karen and I then had lunch at one of my favourite restaurants, Himalaya, near Dongmyo Station. It was delicious and we had a nice talk about babies and childcare. Got some good book and product recommendations.

All in all, it was a good Korea day. Living here is full of ups and downs sometimes. Today all the vendors were very friendly -- I got a few discounts which rarely happens in Shopping Town, some free needles, and a free pattern magazine. Then on the subway home an old man offered his seat to me, which was really weird because often the young people don't even do that. Plus, the weather was fantastic (for me, anyway). It was very cool and overcast. I even got some work done tonight.

Namdaemun

Namdaemun is awesome. There is such a variety of things for sale at cheap prices, and even if you're not into shopping, just the atmosphere is great to be in. But I'm constantly surprised when I hear other foreigners say that they don't like Namdaemun, or that they've never been there.

I'll admit, the first time I went over six years ago, I was a little confused about the hype and wasn't overly impressed. I thought it was just full of ginseng in soju and knock-off bags. But you really need to go on a weekday when it's not so crazy, and you also need to be brave. For a long time, I never ventured into the buildings in Namdaemun. I just glanced into the stores on the ground floor. Don't be afraid to go into random buildings and go up stairways and escalators -- basically get lost.

The reason I write this is that yesterday I went to Namdaemun for the first time in quite a while. I used to only have time to go on weekends, and this is not a good time to visit Namdaemun, especially if you don't like crowds. So my friend Amira and I went yesterday around noon to check out the baby malls. I have been in the baby malls before, but never looked seriously because I wasn't expecting a baby! But yesterday I took more interest (although I didn't buy anything for baby) and helped my friend pick up some fantastic deals on some clothes for her son, Noah. The clothing there was half the price (or more) of the clothing we were looking at in Doota last week, and some of it was exactly the same.

Baby and kids' clothes here are cute. And they're affordable if you shop in places like Namdaemun. Forget Doota and Homeplus and definitely stay away from the big department stores. Hit the markets. I'm always amazed when I hear friends with kids saying they order their kid's clothes from abroad because the clothes are too expensive here, or they're not good. I had a co-worker once tell me that his wife only dresses their daughter in brand name clothes that she orders from the U.S. because they're better quality. Excuse me? I can't imagine ordering expensive baby Polo clothes for my kid, only to watch them spit up on them and then grow out of them in a matter of a couple of months. What a waste! I know I'll be hitting Namdaemun for all my baby clothes when the time comes.

To get to the baby malls, take exit 7 out of Hoehyeon Station (light blue line 4), go straight, and then turn left. Wander around. You will see big buildings with funny names like Mama Land or Happy Baby (I can't remember if those are the correct names, but they're similar to that). Go on in and look. Take the stairs and see what's on the other floors. For example, after wandering around the first floor of a baby mall yesterday, I decided to go up to the second floor just out of curiosity. I'm glad I did because hiding up stairs were tonnes of women's discount clothes, even maternity shops. My friend bought a gorgeous black suit for $60 (bargained the lady down from $90 -- don't forget to bargain)! There were all kinds of cool shops up there that I had no idea existed.

Mesa also has a baby clothes floor with good deals. Mesa also has good deals on women's clothes, and has some maternity shops. It is also near exit 7 of Hoehyeon Station. Just look up when you get out. It's the tallest building in the area. Yesterday I bought a bunch of flowy shirts there on sale for 5 and 10 bucks. I've found out that I really don't need to buy maternity shirts, especially with this year's fashion trends. The shirts I bought are roomy and comfortable with plenty of room left. I did look at actual maternity shirts, but they're humongous, I don't like them, and they're way more expensive because they're called "maternity" shirts. Take a look around Mesa first and second floor and you won't be disappointed. There's also a food court up on the 8th floor.

Also, Korean souvenirs and gifts. Most foreigners think that the best place for this is Insa-dong. Yes, Insa-dong is great, but a lot of the souvenirs there are overpriced, naturally, because it's a tourist zone. If you just wander around Namdaemun, you will see a lot of Korean souvenir shops. These places are all right, but where you want to go is the Korean Folk Art building, second floor. I can't give precise directions there because I always get lost wandering around Namdaemun, but what I do is just wander around, and look up for a big banner that says "Korean Folk Crafts" or something like that. Go in the building nearest that banner and go up to the second floor. It's a huge building full of the same stuff they sell in Insa-dong (phone charms, silk bags, boxes, Korean lamps, etc.), but for cheaper, and the salespeople there are more willing to bargain, especially if you're buying a bunch of gifts. I always go to this building to buy gifts before I go home to Canada for a vacation.

Anyway, I always have a good time in Namdaemun, and today I felt compelled to write about it. It was great to get back there on a Tuesday afternoon and take a leisurely look around. I just found this neat map of Namdaemun, which attempts to make it look easy to get around. Have fun with the map, but I still think it's best to go and wander. I also just found out that Mesa has a floor full of beads in the basement (I haven't even been to the basement!). Damn.

I actually have today to myself since I'm waiting for feedback on my sample unit I sent to the publishing company last night. Very, very late last night...I was too busy shopping in Namdaemun yesterday afternoon instead of doing my work. Yesterday evening I also had a CWIK (Career Women in Korea) meeting, which means I got home around 10pm, soaked my feet, caught up with Sejin, and started working around midnight. How silly is that?

By the way, if you're a career woman in Korea or are looking for a career, you should go to CWIK's monthly meetings. They usually meet the third Thursday of the month at the New Seoul Best Western Hotel. The meeting is in English, and both Korean and foreign women are welcome. The schedule is something like this: 6:45pm - networking, 7:30 - dinner, 8:15 guest speaker speaks, 8:45 Q&A, 9:00 - finish. It's a great place to meet other career women. If you want more info, email career_women_in_korea@yahoo.com.

Soft Claws

I have to say, I'm very impressed with these "Soft Claws" that I ordered for Toto. We're trying to de-arm Toto for several reasons. She's not a super destructive cat, but sometimes if the mood strikes her, she is able to put holes in things with her razor sharp nails. She doesn't really scratch me or Sejin anymore because we can almost predict her every move, but ocassionally she gets us, and it hurts. So I had heard of these nail caps for pets (they're made for cats and dogs) and decided to see if I can get them here in Korea. Luckily, they are available on the website that we order Toto's food and litter from, Cat Republic.

I was skeptical, but decided to give them a try. They are just plastic caps shaped like the cat's nails that slip over their existing nails. You put a drop of glue in each nail and then slide them on. It was easier than I thought, and they really stay on. I put the first ones on Toto about three weeks ago and none have fallen off. The best part is that they don't even irritate her. In the instructions, it says that some pets may try to chew them off, or seem annoyed by them. Toto didn't seem to notice there was anything on her nails! There was no adjustment time at all.
The only problem is that kit comes with two small vials of glue, which isn't enough for multiple applications. Also, the glue in our kit was kind of gummy and difficult to apply to the cap. So I picked up some regular manicure glue for human nails and it works just as good. Sejin and I are happy, Toto is indifferent, so that's a big thumbs up for Soft Claws. We'll definitely be ordering them again. I think we may order her a nice pink set next time!