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!

Back on track

This is why it took me so long to write the listening books:

Total pages: 396

Number of listening passages: 540

Number of questions: 828

Number of vocab test questions: 540

But they are finished and I had a great sleep last night, so it's time to get on with life! I'm going today to get my hair cut for the first time in what seems like a millenium and I'm going to hang out in Edae after that until my class at 8:00. I have to write the forward for the books, and I'll bring some knitting with me. And I need new shoes, as my current ones are literally falling apart. It'll be a nice afternoon.

As for knitting, I finally finished the baby kimono I was working on. I decided to use buttons for closure rather than ties. It's really cute, but really small. It will probably only be good for the first couple of weeks. Actually, it'll probably just be a photo-op.

I started working on this really cool folk-arty doilie while finishing up the books.

And the other night I started a really cute ribbed baby sweater.

I'm not even sure about this project. I just want to use up some of the cheap yarn I got when I first started knitting. Depending on how this turns out, it might become a cat blanket for toto rather than a baby blanket. It's kind of scratchy and stiff. But I've heard that this type of yarn softens up a lot after a few washes. Fingers crossed.

So I'm much happier now that knitting is back in my life. I still have lots to do, but it's totally manageable. I'll be starting a new project shortly, a conversation series for pre-schoolers. I'm looking forward to this one because there's more creativity involved, and of course, and it'll be much easier on my brain.

Yesterday was fun. My friend Amira is visiting from Australia with her husband and her 1-year-old son, Noah. Noah's a cute little guy who was totally obsessed with the fan in my apartment! After he left I realized that my fan now makes funny noises when running. Kids... At least it still works. Amira brought me a few baby things, including the cutest little booties with kangaroos on them. Love them!

After hanging out here for a while, we went to Doota, to the kids clothing floor. It's much more pricey there than other places, but it's still fun to look. Noah got a cute outfit for his first birthday party this Saturday. I took a spin through the maternity shops on the same floor and ended up getting a cute long sleeve T-shirt that says "The bun is done." Most of the maternity stuff up there is just way to huge for me. I think I'm going to place an online order soon.

Well, guess I should get moving. It's a beautiful day out there.

Hallelujah

The listening books are finished and I can now attempt to regain control of my life! Going out with friends today visiting Korea from Australia. Ah, I can breathe now!

Or so I thought

I'm at the end of my rope with this project. The work just does not end. I've been working for days on end (even weekends) straight. I've finished nearly all the writing, but now I have to do the vocabulary test questions, which I was assured would be easy. I'm now in the process of writing 150 questions. Then I have to fill in some totally useless exercises called "listening tips" which don't even belong in these books. Then I'll have to put the units (36) in order of difficulty. Then I'll have to write the last unit because I couldn't bring myself to stay up past 2:30 a.m. yesterday. Then there will be something else that they'll email me with to do. Looks like it's another 3:00 a.m. bedtime!

Even worse than all this work is that I don't even believe in the books. I was not involved at all in the planning process, and do not agree with how the books are laid out. I expressed this concern to the project manager at the beginning, who basically said, "Yes, you're right, but this is what my boss wants, so let's just do it this way." I would have gladly gone into their office for a meeting or planning session. Instead, I lost interest in this project very early on because I don't see any teaching philosphy behind these books! I'm merely finishing them now so that I don't soil my name with this company.

On top of it all, the pay is not good. Actually, it sounded good in the beginning, and it might sound good if I were to tell you, but I was foolish when I signed the contract. I did not realize what a massive project this was. This kind of project would have been suitable for a team of writers, not one. I am being paid the same for this project as I was for the "I Can Speak English" series for grade one kids, and that series was a piece of cake to write -- mostly pictures!! I'd say these listening books are about 5 times the work of those books. I don't even want to think about money right now...

So I guess I've kind of missed deadline again, but I don't really care because I'm beside myself with anger right now. What are they going to do -- fire me and get another sucker to finish the project? Sure.

I'm going shopping tomorrow.

On the home stretch

A little bit more writing to do, some random exercises to fill in, and then I have to put the units in order of difficulty. Last possible deadline on the contract says September 10, so it's do or die time. I'll be the happiest person ever when this is done!

Toto the plastic-eating cat

Thank goodness my classes canceled on me today. I've been debating all morning whether to cancel them or not, and I didn't even have to make the decision! I was going to cancel because it's pouring out and I hate traveling in Seoul in the rain, and also because I'm pretty tired. The story:

Toto got into some trouble last night and puked four times. She'll puke once or twice a week from over-eating, but four times in one night is a bit much, so I started looking for the answer. Finally I found it. In the center of our headboard, I put this pretty artificial flower some time ago. It's kind of a mini-arrangement, with some ribbon and fake ivy hanging down from the flower. The white ribbon is now all crunched up and hard, and the plastic ivy is gone, probably eaten. I don't understand this cat. She will not touch any food (cat or human) except her Pro Plan, but she'll eat plastic? I've tried giving her bacon, ham, cheese, fried chicken, everything. She just sniffs it and walks away. She won't eat any cat treats, even the nice canned stuff. Not that I'm complaining -- I hated when our dogs used to beg at dinner time. It's nice to be able to leave food on the table and not worry about it being licked. But why plastic and ribbon? Anyway, she paid for it. She's all right now, taking her daily all-day nap as usual.

Here's a great before and after shot of her sexy new haircut. She looks really weird, but she's much happier. She's running around and playing more and just seems in a better mood most of the time. I think we're going to get her shaved twice a year from now on to keep her hair under control. Especially with a baby coming, her hair floating around just isn't healthy.
Speaking of cats, Sejin and I went to the musical CATS last Friday night at Charlotte Theater in Jamsil. I've always wanted to see it, so we spent a little extra money and got first row balcony seats, which was really worth it. I've had the CD of the musical for years and am very familiar with the story and music, so finally seeing it was fantastic. It was the original London cast and I have to say I thought it was amazing. I've heard some friends say they don't like it, or it was just so-so, but I think it depends what your expectations are going in. Perhaps an appreciation for musicals helps too? I'm not sure. I just loved every second of it. Charlotte Theater was impressive too. It's a nice, small, but classy theater located right near Jamsil Station which was designed especially for musicals. This means that it's quite small (seats about 1,000), and since the seating is quite steep, there are no really "bad seats." I noticed that next up at Charlotte Theater is "Dreamgirls," but I don't know if it's the English or Korean cast. It's not very often plays and musicals are shown in English in Korea, so if you want to see something and it's in English, just go and see it, because you probably won't have another chance. It was a nice evening. We walked around Jamsil Station near Lotte World beforehand and got dinner. I forgot about the skating rink at Lotte World. Since it was a Friday, it wasn't that busy. I wouldn't recommend going on a weekend though. There are lots of restaurants and fun shops in Jamsil Station because of Lotte World. I got some fuzzy peaches and chocolate malt balls to snack on at the musical (secretly of course!). Great treats. So now that I have a whole rainy day ahead of me, I'd better be productive and get some work done, since I'm behind deadline yet again.

20 Week U/S video

I finally got around to fixing the DVD drive on my computer. That means I could finally play my ultrasound video from a week and a half ago.

I don't have time to post an update now, as I'm way behind in my work, so I'll just post the video. The sound of the heartbeat is at around 1 minute in.

Ravelympics

I've been participating in the 2008 Ravelympics, which is just knitting/crocheting a project during the Olympics. It's through the site Ravelry. The rules are just that you can cast on any time once the opening ceremonies begin, and you must finish by the closing ceremonies. I'm very surprised I finished in time, as I've been pretty busy the last couple of weeks, and I even had to rip out my first attempt at my project because of gauge/sizing issues. But I stayed up late last night knitting away, finished all the knitting, and sewed on the buttons this afternoon. I was competing in the "baby dressage" event and my project was Presto Chango. This is a must-do baby knitting pattern. It's very easy, there's not much seaming, and the finished product is very practical (at least I'll find out if it is!). The front panel comes off so you can lay the baby on the sweater to put his arms in and then just button the panel on. Plus, you could make multiple panels for the same sweater, in case of accidents, or just for fun. I may make another cabled panel or two for this one. Aren't the buttons cute? Dongdaemun Shopping Town is "the place" for buttons and all those little notions, not to mention fabrics and yarn. Get off at Dongdaemun Station (line 1 and 3) and take exit 9. Dongdaemun Shopping Town (aka crafters' paradise) is the humongous building immediately on your left. Yarn is in the basement. First floor is all kinds of stuff like bedding, towels, and curtains (just bring your window measurements here if you want custom curtains!). Second floor and up are purely fabrics -- and lots of them. The top floor is all kind of accessories you might need like buttons, beads, ribbon, sequins....you name it. Dongdaemun Shopping Town is a very, very dangerous place if you like crafting, so you've been warned.

20 week ultrasound

Well, today was the big "halfway there" ultrasound. It was a special ultrasound where they check to see that everything is present and working. Everything looks good according to the doctor. That's all I want to hear. Downs Syndrome test came back negative and my blood anti-bodies test came back negative (I have A- blood which could cause problems, but everything is fine). I found out that when it gets closer to baby's arrival, I'll bank a bit of my own blood for emergencies, since negative blood types are very rare here.

Unfortunately, the pictures are not the best, so I tried to touch them up and highlighted the areas so they're easier to see. The first one is looking up the baby's nose. Sejin hates his own nose, so he said he's worried it might have his nose. Too funny. The next one is the baby's foot, which is much easier to see. I got a CD at this ultrasound, too, but due to technical difficulties, I'll have to post that later. I'm on a brand new computer now and it's not detecting my disk drive.

Also big news is that books 2 and 3 arrived and are in bookstores. One project down, two to go. I'm nearly done the listening books -- I'm going to celebrate with a nice dinner out when they're done because they've caused me a lot of stress. Then it's on to another series aimed at preschoolers. I'm really psyched that by the time baby comes, I'll have 9 books out!Poor Toto...We dropped her off at the pet salon on the way to the hospital today. It was a stressful day for her and she's pretty tired now. I think she got manhandled a bit, but at least the guy didn't use any drugs, and he didn't cut her at all. It was kind of funny when we went to pick her up. The guy was finishing up, clipping her fur while smoking a cigarette. We wanted him to leave a centimetre of fur so she wouldn't be completely naked, but he said she was too badly matted and it all needed to come off. He was probably right, but she looks just hideous. I can't wait for it to start growing back! He also commented on her weight issue, saying to put her on a diet. Problem is, she doesn't eat any people food or cat treats (won't touch either), and she really doesn't eat that much. I think it's just laziness, so I'm going to try to play with her more often. She's sleeping soundly now. If anyone wants the groomer's phone number (he does cats and dogs) or directions to his shop in Chungmuro, just say so. He did a good job. Here's a before photo and an after video.