So, this post has nothing to do with Korea. I just have to share the joy. :)
If you are one of the few people with internet who have not seen the Old Spice Guy, then I am here to educate you. The Old Spice Guy made a huge hit with his commercial during this year's Super Bowl. In short: hilarious. Check out the commercial:
Did I mention that this was all done in ONE SHOT?! Oh, and FYI: the only thing done with a computer is the diamonds. Amazing.
I became a quick fan of the Old Spice Guy. I was really sad when they decided to "retire" him as the Old Spice Guy (quit while you're ahead kind of thing). Smart move... still sad.
Then, today as I was browsing Facebook, I saw that a friend of mine had posted the following video on her profile: a spoof of the Old Spice Guy with Grover from Sesame Street!
I about died watching this. And I will go back and watch it again now. Loves! <3
Monday, October 11, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Itawon *FINALLY!!* and a Firework Festival
I finally made it to Itaewon this weekend! I was very happy. It ended up being a great day to go, too. There was a firework festival going on by the waterfront so I think everyone was down there. As it was, we seemed to be the only customers wandering around the little shopping mall we found.
It was exactly what I was looking for. Full of all the touristy junk: postcards, fake bags, trinkets, and other cute things. The whole reason I've been wanting to go to Itaewon is to find Christmas gifts for my family before my dad comes to visit (11 days!). I was able to find a gift for my dad and something for my mom. I also found something cute for my chicky (my little sister). However, I decided I liked it too much so I am now the proud owner of a pig-rabbit cell phone plushy charm!
The idea of a "pig-rabbit" is from a Korean drama I got for and watched with my chicky over the summer. It's called "You're Beautiful." The guy calls her a "pig-rabbit" and at one point combines two stuffed animals to make one for her. It's super cute, absolutely Korean. Here's a clip from the drama of when Tae Kyung makes the pig-rabbit for Go Mi Nam.
Chicky has since demanded that she gets a pig-rabbit cell phone charm as well. I can probably work that out. ;)
After the little mall thing, we walked around a little bit. I found where the Hard Rock Cafe used to be!
Unfortunately, it looks like it's out of business now. Sad story! But, I found some knock off shirts still being sold around... maybe Dad will be able to find one to add to his collection when he comes to visit.
After Itaewon, we were supposed to meet up with some friends from church to go see the firework show by the river. It was a little bit more of an ordeal than we thought it would be.
Now, I'm usually okay with crowds. Disneyland: fine. Saturday at the mall: whatever. But Line 5 to get to the firework show?! THAT was insanity. This is what it looked like at the station getting onto the train.
I was literally PUSHED onto the train and I had to hold on to some people to keep from going forward even more and stepping on some lady's baby that was standing in front of her!
I wish I could show you a picture of Yeouinaru Station, but I was too busy fighing for my LIFE to try getting out my camera. I can now understand how people can DIE in crowds. It was insane. You were literally pressed on all sides, people pushing and shoving to get through. I pushed right back though.
It took us half an hour to get out of the subway station. That usually only takes about 5 minutes. Tops.
Definitely an adventure.
Once we got there, we couldn't find our group of friends! Oh noes! We walked around for about twenty minutes or so and finally decided that we weren't going to find them (and no one was picking up their phone). As we were heading out, another foreigner saw us, sensed English skills, and asked if we knew where the kids area was. We didn't and were soon parted.
However, it's a good thing he stopped us or else we would have missed Darcy and the gang walking down the stairs right into us! IT is amazing that we all found each other. That crowd was insane.
So, we followed them out to a patch of grass by the river front where some of their friends were already saving a spot (the festival was all spread out at Hangang Park by the Han River). The fireworks were pretty cool. HUGE! And really quiet compared to the fireworks back home.
The crowd was possibly the best part. Back home, people just sit and chat, whatever. Maybe the "oooo's" and "aaaaaah's" to make fun, but not much genuine enthusiastic noise making. This crowd was gasping and clapping and just making awed noises the whole time. Loved it.
Also, a group sitting next to us gave us a roll of kimbob! They "brought very much kimbobs" and since foreigners are notorious for loving kimbob they asked if we'd like one. Too cute.
And I never actually ate any. I wanted some but the whole time I was hearing my mom in my head: "Did they poison it? Are there hidden razorblades in it? You don't know these people!! Why are you eating their food?"
The subway home was just as crowded and it was a general relief to finally be able to get off and go home.
Once home, I celebrated with an ice cream treat and an episode of my recent Korean drama obsession. The ice cream treat has been one I've been wanting to try for a while because it looks so different: Ice cream with a layer of bean paste sandwiched into a fish shaped ice cream cone. It was delicious. Another treat that should be brought to the states.
It was exactly what I was looking for. Full of all the touristy junk: postcards, fake bags, trinkets, and other cute things. The whole reason I've been wanting to go to Itaewon is to find Christmas gifts for my family before my dad comes to visit (11 days!). I was able to find a gift for my dad and something for my mom. I also found something cute for my chicky (my little sister). However, I decided I liked it too much so I am now the proud owner of a pig-rabbit cell phone plushy charm!
The idea of a "pig-rabbit" is from a Korean drama I got for and watched with my chicky over the summer. It's called "You're Beautiful." The guy calls her a "pig-rabbit" and at one point combines two stuffed animals to make one for her. It's super cute, absolutely Korean. Here's a clip from the drama of when Tae Kyung makes the pig-rabbit for Go Mi Nam.
Chicky has since demanded that she gets a pig-rabbit cell phone charm as well. I can probably work that out. ;)
After the little mall thing, we walked around a little bit. I found where the Hard Rock Cafe used to be!
Unfortunately, it looks like it's out of business now. Sad story! But, I found some knock off shirts still being sold around... maybe Dad will be able to find one to add to his collection when he comes to visit.
After Itaewon, we were supposed to meet up with some friends from church to go see the firework show by the river. It was a little bit more of an ordeal than we thought it would be.
Now, I'm usually okay with crowds. Disneyland: fine. Saturday at the mall: whatever. But Line 5 to get to the firework show?! THAT was insanity. This is what it looked like at the station getting onto the train.
I was literally PUSHED onto the train and I had to hold on to some people to keep from going forward even more and stepping on some lady's baby that was standing in front of her!
I wish I could show you a picture of Yeouinaru Station, but I was too busy fighing for my LIFE to try getting out my camera. I can now understand how people can DIE in crowds. It was insane. You were literally pressed on all sides, people pushing and shoving to get through. I pushed right back though.
It took us half an hour to get out of the subway station. That usually only takes about 5 minutes. Tops.
Definitely an adventure.
Once we got there, we couldn't find our group of friends! Oh noes! We walked around for about twenty minutes or so and finally decided that we weren't going to find them (and no one was picking up their phone). As we were heading out, another foreigner saw us, sensed English skills, and asked if we knew where the kids area was. We didn't and were soon parted.
However, it's a good thing he stopped us or else we would have missed Darcy and the gang walking down the stairs right into us! IT is amazing that we all found each other. That crowd was insane.
So, we followed them out to a patch of grass by the river front where some of their friends were already saving a spot (the festival was all spread out at Hangang Park by the Han River). The fireworks were pretty cool. HUGE! And really quiet compared to the fireworks back home.
The crowd was possibly the best part. Back home, people just sit and chat, whatever. Maybe the "oooo's" and "aaaaaah's" to make fun, but not much genuine enthusiastic noise making. This crowd was gasping and clapping and just making awed noises the whole time. Loved it.
Also, a group sitting next to us gave us a roll of kimbob! They "brought very much kimbobs" and since foreigners are notorious for loving kimbob they asked if we'd like one. Too cute.
And I never actually ate any. I wanted some but the whole time I was hearing my mom in my head: "Did they poison it? Are there hidden razorblades in it? You don't know these people!! Why are you eating their food?"
The subway home was just as crowded and it was a general relief to finally be able to get off and go home.
Once home, I celebrated with an ice cream treat and an episode of my recent Korean drama obsession. The ice cream treat has been one I've been wanting to try for a while because it looks so different: Ice cream with a layer of bean paste sandwiched into a fish shaped ice cream cone. It was delicious. Another treat that should be brought to the states.
A "Birthday" Party!
Well, I had an eventful weekend this week. Lots of things going on to keep a girl busy.
So, Friday Kendra and I had a little party. We had pizza, cake, and a movie! In honor of our friend Spencer's birthday, we watched a movie he said he LOVES called "Let the Right One In." It's a Swedish vampire movie. Going into it, I thought it was going to be a vampire horror movie. I've seen it recommended on horror film sites and such so I was expecting scary. It's really not. There are a few moments, but it really wasn't what I was expecting. More of a coming of age movie than a horror film. I think that if I'd had different expectations, I would have liked it more. As it was, I think I want to read the book.
The food for the party was good, though. We got a little chocolate cake from Paris Baguette. It was scrumptious.
I also finally had a chance to give Kendra her *late* birthday present.
Also, have I mentioned sweet potato pizza on here? Because it is amazing. Why don't we have this in the states? Kendra thinks it's strange. She can't get over the fact that they put corn on pizza. I think it's genius. So the sweet potato pizza has a thin smear of pizza sauce, thin slices of sweet potato, corn, onion, and cheese with then a light drizzle of what I think is honey mustard. SOOO good! It's 5,000 won for a medium sized pizza and we live one block from the restaurant. Bad news.
It's so delicious. I will have to see if I can recreate this when I get home...
So, Friday Kendra and I had a little party. We had pizza, cake, and a movie! In honor of our friend Spencer's birthday, we watched a movie he said he LOVES called "Let the Right One In." It's a Swedish vampire movie. Going into it, I thought it was going to be a vampire horror movie. I've seen it recommended on horror film sites and such so I was expecting scary. It's really not. There are a few moments, but it really wasn't what I was expecting. More of a coming of age movie than a horror film. I think that if I'd had different expectations, I would have liked it more. As it was, I think I want to read the book.
The food for the party was good, though. We got a little chocolate cake from Paris Baguette. It was scrumptious.
I also finally had a chance to give Kendra her *late* birthday present.
Also, have I mentioned sweet potato pizza on here? Because it is amazing. Why don't we have this in the states? Kendra thinks it's strange. She can't get over the fact that they put corn on pizza. I think it's genius. So the sweet potato pizza has a thin smear of pizza sauce, thin slices of sweet potato, corn, onion, and cheese with then a light drizzle of what I think is honey mustard. SOOO good! It's 5,000 won for a medium sized pizza and we live one block from the restaurant. Bad news.
It's so delicious. I will have to see if I can recreate this when I get home...
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Itaewon Adventure Canceled... AGAIN!
Remember how I said there'd be pictures of Itaewon barring rain, injury, and other distractions? Well, yeah. It rained. AGAIN. The whole freaking week it's nice and then -WHAM!- it decides to rain the day we plan to hit Itaewon. Sad. Hopefully next weekend. I really want to go, dang it!
Instead, Kendra and I went and grabbed some dinner just to get out of the apartment. Nothing special; just some pork cutlet. Or at least I thought it wasn't special until later that night.
I don't know what went wrong, but my tummy was/is not happy with me. No one needs to hear about my long, long night of not throwing up but wishing it would happen already so I could freaking SLEEP. I ended up getting maybe three hours of sleep total and I came home from church after the first hour. I still feel pretty yicky but I'm hoping it will be gone by the time I want to go to bed.
But I made a new friend! Say hi!
Yep. I only wish it was more helpful What the heck, Pink Stuff? Why aren't you making my icky tummy go away?
Maybe it's not such a good friend after all...
Instead, Kendra and I went and grabbed some dinner just to get out of the apartment. Nothing special; just some pork cutlet. Or at least I thought it wasn't special until later that night.
I don't know what went wrong, but my tummy was/is not happy with me. No one needs to hear about my long, long night of not throwing up but wishing it would happen already so I could freaking SLEEP. I ended up getting maybe three hours of sleep total and I came home from church after the first hour. I still feel pretty yicky but I'm hoping it will be gone by the time I want to go to bed.
But I made a new friend! Say hi!
Yep. I only wish it was more helpful What the heck, Pink Stuff? Why aren't you making my icky tummy go away?
Maybe it's not such a good friend after all...
Friday, October 1, 2010
My First Korean Movie (without subtitles, that is)
Thus ends the week of middle school exams. Next week I will be back to my normal schedule with my 7pm classes. No more long evenings for me. Oh well. It was a good week, though.
And tonight, Kendra and I went on an adventure! Yay! She'd heard some people from work talking about this movie that's out and so we decided to go see it. The movie is called "Ahjussi" (ah-joo-shee) which is a title that kind of means "Mister," but with more cultural connotations. I'm not sure how to explain it. You would generally call an older man "ahjussi." Anyways, the English title is "The Man From Nowhere." I didn't know anything about it before seeing it except that Kendra described it as a thriller.
I could only find one trailer on youtube with English subtitles for you. I think it makes it look less intense than it really was, but check it out:
This one is in Korean, but watching it, you can get a better feel for the movie as a whole.
But, back to the movie. It was quite an experience. First, on the way over, we passed this food cart. We pass it all the time and it always smells so good. Sweet and cinnamon, so I finally decided to get some. They were these bread... things. Rather like a pita pocket but very thin and crunchy. They were just a bit sweet with a hint of cinnamon. Totally awesome. I plan on getting some more of these. ;)
Then we went to the theater that's on the other side of the mall. It was quite the experience getting tickets. I'm sure the lady was wondering why the heck we were going to see a movie in KOREAN if we couldn't even buy tickets with our language skills. However, we did manage to get us some tickets as well as snacks.
The snacks were the usual things you see in a theater with other more Korean snacks as well (dried squid, anyone?). We got a set with two sodas, nachos, and popcorn. Then he asked us what popcorn flavor. Flavor? Oh dear... Not being able to tell the flavors from the signs and pictures, we just asked for "normal" popcorn. Turns out "normal" popcorn means "caramel" popcorn. Oh well. It was still delicious. And pretty cheap for theater food.
NACHOS
The movie itself was amazing. I was really surprised at how much I liked it even though I could understand all of "thank you," "what," "who," and... well, I don't actually know what it means but it is a swear word on the same level as the F-bomb.
It was such a great movie. Kind of a cross between "Man on Fire," and "Taken." It's one of those movies where you see the main guy's reaction when they tell him, "We got the little girl and she might get hurt" and you just KNOW there's going to be some major ass-kicking (pardon my French).
It was also super gory. I spent a good portion of one fight with my eyes closed just listening to the knife sounds, bones breaking, and bad guys screaming.
You don't mess with this guy.
Remember Liam Neeson in "Taken?" Well, make him a guy with a dark past, give him a gun, a hatchet, maybe a nail gun, and then make him a guerilla warfare NINJA and you have Won Bin's character. Oh, and the awesome six pack and chiseled jaw didn't hurt either. ;)
Plus, he was just an amazing actor.
I almost cried at the end and I didn't even understand anything they were saying. I'd say that's a sign of an overall FANTASTIC movie.
Stay tuned! Barring rain, injury, or other distractions, we plan on hitting Itaewon (or something else) tomorrow. This *hopefully* means pictures and stories. Yay! :)
And tonight, Kendra and I went on an adventure! Yay! She'd heard some people from work talking about this movie that's out and so we decided to go see it. The movie is called "Ahjussi" (ah-joo-shee) which is a title that kind of means "Mister," but with more cultural connotations. I'm not sure how to explain it. You would generally call an older man "ahjussi." Anyways, the English title is "The Man From Nowhere." I didn't know anything about it before seeing it except that Kendra described it as a thriller.
I could only find one trailer on youtube with English subtitles for you. I think it makes it look less intense than it really was, but check it out:
This one is in Korean, but watching it, you can get a better feel for the movie as a whole.
But, back to the movie. It was quite an experience. First, on the way over, we passed this food cart. We pass it all the time and it always smells so good. Sweet and cinnamon, so I finally decided to get some. They were these bread... things. Rather like a pita pocket but very thin and crunchy. They were just a bit sweet with a hint of cinnamon. Totally awesome. I plan on getting some more of these. ;)
Then we went to the theater that's on the other side of the mall. It was quite the experience getting tickets. I'm sure the lady was wondering why the heck we were going to see a movie in KOREAN if we couldn't even buy tickets with our language skills. However, we did manage to get us some tickets as well as snacks.
The snacks were the usual things you see in a theater with other more Korean snacks as well (dried squid, anyone?). We got a set with two sodas, nachos, and popcorn. Then he asked us what popcorn flavor. Flavor? Oh dear... Not being able to tell the flavors from the signs and pictures, we just asked for "normal" popcorn. Turns out "normal" popcorn means "caramel" popcorn. Oh well. It was still delicious. And pretty cheap for theater food.
NACHOS
The movie itself was amazing. I was really surprised at how much I liked it even though I could understand all of "thank you," "what," "who," and... well, I don't actually know what it means but it is a swear word on the same level as the F-bomb.
It was such a great movie. Kind of a cross between "Man on Fire," and "Taken." It's one of those movies where you see the main guy's reaction when they tell him, "We got the little girl and she might get hurt" and you just KNOW there's going to be some major ass-kicking (pardon my French).
It was also super gory. I spent a good portion of one fight with my eyes closed just listening to the knife sounds, bones breaking, and bad guys screaming.
You don't mess with this guy.
Remember Liam Neeson in "Taken?" Well, make him a guy with a dark past, give him a gun, a hatchet, maybe a nail gun, and then make him a guerilla warfare NINJA and you have Won Bin's character. Oh, and the awesome six pack and chiseled jaw didn't hurt either. ;)
Plus, he was just an amazing actor.
I almost cried at the end and I didn't even understand anything they were saying. I'd say that's a sign of an overall FANTASTIC movie.
Stay tuned! Barring rain, injury, or other distractions, we plan on hitting Itaewon (or something else) tomorrow. This *hopefully* means pictures and stories. Yay! :)
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Making Korean Food 2: Dukbokki!
Perhaps my favorite treat that I would get at the Korean restaurant in Provo was the spicy rice cakes: dukbokki. I'm a big weenie when it comes to spicy, so it totally KILLS my mouth to eat it, but it is oh so yummy!
One thing I was looking forward to when I came to Korea was being able to sit down and grab some dukbokki. For some reason, though, I've had troubles finding it. Also, no one wants it and I can't eat a whole plate by myself.
Aw, snap.
So, what's a girl to do? Why, cook it MYSELF, of course!
I set off in search of a dukbokki recipe. There were lots... and lots. So I settled on one that DIDN'T require me to gut packaged anchovies, and made me some yummy dukbokki.
The ingredients are pretty simple (well, if you're in a place that you can buy the Korean ingredients you need):
500g pack of rice cakes (I prefer the ones that look like little tubes)
Hot pepper paste
Sugar
Water
Onions
Simple, no?
I just cooked up the onions really quick (a bit of oil in the pan) and then set them aside.
Then what you do is bring 4 cups of water to a boil and then toss in your rice cakes, 4-6 tablespoons of hot pepper sauce, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Boil it all for about 10 minutes.
Surprisingly, sugar was a difficult item to get. For one, It's kept by the SALT. Salt looks very much like sugar. Also, I must have access to crappy dictionaries because I could not find the word for sugar on ANYTHING. I finally found one... it's organic cane sugar. Whatever. More expensive, but I wanted dukbokki!
The hot pepper paste lives up to it's name. Don't taste it on your finger before putting it in the pot. It is very spicy. Also, I've washed my hands a million times since then and I'm still not looking forward to sticking my fingers in my eyes to take out my contacts tonight. Eep!
After it had been boiling a while, I added in the onions so that they, too, could get permeated with the sweet, spicy flavor. It smelled SO good while it was cooking.
You boil the thing for about ten minutes. I've been warned that this is where it gets tricky. If you don't cook the rice cakes long enough, they will be too hard. If you cook it TOO long, they will get hard again, maybe start coming apart. (This is just what I've heard, mind you.) So, I kept checking it. I let it cook until it seemed to be about the consistancy I wanted, like al dente with pasta: not too squishy but with a firm texture (look at me with my fancy cooking jargon!).
Then I let it cook some more because my sauce wasn't thickening. Oh noes!
I didn't want to sacrifice the texture of the rice cake for the thick sauce, so I stopped it and set it aside to hope the cooling would make the sauce thicker. Nope... not really. Oh well. Now I know: less water! So, out of the pot it wasn't quite as red looking. In fact, it looked downright sad sitting in my little brown 70's wannabe bowl.
Don't worry. It was still plenty flavorful. And by flavorful, I mean SPICY as all get out! Oh, so good!
I'll have to keep practicing. Next time, I will use less water, add some cabbage and carrots and garnish it with some green onions. Yum!
One thing I was looking forward to when I came to Korea was being able to sit down and grab some dukbokki. For some reason, though, I've had troubles finding it. Also, no one wants it and I can't eat a whole plate by myself.
Aw, snap.
So, what's a girl to do? Why, cook it MYSELF, of course!
I set off in search of a dukbokki recipe. There were lots... and lots. So I settled on one that DIDN'T require me to gut packaged anchovies, and made me some yummy dukbokki.
The ingredients are pretty simple (well, if you're in a place that you can buy the Korean ingredients you need):
500g pack of rice cakes (I prefer the ones that look like little tubes)
Hot pepper paste
Sugar
Water
Onions
Simple, no?
I just cooked up the onions really quick (a bit of oil in the pan) and then set them aside.
Then what you do is bring 4 cups of water to a boil and then toss in your rice cakes, 4-6 tablespoons of hot pepper sauce, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Boil it all for about 10 minutes.
Surprisingly, sugar was a difficult item to get. For one, It's kept by the SALT. Salt looks very much like sugar. Also, I must have access to crappy dictionaries because I could not find the word for sugar on ANYTHING. I finally found one... it's organic cane sugar. Whatever. More expensive, but I wanted dukbokki!
The hot pepper paste lives up to it's name. Don't taste it on your finger before putting it in the pot. It is very spicy. Also, I've washed my hands a million times since then and I'm still not looking forward to sticking my fingers in my eyes to take out my contacts tonight. Eep!
After it had been boiling a while, I added in the onions so that they, too, could get permeated with the sweet, spicy flavor. It smelled SO good while it was cooking.
You boil the thing for about ten minutes. I've been warned that this is where it gets tricky. If you don't cook the rice cakes long enough, they will be too hard. If you cook it TOO long, they will get hard again, maybe start coming apart. (This is just what I've heard, mind you.) So, I kept checking it. I let it cook until it seemed to be about the consistancy I wanted, like al dente with pasta: not too squishy but with a firm texture (look at me with my fancy cooking jargon!).
Then I let it cook some more because my sauce wasn't thickening. Oh noes!
I didn't want to sacrifice the texture of the rice cake for the thick sauce, so I stopped it and set it aside to hope the cooling would make the sauce thicker. Nope... not really. Oh well. Now I know: less water! So, out of the pot it wasn't quite as red looking. In fact, it looked downright sad sitting in my little brown 70's wannabe bowl.
Don't worry. It was still plenty flavorful. And by flavorful, I mean SPICY as all get out! Oh, so good!
I'll have to keep practicing. Next time, I will use less water, add some cabbage and carrots and garnish it with some green onions. Yum!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
New Calling
Went to church today! Yay! I got a new calling, too: Primary worker!
Oh, dear.
So, I won't actually be teaching for the next month or so since we'll be preparing for the Primary Program (which will be the week my dad is in town... I'll have to let the president know I might not be there that week). I'll either have 4-5 year olds or 8-9 year olds.
I don't mean to complain, but couldn't they have some of the NON-TEACHERS in the primary? I mean, I already work with kids five days of the week! Now Sundays, too? And sick days will be much more difficult.
But, the kids are REALLY cute...
I hope I get the sunbeams. :)
Oh, dear.
So, I won't actually be teaching for the next month or so since we'll be preparing for the Primary Program (which will be the week my dad is in town... I'll have to let the president know I might not be there that week). I'll either have 4-5 year olds or 8-9 year olds.
I don't mean to complain, but couldn't they have some of the NON-TEACHERS in the primary? I mean, I already work with kids five days of the week! Now Sundays, too? And sick days will be much more difficult.
But, the kids are REALLY cute...
I hope I get the sunbeams. :)
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