My new Korean Vocab Words

So I've learned like no Korean since coming here.

I have learned:
-Loner: 왕다
-Homesickness: 향수병
-Fat (not like 'i am fat', because every korean american knows how to say that but 'fat on a label' type fat): 지방
-left/right (the fancier ways of saying it): Right: 우회전
Left: 자회전

the most useless words ever. Ugh why didnt I spend my time here more wisely?

Final Post

There will be some reflections on my experience here. Let's start with the negative.

What I won't miss:
-Koreans who can't hold their liquor which includes most Koreans. Take blackoutkorea.com for instance. For a country that drinks so much (as much as Russians and Irish), they really don't know how to keep their shit together.

-The limited nightlife, the number of hot clubs here can cover half a block in the Meatpacking district. Also will not miss how said 'hot' clubs here always play house music. I am American, we don't do house music.

-The screaming to get waitstaff attention. Convenient as a diner yes, but seems a tad barbaric to be screaming for someone to get your water.

-The crowds everywhere. Parks to see foliage-packed. Beaches during summer-packed. Caribbean bay/lotte world/Everland-packed. Korea needs more stuff or less people.

-Fashion. Yes, I miss shopping in Seoul. Do I miss the outfits that Koreans put together? In a word, no.

-Fake bags. Your shoes are from Dongdaemun and your shirt is from the bus terminal, we all know your Louis ain't real.

-People not knowing how to
1) stand to the right, walk to the left despite the line of paint dividing the sides on escalators. They just don't get it.
2) hold open doors, not really considered rude here to slam a door in someones face behind you
3) let people out of the subway before you get in. Do they not realize how inefficient this is?
4) move into the subway cars when you see 100 people trying to get into said subway car.

-Kimbap. I never want to eat kimbap again. I never really loved kimbap. Growing up I just thought of it as poor man's sushi. In Seoul, I ate it every other day because Kimbap Heaven is the McDonald's of Korean food and I just had no time to eat anything else between class. I am not touching kimbap for another 3 years.

What I will miss:
-GT Black Bean Soymilk. They sell it in the states, but I will miss drinking 2 a day and being able to buy them everywhere. Also, warm GT Black bean soymilk in the winter=heaven. I was really hooked on this stuff.

-Manners (besides ignorance mentioned in thethe 'What I won't Miss' section). People are well mannered here and very polite. It's just the way it is.

-The bus. The bus system is amazing. I havent taken the subway in 3 months. The bus will take you anywhere and everywhere for 90 cents. Extremely thorough and comes much quicker than the subway.
*Not that the subway is bad. The subway is extremely clean however the system is flawed. You really take the NYC street grid for granted. The Korean subway sucks in that you always required a transfer. Really they need a line that connects Gangnam, Sinchon, Hongdae, Sinsa, and Apgujeong. Because really, no other neighborhoods mater.

-The bus+Manners=Bus drivers yelling to the exit in the back 'goodbye and have a nice day'. This is priceless, this does not happen in NY. If I get a hello, that is a big deal and worthy of NYTimes Metro Diaries.

-Constant reminders of my grandma.
My grandma passed away when I was 16. I know it's not suppose to be a big deal since that is what grandparents do-they die when you are young. But I took it particularly hard and it was a big turning point in my life because up until that point I saw my grandmother more than anyone else in my family. My parents and grandfather worked at the dry cleaners and it was just me and the granny all day, everyday.
It took me many years to get over it, and living on my own in NYC, I was getting good at not thinking about her all the time. It was a new city where I didn't have any memories of her.
When I moved here I was surprised at how many things reminded me of her. When I saw rock candy at Insadong, I remembered her bribing me with it and it being the reason why all my baby teeth rotted (I was that cute kid with all black teeth because I was spoiled literally rotten). I once cried over a bowl of knife noodles eating dinner alone because I remembered my grandma's knife noodles. Hers was so superior to the bowl in front of me. It hit home that I would never get to eat her version again. I will miss these moments of thinking of her at unexpected times.

-Shopping. The shopping is unbelievable here. End of story.

-The food. The food is unbelivable here. End of story. And cheap.
Notables: Duck BBQ and ChoonChun Chicken BBQ

-Proust moments:
When I tried a watermelon ice cream bar, I thought it was new to me until I bit into it and had a Proustian moment where it instantly took me back to my childhood. Memories of playing near the Han River and biking around my apt complex flooded my brain.

-NB. Listening to BigBang and Biggie hits in one venue sounds like a great friday night.

-Karoake/norebang for super cheap 24 hours a day.

-7-11. Even though my bougie friends would call this a 'commoner' activity, I am a commoner so I will miss eating cup ramen and drinking Cass outside a 7-11.

If I can sum up my entire experience, I could say my experience in Seoul has been as a happy outsider. I thought I would move to Korea and feel like I belonged because I would be surrounded by people who looked like me. Growing up as a minority American, you never really feel like you belong in your own home. I realized in Korea, as a gyopo, I am more of an outsider in my motherland than I am in my adopted home. I did look different by the way I dressed. I could not speak the language even though I should. My tolerance for spicy food is not as high as previously thought (no really, try the bibimnengmyun in Seoul and regardless how many times you had it in Flushing, you prob will in fact, die). But that is the beauty of being Asian American. You don't really fit in anywhere. And you learn to come to terms with it. And one day you realize maybe that's OK.

Sistar

So For Christmas my 12 yr old got me an Ipod shuffle with her favorite songs on it. So cute.

I learned 2 things from this:
Gaysians have the same taste in music as middle schoolers.
I love this song.

New Blog

So surprisingly, I have an audience of about 4 people who really liked my blog and want me to keep going.

So I got a blog url called Lia Grows Up. It will be my random musings on:
documentary films
music (prob more hip now and less k-pop)
finding an apt
work life
eating
cooking, or attempting to cook
getting peter to ask me to marry him (i kid, sorta but not really)

So stay tunes (brian).

Watch This Now

It's about some Lost Boys of Sudan who got the chance to become American citizens. This documentary is amazing.

I am a worthless spoiled human being who has been through no real hardship and have accomplished nothing. It is truly inspiring but also entertaining.

Picks up Pepsi bottle. "In Africa, we call this Coca Cola." LOL

My Favorite Bartender a Uncle Tom's Cabin

Need to finish this Blog

Will be doing it in Cali this week. Wow, I'm home!

this is why knowibg korean is important

so my usual waiter says to me white guys uploaded youtube videos askin korean girls for fellatio and instead of saying “fellatio is a difficult word” I said “fellatio is really hard.”

My new Korean vocab words Updated for Monica :-)

So I've learned like no Korean since coming here.

I have learned:
-Loner: 왕다
-Homesickness: 향수병
-Fat (not like 'i am fat', because every korean american knows how to say that but 'fat on a label' type fat): 지방
-left/right (the fancier ways of saying it): Right: 우회전
Left: 자회전

the most useless words ever. Ugh why didnt I spend my time here more wisely?

My Last Day in Seoul

And I'm eating...................tacos!

Haha my cousin didn't know there was a taco place in Seoul so I'm taking her.

But on the bright side tonight my last meal is going to be at a grilled intestines place. Doesn't get more Korean than that!

What I miss

Me To Kristen: I haven't cursed out a random stranger on the street in almost a year. I need to come back.

One of My Last Days In Seoul

Today I went:

-to the fortune teller. He was a fail, he says I was born at 6:06 Am based on my life events but I'm pretty sure it wasn't 6:06. Also he didn't say I would be a millionaire also fail. Then he said starting when I am 40 I will be rich and I would have $20,000 in the bank a year. I was like um I'm from NYC, you do realize that $20K will buy you nothing! So basically you are saying I'm going to be poor. He also said my peak career wise is going to be at 40-50 and I was like what? I'm still going to be working when I'm 50? Ugh where is my mega millions? So basically he told me the worst fortune ever. He also said I'm getting married when I'm 34 which is just way too old for me. OK I just sound like a lazy girl who wants to get rich quick and I suppose I am. I just think Im too American to buy into these fortune teller, future in the stars nonsense that Asians believe in. I might as well believe in predestination and be a Calvinist.

-The hair salon- My hair is super fobbed out now. Dyed, side bangs, girlish. I am so Korean.

-to my optometrist to say bye, sad. They were amazing. Def going back on every Seoul trip.

-to citibank to close my account. This was the saddest of all. Citibank in Apgujeong is amazing. I highly recommend if you live here. All the employees know me because my Korean sucks but they are always so sweet and helpful, unlike any bank in NYC. In the summer they have ice cream. I was sold. They gave me a teddy bear to say goodbye, a teddy bear dressed in a green santa suit? I guess leftovers from Christmas?? Um, thanks I guess? I dont get it, do they think I'm 12 or do they think I'm old enough to have a kid?

-dinner with cousins, ugh I guess I have to pay for all 4 of them? I hate this oldest person pays thing. I am not cheap its just that I am ALWAYS the oldest cousin here out of all my family, so I always pay. I suppose I do make the most money. But what is this socialism? Ok fine I am cheap.

-Clubbing later. my last party here in Seoul.

Extremely Frustrating Not Having a Cell Phone

I lost my cell phone 2 weeks ago and decided it was not worth it to buy a new one.

This is not fun.

Strictly Eye Candy

Because the song is one long snoozefest. I guess because it's called Baby Good Night? It just puts me to sleep.

A few notes:
Why do they have a fake Damien Hirst diamond skull? Are GD and TOP contemporary art fans?
G Dragons girl is ugly.
The snake's totally a metaphor for TOP's penis. How subtle.
TOP looks really good in glasses.
They are stylin as per usual.

Sounds about right

I saw this profile on NYU in Business week.

This is how NYU students rank NYU with my comments.

B+ Academics
A- Local Atmosphere How is local atmosphere an A-??? It's located in the best city in the world. Living in NYC today is like living in Rome during the roman empire, or Athens when the Greeks were all the rage, or Constantinople during the Ottoman empire. Except the US is not like the roman, greek, or the ottoman empires because the US kind of sucks now. But you get what I mean. Um it should be an A+.
B- Safety and Security
C- Computers
C- Facilities
C+ Campus dining Only freshman eat on campus, so this is irrelevant.
B+ Diversity
B- Guys hahahaha this sounds about right, the girls were def cuter than the guys.
A- Girls
D Athletics
A+ Nightlife
D Greek Life This should be an F, who joins a frat at NYU? No offense, Dan and Winston. :-D
C- Drug Scene really? I must have hung out with a bad crowd.
C+ Campus Strictness
F Parking
A+ Transportation Duh
B- Weather

Living in a Country that is Not Litigation Crazy

So Korea has shoe repair huts everywhere. Which is kind of amazing because Americans just buy new shoes generally. So I dropped off 3 pairs of shoes today to get patched up (lots of dancing at the club=horribly worn shoes) and the guy goes 'come back in 2 hours.'

I panick in my American wired brain, what no ticket? What if someone takes my shoes by accident? What if he tries to take my shoes and give them to his daughter? What if he loses a shoe in between now and 2 hours?! Nooo ticket?!

This also happens to me whenever I go to the dry cleaners, they give u a ticket, but the ticket doesn't say how many items or what you dropped off.

It makes me panick but on the other hand it's kind of nice and refreshing to live in a country where things aren't predicated on the fear of being sued or needing to avoid liability. I just sort of trust the guy that he won't mess it up and he trusts that I won't accuse him of losing my shit. Weird.

Yona Tries Whisky for the First Time in Her Life

I get her a Johnnie Black shot, her reaction:

"It tastes like leather."

I never really thought of it that way but I suppose she's kind of right.

Really delta?

delta is charging me a separate fee for quantity, oversize, and overweight bags but they let you bring christmas trees as a checked item?

from their website;
Christmas Trees
Do you want to bring some holiday cheer to your destination? You can indeed bring your Christmas tree with you. We will accept cut Christmas trees as limited-release baggage on all flights within the United States, including flights to/from Hawaii. However, all Christmas trees will be subject to baggage allowance and baggage size restrictions, as well as some other rules:

• Trees need to be adequately packaged with the root ball or cut base and all branches wrapped and secured using a burlap-type material.
• If you are traveling into Hawaii and checking a Christmas tree as baggage, you must include it on your declaration form and the tree must pass agricultural inspection

I am Now a Duck Person

I never considered myself a duck person. When it comes to meat preference, chicken is one of my least favorite meals, quail is OK, rabbit is pretty good. Duck, I've liked once and it was duck confit (I meas really anything cooked in its own fat has to be good, it's cheating).

But last night changed all that. I had Korean duck bbq and it was one of my most memorable meals of my life. It's up there with:
1) oysters and wine at aquagrill
2) store bought bread and cheese eaten on top of a medieval castle in the South of France (physical labor up a hill with an incredible view makes anything tasty)
3) my grandpa's samgyetang at various times(if you are special you have tried this, and it is out of this world)

Christina asked me where is the ONE place she should eat when she comes to Seoul and I think this maybe my new pick. You can get chicken galbi, galbi, bulgogi, all that in NY KTown. Duck Gui not so much. It is well worth it.

This place used real wood burning fire in your table (not the electric type) to grill rotisserie duck that has already been marinated and slow cooked for hours. The flavor of the duck fat grilled to a crispy goodness was out of this world.

You know when you have a meal and just know that you will be craving it for the rest of your life? This was that moment for me. It makes me want to stay in Seoul for another year. If you come to Korea, come here. Seriously.

Better Blog Post (In Korean) about this place

Map: Go to the original Gangnam Location

Duck and Duck sausage


I am going again the night before my flight. The restaurant is called 33 BBQ Hejanguk (which means hangover soup). Hangover soup is actually a spicy soup with cubes of congealed blood (like think of blocks of cheese or jello made up of blood, that's basically what that is). I always liked hangover soup, so I may need to get both. Will update you!

This is the current state of my bedroom

Started packing, what a nightmare.

I need to throw out 2 hefty bags worth of clothing (sad) and packing 10 months/3 seasons worth of clothes is torture. I don't even like packing for a one week vacation.

I'm contemplating wearing 5 shirts, 2 pairs of pants and 2 hats, on the plane. Bad strategy?

Also, my previous plan to get 56 people souvenirs is out the window. You will get a souvenir if when I was on gchat at 8 Am your time, you IMed me to catch up. You know who you are. Sorry everyone else. I am a selfish bastard and bought myself too much stuff to possible get you anything.

Blind Item

This very hot right now K Rapper likes to party at the Seoul W hotel with his friends and some ladies. The problem is, he can't really afford it, needing to bill the room on his credit card over a 6 month payment plan with interest. He is certainly not as baller as he claims in all his songs/videos. Hopefully, he partied with a bang.

If you did't take my word for it

that Koreans are alcoholics and we drink the most out of any Asian country. I now have the Economist to back it up. We drink as much as the Russians! Take that China and Japan!

Korea, I love you.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/02/daily_chart_global_alcohol_consumption

Gangnam Media Pole Picture

Media Poles are these huge poles around town that you can take pictures, send emails, chck the internet, find stuff to do around you, check sports scores, all types of stuff. It's cool.

This was Me and Brian at Gangnam over the summer.

I can't wait to see this boy in 2 weeks. We gonna tear up LA like we did to Seoul.

Watch out Cali!

Gangnam Media Pole Picture

Me and Ahmee.

Ambulence Burger from Smokey's Saloon

Fried egg, cheese, bacon, burger, hash brown.

I ate the whole thing. And then I curled up in the fetal position and cried softly to myself.

Doing Taxes is an Emotional Rollercoaster

I did my taxes today and its just a rollercoaster of emotions.

It's a constant reminder of what I don't have at 27 years old.

No, I don't have a home.
No, I don't own a car.
No, I did not give significant money to charity.
No I did not put energy saving panels on my imaginary home.
No, I did not contribute money to a Roth IRA.
And I just told you that I made only $13,000 last year so do you really have to ask me if I own a plane or a boat? Like really Turbo Tax.
Yes, I am still single, but now I have a BF, if there a slot to say I have a BF?
Yes, my parents are paying ridiculous interest on my student loan because I insisted on going to NYU.

It's just so depressing.

On the other hand at the end, the government feels bad for me because of the fact I made $13 grand last year and I am living 'under the poverty level' so thanks for the couple grand you throwing my way.

I will surely need it when I am unemployed in NYC for the next couple of months.

Arcade Fire's Grammy Win

While I am happy Arcade Fire beat Eminem for Album of the Year, I feel that Funeral is far superior to The Suburbs and the Grammys is making up for years of not acknowledging them. Funeral should def have won them best new artist.

Funeral came out in 2004. So I am unsure if they would have been nominated in 2004 or 2005.

I looked up Best New Artist nominees in 2004 and 2005.

In 2004 Evanescence won and in 2005 Maroon 5 won. What a joke. And Arcade Fire didn't even get nominated.

Ugh, the Grammys suck anyways, people need to stop bugging out that Eminem didn't win. Also, how do so many people NOT know who Arcade Fire is, their album was number one on the charts when it came out. People need a clue.

Stylish Korean Chick

at NY fashon week. Hye Lee, model. Love the coat.

You'll Get it When You Are Older

Extremely hungover in my tutoring session today. Like I am fighting to not run to the bathroom to throw up.

I didn't want to tell her that I was out at NB till lord knows what time because I don't remember going home. So I told her I thought I had 'food poisoning.'

She like then why are you drinking a large starbucks and a vitamin water you should drink water only and eat juk (korean rice porridge).

I was just like I am sooooooooo thirsty. Be quiet and do your homework so I can go home.

I have had many, many hangovers here but today's is the worst. I hate myself.

Alexander Wang

Alexander Wang is one of the best new designers of our generation. His line makes me want to wear tee shirts every day all spring and summer. NY Mag wrote a piece on him this past week and I find him to be amazingly cool.

I've been wanting his Rocco bag for the past 6 months. I looked everywhere in Seoul for it but it was unavailable.

Now I'm sending Peter on a mission to Opening Ceremony to buy this for me because I am worried it will sell out before I get back to NYC. Sometimes having a BF def has it's perks. The big one being that you kind of have a slave to do errands for you. :-D

Maybe I should get the Lia bag instead of the Rocco bag because A Wang totes named a bag after me.

Lia Bag:

Gel Manicure

I stumbled into a nail salon today since my regular nail salon was closed.

I'm so happy I did because this new nail salon only did gel manicures. I am so hooked, they are amazing. A regular manicure will never feel like pampering again.

Maybe you have heard of this, I have never but apparently there are a few places in NYC that do this now. Sadly, all the ones in Manhattan do it for a ridiculous price (around $70), I did find a place in Williamsburg that does it before $40 which I will def be checking out.

A gel manicure uses a special gel polish.

The benefits of gel manicure:
-there is no drying time (you put your hand under a UV light right after a nail gets painted so that by the time she is done your nails are rock hard, ready to go)
-It is virtually chip proof, can last 2-4 weeks without chipping
-Will not come off with nail polish remover (you need to go to the place that does gel manicures to take it off)
-It gives your nails an amazing hardness like acrylics without the fake look.

I highly, highly recommend getting this before a special event, a long vacation, busy months when you don't have time to go to a nail salon 3 times.

Also, yes my nails are now sparkly pink. In NY I wore 2 colors from 2008-2010: OPI Black Onyx and Russian Navy. Black or dark blue. That is it. Now, my nails are sparkly pink like a 6 year old. And yes, that is my pale pink bedspread. Ugh, I have lost all my NY fierceness.

thick nails:

Dos Tacos

I finally found really good Mexican in Seoul. The place is Dos Tacos. Two Korean guys traveled to Mexico for a few years to study the art of the taco and I gotta say both their pork and beef were spot on good.

Also, the hot sauce was bomb because Koreans know spice.

A few thoughts on kdramas

So I lost my Kindle charger in Korea which is my lame excuse for why I stay at home and watch Korean dramas all day. I could be reading Mark Twains autobiography which I ordered before I realized that my kindle has no power. Instead I watch mind numbing television all day.

The story line is always the same. Poor person falls in love with rich person. Usually poor girl and a rich guy. Guy's mother disapproves because she wants to keep the money in the family. Guy must choose having money or real love in his life. Best friend of girl always meets some other rich guy through the original rich guy. There is always one or two asshole characters that seem horrible but end up having some redeeming qualities.

There are also prerequisite scenes to a good drama:
-Girl is really mean to guy which makes guy fall for girl.
-Guy wonders how he can like a poor girl.
-Guy's mother screams at the girl to stay away because she is a hood rat (this part is my favorite).
-Awkward kiss (never steamy bedroom scenes)
-Girl gets makeover and guy realizes she is in fact pretty hot.
-Lots and lots of fighting between the love interests as they are 'fighting' for their love.
-In the end, the guy and girl ALWAYS end up together. There is no 500 days of summer ending here folks.

I watch these with a grain of salt knowing to expect more cheese than Murray's but one thing really really bothers me about these dramas.

Why do these couples fight so so much before they even sleep together ONCE? They fight so much for this fake relationship when they havent event tested the goods at all???

I know Korean society likes to pretend all love is chaste on TV (in movies it's a whole different ballgame) but can't you just allude to the fact that they slept together? You don't have to show me nudity but come on the 16 year olds in Gossip Girl get more ass than these people. Ugh, wake up people!

I can't lie though, I do love all the mashup youtube videos that fangirls make of characters.

Valentine's Day

V Day is not one of those holidays I truly miss being out of the country along with Christmas. Christmas because tourists seem to think Christmastime in NYC is the best, which maybe true unless you are an actual New Yorker and know that this time brings an influx of annoying tourists standing in the middle of the sidewalk. Bah humbug.

Valentine's day sucks because of the cheesiness of otherwise fine restaurants, people wearing red (my least favorite color, further proof I am not Chinese), all that love crap, etc etc.

But because I love post secret. Here is their valentine's secret video.

My favorite is:

Be Mine.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.



Also the NYTimes had a great article about how some couples opt out of the whole gift giving thing on Valentines day. It featured a couple who has been married for 70 years!! Sooo cute, I can't even fathom.

I remember a few years ago I gave Peter hell for giving me one rose, not the required dozen, on Valentine's day after I had actually cooked a 3 course meal for him. On the other hand, Peter often gives me gifts on random days because he is a sweet, sweet man. So what's Valentine's Day, nothing really.

Secret Garden

So I thought Secret Garden sucked, the whole switching bodies thing is so third grade. But then I got on Episode 11 which was amazing. Episode 13 is also excellent. I am officially hooked.

Peter hates when I say celebrities are hot so I will just say this: Hyun Bin is jona musheesuh.

Stick to Korean

Why do Korean dramas always insist on making the actors speak English sometimes? It makes me cringe, their accents are awful.

I Like Documentaries

I really like watching documentaries. They're probably my favorite genre of film. My interest in documentaries started when I was friends with Peter and he would make us watch all sorts of movies I wouldn't normally watch (when we weren't religiously watching Law and Order: SVU).

My love for documentaries solidified after watching My Brother's Keeper. It was like a real life SVU with beautiful cinematography minus Chris Meloni. The story of these three elderly brothers has always stuck with me. Even though I had nothing in common with these rural, illiterate siblings, their familial love and compassion were still things I could relate to.

After this one I was officially hooked.
Some good ones:
-Man on Wire (one of my favorites, if you have't seen it, watch it now. It will make you want to go out and do something impossible and magical.)
-Jesus Camp (horrifying)
-The Story of the Weeping Camel (so beautiful)
-Manufactured Landscapes (shot well by famous photographer)
-Tyson (I like Mike Tyson and this movie is well done, he's fascinating)

Some bad ones:
-Zidane (an hour and a half of following Zidane around a soccer field, you don't even know what's going on in the freaking soccer match)
-Cocaine Cowboys (not well executed)
-Welcome to North Korea (this documentary won an Emmy, it was awful!!!! The narrator kept saying Kim YONG Il, instead of Kim Jong Il. Um FYI It's not Spanish, the J ISN'T silent and also how hard would it have been to fact check this with I dont know any random Korean? Ugh, stupid. Still mad this won an Emmy, really?!)
-All movies dealing with conspiracies. They are lame.

I've even watched a documentary called "Dr. Money and the Boy with no Penis." I'm serious, I actually watched the entire thing.


Recently though, I watched that documentary "Babies." I wanted to watch it when it came out last spring but never got a chance to. This movie sucked.

I love documentaries because I believe a good documentary should make the viewer relate to the subject matter at hand whether it be a 7 year old spelling bee contestant or someone accused or child molestation. Not that I can relate to someone sexually attracted to children but the point is it should bind the narrative into a relatable human experience.

Anyways so I watched "Babies" which I have to say was beautifully shot. There is no narration, no dialogue. Just watching babies from around the world grow up. So I'm watching the movie, all is good. Aw cute babies. Cute babies trying to crawl. Cute babies crying. Cuteness overload.

So everyone is pretty much civilized except the baby from Africa because it's not a South African baby, it's a tribal baby. To choose a tribal baby to be the only black baby in the film bothered me because I feel like it was kind of racist to do so. Maybe I'm being overly sensitive here. Why not pick an aboriginie, as if black people don't have it hard enough in the media? The Mongolian baby was pretty backwoods (they have no running water) but this was offset by the fact that they showed another Asian baby living in Tokyo.

So that bothered me slightly but I thought OK maybe I will find that I can still relate to these tribal people somehow because we are after all human. Humanity is humanity right?

Then this is when the movie really turned for me. The tribal mom wiped her babies ass on her own leg to wipe the baby's shit off. Then there is a shot of poo on a leg. From that point I hated this movie.

Documentaries should show the common thread. But honestly after seeing someone wipe another person's shit on their leg. I just was done right there. I now know uncivilized people are 125% less civilized than I ever thought. This film made me more smug than ever about how much better I am than 90% of the world's population.

Maybe I just don't like babies that much, that could be it.

on Bushwick

So I live in Bushwick (when I guess I'm not living in Korea).

Bushwick is an "up and coming" area of Brooklyn that, to be frank, stills needs more upping and coming. To me, Bushwick is still a shithole and Peter and I debate this all the time.

He thinks Bushwick is "cool," I think people live in Bushwick because they can't afford Williamsburg. No one in their right might would choose Bushwick over Williamsburg, Park Slope, Fort Greene, or Clinton Hill if they had financial freedom. OK maybe people would choose it over Park Slope because Park Slope is for hipster parents with hipster babies (ie Michelle Williams and Maggie Gyllenhaal).

I agree, the collection of artists trying to make it in Bushwick IS cool, like this is what the East Village probably was like before NYU bought the whole damn neighborhood. But you know what, I'm a yuppie at heart and if I want to see art I'm OK with paying to go to the Met. I would trade in any of the artist collectives in Bushwick for say 3 more restaurants and a Whole Foods.

So awhile back, NYTimes wrote an article in which they say it is "arguably the coolest place on the planet." This article bought a lot of Bushwick haters. Gawker hated on the Times saying they don't know what is cool.

From the Gawker Article:

Stuff The New York Times Thinks Is Cool

* Bushwick, Brooklyn
* People who are "artistically inclined"
* Creativity
* Talent
* Drumming for Japanese bands
* Going to graduate school
* Working at Film Forum
* Contributing to The New Yorker
* Graphic designing
* Playing bass in punk bands
* Freelancing illustrating
* "Leather-bound copies of Balzac"
* "Vinyl"
* Freelance art handling
* Assistant video editing
* Art
* Folk music
* Doing an art about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire
* Ukuleles
* Being a math genius
* Having a porch
* Living in a neighborhood with at least three murders
* Being written about by blogs

Stuff That Is Actually Cool

* Wearing sunglasses
* Saying swears
* Doing drugs

So does this mean I am cool by both NYTimes AND Gawker standards? I am so effin cool.

A Note on Souvenirs

Dear Friends,

So I've gotten some souvenir requests. Please ask me for small and tiny items if possible. I'm already spending a million dollars on baggage fees as is.

Thanks,
Lia

Great Purchase

I just bought this. I am a loser. And I will rock the shit out of this.

The Picture of Dorian Gray Quotes

-The real drawback of marriage is that it makes one unselfish. And unselfish people are colorless. They lack individuality.

-Pleasure is nature's test, her sign of approval. When we are happy we are always good, but when we are good we are not always happy.

-Beautiful sins, like beautiful things, are the privilege of the rich.

-Anybody can be good in the country. There are no temptations there. That is the reason why people who live out of town are so absolutely uncivilized. Civilization is not by any means an easy thing to attain to. There are only 2 ways by which man can reach it. One is by being cultured, the other by being corrupt. Country people have no opportunity of being either, so they stagnate.

-The things one feels absolutely certain about are never true. That is the fatality of Faith and the lesson of Romance.

-I loved you because you were marvelous, because you had genius and intellect, because you realized the dreams of great poets and gave shape and substance to the shadows of art.

-Modern morality consists in accepting the standard of one's age. I consider that for any man of culture to accept the standard of his age is a form of the grossest immorality.

-What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his soul?

-I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their good intellects.

-The aim of life is self development. To realize one's nature perfectly-that is what each of us is here for.

-Young people nowadays imagine money is everything.
-Yes, and when they grow older, they know it.

-I can sympathize with everything except suffering.

-As it was, we always misunderstood ourselves, and rarely understood each other. Experience was of no ethical value. It was merely the name men gave to their mistakes.

-Live! Live the wonderful life that is in you! Let nothing be lost upon you. Be always searching for new sensations. Be afraid of nothing.

Watch This if Yous a Lil Wayne Fan

Finally saw the unreleased Lil Wayne documentary. The scenes with him recording are amazing.

I get upset about all the sizzurp he dranks. Lil Wayne is a national treasure, forget saving Lindsay Lohan, we need to save Weezy!

QD3 Lil Wayne The Carter Documentary Full DVD More On www.igloomediabase.com from Igloo LLC on Vimeo.

This is how Nights go from Good to Not So Good

Round robining soju outside a 711 AFTER several tequila shots at a real bar.

Rococo

This is What Korea Does

Seoul Boys

Seoul Girls

Chiddy Bang Kids Remix

I like this hip hop duo, they remix hipster beats. They're kinda good.

Dance On Tonight

So Im listening to Kpop because I woke up from a 3 hour nap and now have to rally to go to Homo Hill in Itaewon.

I never go to gay bars in NYC anymore but in Seoul these are the clubs of choice for me because I like dancing to Kpop. It's the only way to feel like you're in Korea. Clubs like Answer just make me feel like I'm at some trendy Western House club. Kinda boring and only fun with really good friends and a table. Hip Hop clubs here make me feel like cattle because they're super packed. I've never been to a booking club because the whole idea kinda skeeves me out. So I like Homo Hill.

But I swear I'm not a fag hag. I hate when people call me this because I have 3 close gay friends. I define a fag hag as someone who ONLY has gay friends because straight guys won't play with them. This is not me. Also, the whole term fag hag is offensive.

OK fine, the first picture I sort of look like a fag hag.

Fat Girl's Dream

Took an epic nap today. That in if itself is very fat girl because prior to coming here I had this fatist view that naps are for only allowed for overweight people.

I had a dream that I was at a work New Years eve dinner party. We go into the room and it's this amazing buffet of Korean food. I am so pissed (this is the point in the dream when I knew it was not real life because if you give a workplace environment free food, all coworkers are happy, it's just the free food rule) because I am so over Korean food at this point.

I walk around to see what else is available.
This is when the dream becomes like a horrifying nightmare.

I see a roomful of people I do not know eating juicy, cheeseburgers. I ask where they got these cheeseburgers. They're idiots and can't tell me. So i wander into 4 different rooms before finding the cheeseburger room. But to my horror the cheeseburgers are done, just the empty plates and half buns hanging around. Noooooooooooooooo!!!!

I'm in the cheeseburger room and the cleaning ajumma is also there cleaning up the remnants of the burger fest and we beg her to ask the kitchen ajumma if any burgers are left and if so to bring us some. She says she will. As she asks, we are on the prowl still and go into another room where there is teriyaki. This is OK but we decide to explore more since teriyaki is still rice based.

We go to the room net door and there are...................TACOS!!!!

We are elated. I wake up. I shower, go to Itaewon and eat Taco Bell. The dream was just so vivid, I woke up with a wicked taco craving. Even if it was fake beef tacos.



This either tells me I have a fat girl living inside me because I have dreams about food or that I really, really need a cheeseburger. So excited to go to Father's Office when I make it to Brian in La.

The Most Korean Statement Ever

Overheard on street:
I just got my eyes done, my eyes look like vienna sausages.


Combining Korean's love for plastic surgery and artificial meats into one. Tehe.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Finally read this book.

Love this quote:
"To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable."

Amen.

White Dress

I got the most adorable white cocktail dress today. It's a pity I'm not engaged because the dress is just so perfect for my engagement party.

Flying Pan

I went to a brunch place called Flying Pan. It was actually good, like passable if it was in NY. I feel like they meant to call it Frying Pan instead of Flying Pan but can't pronounce the R.

If You Were wondering What a Man's Clutch looks Like

Protesters Praying in Tahrir Square

I love this photo.

After all This Time

Sorry, Sorry is still and will always be my favorite Kpop song.

I am the Worst

So my friend is going to Seoul in March when I won't be here and she asks me if I had to eat at ONE place where should I go.

I send her this RIDICULOUS email. I might as well start writing my own guide book at this point. If you plan on going to Seoul, this is what you need to know in a nutshell:

OK the one place I would go to eat is 678 in Apgujeong or Mapo ( they have several locations, ive been to two both were good). If you can BALL OUT, samwon garden is suppose to be amazing (expect to pay like 100 per person but the bbq is suppose to be unreal)

If you have time for a second meal go to choon chun dak galbi. This is a chain, the one in sinchon is the best. I took earl, he died.

Here are some recommended day trips depending on what you want to do:

SHOPPING/LAZY DAY: Garosugil (near sinsa station) for a day of shopping and stop by at coffeesmith (because all people do here is sit at cafes). It's quite small, garasugil is just 2 blocks of cute shops and cafes. there is a cute dessert place called deux amis cafe for all sorts of cakes. go to apjugeong for more shopping and have dinner at kogi kogi for samgyupsal.

TO SEE NEW SEOUL: gwanghwamun to see the cheongyecheon stream and the statues of admiral lee and king sejong. Around there you can also go to 토속촌삼계탕 which is the president's favorite restaurant. There are crazy lines so going at an off lunch hour is best.

TO SEE OLD SEOUL: Bukchon is a preserved village in the middle of seoul and its quite pretty to walk around the alleyways and look at the old architecture. Bukchon is also right next to samcheong which is a chic little area with tons of galleries and cafes and restaurants. Lots of good photo opps here.

TOURISTY SHOPPING: Myeongdong. Everyone feels obligated to go because it is an authentic korean shopping experience, personally i hate myeongdong. If you do go check out the Aland in Myeongdong, this is a great 3 level store with both korean and western designers. also great men's dept if you want to shop for ernie. There is also a new aland in garosugil.

TOURISTY THING BUT TRADITIONAL AND FUN: Walk around Insadong, good place to get souvenirs. Good traditional street food, like fresh shikhae, traditional candies, watch people make yut, all that. You can also get traditional tea and beautiful dduk at the tea houses. There is a place called Miss Lee's cafe has frozen persimmon, sounds weird but really good. Right near the insadong subway is this buddhist temple called josegye if you want to hit that up.

If you wanna go north of the river you can walk around hongdae (seoul's brooklyn, very hip area), shop at edae which is the area around ehwa university (the largest girls university in the world so they have a million girls stores) and at night go drinking in sinchon. Those 3 neighborhoods are all in order on the subway so its possible to do all 3 in a day. also, go to that dakgalbi place i was talking about in sinchon.

IF YOU JUST WANNA GET WASTED: area around gangnam station is the best sit down korean style drinking in town. You can get a bottle of goose for like 40 bucks. If you want to do traditional soju and anju type place go to Angus or Tree Hoff. If you want to go clubbing in gangnam go to NB on a weekday they play american hiphop. It is worth going to Gangnam on a friday or sat night, because shit gets crazy there. I've seen people hit by cars, people get that trashed.

I personally dont love the fancy clubs here because they only play house music and also we have bf's but if u wanna try it I would go to eden or answer. both are ok

also, to get a feel for the neighborhoods i did this blog post.
http://liaonkorea.blogspot.com/2010/11/best-places-in-seoul.html
let me know if you have any questions or want directions to anywhere. sorry this email is so long, there is just so much to do in this huge city.

I miss Sushi

Surprisingly for a country that is so nearby, sushi restaurants are not THAT ubiquitous here. Katsu, ramen, and izakaya (think Kenka) places are everywhere. Sushi, yeah it's around, but it's just not the same.

I have had my fair share of raw fish here for sure. It's just that to get good sushi here costs an arm and a leg and Koreans prefer their raw fish to be on the chewier side. I feel like sushi should melt in your mouth. I don't like to feel the tendons in my fish when I chew, call me crazy.

Sushi is on my to eat list when I get back.

On the other hand, at least I got to try sushi from Japan this year.

Make a Wish

This is an old photo. Koreans pile a bunch of rocks and make a wish. I am unsure if you can make a pile of rocks anywhere or it has to be a park. The rules are unclear to me.

MMM Salads

I think I mentioned this before, but living in Korea makes me realize how I actually enjoy eating salads. It's up there on the list of foods I miss.

This is the only salad I've found worth eating in Korea. The orange chicken salad from fifty cafe. I would eat this salad even in NY it's that good.

Korean Cakes are so Cute

JY's Birthday

It was JY's birthday. Here's to you kid.

Korean Bowling Shoes

I didn't think it was possible to find shoes worse than American bowling shoes. I was wrong.

I bowled a 122 which is prob my best score in real life bowling ever. In Wii bowling, (anyone of Peter's roommates will attest to this) I am redonkulous. Like if I get a spare that's weird. I don't kid around in wii.

It's a weird world we live in when you have to specify real life activities vs. virtual activities. I am scared for my imaginary children.

Board Game Cafe

Unbeknown to me, there are these cafes in Korea where you sit drink coffee, eat snacks and play board games. You order games from a game menu. I had a lot of wholesome fun.

Also, what is a better way to get over language barriers than to play a game designed for a 6 year old?

The Most Handsome Man in the World

Sooo Cute

Her character in Boys Over Flowers is annoying but she is really the cutest Korean girl ever.

Being Anime Hot

I'm going to get my eyes done. I want to look like anime.
Like cartoon characters are hot?!
Have you never seen The Little Mermaid or Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Jessica Rabbit is weird, she only has one eye.
She like, invented the side bangs.

This is What my Lunar New Years Looked Like

This woman annoys me

This is Paz De La Huerta. I have disliked her ever since NYmag declared her the new "It" girl and in an interview she says she thinks she looks like a brunette Brigitte Bardot.

Um are you kidding me??

DListed has been picking on her like shes the new Phoebe Price and this is why I love Michael K, me and him always on the same page.

Wahhh

Ugh another picture of Gu Hara because she is Korean barbie and I look at pictures of her and feel bad about myself. Seriously, can she be any cuter/prettier/hotter?

They always call this chick below Korean barbie, but this chick never did it for me. Her head always seemed abnormally small for her body, also I dont like her boob job, too big.

I Love this Town

Today was a GORGEOUS day in Seoul. Like open jacket beautiful weather.

I got my nails did, worked for 3 hours, went to Hyundai department store, saw 2 guys I recognized just from being Apgujeong heads (super stylish), and walked the streets of Seoul blasting this song and thought to myself, I am going to miss this town.

It is really starting to feel like home.

Happy Lunar New Year

Happy Lunar New Year! Not Chinese New Year, Lunar. I wish my job told me earlier that we would have the whole week off so I could have gone somewhere!

Oh well, I guess meals homecooked by distant relatives aint bad either.

For the occasion I bedazzled my nails. Next time, I am so getting my batman logo on.

By the way, getting nails done in Korea is amazing. After all, it is the mother country of where all our nail artists come from.

JY on Peter

I show my tutoring girl this photo of Peter.

Her response: He looks like Harry Potter.


Add Harry Potter to the list of white celebrities that Korean people say Peter looks like.
Harry Potter
Sting
Frasier

Conan with South Korean Girls

I love the girls reaction in this.

Interesting Article

on how guys can't get off anymore because of too much porn and how girls are starting to act like porn stars in bed which in turn scares guys.

Don't let your BFs watch porn twice a day is the lesson here folks!

http://nymag.com/news/features/70976/

Getting Ready on a Sunday

And listening to Daft Punk. This song makes me wish I was going clubbing on a Sunday afternoon.

Only in Asia

Jess: So the Aland in garosugil was amazing.
Me: Right?!
Jess: Except I feel like it's more expenive than the other Alands
Me: Really?
Jess: Yeah, I saw a man's clutch for 200.

OK messenger bag or even shoulder tote bag is one thing. I know guys love the murse here, but a man's clutch is too much.