Here are some of the beautifully decorated houses this year.
In third place:
Runner up:
My favourite house this year:
Friday, December 16, 2011
Suburban Sydney Christmas Lights
I love Christmas. The Christmas tree, Christmas carols, the warmth of friends and family, Christmas lunch (yummy) and all the red, green and gold around the place. By far, my favourite thing about Christmas are the Christmas lights. I love looking at the Christmas lights in Greystanes where they have a street lined with houses full of colourful lights. This year there seems to be less than last year. Electricity has gone up and it would probably cost people a fortune this year to run them for a month. BUT... to those that have, I send a big hug and a kiss because it is so beautiful. I feel like a kid again when I see them. Particularly in my area where they have Mr Whippy ice-cream vans parked along the streets and visits from Santa Claus.
Here are some of the beautifully decorated houses this year.
In third place:
Runner up:
My favourite house this year:
Here are some of the beautifully decorated houses this year.
In third place:
Runner up:
My favourite house this year:
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Chick Lit
It's finally happened. I have officially become a chick lit fan. I used to see chick lit on the shelves of bookstores and think 'how boring' then grab something from the horror or romance section. Now I can't get through a sickening romance, horror is just eww and supernatural vampire stuff has flooded the market so much that I don't think I could possibly read one more. One good thing though. I still hate Sex in the City and I plan to keep it that way!
Some of my favourite authors include:
> Pamela Britton and her NASCAR books. I love sporty romances:)
> Susan Elizabeth Phillips. You guessed it - more sporty romances - this time American football.
> Matthew Reilly, an Australian action author.
> Richard Layman's horror novels. Funland hooked me in and I have read everything he has written.
> Sherrilyn Kenyon and the Dark Hunter series. Ahh... Acheron - seriously the most charismatic fictional character ever written.
> J. R. Ward. The Black Dagger Brotherhood.
> Simone Elkeles, a teen fiction writer about overcoming differences.
And now I can add my two new chick lit authors:
> Miranda Dickinson. This author first had me hooked on chick lit. Welcome to My World - Read it!
> Jil Mansell and her lovely British tales.
I like that these books have such a great emhasis on the woman's relationships with those around her and how she often makes the decisions in life that seem least obvious but turn out for the best. Hopefully that's what will happen in my life.
Some of my favourite authors include:
> Pamela Britton and her NASCAR books. I love sporty romances:)
> Susan Elizabeth Phillips. You guessed it - more sporty romances - this time American football.
> Matthew Reilly, an Australian action author.
> Richard Layman's horror novels. Funland hooked me in and I have read everything he has written.
> Sherrilyn Kenyon and the Dark Hunter series. Ahh... Acheron - seriously the most charismatic fictional character ever written.
> J. R. Ward. The Black Dagger Brotherhood.
> Simone Elkeles, a teen fiction writer about overcoming differences.
And now I can add my two new chick lit authors:
> Miranda Dickinson. This author first had me hooked on chick lit. Welcome to My World - Read it!
> Jil Mansell and her lovely British tales.
I like that these books have such a great emhasis on the woman's relationships with those around her and how she often makes the decisions in life that seem least obvious but turn out for the best. Hopefully that's what will happen in my life.
Black Ilumin and Wisecrue
Today I was searching around the internet for some new music and stumbled across a couple of expats in Seoul who have started to produce music; Wisecrue.
From what I have been able to glean, it's two guys, one from America and one from the UK. They have come together to produce an amazing track called Rhyme Q. It's a really great song with a wonderful mix of accents, tones and styles. Check it out!
I really like Black Ilumin's voice. He is the first singer you hear on the track and he has produced other music; both solo and with other expats. His voice is so smooth - you never get sick of it. This is his dance track Lavita. I LOVE this music!
Lavita by Black Ilumin
If you are interested in checking out his page here are some links:
http://www.blackilumin.com/
http://www.blackilumin.com/wisecrue/index.html
And this is a blog post all about them from Impossible Black Tulip:
http://impossibleblacktulip.blogspot.com/2011/11/music-i-like-wisecrue-black-ilumin-jake.html
From what I have been able to glean, it's two guys, one from America and one from the UK. They have come together to produce an amazing track called Rhyme Q. It's a really great song with a wonderful mix of accents, tones and styles. Check it out!
I really like Black Ilumin's voice. He is the first singer you hear on the track and he has produced other music; both solo and with other expats. His voice is so smooth - you never get sick of it. This is his dance track Lavita. I LOVE this music!
Lavita by Black Ilumin
If you are interested in checking out his page here are some links:
http://www.blackilumin.com/
http://www.blackilumin.com/wisecrue/index.html
And this is a blog post all about them from Impossible Black Tulip:
http://impossibleblacktulip.blogspot.com/2011/11/music-i-like-wisecrue-black-ilumin-jake.html
Personalised Ringback Tones
My friend once told me about personalised ringback tones in Korea but I had never heard of it before as we do not have it in Australia. Tonight I rang her mobile in Korea and it was a bit weird hearing her personalised ringback tone. I was a bit like, 'Is this the right number? Have I inadvertently rang some company?'. Nope, It was Romy unnie's taste in music.
When I googled it today on the internet I didn't even know what a ringback tone was. I have never heard it called that. We call it a dial tone.
I found out that South Korea was the first country to introduce personalised ringback tones (I am guessing SK Telecom) where you can choose a song that will become the dialtone for your mobile. Then, when people call the mobile, instead of hearing the ring ring tone, they hear a song selected by the owner of the phone instead. I like that idea. I know people would probably say it's a gimick that you never hear anyway because it's not like you ever ring your own mobile, but it is definitely more stylised than the bland dial tone.
Apparently the most popular ringback tones in 2010 included:
1. Eminem and Rhianna: Love the way you lie
2. Fish Leong: No Ifs
3. Super Junior: Sorry Sorry
One thing I have to say is that if I rang someone and their ringtone was Sorry Sorry I definitely would not be waiting for them to pick up. How annoying would it be to listen through that song all the time!
Fish Leong's No Ifs is a much better choice.
When I googled it today on the internet I didn't even know what a ringback tone was. I have never heard it called that. We call it a dial tone.
I found out that South Korea was the first country to introduce personalised ringback tones (I am guessing SK Telecom) where you can choose a song that will become the dialtone for your mobile. Then, when people call the mobile, instead of hearing the ring ring tone, they hear a song selected by the owner of the phone instead. I like that idea. I know people would probably say it's a gimick that you never hear anyway because it's not like you ever ring your own mobile, but it is definitely more stylised than the bland dial tone.
Apparently the most popular ringback tones in 2010 included:
1. Eminem and Rhianna: Love the way you lie
2. Fish Leong: No Ifs
3. Super Junior: Sorry Sorry
One thing I have to say is that if I rang someone and their ringtone was Sorry Sorry I definitely would not be waiting for them to pick up. How annoying would it be to listen through that song all the time!
Fish Leong's No Ifs is a much better choice.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Eyes Wide Open
Sometimes we get so involved in our own lives that trivial things are blown out of proportion and we think that we are hard up about something. Every now and then we need to be reminded that our lives are actually a lot better than others and we shouldn't complain. There are so many people around the world in a far worse situation than ourselves. I had one of those moments tonight.
I just finished reading about the terrible happenings in Shaanxi Province in China when a man stabbed and beat a woman to death and the bystanders did nothing to intervene. In fact, some just walked on by like nothing was happening. CCTV captured everything on film. It's terrible to think that people could just stand by and do nothing in this intance. A woman's life was on the line and her death was tragic; perhaps it could have even been prevented. But to think of it, we stand by and do nothing every day. While we are wondering whether to order a mocha or latte at Gloria Jeans there are people around the world who don't have the luxury of making that decision. Many are just trying to survive daily life. People sell their blood for money to buy food for their family, children walk for hours in freezing weather to attend school, the elderly are being neglected in nursing homes that don't provide basic necessities. These are just a few of the stories that can be found on ministryoftofu.com.
One of my favourite documentaries is called 'Invisible Children'. It is a documentary by three American college students about the experiences of children in Uganda who go on a night commute to the cities so they will not be captured as child soldiers by the Lord's Resistance Army. One of the filmmakers makes a comment in this documentary about how some people resond to these experiences with 'It's Africa. You can't compare it with America.' But why can't we? Should the children in Uganda have to live through what they do just because 'It's Africa'? The idea that people are uncomfortable watching the type of footage seen in this documentary is a positive thing. Why? Because it means we understand that there is injustice and oppression occurring. The question is, what can we do to help?
LINKS:
http://www.invisiblechildren.com/
http://www.ministryoftofu.com/2011/03/photos-chinese-children-carry-burning-torches-to-school/
I just finished reading about the terrible happenings in Shaanxi Province in China when a man stabbed and beat a woman to death and the bystanders did nothing to intervene. In fact, some just walked on by like nothing was happening. CCTV captured everything on film. It's terrible to think that people could just stand by and do nothing in this intance. A woman's life was on the line and her death was tragic; perhaps it could have even been prevented. But to think of it, we stand by and do nothing every day. While we are wondering whether to order a mocha or latte at Gloria Jeans there are people around the world who don't have the luxury of making that decision. Many are just trying to survive daily life. People sell their blood for money to buy food for their family, children walk for hours in freezing weather to attend school, the elderly are being neglected in nursing homes that don't provide basic necessities. These are just a few of the stories that can be found on ministryoftofu.com.
One of my favourite documentaries is called 'Invisible Children'. It is a documentary by three American college students about the experiences of children in Uganda who go on a night commute to the cities so they will not be captured as child soldiers by the Lord's Resistance Army. One of the filmmakers makes a comment in this documentary about how some people resond to these experiences with 'It's Africa. You can't compare it with America.' But why can't we? Should the children in Uganda have to live through what they do just because 'It's Africa'? The idea that people are uncomfortable watching the type of footage seen in this documentary is a positive thing. Why? Because it means we understand that there is injustice and oppression occurring. The question is, what can we do to help?
LINKS:
http://www.invisiblechildren.com/
http://www.ministryoftofu.com/2011/03/photos-chinese-children-carry-burning-torches-to-school/
Plans for the last two weeks
The year is slowly winding down. However, as work eases up with only year 7, 8 and 9 left to teach for the last week, I seem to have more and more things to do in the leadup to the 22nd. Every single day between now and when I leave is completely filled up. Multiple entries fill my organiser each day and I am so TIRED! Plus catching up with everyone before I go means that I am having alot of meals out and I feel like I need to be running all day every day to make up for the indulgence. Only it has been raining, and I have a cold and cough, and I am REALLY tired, and I don't have much free time, and I am just making excuses. I am determined though, to run and exercise each day.
This weekend I am using my mum's place as a base and even brought my barbell, fitball and skipping rope to do my circuit. It's kind of embarrassing to do it at her apartment though coz I usually set up my circuit on the front lawn and use her brick fence as my weight bench. I obviously don't even need to say what the people in cars do whenever they drive past. I just have to ignore it or I'll put on a million kilos from all these catch-up meals.
Last week I went to Kelly unnies house and we started shopping on G-Market because she didn't think I had enough winter coats to take with me. It's true. I mean, I live in Australia, the words 'winter coat' are not even in my vocabulary. Three hours later, two coats and a hoody were being shipped to Giman oppas parents house for me to collect when I get to Busan.
On to even better news. This morning I opened my email and there was a message from Misook unnie inviting me to her family's home for Lunar New Year over the 22-24th January period. She told me that most people will be going to their hometown to visit their family and she wanted me to go to Suwon so she could introduce me to her mum and brother. I can't wait to see her!!! It has been almost one year since we last stayed up all night playing Go Stop and having girly chats. I can't wait to see Misook and meet her *not so new anymore* man Joon Tack. I hope they get married next year so I can be there!:)
People are always asking me if I am on the countdown to the end of the year and whether or not I am excited. I am. My body is in Australia but in every other way I am already in Korea.
This weekend I am using my mum's place as a base and even brought my barbell, fitball and skipping rope to do my circuit. It's kind of embarrassing to do it at her apartment though coz I usually set up my circuit on the front lawn and use her brick fence as my weight bench. I obviously don't even need to say what the people in cars do whenever they drive past. I just have to ignore it or I'll put on a million kilos from all these catch-up meals.
Last week I went to Kelly unnies house and we started shopping on G-Market because she didn't think I had enough winter coats to take with me. It's true. I mean, I live in Australia, the words 'winter coat' are not even in my vocabulary. Three hours later, two coats and a hoody were being shipped to Giman oppas parents house for me to collect when I get to Busan.
On to even better news. This morning I opened my email and there was a message from Misook unnie inviting me to her family's home for Lunar New Year over the 22-24th January period. She told me that most people will be going to their hometown to visit their family and she wanted me to go to Suwon so she could introduce me to her mum and brother. I can't wait to see her!!! It has been almost one year since we last stayed up all night playing Go Stop and having girly chats. I can't wait to see Misook and meet her *not so new anymore* man Joon Tack. I hope they get married next year so I can be there!:)
People are always asking me if I am on the countdown to the end of the year and whether or not I am excited. I am. My body is in Australia but in every other way I am already in Korea.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Motivating a Jogger
Some people take up knitting, others baking. I've recently started jogging. For those of you who know me you will already know that I have always HATED running. I am a competitive person and love playing ball, squash, pool, putt putt, kayaking. I've done gymnastics, jazzercise, played netball, tennis and even swimming. But running... pfft - forget it! That doesn't mean I haven't wanted to run (ok it does), just that I don't like doing it. I even roped my friend into starting to go jogging at night. It lasted for one whole night and then we never did it again. BUT I was determined to become a runner.
I used to make lame excuses when I went out for a walk. The main one: I'd tell myself that I can't start jogging bacause I would eventually have to stop and it would be horrible to stop while cars were driving past. How embarrassing!
But I can now say, I AM A JOGGER, I JOG EVERY DAY AND I LOVE IT!!!!
Except for this morning. I had my ipod on shuffle, which I never do coz I always end up skipping the older songs, and the music was so demotivating I felt like stopping all the time coz the music was so slow.
This is some of my regular music for excercising.
Running:
A'ccel in a Story - Saint Butterfly, Wristcut Syndrome, Memory, Misery, Goodbye,
Basick - Champion Pt.II
Blindside - About a Burning Fire
Coach Carter Soundtrack
Da Mouth - Any of their songs
Dok2: I'm Back
Drunken Tiger: Doo Doo Doo Wap Ba Ba Ru, Monster
Epik High: Run, Breakdown, One, The Future, Fan
Jang Woo Hyuk: Mr Jackson, One Way, Flip Reverse, Pump Flow, Shake It
Leessang: Canvas
Nese: U Got Me, Superman
Outsider: Zero to Hero, The Youth, Loner, Tears of the Del Piero, Therapist
Weights:
Choshinsung: Hit,
Drunken Tiger: Feel Good Music, Jet Pack, True Romance
Grits: Ooh Ahh
Leessang: Hexagonal
Live
Raconteurs: Steady as She Goes, Broken Boy Soldiers, Store Bought Bones,
Shinedown
Stone Sour
Tokio Hotel: Spring Nicht, Schrei, Forgotten Children, Break Away
Stretching:
Dark Like Snow
Evermore
Paloalto
Pe2ny
I used to make lame excuses when I went out for a walk. The main one: I'd tell myself that I can't start jogging bacause I would eventually have to stop and it would be horrible to stop while cars were driving past. How embarrassing!
But I can now say, I AM A JOGGER, I JOG EVERY DAY AND I LOVE IT!!!!
Except for this morning. I had my ipod on shuffle, which I never do coz I always end up skipping the older songs, and the music was so demotivating I felt like stopping all the time coz the music was so slow.
This is some of my regular music for excercising.
Running:
A'ccel in a Story - Saint Butterfly, Wristcut Syndrome, Memory, Misery, Goodbye,
Basick - Champion Pt.II
Blindside - About a Burning Fire
Coach Carter Soundtrack
Da Mouth - Any of their songs
Dok2: I'm Back
Drunken Tiger: Doo Doo Doo Wap Ba Ba Ru, Monster
Epik High: Run, Breakdown, One, The Future, Fan
Jang Woo Hyuk: Mr Jackson, One Way, Flip Reverse, Pump Flow, Shake It
Leessang: Canvas
Nese: U Got Me, Superman
Outsider: Zero to Hero, The Youth, Loner, Tears of the Del Piero, Therapist
Weights:
Choshinsung: Hit,
Drunken Tiger: Feel Good Music, Jet Pack, True Romance
Grits: Ooh Ahh
Leessang: Hexagonal
Live
Raconteurs: Steady as She Goes, Broken Boy Soldiers, Store Bought Bones,
Shinedown
Stone Sour
Tokio Hotel: Spring Nicht, Schrei, Forgotten Children, Break Away
Stretching:
Dark Like Snow
Evermore
Paloalto
Pe2ny
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