while i waited for my family motto to dry, he painted a fan for me. on the back he wrote, 'crystal scent' which is what first came into his mind when i sat down in his room. he said each one is unique. . . then he wrote the exact same thing on hazel's fan, forgetting he wrote it on mine. funny guy. . .
5.03.2010
4.29.2010
i’ve been doing this pub quiz for a while, and when my team wins we have to supply the questions. here is one of the quizzes i wrote up. how well do you know these towers?
Famous.towers
Famous.towers
4.17.2010
lp.toiletries
apparently there is no end to what the little prince can sell.. . . or why i would buy with the little prince on it.
exorcist.coffee
i wish i liked coffee. . . because i want to know if they have themed coffee flavors!
misdirection.bar
in jungang there's a transgender bar that had caught our attention- close to the bar we attend for quiz. (the transgender bar sign isn't yet lit -directly above the Misdirection sign)
we wondered, is Misdirection the name of the transgender bar? how great would that be?!
is Misdirection the name of another bar on the same floor as the transgender bar. . . with a coincidentally appropriate name? how great would that be?!
well, we had to find out!
3.15.2010
3.13.2010
welcome to the church of comparisons and expectations*
*you may already be a practicing member.
it was my friend’s intention to calm me down. i was comparing one significant life event and choices to another. my anxiety flared and he kept trying to tell me that the two are completely different and that the outcomes can’t be compared. therefore comparing the two is only an exercise in frustration blah blah blah. . .
i calmed down and our conversation moved onto other topics . . . but my brain went to work . . .
comparisons.
i feel that we are often told to avoid them.
we have a lot of sayings for comparisons. . .
the grass is always greener. . . . keeping up with the jones’s. . . .apples and oranges. . . . mind your p’s and q’s. . . whip them out and measure. . .
it would seem that we’ve created a language of idioms to talk about comparisons. a way of dancing around comparisons without actually touching them. comparison is considered playing dirty.
we are taught that it is impolite to ask about a person’s wages.
we might compare their paycheck to our own. we might start to compare their skills to our own.
how many hours do they work? how difficult are their tasks? are they deserving of their pay? are we deserving of ours? do we deserve more? is their car a better make? is their husband or wife hotter than mine? are her shoes more fashionable? did she get fatter? has he lost more hair? are their kids smarter? what side of town do they live on? oh, she went to THAT university? you mean you don’t buy organic? mac or pc? what do you mean you’ve NEVER watched princess bride?
it can get messy. if you use these means to measure self worth it can get quick sand messy. people like to avoid messes. . . so they throw in a ‘grass is always greener’ to persuade you away from the topic and to reassure you that you aren’t seeing the full picture. and possibly somehow, there’s an unseen balance.
(schadenfreude; possibly the only time when this game is a little fun.)
my question is. . . my argument is: there is nothing but comparison.
well, that. . . and possibly. . . expectation.
-expectation also has a lot of sayings. . .
don’t count your eggs before they’ve hatched, assuming makes an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me,’ don’t count your irons before they’re hot, (the SAT favorite) hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
sidenote insight:
i tend to be argumentative. i might have spiraled out on this limb just to argue against my friend’s point. it’s a possibility. . . but i’ve created an argument that i’m having trouble breaking.
now, all i see is comparison and expectation. comparison and expectation. they both give birth to choice.
from start to end of day. . . think about it.
i compare my likes and dislikes constantly. i draw on past experience to piece together possible contentment and disappointment ratios when dealing with expectations.
for example- booths tend to feel slightly more removed from other patrons at a restaurant, so i prefer them. comparison made- i like booths more than tables and chairs. new restaurant?- choose a booth- keeping with the rule set by past comparisons. new discovery- there is an awkward distance between this particular bench and table. balance of expectations tips away from contentment and toward disappointment. next time at that restaurant, i choose table and chairs.
seems weighty for a simple night of pizza. . . but the equation applies to nearly everything.
why i choose one pair of socks over another/ one day’s activities over another/ one brand of toilet paper over another/ one person’s company over another/ one place to live in over another/ one movie over another/ one ice cream over another.
the equation doesn’t function properly yet.
say, i want to see a tim burton movie because i know from past experiences that movies he touches rate high on my enjoyable scale. add to that, the movie has ewan mcgregor (another person that tends to make movies more enjoyable.) so, my expectations are high. i see the movie, and it falls short. it rates on the ‘meh’ level. merely neutral. am i dissuaded from tim burton movies or ewan mcgregor movies? no, but i am slightly more hesitant.
another side note:
sometimes even a bad movie is made more enjoyable with the right company. conversely a good movie experience can be ruined by obnoxious audience members or movie theatres with poor audio equipment. (just to show that there are so many factors in each equation.)
there are also different sets of scales to weigh the comparisons and expectations. i.e. the set of scales used to measure movie experiences aren’t big enough to weigh the comparison between leaving one job for another.
nearly everything becomes data entry for an equation hopefully leading to the summation of a decent day.
each new byte is met with. . .
compared to what i know, or what i understand. . . what are the expectations?
then. . . what’s the scale of the expectation? large or small.
then. . . can i handle the fallout? can i perceive how good it might be?
will it matter now? or later?. . . how much later?
guess my point is. . .if you try to make the argument to me that ‘it’s like comparing apples and oranges’. . . this above tirade is what runs through my head. which will make it very likely that i will spend a decent part of my day fantasizing about punching you in the neck.
**i feel that this should’ve been more monumental considering how long i thought about it. . . . but, if you can make a good argument against it. . . i’d love to hear it.
it was my friend’s intention to calm me down. i was comparing one significant life event and choices to another. my anxiety flared and he kept trying to tell me that the two are completely different and that the outcomes can’t be compared. therefore comparing the two is only an exercise in frustration blah blah blah. . .
i calmed down and our conversation moved onto other topics . . . but my brain went to work . . .
comparisons.
i feel that we are often told to avoid them.
we have a lot of sayings for comparisons. . .
the grass is always greener. . . . keeping up with the jones’s. . . .apples and oranges. . . . mind your p’s and q’s. . . whip them out and measure. . .
it would seem that we’ve created a language of idioms to talk about comparisons. a way of dancing around comparisons without actually touching them. comparison is considered playing dirty.
we are taught that it is impolite to ask about a person’s wages.
we might compare their paycheck to our own. we might start to compare their skills to our own.
how many hours do they work? how difficult are their tasks? are they deserving of their pay? are we deserving of ours? do we deserve more? is their car a better make? is their husband or wife hotter than mine? are her shoes more fashionable? did she get fatter? has he lost more hair? are their kids smarter? what side of town do they live on? oh, she went to THAT university? you mean you don’t buy organic? mac or pc? what do you mean you’ve NEVER watched princess bride?
it can get messy. if you use these means to measure self worth it can get quick sand messy. people like to avoid messes. . . so they throw in a ‘grass is always greener’ to persuade you away from the topic and to reassure you that you aren’t seeing the full picture. and possibly somehow, there’s an unseen balance.
(schadenfreude; possibly the only time when this game is a little fun.)
my question is. . . my argument is: there is nothing but comparison.
well, that. . . and possibly. . . expectation.
-expectation also has a lot of sayings. . .
don’t count your eggs before they’ve hatched, assuming makes an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me,’ don’t count your irons before they’re hot, (the SAT favorite) hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
sidenote insight:
i tend to be argumentative. i might have spiraled out on this limb just to argue against my friend’s point. it’s a possibility. . . but i’ve created an argument that i’m having trouble breaking.
now, all i see is comparison and expectation. comparison and expectation. they both give birth to choice.
from start to end of day. . . think about it.
i compare my likes and dislikes constantly. i draw on past experience to piece together possible contentment and disappointment ratios when dealing with expectations.
for example- booths tend to feel slightly more removed from other patrons at a restaurant, so i prefer them. comparison made- i like booths more than tables and chairs. new restaurant?- choose a booth- keeping with the rule set by past comparisons. new discovery- there is an awkward distance between this particular bench and table. balance of expectations tips away from contentment and toward disappointment. next time at that restaurant, i choose table and chairs.
seems weighty for a simple night of pizza. . . but the equation applies to nearly everything.
why i choose one pair of socks over another/ one day’s activities over another/ one brand of toilet paper over another/ one person’s company over another/ one place to live in over another/ one movie over another/ one ice cream over another.
the equation doesn’t function properly yet.
say, i want to see a tim burton movie because i know from past experiences that movies he touches rate high on my enjoyable scale. add to that, the movie has ewan mcgregor (another person that tends to make movies more enjoyable.) so, my expectations are high. i see the movie, and it falls short. it rates on the ‘meh’ level. merely neutral. am i dissuaded from tim burton movies or ewan mcgregor movies? no, but i am slightly more hesitant.
another side note:
sometimes even a bad movie is made more enjoyable with the right company. conversely a good movie experience can be ruined by obnoxious audience members or movie theatres with poor audio equipment. (just to show that there are so many factors in each equation.)
there are also different sets of scales to weigh the comparisons and expectations. i.e. the set of scales used to measure movie experiences aren’t big enough to weigh the comparison between leaving one job for another.
nearly everything becomes data entry for an equation hopefully leading to the summation of a decent day.
each new byte is met with. . .
compared to what i know, or what i understand. . . what are the expectations?
then. . . what’s the scale of the expectation? large or small.
then. . . can i handle the fallout? can i perceive how good it might be?
will it matter now? or later?. . . how much later?
guess my point is. . .if you try to make the argument to me that ‘it’s like comparing apples and oranges’. . . this above tirade is what runs through my head. which will make it very likely that i will spend a decent part of my day fantasizing about punching you in the neck.
**i feel that this should’ve been more monumental considering how long i thought about it. . . . but, if you can make a good argument against it. . . i’d love to hear it.
3.11.2010
wake up call.
i woke up from my dream. not out of terror or heartache, and not because the hammering from a next door neighbor had manifested itself into an amazing musical concert in the dream. . . but out of revelation.
i was at a yoga retreat, in connecticut (there had to be an element of the bizarre somewhere, it is a dream.) during our meal breaks people were talking about how to spend their free time on saturday. there was a clique of runners and a clique of hikers that were all mapping out their routes. i didn’t want to go with either group. i figured on grabbing my bike and just heading out in one direction or another.
some map was missing and everyone was upset since it helped pinpoint this fantastic secluded beach area. everyone wanted to meet there at the end of the day for a bonfire. i kinda figured, if it was a beach, and if i headed towards an area with water, i’d eventually find it. and later the next day, i did.
only, it wasn’t at all a secluded beach. there were tons of people on it. . .all different groups setting up big parties. i walked looking for the retreat group. the smaller groups started to blend into one big mass. and it became more difficult to spot people, or just move.
i bumped directly into someone and looked up to apologize.
it was someone i knew. a friend, sort of. we had been friends, but had hit a rough patch and gone our separate ways. we both smiled though and hugged each other. he actually lifted me off the ground and i felt years of misunderstandings drip from me and seep into the sand. the excitement of seeing a familiar face bursted into hope that we could be good friends again.
he put me down and we exchanged a few comments about how we were both at the same place and time. he hiked in. his pack was still on his back. . . t-shirt under an unbuttoned flannel, cargo shorts. . . and then black dress socks and black dress shoes.
fashion had never been his thing, but he had always worn practical clothes. the dress socks and shoes didn’t makes sense. why wear them on a hike? plus. . .they looked ridiculous with his clothes, and on a beach.
i looked him straight in the eyes smirked and said, “you never change.”
he took it to mean that he looked good.
this is when i became conscious that i was dreaming. i guess we continued talking for a little while, but i didn’t hear anything he said because i was outside the conversation trying to figure out why i said, “you never change.” why not say, “dude, what’s up with your shoes?”
we were going to leave that area of the crowd. he adjusted his pack and turned, confident that i would follow directly behind him.
i watched myself. i didn’t follow. he was swallowed by the crowd. there was still time to catch up. wasn’t i excited about reconnecting?
but i stood still for a few moments, smiled resolutely, then turned in the opposite direction and walked.
something about the, “you never change” and his shoes kept me from following. he was clueless. the dream me understood. the conscious me was also clueless.
i had never seen him wear dress shoes. - why would that prompt me to say that it seemed unchanged?
true, it looked completely ridiculous. but i never walked away from a friend just because they looked silly.
i watched my dream self make her way through the crowd while my conscious self mulled over and over, “you never change.”
then, i understood. it’s like a kid’s puzzle.
you’re given sets of three cards. a head, a body, and legs and feet. you’re supposed to match them to make the whole person. female head, to female body, to female legs. then you match the style of clothes. make sure the color of the blazers and pants match and so on.
the cards aren’t tricky (like fashion). there isn’t the possibility of matching a dress jean to a decent blazer with the appropriate heel for an office to evening look.
with this game, there is only right and wrong.
my dream gave me a visual clue that i only wish was available in real life. his legs didn’t match his body and head. kid’s game answer = wrong.
the reason we went our separate ways years before. . . minus emotion, minus details, simplified, boiled down. . . something was wrong. in the dream my conscious self was all hopeful and excited about reconnecting. my dream self saw clearly that there was something wrong-
therefore, no change.
within a quick meeting on the beach my dream self was able to assess something that i can’t do in real life- read a person clearly. i think we carry visual and non-visual clues into our true selves in real life, but rarely are they so black and white. and rarely is our view unclouded by our own hopes and fears.
there’s another kid’s game that can be played here. it’s that shaped hole and peg game. the square peg only fits into a square hole. you can try to shove the triangle peg into the square hole all you like. but simply put- they just don’t fit. something has to change- peg/ hole, or you can’t win.
“you never change.”
3.08.2010
penis.shot.jpg
win this "wee willie soju shot glass" from me.
follow the directions below.
or just post crass jokes here.
penis park soju shot glass contest
here it is:
i went to the penis park near samchoek. it was a nice weekend and i saw many many phallus shaped artwork. (you can see some of the trip in the pictures below.)
there was a gift store. as per usual.
i decided to buy a couple of soju shot glasses complete with wee willies in them.
i figured i would keep one for myself. . . and send one to a friend.
-but which friend?
i’d like to have a little fun with this. . . and perhaps you can have some fun too.
do YOU want a soju shot glass with a willie inside?
write me a reason why you want it.
your reason can be funny, crass, scientific (though i’m not sure how), political, diabolical, sentimental (though i’m not sure why), or just damn entertaining.
don’t make it too long, i’m not paid to read my email.
i’ll give you a month.
so in early april, i will review the entries (gee, i hope i get some- otherwise this could end up disappointing and boring).
using some very precise sorting and elimination methods i will choose a winner. (haven’t figured it out yet, but it will probably involve alcohol and dramatic readings amongst my co-workers.)
i will then post the entries to my blog (so if you want to remain anonymous, let me know). . . and announce a winner.
that winner will shortly receive a delightful care package from south korea.
send your entries to my email (please don’t post them as a comment)
cheshiregrin@gmail.com
i went to the penis park near samchoek. it was a nice weekend and i saw many many phallus shaped artwork. (you can see some of the trip in the pictures below.)
there was a gift store. as per usual.
i decided to buy a couple of soju shot glasses complete with wee willies in them.
i figured i would keep one for myself. . . and send one to a friend.
-but which friend?
i’d like to have a little fun with this. . . and perhaps you can have some fun too.
do YOU want a soju shot glass with a willie inside?
write me a reason why you want it.
your reason can be funny, crass, scientific (though i’m not sure how), political, diabolical, sentimental (though i’m not sure why), or just damn entertaining.
don’t make it too long, i’m not paid to read my email.
i’ll give you a month.
so in early april, i will review the entries (gee, i hope i get some- otherwise this could end up disappointing and boring).
using some very precise sorting and elimination methods i will choose a winner. (haven’t figured it out yet, but it will probably involve alcohol and dramatic readings amongst my co-workers.)
i will then post the entries to my blog (so if you want to remain anonymous, let me know). . . and announce a winner.
that winner will shortly receive a delightful care package from south korea.
send your entries to my email (please don’t post them as a comment)
cheshiregrin@gmail.com
2.28.2010
shlong.weekend.1
our rest town on the way to the penis park was samcheok. we weren't expecting much. just a place to crash and have some food before going to the park.
samchoek turned out to be a gorgeous seaside town, currently hosting a festival.
shlong.weekend.2
close by was a set of caves that could be explored. apparently this building has an imax movie experience about the caves.
i was a little disappointed to find out that it wasn't a cake themed hotel. but the cave and bat references were all over town. and they were pretty great.
shlong.weekend.3
there were light up floats ready to light up and ride on the river, but the festivities weren't till sunday.
shlong.weekend.4
ok people, we made it. check your maturity at the door. this is the penis park. there are more pics on my flickr.
it's possible that i got most of the jokes out over the weekend. so i'll hold back on the commentary. . .a little.
shlong.weekend.5
this is possibly not the best choice of first penises. are the vampire like teeth really necessary.
shlong.weekend.13
penis. . .penis. . . penis. . .penis. . .penis. . .penis. . .penis. . .penis. . .penis. . .penis. . .penis. . .penis. . .penis. . .penis. . .penis. . .penis. . .
(i bet this will get me some interesting hits on a google search)
shlong.weekend.23
we ended our stay with a packed lunch at the beach. it was cool and the water was pretty cold, but we dipped our toes in the east sea.
radish&tree
kelly and i modeling our costumes for our separate talent show plays. her tree and acorn from 'chicken little' and my big radish, from 'the enormous radish"
templestay.1
a really gorgeous setting. and the weather was great the whole weekend.
this is part of the walk to our residence hall. down a slope, over a river and up another slope. a little distance from the main temple and shrine area.
the whole place was nestled into mountains that resembled the lotus flower which is what gave the area such great significance.
templestay.2
these are the musical instruments that would call us to meditation and wake us up in the morning.
right.
i used to sleep through the power saws, mig welding, and hammering noises of a scene shop 100 yards from my bedroom. this was a five minute walk from our residence area. . . no way it's gonna wake me at 3am.
templestay.7
we paused during our hike to talk and some of us drank from the river (it was delicious water). this is the monk assigned to our 'training' and his interpreter.
templestay.8
here's part of the group setting up meditation mats before we went on a hike. gotta say, for meditation spots, this one is hard to beat. it was a gorgeous weekend.
templestay.9
this is called a love tree. they share a branch. because they share a branch people will pose below the tree and take pictures of themselves with it. oh, and since they share a branch if one tree gets sick the other tree will provide nutrients to keep it alive through that one branch. hence- they live together and die together.
kinda sappy.
(heh. . . see what i did there. sappy, maple syrup. mmm, i want pancakes.)
from a couple weeks ago
a co-worker and i made a smallish trip into seoul for some shopping. myeong- dong first, a stop at my favorite super cute store- kosney. they have everything that i find irresistible and have no real need for. . . but i got some nice perfume, and a great birthday gift for a friend.
from there we walked over to insa-dong. it’s also a great place to go searching for some gifts. we were both successful in shopping for the gifts we had in mind, but we were sidetracked but something bright and colorful in an upstairs store window.
i’m paraphrasing a bit. . . but it went something like this. . .
erika- what’s that?
ryan- i’m not sure.
erika- is that a huge voltron in the window?
ryan- is it a store?
erika- i don’t know.
pause. . . . stare. . . .
erika- do you wanna?
ryan- yeah.
so we walked up stairs. . . .there was a cover charge. only a dollar. so we weren’t sure if it was a museum, or a store. . . . but i took some pictures. and i was able to actually buy some stickers. perhaps the ‘black hole’ of toys. (and by black hole i don’t mean the space anomaly, but the los alamos lab reseller/ junk yard/ auction.)
ps- the store was called TOTO. so there was that too.
from there we walked over to insa-dong. it’s also a great place to go searching for some gifts. we were both successful in shopping for the gifts we had in mind, but we were sidetracked but something bright and colorful in an upstairs store window.
i’m paraphrasing a bit. . . but it went something like this. . .
erika- what’s that?
ryan- i’m not sure.
erika- is that a huge voltron in the window?
ryan- is it a store?
erika- i don’t know.
pause. . . . stare. . . .
erika- do you wanna?
ryan- yeah.
so we walked up stairs. . . .there was a cover charge. only a dollar. so we weren’t sure if it was a museum, or a store. . . . but i took some pictures. and i was able to actually buy some stickers. perhaps the ‘black hole’ of toys. (and by black hole i don’t mean the space anomaly, but the los alamos lab reseller/ junk yard/ auction.)
ps- the store was called TOTO. so there was that too.
toto.1
so. much. stuff. this place had me baffled, delighted, and a little creeped out all at once. plus that inclination i have to organize things was itching at me. . . i mean really! ET, yoda, and an assembly of voltron like figures all in the same box? who does that? unless the category is awesome and unearthly?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
