In no particular order:
Monies in gift certificate form (to be turned into CDs or used at the appropriate restaurant)
DVD sets
Coffee (lots!!)
Things for nail art
Golden calf
Jewelry
Popsicle molds and other kitchen-y things
Books
Other things that are not being called to mind at the top of my head. Apparently I have other boxen coming from the States so the party is going to be extended!!
The birthday day itself was fun. Church (which I was mostly dead for not having slept well the two preceding nights) then later in the afternoon dinner at an Italian restaurant. Jess and I ran around a bit after dinner then we walked home; I had to finish my grades.
We are now in the last quarter of the year. Spring break starts next week!! I'm not doing anything but sleeping and cleaning (theoretically).
Um...that's really it. I gotta go back to cleaning now. And I need to write a test eventually....
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Monday, March 23, 2009
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Greetings
So it's 12:30 am and I have to be at school early tomorrow but I'm not sleepy. Tired, yes, sleepy no. So I might as well do something which leads me to telling you all about my weekend. Which I'm sure you are soooooooo interested in.
Saturday was the greatest day ever. I didn't do a blessed thing. Well, not until 8 pm. I first woke up at 8ish, did whatever internet stuff for about an hour then went back to bed. Until noon. Up again, more internet putzing then back to bed for another hour or two. Then up again, watched some CSI:NY and finally decided to get some work done. I had had a ginormous desk in my apartment that finally had been removed the day before. So I rearranged some furniture and got the last two chairs that were at my place from last year. I had not had the room for them. When you put the chairs side by side you get a very teeny couch. But it's more couch than I've had all year so hey, I'm not complaining. Now my apartment's just about how I want it. And here it is March.
Sunday was Sunday; church and all. After church Jess, Holly and Jen (a teacher from another school) went to dinner and then to Shillim, one subway stop down where they had opened a new mall. This mall and I are going to be good friends; it has a Bandi and Lunis (similar to Barnes and Noble's). The English section is not as good as the one at COEX (the mall 10 stops down) but it's still an English section and bad for my wallet. After the mall Holly Jess and I went to Express Bus Terminal where they have a ginormous underground shopping area. I did not get much; just an orange skirt but Jessica and Holly came away with several bags. Dinner was at Outback then home.
Today was another rather lazy day. I had intended to work all day and had a nice list to accomplish but ended up doing for most of the morning. But in the end I did get much done, including putting away winter clothing and pulling out warm weather clothing. In the process I got rid of 3 large shopping bags of stuff that was either unused or too big. This included much of my winter stuff. I'm going to need to replace it this summer if at all possible. Hopefully the second hand stores will still have some winter things. If not I ought to have enough here to last me but my choices will be limited. If I lose more weight they'll really be limited. Unless I can find stuff here that fits which is becoming a possibility now. I had to run down to Shillim for something and somehow (no idea, really) ended up at Bandi and Lunis. I found a very interesting book about the reconciliation of God and Science by the man who headed up the Human Genome Project. Right now I can recall neither name of book or man. But it looks good. I'll tell you more after I read it.
Ok, time to try for bed again; it's 12:50....
Saturday was the greatest day ever. I didn't do a blessed thing. Well, not until 8 pm. I first woke up at 8ish, did whatever internet stuff for about an hour then went back to bed. Until noon. Up again, more internet putzing then back to bed for another hour or two. Then up again, watched some CSI:NY and finally decided to get some work done. I had had a ginormous desk in my apartment that finally had been removed the day before. So I rearranged some furniture and got the last two chairs that were at my place from last year. I had not had the room for them. When you put the chairs side by side you get a very teeny couch. But it's more couch than I've had all year so hey, I'm not complaining. Now my apartment's just about how I want it. And here it is March.
Sunday was Sunday; church and all. After church Jess, Holly and Jen (a teacher from another school) went to dinner and then to Shillim, one subway stop down where they had opened a new mall. This mall and I are going to be good friends; it has a Bandi and Lunis (similar to Barnes and Noble's). The English section is not as good as the one at COEX (the mall 10 stops down) but it's still an English section and bad for my wallet. After the mall Holly Jess and I went to Express Bus Terminal where they have a ginormous underground shopping area. I did not get much; just an orange skirt but Jessica and Holly came away with several bags. Dinner was at Outback then home.
Today was another rather lazy day. I had intended to work all day and had a nice list to accomplish but ended up doing for most of the morning. But in the end I did get much done, including putting away winter clothing and pulling out warm weather clothing. In the process I got rid of 3 large shopping bags of stuff that was either unused or too big. This included much of my winter stuff. I'm going to need to replace it this summer if at all possible. Hopefully the second hand stores will still have some winter things. If not I ought to have enough here to last me but my choices will be limited. If I lose more weight they'll really be limited. Unless I can find stuff here that fits which is becoming a possibility now. I had to run down to Shillim for something and somehow (no idea, really) ended up at Bandi and Lunis. I found a very interesting book about the reconciliation of God and Science by the man who headed up the Human Genome Project. Right now I can recall neither name of book or man. But it looks good. I'll tell you more after I read it.
Ok, time to try for bed again; it's 12:50....
Friday, February 20, 2009
Recommended Reading
Last night I had nothing to do for school and by 8:30 was done putzing about the internet. So I decided to do some reading. I had picked up some books in the English section of the Korean version of Barnes and Noble (Bandi and Luni's) but had not gotten around to reading them so since I am a fast reader and the books are shortish I figured I could finish at least one before I went to bed.
Both books were written by a Korean-American who has won the Newbury Medal for A Single Shard. She has several other books out that I would like to have. I think I'm going to get her childrens books for my nephew-in-utero.
The first book; A Single Shard takes place around the 13th century if I recall correctly and is about the Korean potters. Korea is especially known for it's celadon pottery which is a greenish colour. It's been around for several centuries. It was a pretty good story about an orphan boy who wants to learn how to make the pottery. The detail the author gives about the making of the pottery is facinating.
The second tho is much more...gripping. In the first half of the last century Japan invaded Korea. The Japanese took away much of the Korean wa of life; forcing them to learn and speak Japanese, making them take Japanese names and many other things that were much worse. When My Name Was Keoko takes place from 1940-1948 and the events of the time are seen through the eyes of a brother and sister. I can't really explain the story but it is heartbreakingly beautiful. The closest I could compare it to is the stories you read about WWII Europe and seeing the things the Germans might have done to the Jews. But to me seeing and reading about what the Japanese did to the Koreans is worse. They did not kill so many of them but instead treated them as less than dirt. The story where they made the Koreans burn all the Rose of Sharon trees (the rose of Sharon is a symbol of Korea), but the mother hides the smallest one in a pot, the scene where 20 girls are taken from school supposedly to work in factories for Japan when they are really being taken away to be "comfort women" for the Japanese soilders, the scene when all metal is taken from the houses ut the mother hides an heriloom dragon broach. I've read books in a similar style about WWII but none have affected me the way this one has. Maybe because I live here and can visualize more what's going on.
Reading the second book really helped me to understand more why the Koreans are so proud of their culture. Of their Koreaness. The Japanese tried so hard to take away the culture yet it remains. It also helps me understand more the idea behind 한 (han).
Read both books. They are quite good and you'll learn something that not many Westerners learn. If you only read one read the second. Terrible things happen in the East too. Things that seem worse in some ways than the things that hapened in the West.
Both books were written by a Korean-American who has won the Newbury Medal for A Single Shard. She has several other books out that I would like to have. I think I'm going to get her childrens books for my nephew-in-utero.
The first book; A Single Shard takes place around the 13th century if I recall correctly and is about the Korean potters. Korea is especially known for it's celadon pottery which is a greenish colour. It's been around for several centuries. It was a pretty good story about an orphan boy who wants to learn how to make the pottery. The detail the author gives about the making of the pottery is facinating.
The second tho is much more...gripping. In the first half of the last century Japan invaded Korea. The Japanese took away much of the Korean wa of life; forcing them to learn and speak Japanese, making them take Japanese names and many other things that were much worse. When My Name Was Keoko takes place from 1940-1948 and the events of the time are seen through the eyes of a brother and sister. I can't really explain the story but it is heartbreakingly beautiful. The closest I could compare it to is the stories you read about WWII Europe and seeing the things the Germans might have done to the Jews. But to me seeing and reading about what the Japanese did to the Koreans is worse. They did not kill so many of them but instead treated them as less than dirt. The story where they made the Koreans burn all the Rose of Sharon trees (the rose of Sharon is a symbol of Korea), but the mother hides the smallest one in a pot, the scene where 20 girls are taken from school supposedly to work in factories for Japan when they are really being taken away to be "comfort women" for the Japanese soilders, the scene when all metal is taken from the houses ut the mother hides an heriloom dragon broach. I've read books in a similar style about WWII but none have affected me the way this one has. Maybe because I live here and can visualize more what's going on.
Reading the second book really helped me to understand more why the Koreans are so proud of their culture. Of their Koreaness. The Japanese tried so hard to take away the culture yet it remains. It also helps me understand more the idea behind 한 (han).
Read both books. They are quite good and you'll learn something that not many Westerners learn. If you only read one read the second. Terrible things happen in the East too. Things that seem worse in some ways than the things that hapened in the West.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
A run-down of the loot
From others:
~Lots of money
~ipod nano 4g (green)
~Assortment of clothing
~Books (Lives of the Great Composers and The Time Quartet)
~CD (can't remember)
~Quilt
From self:
~Bones Season 1
~CSI:NY shirt
~Assortment of clothing
~ipod case
A good haul this year.
~Lots of money
~ipod nano 4g (green)
~Assortment of clothing
~Books (Lives of the Great Composers and The Time Quartet)
~CD (can't remember)
~Quilt
From self:
~Bones Season 1
~CSI:NY shirt
~Assortment of clothing
~ipod case
A good haul this year.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
On Reading
I am a reader. My main sadness, if you will, with teaching is that at the end of the day I'm too brain dead to read. Occasionally something attracts my interest enough to get me to finish it.
I'm a fast reader. Not as fast as some mind you but faster than average. My parents stopped buying me books when I was 15 because I read them to quickly. I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in roughly 6 hours (including stops for dinner and brother care).
My preferred genre is fantasy but alas, most of today's fantasy is not worth reading. Occasionally I'll find something good though. I read other things too but they usually have to come highly recommended. Sometimes I read things based on their associations (I just bought two CSI:NY books).
When I get a book and enjoy it I often stay up waaaay toooo late reading it. A few years ago I was sent a book and read till 4 am. Right now it's 12:15 am. I was reading till 12 (CSI:NY) but for some strange reason decided to get online and post.
Just thought you might like to know.
I'm a fast reader. Not as fast as some mind you but faster than average. My parents stopped buying me books when I was 15 because I read them to quickly. I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in roughly 6 hours (including stops for dinner and brother care).
My preferred genre is fantasy but alas, most of today's fantasy is not worth reading. Occasionally I'll find something good though. I read other things too but they usually have to come highly recommended. Sometimes I read things based on their associations (I just bought two CSI:NY books).
When I get a book and enjoy it I often stay up waaaay toooo late reading it. A few years ago I was sent a book and read till 4 am. Right now it's 12:15 am. I was reading till 12 (CSI:NY) but for some strange reason decided to get online and post.
Just thought you might like to know.
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