Movie Review: Treeless Mountain

 
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Although the movie, Treeless Mountain, came out in 2009 it stands as a great movie to watch today. It's one of those films that are slow, quiet and thoughtful. If you are planning on having a personal movie night with a film that will touch your heart than this is the one for you. However, if you are inclined for action or drama than this movie might want to wait till you want a break from all that.

Throughout the movie there are far-off shots with a sort of panoramic view of the city landscape. With every change of scenery the director uses these shots to add contemplation to the film. These shots are necessary because one watches as too little girls become abandoned by their mother.

It is a film that has the power to possess the spirit of life in oneself. You can't help but feel sorry for these two sisters who you know have no way of breaking through their fate.

I highly recommend this movie, because it shows the struggle of life and also the point at which one accepts their fate.

I'll leave you with the trailer~

2S2 January Wrap Up

2S2 (2nd Saturday at 2pm Community Meet Up) was a Smash Hit!

First you had the option of joining up with the Seoul Eats crowd for Tteok Mandu guk. As we ate some good food and got to know each other it was fun to be around enthusiastic folks. We met up first outside Anguk station exit 1 and waited for the group to gather.

Afterward we followed Dan Gray to the Koong Restaurant which is tucked in one of the alleys in Insadong.

 

 

I only got Mandu soup...no tteok (rice cakes). It was fairly good where as the broth was tasty and the mandu were well seasoned. I also enjoyed the chopped up scallions inside the soup.

It was time to go and so we all got up and pitched in some money for the bill and headed out the door.

We followed Dan around some more as he looked for the Hotteok street vendor. I got one (like a donut) and it was a great warm winter treat.

Then it was nearing 2pm so we headed to the Twosome Cafe near Anguk station to meet up with the 2S2 crowd. Some of the folks from the Seoul Eats crowd were interested in this group so they came along to check it out.

With more than 10 showing up we took over the far corner of the cafe. After introductions we followed with the book exchange. I was surprised how many books showed up, courtesy of Chris's girlfriend.

I took home a short story compilation book that I have been reading and enjoying very much.

Soon enough people started schmoozing and getting to know one another. A training session of GoStop was started with some folks.

 

Then we decided to get up and go somewhere else. Rob knew of a spiced wine place in Samcheondong, but when we got there the place had turned into a purse shop. The shock on Rob's face was hiliarious. As was the sight of all of us staring at the purse shop and laughing at it.

We trucked on and ended up at a traditional tea house called In Ooo In.

On the way though we spotted a few distractions.

There were some ice sculptures on display leading to an ice sculpture museum.

It was a bit chilly so we moved on to the tea cafe. Inside we warmed up and talked about many things revolving around life in Korea.

On the left is Yuzu tea, which is very delicious and on the right is jujube tea which was not very delicious. Guess which one I had?

This is buckwheat tea which is.....delicious!

Again it was time to take off. Some of us were ready to head home or to other venues, while others were hungry. For those hungry ones we headed over to a SoonDubu (tofu) place that was also conveniently nearby.

And then as all things have a beginning this 2S2 meetup finally met its end. I needed to find the bus back to my neck of the woods so I said my thankyous and goodbyes and took off.

It is my hope that those who attended this session of 2S2 will come out to more. Also I still hope to start one in my area someday. Finally if any of you want to contact 2S2 with suggestions or questions go to the blog, allright.

Korea Road Trip: Part 6

Busan!

As you may recall we left Gyeongju on our way to Busan. A place known for it's ports, beaches and hillsides.

This was my first time going to Busan so I was excited. I wanted to see what the place had to offer as far as being modern, accommodating and fun. I know Busan is one of the major cities teachers end up living in so it meant a lot to me to see for myself what it is like there.

On the drive over we passed rolling hills with large apartment buildings tucked in between the valleys. Smaller buildings were stacked up along the hillsides and the image looked a lot similar to San Francisco.

We arrived at Haeundae Beach, a famous spot well known amongst Koreans especially for the movie that came out last year.

At this point I have now been to all seasides in Korea; east, west and south. And spent a night at all of them too.

Since I grew up on the sunny and sandy beaches of South Florida going to the beach during the cold of winter seemed like a natural oxymoron. I can't take off my shoes and clothes and run into the water crashing my body into the waves. I guess if I wanted that image this winter I should have visited Thailand. haha

The sun was setting and we needed to find a place to stay. This proved difficult since it was New Year's Eve and the few Pensions were booked. Our next option were love hotels and they were available accept at extraordinary high prices.

We ended up in a really cheap one with the bonus being that it was across the street from the beach.

It sat nearby the Gwangalli Beach which allows you to view the Gwangan bridge in the distance. After checking in we went out for dinner and a little New Year's Cheer. Here is a view of that bridge at night. ~

2010 First Sunrise:

JH woke up around sunrise and sneaked out of the hotel, leaving me to keep on sleeping. He left early because he wanted to see the first sunrise of 2010 come up over the water. This act of gathering to see the first sunrise of a new year is a tradition in Korea (and likely other places). I would have joined him but I guess he assumed I didn't want to wake up. Thankfully he took my camera with him and documented it.

 

 

I think he was still getting use to my camera and playing with the settings and that's why they turned out so dark (as seen above.)

I uploaded the video he took on youtube which is still processing...so hopefully it will work soon.

Well he came back and we finally got up for the day and checked out of the hotel. After eating a little breakfast at Dunkin Donuts we went onto the beach.

There you have it folks. Don't worry we did go and see something special before leaving Busan. So stay tuned for the final post on my Road Trip around Korea. Sigh... I wish I could be back on that beach with JH by my side...treasuring the moment a bit longer.

Taco Bell Coming Back to Korea?

Love or Hate them Taco Bell might be coming back to Korea. They were here a while back and didn't do so well but perhaps they can make it this time since Koreans are accustomed to Western Fastfood joints.

Start the rumor mill...

Supposedly it will be open in Yeoksam and Itaewon.

I worked at Taco Bell for 2 years and can tell you that yes they use a caulking gun to shoot out the sour cream.

My favorite is the double decker tacos. My impression with this is that it will be a fun place to go have as a treat while in Seoul. But I will always head to my favorite Mexi place, which is Dos Tacos.

hehe

Hey EV Boyz ...you might just get your wish...

Bushwhacked

Went back to work today and taught a team of twenty 4th graders (I have them all week!). I could tell they were balls of energy awaiting to explode. So I got into a game of Fruits Basket with them. Let me tell you that was one heck of a workout!

I also had a meaningful and calm conversation with my coteacher about her perceived Teaching style. It made sense to me, in the end. Basically she stated that the kids need to learn English part by part instead of having it thrown at them at one time. I told her I want to strive for that and find ways to teach in that manner. I apologized that the stuff I planned for winter camp wasn't in this style, stating that I didn't really have enough time or knew quit well what she wanted. All in all we came to an understanding without any cat fighting going on. haha

I really want to get up those last posts about my road trip but for today I am so tired I just need to chill out. Hope you don't mind.~

Art + Dinner

Despite that I completely feel at loss on how to blog I am going to do it anyways.

I had the last two weeks off for my winter vacation. As you know I spent one week on a road trip with my boyfriend. For the remaining week I ended up relaxing in my home and getting more into my artwork. I figured if I set up a space to do my art in and start to work on a few projects that I will build up some good habits.

I decided upon making my dining table into my art table. Since I really won't be using it till I eat I figured the rest of the time that it could be used for art.

Since my last semester in college I have been using watercolors as my medium, which is a lot harder than you think. Anyways, I am still getting the technique down and exploring how to use it. My hope is that when I get home after work, eat and clean up dinner that there will be enough time left to do some painting. This reflects upon how I didn't really make a true New Year's Eve resolution this year. Instead I just told myself to do the things I want to do more and to do the things I shouldn't or don't want to do less.

In addition to painting during my vacation I put together a few home cooked meals. I don't know what other expats make and eat for dinner at home but I would like to think that they are being just as inventive. Finding the matching ingredients at the store is fun and knowing you are going to make a home cooked dinner is exciting.

Here is a look at some of the meals I have cooked:

I tried making shrimp pasta one night.

Melting butter in a pan...to stir in the shrimp..
 

Seasoned with salt and herbs...

 

Result: It was all right but could of used more garlic flavor.

 

Another night I made baked and breaded chicken. Here is the set up to prep the chicken. Olive oil with garlic in one bowl and in another bread crumbs with Parmesan cheese, basil, salt and Italian seasonings.

 

The bread crumbs I found to use which are meant for Donkatsu.

The result: With some baked potatoes and some salad it was a really great meal. I cooked the chicken in my toaster oven for 40 minutes.

There you have it folks a blog about art and dinner. ;)