In The Land of Fran

Putting the Fran in cisco

2010-04-02T10:56:00.001-07:00

My blog has officially moved to "Fran in Frisco": franinfrisco.wordpress.com until I leave San Francisco...If I leave San Francisco.
XO
Fran

Scott Treleaven & AnOther Magazine

2010-03-21T21:52:00.000-07:00

As much as I get freaked out by facebook's ability to advertise directly to my personal interests, I have to admit that it can be artistically beneficial. Today facebook displayed an ad for AnOther Magazine (based in London), which "places high fashion in a cultural context to the digital world". It allowed my discovery of Canadian photographer Scott Treleaven (who attended York for a year, transferred to OCAD and did an additional 3 years at U of T, according to his online resume). His photos in AnOther are stunning:

This one reminds me of Klimt's Judith and the Head of Holofernes

AnOTHER MAN MAGAZINE
"Scott Treleaven is something of a new wave Renaissance man, working in film, collage, drawing and photography. But this marks the Paris-based artist’s grandest entrance into the fashion arena. Stylist Alistair Mackie approached him about collaborating on a14 page story for the spring issue of AnOther Man. The quasi-surreal pictures are inspired by 19 th-century Paris’s "Club des Hashashins"-a bohemian literary group that boasted decadent gents such as Charles Baudelaire and Alexandre Dumas as members."

Maddy Muse: The Flower Sessions

2010-03-18T21:39:00.001-07:00

This is Maddy, the daughter of my mom's co-worker. She was my flower fairy for a day. The images are numbered 1-7. Which is your favourite? and if you had to choose: 6 or 7?

The New Moon, Chocolate Chips, Gaga sibling dynamics and Lizards

2010-03-17T04:31:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a terrible sleep. I'm chalking it up to the handful of chocolate chips I ate before bed. That and it was a full moon last night, and I NEVER get a good sleep on a full moon. I always attributed it to the bright moonlight, but last night I was sleeping in the basement and there's only a tiny window at ground level, so I don't know why the moon affects me so much. I had a weird dream that I was hired as one of ten staff writers at couchsurfing.com, and we were all taken out back to a river, where there was some kind of skeletal dog being walked about (its legs were actually just bones...weird). One of the writers was the owner of a giant pet lizard and for some reaon I was instantly afraid of it. I climbed up a door so that it couldn't bit me, and everyone started making fun of me. The owner kept bundling the lizard up in a peice of cloth and throwing it at me, so that it would bite me. I kept throwing it back at her and getting more and more angry, not only because she was trying to hurt me, but we were also hurting the lizard, which just wasn't fair. Finally, I woke up, and the first thing that came to mind was this picture:I was instantly wracked with guilt, as I haven't been doing a good job at being a cool older sister lately (have I ever?), and it appears that Lady Gaga is like peas in a pod with her younger sister Natali. They even dressed up as each other for Halloween! Anyways, you know you're Lady Gaga obsessed when you start analyzing her sibling dynamics. And the weirdest part of my Lady Gaga obsession is this: Her "fame" has succeeded in making a fan out of me, even though I don't even like her music. How the hell did this woman become so famous so fast, and totally (re-)revolutionize pop? It just goes to show that whatever tactics she's using (tried tested and true) she has won. So weird. I remember hearing her music on the itunes top 10 canada playlist about a year and a half ago and being like "Yuck, I hope this one hit wonder Europop trash music dies quickly...This person doesn't even show their face on their album! How lame." And now I sit her analyzing the consumerism, gender politics and sibling likeness in her Telephone music video. (Her sister makes an appearance at 2:37 and 2:47...and PS I think she does an MJ dance move at 4:33).

Justin (& I) in Toronto

2010-03-10T20:56:00.001-08:00

Facebook won't let me upload photos, so here are a few of the 178 that I was planning to upload tonight. I've decided to focus on the theme of "Justin":

Justin and our trusty Hi5 Toronto Hostel Map

Justin & Graffiti

Justin at the Ontario Academy of Art and Design

Justin on the tram (I mean streetcar...)

Young Justin drinks SOMA hot Chocolate

Justin as mafia (at Rivoli Comedy Night)

The 36 Hour Mark

2010-03-02T04:09:00.001-08:00

So...I'm back in Canada! I arrived about 8pm on February 28th...Which was surreal since that was an hour "before" my flight took off from Seoul (since, y'know, Korea is 14 hours ahead). Suprisingly, the flight was only 12 hours from Seoul to Toronto, I had been expecting it to be at least 14 hours. The time "flew" by...Pardon the pun. I watched 6 movies: The Burning Plain, Bright Star, Whip It, The Boys are Back, An Education & Amreeka.

After surpassing the 36 hour mark in my homeland, I've noticed afew differences between Canada and Korea:

1) I can understand what people are saying
2) I don't need to air dry my laundry
3) Things are much more expensive
4) I need a car to go everywhere
5) I have hummus
6) The water is softer (it takes forever to wash soap off)

Thank you Kim Yeona --You made my last day golden.

2010-02-28T01:33:00.000-08:00

So I'm sitting at the airport at one the free wireless Internet lounges. Now I can finally reflect on some of the things I've been wanting to write about for the past couple of days while I was busy packing up.

On my last day of work I got to come in late on the 1:30 bus. That morning I had a chi massage from my masseuse Andi, and afterwards we walked downtown to grab some kimbap (Korean version of fishless sushi). I realized half way through my kimbap roll that Kim Yeona was about to do her final skating routine. The only thing I knew about the Olympics (besides the fact that I was missing them) was that Kim Yeona was representing Korea at the games. At first I only knew her as "that ice skater who advertises maxi pads" but in the past few months she's been endorsing everything from air conditioners to nike to diamond earrings. I heard there was a lot of pressure on her to win gold because she'd already endorsed so many products (yet another example of how Korea does everything backwards from everyone else: doesn't an Olympian usually endorse stuff after they win a medal?).
Anyways, as I picked up another peice of salad kimbap with my metal chopsticks, Kim Yeona stepped onto the ice. Everyone in "Kimbap Chongu" (the restaurant) fell silent. The waitresses pulled thier chairs up to the TV. (By the way, almost every Korean restaurant has a TV in it). People starting coming in off the streets to watch Kim Yeona's routine. It was perfect. I held my breath the whole time. At the end, it looked like she was going to burst into tears. "She knows she's got it" Andi said. A smile crept up on my lips and my eyes got all teary. I was all choked up. It was 1:27...I couldn't wait to hear her score results. I bolted to the bus station and just stepped onto the bus as the engine roared to life. "Kim Yeona #1 issoyo?" I asked the old women and farmers ("is Kim Yeona #1?") It was one of those awkward moments where no one acknowledged me and you could hear crickets chirping. "fine then" I said to myself "I'm more proud of Korea than you!" Later, when the bus driver turned up the radio I head "Figure skating...Geum....Kim Yeona"...and I was pretty sure "Geum" meant Gold. As I got off the bus I asked the driver "Ajashi, Kim Yeona medal issoyo?" (Sir, did Kim Yeona get a medal?") He held up one finger, as if to say "#1!" "Yay! Hassssah!" I jumped off the bus and walked to school with a bounce in my step. I burst into the classroom yelling "Kim Yeona got GOLD!" and everyone jumped with me. I arrived just in time to see Yeona bow down as the medal was placed around her neck. It was a great way to end my last day of work. Thank you Kim Yeona for making my last day memorable. It was funny because my administrator kept talking about some other figure skater that I should be proud of and I was like "What are you talking about?" It turns out that the Canadian figure skater (whom I'd never heard of!) got bronze. "Pffft, I don't care about her! GO KIM YEONA!" "You are more Korean than Koreans!" she said. I guess so.
Tonight is the night before Korean Independence Day...I'm all nostalgic and I haven't even left yet. My co-teacher and her family as well as my administrator came to see me off at the bus station, it was so cute...I fell asleep and when I woke up we were in Gapyong, although for one surreal moment I thought I was already in Aurora, Ontario. I guess all little towns are essentially the same.

When I got to the airport I discovered I couldn't get a tax refund on my Nikon D90 and that I did indeed have to drop an extra $130 to get my over sized Pusan International Film Festival poster home...I figured that would be the case, I just couldn't bear to part with it...The colours remind me of a Buddhist painting we have at home, an inheritance that my sister and I would have fought over to inherit if I didn't have this...so it was worth it

I have the 2009 poster rolled up in my suitcase, but I don't like the artwork as much:

When I got to the airport I thought I could get an emergency exit seat, since I arrived 5 hours before my flight...haha..."155 passengers have already checked in" said the guy at the ticket counter. I'm never coming this early again! Oh well. The Korean Airport rocks, they have these "Korean Traditional Cultural Experience Centers" where you can do traditional Korean arts and crafts...why buy souvenirs when you can make them?! So awesome. I made a mother of pearl broach and an ink print. I also dressed up in Hanbok, tried on an $1100 Gucci watch, and was blinded by the white bright lights of the Duty Free shops. The only thing I bought was a water. I think I might go grab dinner now cause it's 7:30 and my flight is at 8:55.

This is Fran signing out.

See you on the other side!

Worst nightmare come true:

2010-02-24T02:54:00.001-08:00

I think I've become lactose intolerant. Last Saturday I had some pizza; a few days later I had a little cheese on a baked potato; and this morning I had some ice cream...On every occasion I had stomach pain and uncontrollable...well, you can guess. Let's just say the last time I ran for the bathroom I slipped and fell on my face in front of the office workers. It was pretty funny.

My body hasn't been the same for a week...I think I need to go back to my fresh fruit and veggie eating habits...I just don't want to drop $100 on groceries when I'm leaving Korea in 4 days! (Did I mention a single tomato costs $1.50?)

Note to self: I got a migraine today. It started building around 11am...It might be from a bad sleep (work up at 4am and 5:30am) or from eating ice cream for breakfast (forced upon me by other staff)...And then I ate lots of garlic laced food for lunch, which made it worse...Plus the office was hot...

Cheese, Garlic & Salt

2010-02-21T01:14:00.000-08:00

Sounds good, right? I'm finding those things give me migraines.

Art I want to Emulate

2010-02-18T16:52:00.000-08:00

I've been surfing around Deviant Art and Etsy recently. I forgot how much awesome art is out there. Ahhhh...So refreshing. The internet really does empower artists (by making it possible to market themselves to the masses) and it gives me a lot of ideas. Thank you internet.

I found this photographer on Deviant Art.

And this artist does beautiful illustrations.

This is a pencil sketch that has been digitally coloured. I am TOTALLY going to copy this.

I've deciced that I have a thing for hats and umbrellas...I'm reminded of another print I have by Canadian artsit Claude Théberge (obviosly the style is completely different: Theberge was influenced by cubism, while the artwork above is reminicent of art nouveau) ...(This is not quite the same as the print I have...but similar)

I also found a bunch of headbands that would totally suit the newly developing idea I have for a 1920s style wedding...I know, weird right? Why am I thinking about that?! Probably because it's a really good excuse for a fancy theme party.

Carrying on with the retro look...When I was at Bonnaroo in 2007, I saw this awesome act called The Yard Dogs Road Show. Why am I not suprised to learn that these guys originated in San Francisco? By the way, did I mention I'm taking Burlesque lessons when I get to SF?! Should be fun.

(PS this is Dita Von Teese, infamous burlesque artist and Marilyn Manson's ex-wife.)

GRAMOPHONEDzIE

2010-02-16T21:00:00.000-08:00

I just discovered my new favourite video director...and song of the day: Check out Chris Sweeny and his video "Why Don't You" by GRAMOPHONEDzIE.

Sweeny also directed my favourite song of the morning, entitled Mowgli's Road by Marina and the Diamonds. (I can't quite decide if it's a jab at Single Ladies or not...but anyways it looks like Single Ladies meets Dr.Seuss and it's so catchy that I was dancing in the hallways at school and made everyone late for lunch).

Note to self

2010-02-16T03:16:00.001-08:00

You hate couscous.

edit: solution is making veggie "sloppy joes", aka: couscous patty fried and smothered in avocados, tomatoes & Dijon mustard.

Yumminess

2010-02-13T22:31:00.000-08:00

Hmmm...Maybe I should just become a food photographer? Not that this is a good picture...and for some reason it won't upload horizontally...but anyways I really enjoy taking photos of food...and then I like to eat the food. I wonder if one can become a "Vegetarian Food Photographer/Critic"? That would be the most AWESOME job in the world!

So this post was supposed to be about what I'm doing for Lunar New Year...The answer is NOTHING...I threw out my back yesterday while doing some over ambitious yoga (look I can do the proper lotus position now!)...and now I'm practivally bed ridden. Fun stuff. So I just sit here and eat. Today I had delicious apple cinnamon oatmeal (no sugar...not instant) and now I'm going to snack on dates stuffed with almonds. Or maybe I should eat the green split pea/spinach/tomato/green pepper soup I made....

Body as Landscape

2010-02-13T21:02:00.001-08:00

The Lake at Sunset

Why are there chinese characters floating in the sky? I'll tell you:

The first image is actually a modified photograph of my back and shoulder blade.
Haha, I fooled you. This is part of an ongoing artistic study I've been doing in which the body is treated as a form of landscape. I've been interested in this idea for over a decade. In 1998 I did a wonderful drawing of a woman emerging from a tree. Later that year I discovered a similar kind of series by a native artist named Norval Morisseau. He did wonderful paintings of lake horizons that were actually images of women's bodies (perhaps symbolizing Mother Earth?). Unfrontunately, I couldn't find photos of his body as landscape series online (I saw them at a gallery on Manitoulin Island).

In 2002 my final art project entitled "The Fall of Man, The Rise of Woman" used a similar concept. that's when I first got into photoshop. Later I did a painting of my sister's legs, in which the space inbetween formed another woman's body:
As you can see, I am very interested in nature and the use of negative space, as these concepts both visually represent some of my spiritual beliefs...But that's another blog in itself.

You've heard of a Spoonerism, but what's a "Franism"?

2010-02-11T18:04:00.001-08:00

First of all, for those of you who don't know what a Spoonerism is, click here.

Now, what is a Franism? I've been researching extensively on wikipedia to try and find an answer. The best I can come up with is that it is a mild form of Dysnomia, which is described as a "tip of the tongue" feeling, where the brain cannot recall the desired word or name...People who have dysnomia may replace a word with a synonym in an attempt to express their thoughts without using the word they are having difficulty retrieving".

The difference between Dysnomia and a Franism is that a person who uses "Franisms" won't even use a synonym to express their thoughts, but a completely unrelated word that sounds similar to the word they want to produce. For example:

My earliest memory of producing a Franism was at Appleby College, when I was trying to describe an immense building, and I called it "Absoloutely immaculate".

In university, my most humiliating and hilarious Franism was when I described an elegant dress as eloquent.

Just recently, a Korean friend asked me what surmise meant, and I described it as "evil plotting" (I'm not sure what I was thinking of...maybe scheme/intrigue). "Wrong." she said. "It says it means to guess".

AND UGH...Just recently, IN A QUERY TO A PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE I used the word clambering instead of clamouring. The former means to climb with difficulty. I'm hoping the magazine interprets my mistake as poetic.

last week, a girl and I were discussing French Connection U.K. She said "F-C-U-K" and I laughed and said "Don't you mean...Wait...F-C-U-K?" "Yeah, that's what I said". Not this this is a wrong definition, but my brain was so set on her spelling it wrong that I actually heard it wrong and over analyzed it to the point of "fcuking" myself over.

I recently used the word assumably, and my friend called me out on it and said "assumably?! Don't you mean presumably?" "Do I? Hmm...that's one word I've been questioning myself on lately..." this is the one circumstance in which I was actually right. HA. Take that.

But at the moment I am doing a piece of creative writing in which I was wrong again. I wrote "Things would have preceded as normal" when I meant to say "things would have proceeded as normal".

I'm going to start a book to record my misuse of words so I can start to correct myself.

Baby Names

2010-02-10T03:35:00.001-08:00

Today I found a document on my external hard drive that lists all the baby names I've liked for the past 5 years or so. I wonder if my name choices will mature as I get older? I obvisouly have a strong preference for names that have the "a" sound in them...

Boys:
Adriel, Aiden, Atreyu, Noah, Lucas, Joshua, Jayden, Jullian, Jude, Dyan, Elliot, Cyan, Kiran, Kayden, Adoni...

Girls:
Asherah, Amalie, Gaia, Auria, Sanorah, Gweneviere, Arawn, Arwen, Estelle, Adriel, Ariel, Ophelia, Eve, Leora, Luca, Bronwyn, Cerridwen, Kali, Lalita, Lasya,Tara, Ariella, India...

Fran at the Cosmic Cafe

2010-02-07T20:17:00.000-08:00

Here's the original painting. Sam is the guy working behind the bar. He takes good care of his regulars. And photoshop helped me "fill in the blank". This is a better respresentation of where I go to make all my wishes come true. (I don't drink the wine, it's just there for decoration.)

This is a painting by the artist that inspired me to try painting in this simplified style...Sadly I don't know the artist's name, but I'm sure he's current.

Fran's made up crazy vegan Banana Strawberry Bread

2010-02-01T00:31:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:
4 bananas, pureed
1 apple purreed
6 strawberries, pureed
6 strawberries, sliced
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking soda
2 tablespoons baking powder
lots of cinnamon (NOT CLOVES as I accidentally used...ARGH!)
2 tablespoons oil

Instructions:
mix everything except the sliced strawberries, which should be placed on top of the dough once it's in a bread pan. Bake for about an hour and a half at 180C (it's vegan, so there's a lot of fruit juice that needs to evaporate). Stick a chopstick or toothpick down the centre, and when it comes out clean, it's done.

Note: This is more of a bread than a cake. Just so you know. It's good for breakfast, not dessert.

Fran's attempt at Palak Masoor Dal / Red Lentil and Spinach Soup

2010-02-01T00:18:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

2 cups red lentils
as much spinach as you want (remember it shrinks when heated...it might look like a lot, but it's not!)
a handful of parsley or fresh corriander if you have it
3 tomatoes
2 onions
2 tablespoons garlic (I like garlic)
taplespoon curry powder
more ground spices of your choice, for flavour (cumin, salt, tumeric etc etc)
2 fresh green chillies, chopped
splash of fresh lemon

Instructions:
Rinse the lentils, then cover them with water and boil.
Fry the onions until translucent, add the rest of the ingredients and fry until soft.
Slightly drain the lentils, then mix everything together and blend it with a food processor.
Sprinkle with a little lemon juice and fresh parsley.
Eat and savour. YUM!

Goldilocks Gets Fat and Fasts

2010-01-31T23:01:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Princess Frances. She had golden hair and eyes as green as emeralds. Frances loved to eat, and she loved her body because it never got fat. Then one day, as her mother had predicted, her eating habits "started catching up with her". Frances suddenly realized that she was now 25 years old, and although she was still youthful, her metabolism just wasn't like it used to be. "Oh well!" though Frances, she still didn't care! She kept eating and eating and eating until her heart's content. Ledgend has it that she would have two apple pies and a sesame bun for breakfast, three chocolate bars for lunch and merely toast at teatime.

Then one day, Frances made a ginormous Macaroni and Cheese. She shared it with her friend, Princess Bernadette, whom after one peice said "Oh dear, I'm full". Frances had 9 peices and finished the Macaroni and Cheese herself! It was only then that she said "Oh dear, I'm full too." The next day, Frances had terrible stomach pains. She called in sick for two days (for the first time in two years). She spent all day by the lavatory, moaning and groaning.

That night, while Frances was slumped by the toilet, a beautiful woman appeared before her. The woman was swathed in shiny pink fabrics, and she was sitting in lotus position upon a puff of cloud. "Hello Frances, do not be afraid, I am your fairy godmother" said the woman. "Oh Fairy godmother, what on Earth shall I do?" cried Frances. "Fear not my dear, all you must do is drink water for one week, and then you will be cured". "What?" the confused Frances cocked her head, "but what shall I eat?" "Nothing." replied the fairy godmother. "But that's proposterous!" sniffed Frances "I'll starve to death! Not to mention my metabolism will become that of a sleeping bear and I'll just get even fatter afterwards." "Not if you follow my explixcit instructions...Now listen Frances, you will loose your hunger by the third day. Get lots of rest, do some yoga, and you'll be fine. On the morning of the 8th day, you can drink some watered down, fresh orange juice. Stick to juices and soups for a week, and after that, eat healthily. Your body will have forgotten its addiction to sugars". And with a poof, the fairy god mother was gone.

Frances listened to her fairy godmother. For breakfast she "ate" a bowl of water "cereal". For lunch she drank some water "tea", and at dinner she "ate" some water "soup". By the end of the fourth day, Frances had so much energy that she wrote in her journal: "If every day after this is just as good as yesterday and today, I could go for 10 days!" The next day she wrote: "I spoke to soon...ugh..." She slept for hours every day and slept all nightlong.

She still did yoga, and had somehow picked up the habit of talking to plants, one plant in particular, whom she called "heart tree". It became her new best friend.

One day she woke up, and it was the 8th day! She stepped on a scale and realized that she had lost 20lbs! She knew she would gain it all back if she wasn't careful. For two days she only drank fruit juice, and continued to drink at least 2 litres of water a day. Her friend advised her to eat rice or potato gruel instead of fruit juice because the juice had too much sugar. Unfortunately her "potato gruel" turned into a sophisticated carrot/potato/tomato curry soup which gave her stomach pains after 2 tablespoons.

"ARGH! This is the hardest part!" screamed Frances. Since she started drinking juice, she was SO HUNGRY ALL THE TIME. She would stay up late at night, drooling over recipies and looking longfully at restaurant menus. She couldn't sleep because she dreamed of veggie burgers, burritos, and curry. But the stomach pains staved her off. Everytime she tried to eat something that her stomach didn't like, it let her know, and it was back to a watery rice porridge for Frances.

She was careful for a week, only eating soups and drinking water. Royal guests brought her chocolate cake and McDonalds french fries, but Frances had no urge to eat any of it. She bought many fresh vegetables and fruits and reclaimed herself as a true vegetarian (not a junk-food-etarian). On the 5th day Frances ate an apple for breakfast and said "Oh dear, I'm full." She couldn't believe she was full after a single apple. For lunch and dinner she made a delicious red lentil soup. After a single bowl Frances said "Oh dear, I'm full".

On the 6th day Frances ate an orange for breakfast. She said "Oh dear, I'm full". For lunch she finished her soup. In the afternoon she made a delicious and healthy vegan strawberry banana bread. It had 15 strawberries, an apple, and 4 bananas in it. No sugar! Frances felt proud that she could make something so healthy...not to mention that she didn't even want to eat the whole loaf! Just a single peice and Frances said "Oh dear, I'm full".

The End

"Aretha Coy"

2009-12-14T06:46:00.000-08:00

Hmmm...I really hope my tea "Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa" (from Hong Kong) doesn't have any hallucinogenics in it...I would have swore that while stirring my tea, the spoon was making a noise that sounded like someone whispering "Aretha Coy" over and over again. Maybe I'm just tired. Well, there's another character name for my fourthcoming novel.

The Puddle Less Traveled By

2009-12-10T16:44:00.000-08:00

My view walking to school this morning. This is one of those puddles you could fall into...Into another world! I love the texture of the street in this shot, and the lonely peice of red garbage that sets the street aflame.

It also reminds me of an Anne of Green Gables quote:

"When I left Queen's my future seemed to stretch out before me like a straight road. I thought I could see along it for many a milestone. Now there is a bend in it. I don't know what lies around the bend, but I'm going to believe that the best does. It has a fascination of its own, that bend, Marilla. I wonder how the road beyond it goes--what there is of green glory and soft, checkered light and shadows--what new landscapes--what new beauties--what curves and hills and valleys further on."

Rinsing Cereal

2009-12-03T19:59:00.001-08:00

Until recently, it was almost impossible to find a relatively healthy cereal in Gangwon-Do. Sugar coated frosted flakes masquerade as "Well Being" cereal...HA! The flakes are smothered in a shiny shell of high fructose corn syrup, making the cereal almost impallitable. In order to get my daily dose of cereal deliciousness, I have been forced to rinse and strain my cereal before adding milk. Luckily, E-Mart now stocks a good brand of flakes that are sugar free. I've also noticed that a non-sweetened yogurt is being advertised on TV. No wonder Koreans think North Americans are so unhealthy, our healthy alternatives are just arriving here.

One of the culprits: "Almond Flakes" (pronounce in Korean like "Al-mon-duh Pu-lake-suh") is the cereal that I had to wash before eating.

Most Expensive Monday Morning Ever!

2009-11-08T21:47:00.001-08:00

So today I went to Chuncheon to update my alien card. The immigration office had moved to a farther location, which cost me $20 in taxi rides to and from the bus terminal. The visa extension itseld was $30, then I stopped off at the doctor, another $40. Then E-mart, another $30. Throw in the bus fares for another $8. I'll round that up to $10. Let's see: I spent $140 before 11am!

Later in the day I surfed craig's list and then amused myself by toggeling between my newest photoshop creation, and the original photograph. I really crack myself up.

Well, at least I'm not alone.

2009-11-05T23:07:00.000-08:00

518 million people are thinking the same thing. It would be an interesting anthropological study to see how many people use the internet as a tool for divination.

"Walked out this morning, don't believe what I saw...Hundred billion bottles washed up on the shore...A hundred billion castaways, looking for a home"

Reincarnated Steel

2009-11-02T21:24:00.000-08:00

According to the New York Times, the American Navy have just completed a new 684ft assalt ship built with 7.5 tonnes of steel from the World Trade Center, which was destroyed 8 years ago in the infamous September 11th attacks. Rescue workers and families of those killed in the attack gathered on the waterfront today to watch the "USS New York" glide past the Statue of Liberty and down the Hudson River. The ship will be commissioned for duty on November 7. What does this mean? It seems like revenge: reincarnating the victim as a weapon of war. Coupled with the American flags and statue of liberty in the background, I can't help but feel that the American values of freedom are tied up too intricately with violence. The Peace Tower that is supposedly being built at ground 0, is barely above street level. What does this say about American values?

What should I do with my Jack O Lantern after Halloween?

2009-11-01T18:00:00.000-08:00

MAKE A PIE!

Equipment:
* A big knife
* A large spoon
* A big pot
* A steamer basket
* A large microwaveable bowl
* 1 round cake pan (about 9” = 23cm across)
* A blender

Ingredients:

For the pie:
* 3 cups (700ml) of cooked, blended & sieved pumpkin
* 1 cup (250ml) of brown sugar
* 1.5 teaspoons (7.5ml) of ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon (5ml) of ground cloves
* 1 teaspoon (5ml) of ground allspice
* 1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) of ground ginger
* 4 large eggs
* 1 tube (500ml) sweetened condensed milk

For the crust:
* 16 Diget cookies
* ½ a cup (100ml) of butter

Optional:
* Whipped Cream
* Vanilla Ice Cream

Instructions:

1) Slay your Jack O’ Lantern
(or, if you are using a whole pumpkin, cut it in half and scoop out all the flesh and seeds…You can keep the seeds to roast later!)

2) Place a steamer basket in a large pot and fill the pot with water until the water level is just below the steamer basket. Place half of the pumpkin face down and cook covered for 30 minutes.
3) You can also cook the other half of your pumpkin/Jack O Lantern in the microwave. Cut it up into quarters and put it face up in a microwavable bowl. Fill the bowl with a couple of inches of water, and microwave on high for 25 minutes.

4) ) While the pumpkin is cooking, crush 16 Diget cookies in a plastic bag. Put the cookie crumbs in the cake pan, and pour in ½ a cup (100ml) of melted butter. Mix, and put in the oven at 180*C for 8 minutes.

5) If the pumpkin is soft enough, you should be able to easily scrape out the flesh. Put it in the blender and blend until smooth.

6) Strain the pumpkin mush for a few minutes to get rid of the excess water.

7) You should have approximately 3 cups (700ml) of cooked pumpkin glop. Stir the pumpkin into all the other ingredients, then blend it.

8) Remove the pie crust from the oven. Don’t worry; it’s not fully cooked yet.

9) Pour the blended ingredients on top of the crust.

10)If you have extra pie mix, you can pour it into a smaller cake pan and make a second, crust-less pumpkin pie.

11) Bake at 210*C for the first 15 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 175*C and bake another 45 to 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Wonder Woman Returns!

2009-10-17T04:18:00.000-07:00

My bike was stolen soon after I got back from Europe, so I haven't been biking since August. I was recently practicing the phrase "Someone stole my bike" in Korean, and I guess I happened to say the right words at the right time...The Vice President of the Hwacheon goverment overheard me and said that he would buy me a new bike if I joined the Hwacheon bike club! Of course I said yes. So today I went biking with the club for the first time (the bike pictured is not my bike, just a loan for the day--I'll be getting a new bike next week). The provincial TV station MBC was there filming the opening of our new bike trail (part of which is a dock), so I'll be on TV this Tuesday, channel 11, at 5:30pm. I'm so lucky. I love my life. (PS, in case you're wondering why this post is called "Wonder Woman Returns", click here.)

PIFFran

2009-10-11T18:02:00.000-07:00

I just got back from the 14th annual "Pusan International Fim Festival". I watched 9 Korean films in 3 days...I have starred (*) the best ones:

Friday:

"I Come With The Rain" (Josh Hartnett stars in an international psychological-thriller)
"Vegetarian" (about a schizophrenic/anorexic "vegetarian"...as if Vegetarians didn't have a bad enough reputation in Korea!)
"Maybe" (about a Korean-American adoptee who searches for her birth parents)
"Mother"* (beautiful film: half Forrest Gump type comedy and half murder mystery)

Saturday:

"Our Fantastic 21st Century" (depressing film about a Korean girl working at a supermarket)
"Tokyo Taxi"* (Japanese rockstar can't fly to Seoul, so he takes a cab from Tokyo)
"Moscow" (depressing artsy film about reunited best friends)
"Enlightenment Film"* (extremely goood film about 3 generations in a Korean family)

Sunday:
"The Fair Love" (girl in her 20s falls in love with her father's friend)

I also went to the press conference of "The Fair Love", which was dissapointing...It lasted 15 minutes and was filled with blood thirsty photographers who wanted nothing but a good celebrity shot. It was incredible how the photographers worked: They had their cameras hooked up to their laptops, took 10 pictures a second, chose the best one, photoshopped it and emailed it off to their editors in less than 5 minutes. Oh instantaneous technology. What is most incredible is the sound...You can barely hear the people talking over the sound of all the cameras.

Here are some pictures from Saturday, when I actually managed to escape the darkness of the theaters and head to the beach.

During my stroll, I saw Josh Hartnett & his Korean and Japanese co-stars Byung-hun Lee (이병헌) and Takuya Kimura talking to a bunch of screaming fans... This is where I got to flash my press pass and pass through the crowd...Into another crowd of photographers.

Thanks PIFF, it was fun. Looks for my film reviews in the November issue of 10!

Seoul Searching

2009-09-20T22:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend I took my new roommates exploring in Seoul. We went to the foreigner area Itaewon (see picture below) where I devoured a veggie burger. We also went to Myeong-Dong so I could update my wardrobe at Forever 21, and we also swung by the artsy area known as Insadong.That night we went to Hong-Dae (clubbing area). On the way there I saw this sweatshirt. I swear I'm seeing "San Francisco" all over the place these days. It's one of the cities I'm considering a move to. Sue found this awesome Hooka bar...No cover charge and really reasonable drinks! We have yet to discover a name for this place...It's across from Club 500, which has started charging W15,000 just to get in!

Gyeongju

2009-09-20T20:55:00.000-07:00

KOREAN CUISINE IN 10 PARTS:
Soybean-paste soup, fish, tempura mushrooms, potato pancakes with garlic stems, pickled garlic, pickled jalapeno peppers, weeds, little fishies, weeds, weeds.

And this is what rice looks like before it falls on your dinner plate:
In Gyeongju we stopped by a 600 (?) year old gingko tree. You write a wish on a peice of paper and tie it to the ropes surrounding the tree. The tree goddess hopefully makes it come true.

Only 77 work days left...

2009-09-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

These are some of the cute Kindergarten girls who came into school wearing traditional Korean dress (Hanbok) today.This is why I'm never hungry at lunch time! People are always bringing in bread/dok/peanuts/song pyeon...Did you know that peanuts are wet when you break them open? Now I know why they're called "Dry roasted peanuts"... (EDIT: They were wet because they were boiled. Oops. Here I was thinking that peanuts were more like a bean or a fruit than a nut...)

This week the English teachers and I are going on a cultural Field trip, so tomorrow is our last day this week then we're going South to a historical city called Gyeongju for 2 days...Then it's the weekend and I'm hanging out with some friends from Hong Kong who are coming to Seoul for a mutual friend's wedding...

The first week in October I have Thursday, Friday and Monday off to celebrate "Chusok", which is like Korean Thanksgiving. The next weekend is the Pusan Film Festival, so that's going to be cool. I was going to ask to take part of my winter vacation off so I could spend more time at the film festival, but now I don't really feel like I can justify that since we're getting so much time off at the beginning of October. I guess I'll only be going there for the weekend (although the festival itself is 9 days long).

THEN...WAIT FOR IT...My Winter vacation is from December 20th until FEBRUARY 5th! Then my contract is UP on February 28th...And there's a holiday, and the last days are a weekend! Which means I'm only working 2 weeks in the new year before I move out of Korea! (That doesn't include school/district camps that I will be forced to work, but they don't count cause they're fun and not regular school...In total they'll take about 2 weeks).

So...Let me do some math now...Today is the 15th...
15 days left in September (of which I work 9)...
31 Days in October (work 19)...
30 days in November (work 21)...
31 days in December (work 14)...
30 days in January (work 0)
28 days in February (work 14)
-----------------------------------------------
= 164 Days (77 work days) till I leave Korea! AGH!

I didn't realize it was so soon...Gotta get cracking on my "what the hell do I do after I leave Korea?" plan.

researchlings

2009-09-13T21:58:00.000-07:00

Here is some of the stuff I looked at today:
http://www.enchanteddoll.com/

Art Deco artist Erte: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ert%C3%A9

I'm also researching who I would want to interview at the Pusan International Film Festival, if given that opportunity...So far I'm thinking Danish film producer Marianne Slot, cinematographer Kim Hyung-koo, and French/Vietnamese director Trần Anh Hùng. Check out: www.piff.org

Art I made

2009-09-13T17:58:00.000-07:00

Here is some of the most recent art I've been working on:

AFTER photoshop:

This is me attempting Art Nouveau/Aubrey Beardsley

TIME 2B CREATIVE.

2009-09-13T07:29:00.000-07:00

I got a new watch. I saw the brand O.D.M. in the Hong Kong airport on the way back from Europe, but I ended up buying the Hong Kong brand in Korea. (I'm glad I waited, cause they didn't have this cool coy fish design at the airport).

When idle, the watch scrolls a message across the screen. When you want to see the time, all you have to do is move your wrist upwards: there is a motion sensor in the watch so the screen changes to show you the time and date. You can change the message whenever you want, as long as you go to a store that has the special machine. So far, my messages have been:

CREATE YOURSELF
A wise woman creates more opportunities than she finds
(which was way too long, cause the message took 3 minutes to scroll by)
and my new motto:

TIME 2B CREATIVE

I think I saw these watches in the Big Bang/2NE1 "Lollipop" ads? (For those of you that don't know, "Lollipop" is a phone name...There was also "ice cream" phones and "audrey hepburn" phones last year...Oh, and David Beckham "razor" phones...)

Europe Photos

2009-09-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

Since I'm not on facebook anymore, I'm taking this opportunity to upload some of my favourite photos from Europe. I printed most of these out and they're hanging around my house. Maybe I'll put these in my photography portfolio. Note to self: why didn't I notice this "compose" option (as opposed to "Edit Html") earlier?!

In Helsinki, Finland

In the Hermitage, St.Petersburg, Russia

In Tallin, Estonia

At Peterhoff, St.Petersburg, Russia

In Peterhoff, St.Petersburg, Russia

Ice Skating

2009-09-13T06:32:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I went ice skating with my friend Carla and one of her teachers, Insuk. Nothing like pretending to be a professional figure skater to make you feel happy! (At least it made me feel happy! This is a throw back to a fantasy I had when I was 14 where I am an amazing figure skater and fall in love with another amazing figure skater...but then sadly he has a heart attack and I discover he has cancer...Have I always been so pessimistic about love?!)

Carla introduced me to "mini kiwis" that apparently grow in the Korean mountains. You pop the whole little thing in your mouth, peel and all, and they are "delicious"! (Koreans call everything "delicious"...They are always surprised when I explain, "actually, we don't use that word very often...Usually we just say 'Mmm, this is good'.") Edit: 14/09/09: Today my co-worker was describing these to me in Korean and she said they are말랑말랑 (malang malang) which means "squishy". I thought that was a really cute word so I'm going to try and remember it.
After figure skating, we went sightseeing around Chuncheon. It was great to be with someone who has a car. Chuncheon is so spread out, I haven't really seen much of it besides E-Mart (Korean IGA), Myeong-Dong (shopping area), and Kang De Hoo Moon (the university student hang out). We went to a golf course (which was cool, I've never been on a golf course before...) and then to a mountain, to see a waterfall. After that we went for Dak Gal Bi, a spicy chicken dish from which I ate the Gogoma (sweet potato) and cabbage.

Ok...Seriously! Goodbye Facebook.

2009-09-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how much more productive I am without Facebook. I'm trying to remember what my life was like before the internet. I was a kid, so life was easier: I went to the library to research for my homework, and I used these things called "books" and there were "catalogues" full of index cards...When I went to my friend's house, my mom had to call their home numbers, because I didn't have a cell phone. Speaking of numbers, I actually remembered phone numbers before the advance of a cell phone address book. Speaking of address books, who uses those anymore? I wonder how the yellow pages is coping these days?

I remember my grade 5 teacher brought a Mac to school in 1995 and told us that we could view a "page" from NASA. I had no idea what we were really looking at. I didn't get my first email address (francesdarwin@usa.com) until I was in grade 7. I went to a "lap top school" in 1998...It was so "revolutionary", we all had the same IBM Thinkpad laptops and sent in our homework by email. The school had problems with us surfing the internet in class, so the only way they could control us was to ask us to unplug our ethernet cords. I wonder how they're coping now with wireless technology?

I didn't get facebook till 2005 or 6...It wasn't a big thing back then...I was like "meh", ok, if you insist (my friend was insisting). I can't believe it's that young and it's already a verb. "Sure, I'll facebook you!"

Some poetic happenings

2009-09-08T20:39:00.000-07:00

"Sunflowers are full of stars."

"An eyelash in my rice."
"Rusted rope on the road by the river."

On Moonwalker...the source of my Michael love

2009-07-08T16:51:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I watched the entire memorial service for Michael Jackson. When I was done, I got tissues to wipe the puddle of tears off my desk. And then I had to get a washcloth to wipe up the remaining salt residue. While I cried and cried I kept thinking "I can't believe I'm so attached to Michael Jackson." I could easily see myself not caring at all, had my circumstances been a little bit different...Michael Jackson's film "Moonwalker" was one of the few precious VHS tapes I had while living in Shanghai 1989-1992. (The others included "The Never Ending Story", "The Rescue Rangers", "The Secret of Nimh", "Oklahoma" and a few mixed video tapes people sent us from home with "Ninja Turtles" and "Looney Toons"). So I watched "Moonwalker" a lot, being my video collection was so limited.

I specifically remember asking my mom and dad about the beginning scene, "Man in the Mirror", because I just couldn't understand why girls would scream and faint in the audience. My parents couldn't really give me a satisfying answer...It's still a hard phenomenon to explain. Most of the film is very disorienting, it's a fast paced montage of Michael Jackson's life (up until the film was made in 1988) as shown through music videos. There's a remake of the bad video, in which all the dancers, including MJ, are children. I think this is where I can start to really identify with the film, after all, I was only 6 or 7 at the time. I remember thinking the bullies looked so old...But upon watching the film again last night, I realized they were only 13 or 14...still children, although years older than child MJ's crew. The next scene is magical, little MJ walks through a cloud of dry ice and walks out a grown man...Michael Jackson circa 1988, the Michael Jackson that I knew and loved. He is now in a movie studio, and is spotted by claymation fans who immediately turn blood thirsty and start chasing him. He runs around the movie set, while being chased by an evil looking granny and grandson, 2 fat twins with mickey mouse ears, and even some cowboys (whom he angers by running into their movie shoot by accident). He takes refuge in a costume closet, and walks out disguised as a giant rabbit. No one realizes it is him, until he does the Moonwalk. The next scene is him as a claymation rabbit, zooming around on a high speed motor bike/water ski/jet-pack as he tries to escape his fans and the media. Eventually he drives into the dessert and takes off the costume, which comes to life. Michael and his rabbit costume/alter ego/friend "Spike" have a dance off, only to be stopped by a police man who points to a "no moonwalking" road sign and gets Michael to "autograph" a ticket. The next scene is the music video for "Leave Me Alone" in which Michael rides around an amusement part of "his life", in which Michael's giant body is trapped as the foundation for a roller coaster. I remember most of the video, which mostly makes fun of the media rumours surrounding Michael's life, including references to Elizabeth Taylor and the Elephant Man. But one thing I noticed this time around was a nose and scalpel floating by, which had by-passed by non-existent 6 year old knowledge of plastic surgery.

The next scene is the only non-music video part of the film: 3 (homeless?) children are on a rooftop, looking down through a warm-lit skylight, probably onto some kind of perfect domestic scene, in which a child is being read a bedtime story or something like that. The main character, Katie, is a blonde child with braided pig tails. She holds onto a teddy bear and wishes for a lucky star for Michael. The children look down onto a beautiful town house, from which Michael Jackson appears, elegantly dressed in a dark 1930s suit and white overcoat. Suddenly, he is attacked by machine guns (which are in the form of video cameras). Katie screams out "Michael!" and she has a flashback to an earlier time when the three children, Michael, and their dog Skipper, were playing ball in a beautiful field. I remember wishing I could play ball with Michael Jackson...But watching it now, I can see through the acting, sadly. Even the yellow flowers are fake-looking. Skipper runs off, so Michael and Katie go to find him. They eventually find a cave full of cobwebs and trantulas, and Michael unlocks a secret door to an underground layer, in which they discover Joe Pesci aka the evil character "Frankie Lideo" (which I realized during the credits is the name of Michael Jackson's manager!) Frankie wants to inject all children in the world with drugs! (Cue scary music) BUM Bum bum...Katie screams when a tarantula touches her hand, and they are pursued, but escape. Flash forward to Michael being blown to bits by machine guns/video cameras...But Michael has managed to escape somehow, and manages to out run henchmen and even dobermans! When he gets trapped down a dead end, he sees a lucky star and transforms himself into a sports car! It seemed totally possible when I watched the film in 1992, but in 2009, I cringed...Not so much at the effects as I did at myself...I was sad that I had grown up...That I'd become old enough to know that magic doesn't exist. Michael the car barrels through the henchmen and escapes to meet the children, who are waiting for him at "Club 30s". The children have been exploring the club, and think they have come to the wrong place, because it is abandoned and covered in cobwebs and dust. The pool table balls move before being touched, and the piano explodes when Katie tries to touch it, so the children leave and wait outside behind a fence. Katie peers over and sees the shadow of a car turn into Michael's shadow. Michael opens the door to the club, which glows with life on the inside. So begins (an extended version of) the famous "Smooth Criminal" video. This is the video in which Michael premiered his anti-gravity move...And although he used wires in this shoot, he later patented a pair of shoes that would allow a dancer to do the same move without wires. While Michael is busy flirting with flappers and defying gravity, his dear friend Katie is taken by the evil Frankie Lideo. Michael and the boys (PS one of them is Sean Lennon, John Lennon's son) go to save her, but Michael is separated from them in the process. Lideo tries to inject Katie with drugs, and when Michael attacks, the henchmen take him down. Katie scratches Lideo's face, and runs to save Michael, who is in fetal position on the ground ("I'm a lover, not a fighter!") Just then a lucky star goes by and Michael turns into a robot! Actually, he's more like a transformer with a deflective field. Katie runs to the top of a mountain to join the boys, as all the henchmen fire futilely at Michael. Lasers come out his mouth when he screams the signature "ooooooh!" and he eventually gets rid of all the henchman. Next...wait for it! Michael turns into a SPACESHIP! Frankie DeLido has gone to a giant laser in the mountain and shoots Michael down with it. Just when the evil Lideo has the children in his sights, Michael comes back and blows up the laser for good. Then he flies off into the universe. "Where's he going?" asks one of the boys. "He's leaving" says Katie "and he's not coming back". This is the part when I burst into tears...Considering how Michael Jackson has now left us, flown into space/heaven, as it were...And he isn't coming back. It almost seemed to foreshadow his early departure...But that's stretching things just a little too far Frances. Anyways, next scene is the kids sitting on the sidewalk (presumably they have no home...They are kind of reminiscent of Charlie Chaplains kid in "The Kid") Katie is upset that Michael left, so she goes off with her Teddy Bear to sulk in a corner. Then, Michael comes walking out of the smoke, dressed in his signature white suit. This is when I burst into tears...again. I couldn't help but think about Paris Jackson watching this film, and wishing for her daddy to come back...To magically reappear and walk out of the smoke. But he won't. And this is the danger of Hollywood...The magic can sometimes be too real, it's heartbreaking when you don't get the fairytale ending you've been wishing for.

Michael takes the kids back to the Club 30s, but this time they are magically transported down a dark aisle of cables and boxes...Someone yells "Michael, where have you been? You're on in 1 minute". How could his producers know that he'd been hounded by the world's most evil drug dealer, and escaped him by turning into a car, a robot and a spaceship, all in one night? It's a very surreal moment...Skipper, the children's dog, has been waiting backstage the whole time. Michael goes on stage and sings a cover of The Beatles song "Come Together". Because the film is a montage of real life history, music videos, and a narrative in which Michael ends up going back on stage for a concert, one gets the sense that Michael's life really is magical...He is a super hero. A savior of children. and a rock star all in one. It helps that I watched this film so young, I was at that impressionable age where magic was still real (even though I had already begun to doubt Santa Claus, I still thought that those My Little Ponies with wings could actually fly...) Not only that, but Michael Jackson's music was an integral part of my early Music education. I remember singing "We Are the Children" during a grade 2 concert...

Of course, I grew out of Michael Jackson eventually...I remember scoffing when my friend from Saudi played Michael Jackson in her car in 1996...And talking with my mom and her friends about how "although he was a very talented man, he took some things too far, like grabbing his crotch". I had a Michael Jackson revival period that started the last year of high school, circa 2001 when Michael came out with "Invincible"...I had some good times dancing in Hong Kong clubs to "You Rock My World". The next year, back in Canada, I remember finding my parents "Dangerous" album in our cd collection and crying to "Gone Too Soon". Michael was in the news quite a lot after that...Martin Brashir's documentary, child abuse, Jackson hanging his baby over a railing, blah blah blah...It all kind of melts together for me...Until the "This Is It" tour was scheduled. I was mighty pissed when I realized I was going to be in London on a Monday this summer, and there weren't concerts schedules on Mondays...And then Michael died. I couldn't believe it. My roomate found out over facebook, but we couldn't back it up with anything on google...So I went to work, and forgot about it...that is until I logged into Twitter and the New York Times proclaimed "The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, is dead at 50". I gasped and scared everyone in the office. I taught my grade 6 ESL class "Heal the World", and when we watched the 1993 live super bowl version, I almost fell to my knees in tears...There was the Michael I remembered...the moonwalker Michael. The Michael of my childhood. The Michael who was going to heal the world and make everything okay. Now I'm all grown up, and it's not ok. Well, it's not perfect. It's not a Hollywood ending.

Thank you for trying to heal the world, Michael. Maybe now you can heal yourself.

Today

2009-07-06T18:05:00.000-07:00

Today I biked to work in the rain. It was just the occasional droplet here and there...at first. I was amazed at how quiet the world was this morning. The grey clouds were thick and covered up the mountains so much that I felt I was ascending into heaven. The rain started almost exactly an hour later. It POURED. By the time I got to school, I looked like I'd jumped in the lake. Pushing my bike up the hill to school, I felt like I was pushing my bike upstream, no joke. Anyways, here is what i have been researching today:
- vegetable art
The Urban Hunt: Dogs are getting smarter
- I also researched stuff like face transplants, freak storms, etc etc...And then deleted an additional 50 friends off facebook. I'm obsessed with keeping my facebook friends to a minimum. Part of me really really really just wants to have my immediate family and best friends...

Ok, so I lied.

2009-07-06T06:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, so instead of bidding facebook farewell, I decided to keep using it, and have ALSO embraced Twitter. Dear me. Somehow my days are still productive. Kind of. I've been reinspired to start writing, especially after viewing this woman's website/blog, and after prodding from my mother, who said, after I told her "I'm going to take my photography more seriously", replied "how about taking your writing more seriously?" So mom, this one's for you. I have a lot to write about, but sorry, that goes in the private journal...You know, the old fashioned paper kind? How about I share some of the incredible things I come across on the internet during the long hours in which I have nothing to do at work? This is potentially the best education I have ever had. Take, for example, this social commentary on what Disney princesses are up to these days. I could even start learning ancient Greek as I read the 800 pages of the oldest Christian Bible, which is now stored online. Perhaps I should work on my Korean first. I've got the alphabet down, I learned in it 3 hours via youtuble last year. That's the easy part. But there's no point being able to read if you have no idea what all the words mean! Time to work on the vocab.
I have also started subscribing to cooking blogs, ha! Ironic, since I don't really cook (beyond toast and sachets of South East Asian delights) but it is sure nice to stare at all those delicious looking pictures, and to think of a day when I will have access to ingredients like "agave nectar"...Also, speaking of cooking and the like, I recently bought some expensive Gouda and Mozzerella (I discovered the British pronouce the former "Gow-der" instead of "Gooda" as we do in the Americas, sigh, I feel so ignorant) anyways, I saw that "calf rennet" was listed as an ingredient for both cheeses...I immedietely googled it and discovered that it is made from calf stomach! Gross! I was put off cheese for a week. The whole episode made me want to be a "only yoghurt eating vegan". Why am I so susceptible to my imagination? I'm just like the main character in the "Edible Woman". Although my friend has recently compared me to Miss Havisham. Hopefully I don't go insane, but I love being compared to great characters in literature. Why do Koreans always comapre me to Paris Hilton? For God's sake. Please, step it up a rung to Uma Thurman! I've had my own little taste of stardom recently: I've been biking to work and back, about 32Km daily, and attracted both national and provincial TV! I've been called "Wonder Woman" and I've even been recognized while buying groceries at E-Mart. The whole experience of a little fame has been more exhausting than riding my bike, and I will never, ever, trust what I see on TV again. News = scripted reality. Not even reality. As if I wasn't suspicious to begin with, being a film student and all.

Goodbye Facebook

2009-02-25T07:05:00.000-08:00

Hello more productive virtual living.

I intend to use this site to capture the wonderful shimmering ideas that inhabit my mind: I'll pull the ideas out by writing them down.

"Fran and the Effects of Debussy"