Thursday, September 28, 2006

Chusok Holiday

Long holiday is coming in Korea. The whole next week will be holiday.
The supermarkets already display the holiday greeting packages, all wrapped beautifully. Reminds me the Lebaran dan Christmas greeting packages in Indonesia. Han Boks (Korean traditional cloth) are also everywhere. It seems that during that long holiday, lots of people will wear Han Bok during family visit and reunion.
We bought one for Iki. For a memory of staying in Korea. Still a lot too big for him tough :p



How do the Koreans spend their long vacation? Well, I'm not sure. They probably will visit family and friends. I thought the overseas tickets would be sold out, but we could get ticket to Japan pretty easy. Till then Hiro told me that he read in Korean newspaper that all the plastic surgery clinics are fully booked in holiday season. Hahahaha....so is that how many of them spend their long vacation? Shaping their nose, eyes, or any other parts of their bodies? :p *interesting*

And how would we spend our holiday?
We're off to Japan this Saturday. Already make a long to-do and shopping list. Will make our holiday busy shopping, eating delicious food, and meeting some friends. Ah....going away from routine. How I'm waiting forward to it (^_^)

Monday, September 25, 2006

One day trip, one day lessons

Last Saturday, for the first time he went to Seoul for a one day trip. Hiro wanted to buy some computer's spare parts, and I wanted to meet one of my Indonesian friend from JS mailing list.
We started just after Iki finished his lunch by subway. It took about one and half hour to reach Yongsan station, the electronic centre in Seoul. Hiro got memory card, hard disk and SD card for himself, and I got a pair of Women's Secret's lingerie. Both of us only needed about 20 minutes to finish our business there. But we had to stay in Yongsan St. for about 3 hours!!! - waited for Iki to wake up, changed his diaper and feed him-. Gosh...

Lesson number 1: Always spare extra (at least 1 hour) time if you're travelling with a baby!

Then we went to meet Pak Noviar at Anguk station. Hiro decided to take subway instead of taxi to avoid traffic jam. But indeed....travelling by subway there also took perhaps even more time. Walking in a crowded bringing a baby during transfer time was killing our feet, breath and time. Some stations have no elevator. Anyway we could manage to meet Pak Noviar and had dinner together (and sadly we had dinner at the wrong samgaetang restaurant (T_T)).

Lesson number 2: I'd prefer taking taxi than subway in Seoul

We separated with Pak Noviar after dinner since I thought it would be better to go back to Incheon early. We decided to take taxi to Seoul station, and Pak Noviar took subway home. Unfortunately we got no taxi! so we had to take subway instead to Seoul station. That night we thought it would be better to take bus to Incheon. We would definitely get a seat (in subway, we sometimes had so stand up). We said goodbye to Pak Noviar at about 7 pm, but leave Seoul at 9 pm. Why?? hahaha of course Mr. Iki needed a change and milk. So we had to look for a department store to find diaper change room and feed Iki there. (well, it's because the toilet in Seoul station was not dirty. It was VERY VERY dirty!)

Indeed we got a seat in the bus. But Iki suddenly became very active and made a lot of noise and movement. The bus driver drove badly too. I was struggling not to vomit there. Then half way to Incheon Iki cried very loudly. The unstoppable one. It was about 11 pm and almost all the passangers were asleep. Argghh...So we had to get out of the bus with some "irritated" eyes following. Finally we took taxi home. Double price than the bus' ticket hahaha.
When we were in a bus, we were wondering. Why there was no parents bringing a baby in a bus? And then we got the answer right away hahahaha.

Lesson number 3: Avoid bus during long journey trip with a baby!!

What an exhausted day (_ _o)

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

No social life

I just realised, I don't have any social life now.

My life here is about Iki, Hiro, and never ending households.
I tried to make friends with some people here, but mostly ended up with their pushy attitude asking me going to their churchs (and they are pretty aggresive!!). I did had a quite intense relationship with my neighbour (we did hang out for several times), but then both felt tired because of this language problem. Then she stopped coming by, and so did I. We still met by accident for few times, but the conversation goes no further than a short small talk.

It also happens to my virtual worlds. Since my free time is different with my friends', I lost the chance to chat with them. Say Yunita, Ella, Valens, Mariza, Pei. Finding 5 minutes chatting time is so hard now. I did miss the time to share and laugh with them, though virtually, through yahoo messenger.

At first I thought that I am OK. It's hard to spare my busy time for making friends, for sometimes I felt that I need more that 24 hours to finish all my work. But now I realised, am not OK. I'm a social person.

I remember when I was still single, my life was sooo surrounded by lots of friends. I spent 90% my time with my friends. In the office, boarding house, shopping mall, cafe, pub. I rarely went anywhere alone (except during my travelling time).

Hey it doesn't mean that I regret my moving here hahaha, I just miss my friends. Where are you, guys? Am I forgotten already? :p

Now my bestfriends, my sharing partners, my laughing partners, and my crying partners are only Iki and Hiro. I am now living in this tiny circled world in this Woosung APT.

And what do you think would help me?
So far only 1 thing came to my mind, and for that I got my phone bill raised this month :p
Any other idea?

Indonesian food supply :p

I got package from Indonesia yesterday. Millions thanks to Uti .
My food supply!!!!!!

Look look look!!



From abon, dendeng, fave instant noodles, shrimp snack, chilly, sambal terasi, Indonesian soy sauce, rendang spices, fave black tea, to minyak telon and antangin (hehehe my body is still Indonesian body that I need them esp. for facing winter).

Yummmm....which one to eat first?! *drooling*

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Blackout

Yesterday evening, when I was preparing dinner, i got my finger cut.
I was panic seeing blood flowing out of the wound. I felt all my fingers trembling, felt like vomitting, and started to lose my consiousness.
How to stop this blood??!!
I put my finger under running water but it hurted like hell. Grabbed tissue, towel, whatever I could find, still it did't work.
Hiro!! I thought I must call Hiro and ask him. So I went to the living room to make a phone call. (At that time I realised how far it was the telephone table from my kitchen!!).

me: Hiro...busy?
Hiro: no...what's up?
me: I got my finger cut. How to stop this blood?
Hiro: ee? ee? are you allright?
me: am OK, just how to stop this? i feel like i'm going to blackout
Hiro: ee? blackout?? ashtma??
me: no!! finger cut 3 mm. how to stop blood?
Hiro: ee? finger cut?? emergency car??
me: no!!! just 3 mm...how to stop blood? quick i felt like going to blackout
Hiro: 3 mm finger left?? i'm going home now
me: no need....stop blood only...just got cut...

-the phone line was cut-

Oh man...was it a mistake to call him? now he's panic? didn't he get what i mean?!
But as I looked down on my finger and saw the blood, I felt even worse. I felt like I lost my power. Slowly I crawled to take the safety box trying to find something to stop the blood there. Oh...band aid. This would help. So I put it around the wound and just then the phone rang.
Again I crawled to the phone and answered it.

Hiro: shierly, are you ok?
me: ya ok
Hiro: now I'm on the way. wait for me
me: hmmm
Hiro: shierly??
me: hmm ok
Hiro: shierly!! wait a minute ok?
me: hmmm ok

And then...BLACK....

*As Hiro got home, he found me on the floor. The phone was hanging with one of my hand grabbing it. He turned my body and saw my eyes were only the white part (hiii....). He called my name loudly several times while shaked my body till finally I opened my eyes.*

I remember....
I heard Iki's crying. Oh he's hungry, it's dinner time, so i opened my eyes. I found Hiro hugging me with panic face, and told me that we're going to hopital right now.
I asked him to feed Iki instead. I told him that it's ok. I just cut my finger.

hiro: it's ok...i saw in ER drama, when someone got his finger's cut, the doctor there can repair the finger
me: nooo....not as u imagine. i just got it cut 3 mm (i remember because i set the cutter to 3 mm thickness)
hiro: did you use the big knife?
me: no!! i used cutter. i set 3 mm. that's it, hiro!
hiro: heeee??!?!?! cutter?!?! so it's only 3mm cut??
me: oh, FINALLY you understood! Look at this!! ( i showed him my finger)



hiro: WHAT?!?!?!?!??! This is it?!?!?!
me: speechless
hiro: shierrrllllyyyyy!!!! wahahahahahahahahahahahha

%&^@*&#B!!@NU@(!@*

Monday, September 18, 2006

Autumn has come

Not only that the temperature is getting cooler, the leaves are getting red and yellow. Strong heat from the sun is replaced by dark cloudy day, and strong winds start blowing for some typhoons are approaching.

So here autumn is coming. In spite of those temperature's changing, autumn's food and fruit are now can be seen. Here I tried my first peach (which will disssapear from the market soon) and the latest is marron. Actually I've tried this marron or chestnut last year in Japan, but truthfully this time I can really understand that it's one of the sign of autumn.

Yesterday we bought marron at the supermarket, we also found the famous autumn fish sanma (sword fish) . Thus we had Japanese autumn dinner menu with kuri gohan, roasted sanma, kimpira gobo and asari miso soup. TOO BAD I didn't take photo of the whole dinner set (T_T).

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Wedding

By accident I watched this video at YouTube



HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Maid look?!

This afternoon, in the elevator.
Conversation between an around-50-y/o-korean-woman and me
*that woman of course talked in korean. I didn't understand perfectly but generally i knew what she said*

she: azuma? (maid?) *looked at me with raised eyebrows*
me: no
she: how much is ur salary a month?
me: i am not azuma *Damn*
she: how much....salary...a month *tried to explain slowly*
me: hangulmal mollayo (i don't understand korean) *i also raised my eyebrow*
she: why?!? how much...one month...*started yelling at me*
me: mollayo...mollayo (dunno!!) *with raised eyebrow and ignorant face*
she: hey!!! where are you come from?! *loosing her patience*
me: mollayo *didn't even bother to look at her arrogant face*
she: blah...blah...blah...*i wasn't listening to her shit anymore*

*then i talked with Iki in Japanese*

she: ooooo ilbon saram?!?! (oooo Japanese?!?!) *with wide friendly smile*
she: ur baby is sooooo cute *trying to reach Iki*
me: hangulmal molla. mian yo (sorry, don't understand korean) *with arrogant face while pulling Iki away from her*

Cih.....I was not interested making any conversation with such woman.
Sucker!!!

I got this kind of discrimination here for like hundreds of times. People here are so unbelivably fussy. Always staring at me from top to toe, trying to judge how much salary does this "ajuma (maid)" earn a month working in their country. WTF!! well, even if i were a maid, they didn't have any right to ask my salary at the first place.

I don't give a damn to their judgements. indeed i look down at them, on how a sucker they can be once they THOUGHT i'm a japanese. Yet.....they would see me as low as dust on their shoes by looking at my skin color and appearance.

Hmmmm just a sudden thought now: do i look or have any potential look of a MAID?!?!?!?! hahahaha *bitter laugh*

Homesick

I miss home huu huu huuuuu