The Tree

I know, I know....!!!!!!
I should have started (at least) thinking to pack our stuffs. But I just couldn't help it when I saw the box....



So this afternoon we (Iki and I) built the christmas tree :p, and we had sooo much fun working together (^__^)



I just wanted to feel christmas in this apartment for the last time.......

Finally...

After waiting nervously for over a month finally we got information from Hiro's company. That we really are going back to Japan!

I'm so relieved. That Hiro is not being sent to Africa this time, that we will still be together for some more months until next placement is decided. But part of me is feeling sad....
I sat quietly beside sleeping Iki this afternoon when I just heard the news. Somewhat I felt so sad to leave my bedroom. To leave my kitchen. To leave our home, our very first home.



We're leaving Korea on 28 December 2007. I'll definitely miss this apartment, this neighborhood and this city.....

*Am thinking where to start packing now (@_@)*

Manicure - pedicure

This morning I left Iki at home with Hiro again. This time I went to nail salon at the same building with the big grocery store we usually go on weekends. It was almost a year ago when I had my last pedicure, so I could understand the woman's shocked face when she saw the 'dirt' she must work with.



I also had my hands done. Felt relax and prettier afterwards :p.



I actually want to have my own manicure and pedicure at home, but I don't have much free time. In addition, the final result is always not satisfying. I don't understand why I couldn't clean the dead skin from me feet completely as what they usually do at nail salon.

Does any of you know about manicure and pedicure by your own at home?

Ganjang Gyejang (간장게장)

Today we had our last Ganjang Gyejang dinner at our favourite restaurant nearby Yeonsu High School. As usual that restaurant is always full of costumers. Ganjang Gyejang is one of Korean most expensive food, so we believe that Ganjang Gyejang there is one of the best in town.



We ordered Ganjang Gyejang for two, and as usual it came in a minute accompanied with lots of side dishes. Various kinds of Kimchi, Mackerel in Korean hot sauce, steamed egg, fresh Korean salad leaves, Kimchi chige, a big bowl of various kinds of veggies in sesame sauce, and steamed rice (mixed with kind of small nuts) in large bowls.

Ganjang Gyejang is soy sauce pickled raw crab. Yes, raw crab, marinated in soy sauce for several days until got fermented. They are then cut into pieces and served on our table.



The beautiful orange parts are the eggs, and the green-yellowish parts are like crab's liver and pancreas (which was believed as crab's shit by some Indonesian). Unlike other Korean food I've ever eaten, we could use our hands to eat this crab since it's almost impossible eating that ONLY with chopsticks and spoon. This Ganjang Gyejang was really really good. The crab meat was tender and tasty, and the eggs were melted in my mouth. Sucking them out of the shells made it even more delicious. It's really salty so steamed rice is a perfect match. With those lots of side dishes mentioned above you'll easily get stuffed.

The best part was eating from the biggest shell, usually after finished eating all other crabs' parts.



I put some rice inside the shell, and mixed it well with the eggs and soy sauce from the shell. It's like the best ending eating this food. I got food orgasm afterwards.

One portion of Ganjang Gyejang costed us 20.000 won, so it was 40.000 won in total (about USD 40). But really worthed. Ganjang Gyejang is one of Korean's best food for us.

We said goodbye to the restaurant owner already. A very friendly middle aged man who likes to explain Korean food and talk to Iki everytime we're there. I would love to come to Incheon and eat Ganjang Gyejang again at that restaurant in the future if we got the chance to visit Korea.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

Oh My God....



I want this book (>.<)

A farewell for Harry Potter series from J.K Rowling. Only 7 copies are printed and one of them is being auctioned for about USD 120,000 already now. I don't care if it's handwritten and illustrated by Rowling, or if it's leather covered with silver ornaments. I just want to read the story.....the farewell story of Harry Potter.......

Papa to Musume no Nanokakan

Means "Seven Days of a Daddy and a Daughter"

Is a drama we just finished watching tonight. This home comedy tells the story of Kyoichiro (Hiroshi Tachi) and his teenage daughter Koume (Yui Aragaki). One day, the two ride a train together after visiting Kyoichiro's mother-in-law. He sees it as a chance to get to know his daughter better, but he ends up getting more than that - by some mysterious force, both Kyoichiro and Koume end up with their mind in the other's body! Unfortunately, they have no choice but to swap lives, pretending to be each other at school and work. (synopsis is quoted from Tokyograph)

I found that this drama is hilarious yet touching. 4 out of 5 stars from me. This drama teaches how a father should understand the daughter (especially a teenager), and how a daughter should respect and appreciate a father. A good view for a lost father-daughter relationship, meanwhile it's a great refreshing for us (^__^)

Korean Traditional Porridge (본죽 - Bokjuk)

We saw the Bokjuk restaurants for so many times actually. It can be found like almost everywhere (at least) in this city. But last Saturday was the first time we tried it, this time was the one nearby Lotte Mart. It took about 20 minutes walking from our apartment in a very cold weather, but it worthed!



It was lunch time so the restaurant was pretty crowded. The menu list was in three languages: Korean, English and Japanese so we didn't get any difficulty to decide which one to choose. Toooo bad I forgot to take picture so I couldn't remember the Korean name of porridge we ordered. I had porridge with mushroom and oyster while Hiro had porridge with abalone.



The porridge came in a large bowl with Korean chili paste, kimchi, and braised pork (maybe) in soy sauce as side dishes. The porridge itself had kind of grated nuts and seaweed as topping. It did smell good and I felt starving in a second.
My porridge was really tasty, with rich amount of mushrooms and oysters. The Kimchi was fresh, and for me the pork was really a perfect match for the porridge (I even finished Hiro's). Hiro's porridge was also very delicious but the abalone was cut into tiny pieces, perhaps because abalone is not as cheap as oyster.

This porridge is now on my "Korean Top Food" list. Too bad we only have about 4 weeks left living here, but I hope at least we could have 3 times porridge lunches (we only dine out on Saturday)

Day Out

I'm in Starbucks now, enjoying my hot peppermint mocca alone after fighting against the very VERY cold weather outside.Iki is sleeping at home, Hiro takes care of him today while I'm having my day out. Lately I feel like my patience almost comes to the limit. Its time to go away from home now, alone, even for few hours only.

Looking at the mirror made me feel really bad. I barely knew the woman there. She looked overweight and so ugly in her messy hair, tired face, and darkened eyes. So last friday, I decided to call the hair salon to make an appointment for today. It was my first time making an appointment by phone in Korean. Usually body language helps me a lot in communicating, so I was a bit nervous. But I could make it. Seems that my Korean has improved quite a lot. Too bad during our stay here I couldn't learn this language in an appropriate way (read: language school).

I browsed for Japanese short hair style pictures last night and will show them to the hairdresser. Let's see if I'd feel better after having a haircut today hehehe

So excuse me now, I'll go upstair and have my hair done.

Update:
Hiro's comment once he saw my new haircut was: "APA ITU?!"
Oh yeah....I DID feel "better"! (#_#)

Constipation

Iki gets constipated for months now. At first he passes his bowel movement (BM) once every two days, and then became once in every three days, once every four days, and recently every five days. He holds it because he is afraid of the pain he always gets during passing it out. It makes situation worse for the stool is getting harder. I can't remember when was the last time Iki passing his BM without crying......

I've tried everything I think is possible to help him. I give him good amount of veggies and fruits (this helps my BM but not his BM!), I give him yakult, I give him fiber rich snacks, I massage his stomach, I give some oil and massage his anus (and now he's "enjoying" it!!), I reduce his milk and give some soya milk instead (though he hates it), and even gave him 2 teaspoons of black coffee suggested by Yun (I thought he wouldn't drink it but he liked it).

Didn't work. He still passes his BM every five days, still in pain.

I brought him to doctor last week and got laxatives to soften his stool. It didn't work. This makes him really uncomfortable and becomes a very irritating boy. He's frustrated, and so I am!

Tonight at last he could sleep at 11 p.m with uncomfortably bloating stomach. I feel so useless that i couldn't help him (_ _o), and feel so tired of controlling my patience (@_@).



Tomorrow I'll bring him to doctor again, asking for stronger medicine. Looking at the amount of food he eats everyday, I'm now worrying the amount of "trash" inside his colon. Won't it lead to bigger problem, like bacteria or any colon infection?!

Any idea or suggestion?! I am so desperate looking at him suffering........

Pepero Day

Quoted from Wikipedia:

Pepero Day is an observance in South Korea similar to Valentine's day. It is named after the Korean snack "Pepero" and held on November 11, since the date "11/11" resembles five sticks of Pepero. The holiday is observed mostly by young people and couples, who exchange Pepero sticks, other candies, and romantic gifts.

According to one story, Pepero Day was started in 1994 by students at a girls' middle school in Busan, where they exchanged Pepero sticks as gifts to wish one another to grow "as tall and slender as a Pepero" (Pepero means "thin like a stick"). However, it is more likely it was initiated by Lotte, the company which produces Pepero.

So last week boxes of Pepero, in various colors, shapes, and sizes decorated the shops all over Korea. I personally don't really like Pepero's taste because somewhat it's too sweet. But this would be our last Pepero Day in Korea so this year I bought one huge box of almond pepero for Hiro.



Happy Pepero Day (^_____^)

Frustrated

I feel so sad

And I can't help myself,
no matter how I tried

I'm simply frustrated
and tired?
and frustrated

Argghhh blame it to the hormon
I'm just frustrated

How many times did I say "frustrated"?!

pms pms pms pms (>.<)

"Beautiful" Meal

I was already amazed when I read how "beautiful" a BABY's meal should be presented in Japanese baby food recipe books. That's why I wrote a posting titled "eating with eyes" early this year. But I was still amazed to read how "interesting" a toddler's food should be served. As far as I could remember, my mom never made such decoration on food for me and my siblings.

From koko-kurabu

So I made some for Iki based on his requests (I showed him the pictures and asked him to choose). Not as beautiful as expected, but he was really excited to eat, though at first he played with them.


When I showed the magazine to Hiro, he was not surprised at all, and said it's completely a normal task for a Japanese mother. Later when Iki goes to school I will have to make obento (lunch box) for him everyday. A beautiful obento, e v e r y d a y.
And I wanted to black out to see the examples.........

From e-obento.com

Other children will bring beautiful lunch boxes and show them off to their friends, so Iki would be very very sad if I couldn't prepare one for him.
Again, I'm one of the most inartistic people in the world (@_@). How could I manage to make such beautiful meal?!?! And how long would it take to make one? What time should I wake up in the morning?)

It's still about 2 more years to go until Iki's kindergarten time, but I'm already horrified!!!!!!!

Ikura

One of my favorite food, is IKURA (salmon roe). I just never get enough of them though Ikura contain very high cholesterol. One reason why I was getting fatter in Japan.
They go well with white rice, so sushi and ikura gohan are two best examples. Ikura are salty, tasty, and melt in my mouth at once. Really really delicious. You definitely should try these if you come to Japan by any chance!

Sushi



Ikura gohan



I couldn't find Ikura at supermarket here, not sure about sushi restaurant though. Everytime I go to Japan I always request this food to my mother in law. It was kind of dream to bring Ikura to Korea, so I was really really happy when I found Ikura in package at Asahikawa airport (when we went to Hokkaido).



So at last I could eat Ikura in Korea. It was as delicious as always, even little Iki also loves it. Look what he bought in Hokkaido. Ikura shape mini car :))



And Hiro just told me about the story of Ikura.....
Ikura are salmons' eggs. Salmons are born in clear water river and then go to the sea to grow up. They will only lay their eggs on the river where they are from, so they have to swim all the way from the sea back to that river. It's really hard to swim back there. River where they can lay eggs is only clean and clear river, which is not deep river. Can you imagine big long salmon, swimming back from the sea into very narrow river. They have to swim against the stream, got wounds and bruises all over their body. And when they finally arrive at that river, ready to lay their eggs, fishermen catch them and take the eggs......which some are inside my refrigerator now!!!

(>.<)

Himitsu so-su

Means secret sauce.

It is actually my precious chilly sauce, that usually are sent or brought from Indonesia. Whenever I took the chilly bin from refrigerator to add flavor to my food, Hiro always "whispers" to Iki "mama no himitsu so-su" (read: mama's secret sauce).

I was running out of stock so yesterday I tried to make it myself. Got simple recipe from my mom but modified based on ingredients availability here.

Sambal goreng ala Imoet



Yum yum yummy :p
(though Hiro gave me this "ewwww" face when he saw it)