YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE HUNGRY TO EAT

2007-10-04T13:25:00.001-07:00

Yo. So i finally got some vacation time here in the motherland. 3 whole days at the end of SEPTEMBER. why u ask? good question. At first, I didn't know either, I was just glad to get ANY time off after 180 straight days of work. YES... you read me...180 STRAIGHT days. SUNDAYS are pretty much work days here for me (helping out the parentals). Anyway, come to find out that the end of September is when Korea has its THANKSGIVING. Thanksgiving in September.... u KRAZY KOREANS! So some of the co-workers and I decided to take a trip. At first, we decided to go to JEJU island... the so called "Hawaii of Korea" but that plan fell through when we couldn't book a plane/train/ferry ticket to save our lives. Apparently, the KK's are early planners and like to mobilize all at once during holidays. (FYI, KK = krazy koreans, for those not paying attention). So we ended up taking a trip to the province of Kang-Won-Do. Its an area thats north-east of Seoul, by the ocean. Not to mention that it's a hop, skip and stone's throw away from NORTH Korea. But long story short, the mini road trip was fun. Had some good eats, good company and got to see the ocean. Didn't get to take a lot of pics but at least I got a decent jumping shot...

Squid drying on clothesline... 'nuff said.

So like i said, the road trip was a mini one so when i got back to Seoul, I still had a day left of vacation. Not wanting to waste these last precious hours of holiday freedom, I decided to go to an Art festival in northern Seoul. It was held in the business district...

Grabbed a quick bite of some delicious "SWEET BUNS" here... and got something to eat too. haha.

I went at night to avoid the crowd, but it was still pretty packed with peeps.

Go figure... the GRAFFITI here is in ENGLISH. haha

KK's under an orange bridge.

Most of the displayed work was "JUNK ART". Pretty tight.

I think this was my favorite piece. It's called "Tom and Jerry".

Every asian festival needs its token 'DRAGON' but this one's a cliche with a nice twist.

"Bak Qui Bul Lae" = Cockroach

I forget what this next one is... I think it's a Transformer.

"Crazy Legs"

They even had a cute lil' porcupine... oohhh, SHINY.

Tight lookin' Dragonfly

This one's 'HORNY'.

The sound of running water always seems to calm the soul.

...or make you wanna urinate.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Animoto - Cool Slideshows

2007-09-25T21:21:00.001-07:00

Just a quick Happy Party of 6 Flashback.

2007-09-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

Vimeo Cherry.....POP!

Drive - my first crack at Vimeo from Seong and Vimeo.

2007-08-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

This is my new favorite drink. Its just a juice drink that's chock-full of sugar. But the flavor combination of apple and lychee make it taste like liquid WHITE GUMMY BEAR...mmmm.

2007-07-10T08:51:00.001-07:00

yo. The Korean word for this week is:
Mah-Shit-Da: adj. tasty, delicious.
i.e. This pasta carbonara is Mah-Shit-Da.
translation: This pasta carbonara is delicious.

Join me next week for another exciting Korean word.
KAMSAHAMNIDA (THANK YOU)

Recipe of the week:

Mushroom Risotto

5 to 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil and more to drizzle on after
2 tablespoons (unsalted) butter
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (can substitute onion if ya dont have any shallots)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
12 ounces assorted mushrooms (golden chantrelle, oyster, porcini, and button), wiped clean and thinly sliced,
2 cups arborio rice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup finely grated Parmesan
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley and basil leaves
1 to 2 teaspoons truffle oil, optional
4 ounces prosciutto or Serrano ham, thinly sliced and cut into chiffonade (thin strips), for garnish optional

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to very low to keep hot.

In a separate large heavy saucepan, heat the oil and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic, and cook, stirring until fragrant and soft, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until soft and their liquid is evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the grains are opaque, about 1 minute. Stir in the thyme. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until nearly all evaporated (this is called reducing to au sec). Add 3/4 cup of the stock, the salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until the stock is nearly all evaporated (again au sec). Continue adding more stock 1/2 cup at a time as the previous addition is nearly absorbed, until the rice is tender and the risotto is creamy, 18 to 20 minutes. Stir in cream, 1/2 cup of the cheese, and the parsley and basil and mix well.

Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste. Here's where you can stir in the optional truffle oil or more olive oil to taste.

Serve and garnish each portion with a sprinkling of the remaining cheese and ham.

Bon appetite.

It rained pretty hard here a couple of days ago. Made everything wet and miserable while it lasted but it also brought a beautiful day after the storm. I took one look outside and had to take some pics from the roof. Here's what the neighborhood looks like from my rooftop...

(click to enlarge)

Here's to the days after the storm. Peace

2007-07-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

This is why everyone needs their own backup band...

You know you want one.

2007-07-05T10:34:00.000-07:00

yo. so the Korean word for this week is:
HYU-GAH : n. vacation.
i.e. NA HYU-GAH PEE-REEYO-HAE.
translation: I NEED A VACATION.

Join me next week for another exciting Korean word.

KAMSAHAMNIDA (THANK YOU)

recipe of the week:
JAP CHAE - rice noodle vegetable stir-fry

Makes 4 servings:
1/2 pound Asian vermicelli(glass) noodles
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 med. onion, julienned (thinly sliced)
1 carrot, julienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
3 scallions (green onion), cut into 1-inch lengths
1/2 cup dried wood ear mushrooms (or any mushroom you prefer)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce to taste
1/2 pound spinach (optional)
1/4 pound of thinly sliced beef, sauteed (optional)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)
In a bowl, soak the vermicelli in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain the noodles, drop into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, and then rinse in cold water. Set aside.

Heat a large pan over a medium flame. Add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil. Add the onion, carrot, red bell pepper, scallions, mushrooms, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Let cook for a few minutes, stirring, until the vegetables are cooked but still a little crisp. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl. To the pan add 1 more tablespoon sesame oil. Add the noodles,(spinach) salt and pepper. Let cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring. Add the cooked meat to the pan to reheat. Add to the vegetables with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds and combine. Season to taste and mix well.

Transfer to a platter. Serve hot or at room temperature as a tasty side dish. Bon appetit.

P.S. - Here's an early recording I did with my new guitar here. (sry for the static. I need to get a better mic.)

2007-07-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

Yo. Happy Independence Day everyone. Well, its almost been 4 months since I've been here in the S.K. (somehow doesnt have the same ring as the "O.C.") and I thought I'd share some nuggets of wisdom that I've learned / realized the last couple of months...

1. I've learned that there are a lot of different varieties of Korean food... way more than I had originally thought and my stomach loves trying 'em all out, BUT NOTHING beats a carne asada burrito / fries with an horchata.

2. Korea is way too DAM close to the SUN...translation: it is HOT as HELL over here.

3. No matter where you are in Seoul, if you're taking public transportation, it'll take you at least 45 minutes to get anywhere. SUCKS.

4. This one's a no brainer, but ASIAN in asian countries really do SUCK at driving!

5. The Definition of IRONY: being in a country that doesn't sell men's deodorant where SWEATING is the most common and popular activity for 3 months out of the year. GROSS!

6. Lights make roads look cool at night: View from my parents house at night:

Have a great holiday weekend. Miss you guys!

2007-04-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Charlie and YoungEun!

Thanks for letting me be a part of ur special day!

Hold down the OC 'til i get back. Miss you guys!

2007-04-10T19:05:00.000-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS TO D.J. JOE AND R-I-A-NANCY-NANCY on ur engagement! PARTY at PAPA CRISTOS!

CHOOK-AH-HAE-YO!... thats congratulations in korean.

yo. so i finally got a job and am starting work. BOUT FRICKIN TIME is all i can say. the 'hagwon' (english learning academy) is pretty chill and the kids so far are great, but the commute sucks. So i thought i'd break y'all off a lil' 411 bout my ride.

I used the mirror in the elevator 'cause i dont have randy's useless talent. i need a haircut.

This is the subway entrance right by my house. Its a lot more crowded in the mornin'.

Here's the subway map of Seoul. I circled the route i take to get to work. dont think you can see it though 'cause its too small. sry.

This always reminds me of the fight seen in the Matrix.

Now, this is where i transfer onto the number 2 line. Gotta do this twice to get to the number 7. It sucks 'cause its frickin far to walk from one line to the other, but i shouldnt complain. its actually pretty good exercise.

Plus this sign always cracks me up. That's me by the way, you can tell 'cause we have the same color tie on. haha.

This is what its like during rush hour on the subway. pretty much GROPE CITY. Yes, i've gotten my buttocks inappropriately touched a time or two. its just soooo dam packed. i dont think it was on purpose, but still, gross. i could barely raise my arm to take the pic.

Aight so the first week i trained at the main office and this is the view from the 16th floor of that building. pretty sweet.

This is my favorite part of the commute, coming home late at night after work and stopping by random little shops and buying trendy korean fusion snacks. Anything from bulgoki sandwiches to spicy fish cakes on a stick.

UPDATE: I actually found a new route using a combination of the bus and the subway. it cuts 15 minutes off my commute so i'm pretty psyched. plus, it has more food shops on the way. YAY-E-YAY! that's it for now.

P.S. - MISS YOU GUYS like i miss IN-N-OUT and gummy bears! Good Job Ja in vegas. Team Seongstress 4 LIFE! Part 2 of my favorite karaoke couple... love you riann and ate tintin. (it doesnt start for like a minute)

2007-02-08T01:01:00.000-08:00

Check out Pats show...its gonna be AWESOME!!!

2007-01-25T23:38:00.000-08:00

An yo yo young. Happy New Year everybody. It's late, I know. I apologize. I must also apologize for not following through with my one blog a week agreement since having come to Korea. Well, that's not actually true... I came last Friday so technically, if I blog today (which I'm doing), then I've kept my agreement. So, I guess I'm not sorry. Anyway, I've been here a week and most everything is as I remember it, just more high tech...
...that's what I started to write on friday. It's Sunday night now. I got distracted. Sorry. By what you ask??? The first real snowfall of the season, that's what. Where's the picture u ask??? I didn't get to take one 'cause I left my camera at home and don't have a cell phone here yet. I know, I suck. But believe me, it was AWESOME! I'm sure there'll be plenty more chances for me to make yellow snow so stay tuned for those pics... Where was I? Oh yeah, high tech... after mulling it over for a couple days, I guess its all part of the natural progression of technology. It's just going to take me a while to get use to the different things here. Like not carrying around any keys. Instead of keys, I carry around a bunch of cards with chips in them. Cards to get on and off the bus and the subway, cards to get into my house. It's actually pretty convenient not having anything jiggling in my pocket (that goes on the board).
I'm just starting to get settled here. It's weird living with my parents and seeing them everyday, but its a good weird, so far. I've been spending most of my time visiting family and that's been really great 'cause its been getting bigger. I have 2 new cousins (through marriage) and a new niece who's adorable. Pretty sure Im going to spoil her. Oh yeah, and the food! It's Legend... wait for it, wait for it, so glad korean food hardly uses any... DARY! Despite what many of you may be thinking, everything's not "Manna'ed" out here. There's such a variety of different foods here that it makes me sad that theres only 3 meals in the day. I actually got to go to the open Fish market by my house which was pretty cool.

It was a lot like the open market in Venice. Smelly, crowded, noisy... I loved it!

My parents and I decided that we wanted sashimi (raw fish).

But not these guys... I wouldn't even know what to do with those giant tentacles...

... so we bought a fish and the dude there went Iron Chef on it. It was pretty cool, but the whole time he was coughing everywhere. I guess he had a cold. I too have acquired a bit of the sniffles as of late. Still, disgusting! I swore if I got more sick from eating the fish, I was gonna go back there and sock him in the NECK!

So this is what we ended up with. mmmm. And for those of you saps who like happy endings, I didn't get sick so the dude's neck is just fine.

I promise I'll try to post on a more regular basis. To make up for this, I'll throw in a bonus blog. Next up... the Debut of the "Filipino Terminator".

This is old, but it made me think of Riann and Ate Tin Tin. LOL.

2006-12-21T00:44:00.000-08:00

ho ho ho yo. Can't believe its almost Christmas already. (It totally doesn't feel like it for some reason though.) This year, I thought I would just post some of my Holiday cards so that you can take a look at em at your own leisure. (push play... u know the drill).

HAHAHAHAHAHA
(Photo taken by Randy Mendoza)

2006-12-13T14:44:00.000-08:00

yo. Venice. Possibly the most beautiful city in the world. so what does one do when surrounded by all this magical beauty??? As if I had to ask... Take pictures...duh. (Push play for enhanced viewing pleasure.)

This ones for Pat...Look at all those NUTS!!! (goes on the board)

That one pigeon in the back looks like Randy.

Here we are, "Comb"ing the streets of Venice...haha.

Green light...

Red Light!

Pat wins.

ERA-NDY-GON!

I told you there'd be more of this ISH... models posing...

Models Jumping...

Model posing + models jumping!

Indoor Models...

Outdoor Models

Hey, models gotta eat too...

...and what do models like to eat???

Gelato...mmmm!

I just really like this pic. lol.

Next up...Florence. Same bat time (yeah right), same bat channel. Ciao.

2006-12-07T09:29:00.000-08:00

yo. so its been 5 days since i've been back from italy and i still can't get my sleeping pattern back to normal. Not that it ever was really. But i think my body just got used to sleeping in 4-5 hr blocks over there and likes it so its doing that here. No worries though. It's a small price to pay for having experienced the BEST (european) TRIP EVER!!! (Much love to the C-crew!) But seriously... ITALY ROCKS!!! The food, the history, the wine, the food... it all rocks! It was Legend... lactaid pills are my new best friend cause there was sooo much... DARY!!! Major sensory overload starting from day 1. Too many pictures to count... serious. I completely damaged my laptop's calm by feeding it 8000+ pics. (its all good now, thanks for your thoughts and concerns) So i decided to post them in batches. Here are some of my favorites from the beginning of the trip... (play the music for enhanced blog atomosphere)

...Like visiting Halmulni (granny) at the Hospital in Lugano.

Check out the Giant Cheese Wheel. Guess what they put in that bad boy...

...only just the BEST RISOTTO EVER!!! Permission to drool granted.

Models...u knows it. Don't hate the playa, hate the game. Much more of this ISH to come.

Ok. If there's is any indication that we took a lot... maybe too many pics, this is it. So above we have Anna taking a picture of Cile and Kay on a bridge in Venice.

Followed by Pat taking a picture of Anna taking a picture of Cile and Kay on a bridge in Venice.
I think you know where im going with this..

...Topped off with me taking a picture of Pat taking a picture of Anna taking a picture of Cile and Kay on a bridge in Venice...(In the house that Jack built.)

Flying Rats... Everywhere. Ironic seeing as how I was the only one to get SHAT on.

All Octopus, All the time...mmmm!

The Best Wine Store. .80 euro glass of house wine. Jackpot!

The Eye of Mordor found my roomie...lol.

I like to call this one THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAT...haha.

Stay tuned for more... holla at cha favorite GIAPPONESE. ciao.

2006-09-30T00:31:00.000-07:00

yo. so the new fall line up of TV shows is out and i gotta admit that some of them have already caught my interest. One in particular. It's called Heroes and its on NBC on Monday nights. (Had to throw in a plug.)

As you can probably guess, its about heroes... well... ordinary people finding out that they have special powers. They're not really heroes yet. Anyway I heard from the entertainment grapevine that the show will continue to add characters. Here's a sneak peak of some of the possible candidates:

James Landas as Naked Boy: found out on his 28th Birthday that he has the ability to orally projectile vomit up to a yard in the air. U name it...walls, cars, other people... he'll yack on it.

Weaknesses : Alcohol and carnival basketball games.

Seong Hwang as Chef Hello Kitty (click link for explanation : http://cecile-marie.blogspot.com/ ) - A young but super talented chef who can cause his stomach to blow-up from the inside.

Weakness : Special ability is a one-time deal.

Randy Mendoza as MR. Mendoza - Mild mannered book store manager by day, slighty rude book store manager by night. Has the uncanny ability of being able to match any outfit with the perfect pair of NIKES.

Weakness : Having to wear Reebok and Adidas.

to be continued...

2006-09-20T01:43:00.000-07:00

Summer…They’re not like they used to be. Most of us have long dropped the “vacation” part of that phrase when referring to the period of time between JUNE and SEPTEMBER when the temperature goes up and brain activity goes down. The idea of NO HOMEWORK doesn’t nearly get us as excited as it used to when we were kids, except for maybe Rache and TinTin. And waking up late isn’t really an option for the majority of us that have moved on to being productive members of society (present company excluded, for the time being anyway). But don’t you hang that ‘9 to 5’ head of yours just yet people. There are STILL some Good Things about Summer and I thought I’d just name a few to jog everyone’s memory:

#5. Not having to wear socks! Flip flops are the best! Especially if your going to an Island or 2.
#4. LESS Laundry. Think about it… it makes sense. Less layers, less clothes… less laundry! (This one only counts if you do your OWN laundry.)
#3. BIKINIS. For the ladies: the opportunity to wear them. For the fellas: the opportunity to appreciate the ladies who wear them. Everyone WINS.
#2. BBQ’s. Food always tastes better when you cook and eat it outside!
#1. Pool Parties. Especially if they’re random and include BBQ’s. That’s what you call a two-fer. You know what else is a two-fer? Getting some nuggets-O-wisdom and a Pool Party in the same blog!

A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to house-sit for my uncle who was taking his family on a camping trip for a couple of days. It’s a nice house; it’s big and has a pool. So I decided to do the #1 good thing about summer and have a pool party. Here’s what went down…

So the first guests to arrive were joe and riann. They had the day off and got there early so we decided to have a swim...

This one's called syncronized...

This one's called staying afloat...

I dunno what this one's called...

We came up with some games to pass the time. My favorite one was the one Riann and I came up with. It's really not even a game, more like a test. We called it... Who can be more like Jesus?

You can make your own decision as to who won. its hilarious!

Riann - Take #1

Seong - Take #1

I know what you're thinkin. You're thinking how do we top that??? We might as well end the pool party on that note... its not going to get any better, right? WRONG! Bring on the Korean BBQ! MMMM....

Look how happy Korean BBQ makes people...

Some of us decided to work off the BBQ feast with a little tournament of DDR!

This was Pat's first time playing DDR. Word-o-advice: Your feet go on the ARROWS, dude!

Disclaimer: These guys did not wait 30 minutes after they ate...CRAZIES!!!

Here's Gwennie with her green lifesaver.... uuuuuuhhhhhh...

...wait a minute. Gwennie's in the background with the yellow noodle. So who's this??? hmmmm...

Korean BBQ and Pool Party = good food, good friends, good times!

Don't Throw up in the POOL!
Thanks for the Pie...mmm!
I can't tell which couple is cuter.
Peace Out.

2006-09-06T00:25:00.000-07:00

yo. so I had the day off from work today and after running some errands, I came back home and decided to blog. I sat down and started pondering about what event / recipe / nuggets of wisdom i should share with you all. There were several to choose from, but all of the sudden, my occasionally occuring disorder kicked in and I couldn't decide. My "O.O.D." as I like to call it. But most of you know that disorder as A.D.D. Anywho, so I guess this is it... My blog is actually about deciding on "what to blog", and seeing as how we're in the good ol' usofa, (u just read that as u-sofa, didnt you. haha) I thought I would go all democratic and let you, the reader, decide. So vote for your favorite topic America and remember, the votes don't count until after the shows over (that last comment was for all the A-idols fans). Peace out.

2006-09-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

Ciao. This is my first blog entry. I figured i might as well start one 'cause it'll come in handy in a couple of months. I'll keep this short and sweet. Thanks for stopping by. Peace out.
P.S. - Why the turtle u ask??? no reason, i just like that picture.