Random Musings…

• In English, the last names Rhee, Lee, Yi, and Yee are all different, but in Korean, they are all the same.  So last night my friend Jinhee LEE got married to a Stephen RHEE (yeah!) and as all married women know, the process of going through the last name change involves a lot of paperwork. And Jinhee told me that everyone in Stephen’s extended family uses LEE and his is the only family that uses RHEE.  Go figure.


• My friend Grace married a Korean-American guy whose last name was “Kye”.. I had NEVER heard that one before.


• Finally ate cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory.  As we were waiting for our table, my friend mused “I wish I owned the Cheesecake Factory”.  We all agreed.  What an amazing restaurant concept with actually very good food… so popular, too! 


• People are so helpful and friendly here.  I was on a toll road and realized I had $100 or $.30. I pulled up to the booth and said “what should I do? I only have $100″.  He asks me if I have anything, and I say “yeah, $.30″… he looks at me for a second and then says “okay, drop it in and go”.  Thank GOD I wasn’t in NYC.


• Can’t wait to see the ROSE BOWL with Philly peeps (I’m driving up, Philly peeps!!!)…


• it’s such a small world – “you know J because he grew up with B who went to Michigan, and his wife M is my childhood friend and they go to Grace DC…”.


• drtaekim and rehey – yoomktong said your wedding was the most elegant one they had ever been to!  wish I could’ve been there, too. ’cause I’m all about elegance, yu’s knows what I’m sayin’? (gold teef showing)

I forgot to post this, but this was one of the FUNNIEST things I have seen in a LONG time. 
My sister and I were CRYING – we were laughing so hard –  because we saw this on I-495. 
The guy driving it was this white dude with a baseball cap, just cruising along. 
Another car passed us and was cracking up at us cracking up.

Everything about this car is super-RIDONK.

** So, I’m headed back to Uzland for a month or so in a few weeks to finish things up over there.
Basically, they just need me to sign things.  In the meantime, I’m looking forward to:

– Jinhee’s wedding!
– watching the Rose Bowl with Mich peeps (anyone having a Rose Bowl parteee??)
– Mel’s baby shower
– eating cheesecake at some point
– seeing friends from Uzland in Boston!
– watching “The Coast of Utopia” in NYC (www.coastofutopia.com)
– reading the NY Times, New Yorker - paper versions
– Redeemer!
– walking around NYC aimlessly…

And other things I can’t remember.. I love the US and A.  And I like you. Do you like me?

Uhm, there’s like three or maybe four NYers who read this Xanga, but maybe one of you could suggest a good place to have a get-togther?  On a Thursday night?  Say, January 11th?  A bar/lounge with food… and if you answer, of course, you’re invited…

Some random observations:

• All the Alamo Car rental people were non-native English speakers and each were different ethnicities.  Kewl!


• Frankfurt airport is terrible.


• I love Reese’s Peanut Butter cups.


• I recently saw Weird Al’s “White & Nerdy” music video. HI-larious.


• Maryland street signs are horrible.


• I also like Dr. Pepper. I’m a slave to American junk food. 


• At Subway, I told the sandwich artist to make me “a six-FOOT” sandwich.  I laughed my head off after realizing what I said while the artist and my sister stared blankly at me. I thought it was funny.


• The $1 store – could spend hours there.  I bought a lei and those fake glasses/nose combo thingies (don’t ask why).

Looking forward to my baby sis, parents, cousins, aunts, and uncles arriving tomorrow and the day after!

15 hours of flying later, I have landed in the US and A!   A bit chaotic, but not as bad as it could’ve been.

Inside our plane, we were transporting a Porsche in the bottom.  Dang, our plane was big!  I flew Lufthansa for the first time. I love how they
pronounce it – luf -THAN-sa… and our flight attendant was a stepford stewardess.. very cute and smiley and so pleasant.

What I did before I left:
– cleaned, cleaned, cleaned!
– washed, washed, washed!
–ate Korean, Turkish, and Georgian food (not all at the same time..)
– made fries so that I could use some of my potatoes
– took a few cold showers
– signed about 300 papers
– received tights as a Christmas present
– weighed my bags, repacked, weighed them again
– ate cake

I AM SOOO tired.  Going to BED!

.. but then I wouldn’t get to see  a young man carrying a computer case with the words “diddykiller” written on it with white-out!

Random pics for your enjoyment…

“Is it true that you were the only person at the concert who refused to ‘wave your hands in the air,
and wave ‘em like you just don’t care?”

Cool.

Packing frenzy. 

Winter time = Fatty Woman

I’ve been eating too much these days. And it doesn’t help that I’ve been going to farewell dinners!  Last night, I ate Korean food.  The night before, Italian food.  And more dinners to come.  Yummy.   and Fatty.

Purging

Not myself, but things. I repacked and found that I really didn’t need about 10 more items, including movies…I can bring back two bags, 23 kg each (about 50 pounds), but I’m going to pack one bag that’s more than that and pay the flat rate.  I also have to bring back papers, which already weigh 10 kgs!

Crazy Story

There was a store here called American Optical. Most of you know the backlash against America in this country.  Well, one day, the owners of this store were told “we’re shutting your store down and we’re tearing it down” by some gov’t officials. Why?  Because the store was on the road travelled by a very high powered official and he didn’t like seeing this store on his way to work… In a few hours, the owners and workers scrambled to gather all of their inventory before the demolition crew came.   They have since reopened under a new name. 

My Baby

I prayed  “God, when I have a baby, can he be as cute, happy, and well-behaved as this little one?”
(he’s half Uz, half Kaz, adopted by an American family)

Fun Times

… you eat a meal made from this and it’s actually yummy!
(on the can it says that this beef in juice is very HIGH quality)

I am trying not to think TOO much about how many days I have left here (9 days)… cause it makes me feel HAPPY and SAD at the same time.

In the meantime, I’ve been selling my things… clothes, shoes, DVDs, furniture, books, electronics… I look at everything and think “could I buy this in the States?”  If YES, then I sell it….. if NO, then I pack it, but think about it again…

My schedule for the States:
Dec 21st – Jan 7th or so          DC area
Jan 7th-8th or so                     Philly
Jan 8th – Jan 15th or so           NYC
Jan 15th – Jan 17th or so         Boston

Then probably back to Houston where my parents are… after that????

… you go to a Chinese restaurant with local friends and they want to eat BREAD with the food… (that’s like having a Kung Pao Chicken sandwich!)…

…you’re counting lots of bills (the largest here is worth less than $1), all of which together are worth $100,  listening to “It’s all about the Benjamins…” (more like… “it’s all about the BenjaMIN”…)

… you eat stuff like this…

On another note: I’m annoyed that we don’t get to play OSU again for the National Title!  And the way the determine it?  RIDONK, as my sister would say.