gobble gobble

happy thanksgiving!!!!

well, for all of you in the states, happy thanksgiving. this happens to be one of my favorite holidays. blackout wednesday, thanksgiving thursday, black friday, then the weekend! it's the perfect combination of drinking, eating, shopping, and resting! sadly, i won't be able to spend it with my family and friends this year. ahhhhh i can't believe i'm missing out on thanksgiving dinner back home. i miss the candied yams, stuffing, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, ham, and of course the turkey. i'm drooling just thinking about it.

our typical thanksgiving spread at home =(

now now, don't feel too bad for me. i've come up with a solution! a few of my american friends and i are doing our own thanksgiving dinner. sadly, considering i don't have an oven, it won't be in the comfort of my own home. however, there are restaurants in korea that have thanksgiving specials just for all of us ex-pats! yay! we were a little late in making reservations so we weren't able to get a table for tonight, but we're doing it sunday. better late than never! they've promised turkey, mashed potatoes + gravy, green beans, soup, salad, and pumpkin pie! i'm so excited. we'll see how it goes.

now that thanksgiving is taken care of ... moving on to the next holiday ...

christmas!!!!!

i know christmas is still a month away, but i'm freaking out! i have no idea what to get my parents. well, i know what i'm getting my mom but my dad is impossible. i think he has to be the hardest person to shop for. we always just end up getting him clothes or shoes or accessories. i want to get him something he might want rather than something he needs. i was thinking of getting my dad an ipod, stereo dock, and something that'll enable him to listen to it in the car. what do you guys think?

that's my dad to the left. yes, he is lighting his cigarette with one of those lighters you use to light your stove, a barbeque, and not a cigarette. yes, we were all a bit surprised when he pulled that baby out of his pocket after dinner. lol anyway, in case you guys don't know my dad, he is not the most technologically savvy person out there. he pretends to be, but don't let him fool you. he's not! do you think he'd be able to handle an ipod? i figure that i'll get him an ipod classic (160gb), load it up with all of his favorite songs (he doesn't listen to anything new really), teach him how to use it while i'm there, and he should be good (atleast until one of the other hongs come home for break or something). i really can't think of anything else he might want. any other ideas? what's a good gift to get a dad? i really don't want to have to resort to buying him another polo, sweater, scarf, etc. HELP ME!

i'll be home for christmas

i'm going home!!!!

sadly, not right this minute, but soon enough! i booked my flight outta here! i'll be arriving in chicago on dec, 24th and will stay till jan. 2nd. that's 9 full days in chicago! i'll most likely be busy for a majority of the trip, what with the holidays, family, and whatnot, but i'd like to see everyone at least once during my short stay! i can't wait to go back! i have so many things i want to do, people i want to see, things i want to eat!!! omg i can't wait for some amazing food! i definitely want to go to some of my all-time favorite restaurants with my all-time favorite people! you know who you are!

foods i need to eat:

quartino's
avec
giordano's
portillo's
SUSHI!!!!
kuma's
chipotle
molly's cupcakes
fred's
etc.... (too many to list them all!)

i also can't wait for new year's eve! i'm staying till the 2nd of january so that i can spend new year's eve with you guys! we're going to party all night and then i'll probably have to spend the entire next day getting better for my flight the day after! it'll be short, but sweet! =)

i can't wait to see all of you!

1 month + 1 day and counting till this ...

this is definitely happening again this year ... miss you guys!!!

the little things that make me do my happy dance

1. JCREW.COM FINALLY WORKS IN KOREA!!!!!!

you have no idea what a monumental moment this is! j.crew's online website has always been restricted in korea since i can remember. i'd be utterly disappointed every time i'd try to log on. but guess what? it finally works!!! and what luck! everything on sale is an extra 30% off! this could be very very very bad for my wallet. uh oh ....

2. hodduk (korean sweet hotcake)

i just found the most amazing hodduk stand in all of seoul after 2 hours of non-stop searching for it. the place we had it from is called tul-bo-nae hodduk. it's pretty famous in seoul and people actually wait in line for it. it's in insa-dong and it's amazing! each hodduk is about 250 calories. i had 2. i was happy. i wanted more. i practiced some self control.

in case you guys don't know what a hodduk is ...

brown sugar mixture filled hotcake that's deep or pan fried in oil.
note: this is not the hodduk i had. mine looked (and was) 100x better. no doubt.

3. peanut butter

i don't really feel like this needs an explanation but apparently eating spoonfuls of just peanut butter is considered weird to korean people. they also have never eaten peanut butter on apples or celery. i'm so misunderstood here.

4. friends

friends from america. friends from korea. any and all friends. they are the best. they are awesome. they are especially awesome when you wake up one morning after passing out like a zombie and realize that you were supposed to be at work an hour ago. on top of being late to work it turns out that you were solely responsible for making a bunch of copies and getting things ready for a 10 am meeting. you start freaking out, running around with half a pair of pants on, toothbrush hanging out of your mouth, getting ready, and you call your friend at work and she agrees, without a single moan or groan, to get everything ready for you. friends are awesome. end of story.

5. my soon to arrive sam edelman zoe boots and sister (shoes first, sister second)!



i just ordered these bad boys off the internet and got them at a pretty decent price. i've been eye-ing these shoes since last year and i can't wait for my sister to come in a couple weeks with them and a ton of other stuff for me! yay! =)

i pulled a derrick rose

someone once said, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" ...

that is, unless your name is karen hong; in which case it takes you to the emergency room! (is that even the proper use of a semicolon? whatever, i don't care.)

last night, i had a great adventure! a great adventure that has taught me to stick to fruits that don't require cutting and/or peeling. damnit! why must apples be so round? why can't they just sit on a flat surface and not roll around everywhere? why must they have a core? why must they cause me so much pain? fool me once, shame on you (apple). fool me twice, shame on the other you (knife). fool me thrice!!!! finally, shame on me (apparently i am inept and cannot wield a knife and a piece of fruit at the same time) yes, you heard right, this was the third time i cut myself whilst trying to cut an apple. THIRD TIME!!!! i don't know what it is, but i just have a really hard time cutting apples. i would never even dare to try to peel an apple with a knife. i imagine that would end terribly.

anyway, like i said, this was the third time i shed blood for the sake of eating a delicious, juicy, crisp, red, apple. the other two times were slight nicks. nothing that a band-aid and some neosporin couldn't handle. well, this time, the blood kept gushing and gushing and there was no stopping it. i wrapped my finger with 2 band-aids and wrapped a paper towel around it a few times and it bled through everything. after about 15 minutes of non-stop bleeding and my impatience, i hopped in a cab and made my way to the emergency room.

let me tell you ... there's no reason they should call it the "emergency room". these doctors move slower than arthritic 80 yr. olds. ridiculous! they took a look at the finger and gave me the option of stitching it up or just going home with an outrageously thick band-aid. apparently the cut was bad, but not bad enough. it was just a level above getting stitches and it was my call. after consulting my handy dandy gtalk doctor (doctor dan), i decided to go ahead with the needle and thread. i waited around for about an hour before they finally got around to me. after 1.5 hours, the most painful local anesthesia i've ever experienced (which by the way is shot into the cut itself!!!!!), 2 stitches, 1 tetanus shot, and my meds, i was free to go.

i snapped a picture during the procedure for your viewing pleasure! =)

nice and bloody.

the best part had to be when the doctor looked at my thumb with a terrified look on his face asking if that was my blood on/under my nail. a look of relief washed over him when i assured him it was my nail polish.

and that was my emergency room adventure!

don't worry, my elephantiasis thumb and i are doing great!!!

oh yea, p.s. thanks to david hong for keeping me occupied via gchat while they stitched me up. =)

6 months and counting ...

i got to korea in may, blinked, and it was november. how times flies. this is the first time i've been in korea for more than my summer break. i've actually never even been in korea for the cold weather before and i'm alarmed at how cold it is. it's no better than chicago! i've been duped! one would assume that considering how hot the summers are here winters would be tolerable. apparently not. anyway, i digress. i can't believe it's almost 2011. where did the time go? my mid-20s are approaching at an alarming rate and i still feel like i'm just a kid. maybe listening to this new taylor swift album on repeat all day is making me feel like i'm a 15 yr. old teenage girl again. must stop now! but ... i can't! i won't! I LOVE TAYLOR SWIFT!!!!!

anyway ...

i feel like i've been working here forever but at the same time it also feels like i arrived just yesterday. it's been a little over 6 months since i stepped foot in the motherland and it's been surreal. in the beginning, i thought i'd never be able to call korea my home or even enjoy my time here. i guess when you're open-minded (and you have no other choice), things change. i'm slowly starting to feel like i belong and i look forward to the coming months here. i've managed to make a few close friends and i have actually established a routine here. i have constants in my korean life! it's a miracle! however, no matter how great things are going, i can't help but feel lonely at times.

i am desperately missing all of my friends, family, and my chicago. i especially miss what this season brings back in the states. october through january = ridiculous costumes + food + more food + presents + parties + friends/family + kisses @ midnight + the occasional holiday fling. sadly, the holiday spirit doesn't seem to reside in seoul. i hear he makes a pit stop on christmas day but then he's out of here in the blink of an eye in order to make it back to the states in time for the NYE ball drop. it's actually kind of sad. while everyone in the states are anxiously awaiting thanksgiving, the superbowl, and their fat pants, i'm anxiously awaiting ... nothing (i've already made the transition into my fat pants ... no waiting necessary). i had every intention of making my way back to the states for the holiday season but now i don't know if that's going to happen. if i do come, it'll be from dec. 29th - jan. 7/8. we'll see how this project plays out. i can't wait till i can see all of you again! it's been too long! oh yea, i also can't wait for all of you who are coming to visit in the winter! make plans to see me while i'm here.

till then ...

i have this bear to comfort me. rawr!

well, i'm still at the office at 9 p.m. i should probably get back to finishing this damn campus entrance if i ever want to go home.

satisfying my sweet tooth

smitten kitchen's buckeyes recipe

i'm in want of some recipes. mind you, i don't have an oven. does anyone have any recipes for something sweet that doesn't require more than a microwave, toaster, stove, or a couple of chopsticks? oh yea, i can't use any crazy ingredients either ... korea has absolutely nothing in that department. i wanted to make puppy chow the other day and apparently korea only sells chocolate chex. damn you korea!!!!!!!!!!!! i found a recipe for buckeyes (pictured above). maybe i'll try making that this weekend and test it out on david hong and my coworkers. if you have any recipes, let me know!