Happy Birthday Cyndi!

Today, Cyndi turns kkkkkkkkkkkkkkuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh. Sorry bad connection.
This year her birthday is on 08-08-08. This should be a lucky year.

Dark Knight

We finally say Dark Knight, and boy, was it good. It literally had me on the edge of my seat. Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker totally lived up to the posthumous hype. Strangely though, his interpretation of the Joker reminded me of what I imagine is George Clooney on drugs. My only complaint (aside from Christian Bale's Batman voice) is Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes. I like Maggie Gyllenhaal as an actress, but I thought she played Rachel with a little too much moxy. I preferd Katie Holmes and her wide-eyed self-righteousness.

Also, is it just me or the did the movie feel really long? I felt like Dark Knight was five movies in one. Don't get me wrong. It was five exciting mini movies, but I kept thinking to myself, "It's not over yet?"

I definitely recommend seeing Dark Knight on the big screen. The action sequences, the intense drama, and Christian Bale are all deserving of the movie ticket price.

While at the movie theaters, to my great excitement, I noticed that Hana Yori Dango Final will hit Korean theaters this month. I'm tempted to watch it, but that means I'll have to read the subtitles in Korean! I've tried reading subtitles while watching various TV programs, so it's possible, but very challenging. I might just have to wait until it hits mysoju.com or crunchyroll.com.

I think I need a notebook to take note of all my notebooks.

I like to think that I'm frugal, but then I look back at my blog and I realize that I spend a lot of money on frivolous things. The truth is I'm quite the spendthrift when it comes to food and stationery.

Korean stationery is just incomparable. It's inexpensive, yet extremely cute; so cute that I'm willing to ignore befuddling Engrish phrases like "I'll say my name to you this morning, certainly" or "Stay with me like now, leaning on each other, feeling irresistible happiness."

I especially like Korean notebooks. Kyobo has all sorts of notebooks and diaries to help you hypothetically organize your life or memories. I really dig the notebooks with grid-lines. (I think this is because I secretly want to be an engineer, despite my disinterest in physics.)

Notebooks to write music, create a story board; write about how much you miss your mom.














This one helps you track your weight loss progress.














I actually bought this cash book to help me keep track of my spending. Yeah, that's working out well...














My teaching gig only increases my compulsion to buy more stationery. These are the notebooks and planners that I'm currently using. I really like the planners by MMMG. I've been using the green one (PLANNER.M) because it has a lot of room to jot down notes from my various classes, but I plan on switching over to the red "Draw Your Tomorrow" planner so that I can take down even more thorough notes. I also have multiple notebooks for lesson planning, story writing, Korean class, and random ideas. I know it's more efficient to consolidate my notes, but I'll take any reason to buy more notebooks.

I also wanted to point out my favorite pens. I am currently obsessed with the Zebra Espina Pearly Rubber ballpoint pens. The "pearly rubber" grip is very comfortable and is perfect for my freakishly small fingers.















I also like these fine point marker pens by Monami. I've been trying to grade in green or purple because my students say that my comments seem much harsher in red. The pens are very cheap (500 won?), so I'll probably stock up on them before I head back to the Homeland.














I recently purchased these "Funny School" stamps with a few useful Korean phrases. I think I'll save the "Power Up" stamp for the students that bomb their vocab quizzes.














I didn't buy this label maker, but I was very tempted. It prints labels in Korean, English, Japanese, and a few Chinese characters. I already have a label maker, so I don't need this one. I just like to admire it from afar. Clearly I am a geek. :)














For those of you who don't have the good fortune to live near a Kyobo bookstore, come along with Cyndi and me, as we take you through our neighborhood store.

Introducing Cyndi & Annalog, Asia's Hottest New Pop Stars

Our pop albums are ON SALE NOW!

Just kidding.

We just received our glamour shots from Taiwan. At first we were 신났어. I mean, what girl doesn't want to have some professionally photo-shopped portraits of herself? But, then we started to feel a little embarrassed. I mean, what girl wants an album full of unnaturally photo-shopped portraits of herself?

Regardless of our mixed reactions, we were still curious to see the photos. We purchased the smallest package available, which came with a 4" x 6" photo album, a large 8.5" X 11" portrait, a CD filled with the jpeg files of the photos featured in the album, and a small double-sided key chain.

Guess what my family's getting for Christmas...

Here's what we each got:

Meet Cyndi-san, the newest singer to hit the J-Pop scene.














Meet Annielog, Cantonese Pop Star Wannabe.














You take a bunch of photos during the shoot, but you only end up with twelve in the album. Usually, you get to pick your photos, but due to scheduling constraints we had to let each of our photographers select the photos. I SO wish we could have had a final say because there are definitely some cheesy photos. Oh well. C'est la vie.

Against my better judgment, I am going to post a few photos. Otherwise, why take glammed up photos if you're not going to show anyone, right? After I show my family and friends, I'm going to store the album and not look at it until I am old and wrinkly.

Before we proceed, let me warn you that all of these photos have been generously photo-shopped. (I'm glad that they whitened my teeth, but did they really need to reshape my nose?) They seem to do a lot of editing around the face area, but they didn't really touch up the rest of the body, which is a shame. We really would have appreciated longer torsos and legs or toned arms.

By the way, I better not find any of these photos in some Asian mail order bride catalogue...or worse.

Without further ado...

CYNDI










































ANNALOG

A note about the first picture: I'm surprised that the photographer put this photo in my album. Throughout the whole photo shoot, he kept telling me to stick my tongue out in that cutesy way. Every time I tried this, we both ended up in a fit of laughter because it looked like I was having a seizure. I guess after twenty tries or so, I managed to get the pose right.

Sticky Pics + Kaohsiung Wrap-Up

This first pic is dedicated to JS Unnie.


















This sticky pic is way back from our Taiwan vacation. The machine suggested poses, so we just mimicked the models.



















Here's another one from Taiwan, featuring Ben, Ben's Wife, and Ben's Brother. :)
This one is adorned with all sorts of junk because the sticky booth attendant took it upon herself to help decorate our pictures. She went crazy with the borders and message stamps.












Speaking of Taiwan... I had meant to write up a nice summary of our time in Kaohsiung, but I've sort of lost steam. I'll just say that Kaohsiung was lovely. It reminded me of Hawaii -- a little bit. We're very grateful to Ben + Ben's Brother for being such attentive hosts. I don't know how we would have gotten around Kaohsiung otherwise. There is a newly built metro system, but I don't think it's been centralized yet. The city is gearing up the World Games in 2009, so if you're interested in checking out Taiwan's largest port city, I suggest waiting until then.

Here are a few of my more scenic (non-food) photos:

Cijin Island - Home of one of Taiwan's oldest naval forts.














I'm not a fan of black sand, but the sea looked beautiful.














Dream Mall














Um...something of cultural significance?














We spent a very long morning hiking, and got to hang with a bunch of wild monkeys. Monkey poo is quite nasty. I suspect that it's particularly nasty because these monkeys are feasting on abandoned cups of bubble tea. Do not feed the monkeys bubble tea, people!

Happy Birthday Heng!

This post is very belated (over a week), but let's all wish our dear Heng Unni (or should I say ajumma?) a happy, happy birthday!

We did get to celebrate with her on the actual day of her birthday, but she then had to run back to the office (at 10 pm) and get back to work. So sad...

Want to know how young Heng is? You'll just have to add up the candles on the cake (from Migo).














Of course you can't have birthday cake without a little soju... Both 참이슬 Fresh and 처음처럼 have rolled out special edition bottles for the summer.














Please excuse the closed eyes. We're not drunk. We're just Asian.















Heng's engineer posse. They <3 Heng. Or, maybe they're just scared of her...ㅋㅋㅋ

Dunkin' Cupcakes

Dunkin Donuts back in the Homeland better step up because Dunkin' Donuts Motherland is diversifying. In addition to toasted sandwiches, Cyndi recently discovered that Dunkin Donuts now offers some pretty cute cupcakes. Flavors include Choco Almond, Pistachio Cream Cheese, Double Choco, and Vanilla Berry.














We tried the Double Choco and the Vanilla Berry Cup Cakes.

Piggy's a little bijo because Cyndi didn't get her a cupcake.














Both the Chocolate and Vanilla Berry were quite good. I wouldn't classify these as cupcakes though. They were more muffin-like. The Vanilla Berry definitely tasted like a blueberry muffin, while the Double Choco tasted like Duncan Hines cake mix, which in my opinion, is not a bad thing. At 2500 won, I'd say these Dunkin' Donut cupcakes are a good deal, especially if you compare them to the dreadful Shinsaege cupcakes.











































The cupcakes came in this cute little box.
It's a shame about the Engrish. "Loving in Dunkin." Don't they have someone back at U.S. headquarters who they can consult with?

Stuff Korean Moms Like

I'm not really one to use the terms ROFL or LOL, but if ever I did, I would use the acronym to describe Stuff Korean Moms Like (which I found out about through Ask A Korean). If you are blessed enough to have a Korean mom or perhaps even roll with a few Korean moms, you will definitely enjoy this blog dedicated to all the qualities that make Korean moms so special. The list is spot on. If the item doesn't apply to my mother, it at least reminds me of one of my eemos.

My favorites so far are:
#42 Paper + Plastic Bags - This is one trait that I've definitely inherited.
#40 Korean dramas - My mom upgraded to DVD rentals, but I don't know if she'll ever get around to downloading dramas. My eemo, on the other hand, has learned to use youtube!
#38 Child Labor - On the bright side, it helps to bolster your college application.
#30 Interpreting dreams - Thanks to my mom, I'm always paranoid whenever I have a dream about losing teeth. Depending on which tooth, it could signal a death in the family.
#24 Made in Korea - My mom is going to go back with a boat load of Made in Korea goodness whenever she comes to visit.
#22 Believing they descended from royalty - In my mom's case, she likes to say that we descended from a famous court physician. I guess she really wants a medical doctor in the family. Sorry, mom.
#18 Bragging - I wish she wouldn't do this, but at the time, I suppose that she has a right to revel in any of my successes. I contribute all of my commendable qualities to me moms. Snaps to my umma.
#11 Telling people they are fat - Following "Did you eat?" this is one of the most common ways for a Korean mom or emo to greet you. If not about your weight, they will say something about your skin. "You poor thing. What happened to your face? Is it stress?"
#3 Announcing they want to die - This one gets me every time.
#1 Perms - Someone please shave my head if I have an ajumma pama when I become a Korea mom.

사랑해, 엄마!

He sings. He dances. Apparently, he steals things.

Cyndi and I went to see "Jason Mraz Live in Seoul" at the Melon AX Concert Hall. I think Cyndi would agree with me when I say that the concert was grrrrrrrrrrrreaaaaaaaat! I've been wanting to see Jason Mraz live in concert for awhile now. I never expected to see him in Seoul.

The Melon AX is a great little venue. It's medium sized, so you can get a pretty nice view no matter where you're seated. For this particular concert, the bottom floor was standing room only, while the second floor balcony were all seats. We sat in the third row! Early bird gets the worm, people. The standing section looked pretty fun, but I didn't want to risk being stuck behind some tall people.

(To get to the Melon AX. Take the subway to Kwangnaru. Take exit 2. Cross the street. Walk towards the large metal sphere. You should be able to spot the Melon AX from there.)

I could only snap a single picture of Jason Mraz before one of the concert nazis told me to turn my camera off. They were quite vigilant throughout the whole night. I'm sure there's a good reason why they want me to refrain from non-flash photography, but I just can't think of any. Why are they so harsh with personal photography? Anything I manage to capture would only be adequate for youtube or my blog. I even turned off my flash. Sheesh.














Koreans love Jason Mraz. The concert hall was packed. I've only been to two other concerts in Korea (Lovefesta & Sung Si Kyung), but from what I've observed, Koreans make a very responsive audience. They hooted and hollered at practically everything Jason Mraz did. Bantered about the rain. Hahahahaha! Tuned his guitar. Wooohooooooo! Did a little shuffle. Awwwwwwwww! Drank a sip of water. Yaaaaaaaaaay!

Someone needs to calculate coefficients and what-not, because there seems to be a high correlation between the level of Jason Mraz love and English proficiency amongst Koreans. I know that there were a number of North American folks, but the predominantly Korean crowd all seemed to respond appropriately to Jason Mraz's jokes and asides, as if they understood every word he said. The only part that seemed to confuse them was his bit in Espanol.

The crowd was also surprisingly vocal. They kept shouting his name and saying "I love you." My favorite comment had to be the burly male voice from the back that shouted "Sarang hae!" Boys love Jason Mraz too!

Jason Mraz is so darn charming. He is truly even more winning live in concert. I bet he'd make a perfect road trip buddy. Either that or I wish I could shrink him, stick him on my dashboard, and have him sing for me as I drive along the 101. I think both Cyndi and I now intend to purchase more of his music-- um, not that I didn't purchase the Mraz songs currently on my iPod...



















This concert was actually my gift to my favorite cousin Cyndi (Her birthday's on 08/08/08. Take note, people!). It's actually a pretty selfish gift given the fact that Jason Mraz is one of my favorite singers and Cyndi was only familiar with a handful of singles. I think Cyndi enjoyed the concert nonetheless. (Right, Cyndi? Don't worry. I will make you seaweed soup on your birthday too!)














I couldn't get any decent footage from the concert, but I hope you'll enjoy my Jason Mraz playlist on Imeem.

Team Edward

Aren't you curious to see what's got all those teens in a tizzy? Believe the hype. Twilight is indeed a fun read, regardless of your age. The final book in the Twilight saga releases tonight at midnight EST. Fortunately, we've dispatched little cousin Emi to bring back a copy when she returns from the Homeland.

BB Cream Week: Hanskin's Caviar gold B.B. Cream

Are y'all as tired of reading about BB creams, and I am of writing about BB creams? I realize now that I am unfit to write reviews about makeup. I have no idea what I'm talking about. Unless I come across the holy grail of all BB creams, I'll refrain from talking extensively about any more BB Creams.

I made Cyndi try out one more BB cream, so without further ado, let me conclude BB Cream Week with Hanskin's Caviar gold BB Cream. According to the package, it offers whitening, wrinkle fighting, and SPF 21.

The Video:

WARNING! Major tangent ahead. Proceed with caution.

I'd just like to make a note about the song featured in today's clip. I honestly was trying to avoid promoting Hyori's new single "U Go Girl," because a) The title of her album Hyorish is god-awful and b) The Konglish in the song drives me bonkers. To my horror, the song has grown on me. Go ahead shake your head in disapproval. I don't blame you. I think the main reason I've taken to the song is the little dance break where she adjusts her earrings and fixes her cleavage. Yikes. That last sentence sounded really sketchy, but I so know that people will be doing the dance all across the internet, at least the Korean one :). You may have to watch the video at least 10 times before Hyori is able to win you over with her bleached hair and acryllic nails. O.K.?

Anyway. Here's Cyndi's demonstration of Hanskin's Caviar gold BB Cream.


OUR THOUGHTS:
Hanskin's Caviar gold is similar in texture and smell to their Control Skin B.B. Cream. This means that it's soft and creamy, but has the faint odor of alcohol. The cream seemed to whiten Cyndi's complexion, but it didn't do a good job of evening out her skin tone. It just made her look a little paler than usual. The cream doesn't stay on very long either. Don't let the words "gold" or "caviar" fool you. There's nothing luxurious about this cream.

Up!

I still haven't been to the Pixar Exhibition at the Seoul Arts Center (I have until Sept. 7th to check it out), and am waiting patiently to see Wall-E on the big screen at my neighborhood Cinus theater, but I am absolutely dying to see Pixar's next film, Up, simply based on this teaser:




I already adore this little guy. His name is Russell. I'd like to stuff him in my pocket and take him to eat kim bap and ddeok-boki.

BB Cream Week: Hanskin's Control Skin B.B. Cream

Since Hanskin is so generous with their B.B. Cream samples, today, I tried out their Control Skin B.B. Cream.

Video:
This clip is pretty pointless because my skin looks the same as it did before I put on the B.B. cream, but perhaps you'll enjoy listening to Kara's catchy new Konglish-infused single, "Rock U."



OUR THOUGHTS:
I think the cream is designed to be fragrance-free, but it smells faintly of soju. The texture is very creamy and is easy to apply. It does not appear to dry out my skin like some other B.B. creams. Also, unlike other creams, Control Skin doesn't seem to whiten my skin. In fact, it takes on a sort of orangey/pinkish hue. Perhaps this lack of "whitening" agents is why the cream did not do a very good job of covering my blemishes. Cyndi also noted that she could actually tell that I had applied cream onto my face. Usually, the B.B. creams do a good job of blending with my skin tone. I'm not sure how I feel about Control Skin. Perhaps it'll work better for a different complexion or skin type.

Guts, Worms and Fish Bits: Seafood in Yanjae-dong

Cyndi's dad recently flew back to Korea to visit his mother in Busan. (Hwaiting, Halmoni!)
Before he made his way back to Hawaii, he stopped by Bundang to visit his daughter and favorite niece (Me, of course!).

We met up with my emobu's good friend Sandwich Ajusshi, who happens to be vacationing in Seoul with his family.















We also got to meet some of my eemobu's dongsaengs, including the gentleman in pink who has promised to hook us up with some tickets to a musical and/or B-boy show! 잘부탁합니다.














Sandwich Ajusshi spent a small fortune treating us to a sumptuous seafood feast at 별난휏집 (Byul Nan Hweh Jip) in Yangjae. Apparently, it's a very popular restaurant, frequented by a lot of celebrities. Sadly, we did not spot any celebrities that evening.

In addition to large platters of sashimi, I got to try a variety of *interesting* seafood dishes. I was feeling adventurous and tried pretty much everything that they put before me. Cyndi, on the other hand, was a little more prudent and just stuck to the tempura, sashimi, and 알밥 (fish roe) hand roll.

Here are some of the more memorable dishes from that evening.

Sandwich Ajusshi kept referring to this green soju as "yak" (medicine), swearing that it was very healthy. I believe that this alcoholic beverage contains some kind of fish juice. To my relief, it just tasted like a milder version of soju.














This is one of my uncle's favorite dishes of the evening. I'm told that it's some part of the male fish anatomy. It was surprisingly soft, like soondubu.














This is a platter of raw sea cucumber, sea worm, and abalone. Perhaps an alternative to the chips and dip at your next Super Bowl party?














This last item may possibly rival Stinky Tofu as the most offensive (to my olfactory system) dish I've ever had the privilege to try. I can't aptly capture the smell in words, but I guess it smelled like old fish steeped in pama chemicals. At first bite, the fish was just very salty. Then, my tongue started to tingle and the pama juice began to invade my entire mouth. It was an experience to say the least. Sandwich Ajusshi told me that this dish is very popular in Jeollado. Props to the folks in Jeollado.















You can find more footage of our seafood feast in the video. This edition of Annalog Eats also features a special guest- My emobu aka Cyndi's appa.

Scaling...my teeth

Now, I don't want you to all rush out an examine old photos of my teeth, but I must confess that it's been over a year since my last dental cleaning. I know. I'm so ashamed...

Since I'm often in Hannam-dong, Cyndi made me an appointment at International Mee Dental Clinic (across from Dankook University, next to the KFC). With U.N. Village just a hop, skip, and a jump away, Mee Clinic caters to a foreign clientèle and offers an English speaking staff. See. They even have a website in English. As my luck would have it, however, my teeth were cleaned by a dental hygienist who spoke little English. As she told me, the only phrase she knew was "It's o.k.?" Fortunately, I was just going in for a routine cleaning, or as they call it "scaling," so conversation was limited.

(Until today, I had no idea that the official term for the removal of calculus and other deposits on the teeth" is actually scaling).

When I walked into Mee, I was greeted by the photos of smiling blonde children. "This is indeed an INTERNATIONAL dental clinic!" smiled the blue-eyed children. After filling out my basic info (All in Korean! Good job, Annalog!), I sat in one of the comfy leather chairs and got to peruse a couple of fashion magazines.

Then, two friendly, pink-clad, dental hygienists guided me into a private room. They graciously ushered me to a comfy chair with a personal TV screen. (It's hard to view the TV screen when your seat is reclined fully, but I do appreciate the thought). The hygienist noted that I was American, and asked me where I was from. When I replied "California," she exclaimed in Korean, "Ooh. Good pronunciation." It's good to know that I'm still able to say "California" with an American accent.

When I opened my mouth and said, "Ahhhhhhh," the hygienist made some sort of muffled exclamation in Korean. I'm guessing she said something like, "Wo! That's a lot of plaque." Then, she proceeded to "scale" my teeth. The cleaning I received at Mee was a little different from what I recall getting back in the Homeland. Yes, it was a little uncomfortable (especially due to my sensitive gums), but my teeth didn't end up feeling violated by buffing tools and fluoride as it has from past cleanings. The hygienist did do a lot of prodding and twirling in between my teeth, but it felt as if she was giving my teeth a thorough cleaning.

The service at Mee is excellent. They are very considerate. Usually, when I'm in the dentist chair, I'm gagging on saliva and water before I'm finally allowed to spit. At Mee, the staff made sure to stop regularly and allow me to daintily rinse my mouth in a mini-sink.

After the scaling, the hygienist sat down and gave me the lowdown on my teeth. This is the point when I should have admitted that I couldn't understand everything she was saying, but instead, through gestures and some familiar vocabulary, I simply guessed at what she was saying (this tendency to guess is a very bad habit of mine). I don't know the Korean for common dental terms, but if I understood correctly, she basically told me that I need a couple of fillings and should replace a couple of old fillings. Eeps.

She then gave me a very helpful demonstration of how I should brush my teeth. Apparently, I've been too rough on my gums. She also told me that, ideally, I should brush four times a day! This must be why I'm always seeing Korean women brushing their teeth in public restrooms. I was surprised that she made no mention of flossing. Dentists are always lecturing me about flossing.

The scaling took less than 30 minutes and cost 60,000 won (without insurance). I wish I had come earlier in the year. I will have to return again next winter, if not sooner. Maybe I should take care of those fillings...Cyndi, onegaishimasu...

BB Cream Week: M.D. Formula Nutritious B.B. Cream by It's Skin

When we first hopped on the B.B. Cream bandwagon (before we became entrenched in the seedy beauty underworld of eyelash extensions and chemical peels), we used the M.D. Formula Nutritious B.B. Cream by It's Skin. We were hooked by the fact that it was "dermatologist tested," but now I know that most of the B.B. creams have been tested by a paid professional. In fact, the "Clinically tested" thing is sort of It's Skin's shtick, part of their whole branding. Anyway, it's been a while since we've used It's Skin's BB Cream, so we decided to examine the sample packet once again, only this time, with much more knowledge and expertise (haha).

VIDEO (Watch the magic unfold before your very eyes):
Here's a brief video demonstration. I just reviewed all of my BB cream videos on jumpcut and realize that the results of the BB creams are barely perceptible. I swear that the effects are much more apparent in iMovieHD.



OUR THOUGHTS:
Before we knew better, we sent a couple of friends their own tubes of It's Skin's "Nutritious B.B. Cream." All we have to say is, sorry, friends. We realize now that the B.B. Cream is mediocre. To begin with, if you're trying to cover up any of the more brazen pimples, you'll need to dab on some extra BB cream. More than anything, the cream simply made my complexion go from inherently pale to wan. The cream is also slightly drying on my skin, and doesn't stay on very long. On the other hand, my sister and our friends back in the Homeland seem to like It's Skin's BB Cream, so it may just not be right for my skin. If I remember correctly, It's Skin's BB Cream is in the man-won price range, so one of the pluses, is that it's a good bargain.