dream gig.

I interned as a writer for a Marketing & PR firm back in the day, drafting press releases and writing copy for ads and such. It was probably the most boring thing ever, trying to be "creative" about an insurance company or a bank. Insurance and banks are boring, people. Just plain boring. There's not much anyone can do with 0% APR and all that bonkers stuff banks tell you before they gobble up all your money and collapse.

I would LOVE being a writer at Modcloth, though (I'm not sponsored by them - or any other site - I just really like their stuff).

The "Cognac West Boots".

"Listen, I'm really happy for all the other boots you own, and you can wear them later, but you need to know - I am one of the best boots of ALL TIME. I work harder, make ensembles better, zip up faster, and my heel is stronger than all the other boots out there! Just slip me on, pop in the 'Cognac West Work It Plan', and my perfectly rounded toe, faux stacked wood heel, and gold-buckled ankle strap will get your outfit lookin' riiight! So, you've got a party tonight, and oh, you're so excited? Well, toss on a fierce frock, don me on your feet, you'll be able to get down, girl - go ahead, get down! Snap me up now, 'cause you can clearly see, you'll never find any boots better than me. I'll keep your boot love locked down. "

* * *

BEST. COPY. EVER. I could totally do that, right? I've got oodles and oodles of writing experience. And I will work for cute dresses (or just this dress... and this one). So, y'know... call me! Oh, and hey, just in case you didn't know, it's my birthday today (since it's officially December 1st in Korea - has been for 9 hours). So... yeah. Okay? ;)

I'll post about my birthday dress later!

gondolier stripes.

The reminds-me-of-Italy dress came to Korea with my momma two weeks ago, but I just got around to wearing it today. 'Cuz I'm like that, yo.

I'm sorry about the booty shots. This was one of the only ways I could fit myself into the frame and simultaneously deal with the pesky PhotoBooth timer. Or maaaaaaybe it's just a ploy to show off my shapely derriere. Mwahahahaha. ;)

I had my doubts about this dress and seriously considered returning it because it's ABSOLUTELY, RIDICULOUSLY short on me. Worn alone, it would guarantee me a spot on Winona's chocha roundup. Ermmmm, yeah. That's an honor I'd like to steer clear of for a good long while. To also avoid flashing my chocha to 260 pubescent boys (wouldn't they just looooove that), I layered a black pencil skirt over it.

My birthday dress came with this one - pictures to come tomorrow!

Dress, Modcloth. Skirt, Ann Taylor. Scarf, from Korea. Jacket, H&M. Tights, Tabio. Boots (not shown), Nine West.

berry berry good.

OMG STRAWBERRIES. WITH LITTLE PEARL BEADS. ON MY EARS.

On the way home from work, I treated myself to a pair of THE CUTEST EARMUFFS EVER.*
Winter accessories in Korea are just too cute to pass up. And cheap!
I'm going to stock up before heading back to a freezing cold Boston next year.
Yes, I have the taste level of an 8-year old. Deal with it.





*Hey, it's my birthday on Tuesday, alright?

thankful.

True to form, I've come down with my usual Thanksgiving bout of sickness. Sigh. We all have our own traditions, right? Mine is getting ridiculously sick and blowing my nose all the way through Thanksgiving dinner. I'm not with my family right now (boo hiss)... and being physically ill makes me even more homesick than ever. I'm dying for some mashed potatoes and turkey with lots of gravy. It doesn't help that next Tuesday is my birthday. Feh.

BUT! The husband will be here on the 13th of December, and the little brother will follow shortly on the 20th... as well as a college buddy coming in on January 2nd! I'm so excited about having visitors! I've made reservations for me, my husband and my little brother at a fancy shmancy restaurant in Seoul on New Year's Eve. It's in a tower. And it spins around, apparently. Definitely excited.

I am so so so thankful for all of my amazing, wonderful, supportive family and friends! :)

And I'm also thankful for: tissues, vitamin C packets, hot cafe mochas, kimchi, purple nail polish, fuzzy earmuffs, Prada/Miu Miu shoes (what, aren't you?), amazing blogger friends, cute stickers, heated floors, fried chicken, Chapstick, adorable 7th graders, ramen, Tylenol (extra strength), my new comforter (soooo warm), good skin (thanks mom!), and Farmville. Hehe.

around.

I'm still alive. Just haven't been up to posting much.

back pain, among other things.

Oh hey hey.

- My mom's in town.

- My mom snores. Me + people who snore = BAD. No sleep for this one.

- I'm SWAMPED with requests to translate random things (rules for a golf tournament...?)

- I'm also swamped with requests to tutor random people.

- I've discovered that three layers of clothing is NOT sufficient in winter.

- Therefore, I'm fairly certain I'm going to freeze to death this winter.

- There's something wrong with one of those pesky muscles in my back - y'know, one of those ones that are vital to standing. And sitting. And bending forward. And bending backward. And sideways. Let's not forget sideways!

- I walk by a fried chicken place every day (it's next to my apartment building). Do I even have to tell you how tempting fried foods SMELL in the dead of winter...?

- It's going to be -8 degrees Celsius tomorrow. And it's going to snow.

To sum it all up:

Best Site EVER.

Yep.

super mario.

After several weekends of being sick/moping around the apartment, I finally made it out into civilization last night. A friend and I went shopping at Dongdaemun Market - which is not really a market, it's more like a massive maze of huge buildings filled to the rafters with clothing, accessories, shoes, bags, etc. It took us 4 hours just to get through ONE building.

I bought two hats (only one shown in this post), and a f*cking awesome shirt.

Cute pom-pom hat.


SUPER MARIO YES!

I wanted to buy the Luigi one (yes, they had a Luigi one, too) for my husband and do a weird couple thing, but I think he would probably burn it. So I bought the Mario for myself. You can't really see it through the photo, but Mario's face is made out of a very, very soft material. I find myself absentmindedly stroking my boob area.

My mom is in the country - has been for a few days. She's staying with me until next week!

pepero day.

Today was Pepero Day. Pepero is a cookie brand that was developed by the Lotte Company (one of the biggest processed food companies in Korea - think of them as Nabisco or Frito-Lay). Pepero is the Korean version of Pocky sticks - thin "cookie" sticks smothered in chocolate that come in slim little boxes. November 11th is Pepero Day because the date is 11/11. Four sticks, you see?

It's really popular among younger students to buy these little boxes of cookies for their friends... or their crushes... or whatever. I bought a bunch for the soccer kids and soccer coaches, and ended up receiving a box or two myself.

My favorite are these "nude" Pepero sticks, which have the chocolate on the inside of a hollow cookie stick. Addictive. Delicious. Totally terrible for your waistline.

Aaaanyway, I need to detox a little bit from eating so many Pepero sticks. And also from stress-eating the last week or two. I've put about 4 or 5 pounds of "winter weight" on, and I can really feel the difference those few pounds make.

zip it good.

Zip Tie Zipper // WendyB in Francis Zipper Dress

What a fun, slightly cheeky way of doing the matchy-matchy look with your significant other! I was doing my usual troll of Etsy (I was vaguely thinking of holiday gifts...), and this tie was in the 'Handpicked Items' section. I almost immediately thought of the adorable zipper dress from Francis!

The tie is available from Cyberoptix TieLab - check it out for interesting gift ideas for an avid tie lover! There are pretty scarves available for us wimminfolk.

Outtakes.

Some pictures from here and there in Korea that I never got around to posting!

The younger soccer coach after playing in a game.


The son of one of the high school teachers.


Something I drew for the middle school chemistry teacher (he actually looks like that!).


A shot of the back.


Random mushrooms in a random field.


One of my favorite kids!


Don't know what's going on with the umbrella.


Going up in flames/smoke?

I'm going out on Wednesday for another foreign teacher's good-bye party, and then shopping with a friend in Dongdaemun on Saturday! Just taking it easy at the moment... before I get into my super-extreme workout routine. Hubby, little bro and momma are all coming to visit in December, and I need to be in tip-top shape to entertain them and show them around Korea!

gelato, per favore.

I've been peripherally aware of Modcloth.com for quite a while now, but never actually visited the site until about a week ago. Shame on me! After spending hours and hours looking at adorable little dresses, I finally settled on this dress that reminded me of Italy. I haven't been to Venice, but husband and I went to Milan... close enough. Heh.

Anyway, I will daydream about prancing around the streets of Milan and visiting the Duomo and eating delicious gelato (pistacchio e fragola!) when I wear this dress. Now I need a cute straw boater hat to finish off the look. Viva Italia! I also need to wait for my brother to bring it to me when he comes to Korea in December.

A shot of the Duomo from our trip in April!

I've been feeling a little bit weak and achy since yesterday, so I'm going to spend the weekend resting! Have a good one!

wolfish.

Winter look = lots of black (aka my protective armor) + odd earrings + blank expression/dark circles.

I've gotten into the odd habit of falling asleep on the bus (from school to home), and then waking up right before my stop. It's a little weird and I keep telling myself to stay awake, because I probably snore and drool and do all sorts of embarrassing things during my little snoozes. Ah well.

I want to go to FAO Schwarz and look at all the toys and dollhouses and buy myself a huge bag of candy. And then I want to go to Pop Burger for lunch. And then stroll around for hours (while avoiding Times Square) and go somewhere chic and classic New York for dinner.

Black shirt, Delia's. Earrings, eBay. Tired expression, spending an entire day with teenage boys.

winter style rut.

The sudden drop in temperature has completely thrown me off of my game (not that I really had much of a style game to begin with). It's a struggle to get dressed in the morning, and I usually end up moping on the floor (Korea has a neato floor heating system thingie) in my pajamas. I'm considering going into hibernation and just skipping winter altogether.

Haven't been in much of a writing mood, either. Bah.

I'm going to a friend's birthday dinner tonight.

And I wish someone would make a new layout for my blog.

That is all.