Category: Randomness….

A Good Time, Excursions, parks, Random, Randomness...., Shanghai, summer

Hot New Shanghai Exercise

by AnnLeave a Comment on Hot New Shanghai Exercise
Hot New Shanghai Exercise

A great Sunday spending time in the park with friends. It’s still smoldering hot and humid as what I presume hell to be like, but I don’t mind a bit of sweat in a relief to escape the air con. The highlight of the park was two grannies exercising. And exercise they did….

My new bike. The day before I left for vacation my bike was stolen and below is my new beauty, a “Flying Pigeon”.

Bike in the park

Garden Hotel Park. Hot, hot, hot.

Shanghai sky

Weird exercise and lots of hitting yourself as exercising are common sites in China. But this woman took it to another level. I admire her.

IMG_3363

And then she got her friend to take part. “Bear walking” the hot new exercise among the older exercisers in Shanghai. Give it a try – it tones your whole body and will give you killer buns!

Two! bear walking grannies

Korea, Randomness...., Uncategorized

This is just a test

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It is test day in Korea.  The test is sort of the equivalent of taking the SAT, but much more serious for Korean students.  There is quite the hierarchy of universities here and everybody wants to get into the top three but most don’t.  This test, in a way, determines the students’ lives.  Will they go to a good university, will they get a good job, what is their destiny?  The education system and culture here are so intense, too intense I think, but interesting nonetheless.  On the other hand, there can be good things about test day:

Stressed Students Enjoy Freebies

P.S.  Discounts on plastic surgery?!?!  Some (a lot of!?) people are so vain here!

Randomness...., Uncategorized

Entrances

by AnnLeave a Comment on Entrances

Lately I have found entrances intriguing.  I don’t know why; maybe because the entrance of a place is like a first impression.  The entrance tells you what you are walking in to?  There are also some nice gated entrances around my place which make me want to see the inside of resident.

Below is my entrance.  I think it looks like a bank vault, but don’t be fooled there are no riches inside.

Clothes, Korea, Randomness....

The best things about style blogs right now…..

by AnnLeave a Comment on The best things about style blogs right now…..

is…..Kendi‘s 30 for 30 challenge.  It’s great see what the style bloggers put together to step out of the house in – and the best part is that there is no shopping while doing the 30 for 30.  It has inspired me.  When I first came to Korea I felt naked, not because I didn’t have clothes, but because all I could bring over was limited to two suitcases.  Four seasons in two suitcases!  Could you imagine!  Yes, you probably could, but with my closet I had before and all the clothes in it…I couldn’t imagine it.  But, now I can – I am dealing and doing okay.  Just as the 30 for 30 challenge incorporates remixing, layering, and trying new things with your clothes, so did coming to Korea with only two suitcases.

It is hard to shop here because I am slightly bigger and taller than most the women here and don’t even get me started on Gmarket.  It’s a seizure waiting to happen – just try to buy something.

Randomness....

Costume Questions

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I have decided that I am going to be a unicorn for Halloween.  Coming up with a unicorn costume has left me with many (strange) thoughts:

What color and type of pants do unicorns wear?

How big is a unicorn horn?

Do unicorns have wings?  (I’m told no)

The questions are endless…………..

Clothes, Randomness....

Productive Day

by Ann1 Comment on Productive Day

I love productive days and today felt good.  I talked with family members, got a haircut, new contacts and glasses, caviar face lotion (I’m assuming it will make me look like a thousand bucks), ate pizza, vegetable shopped, and picked up a pair of sweatshirt chucks.  I want to wear them to bed tonight, they are sweatshirt material after all.

Korea, Randomness....

Bumpers on cars – and not the kind you think

by AnnLeave a Comment on Bumpers on cars – and not the kind you think

From the second I walked out of the airport upon arriving in Korea I noticed something interesting about some of the cars here.  It seems that there are no “old, beater-up” cars here but everyone has a new and always polished car.  That was interesting but not the weird thing I saw.  The odd aspect of the cars here was this:

After I figured out what these were I thought, though unsightly, they were a pretty good ideas.  They are little bumpers on the side of car doors so you never get “nicked” by another car that parked too close and you don’t slam your polished car door into anyone else’s polished car door.  Smart but I don’t know if I would put one on my Lexus (that is when I get one..ha ha..)

Randomness....

Dreams…..

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Picasso: The Dream

Dreams are both frivolous and deep.  Last night for example:  I’m pretty sure my dreams were trying to tell me to work on my resume and get a haircut.  Which one should I start on first?

Randomness....

Music to my hears

by AnnLeave a Comment on Music to my hears

So, I am secretly (or not so secretly) a Kanye West fan.  It’s an indulgence I don’t like to admit to.  If someone asked me what kind of music I listened to I would totally put on my cool music front and would not even come close to mentioning Kanye.  That being said I am excited for his new album which I think comes out in November.  I am excited for it, except for the song he did on the MTV music awards (that chorus is the worst!).

Besides that album, new Belle and Sebastian music comes out in early October (B&S:  an old favorite of mine) and I am wanting to get the old She and Him CD as well as some Jenny and Johnny tracks.  And I will get all of these things thanks to my subscription at Emusic.

Randomness...., Uncategorized

My favorite things around the home

by Ann2 Comments on My favorite things around the home

Things that are making me happy around the home (apartment):

In the frame: a print Kyle picked up from a thrift store in Japan. The vase and flowers: the vase I made from an old stir-fry seasoning bottle and wrapped with the rope from the flowers. Flowers: from the street vendor. Piggy bank: where I save my millions and gazillions!
A his and hers of whiskey and wine. Apples and the rare and expensive (in Korea) avocado to supplement.
A flower by the bed - a must when you have them.
It's no coat rack but the hooks help keep the house clean (and the dart board up).
Rugs - they bring me an unbelieveable amount of joy. The pseudo wood floor get so gross and dirty so it's nice to able to step out of the shower, dry your feet off on the rug, and then place your dry feet in house slippers or house moccasins.
More flowers in yet another makeshift vase
I cannot forget Scrabble. A great game and I actually beat Kyle once or twice!
And, of course, my favorite thing in the apartment.