Project 2. Start.

If I were to describe my hobbies lately, the list will go like this:
reading, listening to audio book, watching TV series, surfing the net for my other hobbies like baking, gardening and knitting and blogging about it.

Since I am now ready to move on to my new project, which is going to be finished by my birthday, I will have to plan what I will make with it.
I have 2 balls of dark gray yarn I got for 10K (50% discount) waiting for me.
I've been thinking about making another neck warmer but I already have a semi-gray one which I got from uniqlo so I'm reconsidering to try to venture to a a scowl or wider infinity scarf this time. But that would mean it will need more balls. Hmm..planning, planning, planning. Well let it rest at that for the time being.

Update (March 19)

So here is how far I've done as of today. 20 rows. I've only done a bit today.  I've actually done this much since last week coz I pulled it out and restarted from  zero since I found an extra row on one side but not on the other side. And when I tried to fix it, I ended up adding another one. I certainly hope it won't happen again. 

My target is to do ten rows every week. It took me almost an hour to do that last time while watching Doc Martin. With about 60 stitches per row, it's taking a little while to get through a row. I've decided to go for a wider infinity scarf for now. Or it might end up as a wider neck warmer. It depends if I get sick of working on this later that I might look for another color. I'm looking at going for 120 rows. After doing a bit of math, it should be finished ony birthday. Haha!

As for the yarn, the two balls I bought initially for a neck scarf will definitely not be enough. I may need an extra one or two which would prolly set me back another 10 k if I get it at 50% discount again. We'll see. I might change my mind half-way. 

Knitting Reboot: Picking up Where I Left Off

My first knitting project is finished! 

I was able to finally find a new ball to continue my unfinished project when my SIL dragged me at the shop (where I originally bought it) last Friday. I only needed less than a ball and luckily I found one in the discounted box. The lady gave it to me for free. I also took the chance to take a photo of the label coz I lost mine before.  

    

This is how much I've finished with the first ball that I got last year. This was my second run on the yarn before I ran out of it. It wasn't that good so I totally restarted again for the 3rd time just to make it better. It hurts to pull the strings off but it was really awful that I had to do it. If I were a teacher going to put a grade on it, it will be just around 60-70%.

I started it over the weekend, logging in long hours and really pushed it until Monday. The next day, I had to find the needle in order for me to sew it up together in a loop. And Wednesday, I was able to wash it and I'm now waiting for it to dry. I can't wait to use it tomorrow with the remaining winter-spring cold that is blowing through the peninsula this week. 

the width: showing where the ends were sewn together 

The final sewing together wasn't not good, I think. I am almost sure that I started with 40 but ended up with 43. Plus I had a really long tail to cut off! 

the length: good enough to cover my neck and nose
during the cold winter walk

That's it! My first project. I can now move on to a new one with better skills and experience. To sum up that one, here are my notes:

Project: neck warmer, that can double as a beanie

What I used: #5 wooden round needles

                    100% acrylic, 80g/3 

                    Pink Color 39, Lot 3               

How: Longcast 40 that turned out to be 43 (I think)
130 rows of garter stitch all throughout

and regular bind off

Duration: 3 Days, 4 sleepless nights :)

Now for the next one...

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

This story really stayed on my mind after reading it somewhere a couple of years ago while choosing some books for my son. I clearly remember the book cover illustration that look just like any light children's story only to find out that it is quite a totally different one. Far from it actually as it deals with Holocaust with a little boy as the main characters. It isn't exactly a non-fiction like Anne Frank's diary but how it ends is pretty interesting.

I had the chance to finally watch the movie yesterday on Netflix after saving it on my list for some time. It was captivating and it made me think how the characters, kids and adults alike, developed their roles. The storytelling used very subtle scenes except for the denouement when the parents found their son missing. 

I had to check and reread the end part of ebook again to figure out how much was actually changed from the book to the movie. It was interesting to see how they managed to bring movie ending into a climatic and dramatic one fit for a movie. 

I like how the final shot was a room full of striped pajamas. Poetic and eerie. 

After watching that, I started reading other book reviews and found some negative ones on how there should be no kids in those labor camps and all other criticisms about fact checking and it's effects of wrong information for the younger readers. I have no idea if the writer really meant any of it as educational but it's not listed as non-fiction anyway. 

Just like every book you read, take it with a grain of salt. 

Eating in Public

"Eating alone, going solo or eating on a bench alone is not the usual norm in Korea."
I've heard this one before and it was surprise that the fact that it matters matter. I'm like, really? I've never felt any stigma on it except that the restos wouldn't really be happy with me hugging a big space that can accommodate other patrons if that was the case. I do try to make myself occupy minimal space, or go in during non-rush hour time. If it was during that time, I try to eat and leave quickly. But other than that, I have no problem dining alone at all.

Another one is eating on benches or even on buses. Haha! I try to be discreet when I eat in the bus or trains of course. And try to clean up any crumbs if there is. One that I find myself doing more often is eating on the bus stops. One might ask why? My answer would be, why not? I am hungry!  (and more for these following reasons)

1. I am hungry and would rather have something on my tummy before I get in the bus than be hungry and feel carsick (just because those don't go together nicely, to say the least.)

2. Specially on a cold day, a warm burrito or sandwich on my hand is a better hand warmer for my hand and my tummy. And we go back to number one equation of Hungry + Bus ride = motion sickness, nausea

3. I am hungry, no time to eat elsewhere so I will eat anywhere, as long as I have something to eat.

One good thing of being a foreigner in Korea is that I don't have to fit in this kind of "silly" ideas. So far, no one has ever bothered me dining alone outside because I am obviously not a Korean. I wonder if there other country or culture that dining out alone is a problem except in their closely-related neighbor, Japan.

Bottom line, I will eat because I am hungry even if I am alone.

Breadmaker...Yahoo!

A bread machine! Yay!

My dear K SIL has decided to give me her old-but-seldom used bread machine yesterday! 

I just had to try it last night after we got home and set the timer in advance to be finished baking by the next day. It went off splendidly, albeit a bit dark coz I didn't take it out right away for about 10 minutes. 

Since it's an older model,  the loaf shape is almost a cube and not a horizontal one.
I had to slice it upwards (from the bottom) at first before running it crosswise. This first one was a pre-mix from a box so it's almost like the one from the store. Nothing fancy and almost airy. I actually prefer more bulk than air.

I have to try my pandesal dough with oats soon. But first, I had to check some more next time how much flour can it handle. I couldn't resist it today so I tried a plain bread flour one which used 3 C but perhaps I put lesser water than it should be so it ended up a little dry. I should have just put 2.5 C of flour and 1 C water. But I did 3 and less water. I even just shaped them into 10 pcs when I should have done 20.

I've just tried the dough setting but it was pretty noisy after it has been mixed initially that my husband had to stop it. Which was alright, as long as it was well mixed and all it needs is to rise. I let it rise for more than an hour. Then, I removed it from the machine and shaped it to bake in the oven.

Managed to shape it out after that and baked it for almost 30 minutes with the first 20 minutes covered with foil. I figured it's pretty big so it would need longer time and it might burn. But alas, it still turned out with a crunchy bottom and top. Still soft inside, to my relief. Our breakfast is ready for tomorrow!

But that is not all! I still have another baking post for today...

Novice Home Baker Series: Persimmon Bread

So I was woken up with the bread maker machine finishing the bread this morning. Exactly on time as it should be. My menu manipulations worked!

Midday, I started to try out the dough feature and produced this. 

But wait! My baking day isn't over yet. I still have some over ripe frozen persimmons rescued from the bin waiting for me to be used in..what else but..Hachiya Persimmon Bread.



My SIL asked me to throw out a box of frozen Hachiya persimmon but when I saw it, I found some decent looking ones that I thought can be saved and made into a quick bread. Even though I haven't got any recipe on hand, I have found a few after searching online.

a. 1:1:1 (flour, sugar and puree) and orange juice
b. backtoherroots uses 2 C whole wheat and 1.5 C AP + bourbon
c. bonappetit.com uses 3/4 each of whole wheat and AP flour, and orange zest

Narrowing it down to two or three recipes, it came down to this ubiquitous recipe that kept showing up in more than two blogs. I just had to try it for myself. This one is from an old book "Beard on Bread" by James Beard. The recipe was shared on a blog here by David le Bovitz.

Here are the basic ingredients but not everything. Better head out to the link above for the rest.

2 C persimmon puree
3.5 C flour AP
2 C sugar
2 t b. soda
1 t nutmeg

1 C butter
4 L eggs
2/3 C Cognac 

I followed most of the recipe except for sugar which I cut down to 1 C brown and 1/2 white, canola oil instead of butter, and only half and half of sunflower seeds and raisins. It was able to fill up 4 mini-pans each with 1.5 C (Korean cup, this time) and some more enough to fill the small glass container that I got from the dollar store. 

I gave a loaf to my SIL and I still have to find out how it taste from her tomorrow. There are two surprise ingredients for here: the persimmons that she asked me to throw this morning and Cognac (which I took out from my crowded door fridge.) 

Well see tomorrow how it goes! 

Yoga Blues...

This is basically how I fared with my yoga class attendance last year.

I have yet to really get back to it seriously this year. I tried once in Feb but just didn't work out. March it will be. Fingers crossed.

Lord of the Rings: Rereading

"Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement." - Gandalf, Tolkien's Lord of the Ring, book 1, The Fellowship of the Ring, p. 58

I've finally started rereading this book yesterday, even orally at that. It will be a long journey but I hope to see it through. I've read this one more than ten years ago, or maybe more or less 15 years ago when I was in my teens. I almost forgot most details but I remembered how I enjoyed getting lost in the pages of the book. It will be a good one before bedtime to get me to sleep instead of some electronic gadget. 

Going back to the quote, I just have to stop and ponder on this line. I am not a violent kind of person personally but it made me think of death penalty. It's so easy to be swayed to it amidst the hatred full if shit that is happening almost everywhere in this world. Most religious thoughts would go against death penalty and it would just sound too cliche already. Yet, still, with an Yiruma piano playing in my background while reading, it made me stop and write these thoughts. 

Now, more pages to plod through in search of another quote to write about next time. 

Korean Mart Delivers (even in winter)

It's almost the end of February but winter is still around, making it's presence felt and seen today. I should have known this coming when my nose has started to hurt because of the dry air lately.  

It was pretty cloudy in the morning and I was just expecting some rain later today but I was delighted to see some snow fall as I head back home midday. It was snow but it still melted upon hitting the ground. It started to fall harder when I got in and it wasn't melting anymore. The ground has quickly turned to white as my headache progressed and drove me under covers for a nap. 

An hour or so later, it was still the same and even more on the ground. I suddenly remembered that we still have to get that sack of white rice from the mart. Good thing about living here is almost everything can be delivered! Did a quick listing up, made a phone call, and the goods were delivered before 6 pm. I feel a little bit guilty of having to ask someone to go through that snowy ground in this cold to work but....(this maybe our 2nd or 3rd coz I remember clearly the first month when we got here and found ourselves in this same situation)

I'm just thankful than I have enough balance in my card, and that service is available. Isn't it just very convenient? Thank you Korea.

Uniqlo Run

Another Uniqlo run today for the bra top sale. I got the steep 17,900 black sleeveless bra top and the marked down purple long sleeved-U-neck bra top for 5000 after the original price tags of 29,000 to 10,000 sticker.

17900 for the sleeveless, 5K for long-sleeved

I was torn trying to decide which one to get coz both were  priced at 17900 so I thought to get the sleeveless one first this time. But when I browsed a bit more, I found some long-sleeved ones that was down to 5K! The catch is it was in purple color, a little bit far from the plum one I got last year which turned out good on me. I wasn't sure about this one though. Good thing, it's U-neck so I can just hide it under the 5K blue sweater I got last time. That should do.

 

The bottom plum turtle neck was a good find last year. 

It was indeed a quick run coz I was in-between bus rides on the way home. It should be 20 or 30 minutes tops to get to the next bus in order for the bus transfer rate to work. I managed to get a 7:20ish bus, got off at the store around 7:35, found the tops and paid at 7:45, then headed out to wait for the 7:40 bus that will get to the store bus stop at least 5-10 minutes later. It still took 15 minutes later before I spotted the bus. Made it home at 8 o'clock.

Got to wrap this up coz I still have to prep the baking for tomorrow to give away as it's the last day of P's 5th grade.

Nature's Quest

I remembered this book over the weekend when I was looking for some devotional but couldn't find any nice one online. This book had been a dear one to read with all the science and nature stuff.

CEGF

I've heard this one talked about in NPR and thought that I might check it out. Sure it has a lot of funny stuff and I manage to enjoy some of the music as well, except for some really not-so-comfortable one for my ears. Why is it that all of these current shows just can't have some clean music without a lot of trash? Is  it really that hard to make and sell these programs without the need for those?

Peace or Victory?

Just random thought this morning as I fry some Korean cabbage pancakes. 

Why do Korean do the V sign when taking pictures ALL THE TIME? I've asked a some before and they said it's for V - victory. Sure, like we just won in something and it's time for the victory shot. No. Coz that is definitely not the case most of the time.  

So I pose this question to my KH.

"Why do Koreans do the V sign when taking pictures?"

Everybody does it. And he has never thought about exactly why but it's something one does without thinking. 

That sure got me nowhere. Here is my theory ---wait! That's too heavy for a word. Just my funny ideas running wild. Or better yet, these are some reasons why. 

a. Everybody does it. 

b. They feel they just don't know what to do with their hands when it's photo time. 

c. It's for V - victory. Victory for all seasons and reasons. 

d. It's for "peace" sign.

e. The Japanese do that, so they followed. (This will definitely get some violent reactions from the Koreans.)

f. It's either the c or d, VICTORY or PEACE since South Korea is still technically at war with the North. There's this subconscious thing to show victory or peace. 

(That is my own joke which I understand if not everybody will get it.)

Mind you, I am not the only one who has blogged about this ubiquitous V-signs. There's a couple more expat bloggers like American blogger Jonathan, another anonymous Brit who dug a 'lil bit on it's history and has taken time to write more about it. A lot of people also posted the question and askaKorean blogger also mentions it in one post. 

But what tops it all is the article by Stephanie Burnette for TIME magazine, no less, back in Aug. 2014! And it isn't just a Korean thing; it's an East Asian one! So there goes my "theory" for the Koreans. :D

As to when, if I, will get to the habit of doing that, I don't know. The things you do when you've lived in a place like Korea! I'll try to resist. My smile should be enough for the picture. (just being me) 

There's one more thing I've noticed (and a bit annoyed by it) is the other not-too-famous mass hand gesture (the fist) in Korea, FIGHTING! Over zealous picture-taking sessions in group shots will usually three clicks: plain kimchee (no hand signs), the V-sign and last but not the least, the fist while shouting FIGHTING! 

Lunar New Year 2016 Calendar

It's been a constant annoyance to not be able to follow birthdays and other Korean events that follows the lunar calendar specially if it is not the kind that gets printed on the usual calendars. I've had a lot of "surprise" events just popping out and I had to rush to do stuff because I had no idea it was up coming. Totally not fun at times.

I've tried to google for a Korean lunar calendar but it only showed other stuff that I was not really looking for like the moon. Totally not very helpful for me specially I live faaar from the beach. (I used to used to keep track of the moon phases to decide when is the best time to head out to the beach.) This I've mentioned to a couple of Koreans and some light finally broke in when my SIL told me to just google for lunar calendar. It wasn't that easy but after trying it again late last year, I managed to spot a table of Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion.

With the Lunar New Year coming, I had to update the saved calendar on my drive, as well as my google calendar. Search I did, again. Took me a while so this time I just had to write an entry about it for future reference.

better search word: gregorian lunar calendar 2016
sites:

• Hongkong Calendar - Gregorian Lunar Calendar Conversion Table
• chinesegenderchart.info - provides specific date conversion (not a table)But this one has the chart though. I just can't remember how I got here.
  2017 Lunar Calendar

And here is the 2017 Lunar Calendar the hko.gov for future reference.

Tea Blogger

While searching for clues on which one I'll try out first, I've come across a tea lover's blog called "Laura's Tea Room" with a lot of tea reviews. It is interesting to find out what to expect from the other flavors in my set. I found a few that are similar to what I have now and a few more that I have to watch out for if I do get a chance to find one.

These has been pretty informative and helpful.

• Settling Ginger - I think the author got that punch because she used two bags while I only tried one.
• Winter Spice -  This entry made me decide to put off opening the box now and save it for the next winter. IF I can wait that long, that is. 
• Comforting Liquorice - It says sweet. Maybe my son will like it. More possibility. I have yet to try it myself although Laura's review wasn't that great.
• Orange and Lotus Flower Green Tea - The green tea part lack luster for me since it's pretty common where I currently live but after reading the review, I got interested a bit more since the main ingredient is orange and not the green tea.

As for the other entries about other flavors that interested me, I would like to try these:

• Intensely Tropical - pineapple, blood orange and lime (fruity tea) ---how tropical can you get!
• Summer Berries - black, rasp and straw (another fruity one)
• Blackcurrant Burst - "perfect for those icy cold days" quoting from her entry. That line made me want to try this. Plus, I liked a blackcurrant flavored candy back in high school.

Finally, not exactly a review of a specific flavor but Twinings in general. 

"Why I like Twinings" 

I might just try to write one of my own version one day. Is there any page that has something like along the lines of "Twinings Stories?"

Twinings Review: Cran and Rasp, Settling Ginger

The first pick from the set.

This is what my son picked to try out for the first time today. It was a good choice since it was the only fruity mix in the batch. It taste just as it should, berrylicious. Tangy enough for me but I still enjoyed it better with something to munch on as my son and I watched a movie. I would have chosen a different one, ginger for my throat or winter spice since it's still in season anyway, but this wasn't such a bad choice.

Nonetheless, I can't resist to try the ginger after dinner. I am a big fan of ginger to start with, munching on fresh ginger occasionally for carsickness and throat problems, so I was ready for whatever punch it will give. There is nothing much on that level but I liked the added spices of cinnamon, cloves and liqourice. It gave the slight sweet taste that isn't really sugar. My son suggested that I add something sweet like honey but I think it is good as it is. But who knows, I might just try doing that later for experiment.

I've really fallen in love with Twinings teas ever since tasting it a few years back. I'm so happy with this set that I have a lot to choose from. With the other tea blends just waiting in those easy to open ziplocs, I can't wait to try out the others. I've finally found a caffeine-free drink that I can totally enjoy hot or cold without a lot of fuss of any leftover.

I might just not be able to resist to open those other flavors these following days. Wouldn't it be fun to be able to have a different one everyday of the week? :D

Twinings Tea Gift

My friend's overdue tea gift set has made it here before they expire this year, finally! I only asked for a couple of boxes but she sent ten boxes. It took a long time to get here but here they are and I am now confused which one to open first to taste.

I thought about trying out the ginger first since it's winter and I have an itchy throat. My son ended up choosing the Cranberry and Raspberry. Upon closer inspection, I also noticed that they all have different best before date. If I can't totally decide which flavors and blends, I'll have to factor this in.

So here is the break down according to BBD.
June - Purify; the box has the only one with a plastic seal
September 9 - Raspberry and Cranberry
October - (9)Settling Ginger, (8) Soothing Camomile, (6)Invigorating Peppermint, (7) Calming Camomile
November - (9)Green Tea Orange and Lotus Flower, (7) Comforting Liquorice, (7) Winter Spice

My plan is to consume this 2 or 3 different teas at a time.
So first on the list this end of winter and throughout spring are:
1. the berries
2. ginger
3. camomile and honey

Next will be:
4. peppermint
5. camomile
6. and maybe Purify or
7. green tea with orange and lotus flower

Around Fall/Winter (Oct.)
8. Liquorice
9. Winter Spice

That's the plan anyway. I'm checking how to store them to last at least until the next winter since this year's season is almost over. Boy! It does sound a bit complicated and I'm hoping that I'll be able to do it right so that no box will go to waste.

The original boxes were not in good condition anymore so I had to throw most of them. I moved the tea bags in separate ziploc bags and put them in an empty biscuit tin. 

My Vegetarian Fix

My vegetarian fix,
with the song "You Raise Me Up,"
playing in the background as I partake the dish.

It was a sunny but still chilly winter day when I went in the Loving Hut place so I ordered Kalgukso Noodles with Perilla. It was so creamy and I had very generous serving as expected. It's way beyond my capacity not to mention the other side dishes so it took me almost an hour to finish. 

I only managed to clean up the apple cabbage salad while the main noodles had some leftover. Nonetheless, I left the place with a full and satisfied tummy. A good way to start my afternoon walk before heading in for the long weekend!

Bus Thoughts

Been in and out a couple of times today because of split-time classes and yoga which gave a lot of thinking time during the bus rides to and fro. 

On the way to uniqlo: 20, 30. My mind was listing up what I plan to buy and how much is my budget. I thought about limiting it to 20k or 30k at the most. I ended up with less than 20. 

2 pcs. M size extra warm underpants for men (5k each)
2 pairs of low cut socks for P (1,900 each)
1 pc lambs wool blue sweater (5k)

All with layers of red stickers. The sweater was a steal coz it's almost like a thrift store price except that it's still new. I've been eyeing the heat tech bra tops but at almost 18k a piece, I've got to give it a few more thoughts until next week. That will probably put me back big time. 

I'm still eyeing a couple more shirt which still has two red stickers on them. I'll see if they manage to get to the third one or fourth, less than 10k and I might buy. haha! 

That's it for my uniqlo haul this month. :) 

Onto other thoughts: Oh! I totally forgot now. Oh, well. Laters. 

10 minutes later..

I just remembered another thing that caught my eye during one of the bus ride. There was this thin, hunched-old man who was crossing the pedestrian with such agility, almost comical. It totally looked like a comic scene from somewhere as he try to cross with his back bent almost 45 degrees forward, holding his walking stick, furiously trying to beat the blinking pedestrian along the middle of a busy road. 

That was the initial thought but it made me realize that it can be funny on screen but gives a different one in real life. It evokes a different thought --- the bone health during the later years. I sure need a to do a lot of yoga for that. 

Ed Related News Articles in Korea

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