Cassiopeia's big stage debut was met with disaster as they were first up and sang White Christmas with no voice and gumption- ahhhh stage fright! But boy were they frisky before hand in their winter red and white garb ... Maybe they just needed to be chipmunking out already?
The girls were the chipettes with color coordinated hearts whereas our four boys were: Dave (yellow and played by Gi Hyun), Simon (played by my Jong Ha with the blue 'S'), Theodore (green and played by Min Hyuk of Draco class), and of course, the notorious Draco cutie trouble pie Young Woo was Alvin, Alvin... ALVINNNNNNNN!
They came to life as the chipmunks at the winter concert and were so awesome, all their lines memorized and delivered! And Christmas wasn't late! ;-)
Moved to speak... moved to write? Not so much these past months, well, outside of the magazine that is.
It's bizarre the way I'm beginning to regard Korea at the moment. I'm seeing through a mixture of exhaustion, cold yellow dust air with snow, and nostalgia. Nostalgia? Nolstagia and tenderness for the speed in which I've spun through my time here. Will I miss it? Miss is a strong word. Like all things, they have their moment in time and then they pass but impressions and memories stay true.
There are the tuna and pickle sandwiches at my local jjbang that I will miss along with the amazing massage chair. Getting to soap, soak, and scrub at a Korean spa for the equivalent of $4 is hard not to love- especially when there's no time restriction.
The overall cheapness of basic things would make anyone smile. The transportation (3o minute cab rides only cost the equiv. of $12), housing (equiv. $200), seasonal clothing and gadgets on every corner, private karaoke rooms complete with beer for only $5- these things will effect my transition back home most assuredly. I know the value of things and it will be hair raising to pay triple the price back in the states. The friends that have survived their prison sentence who I've shared close quarters with as well as my heart, I will miss them but there's a strange veil there, too.
Korea has been my home for almost a year and it has flown by... not soon enough. The economy crash has hit hard and made money wires back home laughable with the exchange rate. Ouch! The teaching is wearing on me as is the overall winter thing.
I'm holding my breath until Bali! Yay warm and tropical Christmas!
Still, it is unnerving to be leaving so soon, knowing I will never again be in this proximity with people I've grown to call good friends. Over the course of one year, I've said goodbye to atleast 40 Seoul souls. My star pupil is leaving at the end of the month and it feels like a pecking order at the school as the school year comes to a close. I suppose it's a reflection of what we do as move on and down any path but this one has always been terminal, as one friend puts it. It's just so exponentially terminal that you can't help but be un-phased and then be perturbed by the un-phasement.
Asia is checked off my list, South America is next for March. Who knows what 2009 will bring?
China was amazing! Tiananmen Square, rickshaws, The Forbidden City, The Temple of Heaven, The Summer Palace, The Ming Tombs, pearls, jade, silks, cloisonne, The Great Wall, Xi`an's Terra Cotta Soldiers...
although I was fairly ill and lacking juice in my camera, I managed a rickety little video that came to an appropriately abrupt stop:
An epic trip to say the least AND in addition to fabulous birthday celebrations... drum roll please dah-dah-dah-dah: Don proposed to Mom on the Great Wall so they will be officially tying the not! Guess who is to be the maid of honor? ;-)
This was an experience I won't soon forget! Click on the links below for the sights and splendor of China!
I don't know why but I needed to make this face having been forced into this photo op, I did my best to yuck it up The markets, the markets near Ayumi's house in Asakusa...
Alvin, Simon and Theodore- don't finger!
mmmmmmm rice crackers! Ayumi, Ella Umbrella, and Keiko at Asakusa Temple Memorial near the Asakusa templegrrrrr, he couldn't keep us out though ;-) Keiko said this was "the smart smoke" so we rubbed it into our brows Asakusa Pagoda
And then they decided that I must be dressed in a yukata, so off we went to Ayumi's so that her grandmother could tend to my fitting... it took nearly 35 minutes to swaddled up properly! I felt so purdy! The markets just outside the door of Ayumi's home... like the covered long malls of Brussels or Naples, there were street food vendors and bicylces and more! The palace entrance, in the center of Tokyo... gorgeous! It began to rain so there was an Ella with no umbrella! And yet, I seemed to be the only one not dampened by the downpour ;-) Peter, figuratively and literally, BIG in Japan most precious and unplanned gift, this sunset with this skyline city scapes and my girls frolicking in the thunder storm met by coral sun streaks The night cap- Ayumi's family's friend's sushi house.... mmmmmmmmmm Great day, grateful and satiated... we were carted around in a car by gracious hosts and found ourselves lost on a whirlwind tour of beauty, splendor and quirkiness. The sushi, was all we needed to put the perfect finishing touch on a perfect Tokyo Sunday!
I figure that before I head off to China, I should atleast share a bit of Japan with you... It's been a month or so since my return from the Land of the Rising Sun but it's still fresh in my mind...
The moment arrived on our first night, after some reggae in the park and a few wrong turns in subway stations... SUSHI SUSHI SUSHI! Cheap, purchase by the plate ala tapas in Barcelona, delicious SUSHI!!!!
The gods were smiling as I nodded in their direction and engorged myself with delectable treats and sake... my student from last year, Keiko was kind enough to offer herself as tour guide extraordinaire and brought along her dance teacher, Aki. I love them, dearly- almost as much as the sushi.
Keiko, little Eagle and Ella Umbrella, Mama Eagle- UNITE in Tokyo! Reunited and it feels so good! Couldn't get enough ginger and obviously, sushi... look at my plates! Yum!!! The fire festival, one of the many dress up in yukata occassions in Japan, was occurring the night we touched down in Nippon. We were in the midst of Shibuya photo booth craziness and the girls were all dolled up in their traditional wear and their Harajuku gear too! See the yukatas? They are quite difficult to master all by your lonesome, I found this out later...
Shibuya's famous intersection and flippin' boiling even at midnight! July heat, so hot! Peter & Aki, finishing up the night at a Reggae bar in Shibuya- the apparent theme of the day.
Unknowingly we are all pygophilists, chasing some tail
By Ella Lauser
Anonym-ass. Isn't that what it really is? The ass lurks behind us for everyone else to enjoy, anonymously and in turn making the owner of the ass anonymous.
As Shakespeare said, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet." And the sweet, sweet derrière does indeed not need a name to be known although it has the most nicknames than any other body part. Isn't it funny what a conversation or observation of the "bum" entails.
Why are we so obsessed with this particular asset? The anatomy of love, the anatomy of desire stems from a plethora of understandings- be they biological, sexual, psychological, societal, et cetera. We don't think about it enough yet we acknowledge and appreciate it constantly, the "why?' rarely finds itself among our thoughts.
Our fascination with the body is what keeps us upping the population, in all facets. We are programmed to be appreciative and aware when selecting our mates. There is no shame in the truth of what I like to call "ass appreciation." We are all susceptible to pygophilia- sexual arousal or excitement caused by seeing, playing with or touching the (typically woman's) buttocks. I ask who isn't a pygophilist? The ass serves as a very viable resource of sexual arousal and recreation from a far and otherwise. It is the most noticeable, eye catching feature on the human body for both sexes and it offers itself without recognition. The majority of the animal kingdom has some way of parading around their aesthetically pleasing parts. We just get to choose how we accentuate- be it with a salsa dance or a killer pair of jeans.
Curves denote sexual availability, the ability to procreate, and they are often deemed provocative. The most provocative piece, the booty, has been buttoned up and shielded outside of punishment or intimate affairs for centuries. Shame lies in the baring of the rump as it unabashedly makes us aware of the fact that we are human, part of the animal existence that shits, eats, sleeps and yes, fucks. Oh no, let's hide behind the fact that we are civilized- we are far from dogs in heat and baboons with blushing behinds. Are we really though?
The erotic positions that burn images in our minds are directly linked to certain hot spots and the glorious moon that resides on our backside is just a little out of reach from the "pure purpose" of sex, albeit a friendly cousin. Primates know when it's best to tap their partner because they keep a close eye on the badonka-donk that will indeed swell or lady primates will raise their rumps in salute of desire.
Our imagination is often the most fertile ground we rest upon and it could be argued that the fantasy and mystery of what is seen and not seen leaves a trace behind us. Urges don't live in the mind, they live and prosper elsewhere that's why we rarely ponder where these knee jerk reactions come from- we're not thinking about them, we're just responding. And for the record, all you "tit" men out there- it's argued that tits were made to resemble the butt. Look it up!
Battle of the Sexes in the Dark and On The Dance Floor
By Ella Lauser
Fever to tell, I’ve got a date with the night and I’ll most likely encounter the usual distasteful displays of debauchery that go hand in hand with cocktails and sweaty masses.
Sex kittens, street-walking contradictions, sugar and spice and everything nice… yes, I agree that us ladies are a coquettish concoction of confusion at times.It’s a thrill to be genuinely appreciated from across the bar while we sip on our cocktails or lick salt and annihilate a shot of tequila but for the most part men lose their cool before they’ve even begun the game.Checkmate- and we’re the queens that you’re attempting to play as unsuspecting pawns.We know it’s not easy, we can be a formidable enemy but if you play well, you will be asked to play again.
How is it that regardless of hemisphere, continent, country, city or district the same scenarios occur?Every Monday morning I hear the same re-told story by a water cooler or Xerox machine or just over coffee:“Ugh, Friday night was such shit!This guy just wouldn’t get a clue and kept on pestering me.”Men aren’t clueless- maybe they’re just not clued in.To be human is to be sexual, to breathe and certainly to desire an ego-feed and to blow off steam at the end of a hard work week.Friday nights are a blur of skin, smoke and liquor.Never satiated unless often left alone because battles of the sexes and their minds make matters worse than better.It’s the unending hangover that looms in the rafters of clubs and clings to the condensation on the sides of pint glasses.Can we escape the crash, clutter, chaos of mixed messages and hypocrisy of being from two different planets?Are we though, really?No, we’re equally looking for recognition in the end – but generally speaking, the avenues of getting there are as opposite as our genitalia and equally fitting.It’s all so puzzling isn’t it but it wouldn’t be complete without two to tango.
Going out and getting gussied up is certainly a nod in the direction of male suitors but there is nothing more disappointing than garish guys clutching and making nuisances of themselves. Ladies, gentlemen, and those who fall by the wayside of these categories- if we are to embark and transcend, appreciate the goods, lift and drink our spirits together in dark corners or under black lights then take heed of these seven rules of engagement when hitting up the club scene:
7) A Smile of Appreciation goes a long way… silence does speak volumes, and the best compliment is one of reverence or a wry yet endearing awareness.Make note of the beauty that you find yourself admiring and know that in so doing you might just be making friends with the enemy.Nothing is sexier than a smile coming from a guy that appreciates what he sees.It makes us feel attractive and not in a seedy way, plus we become aware that nothing has to come from it, it’s safe.We’re not obligated to engage but know he’s game.
6) Speaking of things better left unsaid… some things are better left undone, which brings us to our next rule of thumb.Don’t ask for a number and not dial, or worse keep asking after being told “No.”What happens in a conversation one random night does not need to play out and play on beyond the bar a lot of the time.Going the distance and asking for digits often feels like a notch on a suitor’s belt and if you’re not genuinely interested in the girl, don’t bother.
5) To Buy Her A Drink or Not To Buy Her A Drink, that is a damned good question!
Ah, yes the problematic stance on the fence between the sexes.Buying often leaves obligation, give to get, right?Well, most women, like most people, appreciate gifts but not with strings attached.Roofies aren’t the only thing that we fear being slipped into an unsuspecting drink- expectations and ownership are a fearful combination.However, there’s never a more clear moment of stranger danger than when I’m offered a drink from a random guy at a bar.I’ve known and heard about too many incidents to play dumb about this rational fear.Alcohol blurs lines in any case and with communication already being a bit of a challenge in the first place, the possibilities for a mess are endless.Nothing is less sexy than the absence of choice and when people are too inebriated to make them, and this can be applied to a plethora of situations, well, it’s problematic to say the least.Drink purchases are often an opener in conversation I realize but it’s a generic and often wary one.Drink responsibly, and proposition with just as much sense.
4) Ladies are not dolls on a shelf, although I must say women are an aesthetically pleasing lot.We have a good nose for game and we can smell agenda from a mile away.If sex is not on our menu for the evening, sniffing your agenda to get in our pants is a most assured way to turn off the heat and things will get icy.I’d venture to say that women just want men to come as they are and not come on to them.Blatant come-ons make a lass feel cheap and uncomfortable. Better to be a fool and authentic in the cumbersome truth of meeting at a watering hole with not much to say aside from the weather. The fool is often wisest.What I mean to say is… being foolishly real and vulnerable is a very attractive quality not to mention that it produces better results.What does the fool have?Simplicity, simply put… the best game is no game at all but that doesn’t mean checking your morals, manners, or general common sense at the door when you walk into the sex games afoot at a club.
3) A Quick Glance Should Not Be Mistaken As A Romantic Invitation… scanning the room happens, we get bored, we get curious, everybody takes a gander at what’s around.If eyes settle upon you for a moment and don’t return, it’s not destiny for us to marry and have a thousand babies.If eyes are felt upon our necks, we often look up to see what has taken an interest but this should not be mistaken for approval or a come on.Now, if we hold your gaze or have a smirk of sorts that is an entirely different story.Take note that this is a fine line, to be broached by an aware presence… not a massively drunk beer goggled arrogance.Most women, in my experience, don’t go out into the night with the expectation to go home with someone or meet their life partner but to have a good time and maybe get a few genuine acknowledgments.
2) Most Compliments Are Better Left Unsaid… I can’t hear you, you can’t hear me, the music is blaring and the truth is you couldn’t tell if my eyes were black, purple or green so don’t bother telling me that my peepers are pretty.Every line, is a line even if it’s applicable to the lady you’re attempting to service.We’ve heard it all before and it’s better to just keep it to yourself; in fact I hear that most women get turned on by an intelligent or witty remark as opposed to a saccharine supply of prose.If you want to spit a poem dripping with metaphors at us on a Friday night, plan on spending a lot of Saturday mornings at home, alone.It’s a total turn-on to be taunted a tad bit as opposed to mooned over, regardless of what the art of wooing calls for in more chivalrous times.
1) Look But Don’t Touch unless it’s a well planted passing move on the high-waist with an accompanied “excuse me” as your meander through a tightly packed room.That’s delicious and the right touch, is the good touch which does just about any body, yes literally, good.It’s not that we’re frigid or that we shudder in fear of men or what lies beneath but being touched without invitation on the dance floor or at the bar is so off-putting.Putting a woman in control of how and where is the first foot in the door, and although we may be animals underneath it all, ladies prefer to be handled with kid gloves at first glance and approach.Don’t mistake a girl letting loose as being loose.Getting heated and heavy with her assets on the dance floor without an invitation will leave things frozen or bring about a quick, hot slap. Having sex on a dance floor with my clothes on makes me think of a bad college “Wild On” excursion that is better left on late night cable TV and far, far away from my reality.
Live by these rules and failure will come as softer blow.It’s all a game and we are but just players on the scene, have fun and have at it.
*Cautionary note- I am attempting to speak on behalf of the ladies and not so much the man-eaters who decidedly break ALL the rules.Boys, fend for yourselves!And as my dear friend Robert puts it- “When it comes to hoes, nobody knows.”
a little taste of lunctime... check out little Gi Hyun tae kwon do hyper dancing in the background at one point! I love my kids!!!!
This was a curry lunch day (which has pork so I cannot partake). Right about noon I get very tired and turn up the music so as to entertain them. There was a second video that I thought recorded, grrrr, didn't work... but next week I will have more for you or atleast after Japan.
The heat is on. Working like mad and soon to be on vacation in Tokyo (13 days and counting!). June flew by while teaching 40 hours a week, dancing 6 hours or more, and partying up with friends on the weekends. Not much sleep, too much work, and heat that is totally foreign to me has made it a cranky time but any annoyances just disappear in a blink, time moves so fast!
On to the laughable... I've been taking dance classes several days a week at a studio in Sangwanshimni. Two hours of either belly dance and jazz or club/tv/pop dance. What is club/tv/pop dance? There's no real translation here but it's safe to say that it is a general re-enactment of the Korean pop bands choreography on TV and surprisingly, I excel in it. I know now that all those Saturdays with Stephanie in 4th grade training for Talent Show dance routines to Paula Abdul were worthwhile. Ha! The Wonder Girls are all the rage in Korea, they're the female equivalent of the N'Sync or The Back Street Boys ala 1998.
Boiling and beading sweat with Korean housewives, we are so hot! Check out our latest routine and what it's based on.... hahahahaha o yes, so hot.
Well, Cassiopeia Class embarked upon another field mission. Today's mission: attack Korean War Memorial Museum!
Armed with visors, sunglasses, water, sugary snacks, my fan, and lots of energy we made it. Although more time was spent at the bathroom and snacking on tiles next to army tanks, a fun time was had by all!
We came, we saw, and yes, we conquered- and rather fashionably I might add.
Gi Hyun, Je Hee and I... vogue-ing, as per usual. The fantastic blue fan was a hand painted gift from one of my students, it says LOVE. Word! The only one word we really need to hear anyway... "make the love, not the war, Teacher.")
Cassiopeia may be small in size (and number) but they have BIG BIG BIG personality. I'm falling madly in love with them almost as much as they test my limits and temper.
Seriously, how cute are they???
Back to front (clockwise): Da Yeon, Seo Yeon (with her little ajumma visor and goggles), Je hee, Jong Ha (rockin' his little visor too), Gi Hyun, and Joo Young (also visor lovin')
Jehee is seriously the cutest pain in my ass... and she knows it so she gets away with everything, even swiping my sunglasses!!!
Up for anything? You kind of have to be when you don't speak the language and you're at the whims of your host. In fact this concept is available to anyone not only in theory but in practice because we're all in our own little worlds with our meaning making machine lexicon... but I won't go down that road right now because it's nearly 3am on a Tuesday, or now, Wednesday.
Met with my Korean Kim family down in Dae Jeon for another fun filled adventure. With a nine-year-old full of spunk and little conversational English skills in charge of communication, there's bound to be a lot of room for error. I never know if I'm spending the night, in what room/bed/floor, where we're going, when I'm returning, and what's on my plate to eat. As for food....They know I'm a vegetarian but at this point I partake in fish because it just has to be done. They can never explain in English what's for dinner or what's on the menu so it's always a surprise. And most vegetables don't translate anyway, most things don't (especially when you're nine or in my case, when you're starving). It can be a little overwhelming to never really know what you're ingesting and if it's going to get along with your taste buds. But that's just how I roll most of the time these days. A tad stressful but most of the time I just find my self laughing.
Every time I'm in a cab, every time I buy something, it's a lot of thank you's and goodbyes and hellos and not much more. Same goes for anywhere I find myself, everyday. It can be comedic or tragic depending on quite literally, what lands on your plate.
This weekend I got to experience a full fledged up close and personal moment at jjimjilbang (the big ol' spa dealio here in Korea). That was also a very up for anything shrug that led to a night of sleeping on a floor with 30 other people. But I digress... The evening began with the typical very naked squatting on plastic stools, bathing with a mass of about 30 women of all shapes, ages, and sizes. But this time I got to be scrubbed by someone else, a very typical custom here. Sang-Eun got the middle of my back with the scrubby towel which was awesome! Putting the kids to work, I'm always a fan! Being utterly and unmistakably naked amidst strangers is one thing though and it is another to be squatting next to people you know, and have not seen quite like this... Mind you at the jjbang (my nickname for it) in Seoul that I frequent, I'm one of four foreigners that are baring it all and we don't get so close in proximity (i.e. the Korea customary centimeter... space is a luxury here). Dae Jeon, I'm the only peachy lady and this jjbang was triple the size. I got in the cold pool with the kids and let them say the phrases they knew in English which was fun. And truthfully, I have to say that Korea has shocked me into not being shocked. I didn't really bat an eye at the experience for longer than a minute. When you're up for anything, there's no arguing with where you're at. It's nice to have your back scrubbed anyhow, even by my Oma while I helped my mini-sister wash her hair.
Sleeping on the floor with a wood brick as a pillow was something else entirely, add to it that there was no communication about it. Sang Eun dragged me into a room of people chilling in a darker setting (nothing strange about that, as it's just what's done at jjbang) but after an hour of "napping" I began to wonder when we were leaving. We didn't. And I kept having this strange notion that we were all breathing the same breath although there was idle chatter and snoring. Kids played and wrapped themselves around the bended knees of the mothers and fathers. It was odd but magical. I didn't sleep well but it was certainly something to write home about... and here I am doing so.
Woke up, totally disoriented and was fed seaweed soup at the restaurant four feet away (restaurants, arcades, gyms and tv sitting rooms, dvdbang private movie rooms are all in the jjbang across from the bathing rooms and saunas). Showered and scrubbed and bathed again. And then we got in the car, for a drive that like our "nap" never ended. Two hours of driving and I had no idea what was next. Trust is a word I think I'm becoming quite acquainted with. It didn't matter, right? I was just riding the ride, literally and figuratively it's what I signed on for. Korean folk village site seeing, ice cream licking, random noodle lunch that was delish, rice ponding, water wading in side road creeks.... good day all in all. Careful what you wish for...because every time you smile and point and say yes, the car will stop and you will be let out to enjoy. We stopped, a lot before I figured this out. ;-)
Ended up at train station in the middle of nowhere and did get home (which I do call Seoul now, awesomely strange and not strange at all, it is what it is). The cool thing about roads is they lead somewhere, you just don't know most of the time and you never know what you'll come to pass by. Luckily, all train tracks lead back to Seoul and I can atleast figure my way from there. Now, if I could just find myself asleep instead of writing this blog amidst the monsoon lightning out my window. I'm just too excited to lay down, I've regressed to my toddler self who didn't want to miss anything and banned the word sleep.
