Early Adopter

I bought myself a lovely new dishset from IKEA this weekend and I am thrilled to pieces about it.

Steve thinks it was a waste.

Anyway, I was trying to show it to someone today, and to my chagrin could not find it on their website.

But THEN I found a picture of it here:

And to my DELIGHT I discovered that they are new, as in 2013.  And I, a woman of no home and no decor of my own, have become an early adopter of IKEA dishware.

I just wanted to share.  Come over for dinner some time and try out my new dishes.

I like you, Pig-Rabbit

This post is at the request of a good friend of mine who I think was mocking me.  But here you go, Katie.

This is the tale of how I was tricked by the Japanese to watch hours of Korean soap operas:

A couple of months ago I came up for a great idea for a project for a conference where I was teaching a course for language teachers.  This project was supposed to simulate the learning environment of high school students so the project was designed to be an introductory project for students in their first semester of a language course.  

Here is the gist of the idea:

Have the students (teachers) watch a one-minute video clip of a telenovela (soap opera in Spanish) and create a simple dialogue based on what they think is happening in the scene.  My thought was that they could first watch a scene on mute, and analyze body language, proximity, facial expression, clothing, scenery, and try to make a prediction based on the context.  Then, they could watch the scene with the sound turned on and they could try to understand a word or two to add to the context.

Doesn’t that sound fun? Except… what if they already speak Spanish?  And, can I really figure out what they need if I don’t try the project myself?

So I looked around and found a French soap opera called.. I can't even remember. I tried it but it seemed so boring!! The French may be great lovers, but their novelas are all just lots and lots of words.

So then I tried German, ironically the only show I could find was a biography of Adolph Hitler.  I watched it for a few, but really?  Hitler?  In German?  That sounds even less fun than the French non-romantic version of dialogue.  

So I went Asia.  I ran across a life-changing series called Hana Yori Dango (Boys before Flowers) and after watching the first five minutes, the adorable little girl who plays the main character captured my heart.  

Isn’t she cute?

No! She is actually a tool of the devil to try to tempt you away from your studies, your work, and quality time with your family.

Once I was hooked, I had to watch it the whole way through.  The male lead role was a rather effeminate Michael Jackson look-alike, but as I watched the show, I grew to adore him and the other male leads on the show who were very different iterations of a “real man” than what we portray in the media:

American Real Man (selected for being People's Sexiest Man 2011)

Japanese Real Man

And when season 1 ended on such a cliff hanger, I really had to, I mean just had to finish season 2 as well. 

[Pause to appreciate that the show only had two seasons and ended with a nice wrap-up.]

Then I discovered, you can watch the Taiwanese version of Hana Yori Dango called Meteor Garden. 

I was just curious! 

I learned that the Taiwanese real man looks a little more like a surfer:

And I also learned that you can force yourself upon someone to aggressively kiss them in a Taiwanese show and they consider it romantic, fascinating.

Once I got to the part about amnesia though, I figured I knew the rest of the plot and stopped watching it.  

Until Netflix then had to suddenly show me this:

WHAT?  There is a whole series of shows in Korean with the same Cinderella plot!!

So I started with this one, which to date is my favorite:

It is called Secret Garden.  I LOVE, LOVE the main characters in this story.  I love it.  There is nothing else to say about it.  Aren’t they cute?  I know the plot involves switching bodies like Freaky Friday but the way it is done is just so lovely.

In this show it all started to click together why I love these Asian shows.  Here, in a nutshell, is why I love them so very much:

•  I am sorry to say it, but I actually prefer the Asian real man archetype to the current version of the American real man.  I think we haven’t seen real men in the movies for about 20 years when everything got so politically correct and men have to now be all sensitive. 
•  If you believe these shows to be reflective of their culture, the depiction is that you don’t show physical affection until you are married in Japanese or Korean culture. Thus when they finally do make physical contact (no lie, three of these shows had to have a character fall down onto someone to kiss them because it seems taboo otherwise!)  So… when they do hug or hold hands, it seems like a BIG deal.  Cue music and slow down the filming.
•  Facial expressions are to die for! They hardly say anything, they just look at each other.  Like they just stare.  It is actually quite emotional.  
• The main characters who are women tend to be very modestly dressed.  In fact, these lead women all have a very innocent way about them and wear very normal-looking non-glamorous clothing and hairstyles.  They seem like just regular-looking people and they win the heart of the male characters by being kind, quirky, and stoic. 

American stars of popular show:

Korean stars of popular show:

I was going to recommend one but they are all so good, so here are a few to consider (remember the original titles are in Korean so the translations are like the name of firecrackers) AFTER you watch the ones above, those really are the ones you need to check out once you get hooked.

• Protect the Boss
• You are Beautiful
• Playful Kiss

Thank you Korea, I love your entertainment.  American shows seem so classless now.

Pinterest Dichotomies

Okay so I know you all know.  But I just want to highlight for everyone the guilt I feel at BOTH wanting to eat better and be a great baker/mother/food nurturer.

Thanks Pinterest.

Better Living Through Chemistry

I made a decision two weeks ago to stop using harsh chemicals in my shampoo.  I haven't decided if it was a good decision or not, but it seems nice to use more natural things in my hair.  The price is the same, if not a little less, than what I usually use... but my new shampoos don't contain Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, which is apparently the shampoo equivalent of HFCS--cheap and widely used.  They also don't contain parabens which are a preservative that act like estrogen.  Oh and alcohol, a drying agent?

Anyway so this is what I ended up with:

My hair always smells like lavender and I feel good about not damaging my hair, etc... BUT my hair does not feel as good as when I use these products

which I discovered at a hotel in downtown NYC.  I ordered a set from Amazon right after my stay because a week of using the little sample sizes and I was enamored.  BUT they arrived too late and I had already decided to go au naturale, baby.

What would you do?  Natural?  Or Chemical?

My Cube

EDIT: Some people thought this was weird. So it was this cool site where you could create a digital cube of your "personality" which is basically an image search of your favorite art and entertainment. This is what I put together.

Quiz #2 for the week: Can you identify what the six sides are supposed to be?

Here is the link so you don't have to hear that AMAZING song each time you come here. And she is not ugly.

Artiste

Steve and I were discussing how much digital photography has changed the photo industry--like everything else, technology has made luxury more accessible to the common man.  Friends can now take photos at a fraction of the cost of a professional photographer and in many cases free.

So when do you hire a photographer? You pay for positioning of people--that is hard to do if you are not professional.  You also pay for lighting and fancy lenses that you probably don't have at home and in the case of really top photographers, you get a subtle clarity that comes from a skill in photoshop. Now, more than ever, the skill of photoshop can go way beyond the simply fixing of a blemish or adjusting lighting but to creating a whole new artsy effect with a palette that is beyond what ever once was.

I feel so blessed to have in my plumage of life some gorgeous feathers that are talented photographers and artists.  I have featured pictures from several of these friends here, most recently Vivian, and Chellese whose pictures adorn my header.  Emily took pictures of our family for last year's Christmas Card and the family pictures still on the wall in are home were taken by Tara many moons ago (she doesn't have a photography blog but should).

In additional to photographers, I also have a handful of artists who I know and love--one of these is my beautiful friend Asha who doesn't even read this blog.  She took pictures of Meg when she was a few months old, maybe you remember the yummy pictures of her in pink that she took on the fly in her living room.

I am dedicating this post to her new website because I am inspired by the work she does.  Her husband studies sacred spaces--the buildings in India in particular and if you read through the intro on her website you can find out her story and how she came into her ideas.  If you know of any local yogis or ladies gyms who might be interested, she would be perfect for that--or for your own living room.  I might request something for my birthday since she is probably open at 11 pm the night before (ahem, Steve)  She is reliable, professional, and has a genuinely good heart.   I am leaving the link up on my blog if you need it later down the road.

Happy October

Why I love October:

1) Travel slows down for me (only gone for one week this month!)

2) I love, love, love the cool breeze coming through my bedroom window at night. Not too cold, but the nice feeling of warm blankets combined with the fall crispy air.

3) I get excited about work projects that have been on the back burner for several months.

4) I facilitate a "Meeting of the Minds" which is when groups of teachers in the same subject area get together to discuss teaching. That is one of my favorite meetings of the year and I get to see all my teachers from different schools together in one place. I am super passionate about curriculum design and I get to work with that full-time. I know, I am a geek.

5) I like orange.

My friend and former freighbor Katie has her new bows up on her site especially for Halloween in case you need some Halloweeny bows or are looking for gifts for friends with girls. Her bows, btw, have been prominently featured on this blog for the last year on all pictures Meghan as well as the beautiful white boy she made especially for Bridget for her baptism. I like them because they are well designed and durable, and they stay on babies so well. Anywho, she is a very talented individual but I should stop talking about it and just post a pic for you to see for your self. Her website can be found here and her blog, which is one of my top ten favoritist sites of all time on the internets, can be found here. Sneak preview of her specialty october collection:






















Does she look familiar? She has been a model on this blog before, here, and also here, and most particularly here.

Why Post When...

You have friends THIS funny who left the hood but stopped back by to bring me hot soup and a lemon bar for sir steve-a-lot.

Or friends like THIS who sent chapter one my way and is sponsoring the cake contest in honor of the best BOOK evah. Oh hit mute before you click that link if you are at work or in another place pretending to be doing something non-recreational. The music is excelente but it catches me off guard constantly.

Or your upstairs neighbor links you to this little gem of creativity.

Or you got THIS cute face looking up at you:




























Update: Recovered from flu but looks like Steve is fighting something. Also, me, heroic today in household duties but it is muy late and I got a ton more work and personal finance to do. Never will be sleeping again urgh.

Flu season, take me away.

Thanks Chellese!

It is hard to describe, really, the variety of talent that is in this woman's repertoire.

• She has a Master's degree in French and when she speaks the language it sounds like butter but smoother.
  
• She also speaks Spanish fluently but she is so modest she might not even mention it. We met from living in the foreign language housing at BYU.
• She has run several marathons including the New York Marathon (she used to belong to the NY Road Runners) and she is soon headed to Australia to participate in some major marathon there.
• She also has an incredible eye for art and her home is decorated so tastefully, originally, artistically.
• I don't know how to quantify this particular talent: her children are endlessly entertaining. The sound bites they produce are really and truly incredible. Not surprisingly, a recent post on her blog pointed to a favorite ice cream flavor of her children; daquirui.
  

It should not wow me, though it does, that her photography matches her quiet and tasteful style.

Her photography blog (CBCG) contains some amazing pics so you can get a sense of her style and quality.


In my basket of friends, she is one my shiniest eggs. Thanks Chellese! I love you so much.

All this to say that she took some pictures of my children that I absolutely adore. I cannot put them all here due to time and space but I can show you a quick sampling. My biggest challenge to date is determining how to best display these around the house.

Ideas?

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I am thinking of starting a series on my wall called "The Dancing Fam"...

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I am considering this as my new profile pic:

Why I love Twitter

A lot of you are on twitter but some people out there just don't get twitter. I have decided that it is my favorite part of this brave new 2.0 world. I am going to attempt to encapsulate what it is I love about twitter.

I do not follow Ashton Kutcher if that is what you are thinking. No offense if you do.

Twitter covers me on various levels:

1) Keeps me company when no one is in the car/store/room when I have something I want to tell someone.

2) Intermingles world, domestic, and local politics with religion and humor, according to my own weirdo sense of everything.

3) Provides me with great resources that I can use for my work and personal life

Examples:
Two people I follow for two radically different reasons, Mark Gibson and Eric D Snider (though I almost dropped him due to landee's recent encounter)











See what happened here?
Mark Gibson retweets (RT) two people who I might want to follow--RT for those who don't know is a way to share information about someone you follow to people who follow you, so like "hey there is this cool person I follow who gives out good info too if you want to follow them or just even hear this." If I am interested, I can check out those people. Also the # is one of those topics that if you do a search on your app (or twitter website) for the topic with the # like this--to see what the heck that #pdf09 is about?? I typed it in the search and this was my result:














Then I have my daily fix of news pieces. I love The Onion because I get funny headlines. Sometimes they use bad language though so don't follow them. After The Onion you see an update from the apple blog which periodically links interesting articles like below. Also FLWbooks (flashlight worthy books) that provides reviews, asks for feedback to share and news headlines surrounding literary works. I follow EdWeek which gives me live blogging/chat rooms on important topics in education. I love EdWeek because they report on "cutting edge" education that only sometimes is even noteworthy. Still I keep on top of what I feel like is helpful info for work too.












Lastly I get my personal friends. I follow a teacher friend who lives in Albany NY and she doesn't tweet (an update via twitter is called a tweet for those who are new to it) all that often but when she does it is both entertaining and informative. Snowcore followed by another good friend of mine who keeps me updated on state politics:








To finish I must recommend you follow a great genius of a woman. She never disappoints.

Favorites online

Someone said I should post all my favorite links online periodically.

Current faves:
The Repressed Pastry Chef
A random find with some awesome pics and even more amazing recipes. Try the Chocolate Mint Cupcakes which are TDF.

The House that Jack Built
A funny chica that lives in my apt complex and goes to church with us. She is mighty hilarious.

The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce
Think America's schools are doing fine? Think again. This report echoes (mostly) what it is that I do for a living and justifies my indignation over the public school system. I hope that by the time my kids are in secondary school we won't even be asking ourselves why we are stuck in the 20th century in public education.

Baby Name Voyager
A fun way to look at names. If you are in the market for a name you can see its popularity in history. If you are not in the market you can just look up your own name and make fun of yourself.

More reviews later