Seoul, Korea

There will be no pictures attached to this blog because I have no motivation to take pictures of myself after 18 hours on planes.

But I'm in Korea, just killing time at the airport. It's Wednesday here, and it's Tuesday in Utah. I slept really fabulously on the plane, thanks to melatonin, ear plugs, one of those funny neck pillows, and a blanket.

Oh, and I watched New Moon on the plane. I was already wasting time anyways...and I was rooting for Jacob.

Goodbye?

In a few minutes, I will be headed to the Salt Lake airport to begin the journey to China! Hasn't really hit me yet that the next time I leave a building, I will be in Beijing. I have heard lots of different things as to the reliability of the internet and the magnitude of the governments ban on certain sites. Hopefully, this will not be my last blog for 7 weeks, but instead the first of many epic blogs full of amazing pictures. But, just in case, this is a heads up that I have not deserted my blog, I just simply can't get to it.

I need to finish packing my pack.

Saturday in the Park

Over a tasty breakfast this morning, Ryan, Kim, Dave and I had deep, philosophical conversation. Our conclusions?

1. People are computers

2. People get hungry

This picture has nothing to do with either of those things. To me, it is a symbol of breaking bad eating habits, forgoing the unhealthy and embracing the pure. A true American thought...

After a brief handstand workshop in Ry's driveway, the race began. We had 2.5 hours to: go to the grocery store, make a chocolate caramel cheesecake, put the cake in the oven, get to Sports Authority to buy Chuck All-Stars, get back in time to take the cheesecake out, and get to the Cross Fit gym in time for Bring-A-Friend session. Boom.

This is post workout. I bet you didn't catch the fact that my shoes aren't in fact my shoes. They aren't even on my feet. I didn't buy Converse. They didn't have my size and I already have two pairs of slightly-too-big Converse All-Stars. So I borrowed Kim's. I'm a size 8. She's a size 4.

Then what? How about a 2 hours, full-body massage from Kim? Sounds good to me!

Soybeans in Cake Form

Otherwise known as tempe. It's like tofu, but it retains the whole bean, thus making if richer in protein, dietary fibers, and vitamins. Unlike most soybean products, which originated in China or Japan, tempe is from Indonesia.

Whenever I go home, which unfortunately is very infrequently, I try to take advantage of the ethnic diversity of restaurants in Madison. Bandung is on the list of favorites, mostly because of the Oseng Oseng Tempe. I can't say I'm a tempe fanatic or anything, but I do know that it is tasty.

When I was a senior in high school, I danced basically every day after school and into the night. So much for family dinners. My parents resorted to going out a lot and bring me home the leftovers. I didn't have a problem with that, in fact, I quite enjoyed it. My favorite treasures to find in the fridge were enchiladas from Mi Cocina, or Oseng Oseng from Bandung.

Tempe is also good for something else, namely being the city that my brother, David, and his wife, Adrienne, live in. I am visiting them right now.

Aren't they cute? So I am in Tempe. Unfortunately, Adrienne was called away a few days ago on a sudden adventure, and my brother is beating 7th graders with rulers at school. So what did I do today? Here's the top 7:

1. Kept dollars in the local economy

2. Created jobs

3. Helped the environment

4. Nurtured community

5. Conserved tax dollars

6. Created more choice

7. Invested in entrepreneurship

Little did I know I was doing all those things by walking into a new and used bookstore to get some books about Taoism for a class I'll be taking in China. The abundance of books I usually find at even your run-of-the-mill bookstore inspires me to quit my life of doing anything else and hide away somewhere to learn as much from books as I can. What books catch my eye at bookstores? Classics that I feel like I should read, history books that I know I won't be able to mentally digest, books about hobbies I wish I had such as photography or gardening, scientific non-fiction that might help me understand the world better, and occasionally a novel with a pretty cover and catchy title. Someday I want a big library in my house.

Other highlights of the day so far (it's only 2:55 p.m.)

~jogging and hanging around with Paul. He's all tuckered out.

~driving Dave's jeep trying to find places

~coming back to listen to a great song by Jose Gonzalez ("Cycling Trivialities") and realizing that the lyrics speak to my life.

5 days until I leave for China!

This day was brought to you by...

1. Lauren and Vale coaching me through frying my first egg ever.

2. A washer and dryer in our apartment. There really is no other way.

3. Beautiful, warm sunshine to make everything a little more optimistic.

4. BLTC's. The C is for cheese. Monterrey Jack to be precise. Melted.

5. Valentina being so generous that she lets me borrow her car to run errands, pick up random items I need for China, and take a second load of stuff over to my grandparents house. How have a accumulated so much stuff?

6. My faithful bike which takes me on fabulous bike rides by the river.

7. Left over Olive Garden pasta. All the food I have left to my name is cheap granola, milk, and yogurt. I love left overs.

8. Going for a run outside for the first time in too long, thanks to an injured ankle. Mmmm. Nothing beats that, really.

9. Oven-cleaner. Never clean an oven without it. Gross, but amazing.

10. Lauren's homemade vanilla ice cream.

11. Lauren's extra pillow. I packed all my bedding away, so I have taken over the couch, and she was thoughtful enough to offer me a pillow.

12. This song. This will be the song I sing to my babies some day.

Idosyncrasies

What does it say about me that last night I wrote a scheduled to do list for today, starting with waking up at 6:30, then immediately proceeded to set my alarm for 6:00 instead?

Why do I look at 7:45 and automatically think I'm late...it's already 8:00!

Blogging was not on my schedule.

Save Yourself.

I was just reading up on a blog written by the most fabulous professor I have (Robin Konie) and thought that for the sake of humanity, everyone needed to read this same blog. She teaches a class called Somatics (which if you are wondering what that is, read the blog I linked. It explains). Towards the beginning of the class, the idea was thrown out that if we truly used the principles that we were going to learn in the class, we could live forever. I fully intend to put that challenge to the test. How could such an absurd statement possibly be made? It's all about living our lives to the fullest by using our bodies to the fullest. Not in an abusive way, but in an efficient and effective way. It's about preserving the vitality and life of our bodies, minds, and spirits. This is the kind of stuff I love. I want to be just like this professor, mostly in the way of having all the knowledge she has, but also in the way that she annually honors Pirate Day and often speaks in gibberish. Unfortunately, this kind of knowledge is still not the most marketable, however, neither is dance.

Anyway, click HERE to read the post that inspired this post of mine, and if you like what you read, read some more of her stuff. She's brilliant, really, and we all could be a little better to our bodies. Learn how. Live forever.

Forgotten Language of God?

I have lately been thinking that we should interpret our dreams more. People in the Old Testament used to get divine revelations and important instructions in the form of dreams. For example, Joseph deciphers from Pharaoh's dream that there would be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. Wouldn't we all like to know things like that in advance? Preferably with enough time in advance to adequately prepare? So why don't we look to our dreams now for inspiration and guidance?

One mystical dream site I was perusing suggested that most dreams we dream have a message that is trying to teach us something about ourselves, especially if the dream in recurring. It's like something inside you needs to get out, and the only way is through dreams. Let's analyze a recurring dream I had as a child.

It was me, held tightly to the chest of Superman, flying through the air. We approach an obscenely tall skyscraper and find our way inside. Each level of this building is a swimming pool, with the lane lines formatted to create a grid. On each floor, in one of these grid squares, there is a bomb. It's our job to find it and get rid of it!

What does this dream mean? I can't really interpret this as a flying dream because I was just going a long for the ride (though I have, of course, had flying dreams). Maybe it could be a "test dream": there's a challenge on my plate and I need to eat it. Sidenote: for how much I love food, I can't recall any dreams I have had about food. Test dreams signify that there is something we are anxious about or unprepared for, thus it is taking over our subconscious. But, I had Superman to help me. And Superman never fails. Who is this Superman who will be with me for the great test of my life?

You've Done Well, Badtz Maru

For Christmas years ago, I got a Badtz Maru piggy bank. What is a Badtz Maru? This.

He was created by the Hello Kitty people in Japan. I quite enjoy Wikipedia's description of him.

Badtz-Maru is a penguin. His birthday is April 1st (April Fool's day). He is one of the few Sanrio characters that is marketed to both males and females. In Japanese "badtz" (batsu) is a term for "X", the cross signifying a wrong answer. "Maru" means circle or "O", and signifies a correct answer. Thus, his name figuratively means "wrong-correct," and is frequently represented by "XO". Badtz-Maru has many different facial expressions and poses, but a common expression is of pulling one eye down and sticking out his tongue, a gesture equivalent to blowing a raspberry.^[1]

Obviously a hooligan of a character, Badtz Maru has been the protector of my spare change for several years now, with the words "Accept No Substitutes" circling the piggy bank's top and bottom.

Anyways, today I took Badtz-Maru to the bank. When I used to take change to the bank, they would throw it down a machine to count, charge me a service fee, and hand me some cash. This time, Scott (the banker) and I got to bond over 8 minutes of counting change and putting it in an old-school plastic counting device.

Worth it? $50 later, I'd say so.

If you are interested in what could possibly be the description for "blowing a raspberry", I have also included it here:

Blowing a raspberry or strawberry or making a Bronx cheer is to make a noise signifying derision (and/or silliness), made by sticking out the tongue between the lips and blowing to make a sound reminiscent of flatulence. In the terminology of phonetics, this sound can be described as an unvoicedlinguolabial trill [r̼̊]. It is never used in human language phonemically (i.e., to be used as a building block of words), but it is widely used across human cultures.

Nomenclature varies: in the US, Bronx cheer is sometimes used; otherwise, in the US and in other English-speaking countries, it is known as a raspberry, rasp or razz—the origin of which is an instance of rhyming slang, in which the non-rhyming part of a rhyming phrase is used as a synonym. In this case, "raspberry tart" rhymes with "fart".^[1] It was first recorded in 1890.^[2]

The term "Bronx Cheer" is used ironically because it is not a cheer, it is used to show disapproval. The term originated as a reference to the sound used by some spectators in Yankee Stadium, located in the Bronx, New York City.^[3]

And if you are curious as to it's usage...read on:

One of the most famous uses of the Bronx cheer is in the song "Der Fuehrer's Face" (from the Disney animated film of the same name), as recorded by musical comedian Spike Jones in 1942, which shows disdain for Adolf Hitler with the repeated refrain "We Heil! (Bronx cheer) Heil! (Bronx cheer) Right in Der Fuehrer's Face!"

The Golden Raspberry Awards, actually a parody of the Oscars, are designed to dishonor the worst films, actors, directors, etc.

Now, what is this Disney movie "Der Fuehrer's Face"? I've never heard of it.

Der Fuehrer's Face is a 1943 animated cartoon by the Walt Disney Studios, starring Donald Duck. It was directed by Jack Kinney and released on January 1, 1943 as an anti-Nazi propaganda movie for the American war effort. The film won the 1943 Academy Award for Animated Short Film, and was the only Donald Duck cartoon to win an Oscar. In 1994, it was voted #22 of "the 50 Greatest Cartoons" of all time by members of the animation field.

And the famous song lyrics by Spike Jones that incorporate blowing raspberries, later exploited by Badtz Maru, who is the deranged looking penguin on my piggy bank who accepts no substitutes and just made me $50?

Spike Jones Lyrics

DER FUEHRER'S FACE

Spike Jones & His City Slickers

CHORUS

When der fuehrer says we is de master race

We heil (pffft) heil (pffft) right in Der Fuehrer's Face

Not to love der fuehrer is a great disgrace

So we heil (pffft) heil (pffft) right in Der Fuehrer's Face

When Herr Goebbels says we own the world and space

We heil (pffft) heil (pffft) right in Herr Goebbels' face

When Herr Goering says they'll never bomb dis place

We heil (pffft) heil (pffft) right in Herr Goering's face

Is we not the supermen?

Aryan pure supermen?

Ja we is the supermen

Super duper supermen

Is this Nutzi land so good

Would you leave it if you could?

Ja this Nutzi land is good

We wouldn't leave it if we could

We bring to the world New Order

Heil Hitler's world New Order

Everyone of foreign race

Will love der fuehrer's face

When we bring to the world dis order

When der fuehrer says we never will be slaves

We heil (pffft) heil (pffft), but still we work like slaves

While der fuehrer brags and rant and lies and raves

We heil (pffft) heil (pffft), and work into our graves

When der fuehrer yells I got to have more shells

We heil (pffft) heil (pffft), and so we make more shells

If one little shell would blow him right to (hell)

We heil (pffft) heil (pffft), and wouldn't that be swell

P.S. The number one greatest cartoon, according to the same people who voted "Der Fuehrer's Face" as #22, is "What's Opera, Doc?" and I completely agree. You may know this cartoon by a different name...Kill The Wabbit.

Woo Me

This is brought to you by 101 Romantic Ideas:

Only at BYU

Boy in my ballroom class: Wow! That's a pretty ring.

Me: (looking at the ring on my right hand's ring finger) Thanks.

Boy: He must love you a lot.

Me: Yeah... it was actually my grandma's.

Springtime and Sunshine

Why should this make any sense? Wisconsin is supposed to be cold. And Utah is supposed to be warm. I guess it's not too big of a difference, and the tables may turn later in the week. I shouldn't complain--I am definitely thankful for the beautiful day outside. I would also like to point out the thunderstorm predicted for tomorrow in Madison, as well as the fact that I have seen lighting once during my three years in Utah. I miss a good downpour.

11 days until I leave for China!

mexican spice

Teo and Rachel, our ILP directors in Mexico, were visiting Utah this past week and they came to Provo one day. I only got to see them for about 45 minutes, but it was so great to see them, as well as Jacque and Jesse, who go to USU. We had just enough time to speak a little spanish, take pictures, reminisce on the summer and our nicknames (Ojitos!). Best part was learning a new dance move. I guess I have a reputation in Tehuacan as the best dancer that's come to teach. Teo says a few girls have gotten close, but I still hold the first position. I was pretty rusty when he was trying to teach me this crazy move, though!

Until I figure out how to put a youtube video on here, here's a link to the last dance class with Teo (mostly just for the purposes of filming). The turns get more and more complicated, so don't be put off by the slow beginning. CLICK

The creation of this whole blog was inspired by a poem, so I thought it was about time that I posted another poem that I enjoy. This one is by Walt Whitman.

When I heard the learn'd astronomer;
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;
When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and
measure them;
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much
applause in the lecture-room,
How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;
Till rising and gliding out, I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.

at last!

For about two weeks I have had a song stuck in my head. Unfortunately, I only knew a small part of the melody, and no words. I couldn't find it. Until TODAY, when I was genius-ing a Sigur Ross song.

"Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl" by Broken Social Scene.

I feel so relieved.