last week.......

it was a crazy week due to the fact that i returned back to work on tuesday after being away for 4 school days. i had about 40 emails to sift through and many questions to answer. tuesday was just "one of those" days. just there......i felt like i was catching up all day and about 6 steps behind on everything. the highlight of the day was the morning starbucks. :) lattes are my favorite!

wednesday was a much better day! suzy and i were headed to itaewon so i could get my ring fixed and get some dinner. we decided to take the bus instead of the subway and man that was an experience. the bus driving in seoul is like riding an old, wooden rollercoaster. there is nothing smooth about them. on the door should be a sign posted with warnings like they have at the entrance of rollercoasters. i tried bus "surfing" which is much more difficult than subway "surfing". "surfing" is when you ride with out holding on to anything without falling over. it is fun, but much more difficult on the buses. the #110 bus is a wild one! :) the joys of self entertainment on public transit. suzy and i laughed a lot which was most important. after dropping off my ring, we headed towards the yummy dolsot bibimbap place near where i get pedicures. near the dolsot place there is cute little cafe i always pass and have wondered about it. today they had a menu posted outside so suzy and i had a look. the menu items sounded yummy so we ditched plan A for plan B---eating at the cafe called the flying pan blue. i walked in and it was amazing! the place is small and open, but decorated in a contemporary, eclectic kind of way. i loved it! i could not believe this place! i was in love. after checking out the menu, i was hooked. suzy kept reminding me to try the food first. i ordered a sandwich set which is a sandwich, small bowl of soup and a salad. i chose the chicken curry sandwich that comes on homemade brown loaf. the soup was broccoli and potato. suzy and i also treated ourselves to a glass of white wine which was served in the appropriate glasses which was exciting. most places don't make the effort to serve wine in the correct glass. i was impressed! the whole time i was thinking, "man i could hang out here with a great book and a cup of coffee regularly." for those at home it is like a mix of empire cafe, brasil, daily grind and a lot of the fainting goat. i loved it! i took it all in and noticed all the details including the funky, cool light fixtures. the most unique are the bare light bulbls hanging by wire that have white feathered wings attached to make them look like they are flying. so cool! dinner was delicious! this IS my new favorite cafe in seoul. the ambience was cozy and inviting as well. great jazzy music and just the right mix of natural light and candles. ok, so i am sure you think i am over the top about this one place, but it is just that great! little things in korea = big points of excitement. i stopped at the grocery store on the way home since i had very little in the fridge from before my trip that was edible.

thursday i had swimming after school and then i was sitting with florence for the evening. she helped me bake my "texas" treats for friday. she was a great helper! i made cowboy cookies, mom's banana bread, chocolate pecan pie bars and took in chips, salsa and guacomole. amy made some cornbread to add to the mix as well. it was a hit and everything was yummy!

friday was good and more to come for details on that.............

saturday i met jen at the flying pan blue for brunch. again, amazing experience. this time i had french toast with citrus glazed bacon and fresh strawberries. the beverage was a canadian maple syrup latte............wow! this place is quickly winning my heart. it was really busy on saturday morning which made me happy. i want to make sure it stays around. jen and i then ventured across the river for some art action at the seoul arts centre. the exhibit is van gogh to picasso: masterworks from the cleveland museum of art. it was great! jen and i had lots of artsy conversation and admired many works of art we both enjoyed. my favorite was a charcoal/pencil nude by .......oh, i cannot remember his name. anyhow, it was really nice. we also walked through the other exhibit which i think we were supposed to pay for which was part of the korean contemporary arts festival. lots of cool works here. we both enjoyed seeing the large variety of medias, compositions, and design.

the weather was absolutely gorgeous saturday! after the art intake, we sat outside in front of the museum in the sun. we both enjoyed feeling the sun warm our skin. it was a bit cool, but just the right amount. we were trying to come up with another activity but could not think of anything close even with the resourceful seoul tour guide. we decided to get hair cuts in edae!! i will post a pic of my new look. i was sick of the mess and just cut it off. i love it!

after the pampering jen went home and i came back to school to go to wine night with some people from school. it was fun and was at a house off campus which was fun to see. i tasted 2 sauvignon blancs from new zealand and a pinot noir from new zealand as well. the last one we tried was chilean and is actually stored in ocean water. really interesting. i did not care for it much although i did find the process interesting. the food was amazing----cured salmon. it was awesome!

it was a heathon kind of day............no church. jen was not feeling well and i wanted to sleep in. sunday suzy and i had lunch and then went to edae to walk around. she got her hair conditioned and trimmed and i read. then we went to the little ikea shop (not official), but has a small selection of things. then we went to an area near the major art school hongik uninversity called hongdae. it is a funky, artsy part of town which i would compare to the museum/montrose area of houston. on saturdays and sundays there is a little area near the playground where artists set up tables to sell their work. some really cool stuff and pretty reasonably priced. i am definitely going back when i get home from san fran. :) suzy cooked pasta last night while i put together her ikea coat rack. we also watched grey's and had some good girl time.