Sweater Time Again

When it's cold enough to showcase my sweaters on blogger, there really is no need to be loquacious. Plus, I've also been at a loss for words lately so I'll just let my photos do the talking.

I'm whipping out all the knitwear for winter and I'm getting quite stoked about that prospect.  Just think about how much easier it would be to get ready every morning when you know exactly how frumpily stylish you want to be, swimming in a different sweater, everyday.

Sometimes a toque does the trick when you're aiming for the "cozy and lazy thus ironically hip" look. This is how this outfit came to be.
Oh dear readers. I really wish I could share some profound writings with you all, but like I said,  my opinions are not so readily springing into life and translating well into cohesion that can be published on "web paper". However, I'm still full of angst, and what I think are sensible and well-thought out analyses surrounding some of the most titillating problems of my modern day life, so I guess that's good. Perhaps I've been video gaming too much...

Gravity Always Wins

So I totally lied, I am going to be able to blog on this trip. I was thinking that there wouldn't be reliable internet sources here but WiFi is everywhere and so I'm not off the grid after all. However, the jetlag has rendered me simultaneous restless and exhausted all the time. So far the experience in Korea has been that everybody really does eat kimchi three times a day just as the stereotype predicted and that plastic surgery is more common than getting a cup of coffee at Starbucks. Speaking of that, let's talk about that for a bit.

I don't mean to be preachy or want to come across as being morally superior but there's something fundamentally wrong with Asian women wanting to get plastic surgery. I've been here for about a week now and if I were to ball park, I say about 70% of women here have undergone some sort of cosmetic procedure. How do I know that? BECAUSE THEY DON'T LOOK ASIAN!!! Of course, there is always assumptions about these things. Perhaps some Korean women are born with large, round, perfectly limpid eyes. Sure, but I know for a fact that the "double eye-lid" surgery is also one of the most popular and common surgeries here. 

The thing is that people are obsessed with looking Westernized here for some reason. I saw a Korean women yesterday standing in line for the flume ride (yes, I went to Everland, an amusement park in Korea) and her face was painted so ghostly white that it didn't match any other part of her natural skin. Meanwhile the only thing I can think of is, "man, I must look so ugly to them. I've gotten a bit of a tan over the summer. I have very typical Asian eyes and my nose is definitely not as well defined as the fake ones." But you want to know what the irony of it all is? The only reason why I'm Korea is because my mom is here to fix her botched nose job from ten years ago so I'm right in the thicket of it all. Everyday, I'm in and out plastic surgeon's offices waiting for her to get stem cells injected into her nasal tissue (standard post operative procedure). While I'm sitting in these offices, I get sadder and sadder with each woman that comes in, looking perfectly attractive I might add, waiting to book her appointment with a specialist to water down whatever Asian characteristic they deem undesirable within the beauty culture.

Rebellion Lies

Sometimes I feel like being combative and difficult. Especially towards those who think just because they sign my pay cheques they can exploit my labour and good intentions. 

On Monday, my presence was demanded at the company annual meeting where apparently the staff are expected to present a variety of child appropriate and developmentally beneficial programs and activities to parents, board members, concerned educators of the community and of course the executive director of the organization. I have never attended one of these meetings before but with my recent brush with company politics, I decided that it wouldn't be a great idea if I attended something which would result in me trapped in a depressing community centre for two hours with a group of apathetic, life-loathing people. Instead, I went home, got drunk and felt asleep while doing online shopping.

I'm not always such an asshole. I just don't ever want to be a part of something so contrived  and offer any shred of effort in trying to convey a false public image about an organization that simply isn't as progressive or communally responsible as they make themselves out to be. 

In the business of child care, a few do it for the money. I do it because the kids are hilarious and they keep me from becoming too pessimistic. Sometimes, being able to relate to kids is seriously therapeutic.  You'd be surprised how much finger painting and bubble making can restore your faith in the world. Thus if my only purpose and genuine intention in this line of work is working with the children and ensuring their proper growth and enjoyment of life, why should I give a shit about how to impress the adults about what kind of "age appropriate" programs I can offer? All I'm saying is, no adult can truly know what kids enjoy and what is suitable for their development. I just think it's  presumptuous and backwards to hold a meeting with a bunch old fuddy duddies to discuss what they think the kids should like to play and should want to do while the simple answer can come much easier from the kids themselves.