Welcome!

I decided that in 2007, instead of dealing with buying and maintaining a domain and website, I would just open a site here. Easier, simpler, and–most importantly–free. Although there are many times when I am frustrated by the limitations here, since I cannot write my own HTML and many a times I cannot figure out exactly how to make this site like me, I am cheap and lazy and so have made my home here.

So no more estherkimchi.org. Or estherkimchi.com. Or whatever other sites I’ve had. I still have my blogs at Blogger but this is my personal website. At least for now. We’ll see what the future brings.

Anyway, this site is still under construction, so be kind. I don’t know when it’ll be finished. It may be like UCLA and just always be under construction. We’ll see how unlazy I can get. Until then, enjoy what is on here! <3

A Perk (or Downside?) of Working in the EAP Office

So last night (our first night at Yonsei University), the majority of us silly Americans went out for dinner and drinks. We totally dominated the bar (I think it was called O.B. Park) and were totally obnoxious (not me of course, but the others). So there were initially three of us at our table (we were sitting apart from the other obnoxious drunkards ), so we were going to order drinks separately. My roomie (Christina) and I were going to just get 500cc of beer each, and Isabel (from across the hall) was going to buy a bottle. But then Christina’s friend Matt (a fellow U-Dub student) came along, so we decided to get a pitcher to share. But we didn’t know what size we were supposed to get, so we asked the manager (he was walking around acting as a waiter) and he told us to get the 3,000cc pitcher. OH MY GOODNESS that thing was huge. Monstrous. Isabel took several pictures of it so when I get them I will be FB’ing them. Anyway, so I got poured a glass and worked mighty hard to finish it (I hate the taste of alcohol so it wasn’t much fun). And I was so proud of myself when I finished (although I got mocked for being weak for stopping after one T_T).

BUT.. the story does not end here. Oh no. Definitely not. Remember the obnoxious drunkards I mentioned earlier? This is where one of them comes in. So one of my fellow Bruins, a very drunk guy who goes by the name of Dae (that’s how he spelled it for us, but then again, he was very drunk) came up and recognized me. “Hey! You work in the EAP office, don’t you?!” And that is where it began. He’s apparently one of those happy generous drunks. So he wouldn’t let go of the fact that I worked in the office and INSISTED on pouring me a drink (he brought over a pitcher). I tried my best to stop him, but how do you stop a drunk? So he poured me a glass. And then of course poured glasses for the rest of the people at my table and couldn’t shut up about how I worked in the office. So thanks to him we all got a free glass of beer. We had to ask for crackers so Isabel and I could finish our drinks (She has high tolerance, but she was doing this on an empty stomach. And I’m apparently just weak sauce.) But when it came down to it, I finished my second glass. Go me.

So, is this a perk of having worked in the EAP office, or a downside? You decide.

Obsession

As you can see by my new profile pic, I have a new manga character I love! His name is Train Heartnet and he is the main character of Black Cat! Ariana introduced me to the manga and after an initial hesistation, I went crazy. Here is what my reading schedule looked like:
– Day1 – finished ch16
– Day2 – finished ch67 (think this is bad? look at Day3)
– Day3 – finished up to 167 (that’s right.. 100 chapters in one day.. at WORK)
– Day4 – finished the series (ends at 185)
I am now in withdrawal. But I’m starting to dl the manga onto my laptop (everything I read was at work), so I am kind-of flipping through them and re-reading. And because I miss Train so much.. I have even started the anime! Just watched episode 1 yesterday. It’s SO different from the manga. I think they’re going to follow a skeleton of the plotline, but it’s still really different. I finished dl’ing ep2 and flipped through it, and I think I’m going to end up getting pissed off at the anime for deviating so much. Oh well. Anything for Train. Haha. Man I get obsessed easily..

HOPE?
So I think that’s basically it I have to say for now. Will be hanging out with Joycie this weekend (I think) so YAY! And Sunday will be our very last small group “outing” (we’re cheating and just going out to lunch) so that should be fun. And next week I’m meeting someone who will hopefully bring some light back into my life.. if such a thing is still possible. Even in all the darkness, there are still things to look forward to..

I miss..

.. Cambridge. Gids. Andy. Oldfield. Chris. Dan. Walking through the market square. The second floor of the library. My food drawer. Delirious phases with Karen. Pembroke College. Downing College. “Borrowing” items from the dining halls. Experiencing life in the UK. Pretending to be British with Christina. Banoffee pie.
.. Travelling. Taking the metro. “Mind the Gap.” Racing through Paris in eight hours. Being amazed by their gothic architecture. The cathedrals that take your breath away. Walking through London. Seeing the changing of the guards. Experiencing new things with friends. Recognizing places that I’ve seen only in movies and books. Being international.
.. David. Where did he go? Why haven’t I seen him since last fall? Did I even see him last fall? Please don’t tell me the last time I saw him was before I left for Cambridge.. Why does it even matter? Why do I still love you? Why do I still care?
.. Tim. Why do I miss him? Asshole.
.. Danny. My love. I dread being in the same country with you..
.. Passion. Or should I say active passion. Being passionate about what I care about. The things I love. And acting on that passion. And not being sad because of my passion. Why does passion make me sad? Why does passion equal pain?
.. Being in the loop. In the loop on Korean celebrities. The loves of my life. On American celebrities. On movies. On TV shows. On the whole entertainment industry. On Soompi. On all my forums. Or now ex-forums.
.. My friends. Why are we all so busy? Why are we all separated? Why do I feel like there is a chasm I cannot cross? Is it me? Am I building a wall?
.. Being on top of things. Finishing work ahead of time. Turning it in ahead of time. Or at the very least being on schedule.
.. My old high school self. With work ethic.
.. Having conviction. A goal. A direction. A purpose. Where am I going? What am I doing? What do I want? Can I even have whatever it is that I want?
.. Being happy. Being able to truly enjoy things. Being able to smile without crying inside.
.. Not having to wear a mask. Not having to have a facade. Did those times really exist? Is there any sincerity left in me?
.. My sanity. Why have you forsaken me?
..

I miss.. ME.

Hmmmmm

So I know there were things I wanted to say, but what were they? How my mind loves to play tricks on me. Oh well. I have plenty to say on my own anyway. Seriously. Plenty.

Dental.. Stuff. Not for the queasy.
So I got my tooth pulled out last Wednesday (4/19). No, not my wisdom teeth. Those upper ones are still.. there. No, I got my #2 tooth (your upper right wisdom tooth is #1) taken out. That was.. fun. No. Not really. It was quick, and relatively painless considering I had gotten three shots to that area of the mouth. And then they sent me home telling me to sleep. Which I was planning to do anyway. But then they threw a wrench in the works by saying I needed to change my gauze every 30 minutes. Are they mad?! How do you sleep and change gauze every 30 minutes?! So I ended up watching TV the entire day.. trudging back and forth between my computer and the bathroom to replace the blood-soaked gauze with a fresh one. It was actually good.. in wasting Wed and Thurs, I managed to get all caught up with Bleach and Alias. Haha. But the dentist had lied to me yet again. They said the major bleeding would be over in 4-8 hours. They were wrong! I was still bleeding quite a bit 36 hours later… And all bleeding is supposed to stop after 24-36 hours later. Ummm.. I’m still giving out a liddo pinkness over a week later. My mouth really does hate me -___________________________________________-

Exercise does NOT give me Endorphins
So this has been the first week where I went to all 3! of my gym classes. Taekwondo on Monday and Wednesday and then Shadow Boxing on Thursday. Can I say PAINFUL?! Yes, I can! I have bruises all over my feet.. and the big blister on my left big toe popped. So I have this nice big patch of RAW skin. There’s another blister on my right toe just waiting to pop. So Monday should be fun T_T And my body is SO sore. Still can’t move without pain. My poor body..

Meals with Friends
So Tuesday dinners started up again last week. Abby made her own unique pazookie style dessert in honour of my birthday! Thanks Abby! And this past Tuesday was Christina’s turn, and she did an Irish theme! Next week is my turn – time to bust out the Korean BBQ! Dena and I also met twice this week. Monday was our lunch.. we went to Enzo’s. Yum. And on Wednesday I met Dena and Lois for brunch at Headlines! Very nice. Can’t wait for our dates next week~

Korea VS. …
Remember how at the internship fair I got all excited about potentially working at the X Games? Well, the lady called me. It’s too late for the internship, but she was hoping I could be a marketing assistant. It killed me to tell her I would be in Korea during the time and so couldn’t try out. I had forgotten (or repressed) the thoughts of X Games since it would only make me sad, but the phone call reminded me of what I was giving up. WAAAHHHHH~

OTHER NEWS
1. First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to JOYCIE! Okay, so it was Thursday, but I feel it’s worth mentioning here. Because I love her *^^*
2. I got a research assistant position! It’s for a grad student who’s in the same office as Nate *^^* And I started working in the EAP office again this week. That’s right – I’m back! So come visit me on Wednesdays and Thursdays ^^
3. Despite the fact that it’s supposed to be an easy A class (or maybe because of this fact, so I underestimated the test), I got a very embarrassingly low grade on my Astro 3 midterm. Very sad. Very sad indeed. And I have my Psych midterm this week. Not looking forward to that…

Psychic Music
So Karen had this thing on her Xanga and I decided that I would try it out too..

Go to your music player of choice and put it on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud, and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question.

How does the world see me?
“She Will Be Loved” Maroon 5 {I’m a “beauty queen of only 18″? … I think not}
Will I have a happy life?
“Hold On (Piano Song)” The Starting Line {Is this a yes? A no? o.O}
What do my friends really think of me?
“Without You” Shinhwa
Chorus: (rough translation) Yes, I know what it means. That everything ended. That there will be no more happy times for us. There is no one I need if I don’t have you. If it has to be like this, there is no more meaning to my life.
{… So my friends don’t love me and will leave me? T_T}
Do people secretly lust after me?
“Nobody’s Listening” Linkin Park {Apparently not.. since they’re not even listening T_T}
How can I make myself happy?
“As Long As You Love Me” Backstreet Boys {So I’ll be happy as long as you love me?}
What should I do with my life?
“Boulevard of Broken Dreams” Green Day {So I have to walk alone?}
Will I ever have children?
“Wish of a Blue Bird” H.O.T.
Children’s chorus: You fill my heart up with love. I will become a blue bird and fly to you.
{So my children are going to change species and come to me?}
What is some good advice for me?
“Scars” Papa Roach {“I tear my heart open just to feel” … Ummm, I don’t know about this..}
How will I be remembered?
“You Don’t See Me” Josie and the Pussycats {First I’m not heard and now I’m not seen?!}
What is my signature dancing song?
“Lebanese Blonde” Thievery Corporation {.. I don’t know what to say to this}
What do I think my current theme song is?
“Someday” As One
What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
“Caring is Creepy” The Shins
What song will play at my funeral?
“To Your Side” Jo Sung Mo
What type of men/women do I like?
“Like That Guy” Se7en {So Se7en wants to be my guy.. MUAHAHAHA}
What is my day going to be like?
“Such Great Heights” Iron and Wine

Ummmm..
So, yeah, don’t know what to think about my results. Interpret it on your own. I need to go study now.. Hope this update was satisfactory!

Cleaning Out My Closet

So, over the years, I have managed to build up a list of AIM screennames. Some of you know some of them, some of you don’t know some of them, whatever. I’ve decided it’s all POINTLESS. And it’s confusing, because I’ve lost track of who knows what sn and whatnot. So, we’re going back to the beginning. I’m just using WACKYKIMCHI from now on, so delete all the other screennames from your buddylist PLEASE. And don’t go “Oh, well, if you’re not going to use them, I’ll just leave them on.” Can you just delete them, please? It doesn’t take that long. Thanks.

For those of you who can’t remember what screennames I’ve had over the years, here’s a list of the ones you need to delete:
k1msunmi
sunniexhoney
singingheppo
mistiedreamz (I think I had a sn like this)
(there are more screennames, I’m sure of it, but I can’t remember them)

Ok then, thanks! I’ll try to be on more often so you guys can talk to me