The Toronto Seoulcialite: January 2015

Saturday, 31 January 2015

lovesouthkorea:Jinjuseong Fortress (진주성) by insung jeon

lovesouthkorea:

Jinjuseong Fortress (진주성) by insung jeon

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#swarm happens

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Buhbye tdot.

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Love you guys! Going away party was a wonderful blur.

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Thursday, 29 January 2015

Someone drew me! Love it. #cartoon #drawing #caricature #me...

Someone drew me! Love it. #cartoon #drawing #caricature #me #picture #art #popart #seouclialite

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Someone drew me! Love it. #cartoon #drawing #caricature #me...

Someone drew me! Love it. #cartoon #drawing #caricature #me #picture #art #popart #seouclialite

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#love #oscarwilde #wilde #quotes

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#timehop #throwbackthursday #tbt 6 years ago we were casually...

#timehop #throwbackthursday #tbt 6 years ago we were casually going out to Blarney Stone in #Vancouver and now I’m off to #SouthKorea and Sarah just moved to #Australia! #yvr #bc #seoul #seouclialite #gwacheon #timeflies

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6:15 AM hot #yoga this morning and a beautiful but daunting red...

6:15 AM hot #yoga this morning and a beautiful but daunting red sky this morning. Watching #suits before getting my #protein #smoothie ready and walking to work. Solid start to the day! #getupandgo #riseandgrind #toronto #moksha #mokshayoga #fit #fitfluencial #fitfam #fitness #fitstagram #instafit #instafitness #gym #gymstagram

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Wednesday, 28 January 2015

@blogto may not have gotten my best angle but the article?...

@blogto may not have gotten my best angle but the article? Phenomenal. This was a fantastic night last Saturday and I’m so happy @deskotnala brought me along as an extra set of hands with the awesome crew @roseandsons. If you weren’t there then you truly missed out. Never fear, however, there will be many more eat and greet opportunities to come!

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Monday, 26 January 2015

Photo

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Photo

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Sunday, 25 January 2015

No biggie, just some delicious @bigcrowbbq ribs, Ezell’s...

No biggie, just some delicious @bigcrowbbq ribs, Ezell’s sweet slaw, pickles, caramelized onions, and a fried egg. Very happy right now! (at Big Crow)

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Saturday, 24 January 2015

Eat and Greet with Elliott Brood and @roseandsons at the...

Eat and Greet with Elliott Brood and @roseandsons at the Phoenix!

#Phoenix #eatandgreet #Toronto #elliottbrood #food #foodie #foodies #foodporn #torontofood

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Friday, 23 January 2015

insertbadpun: remember last year when we thought miss canada’s costume was as canadian as it could...

insertbadpun:

remember last year when we thought miss canada’s costume was as canadian as it could get

well look at this year’s costume

we were all so wrong

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So many @lovebottherobot in #Toronto! Here is one outside my...

So many @lovebottherobot in #Toronto! Here is one outside my #yoga studio. (at Moksha Yoga Downtown)

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#GNO means double fisting #horchata and a #darkandstormy and...

#GNO means double fisting #horchata and a #darkandstormy and ordering everything on the menu at @thevaldez in #Toronto with the best people. Hot Yoga (#Moksha) was a bit of a challenge today lemme tell ya! #Valdez (at Valdez)

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Wednesday, 21 January 2015

Hey ma’! I only had a couple. #yoga tomorrow will come...

Hey ma’! I only had a couple. #yoga tomorrow will come earrrrrrrlyyyyyy… (at Wheat Sheaf Tavern)

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30 days and counting

There is officially less than a month until I leave Toronto to go stay with my parents in Port Hope in the days leading up to my departure. Ladies and Gentlemen, yesterday I received a lovely little email reminding me that Moksha Yoga missed me (because I haven't practiced since March of 2014). I had received correspondence like this before, but only now was it offering me $100 off a month-long unlimited membership. I found it coincidental to receive this email the morning of the 20th - exactly 1 month before I peace outta T.

I had been considering heading back to hot yoga a couple of months ago, but it's really expensive. I'm not talking like pricy but you'll stretch the budget, Yoga studios in Toronto's downtown core will run you over $2,000 a year if you want to practice at your leisure. That's my gym membership plus training, plus towel service, and I just couldn't afford it. When this opportunity floated into my inbox I jumped at the chance to stretch and sweat it out.

Saturday after hanging out with my parents (and after spending way too much money on shoes and gifts for the Directors at my new school) I headed over to the gym and spent 2 hours doing some cardio and a lot of weights. By Monday morning my quads and hamstrings were still sore enough that walking up stairs and sitting down hurt, but Mark Sparks and I had made plans to work together both Monday and Tuesday - and work we sure did! I love how he's really beginning to switch up my work outs and mentally and physically preparing me for working on my own in South Korea. It's likely I won't be able to get a gym membership until my Alien Registration Card comes through. I won't even have internet or a phone until that's approved, so I'll really be focusing on repeating movement from memory ad ensuring time management in all aspects of my new life and in my workouts in a new environment.

After 3 kick-ass workouts in 4 days I was pretty tired, but my friend Jocelyne and I decided to head over to the movies to see Taken 3. Jocelyne's the type of friend who is always ready for the next adventure and doesn't really say no to activities. I know that when an event pops up she'll usually trek out if she's available and we'll have a blast. I will definitely miss her, and hope that the next time she heads back to Malaysia we can link up!

It was a late movie and by the last 20 minutes of action-packed fun my eyes started to droop and using my gym bag as a pillow I passed right out and woke up just in time to see the credits rolling. This did not bode well for the 6:15 AM practice for which I had registered online.

At 5:50 AM when my alarm went off I thought something was wrong. When I realised it was my alarm, I thought it was a joke. My condo was pitch black with the beams from the CN Tower's light show my only indication as to where I was and what was going on. I remembered that I had, indeed, signed up for an early morning class, and peeled myself out of bed ecstatic that I had left my gym clothes, mat, and mat towel by the door ready to get up and go.

Moksha is 2 blocks from my place which is really handy that early in the morning. I probably wouldn't go if it were more than a 5 minute walk away simply because I don't like bringing too much stuff - I don't bring my cell phone as it's not allowed in the studio, I've had too many coats stolen to actually leave one in an unsecured space, and a purse would just be too much of a hassle to lock up. I reached the studio and began to set up my mat. The early morning sessions have become a lot more popular, and in savasana I found myself nearly holding hands with the person next to me. Awkward. The class itself was ridiculously easy - theoretically. The website describes it as: "Moksha yoga is a dynamic system of postures and breathing exercises specifically designed to be practiced in the heat. Moksha classes are intended to open, strengthen and detoxify the entire body. All classes on our schedule are based on this amazing series of postures!" Having not practiced any kind of yoga in 9 months by ankles were very weak and my back was very tight. I decided to take it easy and really focus on my technique rather than pushing myself to get well into different positions at the expense of a good foundation. I'm starting back at square one and it feels good to move my muscles in a different way. The last time yoga was a big part of my life was when I was working at a large-scale corporate chain/ event space where food was part of my comp plan and even though I tried to eat "healthy" I was probably about 10-15 lbs heavier than I am now. Stress has a tendency to manifest itself into what I like to call a "belly tire", and with what I was working with last go around you could have called me Michelin. Today's practice was easier to flow with my breathing, easier to move into the positions, and I didn't find myself blinded by sweat like the last time. I think having that weight off definitely helps me keep my focus, I'm just very stiff from the lifting and the means of cardio I've been working lately. My balance (particularly in my ankles) will need to improve immensely over the next 30 days, and I'm certain that I'll find my own flow. Heck - maybe I'll even take a flow class to push myself ;)

The Separation of Foreign Teachers and Students in Korea -

The Separation of Foreign Teachers and Students in Korea -:

Thanks to Kimchibytes for this gem about connecting with your students and encouraging English language skills on their level.

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Monday, 19 January 2015

The Consulate

It's funny how just as I'm leaving Canada for greener pastures Toronto all of a sudden starts trying to make it up to me. The weather has improved, I'm working for a phenomenal company (where was this three years ago?!), my friends are all super supportive and are making time for me before I leave (although that's nothing new - thanks friends, love you lots), I finally have time to hit the gym, the sales around town are incredible (have you seen my recent amazing shoe purchases?), and I met a cute guy at the Korean consulate (of all places) and we spent the day roaming around the city getting things done.

Friday morning was a bit of a frenzy - I woke up late having slept in after a night I had promised myself and some colleagues the "HurriKate" would come out. Turns out she prefers falling asleep around 11 after some Prosecco and chats with a gal pal. I zipped over to get new passport photos taken as they had to be a particular size to fit the 2nd visa application. I had to print out my new contract as well since I'll be heading over a month earlier than anticipated (yay!) and since I don't have a printer it was an extra stop at the copy centre before racing over to the consulate. Once inside, there are no directions as to whether you have to take a number or just wait in line and hope for the best. It seemed the HurriKate did arrive, late as usual, and was wondering what the hell she was supposed to do with all her paperwork (and a $60 processing fee - there have been so many fees throughout this process I think I could have paid off my student loan simply staying put). The only other non-Korean person inside was R, who I rightly assumed was heading over to teach English as a second language as I am, and who guided me through my first experience at the South Korean consulate in Toronto.

After a few "where you stationed?"-style questions my number was called and I trotted up to the window to get started. After being told my paperwork was all wrong it was back to the drawing board for me, and I was already excruciatingly late for my Motionball Gala meeting. All was not right, but I was there and I had to get'er done. After grabbing all the new paperwork I came back and sat at the large table provided and went to grab a pen from my bag and found R was offering one to me. I scribbled my name down on a sheet of paper passing it over to him with some mumblings about Facebook expecting never to hear from him again once I had completed the paperwork and handed the pen back over. That was it. I went to the counter, submitted my forms, and once I turned around he was gonezo. The End. Fin. The story's over.

...except it wasn't. I left the consulate practically running toward St. Clair station like an idiot and suddenly heard my (quickly draining) iPhone ping. It was R offering me a ride home. Little did he know that I was heading out practically to Scarborough and that I was not polite enough to decline this offer twice. We headed out to York Mills and boonies, and I sat in a meeting with some incredible women for the next 45 minutes figuring out logistics for February 6th. If you don't have tickets then perhaps you should click here and get your act in gear. After my meeting (and his snooze) we walked over to Thai One On for some nosh. It's alright food (I mean, the name has some humour) and we ate and I spilled curry all over myself like an idiot and life was pretty good. After that it was off to Ikea - the place where all friendships and relationships are tested, of course. R needed to buy a pillow and evidently Ikea sells them all rolled up so they're easy to pack (and to fit in your carry-on for double duty as a neck rest on the plane).

The trip pretty suddenly turned into us picking out how we would decorate and furnish our apartments once we got to South Korea. I'll be heading over to a suburb of Seoul, while R is going to Busan. I'm sure our living spaces will be quite different as I anticipate mine will be very small (no sweat off my brow - my first apartment in Toronto was fewer than 250 square feet and didn't even have a proper fridge). I anticipate this is what my couch might look like:

...whereas R's might be a little more spacious:

It's unclear as to whether or not a catwalk will be provided.

After Ikea it was my turn to choose the next location. I've always wanted to try out Snakes and Lagers however I've never really had the time. Friday I finally got to cross it off my bucket list! The beer list was full of draughts I personally enjoy, so we were off to a great start. R was far better at the trivia game I chose, but I managed to pull out some random aquatic knowledge that seemed randomly impressive after a couple of beers. The menu prices at Snakes and Lagers were really reasonable and we decided to get the 50/50 Charcuterie Meat and Cheese platter. Perfect for two, this appetizer had nice big chunks of cheese (1 per person, per type) and lots of meat and olives. It was very tasty and I would definitely head back again to try some more of the shareable plates.

All in all it was a great day, the weather really cooperated (the sun was blinding - it was glorious), and I made a really smart and funny new friend who will be living in a beach town I'll most certainly want to visit. R - you're welcome in Seoul (well, Gwacheon) anytime. Safe Travels! South Korea - see you in 10, 500 km and 37 days!

#latergram of one exceptionally #delicious #lunch! Julian is...

#latergram of one exceptionally #delicious #lunch! Julian is the best! Thank you for my #breakfast #tacos 😍 #foodporn #food (at Rose and Sons)

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Sunday, 18 January 2015

@fixsomething - for your collection may I present: Celine Dijon.

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I’m definitely going to miss having such amazing #espresso...

I’m definitely going to miss having such amazing #espresso right inside my condo building! The staff are amazing at @throes pressboard and they have @villagejuicery available. Gotta get my fix - exactly 1 month until I move out! (at Thor Espresso Bar)

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Saturday, 17 January 2015

I needed them for Korea…I promise! (at Hudsons Bay...

I needed them for Korea…I promise! (at Hudsons Bay Company)

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I needed them for Korea…I promise! (at Town Shoes)

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Thursday, 15 January 2015

Friends! I will be having a going away shin dig on January 30th...

Friends! I will be having a going away shin dig on January 30th in Toronto! I don’t actually leave until February 20th but it’s the only Friday that works with my job schedule. Stay tuned for details!

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Wednesday, 14 January 2015

Just a #Toronto #Police officer casually writing a...

Just a #Toronto #Police officer casually writing a ticket…on a horse. #lovethiscity #lovemycity

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This seems like a perfect motto to me!

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Sunday, 11 January 2015

Anyone who follows my #Toronto #instagram account will notice my...

Anyone who follows my #Toronto #instagram account will notice my cell phone #owl case often makes an appearance in my photos. He’s a little big and bulky but also adorable and functional (my phone sometimes falls off the treadmill and this bad boy is made of rubber LOL). It turns out that it’s called a #Roumang owl and was featured on the #KoreanDrama #TheHeirs. How funny is that? I bought this on a whim for $4 at a store at Queen and Spadina before I had any inkling of moving to #SouthKorea.

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