아름답 다 , ah - lum - dahp - dah : Year of the Rabbit 
 Happy Lunar New Year , friends / family / Internet creepers ! 
 " The Year of the Rabbit " began this week on Wednesday . I had the whole week off and tried to use my time wisely -- which was more difficult than it sounds , considering most museums / restaurants / stores / my gym were all closed for most if not all of the holiday . Lunar New Year is a Big Deal here -- most Koreans travel to see family or take a vacation , since it is one of the few times during the working year that most people actually have more than a day off of work . 
 Some of the things I DID manage to accomplish : 
 I went up to my old Korean home , Uijeongbu , to my friend Leah ' s house . Leah has recently acquired a small convection oven , which is an extreme rarity in most Korean kitchens , most of which only have gas ranges . We baked up a storm : I made quiche and Leah and I whipped up some insanely delicious meatloaf from old , frozen hamburger patties she just happened to have lying around . We also made mashed sweet potatoes and green bean casserole : 
 Everything plated . NOM NOM NOM 
 Close up deliciosity 
 Beautiful lady , beautiful oven , beautiful MEATLOAF , DELISH 
 My old guy friends Brendan and Anthony came over and we played a bit of poker and drank a bit , which was so much fun . 
 Brendan looks smug / slightly resistant to having his picture taken 
 I went on the worst date of my life . Note to all dudes out there : if you hit on the random friend your date happens to bump into while you on said date , odds are , the friend of your date is going to tell on you , and things will get really weird , fast . Also , you will affirm all of her stereotypes about enlisted U . S . Army folk : that they are stupid , culturally insensitive , and misogynistic . That said , I did get a steak dinner out of this guy ( Outback Steakhouse in Korea in pretty much the exact same as it is at home , by the way ) -- still probably not worth the unnecessary dramz 
 I went and visited my old friend Bob out in Incheon yesterday . 
 I ' ve written about Bob a little bit before here . He is one of the most interesting people I ' ve ever met in my life . He has lived in Korea for almost six years now , has over 20 years of experience teaching special education , was a chef for Norwegian Cruise lines , and has lived in all sorts of amazing places like Miami , Niagara Falls , Key West , and Hawaii . He has a ton of interesting hobbies -- from collecting old coins and Asian artifacts to playing World of Warcraft . His house is lined with hundreds of DVDs , books , and interesting pictures and stuff . He is always full of great advice about teaching , cooking , drinking , living life -- and after having a particular shitty January , it was great to visit him and his partner , Hoon , and eat delicious food , talk about our Korean and American lives ( past and present ) , and drink a full glass of wine in the middle of the afternoon . 
 Some random tidbits I picked up this time around : 
 -- If a red wine is good , it will have " legs "-- tracks that drip down the side of the glass after you take a drink 
 -- The secret to a good gravy : having a pre - made roux on hand 
 -- Did you know they used to have 1 won coins in Korea ? 
 -- Always keep in touch with your friends -- even if you go three or four years without talking to them , keep their phone numbers on hand . It just takes one phone call , and you ' ll pick up where you left off 
 -- Aim to do everything in three year cycles 
 -- Move to Miami at some point in your life 
 -- The TV show " Queer as Folk " is awesome 
 -- You can sell Asian stuff on eBay to people and they will pay TONS of money for it 
 -- Be there for your friends , even when they call you drunkenly at 2 am wanting to go for a walk or something 
 -- Be there for your friends , which may require you to drive them to the hospital after the bullet they shot at their own head grazes their ear 
 -- If you want to make a ton of money , try to be a housekeeper on a cruise ship in the future 
 -- Eat , drink , and be merry , even if you have diabetes / sky high cholesterol / have had open heart surgery 
 I love this guy , and think I ' m so lucky to have him here in my Korean life ^^ 
 I went and volunteered with PLUR , a fantastic internet - based volunteer group that does all kinds of work here in Seoul . I have been participating in PLUR ' s " Help Your Seoul " event on Sunday night for the past few months , and it has been a great way to end my weekends here lately . Every volunteer that participates donates 10 , 000 won for bread and soymilk , which are distributed to the homeless living around Seoul Station . You meet a lot of interesting people , and more important feel like you are contributing positively to society , ect . ~~ 
 Trying to start this new year right ! Thinking about lots of things -- friendship , love , teaching , the future . .. 
 Posted by Madeline Lee at 9 : 35 AM