Knocked Out

sleeping
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

Oh boy am I tired right now. This is me at work...except less tan and less manly. You get the point. I'm about to take a nap at my desk. This blog is my last effort to stay awake however it's not working so well. I know this because a) I'm having trouble seeing the screen. This is due to my eyelids being only open enough to allow a small amount of light through, and b) I've had to correct the spelling on 50% of this blog. And there isn't much here...
Alright I give up, I admit defeat. I'm going to go check my mail and then go to bed. Maybe I'll blog later about my dreams :)

My weekend

Ok Christmas was great. My mom and dad sent me a bunch of presents so that's exciting. It didn't feel very Christmasy but what can you do. It was my first one away from home and to be honest, it really wasn't that bad. I thought I'd be depressed, but I was surrounded with so many good friends that I was happy. Oh and my mom was psyched about her stirrup pants. YEA MOM!
I was talking to 'Steve' (as Mireya and I refer to him...or whatever) last night about our weekend. We spent the weekend together by the way. It wasn't planned but what was supposed to be just a one night stay at my apt as a place to crash before curfew was over on Friday night turned into a 3 day long excursion in my bedroom with a few breaks for food and a movie. Oceans 12 was good.
Anyhoo, as I said earlier, I was talking to Steve about this. Steve asked what I was going to tell people when they asked if we were ok now, and I said just tell them whatever you want as long as it's the truth. Then I thought about it. What would I tell people? Everyone knows we broke up and I had a million reasons for it (or what seemed like a million). They all seemed like good reasons, but really I don't know if they were. I've decided I'm going to tell people I made a mistake about how I felt but that it's going a day at a time. So I dunno...I guess I'm techincally single but not really at the same time. And I'm ok with that. More than ok...

Scoots Aus Nov 04

Scoots Aus Nov 04
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

And no Renny/Lyssie vaca is complete without renting a SCOOTS!!! (Seany, sorry you couldn't be there, but they didn't have white helmets anyway...)

Fattie Aus Nov 04

Fattie Aus Nov 04
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

It's times like these that I'm just so proud of my sister. :D

Surfer Girl Aus Nov 04

Surfer Girl Aus Nov 04
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

Post "surfing". I actually caught 1 wave, but got so excited that I caught it that I completely forgot to try to stand up. Yeah body boarding :)

Yippee Aus Nov 04

Yippee Aus Nov 04
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

I'm sending this to the US Olympic Committee in three years, I'm pretty sure it'll get me on the gymnastics team without even having to try out.

Surfers Paradise Nov 04

Surfers Paradise Nov 04
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

Watching the surfers in Australia near where Renee was going to school. You can see the city in the distance.

Flower Aus Nov 04

Flower Aus Nov 04
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

Yummy Aus Nov 04

Yummy Aus Nov 04
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

Ok this may not be something you're jealous of. You shouldn't be. Watching Renee eat is one of the more revolting things in my life. Thank God we're on different continents :) Love you Renny!!!

Blue Mountains Waterfall Nov 04

Blue Mountains Waterfall Nov 04
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

Sydney Bridge Nov 04

Sydney Bridge Nov 04
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

Where was this picture taken again??? Ohhh yeahhhh...In Sydney. Australia that is :)

Sydney Opera House Nov 04

Sydney Opera House Nov 04
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

This needs no introduction...

Saipan May 04

Saipan May 04
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

This is what we do on tropical island vacations...I'm burnt and drunk. Fantastic...

Saipan May 04

Saipan May 04
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

I have only one thing to say about this picture from Saipan...SCOOTS!!!

Saipan May 04

Saipan May 04
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

Tropical island with my sister? Check!

Forbidden City Nov 03

Forbidden City Nov 03
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

This is Mikey, Cappy and I at the Forbidden City in Beijing. It was so so so huge. It just kept going with gold tiled roofs forever. All for one person.

Great Wall of China Top Nov 03

Great Wall of China Top Nov 03
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

A couple thousand (literally) steps later, this is the top of the Great Wall of China. I made it :)

Great Wall of China Bottom Nov 03

Great Wall of China Bottom Nov 03
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

The bottom of the Great Wall of China (you can start the jealous rage now)...

Gyeongbukgung Pagoda Oct 03

Gyeongbukgung Pagoda Oct 03
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

This is a pagoda on an island of a manmade lake at Gyeongbuk Palace. It was taken in the fall when my parents came to visit.

Jealous much?

Ok...here's some pics of what I've done in Korea and in other countries. You should be jealous of all these pictures and also kicking yourself for not coming to visit me. I'm leaving in April-ish and unless you're going to come in the next couple months you really missed out. This country has a lot to offer as far as historical structures go (Palaces, Temples...) It's also a great jumping off point for seeing other countries (i.e. China, Saipan, Australia...)
Hope you enjoy them!

Question Blog

Ok, I know this is my third blog of the day and that's a lot, but I can write as much as I want because this is my blog, bitch. Also I'm REALLY bored at work today since it's the day before Christmas Eve and no one is doing anything. I have some questions, maybe you can copy and paste them into your blog and I can read them. Not sure who I'm talking to, but if you have a blog then assume it's you. K, happy reading!

What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?
I got to visit Australia with Renny. It's also the first year I haven't seen my parents or brother for even a day and I also have never spent a Christmas away from home, which I will be doing in two days.

What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
A clear spiritual direction. Also, I want a Feng Shue'd apartment.

What dates from 2004 will remain etched in your memory, and why?
November 4th. Biggest election that I can remember.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Making it through the year without landing in jail once.

What was your biggest failure?
Making it through the year without landing in jail once.

What was the best thing you bought?
My new 2005 Volvo T5, 6 speed transmission, 5 cylinder in line engine with turbocharger, black leather heated seats, 6 CD in dash player with premium sound system, sports package with 17 inch wheels and dynamic suspension, luxury package with fully automatic sunroof. My mustang looks like a hoopty compared to this.

Whose behavior merited celebration?
My fellow soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan

Whose behavior made you appalled?
GWB

Where did most of your money go?
Bud Light, Hoegarden, Jack and Coke

What song will always remind you of 2004?
Any Blink 182, Yellow Card or Milk Shake by Kelis

What do you wish you'd done more of?
Travelling in Asia

What do you wish you'd done less of?
Work and spend money

Did you fall in love in 2004?
A couple of times, yeah :)

What was your favorite TV program?
The L Word

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No, can't say that I do...I'm still hating the same people...oh wait yeah, GW

What was the best book you read?
The DaVinci Code / Angels and Demons...both by Dan Brown

What/who was your greatest musical discovery?
Yellowcard!

What was your favorite film of this year?
Anchorman

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
24, it was a couple weeks ago and it was a week long celebration. Thanks to everyone that helped me celebrate! I even had a surprise party...go me.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
Jeans and a tshirt/polo/button down. Ca-Su-Al

Who kept you sane?
Seany

Which celebrity did you fancy the most?
Angelina, Clea DuVall and others...

Who did you miss?
My momma :(

Who was the best new person you met?
Olivia and Cari

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004:
Friends are invaluable

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"I envy the wine that makes you blush"...this year was filled with a lot of soul searching and soul-mate searching. I feel incomplete when I'm single and so this song is like my pathetic attempt at romancing people...

That's better

bluecrush
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

This is more respectable. All I have to say is that I AM THE COOLEST PERSON I KNOW. And, I still got game, beeoottcchh.

Finer moments

bluecrush2
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

This was NOT one of them. Ok, here's the story. This girl that we call blue crush for the fact that she reminds us of the hot girls from that movie was at the bar one night...so all of my friends and I get excited and we're all like...oooh she's so hot, I wanna dance with her, yada yada yada. Then Live says...oh hey there's her GF. Great. So I'm dancing later, having given up on blue crush due to the girlfriend factor...when Lo and Behold, Blue Crush starts dancing with ME. I was so excited I didn't know what to do. Obviously I figured it out (as this picture shows). Everyone was amazed that she danced with me. Now that I think about it, shame on you all for doubting my booty getting abilities! Ok but it was a long shot so yeah I'm excited :

Koreamap

Koreamap
Originally uploaded by Ryssy.

As you can see, I've decided to enter the digital age of blogging with photo's. And now...it's on like Donkey Kong.
For my first pic, I decided to show you where I live...relatively speaking. Not too much detail on the map. I'm in Seoul and that's about 30 miles from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). North of the DMZ is, well, North Korea. How original. Kim Jung Il lives in Pyongyang and he's fat and crazy.
That about sums it up...I'm sure I'll have more pics to post up here today so keep checking back.

Iraq

I've been pretty quiet during this whole war and aftermath. No more. I was on CNN.com today and saw an article about a bombing of a mess tent in Mosul. They mentioned some units at that base and one of them happens to be the unit of a very close friend. Immediately I scroll to the list of soldiers that have died in Iraq and scan for her name. They hadn't updated it yet. As I continue to scroll I'm seeing more and more LT's there. Well, first off, the list is far too long. And the number of high ranking enlisted and officers surprises me. I couldn't help but stop at every LT that has died and read about him or her. It got me to thinking, one of them could be my friend, one of them probably IS my friend...so I stopped reading the names. It was too depressing. These poor kids...no one asked them if they wanted to go, they just sent them with a rifle and some shoddy equipment and told them to go fight for a cause that wasn't real. Then we loose over 1,000 kids and Rumsfeld and Bush are like, oops, no WMDs. Our bad. Well we may as well continue fighting there because we created a huge mess and if we leave it'll only get worse. Hey we need more kids to go over there and risk your lives. So they send more kids and hey, some of them die too. Great. Way to go US Government. This is a great cause. Rumsfeld can't even sign a card with his own fucking signature. He's so Goddamn lazy that he uses a computer to do it. Can't be bothered...Maybe he should scroll down the list and have to look at the smiling faces of these kids whose parents will never see their child again. No one will ever get to see that smiling face, or the smiling face of over 1,000 of his brothers and sisters because George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld thought it was a good cause....THERE WAS NO CAUSE and there won't be a cause. Now we're still dying over there with more shitty equipment and Rumsfeld can't even do shit about that. I love my country, I would die to defend it, but never would I die for them...

It's the small things...

It's the small things I miss from life in the States. Namely life in the greater RI/Mass general area. I've compiled a list (or just named some things AS I'm writing this blog) of things, places, people or whatever that I really miss. These are things you probably all take for granted in your lives...

1 - RoJacks (or as my Sito says, RoJack), Stop and Shop and Shaws. I have a couple of mom and pop owned convenience stores where the groceries have dust piled an inch high and covered in rat poopies. Ewww...good thing for the commisary on post.

2 - Pulse. I have a couple of bars but nothing compared to the glory of Pulse. Even if I did get attacked by a black velour suit wearing, two foot high hair sporting, slightly pudgy (read: fat) Italian-American Cranston (east Cranston, not west) ghetto lesbian. And I quote...."damn girl, you so hot." DAMN I miss that place :)

3 - Dunkin Donuts...they have this in Korea but you can't have Dunkin Donuts without Fred and an English speaking crew with the worst RI accent you've ever heard.

4 - The Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots. Could I please miss another season...thanks...

5 - Cappy Capuano; Nick, Ron and Pete; J.D. Byrider; Tasca Cars;

6 - I-95, particularly the fact that I can name every exit between mine and 17 in Warwick.

7 - The joys of driving over the Newport and Jamestown bridges

8 - Going to the beach at Sand Hill Cove as a kid because I knew I'd be getting "chowda and clamcakes" from either George's of Gallilee or Auntie Annies

9 - Shopping malls, even the Emerald Square which used to be the coolest mall around until Providence Place came. This was sad to me because I spent the better part of my teenage days patrolling the walkways of the mall with my "homeys". I have to admit though, the carpeted walkways, Dave and Busters and IMAX make the PPM better...

10 - Thayer Street. Ever since I graduated high school I've made pilgrimages back there EVERY SINGLE TIME I went to visit my family. You know that street hasn't changed once (maybe once) and I still go back. The stores all stock the same things. The only excitement came when they put in the Johnny Rockets and we went to eat there and I had this bacon double cheeseburger, fries and a shake and I ate ALL of it. Ask Gabrielle for proof.

11 - Dolce Vita. We really hate the bitchy ass waitresses but love the Bruschetta.

12 - I miss my house...my family yes of course, but actually I really miss my house. I miss everything about it, from the way it smells, to the fact that I share a room with my sister, to my dog and cats....all of it. I really wish I was there. But not to live, not to live. It's fun for the first week. Ok after that I don't miss it anymore and I wish I could go back to work...

13 - Home Depot.

14 - Driving on a highway where there isn't rush hour traffic 24/7 (you think I'm kidding...but I'm not. The only time you can drive on the highway or any other road, and not encounter mass traffic is between 3 and 5:30 AM. Seriously)

15 - Driving on a three lane road where there are only three lanes of traffic. Miraculously there seems to be at least one extra lane of cars here...they have no patience to wait in line. They have to get up that extra five feet because it's going to save them so much time...no actually it saves them about 30 seconds and causes EVERYONE behind them to be late by five minute. Thanks dickfaces. (no hostility to the Korean drivers...none ;)

16 - Dels lemonade in the summer.

17 - The suburbs and houses. Or even apt buildings that look like houses. Not a 25 story high rise. EVERYWHERE.

18 - Big, loud, obnoxious Dodge, Ford and Chevy trucks. Not a little Bongo truck that has smaller tires than a tricycle.

19 - Being able to understand every conversation going on around me. Even if they're talking about my frizzy hair.

20 - Papa Gino's pizza....oh man do I miss that pizza. Really, really miss that pizza. Just a slice of cheese would be nice. Or buffalo chicken, or chicken and pepper, garlic chicken, bbq chicken...mmmmmm. ok let it goooooo.

21 - Buddy Cianci, in jail or out. Makes no difference to me.

22 - My dad swearing at the Christmas tree / lights when they don't do what he wants...which is 99% of the time

23 - My moms stirrup pants that she currently cut the bottoms off of after feeling like Renee and I were making fun of her for wearing them. Actually we just think they're the cutest thing.

24 - Sito.

25 - Sito's cooking.

26 - More of Sito's cooking...

27 - The farm stand.

That's about it for now...I miss my roots a lot and I really really can't wait to get back there in April. Yay America!!!

Saturday

Wow, was I sick on Saturday or what? I drank a wee bit too much on Friday and then Saturday morning I woke up feeling like ASS. I felt like shit all day. I think the fact that I got my period that morning accompanied by the usual nauseating cramps didn't help things. So Saturday I had to go out and it hurt but luckily Liv gave me pepto and my stomach was good. So good in fact, that I was able to drink two bottles of Chung-ha (like soju but better) alone. The second bottle I drank right from the bottle...that's bad. I got drunk again. Then I went to dance and it was so great. The club we go to actually played three songs of punk/rock and I was excited. I realized my dream in life is to be a rockstar. Don't deny it, you know I'd be perfect...
I was cool enough to get two girls to come home with me on Saturday and one of them even slept in my bed...naked...oooooohhhhh. Not so good though, you'll find...because it was Sheli. I'll not get too much into it now because she did a pretty good job of summing it up in her blog. But anyway, the point is, I exhibited self-control that I didn't even know I HAD.
But in the end, it was good because I know that it wouldn't caused more complication and confusion than is already there.
How bout that for a Saturday night?

The Clapping Phenomenon

Last night Sean and I went to go see the Seoul Philharmonic because his building manager got us free tickets. Great performance, there was even a little opera action going on. After it was all said and done, there was a lot of clapping, as per usual. So they decide to do an encore and they chose the 1812 Overture. (if you don't know what I'm talking about shame on you and you may be lost reading the next part.) The entire audience started clapping, CLAPPING, to the beat of the music. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't pay attention to the music because I couldn't hear it. Do you know what makes this worse? The conductor turned to the audience and started pumping his fist towards them to ENCOURAGE this madness. It's like the symphony turned into the Sharon, Lois and Bram Elephant Show. They did the same thing for the next song. Finally they played the William Tell Overture and the beat was too fast for the crazy Koreans. They couldn't keep up. I felt bad, the poor Tympani player just stopped his drumming after a while because he wasn't needed. He had 1,000 crazy clapping Koreans to keep the beat.
The thing that bothers me is that this isn't the only time it's happened. I've seen it at the ballet. It's wrong. It's impolite. It's not a rock show, it's a symphony. Why can't you sit there quietly and let us all enjoy the music. It's like they all instinctively know when to start clapping because it erupts out of nowhere. Why??? There are some things I will never understand about Korean people...

Inappropos

Hopefully most people reading this blog know what inappropos means. Or at least what it means in my language. I did some online research and as it turns out, inappropos is not Latin for inappropriate. It's not Latin for anything. So fine, but that's what it means to me and I'm going to continue using it.
I've decided to compile a list of things that are inappropos. I'm going to write a book and each chapter is going to be a different place (ie...at the grocery store, at work, at the gym, at the movies) . Each chapter will be a list of things that are inappropos in those settings. I'm going to list a few things now that are inappropos in all settings. This would fall under the 'General' chapter of my book, which would no doubt be the first or last chapter. I'm leaning towards having it as the first chapter but I haven't talked to my publisher yet. Actually, I don't have a publisher, and this whole idea exists solely in my head. But everyone's gotta have dreams, right?
INAPPROPOS:
1) Flannel plaid shirts (unless you live in Korea, are of 100% Korean descent and are wearing the Korean light brown ugly flannel that I've come to know and love. If you don't fit all of these criteria then you are inappropos)
2) Mullets. Actually I take that back. Mullets are inappropos and yet appropos* at the same time.
3) Cellular telephones that can make phone calls, send text messages, send instant messages, send emails, send faxes, play MP3s, play video files of an entire episode of friends, take and store pictures, acts as your PDA, and wipes your butt. This is highly inappropos and I may be prone to kick the ass of the person with this device.
4) Calling someone the wrong name whilst in bed with them. I personally have no experience in this area, but a certain friend whose name starts with 'S' and ends with 'ean' does.
5) Drinking 2 bottles of wine in a sitting, then washing it down with a few beers. Or 2 kettles of Soju.
6) Drinking 10 Jack and Cokes in one night. This one I do have personal experience with and I can say that YES, this truly is inappropos in every sense of the word...even if that word makes no sense.

Ok, if anyone would like to the list of the inappropos, please just leave a comment and I'll add them into my next blog. Enjoy!

*The word "appropos" does not mean approriate in Latin, but it does in Alyssa's world.

Ballet

You are now reading the blog of a ballet dancer. I had my first class last night after being separated from ballet for about 8 years. It was amazing and it brought back a lot of old memories. Also, it was hard. I always remembered it being so much easier, but I sweat so much last night it was disgusting. This morning I woke up with painful hamstrings and calves. It's a small price to pay for two hours of pure happiness. I have my next class tomorrow. I can't wait...
In other news, I did NO work today. Besides three eval reports that were done by 9 this morning. I went to McD's for lunch with my commander and went shopping online to finish up the christmas stuff. Oh and I did a little school work for my history research class. I guess it wasn't a waste of a day for me...but it definitely was for Uncle Sam. I have to leave early today too...what a shame :)
I had a good weekend. I went out with Seany on Friday night and got relatively drunk. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Saturday was cleaning day and Saturday night I cooked dinner for my friends. I think they enjoyed it...although Liv coulda told me she had chicken issues...I would've made her Pigs Feet instead :) After dinner we went out to the usual bars and had a great time dancing. I love just hanging out with the girls...and drag queens. For clarification purposes...drag queens do NOT want to date lesbians. (thanks Liv).
Sunday I thought I lost my cat when I got up but she was just locked in the spare room. She bounced back after I gave her some food though. Hah...
Guess that about sums up the weekend. I've got to get going so I can leave soon...but I'll catch you all later...

Ahhh

Wow, what a difference my new job is. Same people mostly but new office, new things to focus on. I'm able to make a difference in people's lives and in the company as a whole. I wake up happy to go to work. Just great...
Cutest thing happened today. I'm walking out of my appartment building to go to work this morning and I hear this little kid screaming at the top of his lungs "OMA, OMAAAAA". I thought he was being a little brat at first (Oma means mom) but then as I saw him and heard him scream I realized he was lost. He couldn't find his mom and was so upset and scared and I just felt so so bad. I kept walking to my car because I was thinking...what can I do for him? But man, I just felt terrible because he was petrified. I walked up to him and squated down and put out my hand and got him to come over. Then I walked him as he was still sobbing to the gate guards at my appartment complex. I speak no Korean so this was going to be difficult. I just said "Ajushi, Oma upso" (Mister, mom not here...literally)
He looked at me confused for a minute then at the boy, then he took the little boys hand and we parted ways. Cute story, eh? I was telling Seany that I wanted to keep him and Seans response was "you can't keep every Korean kid that you see." And my mom says I have no maternal instincts. :)
That's a short update on me in Korea. I'm going to go work now and then have lunch at TGI Fridays...tough life...

Yup

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear Alyssa (and Sarah) happy birthday to me!!!
I'm 24 today. Last night I had a surprise birthday party thrown for me. It was my first ever surprise party and I was really excited about it. I even had a cake. So great. Thanks to Sheli for putting that one on. It was much appreciated.
I'm not going to get into my antics over the weekend. Lets just leave it at this...I got really really really drunk Saturday and I guess I wasn't the most fun person to be around for some people. Luckily all my other friends thought it was fine...including blue crush which is a funny story in and of itself. But regardless of whether or not I was drunk I'm sure that Sheli would have been upset with me for treating her weird that night. Here's why:
Um, I can't just miraculously be friends with someone that I broke up with less than a month ago. It's weird and it takes time. I know how she feels because I've read her blog. It seems odd to me that she can come over and act like we're really great friends when I know that inside she must be really upset. And then she got mad at me for acting weird. I'm not going to laugh and act like I'm totally ok with us the way we are when I'm still getting used to it. So I refuse to try to make her feel more comfortable with the situation when I'm not comfortable with it. I'm sorry if this seems harsh but it's how I feel. I tried to explain this and I hope it came out alright. I just need to move on and not worry about being insensitive or weird or whatever. Does this make sense to anyone?
But, besides that...my party was the shizzy, I'm leaving work early today and I'm going out for dinner tonight...booyah! :) You love that word, I know...

Great Day :-)

Today was a great day. I ended my one year stint as the shop officer with a bang. I had a meeting at 3pm which is usually the low point of the month since I tend to spend the majority of the meeting getting either yelled at or belittled. Not today. Today my stuff was straight and it went really well. As I'm leaving, and feeling really good about my year's progression, I was pulled aside by someone who has been in the army for a good 20 years and has one of the hardest jobs. We haven't had much interaction but we always say hi in passing. Today she said she wanted to say goodbye to me because I'm leaving the job. She said, in case I don't get to tell you again, I really want you to know that you are one of the few LTs in this battalion that I am really impressed with. She went on for a good two minutes just saying nice things and that if I decide to make it a twenty year career that I'd be an excellent officer and that she wishes me the best. I was so happy and my face was so red, I was really embarassed. It's really nice to know that people still appreciate you and even when you think no one noticed what you did, there is always someone there to give you a pat on the back. That really made my day. Thanks so much.
That's it. Now I'm back to being a platoon leader again and I'm damn excited. DAMN EXCITED. No more Gordo, no more Chief, no more CPT Jones, no more customers, no more meetings with customers and Gordo, no more logistics management...Life is good. Now I can actually go to work and be excited for what I'm doing. I feel like I make a bigger difference with my job now anyway so that's good.
Ok, time to go and do good things for the army by patrolling the streets of Seoul, making sure my soldiers don't get too drunk. Right. I'm a great role model. Because I was trashed last night. :)