Geek in Heels - Page 108

Jan 1, 2011 • In Asian, Claire, Korean, Personal, Relationships

Happy New Year!

(image courtesy of Little Seouls Blog)

I remember when I was little, the best part about New Year’s Day was not the gathering of family or the delicious food. The best part of New Year’s Day for me — and for millions of other Korean kids — was getting dressed in our hanbok (traditional Korean dress) and doing the traditional bow to relatives while wishing them a happy and prosperous new year, who would in turn give us money. Cha-ching!

My sister and I would usually consider ourselves lucky if we received $20 from an elder. It wasn’t until years later that we discovered some of our friends would receive upwards of $500 from a single relative!

When Claire gets older, you can be sure that I will be dressing her in a hanbok and drive over to my parents’ so that she can partake in this tradition too. And come the Lunar New Year, we will take her to J’s family festivities where she will be bombarded with red pockets filled with money. What a lucky little girl!

But for this year, while she is still a baby and too young to understand these traditions, she will merely grace us with her presence, which is all we expect from her but appreciate all the same.

Happy 2011, and 새해 복 많이 받으세요!

Adieu, 2010

Things have been a bit hectic, tiring, and cranky in our household this week as Claire has entered another difficult phase. We’re not sure if it is another growth spurt or teething, but our now-3-month-old (as of yesterday!) has not been this fussy since she was 6 weeks old.

We will be ringing in the new year in typical new parents’ style: a quiet night at home — that is, if we’re not already passed out by the time the clock hits midnight. If we are still up, we may sneak downstairs for a few minutes to watch the ball drop (we have a decent view of Times Square from just outside our building) and steal a New Year’s kiss.

My resolution for 2011 is simple: to be more grateful and thankful. I am such a pessimist (and a drama queen) that I often overlook all the blessings in my life.

I hope that everyone has a great New Year’s Eve, and wish you all the best in 2011!

(And if you’re Korean, may your tummies be filled with tons of ddukgook tomorrow!)

The Beauty of Pixar

When I was little I wanted to be an animator at Disney. And as I got older and became fascinated with computers, I dreamed of working at Pixar as a graphics designer-slash-engineer.

My aspirations were serious enough to enlist the help of my uncle, who at the time held the very prestigious position of VP of Broadcasting at MBC studios in Korea. After touring the studios, speaking with some of the designers (and even getting some nifty demonstrations) and having a serious talk with my uncle, I came to the conclusion that while I will continue to study graphics design, I could never work for a large studio like Pixar doing so — the work would be too tedious, the competition fierce, and I would most likely have little to no creative control for decades.

…but when you see videos like the one below, you can’t help but be transfixed by the beauty and intricacy of multidimensional animation.

And while I am content with my career choices and how my life has turned out, I can’t help but think back to those days and wonder “what if.”

Film Roll Wedding Invitations

I hardly ever read wedding blogs anymore so I am probably wayyyy late on this…but I can’t help but be completely taken by these film roll wedding invitations by Trevor and Larissa, the photographers behind Ambient Studios.

Via The Daily What.

I Will Carry You Home

In submitting an additional entry to Trupanion‘s Pawliday Blog Contest, I could’ve listed all the ways in which Comang is such an exceptional dog. How our friends, vet, and groomer constantly tell us that he’s one of the best-behaved dogs they’ve ever met. How he never fails to make me feel like I’m the only one who matters to him. How he motivates me to keep going, even through bouts of depression, family deaths, a miscarriage, and other turmoils.

But then I realized that I would be writing a tome, and the contest stipulates that an entry cannot exceed 700 words.

So in light of the recent blizzard here in the northeast, I’ve decided to edit and combine a couple of posts from last winter. Because as much as I hate taking our dog out in the cold harsh winter, this is how Comang makes it all worthwhile. And it’s moments like these that remind me once again how our dog’s love is such a precious gift…

Walking Comang this morning, after what they’ve dubbed the “Christmas Blizzard of 2010”

As with most dog owners, I usually do not like walking Comang in bad weather. Precipitation usually requires that I juggle an umbrella and a leash while picking up doggy poo that may or may not already be a watery mess on the sidewalk. My shoes and socks get soaking wet. The apartment fills with the ever-so-delightful scent of eau de wet dog for hours afterwards.

And Comang never seems to deviate from the chart below:

While most dog owners love taking their pets out in the snow, I consider it a chore because Comang doesn’t seem to like snow much. How can he, when he seems to be missing the gene or the skill that allows him to gracefully skim over ice? Or the ability to stay afloat and not sink into a foot of snow, unable to escape?

However, a part of me loves walking him in the snow.

Because as we near the end of the walk, his excitement at being outside dissipates and his joyful trots turn into slow, hesitant steps. His little paws and stout legs become downtrodden from the wet snow as coldness seeps in.

He stops.

I tug at his leash.

He refuses to budge. He lifts up one paw and gives me the most pathetic look you can imagine.

His eyes plead with me. “Mommy, will you carry me home?”

I gladly lift him up and carry him back.

Fortune Cookie Booties

J is pretty particular when it comes to authentic Chinese vs. “Americanized” Chinese food, products, and ideas. For example, he thinks it’s a travesty that I prefer Chinese takeout from Panda Express over authentic Chinese cuisine from Chinatown, and swears that he will teach Claire to know (and prefer!) only the best.

Be that as it may, I have a feeling that even he won’t be able to resist these adorable fortune cookie baby booties from Etsy seller sushibooties:

I love everything about these $24 booties — from the the personalized custom fabric fortunes to the Chinese takeout box packaging. It also doesn’t hurt that they look super warm and comfy, and feature no-slip grip soles.

You can even get a Mommy & Baby set for $48.

Via Bit Rebels.

Unconditional Love

When Heather (who had written a guest post for me last month) emailed me to let me know that Trupanion is holding a Pawliday Blog Contest, I knew that I had to participate…but I didn’t realize how difficult writing a post on the topic “How My Pet’s Love is My Holiday Gift” would be.

Because truth be told, Comang has been a brat lately.

Many of my readers have been wondering how Comang is getting along with the baby, and how he is handling the new addition to the family. And here is the answer: our dog has first child syndrome.

I have no one to blame but myself. I had read that before introducing the new baby to the household I should gradually start giving Comang less attention so that his new place in the family will not come as a shock. But I did the exact opposite because I knew that he would be receiving less attention. And by doing this I ended up doing more harm than good, because our dog now engages in behavior that he has never done before the baby.

When one of us is preoccupied with the baby, he will flippantly trot over to the other person for cuddle time.

When the baby is finally, successfully napping, he will find the loudest squeaky toy in his possession and attack the hell out of it, rousing the little one from her sleep.

And whenever we have guests over, he will go attach himself to the visitor, but not before shooting me a look that clearly states, “Well, since you’re not giving me any attention, I’ll go to this two-legger instead.” And while basking in the company’s affection, he will look over at me as if to say, “Jealous yet?”

…and I do get jealous.

I wish I had more time for Comang. I wish I could give the baby and Comang equal attention, or at least give him enough attention so that he does not feel neglected.

But at the same time, I resent him for not giving me a moment to rest when the baby is down for a nap. I resent him for waking me up earlier than usual for his morning walk when the baby is still sleeping and I could be using that extra time for sleep myself. Most of all, I resent him for making me feel guilty…as if new moms don’t experience enough guilt already!

So just how am I supposed to honestly write a post about how Comang’s love is the best holiday present with all this resentment in my heart? And that’s when it hit me.

I resent Comang because he loves me so much.

He loves me even though his status in our family has moved down a rung. He loves me even when I snap at him out of frustration. He loves me even though I haven’t been able to take him for a long walk by the river since the start of summer.

I know that having a baby requires sacrifices and adjustments from all members of the family. I just hadn’t realized that our dog would need to make sacrifices too…and I love Comang for taking it relatively well. He is patient when he has to wait an extra hour for a walk. He is unfazed when the baby is screaming her head off. Best of all, he is gentle with her and I know that although he might be jealous of her, he would never hurt her.

So here’s to you, buddy. Thank you for being such an awesome friend, first child, and an integral member of our family. And thank you for loving me with such unconditional love. I hope that you will grow to love Claire just as much, and that you two will soon become the best of friends.

The Digital Story of Christmas

What if the nativity were to occur today? How would the major players use the web to make the story happen? Go watch this clever and funny video by ExcentricPT to see exactly how.

Via Geekosystem.

From Our Family to Yours

Merry Christmas Eve!

This year we celebrate Claire’s first Christmas and J made sure to make it a special one by putting up our very first Christmas tree and decorating it with fancy-schmancy ornaments from Crate & Barrel.

We decided not to get the baby any gifts this year because (1) she will not remember it; and (2) she will be happier with a diaper change than with any material object.

That being said, our almost-3-month-old daughter has received more Christmas gifts than her parents…combined. While we are thankful for the generosity of our friends and family, we couldn’t help but wonder if this will be the norm as parents.

We will be spending the day watching two holiday rom-coms: Love Actually and The Holiday. Then it is off to church for Christmas Eve service!

I end this post with the first few verses from the gospel of John. Many people are partial to Luke this time of year, but I myself prefer these words from John 1:1-5, 14.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
….
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.