5 posts tagged “apartment”
Seriously. You can make pretty much anything in a rice cooker. Rice, obviously. But, also, cake. Pasta. Risotto (does that count as rice?). Soup. Just google it. So, it stands to reason that you could make rice wine, as well. Or other alcoholic beverages, since I think they need cooking. How is this relevant? Well...
So, a bit ago - a few weeks, not sure exactly; it's probably best not to know - I was going to make some rice for dinner. Or something with rice. As it turned out, I ended up eating out for dinner, or perhaps not eating dinner. I don't remember the details - but both options are equally probably. Anyway - I washed the rice and put it in the cooker with some water. Soaking rice is fine, after all. And then, like I said, ended up going out, so I figured I'd just make it the next night.
So, a bit ago - last week sometime - I was going to make some rice for dinner. I think I was going to make chicken and rice, actually. Had my chicken all thawed, and figured I better cook the rice first, cause you know, it takes longer. So I opened my rice cooker up and found this:
Obviously, I had forgotten to cook the rice the next night. Oops. Perhaps you can't see this from the picture, but there's at least 4 different textures in there. It definitely smelled like it was alcoholic, tho I can't imagine what sort of hallucinations you would have gotten from it (or what sort you would have had to been seeing to eat that). I was so delighted that I bounded down the hall to show Donald, who was, let's say, not as excited as I was - I think he referred to it as 'rank'. And neechan, I know you always yell at me for stuff like this, but this was as cool as that time my arm did that exploding thing... I wonder if that video is still on my phone...
Anywho - I guess we won't be doing that again.
In other news - I've been busy this month. I may have mentioned Wrestlemania, the knitting competition I'm participating in. I'm happy to say I have finished two of the projects I started for that - a lacy mohair cowl and the dismantlement of (the gloves formerly known as) my Plum Pudding Gauntlets. Really, even considering my usual disregard for things like 'gauge' and 'recommended yarn', those were just... bad. I've grown so much as a knitter since then, so I decided they needed to die, and be reincarnated as dishclothes or something.
The second thing I finished is this - my Ice Queen. (link goes to the pattern from Knitty) I'm actually really happy with this - for one thing, the yarn is SPARKLY. for another, it's MOHAIR. I luvs me some mohair. Also, despite that I have done lace before, this was my first time doing a feather and fan pattern, which is like, the most beginningest lace pattern evar. And I had to learn 3 or so new techniques for this - so I'm really glad the way it turned out. Now, to figure out what to do with it... I might keep it, or might give it to someone deserving.
paqui = wheel
saja = lion
guishin = ghost. well, a specific kind of ghost. (to be fair, I actually learned this word a while ago, and forgot about it. There's a few ways to say ghost in Korean, but guishin has a certain implication, of the traditional female Asian ghost with long hair, in traditional dress, who's usually been murdered in a grisly fashion by her lover or committed suicide because of aforementioned lover's assholery. Think Sadako from The Ring or Oiwa from Japanese legend.
What else recently? hmm... that's all that comes to mind, really. Got summer break coming up in two weeks - can you say 'excited'? I'm sure I'll miss my kids, god knows I love the lil munchkins, but I will definitely be glad for the time off. Plan to get lots of knitting done, certainly, and hopefully finalize all things for Thailand and find a new job. It's monsoon season, so we're getting wicked rain - I went out tonight and made it as far as the train station before I realized I wasn't leaving Songpa-gu tonight. I came home soaked, accompanied by thunder and lightning. My bathroom ceiling is dripping a lil bit, and the stairwell smells like some odd cross between greens, wet dog, and those silk worms that people like to snack on. Glad to be in my cozy apartment with my trance music and a napping Gizmo.
Now, off to watch the rest of Torchwood: Children of Earth.
Ah, here we are again. After Christmas I went to Japan for New Year's. I had lots of fun and took about 400 pictures and some videos as well. Don't expect to see them all - most will probably die a quiet death. Perhaps I will get around to slogging through them at some point, though with my past record... yeah. We'll see. I'm going to try to be more productive this year. Try being the key word there. Anyway.
Things I missed about Japan.
--Actual houses.
--Being able to talk to people.
--ramen!!
--Caffe Veloce Iced Cocoa.
Yeah, food is clearly associative for me.
Before Christmas, I decorated my apartment. And then, when I went to Japan, I got some other thingys. So now my place looks thoroughly lived in, cute, and boasts a random collection of art, Christmas cards, and small figurines.
First up, my puzzles. Which, I might add, were a pain in the butt. Had to get mr. lee to come drill holes in my cinderblock walls. Hope they aren't going to charge me for that when i leave...
Anyone who has ever visited a room I have lived in for a significant period of time has probably noticed that I like small figurines, usually animals. Especially cats. I kind of collect things like that. When I was in Japan I discovered hashi-oki (chopstick rests) are great for that sort of thing. They are invariably small and usually cute. I had two already, a tiger and a dragon from a series on the Juunishi (Zodiac Animals). This time while I was in Kyoto, I picked up a few more.
Found these in Kiyomizudera at a handmade family-run shop and thought they were adorable. No dragons, unfortunately. They did have lots of cows though, since that's this year. Next year is my year!! I hope I will get to visit Japan at some point during the year of the Tiger. These two are very different styles, but both cute.
Sadly, I have discovered that my apartment does not have a dimensional portal. Nor are the pigeons living near my apartment particularly vicious and acquisitive. While searching for another thing that has mysteriously gone missing (one of my diamond threaders), I decided to actually lift both the fridge and the washer. Lo and behold, I found the three mice that I had assumed had been absconded with by the aforementioned pigeons. So, there goes my black hole theory of apartment living. It probably should be amended to the "I live with a kitten" Theory.
Hopefully said theory will not leave my earring unfound for too long. I only hope she hasn't eaten it, and that it's still here where I can get to it.
Now, as I just returned from Costco, I have henna to mix, meat to part out, and dishes/food to put away.
I feel almost as if I have been neglecting my blogging lately, or journaling… whatever you want to call it. But there’s not much really been going on that I have felt the need to record, so it’s not really a big deal. On the contrary, things are settling in quite nicely to a routine.
I have work Monday through Friday, and I get off at 4:30. I usually come home and (now that I have internets!) do something on my computer, be it play Civ or watch something. I’ve been watching so much TV lately that I feel a little bit like Nick. Maybe I’m channeling him while he sleeps or something. But I’ve never really been that big of a TV person, and now I’m catching up on things I’ve been wanting to watch for a while. I have a list, even. (There’s always a list with me, isn’t there?)
For the time being, I’m working my way through the newer version of Fantasy Island. Perhaps you remember it – it aired on ABC in 1998. Yeah, middle school days. I used to love TGIF. But I digress. It only ever had one season, which is slightly disappointing, because while it wasn’t amazing, it was still pretty sweet. It was delightfully twisted, as well. I think I’m appreciating that aspect more now than I did at the tender age of 12, although I definitely recall finding Rourke to be completely awesome. Which, of course, he is.
I’d like to work on Doctor Who next (NuWho), since I have finished Torchwood, but my torrents are being unpardonably slow, and I’m not quite sure why. I think when I have a chance next month, I might get my own internet just to see if it’s faster, cause I think it would probably be worth it. If they don’t finish before I’m done with FI, I have other things – there’s an anime called Ayakashi that’s been sitting on my hard drive for a while. We watched an episode of it for Dr. Reichert’s class last year, but it might be interesting to see the whole thing. I remember finding it intriguing, if not up to my usual mahou shoujo standards. And of course, I’m keeping up with Psych.
What else in the works? I’m missing parts of the first season of Arrested Development, and I want to get those so that I can finally see all of it. An anime called Elfen Lied which has gotten good reviews, and Jon (of all people) recommended. All that should keep me busy for a while, if I toss in the books I plan on reading. Not to mention I usually go out with Tim on the weekends and play around in Sinchon. But I probably should explore around here more.
The weather is changing. Today it was cloudy and gray – it stormed on Saturday, and I spent most of the day inside, except for a shopping trip to a place called Home Plus, which is like Target on steroids. It’s pretty awesome, though. I got a funnel!! No more reused chip bags for me…
As, I was saying – it’s been getting colder. Fall is coming, which I will quite enjoy, I think. It’s one of my favorite seasons. I should explore in my area some more – there’s lots to see around here. Speaking of seeing, I got curtains today!! Well, I bought them on Saturday, but today they are put up! Hopefully there will be no more crazy sun waking me up at 6 am on weekends anymore. And I don’t have to worry about the apartments across from me looking in my windows, which is also pretty cool. It will be so nice to be able to walk around my apartment/sleep in whatever clothing (or lack thereof) I feel like.
Speaking of sleeping – I should get to bed. It’s around 1, and I’ve put the Gizmo away in the bathroom, and I should sleep too. One thing about watching so much TV – it keeps her quiet, at least. She enjoys watching; the first night I had her she sat on my lap and watched Pride and Prejudice with me. She tends to fall asleep after more than two episodes, but that’s not really a problem either.
-yawn- okay, bedtime for bonbear.
So I finally took these, cause multiple people have been asking for them. Unfortunately my progress in posting them is being somewhat hampered by the kitten featured in a later shot - she cries constantly if she's not held, but won't sit still so I can type. Thus, I put her on the floor and simply resort to shushing her every couple minutes and hoping to God that my neighbor can't hear her, because everyone knows how Asian apartments are built for privacy.
Here goes, the moment you've been waiting for, the grand tour.
Firstly, the genkan. It's pretty bare, I guess, but standard. I also have these awesomely sweet (and huge) closets. Unfortunately they don't fit my larger suitcase, but everything else manages. Then there's the bathroom, which is way huger than I expected. No bathtub, unfortunately, but the shower's pretty huge. And I have a washing machine, finally!! Isn't it pretty? It's teal. I don't know why, but it is. Also, for some reason the hot water isn't hooked up to it. I don't speak Korean, and when the guy came to install it, there was no one else around, so I'm not sure if he just didn't have another hose or what. Oh well.
And here is the infamous Gizmo. She was hiding by the washer when I took this picture. I rather prefer her to be in the bathroom than outside it - the whole thing is tile, so I can clean it easier if she makes a mess. Also, I can shut the door when she cries, and block some of the noise. I had to block off the back of the washing machine - she kept crawling back there and it was a pain to get her out, because I had to move it and then try to reach over and get her and such. She's laying on my lap quietly now, occaisonally chewing on my thumb in retribution for my refusal to let her investigate the computer while I type.
My kitchen's nice, I have three burners on my stove, though only two work, for some reason I can't figure. No oven, of course, or microwave. I am probably going to buy a small rice cooker eventually though - they have cute little tiny ones. Nice smallish fridge, lots of cabinets.
And then my bed and dresser. I got my TV yesterday, and I have cable for free - apparently the last person who lived here neglected to turn it off. I also have internet... oddly enough, it didn't work when I first got here. Nice huge windows, which is great. Except that they face directly east, so guess what time I wake up every morning? around 7 am. But, I went out and got curtains the other day, and am now just waiting for someone to put them up for me, which (fingers crossed) should be tomorrow. I have a nice little balcony with a few of surrounding buildings, and 4 neon crosses at night. But I can lay in bed and watch the moon rise, which is cool. Also, note the bed cover. I didn't have any say in that - it was part of the furnishment. Not that it's stereotypical or anything, a bright fuschia cover and pillow for a female. Ick.
All around, the whole apartment is bigger than I expected, cause I was thinking I might be set up Chateau Asahi-style but it's a very nice place.
And it's bedtime for me and the kitten. I have work tomorrow again. And I think I'm supposed to be taking her to the vet, as well.
