folks in my world have been commenting recently on how interesting it is that i've been wanting to get in touch with my "korean" side of late. i dunno what it's about. but while in chicago, there happened to be a korean festival going on. as to be expected, the festival took place in koreatown, which meant there were shops with interesting signage a.k.a. fob-speak. the festival, and then check out the signage on that shop in k-town:

our hotel was situated right by the chicago river, which is in the background:

while in the city, we found all sorts of great public spaces... this was taken from a little park we found. the bridges across the river all had interesting aesthetics. check out the color and shape:

the sears tower was a must see - i didn't realize how big it is! it is the tallest building not only in the US, but the western hemisphere.

from the observation deck on the sears tower:

millenium park was probably my favorite chicago spot. the face below is of a chicagoan, and it is projected onto a large public water fountain/fixture:

there were all sorts of kids cooling off in the park:

and also in the park is cloud gate - so freaking cool! it is a 110-ton sculputre that measures 33 feat high, 66 feet wide.

the reflections of the city on the sculpture were amazing:

we became a little obsessed with taking pictures of the giant orb - of ourselves, of it...

and then here we are before we left the city, with the wrigley building pictured behind us. the city had a great, great skyline.

that's all i have for now. more later.

It is true- distance makes the heart grow fonder. You just hope that it is reciprocated however. I think this is the case right now, the reciprocal nature... But I can't help but to second guess motives. It all gets back to truly being vulnerable and letting my guard down. I just don't want to get hurt again. But I digress... Chicago has been a wonderful and amazing time but I'm anxious to get back to DC for several reasons. For one, I am curious to see whether it feels as homelike as it should, or if I will feel antsy and long for more "big city" time.

While here in Chicago, I have been charmed and delighted by what a lovely, big city it is. I love that I walk down the street and have massive concrete structures or endless glass windows towering over me as if the buildings could swallow me whole. I love the feeling of anonymity and insignificance which in turn empowers me to feel as if I could conquer the world and unleash my potential upon it. You don't really ever get that in DC...

More on all of this later. Back to the shenanigans. Pictures of this lovely weekend and a detailed recap to follow in the coming days.

Signing off and out.

i'm not big on
celebrating my birthday. and contrary to popular
belief, i'm not big on attention in general. i don't like recognition
whether at work or home. it makes me uneasy. and this year, as far as
my birthday goes, i was also uneasy about celebrating because it would
have forced me to seriously consider that i am growing up, that i am an
adult when really, i want to continue being a kid! bills- boooo. job-
boooo. five year plan- boooo. i know it's nonsense, because how will i
feel when i hit 30? i should just accept it for what it is. but, i must
say, the acknowledgment of my birthday, it was sweet. to remember, to
show up both literally and figuratively... i thought it was just great. heart
warming. the little stuff truly goes a long way. i keep saying it
lately, but 'tis true. it's the little stuff that counts and moves me.




recounting the past few days: cafe
citron, acadiana, clyde's, butterfield 9, aria, finemondo's...  and heading out to oya in a little bit. drinks here and
there, good meals here and there, great times with wonderful people
here and there. it's been a lovely week thus far and the good times are
just only starting as i look forward to the weekend - chicago for a few days where i'll be seeing one
of my seattle girls. nice.

lastly, it's a little scary sometimes to put yourself out there, with
the fear of course being that things won't be reciprocated. i
mean, it's been tough getting here- for me to articulate feeling
something, or rather, for me to even admit to feeling something... i've
come a long way and surprisingly, i can and sometimes do wear my heart
on my sleeve now. i do fear what might happen if i say i feel this or
that, and it's perceived as being overkill, clingy... just too much.
lord knows i've been the one in the past to say those exact words to
others. you never want to come across as too eager. you don't want to
be the one to let your guard down first and be vulnerable. but when you
decide to risk it, and you receive affirmation that it's mutual, it
just feels good. it's heart warming. why i doubted it would be reciprocated, i don't know. but you can't help but to always be a little scared if you've been hurt in the past. that's all for now.

it was a 12 hour work day yesterday followed by food and merriment. the latter made up for the former.

PS7's
for a very late dinner, the first restaurant week excursion. it was a
good meal. i'd probably go back for appetizers and drinks. they had
some interesting items on their menu. most interesting however, was
their bathroom- i couldn't see a darn thing in there!

and then a pal and i had been wanting to try out corduroy for quite some time... and i think i'll pass on dining there. we stopped in for a beer there last night and agreed that we felt like we were at ihop or denny's. not that there's anything wrong with either of those establishments, it's just that the ambiance felt strangely like those restaurants. and given its decent reviews and whatnot... it was kind of a disappointment. and even more odd, the bar was filled with 73 older white men, and then there was us. i don't know why it felt awkward and strange.

anyhow, i'm running late for a schmooze fest... but oh, how the little things do make me smile. gotta run.

ridiculously content. or in other words, just darn happy. the last time i felt this exact same way... oh, that's a little frightening. i mean, it is strangely reminiscent... but could it really be? i'm just a tad scared to even go there. so maybe i won't. not yet. the thought did cross my mind however. i refuse to to define it just yet though. so how about i'll continue to just go with the flow and then wait and see? that sounds like a plan.

what i do know to be true however is this - if we're talking about it being that same thing, at least (i think?) i'm smarter this time around. i mean, i was so ballsy then, or maybe reckless is a better word. i was completely in the moment, at every moment. i went in full force without a single fear, without hesitation. i just went with it, and i thought very little of any of the possible adverse outcomes. it didn't matter to me. the experience in and of itself was enough. and while i still feel the same way, kind of, this time perhaps i am better positioned with more experience on my side. i'm smarter, i'm wiser so i'm a tiny bit more cautious... but not too cautious so as to have my guard up beyond penetration. i'm cautious enough though. so i think i'll be okay. i will survive regardless of the outcome. i can't deny it though - this feeling, it's pretty darn nice... so i guess whatever happens, will happen. and it will be for the best.

anyways, it was just one of those weekends where for the majority of it, i was exactly where i wanted to be. no questions, no doubts, no angst. pure contentment. the places really don't matter, but here's a quick recap: friday evening was pretty neat - legg mason tournament - quarterfinal round match, andy roddick vs. lee hyung taik... darn cool to be in such an intimate setting watching really good players going at it with one another. later in the evening, zaytinya and poste... and at the latter location, we had an amy winehouse siting which was pretty cool. saturday, it was sheer laziness... slept in, drank good coffee, ate korean food, sat around like a lazy bum, leopold's kafe in cady's ally in georgetown (leopold's was pretty darn good but the service was sooo horrible), bourne ultimatum. and today, more laziness, more korean food, more coffee... i almost forgot how good coffee can taste. i can and will drink 7-11 coffee, instant folger's coffee... but if we're going to talk about good coffee, it's gotta be murky coffee in cap hill and clarendon. the vibe and roasts remind me of seattle coffee houses.

that's it.

that i have to dig for news on the korean hostage situation in afghanistan... disappointing. outrageous. mystifying. i've been reading this blog for a while now and more recently, it's become news central for me on this situation. thanks to pastor eugene cho, author of the blog, for hooking up the news. i know of him peripherally because he officiated my sister's wedding years ago... but that's about it. it's a really good blog though. insightful and refreshing. some of what he's written has also even made me reconsider my beliefs, or lack thereof.

side note- i forgot to mention that my nephew is crawling. it's awesome.