WEEK ONE IN CANADIALAND!

Whew! What a busy week! I didn't know how busy the bumlife could become.

So upon my arrival last Sunday I was pleasantly surprised with a warm CANADIAN welcome by the roomies.

Observe.

Hmm... could this be the one?

I'm going to go with "yes".

Getting inducted.

Officially an honorary Canadian.

First Canadian meal -- Cauliflower Mac and Cheese with Corn on the cob... yummmm....

Welcome to Canada Flan!

Yes. An AWESOME welcome by some AWESOME people!

The rest of the week consisted of lots of Ikea shopping, lots of food shopping, eating, cooking, BIRTHDAYS, and hiking throughout the park in front of our house.

Speaking of hiking through the park.... there's a FILM being made at the park in front of our very eyes. The sequel to THIS movie:

Okay, so I never saw the first one. But still cool nonetheless.

The sequel is called Percy Jackson & and the Sea of Monsters. The actual shooting of footage starts next week so the roomie Jane and I are hoping to sneak over and weasel our way into some scenes. Who wouldn't want our beautiful faces on the big screen? :)

So let's move on to MEET THE ROOMIES!

Doug and Jane, everybody. Everybody, Doug and Jane. 

Arfa!!!!! Their adorable one year old wiggle worm!

Dalton. The gazelle and hiking partner.

 Needless to say, it is a jam-packed, fun, bustling house! Never a dull moment! I appreciate all the company especially since I have no job and virtually no friends (cue song: I'm a loser baby... so why don't you kill me...).

It just happened to be the week of Jane's birthday so we threw a last minute shindig birthday bbq at the pad on Thursday night. It was all fun and games until SOME UNMENTIONED CANINE ATE 9 CUPCAKES, ONE STEAK, AND A PIECE OF CARROT CAKE all under the partygoer's somewhat sober noses. That sneaky rascal!!!! He paid for it dearly though -- the next day's walk produced tons of chocolate batter-like stools. Here are some takes of the nightly shenanigans.

Brian manning the grill with beer in hand.

They coordinate their outfits.

Don't worry folks, that's NON-ALCOHOLIC beer. 

Looking dapper.

Ze birthday girl!

With ladyfriends.

Boys will be boys.

The gals. 

The next day, I found an awesome coupon on Groupon for an hair dying sesh downtown so I chose to dedicate the day to pampering myself and gettin' my summer hair on! What a GLORIOUS pamper sesh it was! 3.5 hours of hair pampering BLISS! Totally worth it! I decided to go with the ombre hair look and Chris-the-fabulously-gay-heavily-German-accented-fresh-20-yr-old hairstylist did a WONDERFUL job at Barbarella. Absolutely VUNDABAR!!!!

Glam. Out the ass. :)

Over the weekend, the roomies went away on a birthday getaway for Jane (lucky ducks!) and Brian and I spent most of Saturday cleaning the house, and eating lots of Korean food. On Sunday morning, we attended a local church service which was nice but the sermon was definitely 30 minutes too long, and then we headed off to another birthday dinner for Brian's old classmates. I had met a lot of them already so it was nice to see old faces again.

Dear's birthday!

Vegan cake.

The ladies.

Plus me.

Whew!

Annddddd it's Monday again. This week is going to be another one full of tasks and chores. I have to get my tires rotated, study for GREs, study for the CRNE, harass some HR people about hiring an immigrant, book tuxedos, and finalize the appys for the wedding reception. I'm trying to come up with a to-do list everyday of at least three tasks so I don't totally succumb to just melting in my bed everyday.

Time to get off my ass and seize the day!!!!!!

Ohhhh Canadaaaaa.....

I seriously need to learn the second line in the Canadian anthem... or least be able to complete the first sentence.

So.

What. A. Weekend.

My flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 5pm so I spent Saturday morning packing all my shtuff and cleaning my room like a G. Then I went over to have a final lunch with my Aunt and cuzzos. I bid them farewell until July and my parents kindly escorted me to the airport.

All week long my friends and family asked me if I was sad that I was leaving, if I had cried, if I was going to cry. To be honest, while parts of my heart were thinking "This is it. You're doing this. You're freakin' moving to Canada. Leaving your friends, your family, your whole world behind. You're one crazy mofo." the other parts were thinking "It's about damn time."

The thing is, I think I was born for changes. I was born for adaptation. I think I LIVE for it. I'm cursed with the ability to get bored at a drop of a hat. I'm cursed with an innate hatred for routine. I. hate. schedules. This isn't to say that my friends and family are boring or bore me. I've lived in Delaware for a while now and I've met so many good people and undergone so many transformations that while moments may have been dull, I was never to the point of pure impenetrable boredom. I mean, the last three years of my life have been nothing but a whirlwind of change. I changed careers, I changed friends (kept a lot of them too), and found love. I was a busy freakin' bee.

It probably has to do with the way I was brought up.

I was born in New York City to some eccentric but loving parents who reluctantly and painfully had to send us to live with our grandparents in Korea for some time because they were struggling to make ends meet in the big apple. My father finally scrapped up some savings and brought us back to the states but relocated us to Orlando, Florida when we were about 4 or 5. There we stayed 'til I was the tender age of 13. From there we moved to Raleigh, North Carolina for two years, and then to Delaware for a few years, back to Maryland for another few, and finally back to Delaware. Whew!  Now that's a lot of moving. And adapting.

Now I don't recommend this much change for everybody. It certainly wasn't always easy. Especially during middle school and high school. Catty b*tches be triflin'. But I survived and I'd like to think that my experiences have made me a better person.

Anyways to make a long story a little bit less long, I'd just like to say, BRING ON THE CHANGE M*THAF*CKER! 


Plus I always appreciate the change of scenery, especially when it looks like THIS:

Holla.

So with a YOLO mindset, I kissed my loving parents adieu and boarded my plane to Seattle. Once there, I spent the night at a glamorous Holiday Inn and woke up bright and early in the morning to get ready to pick up Big Beulah (AKA my Hyundai Sante Fe that I had shipped out a week prior).

ThanktheLordAlmighty that I was able to retrieve her in one piece. I kept thinking horrible thoughts about how all my clothes were going to be missing and how some pervert had probably gone through my underwear stash and stole all my finest unmentionables. But no. Everything was there and accounted for.

So began my official trek up to the Great White North. I kept rehearsing in my mind about what I was going to say at the border and how I was going to nonchalantly answer all the questions while keeping a straight face. To be honest, I really had no clue what I was really going to say. This was because I had conflicting advice from anyone and everyone. A lawyer that Brian and I had consulted advised that I just state that I was going to visit some friends and just keep things general and only answer in detail when prompted to do so. My parents told me to not even mention that I was engaged to a Canadian. I was to give the address of the pastor's daughter (who lives in Vancouver) and just state that I was coming over to visit and stay with her. Stressful stressful stressful.

It's finally my turn to pull up to the window. I put on my best American/non-illegal immigrant smile and proceed to engage in the following conversation with the border patrol officer:

Me: "Hi, how's it going?"

Popo #1: "Great. What's the purpose of your trip?"

Me: "Oh, ya know, just to visit some friends, sightsee, maybe take a little roadtrip through the province."

Popo #1: "How long are you staying here?"

Me: "'Til May 22nd."

Popo #1: "So you're not going home 'til May?"

Me: "No, well I'm going home-home in July. But I'm leaving Canada in May... meaning I'm crossing the border again in May. I'm going to the Sasquatch festival. "

Popo #1: "So you're crossing the border to go to the festival.... and then you're planning to come back?"

Me: "Well yes. I'm planning to come back to Canada to stay with my friends again... and then going back home in July."

Popo #1: "Are you driving back?"

Me: "I don't know yet. I haven't bought my ticket."

Popo #1: "Well what would happen to your car if you flew back?"

Me: "I.... would either leave it at my friends or.... ship it back."

Popo #1: "DID YOU SHIP YOUR CAR HERE?"

Me: "Noooooooooo... yes??? Maybe. Okay I did."

Popo #1: "Well how much did that cost?"

Me: "Like.... $1,400."

Popo #1: "Say whatttttt??!?!!"

And the questioning continues. With superduper specific questions:

Who are you staying with?
What's the specific address?
What's his/her names?
What's his/her/their occupations?
How much do you have in your bank account?
Who's financing your trip?
What is your occupation back in the states?
Do you own property back in the states?
What are you bringing with you?
What have you left behind in the states?

And on and on and on and on.

By this time, I'm sweating bullets, I'm stuttering like a fool, and I can feel my bowels dropping.

The officer whips out a yellow card with a bunch of malicious looking scribble on it, hands it to me, and tells me to pull over and park at the immigration station.

His final words were, "You should have told me from the beginning that you were visiting and staying with your Canadian fiance."

FREAKIN. GREAT. JUST GREATTTTT.

I'm gonna spend my illegal immigrant ass in jail and am gonna get molested by a bunch of manly mulletted women  in cut-off flannel. AWESOME.

So I get ushered inside where I proceed to engage in 45 minutes of further interrogation by three separate border patrol officers. By my third interrogation session, I'm pretty fed up with being asked the same questions over and over again. So when they sent me to a THIRD officer for further questioning I just say to him, "Look dude, let's just keep it real here, are you going to let me over or not? Am I breaking any laws here? What am I doing wrong? Just freaking tell me already. IS MY ASS GOIN' TO JAIL???"

Popo #3 (Who was the nicest one out of all them): "No no no. You're not going to jail. You haven't done anything wrong. And yes, we're going to let you cross over, don't worry. We just want to make sure that you're not trying to work illegally."

Oh thankthelawdJAYZUSS.

But seriously. What was all this fuss about then? I was pretty perturbed at how everyone was treating me like a freakin' COMMUNIST SPY or something. Is this some sort of sick scare tactic? I don't know. I finally was able to feel my legs again when Popo #3 gave me my yellow slip back and gave me the okay to go ahead and come into the country.

I guess the good news is that I'm OVER HERE. Safe and sound. But now I gotta worry about leaving. I mean, am I going to have this much trouble coming back in? Popo #3 was kind enough to give me a checklist of things that I should have in order to make my reentry less painful but some of the things on the list is pretty arbitrary and he admitted it as well. His response was "It's mainly up to the officer's discretion whether or not you satisfy each of the requirements." Awesome. I should have asked what his specific work hours were.

Anyways. To all my pondering loved ones -- I MADE IT! And am loving it so far!!! I'll save my first day goings-ons for another post. This one was long enough.

Stay tuned for more adventures!

Warning: B*tchy Fat Girl Rant Ahead....

What.

The.

Hell.



So I've gained 8 pounds in the last month.

EIGHT.

Eiiiiiggggghhhhtttttt.



Ate.



Do you know how long it took me to lose those 8 pounds??? WAYYYYY longer than a month.

Granted, it's been a horrible eating month.
Brian and his mother visited for 9 days and I ate my brains out.
Easter dinners -- I ate my brains out.
Bridal shower -- Ate my brains out. Three times.
FAREWELL DINNERS (All five of them...) -- Ate ate and ate some more.

Sighhhhhhhh.

So simply just being conscious just isn't cutting it anymore. I've tried doing a few things to slow down the blow up.... The body wrap was nice (it got a little cold towards the end of the session) and I lost 3 inches but definitely no weight loss. I don't really understand where the 3 inches went.... maybe just redistributed to different parts of my body? It'd be nice if they conveniently redistributed up to my tatas but I've yet to see that happen.

I also did a colon cleanse (wowzers, unpleasant) and you do feel super skinny after that much bulk loss.... but I was also feeling pretty starved afterwards. It's just a natural reaction right? Empty the gut, must refill! :)

Now that I'm a certified bum... I can DEFINITELY feel the weight just WAITING to pack on. It's almost as if it's been WAITING for my ass to quit and start sleeping in more, sittin' around more, Youtube away.... (I've seriously become a youtube addict) It's so frustrating watching other skinny people stuff their faces with all the food they want and not gain an ounce. I eat a french fry and I balloon up like a hippo. A happy hippo -- but a hippo nonetheless.

I know there's no easy solution to weightloss. I just gotta stop bitchin' about it and just DO it. I gotta get off my ass. Stop eating shit. Sweat, sweat, sweat. That's what I seriously need -- a SWEAT PARTNER. I have too many damn eating partners! Maybe I'll post an ad for a sweat partner on craigslist. It'd look like this:

26F SEEKING SWEAT PARTNER

Rotund Asian female is looking for a person who is willing to work out with her and push her beyond her limits. Applicant must be strong-minded and able to deter any and all excuses that may arise. No experience necessary. Just the will and determination to drag aforementioned female out of the house and get her ass moving.

Pets and children are welcome to accompany during sessions.
Compensation includes good company and wholesome conversations.

Hmm... The title may draw... unwanted attention. I'll have to work on that.

I just need to get my ass motivated again. I need some short term goals and just take it day-by-day. Okay. Bitchy rant over.


On to more exciting news: I LEAVE FOR VANCOUVER TOMORROW!!!!!!! EEEEEEKKKK!!!!!!!!

Am I ready? YES!
Am I packed? No.

That is my only duty for the day -- to pack and clean up my room. My most loathed chores.

But! Then I'm off to my FINAL farewell dinner with Jennie and then spending some time with my CIGNA girls! Mayhaps some Kony shenanigans may be in order? Mayhaps.

Hopefully my next blog post will be from VANCOUVER! :)

LENA KANG IS THE BEST THING TO HAVE EVER HAPPENED TO ME

So last night, a small group of my friends went out to Sushi Sumo for the last time before Brent and I shipped out to our respective foreign countries. Dinner goes well, I had just ordered dessert (Mochi balls... yummmm), when Lena comes to sit down at my end of the table.

She says, "Do you want me to propose to you?"

"Umm. What?"

"Do you want me to propose to you?"

"Depends on what you're proposing."

Then she proceeds to whip out THIS:

No words.

Seriously, I was speechless for about 5 seconds because I couldn't believe the blingblastic thing in front of me. Lena had made my wedding bouquet!!! Out of vintage brooches that she shopped for individually! I couldn't believe it! She had apparently started buying brooches last year at various marketplaces and the bouquet took over 100 hours of actual labor to assemble. I know. RIDONKULOUS. I was seriously at a loss for words not only because of how gorgeous the thing was but also because I was just so touched and overwhelmed at how much effort and work Lena put into making this bouquet for me. Over 100 hours of labor? That's a lot of love. 


Now if I could only convince her to bake my wedding cake...... :)

One happy bride-to-be!

MOVE OVER MARTHA STEWART. LENA KANG IS GONNA GIVE YOU A RUN FOR YOUR MONAYYY!

Ze Bridal Shower!

So last Saturday was the day of my bridal shower and it was so touching to see how much time and effort my gal pals put into making the day special for me.

We held the event at my church to save on costs and the ladies did a wonderful job of decorating everything to my taste. And the food. was. phenom.

I'm not a big shower expert (I've only gone to one or two) and I didn't know what to expect. That's actually an understatement. For example, I showed up to my gf Jennie's bridal shower last year in CLUBWEAR and BRIGHTASS OBNOXIOUS MAKEUP. I really thought it was like... a daytime version of a bachelorette party. But no. So just imagine my surprise (along with everyone else's) when I walked into a room full of middle aged women and Jennie's mother. Awk.Wurrrd. And of course I just HADDD to be wearing my electric blue bra hanging out of my shirt. No lie. I looked like an Asian Ke$ha. A gei$ha?

Anyways, so I didn't show up to my shower too over the top and it was nice to see all the friendly faces that showered me with love and TONS of GIFTS!!!

Observe for thyselves!

Fa-hooood. Catered by Potstickers. YURM.

Lena's infamous cupcakes. She's uh. mayzing.

Strawberry cupcakes up close and personal. Can you believe she made the petals???

Greeting everyone upon my arrival!

Opening gifts! Hello spa certificate!

Body Whip Cream. Obviously I gotta try this....

"Hmmm.... tastes like melted Barbies."

The cute little favors!

I could tell that my bridesmaids put a lot of planning into this day, especially when they began playing a projection video and lo and behold, Brian popped up on the big screen! They had recorded him answering questions over Skype! Anyways, I'm proud to say I got 99% of the questions correct! Go me! We played some other games such as "How well do you know the Bride" which consisted of my guests trying to answer questions about me correctly. My favorite portion of the day was when everyone submitted their most memorable moment with me and I had to guess who said what. It was definitely a hilarious walk down memory lane! We all laughed so much!

Anyways Saturday was a jam packed day. The bridal shower ended around 7 or so and I had to bolt it for Grace's birthday dinner at 7:45pm. After dinner, I slammed down a shot of 5 hour energy and danced the night away with some of my favorite girls 'til 1 am.

In short, it was a fabuloussss day with some super fabuloussss people! Couldn't have asked for any better! :)

Laziness is my current addiction... And wedding rings have been purchased!!!

So for the first time in my life, I am unemployed and not enrolled in any classes and life. is. good.

That's right. I am a certified bum.

Granted I'm a novice bum since I've only been a bum for approximately a day and a half now but I think I'm doing a pretty darned good job of bummin' it. I slept in past noon yesterday, watched youtube videos for hours, ate ramen noodles that I MICROWAVED (not even boiled! go lazy me!), but then finally started doing some errands at around 3:30pm.

My first errand was to meet up with the madre at the mall to buy some wedding rings. My parents have insisted over and over again that they buy the rings because that was their duty. Sometimes. I like this whole "Asian duty" thing. :)  But only when it doesn't involve me having to cook or clean or give sponge baths.

Anywhoozlies. We bought the rings. And I RUV mine! I've been looking for a wedding ring for quite some time now and I couldn't BELIEVE how difficult it is to find something that compliments the scalloped edge of my engagement ring. I love my engagement ring because of all the intricate details but geez! Nothing matches it completely! Tacori does offer a wedding ring that is supposed to complement this ring but it looks like a regular, straight-line eternity band and costs a mere $1,800! Yes. Not happening. So maybe one would consider it settling, but I found a great ring that I love that isn't 100% a match for my engagement ring but I think I could still pull it off... for the rest of my life. Plus the ring was soooooo affordable. Like ridiculously affordable. And that was definitely a selling point since I wasn't trying to break my rentals' bank.

So without further ado... Here are the exclusive photos for all you dedicated followers! :)

The man ring

Mine!

Too much jelly?

solo.

What do y'all think? Too much? Not enough? Return the ring ASAP?!?! I'd appreciate the input! I'm partially tired of looking honestly, but I suppose I am gonna be stuck with this thing for the rest of my life!!!

I'm off to do an hour and a half body-wrap thing that I got a certificate for... I'll let you know how the results turn out! :)

LONG OVERDUE ENGAGEMENT PHOTOS!

Good morning world!

So let me just say for any VICTORIANS out there looking for an affordable yet AMAZING photographer, hit up Megan and Steve. Amazing amazing amazinggggg photographers! We had our photoshoots (yes, multiple) in Victoria, BC over Christmas break and we had a blast! Our first shoot was a more formal one based in downtown Victoria and Chinatown. I really loved Fan Tan Alley when Brian first introduced me to his hometown and I just thought that it would provide for a really interesting backdrop.

So without further ado.... here are my faves!

For the rest of them check out www.meganedelmanphotography.com!!! I love photoshoots!!!!