It's Early Christmas for me!!!!

I just made a huge order for some basic outfits online, sooo excited -- here in Korea the fashions are super frumpy or frilly or just thin and shabby looking.  That, or I could go into the older dragon-lady section of the store and come out looking like my Great-Aunt Eustace.  

I've gone shopping, I do go shopping a lot here in Seoul, but the value and styles just aren't there.  I don't think paying $40 for a skirt is so dirt-cheap that I deserve to have it fall apart in the first wash, and it's exhausting to schlepp around trying to find things w/o frills and bows and furbelows -- or w/o scrawly text all over them.  I like simple, clean lines, close-fitted but not tight, somewhat basic but flattering to my body shape.  

Anyway, my colours are hard to find here too -- basically I wear pinks of all shades, greys, white, a little lavender . . .   not much else.  I do have a yellow skirt w/ pink stitching, and a brown skirt w/ pink floral appliques (from Australia), and a few black skirts (w/, yes, correct, pink detailing!) -- so there is a narrow range of what I'm looking for.  

Another thing that pushes me to online shopping:  sales!  I can't believe some of the great bargains out there now,  my MIL is always bugging me to visit outlet malls w/ her (YAWN  there's never anything good for me) but w/ some of the sales I;ve found it's better than outlet malls!

I'll have to post pics when i get my stuff . . .  actually I should post the pics I already have of my outfits and such . . .  bad blogstress!  

Week 10

OK, I slipped up a wee bit this week . . .  but at least I managed to do something each day -- that's the important part.

M - 10 mins, 45 squats/ 60 crunches/ 10 pushups

T - 25, 45/60/10

W - 20, 45/60/10

Th - 20, 45/

F - walk from Yonsei University to Yeonhui (up and over the mountain, perhaps 45 mins total) (and wearing heels too!)

Sa - 25, 45/120/10

Su - 45/120/10

So I didn't do anything aerobic on Sunday -- but "the flow" started this weekend and it's strangely made me feel tired and lethargic, and pale.  Now, having a natural cafe latte complexion and being washed out does not look so good -- a weird zombie-ish look.  *sigh*   My mother hit menopause early, I keep hoping it'll happen to me early too but apparently not yet!  I have friends who are outraged/aghast when I tell them this, but really, but this age, if the urge were to hit me then it would have.  

Anyway, back to my workout:  I've stared upping the crunches, since they are fairly easy for me to do and doing 60 wasn't doing anything -- that is, I couldn't feel it the day after.  When I upped it to 120, however, aye yay yay, I felt it, so that's good.

Week 9

Wheeeee!!!!  Another good workout week.  I'm really starting to feel "like I used to" before the I let the chub pile on . .  . I don't feel that hideous, depressing spare-tire around my middle when I bend over or lean over to get something -- it used to be this big wad of fat that just oozed over, nowhere to go, like a balloon animal squeezed on one end.  That's what I felt like!  Now, the fat is still there, a smaller pad of it, but it's smaller for sure.  I'm so excited to be seeing actual results!

Here's Week 9 workouts:

M - no elliptical/aerobics but 45 squats/60 crunches/5 pushups

T - 25 mins / 45/60/10

W - 20 mins / 45/90/10

Th - 25 mins / 45

F - 20 mins / 45

Sa - 15 mins / - - 5

Su - rested  (I think I deserved it but still feel a bit bad!)

I'm still wanting to work on my upper thighs -- the backs are still ripply, and my rear -- but will continue this squats/crunches/pushups regimen for at least this month and then in Nov. see if I need to ramp it up a bit. . . . 

Such a Shameless Hussy

Tra la la la la!!!  I was extra giddy today 'cos my husband picked up our new passport photos today, and they actually looked GOOD!  Last time we tried getting them a few weeks ago, at a hypermart (Asian/European version of gigantic Targets but even better!) the pics were sooooo lame . . . .  they (Korean photo clerks) mistakenly forced us not to smile, since this is the Korean official photo style -- srsly -- high school/college photos, passports/visas, they say not to smile . . . 

well, the first attempt made my husband look as if he'd be on the Wanted by Homeland Security list, and in mine I looked about to burst into tears.  

We finally returned to the photo studio that took our passport pics ten years ago -- why didn't we go there first?  We live farther away now, and it was just a hassle (whine!) -- but we got our comeuppance for venturing somewhere cheaper/closer, that's for sure!

The photo studio did a great job, accepted our smiles, my hair accessory, and the pics look quite nice, we are inordinately pleased w/ them . . .  why all the brouhaha for some passport photo pics?  Because we have to see them for the NEXT TEN years!  So they'd better be good!

Also, my glee at finally having a half-way decent pic must have shown on my face since several random strangers said "HI" and smiled at me -- 

AND the first two batches of English Cafe (this lame free-talking thing we have to do at our college as part of our "counseling duties" as instructors -- balderdash!  The only bearable thing about having to work for one hour w/o pay each week is how fun and personable the students are, but that's another topic) --

anyway, the first two batches were all Physical Education and Recreation majors . . .  they were a bit shy, and when I asked what their favourite sports were they all said "basketball" -- and they liked/played nothing else . . . hmmm . . .

but to get to the point, they all asked me how old I was.

GASP

That's just not done, and i'm still not used to it -- but the first group said "21?" whereupon I laughed and said, no, I'm probably the same age as your mother -- one guy said "but she's 50!"  I hastened to say, no, not that old, and he stopped, looked at me again, and said "are you 30?"  No, I said, I'm 42 -- and, it makes me blush to remember, but I was tickled pink to hear this.  Sure, he's Korean, and only 19 yrs old, but STILL.  

Then the next pair of students come up, this time a guy and a girl, and they immediately ask  the same question!!!  I was curious -- was there something about me today that screamed "INQUIRE ABOUT MY AGE NOW" ???  The guy said "so cutie!" -- TEEHEEHEE!!!!  So I told them my age, and blushed some more . . . 

I think I was having an extra cheerful day . . .  that, or I was actually wearing some "taupe" eyeshadow, could that be it???