“You know what sucks?”

“What?”

“It sucks when you still feel fat even after working out.”

If it wasn’t for my roommates I would probably never go to the gym. Although I decline 95 percent of the time they ask me to go, they still ask every time they go. This morning was no different. There we were at approximately 9AM, Joo flopped belly down on the couch and me lying on the bed, awake but not willing to get up, when Joo asks, “Do you want to go to the gym today?” Now the question itself is a bad one since I NEVER want to go to the gym. I thought it over and asked when she was going to go since I knew that she would go even if I didn’t. She said she didn’t know. I was planning on working all day preparing for the first week of school but didn’t feel motivated yet. In fact, I didn’t feel like doing anything. So I thought maybe working out will motivate me to be more active and alert throughout the day. Once I decided that I was willing to go to the gym, I told Joo that we had to go now before I changed my mind. I jumped out of bed and quickly changed into my workout clothes. Joo was surprised and went into her room to get ready. I also requested a cup of coffee and ho-dduk (round Korean bread with melted brown sugar inside) so that I would have enough energy to workout. Once they were consumed we were off to Bally’s. I even tried out a new gym equipment at Joo’s suggestion, a new elliptical machine that you can add inclines to. Of course, I did not use the incline function as it would make my workout a challenge. But I did stick it through for a thirty minute workout. On the drive home, we had the above conversation.

After we got home, Joo decided she needed to finally go and get her very first oil change done on her car. While Dae was visiting, he kept nagging her about it and told her to better take care of her car. I think it took Joo about four hours from the time she decided to get an oil change and the time she actually left the house to head over to the auto mechanic. While she was walking towards the door of the house, she kept moaning, “I hate going to the auto mechanic. Ugh… I hate doing stuff like this.” And I couldn’t help but think, ‘Wow, that’s exactly how I feel about going to the gym.’

I recently got a Bally’s membership renewal form in the mail. Right now I’m thinking…NO.

Yesterday I went engagement ring shopping for the very first time in my entire life. I have never been keen on weddings or engagement rings so I had no idea what to expect. I figured they all shine and look pretty. Besides, it's not the diamond ring that matters but the heart of the person giving it, right? So when Erik asked me if I wanted to go look at some engagement rings with him, I thought it would be a good idea to give him a better idea of what I liked and didn't like. We parked the car and I nonchalantly sauntered to the entrance of the jewelry store, passing by the security guard. As soon as we walked in however, I couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated by all the bling bling and more pointedly how much the bling bling will cost. There were so many different vendors there and so many counters filled with varieties of jewelry, I didn't even know where to focus my eyes. The lighting in the store was extremely bright to make sure that everything sparkled brilliantly.

When the first vendor asked if she could help us, I didn't even know how to answer her. How could she help us? Fortunately, Erik has done his research and knew exactly what to ask. He quickly decided that she couldn't help us and moved on to the next vendor. No luck with the second vendor. The third vendor we approached was an asian lady. She had the kind of ring setting that Erik was thinking about getting so I tried it on, clean and simple. She called it the truffle setting. I tried on some of the antique settings but they were too gaudy for my taste. Then she pulled out another tray and I found one that I liked. It was a thin band with tiny diamonds on the sides. Now I had to decide which one I liked more. It was a difficult decision because it's something that I will own for the rest of my life. I put the truffles setting on my left ring finger and the other setting on my right ring finger. Left, right, left, right. I looked and looked to compare the two. I even looked at a mirror. I still liked both and couldn't decide.

While I was busy with the ring setting decision, the lady started asking Erik about what kind of diamond he was looking for. I was completely lost. Since I hadn't done any research on diamonds I didn't know any of the lingo: vs1, vvs1, g, f, if, hearts and arrows, gia report, etc. I had no clue. All I've heard other women talk about is the carat and whether the ring was platinum or gold. Then she asked me what kind of diamond shape I liked. I said that I wanted something different from what most people have like an emerald shape. "What???" gasped Erik, "I've only done research on the round one because they said it was the best." The lady showed me an asscher shape which is a combination of the emerald and princess shape. She said it was better than the emerald because it shines more. I liked it, but Erik didn't look too impressed. So he had her show me a round one to compare. They were both 1.25 carat, huge, and of excellent quality. I think she was tempting me so that I could get Erik to spend more money. She set the two diamonds on the two settings that I couldn't make a decision on and made me compare. It was torture trying to decide, but I finally admitted that the round one looked better. Although the square asscher shape was more interesting and unique, the round one shined so much more radiantly. The lady said that people who buy the round one have the least regret because it never goes out of style and because it shines the best. Then she and Erik had more diamond lingo conversation that I didn't understand and we left.

I wasn't aware of it when we were in the store but trying on all those rings and diamonds had gotten me in an excited state. When we finally walked out of the store and into the car, my heart was still beating fast and I kept staring at my ring finger. "I feel naked now," I said to Erik and he laughed.

My vacation is drawing to an end. I would be sad about it but I need to work because I am getting really really lazy and I need the money. The third grade teachers had our long-term planning meeting this past Monday. It was great because the other teachers were so helpful and freely shared their experience and knowledge. I'm looking forward to working with them. I just love the the willingness of all the teachers to cooperate at our school. I also spoke to one of the second grade teachers and she said that I will get eight of her best students. So at least eight of my twenty students are good behaviored and hardworking.

I started buying school supplies for my class, trying not to spend too much though since we only get reimbursed for $100 for the entire year. Teachers spend so much of their personal money for their class. Of course when you see the excitement on the kids' faces it's all worth it to help them learn. If we could start school at 9AM instead of 7:50AM, I would totally look forward to begin working again. But one bad thing is not bad at all.

I finished reading In the Absence of Sun by Helie Lee. It's a follow up story about how their family rescued their North Korean relatives that were left behind. I have been to Karakalpakstan which is part of Uzbekistan which according to the Lonely Planet was the saddest place on earth. It's true that the living conditions there were far below U.S. living standards but people had access to food and water and had the freedom to choose where they lived. According the descriptions of life in North Korea given by the refugees, it's a wonder how anyone can survive there. The government dictates where you live and what kind of a job you have. The food shortage is severe and people are paranoid that their neighbors will report them for breaking any kind of law. After reading the book, I felt moved to pray for the people in North Korea. Reunification of the two Koreas seem almost impossible these days, but who knows what the future holds.

While I was reading the book, I once again realized that I am not a leisure reader but an obsessive reader. All I want to do is read the book and finish it. I can't sleep at night, I lose track of time, I don't hear what people are saying to me, I don't want to do any other activity, etc. I remember when I was a kid, I would stay home all day and read without washing my face or brushing my teeth all day, stopping only to eat and go to the bathroom. One day was all I needed to finish reading a book then. Now the books have more pages and it takes a lot longer than a day.

Last night at approximately 4:50AM, I was rudely awaken by the rapidly pattering of feet which was followed seconds later by a foul stench I immediately recognized as skunk secretion. It must have been right outside my window because the stench choked me fully awake in seconds and I am not a light sleeper. I tried to bury my face into the pillow but it was too late. The smell had already seeped into my pillow. I tried to hide under the blanket but I could not escape the stink. I finally got out of bed and sat on the couch for awhile. Ahhh... summer in Pasadena has truly come.