Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Flower Design 5/11/09


A modified upright style with a 'twist'...we added Bamboo for a nice effect. The two bamboo pieces in the front were shaped like pencil holders with smaller arrangements placed inside. Our instructor wanted the smaller containers to have no more than 2 varieties.....'keep it simple' she said. I really enjoyed working with the new material...thankfully she had a varied vision for of each of us...which really made it interesting. Using almost identical ingredients we ended up with really different designs...it was fun. This was long lasting also...
Since my last posting from the Orange Ball things have been really going well! The kindergarten kids are doing great and continue to amaze/entertain me. Presented two restaurant reviews at the AWC meeting. I chose our favorite rib place (Barbecue Corner Bistro) and one of our top burger places (All American Diner). I'm happy to report that I walked away a winner from the raffle...2 complimentary dinners from a cool Chinese restaurant...can't wait to try it out! (I'll review it in the blog..haha).
Met one of the top (or 'famous' as the Koreans say) Pop Stars on May 14th. Met some nice gals for dinner at one of the newest/hippest (you know I need to be hip) restaurants in Itaewon (Bliss). One of the gals knew him and gave him a little wave as he wheeled up in his convertible Lexus. Next thing you know...we are presented with four tasty desserts and a little wave from his broken arm. (I wondered if he fractured his arm doing some type of complicated dance move....but actually he fell on the sidewall in front of Hamilton Hotel!)
We were hoping to go to a Korean baseball game over the weekend but the weather wasn't cooperating. This is the best time to go (Spring) before the sweltering days of Summer...maybe next weekend! Chris went to a game last season and loved it. He reported lots of cheerleaders/dancing/chants/large clappers for everyone!
Had a very productive run to Costco on Monday with Kristin. She is really getting comfortable driving on the challenging streets of Seoul. (Her husband is in India...so she has 'wheels' this week!) We arranged for her to pick me up at 'our corner' ....a large intersection between our apartments. Just like clock-work she arrived and we hopped across the Hannam Bridge to Costco. We made it in such good time that the store was not open....but we were able to jockey our carts into line and be some of the first in! I have never seen Costco so empty...normally you have difficulty finding a parking place! The ground beef machine was broken, so no hamburger but no problem. After unpacking our food into the coolers in the car...we headed to the huge flower market across the street. We found some great herbs for the porch...except for the Dill. Also found 2 perfect little trees for the porch...and a good price...10,000kwon each (a little under 10 US). I used the fresh Parsley (and Fresh Dill from the market) in my homemade Ranch dressing...delicious! We usually make a Balsamic/Olive Oil dressing but I've been craving the Ranch lately (maybe because I have never seen it here). The only incident...as we were pulling away from the last market, the car somehow contacted a large/yellow/heating radiator...it's like it jumped out in front of us!! :-) Thankfully, minimal damage and some yellow paint on the rear tire. Kristin is an excellent driver and I was happy for the lift!
Well, I'd better close this entry. We're having pulled-pork sandwiches tonight...and it's smelling really good...guess I should get 'pullin'....:-)

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Dutch Orange Ball



We attended our first (and hopefully not last) Dutch Orange Ball ...and really had a 'ball'...:-) I posted some of my pictures on FB but didn't want to forget my blog readers! We really enjoyed everyone at our table...friends and new friends alike! We were very happy to have a big winner (Bruce Haines) sitting at our table. His Samchuly bicycle-designed by Andre Kim is awesome! The menu consisted of : Smoked river trout parfait and salmon roe with mustard leave salad and spring blossom, Carrot cappuccino with coriander, Passion fruit granite with vodka (served in ice with a glowing light!), Grilled beef tenderloin with pumpkin tart and sauteed spinach, Grapefruit and orange tart with macadamia ice cream (delicious!). The band was called 'Dreamcast' and very popular in the Netherlands. They were top-notch! I believe the Dutch Ball celebrates the Dutch Queen's birthday and has become a well-known tradition in Seoul over the years. The theme of the ball this year was bicycles....and they were everywhere! (Along with Orange Colors and flowers everywhere-no, we were not at a Tennessee game!) I didn't realize that bicycle riding was SO popular for the Dutch....but it is! They even hired an acrobat bicycle group from Korea to perform-amazing. We enjoyed having dancing interludes between the food courses....that was fun. And the best part....all of the proceeds benefit needy charities throughout Seoul/Korea. It was so nice for Chris to have a break from the daily stresses and just enjoy a relaxing night out with special friends...lovely evening!