Santa Sisters

The Emperor's New Christmas Gifbag: only smart people can see a Christmas Gift Bag complete with Santa, Rudolph, Christmas tree, presents in shiny wrapping paper, snow, jingle bells. What ?!?! You see none of it? You see a "smile virus." Well, sorry to inform you, but you ain't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.
Jiwon has been in town since Dec. 1st. It's a pleasure to have her back if only for a while, but I've been so busy and not able to spend as much time as I'd want to. Anyhoo, we managed to meet for dinner at our fave Italian food venue La Tavola in Itaewon. One can always rely on their pizzas and pastas. It was also an evening of Christmas gifts exchange. Jiwon left her gifts at home, so Clare and I itching with anticipation. Clare got both Jiwon and me of cool aprons that sum up my cooking philosophy - scroll down to see the pic. I got her and Jiwon scarves plus a necklace for Clare and a Hello Kitty journal for Jiwon.

As is always the case with us, we had a jolly good time, talking about this and that, topics as varied as riots in Australia, sick (medically speaking only, not personality-wise) American Presidents, sex and the lack of it, living in Korea, etc. The two of them had even a jollier and rosier heck of a time guzzling Italian red; I didn't need any wine as all the anti -pills I'm taking (anti-histamines, -inflamatories, -biotics, -baby are surely giving me a buzz.
Before I met the girls today I: a)went to the immigration, b) misunderstood the time of our faculty lunch, waited for 15 minutes in freezing cold for everyone else before being told that lunch happens next Tuesday; c) had lunch with David, my assistant, who told me he's quitting his jobin February to teach English (he'd be better off teaching Swahili as I'm sure he's much more fluent in it than in English); d) shopped for gifts, cards, wrapped the former, wrote the latter; e) finally did the dishes and made my house look a tad less of a pigsty; f) went to Itaewonn where I drank coffee and ate donuts at Dunkin Donuts; g) proceeded to Starbucks where I drank hot choco, ate Italian biscotti,readThe Intl Herald Tribune, wrote 28 Christmas cards, and h) observed people who exhibited somewhat bizzare behaviour. I'll mention only two, although there were more of them. The first, a man in his 30's, obviously a university teacher, was reading papers and calculating grades, all the way loudly commenting on whatever he was doing. E.g. "sweatness, not you, oh Geez," furiously creating abstract art on the paper with his red-ink pen. He just kept talking to his students, or rather their papers. The second, a woman, took off her shoes, occupied 4 best spaces (those cushiony arm-chairs), sitting cross legged, then going on her stomach, all the while louldy reading from her notebook. I don't know what it was; it was in Korean. I think she was preparing a presentation of sorts 'cause she kept repeating same phrases in different tone of voice. What struck me as odd that they were totally oblivious to other people's stares. They just did their talking/presenting to themselves or imaginary audience/ students. It was quite odd.
finally at 8:00 I met the girls. When I got to La Tavola, Clare was already there, and soon Jiwon arrived, so our little pow-wow was unfolded.
I really love my apron. Now I can toss out the old one that smells like everything I've cooked in the last 2 years or so. Fabreeze is of no use, and who's ever heard of washing a grubby apron?