Double Dream Hands

My goodness. I cannot stop laughing!

Life in 4-minutes

Here's a very interesting illustration of civilizations, progress and life expectancy. I found it quite intriguing.

Air Popped

My friend Jamie opened my eyes to the wonderful world of non-microwaved popcorn and how tasty it is! She made this delicious air-popped popcorn then sprinkled a little bit of salt and a little bit of lime and it was delectable!


So, I have since written off microwave popcorn and I went out and bought myself a good ol' air popper. And you know what, it pops faster, it is a cheaper popcorn alternative and it tastes much better than the microwave stuff we have all become so accustomed to. Also, much healthier depending on what you put on it!


So Mr. Air Popper Popcorn Machine, you've made me a believer again. I'm back!

Mom's workspace

My mom has always wanted a big kitchen. Little did I know that she actually just wanted a big floor.

This video isn't super exciting, but in it, you'll see how much counter space there is to work on, then my mother doing all of her chopping...on the floor.

Wiped out

Today was Mia's birthday and my dad spent the day celebrating. Looks like "pin the mouth on the skeleton" wiped daddy Oh out!!

Bad Food

I have yet to watch a Food Network show and witness the cook say their dish tastes bad when they try it at the end. No matter the show, whether they are out trying a restaurant's signature dish or in their studio kitchen whipping up a common dinner, it's always the same: closed eyes, a couple shakes of the head looking toward heaven, and then just total bliss and amazement at how delicious their mashed potatoes taste.

Each time, I just wish that if, in fact, the dish tasted bad, they would say it like it is and express their, well, distaste. Tell me the dish tastes terrible! Please! Especially when they are on the road. I just know that not everything can taste faintingly amazing despite the way they react. That's all. Just some honesty from the food folks is all I'm asking for. Or at least a new reaction to what seems to always be the best thing they ever tasted.

Mom's Concert

I think that throughout my mom's life, no matter what her situation has been, through the hardest times and the happiest times, the one thing in her life (before Kimball and Mia came along) that has always brought her true joy, has been to sing in front of a crowd.

Every year, she continues to have that opportunity with an organization that she started 31 years ago. The Seattle Washington Korean Music Association performs twice a year at Meany Hall on the University of Washington campus. They put on their performance free of charge and made possible by continuing contributions from members in the Korean community. They have become an institution in the Korean community as they are the only organization that can gather true musical talent into one place and sing for Koreans, songs of the land of the morning calm and remind them of home. One of my favorite parts of the night, is their traditional conclusion in which all of the singers line the stage hand-in-hand and together with the audience, sing the Korean national anthem. It's always such a powerful moment.

For the first time in a long, all of the Oh's were there for the concert.






And of course my mom was amazing. They could have benefited from a little more of a sound check as the orchestra is quite loud, but my mom still sounded amazing. Not to forget she's 70 years old.

Summer's over. The kids are back in school. And you know what that means...

I heard a radio story this morning that started out like this:

Radio announcer: "Summer's over. The kids are back in school. And you know what that means...head lice."

Really? Is that really how those two situations equate?

End of summer + back to school = rampant head lice

C'mon radio announcer, you can't think of a better intro? And why so morbid? I can think of a hundred better outcomes to summer ending and school starting. How about:

- new clothes
- seeing friends again
- new beginnings
- time for parents to work on projects
- wearing snuggly socks again

I mean there are so many possibilities that have nothing to do with head lice, yet, that was the ultimate demise of the story intro. Even a simple, "New news on head lice is changing the way schools are handling the problem" or something like that would be so much more in line with the topic at hand.

I just think there was a better way to begin this story. I came up with some ideas and I think that there are so many more. YOU finish this statement for me:

"Summer's over. The kids are back in school. And you know what that means..."

Gleemmy's

Glee never disappoints. Add Jimmy to the mix and you got awesome.

A Plum Tale

My dad planted a little plum tree last year. In the past weeks, it has had some fruit on it. Fruit that has actually been impressive and very juicy and delicious. I think my dad is kind of proud of his little tree, and of course, there's no one he would rather share with than his grand kids.

Denise: Hello?

Dad: Denise, how are kids, okay?

Denise: Yeah, how are you?

Dad: Oh fine. I have plum tree. I wanted to give Kimball and Mia plum. You know, plum tree is here in the backyard. 5 plums came.

Denise: Oh really?

Dad: Yes. Yesterday there were 5. But then I came home and the squirrel took 2, so now only 3 plum.

Denise: Oh no!

Dad: Yes, and then I went again, but now only 1 plum, the squirrel, he continued to take more. If I give to Kimball the 1 plum, Mia will be sorry. If I give to Mia, Kimball may be sorry. So...next year, okay?

Denise: Okay.

Dad: Yes, I think next year it can yield more plum for Kimball and Mia.

Denise: Ok, thanks.

Dad: Bye now.

Denise: Bye.

Damn squirrel.

It's NOT a tumor. Oh wait, yes it is.

Rachel had a tumor removed once. It was the size of a volleyball, which anyone would think is quite large. But after reading this article, her tumor don't hold a fiddle to this thing! Click the link for the article.

Gargantuan tumor

Things you don't hear every day...

I called my dad this afternoon to ask him to run an errand for me since I was at work. Usually he is at home dinking around on his laptop, but today, apparently he went to the zoo with my niece and nephew.

Dad: Hello?
Me: Hi dad.
Dad: Oh! Miliam! You are working?
Me: Yes.
Dad: Oh good. I did not recognize number. Well, I just rode a camel (pronounced: ku-mehl)!
Me: What?
Dad: Yes. Have you ever ride a camel before? It is not easy!
Me: No dad. I haven’t been on a camel before.
Dad: Well, you must try! It is not easy.
Me: Okay, dad. I’m going to call you back later.
Dad: Okay. See you!

Things you don’t hear every day…

Fast car. Obviously.

When I was in Denver with Sarah, we went for a bike ride to a community festival. On the way there, I couldn't help but notice a guy lovingly detailing his car.
We rode past him without stopping on our way to the festival, but stopped on the way back to admire his work and my oh my, what a beauty.

It's amazing what a custom-made sticker ensemble can do to a car and what kind of message the owner inevitably sends.

Looking at this automotive masterpiece, this is the impression that I get:

Nothing says "speed" like fire. Naturally, flames denote "fast" and obviously, this car looks faster the more indicators of "fire" there are on it. I can only conclude that this car is constantly spewing fire, hence, is always fast, therefore, likely to blow my car out of the water in a road race, even when completely still.



Then of course you have "bad" boy look. Nothing says "bad to the bone" like a skull. Nothing says "badder to the bone" than skulls AND dragons. And nothing says "fast and badder to the bone" than skulls, dragons and FLAMES. This guy is a fast bad a**.


And then of course, and fast car needs vents to prove that the car needs vents to blow off heat. Much like a laptop needs vents so it doesn't overheat... Stickers with vents send the message that this car is highly technical and though it may not look like it from the outside, under the hood it's a beast and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s worst nightmare. Truly. And vents, with flames of course.

I was quite impressed with this owner's handy work. Some people add tinted windows, dice on the rear view mirror, maybe a sticker of a daisy on the back window, but this guy went all out. But I guess if you're sporting the "Ironman" edition of this Isuzu VehiCROSS, well, you better be so hardcore! Judging from his sticker job, I'm pretty sure he is.

Mormon Ads

I like what the Church is doing. And it's ridiculous, though not surprising, that skeptics would assume there is an ulterior motive to this campaign other than to just send a message that Mormons live busy and accomplished lives just like the next person. Go Church!

I really like the Jane Clayson ad and the Valentin ad.

There are 15 ads and you can watch them all here: Mormon ads

Two Years - Part I

Two years. I knew it would go by fast, it's just weird to be living and experiencing the end of it now.

About three years ago was around the time that I decided to bite the bullet and actually go back to school. I had been thinking about graduate school for quite some time and I had even taken a test prep class a couple of years prior when I first considered a return to school. Although, I never took the test until a few years later. But as the years would pass by so quickly yet nothing seemed to change, I finally realized that time would continually to fly by and nothing would continue to change unless I did something different.

Now, two years later and an MBA to add to my resume, I am a masters graduate of business. The accomplishment feels great. It was an extremely involved, busy and demanding two years, but it was also rewarding, memorable and a lot of fun. I feel I am a stronger, more confident person and I feel more focused on my goals and desires. I went into graduate school with the hopes of coming out a better person, having a stronger assurance of what I want in my future, of course, more knowledgeable, and even, more brave. I feel like I have accomplished all of that and I feel very satisfied in what I have done. I had a really great experience with some amazing people and I think I am a better person because of it.

Warsaw Sports Marketing Center Class of 2010

At graduation in June, all of my family came to Eugene for a visit. Everyone was there and it became the family vacation we don't take too often.


I took them to all of the "hot spots" in Eugene, which lasted about half of a day, then ventured outside of town and went to Silver Springs State Park just off Interstate 5. In just a short hike, visitors can see 10 waterfalls. The biggest is the first one on the south end and you can hike right underneath it!





Since graduation, I have been pretty busy trying to enjoy what summer time I could. In the process I have been looking for a job, and not knowing when or where I would end up working, I have just been enjoying the free time. I haven't been too anxious to return to work. We all know what the daily grind is like...so I have been doing other stuff to pass the time.

To start off, I had a birthday! It was pretty chill this year and I spent it with my family. Denise and Kimball made me THE BEST cupcakes ever, an army of penguins! Their penguinness made eating them even more fun!




Then after the kids went to bed, we went and saw a pretty awesome film made by one of Denise's friends, "Best Worst Movie". I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and unique documentary. The best characters just can't be written!

After my birthday, I returned to Eugene to move out of my apartment. As always, moving presents itself with key opportunities to really purge and literally, clean house. Case in point: On my wall I have a poster of the opera "Madam Butterfly". I think it is a beautiful poster of a vintage print of the famous, but tragic, Puccini opera. I have it on my wall because at one point in my mom's singing career, she played the part of the geisha, Madame Butterfly in a performance of the opera. I have it because it is almost like a tribute to my mom and her amazing voice. Funny thing is, my mom hates the poster. Each time she has visited my apt, which is twice, she has chastised me every time she has seen the poster. I know, it doesn't really make sense. I have the poster up because it is a memory of my mom. My mom hates the poster because of the opera's story and always tells me take it down. Why? Not for any other reason than this (best spoken in the words of my mom): "Miliam. This why you not married. This opera terrible opera. Very sad. Her husband leave her and she kill herself. Bad poster. You throw away."

It never really made sense to me, but after so many lectures from her, I finally decided to get rid of it. And she better be right. I am expecting wedding bells any day now. Any day now, mom...



I fit all of my stuff in a storage bin and as of now, it's all sitting on a storage lot somewhere in Eugene, waiting to be delivered to me in my new place of residence. Likely Seattle.

After packing everything up, I stayed in Eugene for a week or so working on a couple of local track events, then I finally left for good. Eugene, I will miss you, but only a little bit. Probably like less than 1%.

I headed to where the sun shines almost everyday and found myself in San Diego and Los Angeles with friends and family. I ate tacos at the best fish taco joint in town, South Beach Bar & Grille. Rode bikes around Coronado Island with Rachel and our friend, Susan. Hiked and walked along the beach at Torrey Pines State Park in Del Mar. And spent the day at the beach in La Jolla. SoCal is wonderful for so many reasons.






In my next post, I'll highlight what I did after SoCal: Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota. In that order.

Chick Flick Hit

I don't usually post movie reviews, mostly because I lack the witty analogies and catchy, elaborate phrases used to describe how good or bad a movie is, but, I do feel that I am a good judge of film and that my opinion is decent. So with that, I would like to highly recommend and endorse this year's "Letters to Juliet". It was great!

Who knew that this chick flick, preceded by a disappointing trend of so many, multiple, terrible chick flicks of the past couple of years, could renew my faith in the chick flick genre? Yes, by nature, chick flicks really are bad movies, but every once in a while, you get a movie that tells a decent story, has cute/handsome characters, and takes place in a beautiful foreign country. That's pretty much what "Letters to Juliet" was all about and I was pleasantly pleased.

I recommend it. It's not the movie of the year, but watching it wouldn't be a total waste of time. Just ask the girl who sat next to me who was audibly sobbing through the whole second half of the movie. It was THAT good.

When you need a hug...

Via Overstock.com...The Hug Me Pillow

I guess there is something for everyone, even those feeling a little lonely at night.


The Hug Me Pillow. When you're feeling lonely and REALLY need the company.

Jake & Kate + 8?

This I can believe. It was only bound to happen prolonging the awesome drama that IS the Bachelor only on ABC. Although, I can't believe that Jake is now acting? Puh-lease.

Jake & Vienna Break

But this! I don't believe. If only the drama could really continue into other reality TV worlds. Not likely.

Jake & Kate?

Clean up on Aisle 9!

This was just weird enough to bring me out of my blogging hiatus. And I thought the Taco Bell wedding was wacky!

This story is faaar from traditional and I blame Phil for the absurdity. Stupid Phil.

Watch this news story and you'll get what I'm saying. Rather than highlight each point of hilarity, it's best if you watch for yourselves. There are way too many special gems in this story for my attempt at humor to do it any justice.

Gift of Bacon

Every time my mom goes to Korea, it is quite the process. I have fond memories from back in the day when I would come home from school to find the living room floor used as a sorting surface with all kinds of random food items that my mom was going to take with her. Among these included coffee, Hershey's chocolate bars, beef jerky, and make-up, to name a few. But I'm not talking a few items, I mean boxes and boxes, and boxes!

She would strategically pack her bags to transport all of these products. Legally, of course, but it was always such a spectacle, especially if the bags were ever overweight. I always hated being "those Asians" holding up the airline ticketing line with their belongings strewn everywhere trying to redistribute weight among bags so as to meet baggage weight restrictions at the airport. I see families do that occasionally nowadays and it always brings back embarrassing memories.

My mom is going to Korea again soon to receive an award from the Peaceful Unification organization in Korea for her singing. But, as Korea is now well off as a modern society, no longer do they need such basics as chocolate and coffee. Apparently, needs have evolved, or at least my mom would hope.

Lucky for Denise, her days are now filled with awesome mommy and daddy Oh excerpts. Here's a recent one in regard to this subject:

(Phone rings)

Mom: "Uh Denise, you know that bacon? What is that? Costco....turkey something turkey bacon?"
Denise: "Uh-huh."
Mom: "I like that very much. Very good taste. So how much in a pack?"
Denise: "Uhhh, two separate packages. There's a lot. Do you want me to buy some more?"
Mom: "Ok good, I take that to Korea. Very good gift."
Denise: "Mommy!!! Don't take that to Korea! It needs to stay refrigerated!"
Mom: "No, only one day, no problem."
Denise: "Mommy I don't know if that is good idea."
Mom: "No, one thing is, everything they have. Ham they do not have. This is very good taste, good gift. I bring to them."
Denise: (laughing) "Ok, mommy"
Mom: "Bye, bye"

I'm pretty sure they have plenty of ham in Korea. I just hope no one tells her there is also Costco in Korea.

Hamster Cuteness

Further evidence that hamsters are the best rodent. Meep.

Babysitting

I am going home to Seattle this weekend to babysit Kimball and Mia while Erik and Denise are away at a wedding in California. My specific duty this weekend is to tend to the children.

Now, I have no problem with children. In fact, I love my niece and nephew more than anything on this planet. But, the challenge I face every time I go home is making the transition from singledom to childrendom.

If you think about it, I live every day of my life thinking of me and only me. I do whatever I want, whenever I want. I set my own schedule, I do or do not as I please and I don't have to answer or report to anybody.

Now, whenever I visit my niece and nephew, I enter a home occupied by children and it is always a transition. All of a sudden I have responsibilities. I need to help tend to the children. I should get up early to see that they are well. I need to put down my computer and play with them. And suddenly, my world is not my own any more, but theirs.

In no way am I complaining, all I'm saying, is, it's a transition. It's a change that I have to adapt to every time I see them. And I will say, they usually tire me out pretty quick. Kids are very demanding!

So this weekend, Denise has somehow deduced that I will be able to handle the children for a few days. I suppose if she believes in me, I should believe in me. I mean, they're just kids right? Although, sometimes I look at them and think, "They're like a big bear. All fluffy and soft. Then before you know, it's eating you alive."

I'm putting out the call to all you experienced children-watchers out there. Kimball is full of energy and Mia is mischievous. The last thing I want to do is to be sitting around being bored.

So here's my inquiry: What do you with kids?

Sometimes, I just don't have a clue what to do with them. So, I ask you to please respond with your ideas and thoughts on what we can all do together to stay busy in and out of the house. I apologize in advance as I will not likely take seriously any ideas related "crafts" as I don't really like crafts and I find that crafts just means: big mess to clean up.

Taking suggestions now...

Working schmorking

I remember when I worked and I was confined to an office from exactly 8:30 am to 5:00 pm and often I would just daydream about what I would be doing if I didn't have to work.

As a student, I have a good amount of freedom with my schedule to do anything I want. Though I don't want to rub it anyone's face, one of the favorite thoughts I like to let run through my head when I am out and about on a normal week day aside from this thought, "I know why I am not working but how is it that all of you aren't working?" is: (secretly pointing to people in their offices) "You're working and I am not. Neener, neener."

So, now that I am on spring break and I have even more time on my hands, I am somewhat at a loss for what I COULD be doing with my time. So if I may pick your brains, could you help me fill my time? Answer me this: If you could take do anything during the day while everyone else is at work and take a day off with no responsibilities to get errands done or squeeze in a doctor's appointment, but just to enjoy yourself, what would you do?

Help me out folks.

Up! kid

I don't know this child but he makes a perfect little Up! boy scout.

70 and Beautiful

On March 3 my mom turned 70 years old and that weekend, we celebrated.

Pretty much just short of a full-on wedding reception, we threw her a party to be remembered, but more importantly, to celebrate her and her amazing voice. We invited 200 of her closest friends, re-decorated the church basketball court, served up 25 Korean dishes with the help of the Korean Branch and hired a sound mixer to record the music she would sing that evening.

My mother sang seven songs in the chapel and she directed the Korean church choir in six songs. I always look forward to hearing my mom sing and that night, her voice filled the room. She was flawless and she sounded as clear as ever. She looked like she could not have been happier and the music seemed to flow through her. She is truly happiest when she is singing.

Had I not been so preoccupied with dealing with a finicky video projector, I may have had my wits enough to know to set up a video camera and record my mom. Unfortunately, all I got was this, but I guess it's good enough:


For a look back at her life and everything she has accomplished, I made this little video for her. Unfortunately, I was limited to what I could do creatively as I didn't have the right equipment to really do what I would like to, but this seemed to suffice. (The audio is a little quirky. You should be able to hear background music throughout though my voice may be a bit loud.)


It was an amazing, though tiring, night and everyone had a great time.

We even hired a lady to turn the church gym into a wedding hall. It's amazing what people can do with a sewing machine and imagination!

As for the dress I picked...well, after much discussion and modeling, I chose the black Ralph Lauren. Everyone was actually very pleased with the plum Ralph Lauren and it was almost a toss-up, but what it came down to, was the shrug. It just didn't look quite right, and with three shrugs in the house to choose from, it didn't seem like we would find one that would work.

So with only an hour to go before the party was to start, my sister and I ran to the mall. With very little time and an array of choices, we quickly grabbed these smokin' hot, beautiful, ruby red, BCBG "peep-toe" pumps and some jewelery that made me feel like a Christmas tree.

Good news is: mission accomplished! My mom approved. I looked very pretty and I was feeling very tall. Whether I was white enough or not, did not come up for discussion. Since there were no complaints, I will assume she was satisfied.

I do remember a comment from Jennie wondering how "tall" managed into the equation, well, looking at the pics of me amongst my family, I am kind of the tall one, even without heels. Erik is just barely taller than me, but other than that, I am pretty much the one they call on when they need to reach something on the top shelf. It feels kind of cool sometimes to be that person.

(In this pic is Kimball, Denise, Erik, Mia, my Mom, my cousin Sam, Rachel, Me, my aunt, my dad, and my Uncle)

ChickLit

After every term of papers, reports, presentations and everything else that school demands, there's nothing I enjoy more than spending my break lounging around with a brainless book. As many of my friend's know, I'm always asking for "ChickLit" recommendations and they usually do not disappoint.

Now as Spring Break approaches, I am on the hunt for another worthless book to "rest" my brain with. In searching for something that will at least be entertaining, I found this great website: www.ChickLitClub.com. It is the ULTIMATE ChickLit resource!

For anyone in my same position who just likes to entertain themselves with nothing short of rubbish, this website will likely help you find the best rubbish there is to offer. Check it out!

I am also taking book suggestions if there is a great brainless book you've read recently...

Ronery...

I am without my laptop. I feel a void in my life. A hole unfilled. A rock unturned.

I am going on day 4 without my laptop and I am near exploding. It's like I've had a finger cut off. It's a horrible feeling. I won't see it again until Friday. It's in the shop being repaired and it's killing me to be away from it.

As soon as I get it back, I'll post a report of the 70th Birthday Weekend Extravaganza! Just so you all know: I picked black.

Dress Mess

Wow. I didn't think I would get such a response. I guess I first have to say thank you and I appreciate the help! Your opinions make a big difference and I love that everyone was able to make a clear cut decision, well, except for one named Allison Hansen, but that is ok. I think she was leaning towards purple anyway.

So, in conclusion, the official count is as follows:

Total votes: 18
Purple - 6 or 7 (depending on which way Allison is leaning)
Black - 11

Here's the funny thing, on Sunday evening, everyone was clearly all for the purple, as was I. But by early Monday, the tides had shifted and everyone was vehemently black, well except for Allison who just wasn't quite sure. Very odd...

I do like the black, I mean, it's an ok dress, it's just black...but I have worn several LBD's (little black dresses) in the past. In fact, I buy one and I wear it to every event for 2-3 years until I am forced to buy another one, which I can then wear again for another 2-3 years. My mom told me I am not allowed to wear the current LBD I have now, hence the search for a new dress. So, I thought I would change it up and open my eyes (no Asian jokes here please, I've heard them all) a little wider and consider other colors and designs. Hence my dilemma.

While I respect and appreciate everyone's opinion and thoughts and supplemental information, I guess that ultimately, the decision as to which dress I wear really just comes down to one person, and we all know that that person is...Rachel, my sister.

Though Rachel did not respond via blog, she did respond by email and indicated that photos don't give a detailed enough picture and she will need to see them all in person. So, as much as I'd like to say I have come to a decision, I am still on the fence. Although, one conclusion I did come to was to get rid of the designy dress. So, no pirate and no zebra for this party.

Come next weekend, verdict will be in. I'll let you all know what I, uh, Rachel and I, decide. Thanks so much!

Dress nonsense

Once a boss, always a boss. By demand of my former boss, Laura, from KBYU-TV way back in the day, I'm following orders and posting pics of my dresses to let you all help me make my decision. I can't believe I'm actually doing it since 1) pics don't do the dresses justice, 2) I'm the poster child of "not photogenic", 3) I don't to like to pose for pictures and just to throw a fourth reason into the mix, this is dumb and embarrassing.

But seeing as everyone will get a good kick out of this, I'll play along.

So below are my four dresses. Make that three. Kyle already helped me eliminate dress #1. The cheapest of them all. He calls it my pirate dress. 'Nuff said.

Dresses 2-4 are below with respective pros and cons. Kyle and I chose the same one in deciding which one liked the best. What do you think?

Criteria:
Event description: Mom's 70th birthday party in which lots of her friends will be there
Dress purpose: To make Miriam look pretty
Dress parameters: Classy, not slutty. Flattering, not frumpy. Feminine, not masculine.

1) Plum Dress

Pros: slim-fitting, classy, cool wrap around tie and actually is flattering to my chestal region
Cons: gotta wear a shrug, for some obvious reasons















2) Black dress

Pros: Don't have to wear a shrug, slim-fitting, flattering, classy, fun gather on the side
Cons: Weird shoulder pads, boring















3) Designy dress
Pros: Fun design, not plain black, fun style
Cons: Some alterations need to be done in the back, design may be considered "loud", my mom might accuse me of looking like a zebra

When making your decision, please ignore the shoes, those are just for the height.

Additionally, I am taking suggestions for shoes and accessories. The less thinking I have to do, the happier I'll be. When making suggestions, please use simple terms and words to facilitate descriptions.

Thanks everyone. Enjoy.