typical food I eat

A quick posting of the day. I was really busy today (2 classes I take, 1 class I teach, prep for the writing group work, etc). Food pics are always good, right?

The top pic: some Japanese tofu (they are more soft, can be eaten raw without cooking) seasoned with soysauce+ sesame oil+ toasted sesame (from mom), kimchi stew, and rice along with some side dishes.  This is the typical dinner I can imagine.It's comfort food, and food that I can cook without pouring over cookbooks or website.

Middle: Korean style omelet (I should actually have cut that up into bite-sizes, but was too lazy), rice+ other things stir fried (veggies, bacon, and some kimchi-- you just put whatever is in the fridge, and stir it in with the rice.) + side dishes

and lastly, my pound cake:) with coffee (I put some milk in the coffee- that explains the funny brown color) and some pineapples (was too lazy to get a proper plate, so it's placed in another cup). I haven't made pound cakes in awhile, I should, soon.

Here's the recipe to pound cake, if anyone would like to make it:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1Sp honey
and cranberries (dried), almonds, or anything else you want in your cake.

Start with sugar+ butter- mix them well, add egges, then yogurt.
Then add flour, salt, baking soda, and honey. Mix that. Then mix in the berries and nuts.

Bake in oven for about 20-30 minutes, at 400F.


Ta-da! So, the blogathon ends today.
The blog will still be here, but just some excuses-- it might not be everyday I post here. But I will upload stuff regularly, so keep in touch! :)

2. 28. 2013

I have many names:)

One of my dear friends from back home, who is right now in the States, is pondering on taking on a new name that is easier for people to pronounce and remember. And a comment on her fb page got me thinking. The comment was, that she should make people learn to say her name and to remember it correctly. And yes, that makes sense. But sometimes, people just can't do it right! It's no fun, having to correct your friends all the time-- what if they get embarrassed, and stop calling you by name altogether? (I'm being extreme here, but you get the picture.) 

When I first got here, I just came up with a new name for myself. It was kind of like picking a nom de plume, or a nickname to use online. (And online, I go by many different names-- on another blog which I write mostly in Korean, I'm called "navi" which means butterfly) It wasn't that of a big deal-- I wasn't giving up my name, but creating a new one for me. And besides, I wanted my students to call me by name, and there was absolutely no chance of their not botching up my name. So, volla! I had a new name. The name is, Jade. When I told my adviser that I have a Korean name and an English one, I think it got her thinking about the politics of naming. You know, how the English speaking world imposes an English name on non-American/British people. And I agree, that names are extremely important. There is a reason why Rochester renames Antoinette, calling her Bertha, in Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea! But my reasoning behind my renaming of myself is this (And I think the friend I mentioned, agrees in fact, she does-- she stated this on her fb wall) : This is not a name that has been imposed on me by someone powerful-- say, a colonizer. I admit that the need  to come up with a new name can be, in itself, problematic, but let me just be honest here. I'd rather have you call me by my new name, than have to correct you, or cringe when you say the name. I think the only person I met at Purdue who pronounced my name right, right off the bat, was frozendry. :) (Kudos!)  I'd rather be called by a name of my choice. Which I like. And besides, when you don't know how to pronounce a name, you tend not to remember that person. Just think about how difficult it is to keep track of characters in Russian literature--! Before I named myself, people called me Joo. (and just omitted the second syllable of my full name) I mean-- it is a cute kind of name, and no blames on people who do call me that (my love goes to my friends I met in Iowa), but I felt that it was the time to make a move away from the childhood nickname ("Joo" was the name I got in an ESL course when I was a child-- I think I was 12. The funny thing is, my sisters are all called Joo, because our names begin with the same letter!!!!!). So, there. 

Oh, and just for fun, here's some information on the stone I named myself after!

Jade

Jade is an ancient stone that has historically been used to attract love. Carved into a butterfly, in China it is a powerful symbol used to draw love.

Jade can be used to bring money into your life. Create a positive attitude towards money and visualize yourself using money creatively and productively while holding the stone in your power hand. When making an important business decision, use the prosperous energies of jade by holding it while contemplating your course of action. Jade strengthens your mental faculties and assists in clear reasoning.

Jade is also a protective stone, guarding against accidents and misfortune. Place a piece of jade between two purple candles and let the candles burn for a short while. Then carry the jade with you as a protection amulet.

Symbol of successful love

A butterfly carved from jade holds a special romantic significance. Ancient Chinese legend tells of a youth who wandered into the garden of a wealthy mandarin in pursuit of a multi-colored butterfly. Instead of being punished for trespassing, his visit led to marriage with the mandarin's daughter.

Today, a jade butterfly symbolizes successful love.

Healing properties of Jade

The soothing green color of jade makes it a wonderful healing stone. It helps the body in self-healing while working through underlying, non-physical reasons for a precipitation for disease. It is particularly helpful for kidney, heart and stomach complaints.

And that's my stone:) (although it's not my birthstone!)

recycled glass beads bracelets

 I've been interested in upcycling, as you already know.
And I was sad that I was not crafty enough to take on those awesome projects, like transforming ties into bags and making glasses out of wine bottles. But, I figured, by buying recycled glass beads, I might be able to say that I've been upcycling..? :)
So, here are the products of my obsession.

This one, I've named "mint latte" :)
I used two different shades of glass beads-- soft mint, and two tangy green  beads. Both are really pretty-- I like that these are opaque. The rest of the stones used are crystals (czech crystal rondeles), and I used a toggle clasp at the end of the bracelet.

 Here's a similar one, in a different color.
I'm calling this one "lemon and ginger" :)
It should look awesome when Spring comes (...it's so cold outside today-- when the heck is spring coming?)

The soft yellow green round you see linked with the lemon glass, is also made of recycled glass. I wanted a bigger round bead, but come to think of it-- you can't make big glass balls if you are recycling bottles-- bottles can't be that thick, right? :( Sad, but will have to work with what people can make...

And this is what the toggle looks like-- it's a heart shaped toggle!

 And the last piece-- this one has purple (mauve?) glass beads, along with some yellows and some oranges. I had a difficult time coming up with this color scheme-- it took me more time to make this one than the two above. (I started using green beads, but for some reason, it didn't look quite right!) This one, I'm calling "sangria"-- the bottles were probably wine bottles anyway! :)

The opaque yellow stones (there's two) are colored jades. :)

And this is how it looks when you wear it.

I don't do etsy, because I make things irregularly when I am inspired/ when I have time, but if you like any of those, just say the word, and let's make one yours! :) If you want set earrings to go with them, I make earrings too! :)

I hope you guys all enjoyed these-- spring is just around the corner!

book review- Nectar in a Sieve

Here is a posting on a South Asian Woman Writer, as promised. Freeze-dried, are you there? :) I must make an excuse here before I post though: this review was done for class. It's from a casual but academic writing I did while taking Dr. A's postcolonial class last semester, and I will make small adjustments, but not much, because I kind of like what I said. Anyways, so here we go. Before I go further, here is a link to her book

amazon link to Markandaya's book

and a link to a very short entry on wikipedia.

wikipedia on Markaydaya needs work!

There. Now, I can talk a little about the book.

First, I should talk about  Markandaya’s agenda of writing: she argues that she writes not as an Indian woman writer, but a “writer”: In an essay entitled“One Pair of Eyes,” she emphasizes that a writer would not forgo her culture, noting that to “discard such basic material” would lead to a “drying-up of his work” (15). However, she also argues that there is a universal “cortex” that exists in every human being, one that has more to do with the mind (than with specific cultures). Refusing to be ghettoized, she writes for a global audience rather than a particular group of people who look to her for to endorse nationalism (or any political movement with a set agenda, for that matter). Such self-identification as the writer of the world (rather than of the nation) is nothing unique or extraordinary—many hyphenated writers today strive to shake off the boulders put on their shoulders. For example, V.S. Naipal writes beyond the nation, claiming that his writing should not be taken as a parochial discourse that applies only to a certain culture. He resists essentialist nationalism/nationality discourse, but works toward producing “universal” stories. Such a stance is always, as can be seen by the literary career of Markandaya, is often regarded as Eurocentric, for in many cases, the so-called “universalism” endorsed by these non-nationalist writers are often suspected of having stemmed from Western philosophies. However, doesn't such criticism result from simple dichotomies that divide the world into two easy to stereotype categories, the West and the East, while in reality, these two set models cannot contain all human experience or writings? I do conceded to critical readings that point out to the dangers of erasing the specificities of cultures and histories, for such removal of historical specificities often lead to distortion or suppression of historical events in which the minorities were oppressed. However, to castigate writers who resist being contained within the boundaries of nation state as rootless is rather problematic, for it calls to the writers to work for a single agenda—to fulfill his/her role as the political speaks person—failing to admit that literature, while it can function politically in some cases, is not just a political pamphlet. 

And another very interesting topic: Can Kenny and Ruku become friends? Those two characters are interesting, they interact in intriguing ways. Kenny is a doctor who works in India, and Ruku is a native of a small village. They do become friendly, but how far can their friendship go? 

Is friendship between a colonial Englishman in India and an Indian woman possible? Markandaya seems to be nodding towards this friendship, although she does acknowledge the potential dangers of being misunderstood by others. Despite the hostile remarks from her family members and neighbors (even her children will hint that this friendship is more than problematic! They think their mother is doing something wrong/ they feel shame), Ruku never quite forgoes her relationship with Kenny, claiming that such hostility is uncalled for, as they never engage in activities that may arouse suspicion or contempt. The relationship is entirely platonic, or more precisely, intellectual. The man from the civilized West does not simply impart knowledge upon the unlearned Indian woman; their relationship is not unilateral but interactive, in which Kenny, as well as Ruku, gains solace and comfort from the act of releasing their emotional frustration—Kenny’s, of working in a land not his own among people who he learns to love, but cannot fully understand, and Ruku’s, of having to live as a peasant’s wife with many burdens upon her shoulders. I say that this friendship between the two characters is quite intriguing, because they are able to achieve what Forster’s Dr. Aziz and other British characters are never able to obtain. Although Kenny, in many encounters with Ruku, expresses exasperation towards the seemingly passive and defeatist philosophy of Indians around him, he seems to enjoy her company and the never ending debate on life both ardently take part of despite their never reaching a conclusion. When he angrily notes how “people will never learn” (65), and how the villagers’ hope for a better future, the times that are “better” will never bring them anything other than more suffering and death (43), he is speaking these words with compassion rather than simple contempt. He knows for a fact that his commentaries on the seemingly foolish behaviors of the villagers will never change their ways, unless they themselves realize the need to change. Ruku usually retorts back, emphasizing the necessity to stand as individuals who never stoop low. She cannot say it eloquently, but she challenges the logical argument of Kenny’s by pointing out that there won’t be enough help to go around in times of need. The debate always circles around, coming back to the same point where they are left standing without a solution that will dissolve the misery that has overtaken the town. This lack of a simple answer exposes the subversiveness of the writer who penetrates the untenable logic of progress that promotes modernization/Westernization as a cure-all that will rid of the ills of the “undercivilized” nations.

I think I had other things to say about this novel, but right now, my brain has stopped working. So, here it is-- a review! :) It's the first review I post here, so I hope you enjoy.

2. 25. 2013

walking in the city

Things extra and other (details and excesses coming from elsewhere) insert themselves into the accepted framework, the imposed order. One thus has the very relationship between spatial practices and the constructed order. The surface of this order is everywhere punched and torn open by ellipses, drifts, and leaks of meaning: it is a sieve-order. (De Certeau)

While reading Jean Rhys's Voyage in the Dark, I came to the conclusion that not everyone can become a Certeauian walker who can "practice the everyday." There are characters like Anna (she's the narrator of the book) who will be so easily, devoured by the city. The city won't allow her a street of her own (much less a room of her own). Although I failed to revise it during the short winter break, I will revise my paper on Anna's walking + identity + the city + the text as a thing that walks (in the De Certeauian manner), in the summer. So, this post is kind of like a reminder to self: REVISE IT IN THE SUMMER, SINCE YOU PROMISED RIGHT HERE, I should say to myself. And I should also ask my friends who see this, to ask me during or after summer: Hey Jade, did you revise the paper you were talking about? What happened? Show it to me before you submit it anywhere!  Do that to me, okay? Otherwise, I will just be a lazy lazy gal postponing the revision until who knows when!?

The photo up there- it's of me "walking" but not in a city.. The pic was taken by hubsy, when we were in Qutub Minar in Delhi (2008). And I think "walking" as a tourist and as the city's inhabitant, must be two very different things. I'll talk about that later, though. I'm also thinking about "the right to the city" Lefebre talks about, and how that right gets all messed up when the inhabitant is also the colonized (or under neocolonial powers. Or, under the power/gaze of the tourist, who actually stands in for the tourist industry)...and so on. BUT!!! Now, I have to go and grade 7 papers, read The Open by Agamben (I have no idea what he is talking about. Shoot), and finish the rest of Our Mutual Friend. I know. I won't be able to do all of those things, but that's the plan for today, and tomorrow, and the day after. So, should be doable, right? :)

2.24.2013

My friend is a singer:)

 Often, when I imagine another life, I think about how I would love to be a person who performs on stage. Or a person who makes tangible things (like paintings or the like) with my hands, for a living. It's a desire I have, I guess, because in this life, I am a person who ponders on words, crafts sentences and essays that seem to have no tangibility whatsoever. Of course, I can make these intangible thoughts and words, structure them into a convincing argument or an analysis, and of course, I want to some day, publish a book. That would certainly be tangible...But, unless I suddenly decide to become a fiction writer or a poet, my audience will always be small. Hence, I envy my friend who is a singer. Not only does he perform on stage, he communicates with so many people, people of different age groups and gender. That must be exciting.

The friend's name is Youngwoo Kim, a musician who belongs to a Korean group called Sweet Sorrow. The name comes from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet-- parting is such sweet sorrow-- and yes, my friend is an English Lit major. (He's the one on top/with glasses and a big smile) I met him when I was doing my masters back home. We joined the department on the same year, took a class together (African American fiction), and came to be rather friendly with each other. He hadn't debuted just then-- while coming to class, working as a TA (TAs back home don't have to teach/ we are basically grading TAs), and striving to make a debut. And the year after, his group won in a music competition, with a big flourish, with a magnificent debut song that awed and impressed the critics. But, the group didn't do quite so well until later. The song that was celebrated by the critics as awesome and new and elegant, was not welcomed in the market that had gotten so used to the bubble-pop music produced by idols. And since the group did not have that many schedules at first, Youngwoo continued on with his studies-- meaning, I got to see him quite often, despite his being now, a "professional singer."

Anyways, I don't see him that often anymore, because Sweet Sorrow is now doing quite well. Their concerts are always sold out, their third album (and this is not a mini-album but a proper one with more than 10 songs in it) came out last year, they work as radio DJs, and appear on rather famous music programs in Korea. We don't get to talk about the stuff we read for class anymore, since he is now busy with music, and I live across the country. But I can still see how his ideas are changing by reading the lyrics to his songs. And it's fun to see a friend becoming more and more famous-- he's no longer "that guy who is often late to class" or "that guy who sang while presenting W.E.B Dubois's book", but now a singer who ponders on the difficulty of satiating the public's taste and his own artistic desires. Instead laboring over words and books, he plays with notes and rhythms. Instead of the in-class presentation, he produces concerts and other gigs on stage. And  it's cool, as a friend, to see the transformation. Here is a link to one of Sweet Sorrow's performances on television. Oh, and if you search "sweet sorrow" on Spotify, you will find some of their albums!

Sweet Sorrow's performance

some more ideas on upcycling

I don't know what happened, but my ankle is swollen today
Spent the whole day home, don't feel like sitting in a chair.
So, I write this on my tablet. (And thus, will not be long)

On my part- I ordered some recycled glass beads today,
So I will be making some stuff with that later. I was a little guilty about always ordering stuff online (what about the CO2 footprints? My conscience asked.), but I don't order beads that often...so I must excuse myself. I am also looking to see if there are sellers on etsy, who drill holes in beach pebbles. Might get some and.make necklaces with them.

I wish I was more crafty, but this is as up-cycle-ly I can ger riht now!

I promise, I'll treat you to coffee

I came back from two classes, and I am exhausted. So, a short posting on what I miss the most about my hometown (which is oceans away): cafes!!!

I am content in West Lafayette, despite it being a bland town. It's okay, since I don't need a lot of excitement in my life. The texts I am required to read are enough as it is-- there is no time to go anywhere, anyway. But, I do miss those wonderful cafes in Seoul, especially those near Yonsei and Hondae. I have a few favorite spots-- and the pics today were taken at a cafe named "Thanks Nature," cafe near Hongik University.

I don't know what it is with Koreans and coffee, but the city has so many, you just need to walk 2 minutes and run into one. Which means, you have a variety of cafes to choose from. Not like here: if I want a nice cup of coffee, I have to choose between two-_-; I know..there are other places..but it's not within my walking distance! Urgh! Just last Sunday, I had to make a change of plans because the two cafes available were full of people. On a Sunday morning! Can't Greyhouse just expand? Or, can't anyone open a new cafe near our campus? Please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?

So, grumble grumble. If I had special powers, I would just bring one or two (I don't even need more!) cafes from back home, and plant it in West Lafayette. While I'm at it, I should also bring some of my favorite restaurants. More about that later though. :)

When you come to Seoul, I'll make sure to take you to my favorite spots. One is called "Raintree" (it's near Ewha Univ) and they have the best hot chocolate (European style, is it? They melt real chocolate, so you actually have to spoon it!). And the owners are friendly with me, which means they usually give us some treats while we jabber away-- the last time I was there (last Summer), they gave us a nice stack of pancakes (with ice cream on top!) made from scratch. Ah-- the times! Oh, and they have hot apple cinnamon tea they actually make themselves!

picture of a beloved friend at Raintree:) (she was drinking milk tea)

so, if you ever come to Seoul (when I'm there), I'll take you to those places. I promise.

2. 21. 2013.

No, let's not trap ourselves

Today, while conferencing with my Eng106 students, the topic of government surveillance came up. One student is going to write her position paper on "full body-scanners" at airports. Her position is, that we should consider it a sacrifice we should pay, in order to be safe (from terrorists). I tried to talk about what the opponents would say. She agreed to some of such arguments, but I don't think she will change her mind. One student commented across the table, that if we are not doing anything wrong, we shouldn't be worried or concerned about government surveillance. Someone talked about the government having access to people's facebook entries and emails. Then, said-- I don't worry, since I don't write anything important. I don't do anything wrong. If you are a good person/citizen, why the worry? It's to keep us safe. Okay kids, so being safe is important. But have you considered how this is also intruding upon everyone's privacy? They said, yeah, but we have to give something, right? Hmm. Security and safety is really in their brains. But what if the definition of "you are a good citizen/person" change? What if suddenly, your dating a person with different skin color becomes a huge problem? What if someone suddenly decides without your knowing, that to major in engineering and thinking about the ills of the method American corporations extract gas from below is wrong, is a major problem for them? What if one day, someone decides that all vegetarians are radicals who threaten the security of the nation? It sounds all very extreme, but it could happen, it had happened in different ways in the past, there is no guarantee that it will never be that way again. Don't trap yourself in the discourse of security and patriotism without at least thinking about these. ... I wanted to say all this, but I didn't have the time or energy to do so. I will bring it up for debate tomorrow in class- starting with a youtube clip, to trick them into thinking, Oh, we're watching a clip, cool! I'll let you guys know what happens tomorrow. I might just end up being sad, but hopefully, at least a handful of students will say smarter than stuff like "we've all got to give a little..." Come on, you don't want to be treated as a potential terrorist. Or, is it really okay, as long as you are kept safe from those "terrible terrorists"?
Let's find out tomorrow.

2. 20. 2013

dish for two-- korean food!

 On days when I don't know what to cook for dinner, I look in the fridge and think about what veggies I need to consume. On this particular day, I found dried shitake mushrooms my mom sent me (yay!), some baby bockchoy, and elephant garlic. And we had some angus chuck and rice cakes (which again, mom sent!!). So, a Korean dish we call "gan-jang ttok-boki" (gan-jang is soysauce, and ttok, is the rice cake (I can't seem to find an exact word to describe that rice thing..it's not really cake, but more of...pasta like thing that we make with rice. It can be dried and frozen), and "boki" is the casual noun form of stir frying. I think. Anyways, there are two kinds of such dishes--one, you cook without gan-jang but with pepper sauce. That one's the more common one you will see on Seoul streets (vendors everywhere!), but this time around, I went for soysauce.

I don't follow strict recipes when I cook Korean (or fusion Korean), so I don't have measurements, but for this dish, you need:

1. Some rice cakes that look like those above in the plate (you can get this at Korean markets-- for those in West Lafayette, go to Hana Market).

2. Some shitake or any kind of mushroom you prefer. I usually use the "ordinary and cheap" mushrooms you find at any store-- what do you call those, baby bellas?

3. Some garlic. I used both minced and elephant garlic to spruce things up a bit, but you only need minced if you don't have the real deal.

4. some kind of meat. Beef works best-- it can be ground beef, angus chuck, or any kind you like to use. I don't know about stew meat though, because you do want your beef to be tender and soft:)

5. Some veggies-- I used bockchoy because I had some, but we don't usually use bockchoy for this dish. Cabbage works fine, you can include zucchinis if you like them. I've used also green beans when making dishes like this. Oh, and snap peas? sweet peas? Those work well as well. Add whatever veggie you like. You'll be fine.

6. Soysauce (I used the Korean version I got from Hana mart. I don't know if you can create the same dish with Japanese soysauce--I reckon not. Although both countries use soysauce regularly in their cooking, for some reason, they taste different.)

7. Just for fun, I also added garlic teriyaki sauce.  Why not? We've got beef and bockchoy in there-- it should work! (and it did!)

First, you want to macerate the frozen rice cakes a little. Just put them in a bowl of warm water. Let it sit there for 10-20 minutes. In the meantime, take care of the veggies and the meat. Prep them, so everything is bite sized. I like to also put my bite-sized raw beef into a bowl of wine and sprinkle garlic + pepper (freshly ground_ + some sugar (like a little teaspoon) + if you like, minced onions. Let that sit for 20-25 minutes (or longer, if you have time). This will take away any nasty smell.

Then, pour the beef+wine onto a frying pan. Of course, you need to sprinkle your pan with some kind of oil. I usually use olive oil.

Let that cook halfway. Add soysauce and the veggies and the rice cakes. According to how salty or how strong you want your dish to be, you need to adjust the amount of soysauce you put into your pan. Start with maybe 3-4 table spoons. I know it's a hassle, but keep tasting, add a little more, and repeat as needed. You can also mix soysauce with teriyaki sauce like I did. :)

I just stop when I think the taste is just right (it should be just a little bit salty, but not too much. This is your main dish, not your side--which means, you don't want it to be super salty or super soy-saucy!)

I know this doesn't really help. So, if you want a taste, maybe I'll invite you over for dinner one day and make it for you!

2. 19. 2013

the beauty of winter trees

 Here are some pictures I took on the last day West Lafayette saw heavy snow. It didn't really snow a lot this winter, but when it did, it was so pretty!

Coming from a city, I often complain about the lack of nice coffee shops and shopping malls, but if I have come to love this place after my 2 years of stay. It's peaceful, it's quiet, it is not as distracting, and the landscape, although not as exciting as those towns near the sea or great hills or mountains, is nice. I often marvel at the sky-- if you walk around Seoul, you will not see so much blue (or in this case, grey) because there will be sky scrapping apartment complexes and other buildings. Not to mention spider web like lines going from this post to another. So, I appreciate the calmness environment of this otherwise bland town.

- winter trees! Remember the poem I introduced in this blog several days back? Trees! They are so great!

It's really warm today despite the rain,
so to celebrate and welcome spring, but not disregard the almost over winter, I end my posting for today, with a flourish and a reminder: winter trees are great, people! Enjoy them while they are still bare!

new bracelets! :)

Like I said, I like to make things with beads.
And a few days ago (last week..) it came to a stage where I could just no longer read, no longer prep for my ENG106 classes, no longer patient enough to keep on commenting on the student papers I had to grade. I wished that I could disappear, vanish to a space where work is nonexistent, where I no longer have to worry about getting certain things accomplished, and where I could enjoy a few hours, at least, of peace and serenity away from the everyday tasks of being a TA and a grad student. So, I said, why not give that space to myself? I knew that I could not really afford the time, but I also knew that if I don't succumb to such desires every now and then, I would break. Breaking would be no fun, right? I'm trying to justify my having been lazy for a few hours. How pathetic. With that said-- here are the pieces I came up with that night.

point bead for this piece is the red sard. I really love sards--they are so pretty!
And the dangling bird is a hummingbird. Therefore, the name of this bracelet, will be..."hum a tune for me" I love giving my pieces dorky names:p

The greenish beads are African turquoise, a gemstone I really love. Blue (or skyblue) turquoises are more common, but I came across this stone at Vons! :) Yay! The spaces in between (the silver stuff) is probably metal. Got those also at Vons. What would have I done, if Vons did not exist?

This is what it looks like when you wear it. :)

And the second one, is similar yet different.

I used the same turquoise stone and the same silver spacers, but instead of the hummingbird, I added a nicely engraved metal ball near the clasp. It dangles! The orangish point stone is carnelian. (It's said that carnelian will give you strength, and will bring you power. I don't know where I heard this though, so I should double check.)

Oh, and the clear green stone is green onyx, another stone I really like. The rest of the stones come from a bundle, so sadly, I don't know what exactly they are, but I am assuming that they are picture jaspers and whatnot. :)

Today's last piece!
green and orange chipstones (I forgot the name of those) with crystal cut rondelles (metal brown) and the sky blue nugget stones are amazonite! They are so pretty, I plan on ordering a string or two later this month. :)

Oh, and if anyone is curious about the funny tiger in the background, that's a ceramic piece made by my little sister (who is an art major, proper!)

Another photo to show off the details in sunlight.

As always, I must now return to work (grading), but enjoy!
If you like any of the three pieces, give me a nudge, okay? I'd be flattered.

2. 17. 2013

recycling, upcycling and repurposing

In my free time, when I don't have the energy to be making earrings or bracelets, I watch television. Because I live on campus, and I don't pay extras for cable, I usually watch Korean tv shows my partner gets from online. And one of the programs we've been enjoying these days are something called "The Condition of Man" in which several Korean comedians undergo a certain project for a week. Those projects are closely related to, yes! the condition of man. The first week, they lived without internet, cellphones and television. The second week, they are trying to live without making any waste/trash at all. It's quite interesting-- if they fail to eat everything on their plates, they have to bag it and bring it home. If they bought something that is paper wrapped or box wrapped, they must bring that too. At the end of the day, each person weighs the waste they made that day, and the one with the most trash get "punished" (since it's a funny television show, the punishment part is fun as well. Once, the "most wasteful" of the day had to take off his shirt outside in the freezing cold and have a bucket of water thrown on his back! 

Watching this, me and my partner got very intrigued, and inspired. We used to recycle everything back home, and now live at a place where it seems that recycling is optional rather than mandatory. Perhaps this is the more so, because we live on campus as I said, and the mixed recycle bin is not placed in front of every apartment, but placed here and there randomly. Thus, people just throw everything out, without thinking much about the need to recycle. Sad, right? The sadder thing, is that although we do still recycle (lucky for us, the recycle bin is only 5 minute walk away from our apartment), we did become more wasteful than when in Seoul. So, what to do? We decided not to purchase bottled water and drink only purified water (which our faithful Britta produces for us), not purchase soda (since soda comes in cans), not purchase milk that is bottled in plastic, and etc. We used to love the Capri-Sun like juice packs we usually got from Aldi, because that is also wasteful, we replaced it with juice that comes in paper boxes--the large ones, not the individually boxed ones. And so forth. It's all easy, but we would not have done this if we hadn't watched the show. How powerful certain television shows can be, yeah? :)

Anyways, after we went through that change, I came to ponder on the idea of upcycling (and I think some people like to call it repurposing as well). I don't have the time or skill to do these things yet (I would love to learn how to do some of these stuff), but I figured that by buying such things rather than brand new stuff from Target and the like, I will be able to contribute some, in saving our environment?

The above photo is an image I got from Google, with the search word upcycling. Teacups seem to be a popular material among upcycling artists.

This is a very common use of old teacups. I think I also saw stuff like these at my favorite cafe in Seoul-- it was a coffee/tea place, and of course, they had lots of chipped tea cups, right? So, on tables and their restroom counters, they had placed teacup beewax candles. How brilliant. I have a few chipped cups I would love to repurpose this way. Maybe I'll look into this during Summer break.

This one, is another random image-- I forgot to save the source when I saved the pic. But, wouldn't this look so lovely at a cafe?

Here are some more awesome ideas I found online. Recycle neckties! Or, pick up a few used ones at Goodwill, and let your imagination run away. It would be best if you had some basic designing skills and sewing skills:) I plan to make some of such things when I go back home this Summer-- I know Dad has at least 10 old ties he never wears anymore. I'll steal them from him (but I will, of course, ask for permission!), and make...I don't know what yet, but something colorful and lovely!

recycled bottle becomes an awesome vase

Here is a link to a fun idea. You can transform your bottle into a vase.

Or, you can cut your bear bottles and use it as a cup (in which case you would have to render it so that it won't cut your lips!) or make candles...or, you can simply purchase it from:

bear bottles get new lives

I would personally, love to own one of such candles. :)

and this seems like a good project for those with lots of sweaters you no longer wear:

and here is the link

sweater becomes cushion cover


What project do you like the most?
I think I might be up to trying the sweater cushion, the necktie coin purse, and the cup candle. But for the time being, I will focus more on producing less waste. Let's see how things go from here.

2.16. 2013