Keira Brigit Pauline

I have been wondering whether or not I will stay in Korea. I know I need a vacation. My contract ends on June 30. I can stay in the country for 30 days without a valid visa. Well, most likely, I will be flying out on July 1. I haven't bought tickets yet. I do want to see some things before I fly out of here. I especially want to see Gyeongju, the ancient capital city. There are awesome tomb mounds and ruins to see. I also still haven't been to Cheju Island, the biggest island off the coast of Korea. It's a popular honeymoon spot for Koreans.

Well, I have some friends who volunteer at a pet shelter in the Seoul area. I was shocked to find out that many dogs and cats there are purebreds, and not just any purebreds, but the fancy kind that people spend lots of money on. Many are maltese, poodles, minature pinschers, shih tzus, and yorkies. There are persian and angora cats there. My friend had a bunch of dogs pulled off "doggie death row" and has rehomed some of them. I am glad. Well, I got in on it and just had these pulled. I haven't met them yet and well, I have them up on the internet. I already got some response. I know my mother doesn't want any more dogs, her two are enough. Any more pets have to either be mine or I have to give them away. My friend and I worked to get this dog pulled out. It had been beaten by someone, probably a drunk. It is a 4-month-old yorkie puppy. It had been at the shelter since March 9, and it finally got pulled out yesterday. I found that it was responsive when t

I have been so tired and worn out lately. I need a vacation. I also need more sleep at night. meh

I spent Saturday night at "Berlin", a restaurant in Itaewon area of Seoul. I invited some friends to celebrate my birthday. We had a good time. The restaurant is co-owned by someone in my taekwondo dojang. Five friends were there. The food was great. I found that one former co-worker of mine is leaving Korea soon. I had thought she signed on for another year, but it looks like she's not staying that long. I am glad I invited her. I had some salad with balsamic dressing (my favourite) and feta cheese. I also had some chocolate volcano cake. Later we all had some cupcakes. On Sunday, my actual birthday, I wasn't sure what to do to celebrate it. I hung around the house for a while in the morning because I was still tired from Sunday night. I got a phone call from my family. They say things are going fine at home. They are loving the kittens I brought over during Christmas break. I watched some old "Sesame Street" videos on Youtube to remenisce about

There are some botanical delights that I want to partake in this year: #1 Garden of Morning Calm (again) They are having an exhibit on North Korean flowers of Baekdusan this Spring. #2 Oe-do. It's pronounced "way-do". It is an island that's one large botanical garden owned by a couple. About 40 gardeners take care of it. #3 Cherry Blossom Festival at Yeouido. It's fun to rent a bicycle there and ride around underneath the blossoms that fall like confetti. #4 Tulip Festival in Suwon. #5 Rose Festival at Seoul Grand Park in late May-mid June. It's fun, I've been twice. #6 Odongdo or Seonunsa, people go there for the old Camellia flowers. #7 Cosmos Festival at Hangang Park in Guri #8 The Flower Show at Lake Park in Ilsan, late April and early May. #9 Maehwa (apricot blossom) festival in Jeollanam-do. (March) #10 Children's Grand Park during Cherry Blossom time.