Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Usual Suspects Pt II

The new imports to SoKo arrived last August, and from the lot, I've been privileged to adopt 4 new usual suspects. Since they have already and will still feature a lot on this blog, i thought it'd  be polite to introduce them all to you.

Exhibit A: Christine Wang

The one person I believe has real swag, came in the smallest and awesomest package ever. The Taiwanese-American princess does the I'm-an-ex-tom-boy thing with such ease and this is what makes her super cool. Christine is from Kansas City, Missouri (you have to say it with an American accent for effect) and she studied psychology which may explain why she's such a cool person to talk to- especially when you talk as much as I do. She know how to just listen, you know? Also, Christine knows everything about everything and this may be a bit scary when you're playing a game of 30 seconds or some other general knowledge game with her. Pressure! I just love how easy going and super fun she is. Here's my Wang-a-Tang and I.



Exhibit B: Charde Mills

Don't we just love making South African friends so far away from home?! This is lovely Charde who is (very) proud of her Durban town. She also listens to more music than any other not-my-colour person I know, and has the cutest laugh you've heard since you were little. So far, my favourite line by Charde is: "I can't stand those parties where everyone throws there hands up as 'Scotty Doesn't Know' starts playing". You would never guess that she'd be the type to rather be bumping Durban house music then rock jams. Never judge a book by its cover. Here she is- showing her inner African animal tamer ( I just had to!).


Exhibit C: Leianne (say lay ann) McKoy

Yep. The real McKoy, indeed. Leianne has been one of the confirmations of my Canadians-are-super-honest-and-super-cool theory. She studied Education at York Uni in Canada and actually has a real passion for what she does. Leianne is a real sweet heart who also has a no-nonsense side that I absolutely admire, and I'm sure makes her students (and people in general) never mistake her kindness for walk-overness. This I admire about her. She then also had be Jamaican, just so her ratings on the coolness scale could spike right up. She has an awesome voice, great sense of style, an obsession with cleanliness and a heart as big an African bottom. The gorgeous chocolate to the Charde, Jess n Lei tri, here's the beautiful Leianne McKoy. 



Exhibit D: Jessica 'Jess' Bigelow

Bigelow. That's her real surname, yes. Cool, huh? Jess also hails from Canada, and now that you already know how I feel about Canadians, I don't think I need to add that she's the epitome of awesome. Jess just has this down to earth vibe about her that you wouldn't expect from a girl on her level of beauty. On the first day I met this lady, she was so open to share with us what I would think to be her biggest secret. That is: her pet peeve, or rather absolute hate for showering. This story I'll save for another post, but I think it's key that I mention this since it really has been the basis of this friendship; According to Jess, she would not have been as jolly a lady had we met on one of her 'clean' days. This lady has a big heart, humility I can't explain, and eyes that water for anything, whether it's happy or sad. She is just one unique soul you cannot help but love. Her's J-Biggy herself.


And now, I must give shine to a lady who has been in Korea for a year longer than I've been here and I didn't get to introduce the first Usual Suspects time around. 

Exhibit E: Suzanne Van Der Merwe

Of course, that surname gave away where she's from. Suzanne is another South African princess I met at church the first Sunday I visited. I had no idea that the warm smile that greeted me then, would be one I'd be happy to keep seeing months later. Suzanne's just a bubble of joy and passion and infects us all with that magic. Her gentle spirit just draws you to her without you even noticing it. And, oh! Don't let her hug you when you're holding back any tears, coz they might just get triggered! Unfortunately, Suz is leaving Korea soon to go start doing what she's passionate about (teaching) despite being an accountant by virtue of degree. You have got to love a lady with a vision and a heart for young ones. She has obviously been in Korea long enough to have mastered the 'victory pose'- here's my friend and big sister, Suzanne. 


How can I be anything but happy when this is the company I keep?! 

Oh, and may I mention that it was fun stalking their Facebook profiles to find these pics?! No? Too late. 

x

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

February Birthdays

My two lovely friends turn 24 and 25 all at once. I dunno if I've explained it before, but in a nutshell, Koreans use the Chinese calendar which means on the day you are born, you are 1 year old. Sooo, this means, that when we celebrate our birthdays in Korea, we get an extra year, for free. Sure, we love free, things, but not when it comes to age.

Happy 24/25th birthday to my two fwendies, Laurentia and Christine. Here are some pics of how we celebrated:

Chris and Miju
Chris showing us her REAL age. She wasn't buying any of that 25 stuff. Hehe
One of Lula's many birthday gatherings
How pretty were those cupcakes?!
On Sunday, we also celebrated Diana's birthday with a lovely Italian dinner. I believe this was Diana's first birthday away from home (Albania), so I hope what it should be- a happy day.

Muchos love to the 3 of you.

On the other side of the equator, these 4 good people also got older (without the privilege of an extra year, of course). Kim, Renei, Zanele and Lerato: happy belated birthday to you gals. I have nothing but love for you!

pic by Kory Li Shukrani
by Christopher Olivier
Phew! A pretty festive Feb indeed!