New Stage

Image by Pabo76 via Flickr

Well, I have decided that I am going to try and run marathon. Not just a 5k or a 10k, but a big marathon, like the Boston or New York marathon. Of course, it will be quite a while before I am able to do that. I will start by running the 5k and 10k's as well as half marathons to get ready, and hopefully I will be able to run at least one or two 5k's by the end of this summer.

I have decided to do this because I need something to keep me in shape, I need some sort of goal to stay motivated to work out. Besides losing weight and being healthy of course, I find that if I have some sort of goal I tend to stay on track.

I am the first to say that I am not in the best shape of my life, well, I am actually in the worst shape of my life, unfortunately I have really let myself go. I am at my heaviest weight, and until recently, I did not work out. Starting about 3 weeks ago, I started eating right again, as well as exercising 6 days a week. I started working out sporadically about a month ago, and religiouslya few weeks ago. Right now I have been doing an hour on the elliptical machine, doing a "Zumba" class, as well as pilates and yoga.

So, I hope that going for a goal of the marathons will help keep me in shape. I will try and track my progress on here as well.

K

To Twitter or Not.

So, I guess I consider myself computer "savvy", I don't know it all, but I do know enough to get by on my own without calling tech support all the time. (I did work for about 6 months at a computer call center and well, that was not fun, let me tell you.) I also keep up with the likes of Facebook, MySpace, I have my iPod, subscribe to a monthly music program, but where does one draw the line? I think my line is Twitter.
For all those that use Facebook, Twitter is just like a constant status update. Now, I did sign up to see what all the hooplah is about. Aaaaand, I think I'm gonna have to pass. Maybe, it's just because I don't get the idea of every time I go do something new, posting it online for the whole world to see. Also, I don't have any a cell phone with a data plan so I can't do mobile posts, which I think would make it so much easier.
I guess I can see someone famous doing it, or an up and coming artist of some sort posting where they are playing or where they are doing a book signing so their fans can see. So, maybe I guess I am just not important enough for me to tell everyone where I'm going and who I'm seeing, and what I'm doing. But, to be honest I don't think I really care if "Sally" is off to the grocery store or when "John" is going to the gym.
Now, I know that I do Facebook status updates, but I've even noticed people updating their status constantly. Also, these people also have Twitter, so isn't that just make you do double the work, when we are all so busy anyways. I know, I don't have enough time to do put the same status on two different sites. But, I have hardly used Twitter, I just signed up for it actually and tried to familiarize myself with it, and for some reason just didn't see the need. I guess that's just me.
Although, I shouldn't judge so fast, I mean there are so many things in my life that I said I would never try, listen to, or do. Soooo, I guess at this juncture in my life, I have no need for Twitter, so I guess it's difficult for me to understand others' need for Twitter or "tweeting" as the cool kids say. I know silly reasoning, but it is my reasoning. :)

K

Englorean?

Ok, so I am trying to relearn Korean. According to my mom I used to be fluent in both Korean and English when I was younger. I guess I lost it when we lived with my American grandmother, my mom thought it would be rude to speak a foreign language in her house. I honestly don't know how you loose a language, my mom was telling me that she thinks her Korean is not as good as it once was since she does not speak it on a regular basis. One of my Korean cousins is here going to college for a year, so I wonder if that would help her out a little, but we are supposed to speak English to her so she can learn to be fluent in English. Soooo maybe that won't be a big help after all.

I am able to read at a elementary level and write at a very, very, very elementary level, and know basic words. I feel like I know more, I just feel that if I use it every day, it will become easier for me to learn. Which means I should call my mom everyday and practice, but for some reason I am very embarrassed to speak the little Korean I do know to anyone. I know this sounds silly, but I dream in Korean, and I can get the "gist" of a conversation, I just feel that there is a little door in my brain, and behind is all the Korean I need. So, I have done many starts and restarts in this process. I got the Rosetta Stone which does work if you do it every day. I also took some Korean classes (which i'm not sure if they offer it anymore, I would like to go again). Then there are books, instruction books and phrase books up the wazoo.

I don't know why I don't keep on one track, I think I just get frustrated, I feel that I should know what I am already learning, so I feel that I am just relearning. For the last two or three weeks, I am have pretty good about keeping up with my "lessons", which are my own form of learning. I am using every tool at my disposal, the Rosetta Stone program, my books, and podcasts. I just learned that there are Korean language podcasts which are really awesome, I listen to them at work all day, just repeating them. I also am putting Korean recording artists, I am hoping to immerse myself in the language as well to maybe help me along. So, I will keep updated posts on my progress, maybe i'll start putting a "Word O' the Day", so maybe that will help me as well.

K

In the Beginning

So, I guess there is no rhyme or reason for this blog, just general musings on my life and topics that interest me. I named it "The Kimchee Chronicles", because I am half Korean, and thought it was a pretty snazzy name. I had a previous blog, that I did not do to well in keeping up with, I am hoping I will do better on this one. :)
Enough introduction, I hope you enjoy my future posts!

K