Monday, September 26, 2011

Seattle Aquarium...Backwards

Seattle Aquarium...Backwards by kiki5253
Seattle Aquarium...Backwards, a photo by kiki5253 on Flickr.

I love going to the aquarium. My brother and I spent the afternoon together on Saturday at the Aquarium. First we enjoyed fish & chips at Ivars along the waterfront. We chucked fries at the seagulls...man those things are demanding.

We then ventured down the street to the aquarium. Neither of us had been there in years and to be honest...the price was a little bit of a rip-off. But, we saw some colorful fish...watched the seals and sea otters swim...and an octopus sleep in the corner of its tank.

In the end...maybe the aquarium was a bust, but being able to spend time with my oldest brother was a blast. I am so lucky to have him just a ferry ride away.

Peekaboo

Peekaboo by kiki5253
Peekaboo, a photo by kiki5253 on Flickr.

Just testing my blog layout when sharing from Flickr.

-Cheers!

Crazy Summer

Lily by kiki5253
Lily, a photo by kiki5253 on Flickr.

What a crazy summer...I can't believe the school year has already started.

What's strange about this summer is that I hardly did anything. I didn't take any time off to go anywhere because I've been saving my vacation time. My entire summer was used up by studying, reading, practicing Korean, meeting tons of new people, crocheting, cooking and work. These all seem like normal every day things that I would do at any point during the year, and yet I feel like I've had a crazy summer.

The picture of the flower though, reminds me that I should slow down and reflect on the beauty that was my summer. I met so many wonderful people from Korea during my summer. I will miss them greatly...in fact, I already do. I feel invigorated after this summer...a renewal in many of my interests and hobbies...photography, travelling around Seattle (day trips in the area) and taking the time to spend my weekends with family whenever possible.

My parents and oldest brother moved to the area this past year and what a joy it has been to be so close. When I was 18 I wanted out! I wanted to get way from everything I had known and spread my wings. I wanted to try new things. I wanted to fail and succeed on my own. There are things that even now, I still haven't done by myself. That will change before the end of the year...in one of the biggest ways. Travelling overseas by myself.

I'm incredibly excited to have this opportunity...I know this isn't something that can happen on a regular basis and I am grateful for this chance. I'm scared to death, but I am also looking forward to what I will learn about myself and about the Korean culture.

Summer has given me just a small glimpse into both of those things...As summer draws to a close I can see that I have grown a lot in my awareness and understanding of who I am now and what type of person I want to be in the future. I've also come to a better understanding...or maybe I am more comfortable with what was already there...I am getting more comfortable with the fact that I am a Korean American. It's funny...i check the box that says Asian or Korean...and yet I am completely 100% American. Tying the two together has always been a challenge for me and after this summer, I feel like I'm closer to understanding what it means to be adopted to be Korean and to be American all at the same time. It's a beautiful thing...incredibly frustrating too...I don't always feel like things are beautiful like this, so I'm sure this feeling will fade away like summer...like this flower, but there is always renewal. The rain has come...it's refreshing and invigorating. I'm excited for this next season.

MiiR Water Bottles



Originally uploaded by kiki5253

Check it out!

Friday, September 16, 2011

MiiR Water Bottle

This is cool!  I ordered a water bottle for my friend and I from a company called MiiR.  You can choose custom colors and designs for your bottle as well as a lid that won't give your wrists carpel tunnel.  What's EVEN COOLER is that when you buy a bottle, you help provide someone water for an ENTIRE YEAR!!

This company has a cool mission and I think people should know about it and take a look.  http://www.miir.com/

I'm looking forward to my trip to Korea this next month and this water bottle will definitely be going with me. Not just because I love to drink water, but because of the statement that comes with using a bottle like this. Maybe some people in Korea will think it's cool and order them too. Do they ship to Korea? If not...they should. :)

Here's the custom picture I decided to use for my water bottle skin. Water Bottle Skin Also my bottle is neon pink with a green lid...so I'm pretty sure it'll stand out!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

I never see the wolves at the zoo...


Wolf
Originally uploaded by kiki5253

But I did see all of them this time! There are four females I think I heard...

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Port Townsend


Van in Port Townsend
Originally uploaded by kiki5253

I spent part of the weekend at the Wooden Boat Festival in Port Townsend this weekend and came across this van while I was walking around. I think it's pretty cute!

Later in the day my family and i went for a walk along the beach just south of the mill there. The weather was beautiful this weekend!

Enjoy the new pictures!

-Cheers!

Friday, September 9, 2011

Race Rants & thoughts

I read an article the other day that a friend of mine posted on G+. It's an article about the race in the Stranger called "Deeply Embarrassed White People Talk Awkwardly About Race" http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/deeply-embarrassed-white-people-talk-awkwardly-about-race/Content?oid=9747101

It was really interesting to read the few comments people left...

i couldn't quite make it the whole way, it annoyed me too much.
i just can't stand the whole "oh let's make whites feel bad because they have more privileges" idea
If you feel bad or you are annoyed its because you have some psychological problems you aren't addressing and not because of the laws designed to address the racial divide of power in our society.
Yeah apathy is a fairly large problem in America.

It's surprising to me just how emotional and how uneducated we seem to be about race. We've come a long way from where we once were, but it seems that even though we don't care or don't talk about it, it's still a big issue.

Race is such a touchy topic for everyone...I do have to point out though, that most of my friends are white, I hardly have any non-white friends and of those friends they do not acknowledge my ethnic identity and it doesn't occur to them that there is a race issue for me because I am Karen. I behave just like them, therefore all of my experiences must be the same. At the same time it's frustrating to not have all of me acknowledged and to be treated differently just because of my looks.

Many Caucasian Americans will either expect me to know English, be surprised that I speak English 'so well' or believe I speak little English if any. Often people are also surprised to find out what I look like based on my name. I happen to have a very European name....This happens in supposedly an educated city that embraces multiculturalism. Racism is more subtle these days, but it definitely still exists and there's definitely something to be said for the privileges that come or don't come based on skin color. People should talk about it more.

I would never outright say I'm racist, but that doesn't mean I've never been guilty of treating or thinking that someone is different based on skin color or accent.

I think many believe the race topic is dead because we already had our civil rights movement in the 60's. Never mind the fact that just this last year some Caucasian American tried to bomb a Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in a city in Washington. No one talked about it though. Why? Stuff like this still happens and yet no one wants to deal with race or talk about it because it's so emotional. Blatant or not...skin color still matters today. Ask your friends who aren't Caucasian American.

Labor Day



Originally uploaded by kiki5253

I went for a walk with my family on the Dungeness Spit this weekend on the Olympic Peninsula.

My brother found these jellyfish in the water. I think they're all dead, but I didn't want to touch them since their spines would still sting. Instead, I took this lovely little photo.

-Cheers