Run Fat Girl Run..

Today a horrifying event occurred. I got signed up for a 10k run.

I am not a runner. A runner is a special type of person of which I am definitely not.

To be a runner you must posses 3 characteristics:

.You must be healthy

.You must be fit

.You must be determined

Unfortunately I barely scrape by on one out of three requirements and even that is questionable.

I am un-healthy. It is true. I don’t like it and I am aiming to get out of the rut I’m in but at the moment its so busy here that its just easier to grab fast food and much cheaper. Vegetables in Korea are so expensive . You get them in bulk that you could never eat before the expiration date and you can only afford one type. I don’t know about you but eating 18 carrots and nothing else isn’t my idea diet. There are ways around this which I’m researching. It is a poor excuse but this year I have just relaxed and enjoyed my time, and burgers.  This has to change.

I am un-fit. Fitness is something that has always just been out of my grasp. In my mind I’m a fit person but in practice I push myself too far. I love fitness which is the ironic thing. If I find a fitness I like then I can work at it no problem. A few years ago I became obsessed with boxing. It was the first time training felt easy. I did it twice a week and I was an addict. My brilliant trainer was a girl named Randi from Norway and she whipped me into shape but when I left the uk I let myself fall into old patterns, namely the pattern on my sofa.

I try to do sit ups as much as possible (when I remember) and have just started a few monthly challenges but as always something got in the way, such as pizza and I got so busy that they fell by the way side. I am planning to pick them back up on Monday. The newest craze for me though is yoga. I’m in love. If I could do boxing and yoga every week I’d be a fitness freak. Unfortunately time, distance, my lazy behind and money are factors but factors I’m going to have to step over.

This brings me to the last point. Determination. I did write above that I almost had one point covered and this would be this. I really do want to be fit and achieve something like a run but I barley run for the bus let alone 10k so I don’t know how I will cope. I am hoping that signing up and training with friends will be the push I need to get me moving and motivated. The annoying thing is once you start its easy. You just need to stick with it until its routine. Of course this is easier said than done but fingers crossed I can put a 10k on my list of achievements.

6 weeks is long enough to train for a 10k right ?!?!?

Excuse me while I buy every piece of known running gear, read every fitness blog and hide in the house until my friends drag me onto a running track.

Here goes nothing.

Resized

While at home a major mission for me was to buy some bras. This isn’t glamorous or fancy but unfortunately in Korea where I live my bra size is…unavailable! In the UK I’m below average. I’m a 34B and that in my mind isn’t something to shout about.

When arriving in Korea I walked into a shop and asked for my size only to get a blank look and an angry instruction to leave the shop.

Korean woman really do have small bra sizes. I have found one shop that does sell my size but I always have to blow the dust off them and sneak behind the counter to actually see what’s on offer. It doesn’t make you feel like a superstar.

Then you are also faced with the padding problem. Korean bras are padded like you are going to be training a police dog with it. I could rest a bowl of cereal on them with ease.

Anyway this all meant that I spent a misguided year wear two bras, neither of which was I happy or comfy in.

This brings us to my Cardiff visit to Ann Summers, I didn’t visit the shop to buy something fancy and adventurous. I have just found that bras there are comfier and last a lot longer. Since it was January I could actually afford them too which was a plus.

The lady saw me browsing and asked if I wanted a fitting. I don’t know if it was the year spent wearing a ugly ill fitting monstrosity or the crazy high I had from UK shopping but I said yes.

A bra fitting is a one off experience for everyone. You stand in a booth while a stranger throws a measuring tape all over your naked self. I’ve found that these ladies are always kind and lovely (and have surprisingly warm hands) but its still odd.

This time was no less odd but a lot more rewarding. I discovered I’ve been wearing the wrong bra size for about 4 years. I didn’t realize how quickly your bras change. I stupidly thought that like shoes you get a size and that’s it.

The new bras I tried on after that were like dreams. I felt amazing and not like a saggy aging weirdo anymore.(I still can't pass the pencil test though so there is still hope)

After a spree that means I have good fitting bras for the next 3 years I was ready to head back to the Korean lands and not go near a bra shop again while I live here. 

So Korea you can keep those dusty bottom shelf crazy sizes and I shall keep my slinky new (maybe cartoon character themed) bras. 

 

La Vie En Rose

Today I watched the 16th episode of 'How I met your Mother' and at the end of the episode they played the song my boyfriend and  I have danced and listened to many times.
Years ago it was featured in Wall.e and I worried it would be taken by everyone so my instant thought when I heard it start in this TV show was OH NO OUR SONG! I invisioned thousands of couples grabbing it and it losing all meaning but then I listened to the ukulele version and I fell in love. Its silly really to hold a song dear. Surely there are thousands of people ,even millions who share it with us but I think sometimes a song can capture such a special feeling that to share it feels wrong. I've realised that this is crazy talk.Lee and I have known each other for a long time and had bumps along the way where we have both gone off and found ourselves and amazing other people but we somehow always find each other and this song will always be ours.
Its always a song i've wanted to sing to my kids so it was a lovely thing to watch. It might mean its more mainstream but if anything it just means i'll now here one of my favourite songs over and over.

So for those of you having a down day and in need of some cheering up...here is:
La Vie En Rose on Ukulele

19 years ago (aged 7)

Us 12 years ago (15)

Us 7 years ago (aged 21) Somwhere Inbetween these two bottom pics it became our song.

A Vintage Resolution

Well it’s 2014 already. I realize it’s been 2014 for most of you for quite a few weeks now but I took my Christmas vacation on the 1^st of January and have only arrived back to my house in Korea so I am starting my resolutions and changes a little later than usual.

2013 was a year of change and adventure. I was whizzing around the world and turning my life upside down. Unfortunately when you are packing for a year, vintage clothing is quite heavy and I was scared to take a lot of it half way across the world. This didn’t completely stop me and I did take a lot with me. The other thing I discovered when I arrived in Korea was that the extreme heat/cold means vintage clothing isn’t that practical. (Trying to wear a corset and waist train in 100% humidity and 40 degree heat wasn’t that enjoyable either)

So 2014 will be my vintage year. I have brought a lot of my favourite pieces over with me, lots of hair accessories, pin curl clips, rollers and holding spray. I know the weather now so I think I can master it a little better the second time around.

So my vintage mission for 2014:

. Stockings – Stocking have fallen off my radar. I brought a few with me but they were all torn before the first month was through. Now I have a full supply. 

.Corset – the waist training is back on. I loved it when I was doing it before so I am excited to get back into it. I’ve also read that it goes hand in hand with my next number.

.Yoga – I realize this isn’t vintage inspired but it’s my new addiction and I can’t get enough of it. I love how it makes me feel (and hopefully how it will make me look.) I’m hoping to take some progression shots to see if I can actually improve over the next few months. 

Very very early progression shot.

. Hair – Come what may THIS year I will master pin curls and a victory roll. I normally end up as a frizz ball so I really would love to master the skills of the 40’s 

This magazine will send me in the right direction

. Heels – I never wear them anymore and I use to love the feeling of getting dressed up so I’m hoping to capture that again this year.

.Teeth – some pearly white this year will make me feel classy in every era.

Lets do this 2014!

 

I need to get nice teeth so I don't have to pout like a fool in my friends pictures

Things To Get At Home

Things To Get:

Tomorrow I will be embarking on a 24 hour trek to get to my lovely Welsh homeland. I cannot wait. I want to jump on the plane now but I still have two days left of work. As you may remember from the last few days of school you mostly watched movies and played games. At the time I thought it was because my teachers were kind and fun loving people, now I realise it’s because they were hung-over, stressed out teachers who wanted to sit the kids in front of something silly for an hour.

When I’m not being a fantastic teacher and sharing the joys of Mr Bean (How I love you Rowan for the hours of silence you have granted me) I am at my desk ‘desk- warming’. This is the name given to the Korean school process in which foreign teachers have to stay in school for certain amount of hours whether the school is open or not.

My desk warming for the next two days will consist of old Hollywood movies (currently it is The Seven Year Itch and The Big Sleep) and dreaming of the lovely things I will be buying when I get off the plane. So here is my shopping list:

1. Eggnog Latte….this one will be the most upsetting one if it’s not available since this is the taste of Christmas to me and not something you can find in Korea so my plan is, get off the plane and run to Starbucks.

2. CHEESE – cheese is available in Korea but its expensive and rare so I am going to get a shopping cart and fill it to the top with lots of English treats including blue cheese, cheddar, Halumi, brie, camembert and anything else I can lay my hands on.

3. Underwear – The weirdest experience while shopping for clothes here in Korea was being laughed out of a shop when I told them my bra size. In the uk I am not only average but a bit below average. Some would go as far to say small but here in Korea I am like a Russian Hooker. The only bras I can buy come in a special hidden section and are covered in dust. The other weird edition to the problem is all bras in Korea are padded so when I finally do find one to fit it’s padded up to my ears. I shall be happily wandering into every vintage underwear shop I can find in the UK. What Katie Did on Portobello road will definitely be getting a visit.

4. Shoes – This one will be essential to survive next year in Korea. My feet suffer from the same problem as my brassieres. Very very big in Korea. I luckily have a supply of shoes waiting for me at home since my luggage when I moved here was too full for lots of pairs. I will be like a kid in a candy store (but with the added advantage of knowing they all fit perfectly as I’ve worn them all before)

5. Herbs and Spices – I’ve recently discovered a few places that sell the basic herbs and spices in Korea but since I am hoping to ‘Get my Cook on’ next year I really want to bring a big collection. Ginger, Nutmeg, Chicken stock and Rosemary to name a few. I might also get lazy and just bring ‘Chinese 5 spice’.
   

6. Chinese food – the most ironic item on the list is definitely Chinese and Thai food. The irony of having to leave Asia to get good Chinese food isn’t wasted on me but it’s very true. Koreans have their own version of Chinese food that is probably more authentic but doesn’t represent the type I’m use to at all. It is easily my favourite food so when I get home I shall be feasting on Pad Thai, Black Bean and Chow Mein’s as much s possible. Mmmm

7. Dresses – for no reason other than I want to go to London and buy pretty vintage dresses

8. Tights – While I love a good stocking as much as the next girl I need some tights to get me through the cold winters and the average day while teaching. In Korea tights are a mysterious item that doesn’t exist. It’s actually extremely hard to find stocking too. They only have circulation cutting off stockings up to the thigh. I have seen my leg turn blue more than a few times.  

9. Christmas Party food – Smoked Salmon, Pate, French bread, mozzarella sticks, tomatoes salads, potato wedges, salt and vinegar crisps, chip shop chips, pasties’, scones, crumpets, butter…all of the above. I’m craving it all and can’t wait for my own little party when I get home.

10. Good Coffee – although there are a million coffee shops (and I mean a million) none of them do a good coffee. It’s very rare and expensive to track down a place that is willing to make you a beautiful Dutch drip coffee. Starbucks can give you a good one as well as a restaurant called ‘Butterfinger Pancakes’ in Seoul but apart from that , I’m stumped.