Don't Play Victim

Dear woman in the picture above,

I'm going to assume that since your the poster child for #OccupyStudentDebt, that you are an average Jane, drowning in student loans for the rest of your life.

My question to you: Why did it take you 23 years to pay off $32,700? Look at me. I graduated less than two years ago, and I'm making incrementally above minimum wage. I've paid off more than $10,000!

Simple Congee Recipe

Ah, the chicken noodle soup of Asia. Serve it to people feeling under the weather, hungover, or on a cold morning. 

Sunday Night Chitchat

Once again, I'm joining Carla for a Sunday Night Chitchat! (Even though it's Monday morning for me right now haha!) 


Btw Carla, I can't seem to comment on your blog...the school/country banned it or something =\

Daniel Sedin, telling us everything will be okay :) 

Reading?
The Kite Runner...it's a page turner! I accidentally skipped all my plans to eat breakfast, brew a coffee, grocery shop, and clean my bathroom because I was so immersed..

Watching?
The NHL Playoffs! Daniel Sedin is back from his injury! Today, the Canucks try to avoid elimination, a definite nail biter. (For a die-hard Canucker, anyways.) The horrible thing is that I have to eat lunch and teach two classes in the middle of it all!

Resolutions upon Return

I'm scared that I'm going to be making cabbage soup for the rest of my years.

And that my parents are going to return to Canada and think we sacrificed everything for you so you can be raised in the new world and become a doctor or something highly reputable so we can show you off to our friends - but you failed us. And then comment on my weight gain and blemished face.

And that my boyfriend that I wish to marry, will marry into debt.

It's time for me to figure life out once and for all. Time to stop traveling the world, taking in awesome sights and consuming awesome tastes - ultimately halting the best  time of my life. Sigh.

I don't have any specific career goals, but I don't want to end up at a big corporation - unless it has something to do with competitive intelligence or market research. But even then, I'd rather work at a think tank. If it's not about research, I prefer to work a job that promotes community development - a non-profit. Maybe something to do with children. So how do I prepare myself for these blurry career goals?

My New Jeans

If you're not new to saving, then you know that it's generally a better idea to buy a more expensive, better quality item over a cheaper and will-break-down-in-a-month item. That's why, despite how cheap I am in all other areas, Levi's are the lowest in quality I'll go when it comes to purchasing jeans.

My favorite designer jeans are Rich & Skinnies. They fit comfortably like a glove and make me feel super sexy and slim. I bought my first pair of jeans for $210. (Pre-frugal days.) It lasted me a good three and a half years of wearing it two or three times a week. (I would have worn it more often, but people would notice!)

MBA Bound

My high school counsellors screwed me over. I went to university and studied what I was passionate in, and it was awesome. But my political science and economics degree means nothing in the working world.

Easy to Make Salad Rolls

I just ate about 2 dozen salad rolls today, using my homemade Thai Tangy Sauce. The best thing about salad rolls is that the recipe is flexible. If you don't like an ingredient, leave it out. If you have a green onions sitting idly in the fridge, throw it in. The only three mandatory ingredients are vermicelli noodles, rice paper wrappers, and bean sprouts. 


I love throwing in fresh herbs (namely cilantro) - it adds a contrast in texture and it tastes like summer! Hence, salad rolls are also called summer rolls. 

Frugal Tip: Don't be a Dumbass

It's been a year since I've gone clubbing. I thought I'd make my reappearance at a masquerade benefiting the orphanage that I volunteer weekly at.

I was definitely a dumbass.

meal planning with chicken!

I was accompanying my friend at Costco with a friend. It's a dangerous place if you don't have a shopping list, or even intend on buying anything at all. 

Long story short, I now have two chickens. I'm going to cut one up and stick it in my freezer. As for the other one? I boiled it with a bunch of leftover veggies. So with this new fancy ingredient (you roll your eyes, but little do you know how much I'm not spoiling myself in the kitchen!) I'm going to complete this month's challenge. 

Tangy Thai Sauce (Easy!)

I thought I'd start a new blog feature: Recettes de la Semaine. This will help me keep track of tweaked, tried and true recipes. 

Today's recipe is adapted from Darlene Schmidt  I chose this recipe because i wanted dipping sauce for my salad rolls, but I was too lazy to go out and get cornstarch (about what 99.9% other recipes for Thai Chili sauce needs). The greatest thing about making this sauce versus buying it, is that I can put in double the chilies and a little more garlic to create a spicier, stronger sauce. It looks a little browner and not as orangey as the store brought ones - but it tastes sooooo much better. It turned out to be great, and I never had felt the need to look up another recipe for Thai Chilis sauce since! 

April - May Challenge

I am a week into April, and I haven't set up a new challenge for myself partly because I'm so focused on the "Using up All My Food Before I go" challenge. I am returning to Canada in five weeks, so I have a lot of things (I want) to get done.

So for this month and next, my challenge is to make a realistic bucket list whilst continuing to keep within budget (100 000 won a week). Here is the list so far:

pooping on parties left & right

I thought it would be easy to save in South Korea because living costs are lower and I only have 40 contacts in my cell phone. I realized that 40 contacts here is equivalent to the 300+ contacts I have in Canada. I'm being asked to go out every weekend and some weekdays - usually to party. Im not saying potluck party, I'm saying drinking and clubbing until the night/morning strikes four, and you have to take a pricy cab back from Seoul because all the subways and buses are closed.


I usually say no, based on the fact that I'm poor and I make it up by asking them out for coffee. But, I can see that when I tell them I'm taking a trip to Boseong (a town in the south of the country with beautiful green tea plantations) that they think I'm not that poor. If I could afford to go there, I can surely afford a "couple" drinks.

Weekly Summary

some of my end of month purchases

Wow, what a horrible but pleasurable last day of the month.

I looked in my wallet and found that I had a wad of cash in it. (Been saving wayy too much money!)

So I paid myself a day early and set off to Myeong-dong, a beloved shopping district in Seoul and went a little crazy. I blew off almost two weeks allowance in one day.

In exchange for my guilt I got: