Best father daughter activity ever ^^

So there are few things that make Chris happier than his daughter. Shes the best little baby every. But a close second is Street Fighter ^^ As most of you know Chris likes video games (kinda funny cuz to people that aren't really into video games Chris seems like a hardcore gamer, on the other hand real hardcore gamers see Chris as a more casual gamer). One of Chris all time favorite video game series is Street Fighter. I still remember seeing Street fighter II in the arcade growing up and bugging my parents for quarters so I could play it. I remember walking a mile or two to the grocery store with my cousins so we could play at thanksgiving. I remember going to the neighbors house to play cuz my parents didn't let us get video games until high school. In high school I imported street fighter playstation games so I could get them 2 months before they would come out in the states. I'm not really sure why I like street fighter I'm not good at (well not good enough to be a pro) but I just like it. So this year is the first year a new streetfigther game has come out in like 8 years (I think). And it hit arcades first. I've been trying to think of a good reason to go the the arcade and play it but just couldn't come up with one. About two weeks ago we went out for dinner with some friends visiting Seoul and ended up going to Shinchon (place where all the college kids hang out). So while Jinhee and her friend where out shopping me and Hanee along with my friend Chun and there baby kinda just had to walk around and look at stuff. Chris saw an arcade and knew he needed to check for some street fighter IV action. Sure enough they had a post up saying it was in the basement. Chris at first was just gonna look at the arcade cabinet and not really play it (Chris really wants to own a bunch of arcade machines some day). I gave into the temptation put in my 300 won (about a 15 cents now ~~;;) and started to play. I couldn't really set Hanee down anywhere so I just held her on my lap and played. The best part is that you play against other people right. So a kid sits down across from me and we start playing, but since you are across from each other you can't really see the other person you just play against them. Chris totally kicked the kids trash~~ so he sent his friend over to see who he was playing against. There are some foreigners in Seoul but not many hang out in arcades, so when his friend saw that I was a foreigner he would have normally been surprised. But when his friend saw that I was a foreigner holding a baby on my lap and I still won, he had to do a double take. He then walked back to his friend and started making fun of him cuz he not only lost, but lost to the white guy holding a baby ^^ Jinhee's friend took these pictures to show what an awesome dad I am... okay maybe to show how sad Hanee looks ~~;; (She was perfectly happy to sit with dad and suck on her binky). I need to post some other more important stuff but for today this should be good. (Oh yeah, and now that I live in Korea and have access to Streetfighter games straight from Japan ^^, If you need anything from Thailand let me know... I'll be going tomorrow and back on Tuesday)

Ha-nee update

So I know I said I wouldn't be updating for a while... cuz studying and all, but these pictures are just too good not to share. Little bit of background on the photos. Jinhee has been taking Japanese class 3 times a week for the past 2 months now. She wanted to get out of the house a little more after having the baby (I agree, she needs to get out of the house more). One of the people in her Japanese class works at a photo studio, and when Jinhee told the class she was married (to one of those barbarian foreigners, none the less) the guy asked if he could take pictures of out baby (because everyone knows that Korean + Barbarian foreigner = cute cute baby). Normally it costs a ton to get pictures like this done in Korea (between $600 and $1500 depending on your prints all ...) anyhow He said if he could use the photos for his portfolio he would give us the raw pictures for us to print or do what ever. While I was gone in Europe this last week (more on that later) Jinhee took Hanee to get her pictures done. Jinhee said Hanee did good considering it took about 8 hours. We only got a few of the pictures back so far and are waiting to get the rest. These are just two... we have some more and I'll get to posting them later. For now just look at these two... oh and if I might add my totally unbiased opinion, she looks adorable^^ Just a quick note on Chris - I'm still studying for the GMAT and getting ready to apply to grad school again (I take the GMAT for the 3rd time on 11/13 *GO GO*) (Oh Paris and London where nice, I actually got to see London this time I'll have some pictures for that on here or facebook later)

More Ha-nee pictures. Her mom took these and I just thought I'd share them with everyone. Ha-nee is 7 months old now, growing her hair back ^^, she can crawl, eats baby food and is all around adorable. Hmmm... so what else is happening at the Colton house? The summer in Korea seems to have come to an end, by raining all day today and being cold enough at night that I actually have to shut the windows and use a blanket. Chris is thinking about what he wants to do again... I know... so last year the plan was to totaly go back to the USA to do an MBA, one slight problem, Chris didn't really get into the MBA program of his choice. I kinda took it pretty hard so I haven't really done much to improve on that position yet and its getting to be time to start applying to schools for next year ~~;; So, what can I do? Study for the GMAT again... or just reapply cuz I have more expernce now? I think I can do better on the GMAT... but it just sucks my will to live... that and if I do want to do better I really really really need to stop doing everything else in my life for about 3 months... again with the sucking my will to live... I studied for a little over an hour tonight and that felt good so have to see how things go. The goal for the end of the week is to be at 3 hours a day studying, but I need to ease my self into it. Don't want to jump into the deep end with out testing the water. If I don't do GMAT and study again I need to get ready for the CPA exam... and that requires studying too hmmm. Kinda a strange feeling, I know that I want more, I know there are ways to get it, just need get over what happened last time press on and make it happen. Shoot if Mike Phelps can win 8 gold medals... and the Korean swimmer can get 1 gold medal I should be able to take a little test and do okay right... right... ^^ So if not alot of posts happen in the future wish me luck.

*Snap shot*

While I was in Washington the moon was out good so I thought I would get a picture of it. My dad has taken up photography and has much better camera equipment than I do (he bought us our camera and we love it... just doesn't do the same thing his camera does ^^) So we went out and took pictures of the full moon. I took a few shots with his camera (I think this one was probably one he took but still... you know I was there and all.) I'm by no means a photographer... but if i was I think i'd take pictures like this. He as some good ones of Korea I should post later.

Ha-nee update

Ha-nee is six months old today. We are so happy she came to join our family. She is so special and so unique. (Well, I think she is a lot like her Mom). I'll post some more pictures later... hopefully. This one is off my phone so its not that great. You can still see her 매력 (Charming?) points. She has the best smile and big beautiful eyes. On Sunday she started to sit up alone, she practices all the time now. She loves to take baths. She loves to crawl (I'm not sure what its called in English but in Korean its called pushing on your stomach ~~ like the step before crawling) She can make it from the bedroom to the kitchen in no time at all. Jinhee called me after lunch today to say her first tooth is coming in on the bottom (guess that explains why she was so fussy yesterday). She’s amazingly smart and developing soo fast. The only thing we worry about is she is really skinny for a baby (15lbs, Mom says I was really skinny as a baby too, but we are still worried that she eats enough). The picture is from last month ~~ I'll have to take a new one on my phone, or get some from Jinhee's site.

Back in Seoul ^^

Hi everyone... okay so everyone kinda makes it sound like more people actualy read the blog. "hi" to all 3 of you that periodically check to read my rambling. I got back from the U.S. of A last week. I enjoyed my trip. My business trip went good... well, yeah it went good, but I was still a little disappointed with the presentation I gave. Not so much with my part, because I did fine, more so with the fact that I want to believe I work for a global company and I ended up giving the presentation in Korean and English because 31 out of the 32 people attending the meeting were Korean. I mean come on, these are all of the head planning/finance people for the North America and we have only one Mexican and the rest are Korean in some way or another. Just makes me kinda sad, because these are the decision makers and all most all of them are Korean. (I love Korea, but there is no reason for everyone of those people to be Korean.) Moving right on, I enjoyed spending time with my parents ^^ and didn't really like the two days I spent at the dentist... teeth still hurt. Highlight of the trip, other than seeing my family, was Batman: Dark Knight. It was great, better than I expected and I'm looking forward to seeing it again when it comes out here in Korea. I had taco bell at least twice, drank mountain dew code red and root beer and had cheap bacon cheese burgers. Good times. I wish that Jinhee and Ha-nee would have been able to come, I'm glad they were both healthy and happy when I got home. Some time we will make it back to America, and maybe it won't even be weird. (I felt kinda dumb asking my brother to get us tickets in advance for Batman only to have him ask why... and I had to think about why... the best I could come up with was in Seoul I need to get tickets a week in advance if I want to see a movie on opening day (probably similar in big cities like NY or something but not so in our neck of woods in Washington)). Looks like the entire family will be back sometime in December ^^ since I didn't really get visit many of my friends maybe people will be back in town for Christmas!

Oh and this is a picture I took during the recent riots here in Seoul, protesting the importing of US beef. This was displayed in local mart next to my house, I was going to go share my thoughts with the mart owner but Jinhee thought it would be better if I just didn't shop there (I don't shop there anyhow). It says "Our store opposes the importing of MAD COW beef" with a boat full of 'mad cow' rolling in from the USA. I guess that technically I agree... with part of the logic... you know the part about not wanting mad cow beef, i just disagree with the part about it comming from the USA... Korea has a very high mob mentality and no amount of reasoning will break through... on the bright side mad cow free US beef started to sell again here a few weeks ago ^^

Back to the motherland ^^

I have a business trip comming up this month. I go on a few business trips every year. It's actually one of the best parts of my job. I don't like that I am away from family but before I started working with my company I had been to exactly two countries... Korea and home in the USA. Since then I have now been to Japan, Netherlands (twice), France, UAE (Dubai), England, India, Indonesia, Thailand (twice), and China... I think thats all the ones i've been too now. Anyhow, business trips can be fun but they are also usually tireing. This time around I have to give a presentation in our New Jersey office. I've been once before and really enjoyed looking around New York. All that aside the best part of a trip to the states is it means that Chris gets to visit his family. The company pays for a trip for me and my family to the states once a year. Last year Jinhee was pregnant with Hanee and we didn't get to go. So Chris hasn't been back to the states in over a year now. Its funny the things I look forward too about being home. Sad but true a must do for Chris when he gets home is to go to the bell... taco bell... I know, I know 'taco bell' you say. Well, you try living in Korea with no mexican (or American mexican, fastfood mexican) food and see if you don't mind a quick run to the border. Other things I'm looking forward to include: seeing the new batman movie with my older brother, getting some pants that fit me, baby clothes for the baby, hmmm... and I guess spending time with my Mom and Dad (just kidding, I always look forward to the that). I'll be in New York/New Jersey on the 13~15 and in Buckley from the 16~19. I'm not sure how to put this, but its always a little strange for me to be back in the states. I love Korea, and I guess alot of the times I just pass over the fact that 98% of the people are Korean, and I'm not. When I get back to the states I always kinda wonder where I fit in. I'm not really current on whats going on in peoples lives, I'm not up to date on fashion or music... or movies for that matter. And then there is the fact that I think alot of small things in Korean... I'll maybe save that for another post. But anyways, I just usually feel a bit out of place.