Squares and Morning Couples ~ 9/365

The light beaconed me to wake up early, and I'm glad I did. Golden Light is such a good reason to get your hind parts out of bed.

Couple 1: They were in too much in a hurry to give me their information, but they were kind enough to give me this kiss picture.

© www.ingekathleen.com/blog

© www.ingekathleen.com/blogCouple 2: University Students... Lee Eung Jeon; 23; He likes clothes. (Notice his Gap shirt) with Jeon Eun Yeong, 23, She likes bags. (I think that she means purses) Their likes seems to match up quite nicely.

Pretty Shoes ~ 8/365

Have you ever seen prettier shoes? I makes me want to go out and buy some new sneakers as we speak. Oh the lovely colors!© www.ingekathleen.com/blog, South Korea, Shoes© www.ingekathleen.com/blog, South Korea, Shoes

A group of friends, enjoying a sunny afternoon together outside of Emart - Korea's Wal-mart equivalent.Kim La Yeong 15, - Purple Descent Shoes -- She likes ChocolateKim Ji Su, 16, -- Pink New Balance -- She likes CamerasBak Ju Yeong, 15, Purple and Gray Asics-- She likes Sun ShineYoun Ye Un, 16, - Teal Shoes, She likes PuppiesJeong Yu Jin, 15, Pink Converse - She likes Pink

© www.ingekathleen.com/blog, South Korea, Shoes© www.ingekathleen.com/blog, South Korea, Shoes© www.ingekathleen.com/blog, South Korea, Shoes© www.ingekathleen.com/blog, South Korea, Shoes

Rainy Days Are the Best ~ 3/365

When I heard the raining falling out my window, I wasn't sure that I wanted to get up this morning to ask people for their picture, but I did. In bed promised myself a piece of "See's" Chocolate from the USA if I could wake-up and go outside. After that thought, I jumped out of bed got dressed in a raincoat, savored a piece of chocolate (actually I cut open 3 different pieces of chocolate to see what was inside and had a quarter piece of each chocolate so I could have more variety. Yes, I'm a sucker for variety.) and then after dissecting chocolate made my way out into the torrential rains.Lately I have been wondering what is the point of my photography and if it really does any good to take lots of pictures. What do the pictures really do? Can they help many people later? At times this thought discourages me from pursuing it strongly, but today I learned something. When I was coming home after taking picture 3/365, I was soaked, shoes were drenched, I was a bit cold, but I flying.This is what I realized, at the very least photographing people make me appreciate God and his creation, every time I return from taking pictures of random people I feel like I just have won the lottery. So perhaps, these photographs will do nothing more than fill me with joy and appreciation for God and his people. Then so be it, because that in itself makes it worth doing. La fotografia vale la pena.© Inge Hooker, South Korea, Daejeon, Rainy Days© Inge Hooker, South Korea, Daejeon, Rainy Days© Inge Hooker, South Korea, Daejeon, Rainy Days© Inge Hooker, South Korea, Daejeon, Rainy Days, Rain Drop

Family Portrait ~ 2/365

© Inge Hooker, Family, South Korea, DaejeonColor and Black in White :-)Almost everything--all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure--these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.Steve Jobs

Day One of Many More :-) 1/365

© Inge Hooker , Daejeon, South Korea, Pai Chai University

I'm starting a 365 day project. I have always wanted to and now I am. I think there will be many more 365 day projects to come. Everyday I am committed to ask at least one person for their picture. The point of this project is that my most favorite thing about photography is people, but I don't take enough pictures of people because I am afraid to ask them for their picture. After 365 days, at the very least I will have met many new people and taken many their picture and overcome my fears. I can't let fears of rejection overtake me. That just won't do!I am reading through Proverbs this month, and I came upon this verse.Proverbs 21:5The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.This will be my verse of the year, perhaps life. It reminds me to be patient with myself and God, and to do a little bit a day, because going quickly only brings poverty, but diligence and consistency is what brings success.Have a lovely day~

Juice Fast Challenge : Day 15 - Before and After Photos

I apologize for the delay in publication. You see after 15 days of juicing, something strange happened to us.  That is why I’ve taken so long to type this post. My hands aren’t quite what they used to be...We have changed.... (see the photo below)

Before and After Picture

© www.ingekathleen.com/blog, love, norman rockwell style, geeky hip portraits, concept photography, Juice Fasting, portraits, Inge Hooker, Juan Job, South Korea, camera love, Healthy in Korea, Zucchini,After 15 days of juicing, Juan and I turned into into Zucchinis! Poof! That’s right! We’re done for! So much juice that we are no longer humans. We are only vegetables. My father always told me that I would turn into a vegetable if I watched too much TV, but he never warned me about drinking too much juice!If I had only know, I would have stopped at day 14 and drunken a whole cup of coffee and a pound of dark chocolate to retoxify my body! But alas! We are so clean that we've turned into vegetables on day 15! Zucchinis at that! Why couldn’t I have least turned into a more charming vegetable, like an eggplant or a curvy red pepper?!?! God, why????Ok, let’s say perhaps, I’m kidding or being dramatic and perhaps we are really not zucchinis, but I think we would be if we had continued on to day 16! That might have been our fate, but thank goodness we didn’t continue!A Tip of the Day: The end will come, so just keep going. When the end comes, it is so sweet and well worth it!

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The Story of Day 15:

Oh their must really be a God! Because we’ve made it all the way to day 15! You know, I don’t think that this day would come. The final days creeped by, every day really seemed like a year. I was sure that I was getting old and gray by how slow day 14 went...  But alas! the sun went down and finally, oh, finally, it creeped back up over the Korean hills!We were welcomed by a chorus of angels singing from Heaven. Today, our final day of our juice fast, we get to start a transition into chewing food!Today, I get to crunch sweet melons and apples and feel the fresh crisp of watermelon and the feel the texture of kiwi on our tongue! I think today that I will appreciate texture more than I ever thought possible!How did today go? In the morning, we got up and had a nice snack of melon and then later had a big glass of green juice. Those smart expert people say that the key to transitioning is to do it slowly and ease your body into it.Going slowly isn’t so easy, but you have to try or all of your results may just go out the window! So perhaps to insure that you go slowly, buy a lock for your refrigerator or just get a lock on your jaw to force yourself not to go overboard.. hehehe..For lunch, I made tomato soup by feeding tomatoes, garlic and onions into the juicer and then I mixed the pulp and the juice together and warmed it up over the stove. That was nice. :) And then finally for dinner we went  to church, and they ordered us a vegetable soup from a Chinese restaurant... I should have know a Chinese restaurant would be nothing but, Trouble!.. I was transitioning perfectly until dinner. When I ate the soup, it was processed and oily and it just killed me. After I ate it, I felt like I was RE-toxifying... Noooooo!!!! I got mad at myself for going too quickly. I could feel my body hating me for the yucky soup I gave it...I felt like a failure, like I had dropped the ball and the world would surely end! What have I done????But not to worry, dear friends, I didn’t let Dramatic Inge take over my body for too long, in the end this mistake made me decided that I wasn’t ready to retoxify my body again after all of the hard work. I realized that needed to have a better plan of transition. So for the next 7 days, the plan is for me to eat about 90% raw foods (salads, fruits, vegetables, and nuts and good oils) and drink at least 32 oz of juice a daily to continue to detox. I don’t want to go back to my old ways of eating. Even though they weren’t terrible, juicing has improved my health, and I want to continue to see improvements.After 7 days of 90% raw, I may do more of a 70% raw and 30% cooked food diet combination. I think that is a sustainable lifestyle for me. A few years back, my mom, who is a braver soul than I, went 100% raw for about 2 or 3 years. She’s truly super woman. I remember thinking how amazing her skin looked. She looked younger by at least 5 years after following this eating lifestyle. All of her wrinkles on her face went away.I, on the other hand, I like a bit of cooked food here and there. I’m of the camp of people who think that food is both physical and psychological and even though physically you might not need cooked foods, at times it is nice to enjoy a nice warm bowl of soup in the winter just for the comfort factor. So I’m going to do 70%, 30% with a juice every day and see how that works for me.

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Stats of the Day:

IngeJuice: 1.5 Liters / Water: 2 liters  Transition Food: A banana and melon for breakfast, tomato soup for lunch and vegetable soup for dinner Weight: 4 kg less than the start  Energy: Really good Mood: Good - The crankies are gone! What chewing does for the soul! Hunger: Not bad, because I could mix Detox Symptoms: None really Cheats: Nothing Cravings: My chompers are satisfied today, therefore no cravingsJuan:Juice: 1.5-2 Liters / Water: 2 liter Transition Food: Fruit for breakfast, salad and tomato soup with eggs for lunch and vegetable soup for dinner. Weight: 5.5 kg less than the start  Energy: Good Mood: So much better than yesterday, Hallelujah! Hunger: Not bad. Detox Symptoms: Nothing Cheats: None Cravings: I forgot to ask him, but I’m guessing it was Chicken, because he always wants chicken.(Intermission... -- Yes, yes, this is looong, but my keyboard keeps typing, and I can get it to stop! It must be my zucchini fingers! So at this point you can go take a break. Go check your facebook page and then stretch your legs, and I’ll save a seat for you when you come back! See you soon!)Ooooh! look at our family pictures! Aren’t just we adorable? -- photo shoot, concept, photography and styling by Inge Hooker and Juan Job

© www.ingekathleen.com/blog, love,geeky hip portraits, norman rockwell style, concept photography, Juice Fasting, portraits, Inge Hooker, Juan Job, South Korea,

© www.ingekathleen.com/blog, love, geeky hip portraits, norman rockwell style, concept photography, Juice Fasting, portraits, Inge Hooker, Juan Job, South Korea, camera love, Healthy in Korea, lovers

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Results:

Ok, so enough with our adorable faces. I'm sure you're sick of them by now. The question you may be wondering is....Did Juicing for 15 days really work? and is it worth it? We would both say YES! We are both so glad we did it, and so glad that it is OVER!For me (Inge) I noticed that my digestion has improved, my energy is better (I crave juice more and coffee less), my skin is so much softer, and I feel healthier. If I can get these results from juicing, than I shan’t complain about making juice.Also, my knowledge of the body has really increased during the past month. I know so much more about nutrition and taking care of yourself properly. Also something a little interesting I learned is that I need to be more efficient and organized. Though I’m a very determined, hard working person, I realized that I work hard inefficiently. Which is dumb. I'm learning that I can do things better in less time. I’m taking tips from one of the most efficient people that I know, my most organized efficient friend My-Van the writer of Redesigned by M. She’s an interior designer and an efficiency genius! You should check her blog out. Especially if you’re about to move houses. She has amazing tips on how to move a house easily and efficiently. Moving Tips.On a side note: I would say that I haven’t received ALL of the results that I want, just yet. Nor learned all I want to about nutrition. This motivates me to keep study nutrition, continue juicing and eating more raw foods so that I see more improvements in my skin, my nails and energy levels..Juan has noticed that his skin is softer; his immune system is stronger; he feels healthier; his digestion is better; he lost weight 5.5 kilos or 12 pounds which after after he gained back his water weight he is now 3 kilos or 6.6 pounds lighter - not bad for 15 days, eh?What is even more interesting is that both of our taste buds have started to change. We now are craving more healthy, fresh foods. Overly processed foods are less appetizing. The pizza, the coca-cola, the ice cream, the coffee, don’t seem so tempting. This is amazing, because this means it will be easier for us to stay healthy in the future, because our bodies are now asking us for good food, we don’t have to force it to eat a salad. We actually crave one. Additionally this tells me that juicing isn’t just a fad diet to starve and deprive yourself, it is actually a way to infuse your body with nutrients that rejuvenate and reprogram it to WANT to eat good. Crazy, right? It’s like we’ve tricked our bodies... Mwahahahaha!In the end, all the tears and pain were worth it.  And we’ll continue to juice every morning and every once in awhile we may go on 5 or 10-day juice fasts when we feel like we especially want to rest and clean-up our system.  We will just have to make sure that we get plenty of rest and stay far away from other humans while we’re doing this again.. We aren’t the peppiest people when we are juicing. hehehe.So are you ready for the Cliche of the Day???Good! here it is ---> If we did it, you can do it. Lame saying, I know! But I’m actually telling you the truth. Because juicing in Korea was so hard for us that if you live in the USA or a tropical country, juice fasting will be easy for you!Here in South Korea, we faced a multitude of obstacles and still made it. We don’t have a car, we had to carry all of our vegetables from the store to home, AND our refrigerator is a little bigger than the size of a college dorm refrigerator and our kitchen isn’t much bigger. On top of that vegetables and fruits are generally more expensive and more difficult to find. All of this means that juicing is super inconvenient for us, but if you think being healthy is inconvenient, try being in sick in a hospital bed. Just a thought. So drink your juice and quit making excuses!

Final Question:

Do you want to be healthier? If yes, then ask yourself what can I start to eat to heal and improve my body? What foods and juices will give my body nutrition to heal and build my body?Well that is all for our juicing adventure for now, but not to worry. There are many more adventures to come for Juan and myself, as long as we can learn to drive better. :-)© www.ingekathleen.com/blog, motorcycle driving, Inge Hooker, Juan Job, South Korea,  

Comment Below Ya'll :-)

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Read The Juice Fast Series 

1. Juice Fast Introduction2. Juice Fast Day 1 ~ Juicing Resources3. Juice Fast Day 2 ~ Special Guest4. Juice Fast Day 3 ~ Think Long Term5. Juice Fast Day 4 ~ $$$6. Juice Fast Day 5 ~Juice Your Greens7. Juice Fast Day 6 ~ Keep Going8. Juice Fast Day 7 ~ Give Your Veggies a Shower9. Juice Fast Day 8 - Coffee Enemas and Detox Dreams10. Juice Fast Day 9 ~ Lazy Saturdays and Honey Masks11. Juice Fast Day 10 ~ What To Do with Juice Pulp? 1 of 212. Juice Fast Day 11 ~ Juice Fast Challenge: Day 11 - What to do with Juice Pulp? 2 of 213. Juice Fast Day 12 ~ How Do you Start to Eat Again? Step One = Make a Plan14. Juice Fast Day 13 ~ Happy Days!15. Juice Fast Day 14 - Cranky Days! & Transition to Food16. Juice Fast Day 15 - Before and After Photos

Juice Fast Challenge : Day 14 - Cranky Days! + Transitions!

© www.ingekathleen.com/blog, cafe, I want coffee, I want cafe, cranky, juice fast, juice cleanse

photo by juan job

Quote of the Day: 

Juan: (he offers me 50$ cash)Me: No, I don't want the money, I can't buy anything!!!!!Him: What do you mean?Me: I can't buy any coffee! (Wahhhh!)

Story of the Day: 

Him: Awh.. poor baby, You’re finally normal, like me! he said while jumping in circles and laughing..He was so excited because this was probably the first time I had expressed any of my cravings to him Before he felt like he was the only one, but I joined his lament party today. Ha! But we didn’t have much more time to party because I was off to teach class.Today was hard mentally. You would think once you reach day 14, you’d be excited and ready to push through to the end! but not quite. I was mopey and Juan was glad that I was finally having a rough time.. hehehe. Since all of the other days it was him. Today he is transitioning into food, by eating salads and things so his digestion system is ready to digest all the chicken that he wants it to. But I alas! have decided not to start my transition until 15 day and start eating at a point on the 15th day, fruit or something.Yet today is not day 15, it is only 14, and oh my! it seems like it will never end. You know it was only 10:30 in the morning, I want to curl in bed and mope, so that the day would pass. No, I’m not that tired. My energy is fine. I’m hungry, but I don’t want to juice again, and where is my food? An egg would be nice. I think I might have starved today, if Juan hadn’t made me juice. I was not about to juice any more. Isn’t it funny how attached we get to chewing food? Ridiculous and Curious its effect. Even when we're not hungry. I should do a study about this.People ask me what I miss the most, and I say salad with salmon. Ha! I’m too healthy I think. People look at me like I’m crazy.., but then I whisper to them...and I would really like a cappuccino and chocolate too. :-)It's a cranky day but tomorrow, Foood! or at least a little bit of it.Juan's Cranky too today; he wants Pollo! (Chicken)©www.ingekathleen.com/blog, cranky, juice fast, juice cleanse, I want Chicken, I want Pollo,

Transition: 

Ok so any more tips that I've found on transition? After you make a plan... Go slowly, and eat the foods that you've been juicing. Only eat them in raw form. Also continue to juice for 2-3 meals. This will make it easier on your stomach to digest. We've been juicing fruits and vegetables, so these same fruits and vegetables we should eat and juice too. and eat in small portions. This period will last for about 3 days - 7 days and then after this time you can add one light protein to your diet. e.g. 1 piece of chicken or fish for one meal.. and then wait 3 more days to add 1 more portion.Resources: Getting off of a Fast from Just On Juice.com and Article #2 from IZO Cleanse.com

Stats of the Day: 

Juan--Juice: 1.5-2 Liters / Water: 2 liter Food: Salad for lunch and salad Eggs for dinner Weight: 5 kg less than the start  Energy: Up and Down Mood: Not Good Hunger: A lot today Detox Symptoms: sore throat, but his skin is glowing :) Cheats: None Cravings: Pasta and ChickenInge--Juice: 2 Liters / Water: 2 liters  Weight: 3-4 kg less than the start  Energy: Really good.Mood: Down in the Morning, up in the afternoon.. at night pretty good. Hunger: Yup, hungry at times, but not too bad, and cleaning the juicer again doesn’t sound appealing Detox Symptoms: None really Cheats: Nothing Cravings: A coffee and a salad

Comment Below Ya'll :-)

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Read The Juice Fast Series 

1. Juice Fast Introduction2. Juice Fast Day 1 ~ Juicing Resources3. Juice Fast Day 2 ~ Special Guest4. Juice Fast Day 3 ~ Think Long Term5. Juice Fast Day 4 ~ $$$6. Juice Fast Day 5 ~Juice Your Greens7. Juice Fast Day 6 ~ Keep Going8. Juice Fast Day 7 ~ Give Your Veggies a Shower9. Juice Fast Day 8 - Coffee Enemas and Detox Dreams10. Juice Fast Day 9 ~ Lazy Saturdays and Honey Masks11. Juice Fast Day 10 ~ What To Do with Juice Pulp? 1 of 212. Juice Fast Day 11 ~ Juice Fast Challenge: Day 11 - What to do with Juice Pulp? 2 of 213. Juice Fast Day 12 ~ How Do you Start to Eat Again? Step One = Make a Plan14. Juice Fast Day 13 ~ Happy Days!15. Juice Fast Day 14 - Cranky Days! & Transition to Food16. Juice Fast Day 15 - Before and After Photos

We Dream : Anna Polak

 

We Dream #1 : Anna PolakKrasnoyarsk, Siberia Russia

“Life is short, you must enjoy good food.”

Age: 26Occupation: Formerly a journalist in Russia, but now studies the Korean language and Food Management in South KoreaFavorite Habit: Eating good food and drinking dry red wine.Favorite Food: Meat and savory baked goodsParent’s Occupation: Restaurant ownersChildhood Dream: To be an animal doctor

When I met Anna for our interview, I immediately noticed her bright eyes and effortless sophistication. She is a women with many passions, interests and with a vision. She comes from Krasnoyarsk, Russia, the third largest city in Siberia, with a population of almost one million people. After she graduating, she worked as a journalist. Yet after just two years at a Russian newspaper, the work lost it’s thrill, and she felt that she needed to look for something more. Her friends suggested that she learn a new language, something Asian, because she loved Japanese culture. She took their advice and started a Korean language course. A few weeks into the course, she learned that her professor was going to South Korea for 2 weeks, and invited her to come. She went, and she immediately was enchanted by the country.She loved it so much that she moved to South Korea to study its language and get a degree in food management. She will be live in Korea for five years.When I asked her what her dreams are in the 10 to 15 years of life, Anna's eyes grow brighter and brighter. She has many dreams, and they stem from her priorities: family and her belief in tolerance.Why tolerance? I ask. Because when you have tolerance, you don’t have to hate people, she said.She explains that when she was young her father left her family, and she didn't meet him again until she was 16 years old. When she met him again, she asked him why he had left and never contacted her. He couldn't explain it, she said. This hurt her, and every time that she was around he father she would feel sad."I hate feeling sad. I don’t want to be sad when I’m with my father; I don’t want to cry," she said.So Anna decided that she must learn to understand and tolerate him so that they could be friends. Regardless of what he had done, he was still her father, she said.This principle guides her not only in her family relationships, but even with strangers who are rude or unkind to her. She says that she tries to find tolerance and understanding for everyone, and not care about their opinions, so that they won’t effect her day or life. And I think this is the wisdom which allows her to dream so freely.What are her dreams, you ask? Well, let's see.....In the future, Anna sees herself as a farmer and a restaurant owner in New Zealand or somewhere similar  She wants to live in a two-story house with farmland, 3 children, 2 boys and a girl, and having a chef husband. "He doesn’t need to be beautiful just have a strong body and mind," she said.Her restaurant will have simple food, she says, but have spectacular ambiance."Atmosphere is important," she says while taking a moment to look upward, as if she is envisioning the details her spectacular future restaurant.Anna goes on to explain why atmosphere is vital."Why does ok food, eaten at a friends house taste soooo good?" she asks. "because you’re surrounded by people you love in a familiar, comfortable atmosphere. This is why good food can taste great."So if you're in New Zealand in the next 10-15 years look Anna up, she will for sure have the most delicious of restaurants on the island.Here are a few images from a photography shoot that I did with the lovely Anna Polak. She’s could be a movie actress, couldn’t she?

Anna Polak, We Dream, A series about dreams, Tolerance, © www.ingekathleen.com/blog

About: We Dream