Check out the album of my party. I'll put more picture up later.
These are my 
favorite pictures though:
favorite pictures though:
14 years ago
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
The PC Room Comparison
Meg's laptop is no longer charging up, which provides a little dilemma for our weekend Internet needs. The solution has become going to PC Bongs. These are basically computer labs that cost a little less than a dollar per hour. Hooked up to ultra fast Internet, I'm ready to go.
The sights, smells, and sounds that accompany a trip to a PC Bong are one of a kind. Here is an observation list:
1) I have never seen a woman in here except for Meg, so I'll conservatively estimate a 95% men to women ratio
2) The average age is 17
3) The place smells like a mix between ramen noodles, cigarettes, and BO. The noodles are sold here and you can use a microwave, there is a smoking side but the ventilation is horrible so it wafts over into non, and body odor. Teenage boys playing games for hours in a non-ventilated room, need I say more.
4) They play RPG games. That's it. They're addicted, reminding me of that South Park episode. It's not crack, it's Starcraft.
5) The Sounds include all the sound effects of computer games. No one has headphones on, so with their computer volume blasting it becomes very loud. Picture a very crowded arcade, but every machine plays the same sound.
To be honest it reminds me of my freshman year of college with my roommate Dave, who never did anything but play computer games.
1) Girls were not over ever, our room maybe had a 90% men to women ratio. We were in an all male dorm though...(my excuse)
2) The average age was 18 and 1/2
3) Smelled like teen aged boys, one of whom has questionable hygiene* and pizza. Dave ordered a pizza every other day. Not joking either, IMO's was called more than every other number combined. We weren't smokers.
4) He played RPG games like 8 hours a day. It was a full time job.
5) Dave did wear headphones though. Thanks for the courtesy, Dave.
The sights, smells, and sounds that accompany a trip to a PC Bong are one of a kind. Here is an observation list:
1) I have never seen a woman in here except for Meg, so I'll conservatively estimate a 95% men to women ratio
2) The average age is 17
3) The place smells like a mix between ramen noodles, cigarettes, and BO. The noodles are sold here and you can use a microwave, there is a smoking side but the ventilation is horrible so it wafts over into non, and body odor. Teenage boys playing games for hours in a non-ventilated room, need I say more.
4) They play RPG games. That's it. They're addicted, reminding me of that South Park episode. It's not crack, it's Starcraft.
5) The Sounds include all the sound effects of computer games. No one has headphones on, so with their computer volume blasting it becomes very loud. Picture a very crowded arcade, but every machine plays the same sound.
To be honest it reminds me of my freshman year of college with my roommate Dave, who never did anything but play computer games.
1) Girls were not over ever, our room maybe had a 90% men to women ratio. We were in an all male dorm though...(my excuse)
2) The average age was 18 and 1/2
3) Smelled like teen aged boys, one of whom has questionable hygiene* and pizza. Dave ordered a pizza every other day. Not joking either, IMO's was called more than every other number combined. We weren't smokers.
4) He played RPG games like 8 hours a day. It was a full time job.
5) Dave did wear headphones though. Thanks for the courtesy, Dave.
*Alright, I've been taking heat for the amount of showers I take during a week. No one has ever told me I shower too much, but I don't remember ever being criticized for the amount I shower this much. People gasp at the fact that I don't shower everyday. I, on average, shower 3.8 times a week. I figured this out because 80% of the time I shower 4 times a week, but every once in a while I'll just manage a meager three showers, in an attempt to save the whales and the citizens of Atlanta. Now that I'm working out, I average 5-6 showers a week. For my birthday, I have received a photo album, (from a Korean co-worker) a magnetic dart board, (from Keith and Theresa) a Korean traditional hand fan piece of art, (this is awesome, and it was given to me by the check-in lady at the gym) protein powder (from Meg, this is what I really wanted), a cake, (from the b0ss) and a louffa. Someone is trying to send a message here, and it's not that I need to hone my dart skills.
So, here I am surrounded by geeks once again, feeling right at home even though I'm trillions of miles away from it, and angry that the Won continues to suck, and even angrier that N. Korea plans on turning Seoul to rubble! To the subway, Meg! But it was a celebration of my life yesterday, so lets just push pass the negative. Last night was amazing because of the people who helped me celebrate it.
Here is some insight to my situation: Foreigners all have the same universal experiences while living in Korea, allowing people with nothing in common to come together. Many of my friends over here would not be my friends back home, because of different personalities. Either by working together, living near eachother, or simply because there aren't that many English speaking people, we're forced to overcome adversities in our relationships. This has been the most rewarding part of this journey. One day Meg and I will hang out with a double math major from Cornell, and the next day we'll hang out with somebody representing the opposite end of the spectrum, Zach. Holding one common bond with people has allowed me unique friendship experiences, and I bet this will also be the most beneficial aspect of this experience for the Career World. I'll be able to work with everybody.
The cast of characters that flanked me last night was a diverse group to say the least. There were four Koreans, two people with Asian ancestry, two African-Americans, an American with Middle East descent, and an Australian. I had an unforgettable day with over 15 friends.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
The Gym
Body aroma masked with other fragrances, fluorescent lights, general anxiety, and a random Asian brazenly roaming around in his birthday suit to this day flood my senses as I remember walking through the Missouri University Recreational Center men's locker room. I have a year long membership to a gym here in Korea, and I have to say, I see way too many naked Asians. They seem to perfectly adept to being nude.
There's no shame in these Korean men. They prance here and there stark naked. Brush there teeth naked, get on the scale naked, spray their hair naked, and finish their stretches naked, which might be the most disturbing thing to see. Ever. They do the laundry naked, wash their car naked, tie their shoes naked, cook bacon naked, to be completely honest, the last thing these guys do is put on their clothes when getting ready. Maybe the majority of people's morning ritual includes being naked for an extended period of time, in PRIVATE. The scene in the men's locker room is Korea's best reenactment of a Roman bathhouse tragedy, minus the women.
I thought I had a personal trainer, but I don't. The trainers do take a interest in me more than others, because I am a rare foreigner in the gym, so they will assist me sometimes. I walked in on one of these trainers, during scene 21 of Roman Bathouse Korean Edition #11. Now, I don't want to lift a bunch of weight with H* standing over me. Even worse, grabbing me to correct my mangled lifting form into perfection. Some of these positions that lifting requires are awkward enough, add a trainer in a precarious position helping you, throw in the fact that you have just seen this man naked, a pinch of random stares, and you have a recipe for a newly converted gym homophobic.
*H is apparently his English name; he has a Hollister hat that reads H, I'm assuming he had that particular hat on one day and the boss was like
"All the other personal trainers have English names, you need one too. I don't care that you don't speak that much English, what name would you like?"
H (in Korean) - "I don't know any English names"
Boss (also in Korean, looking at his hat)- "How about H?"
And so it was done, the name H was born.
I now spend about one minute and fifteen seconds in the locker room, and I'm trying to cut it down another 25 secs.
There's no shame in these Korean men. They prance here and there stark naked. Brush there teeth naked, get on the scale naked, spray their hair naked, and finish their stretches naked, which might be the most disturbing thing to see. Ever. They do the laundry naked, wash their car naked, tie their shoes naked, cook bacon naked, to be completely honest, the last thing these guys do is put on their clothes when getting ready. Maybe the majority of people's morning ritual includes being naked for an extended period of time, in PRIVATE. The scene in the men's locker room is Korea's best reenactment of a Roman bathhouse tragedy, minus the women.
I thought I had a personal trainer, but I don't. The trainers do take a interest in me more than others, because I am a rare foreigner in the gym, so they will assist me sometimes. I walked in on one of these trainers, during scene 21 of Roman Bathouse Korean Edition #11. Now, I don't want to lift a bunch of weight with H* standing over me. Even worse, grabbing me to correct my mangled lifting form into perfection. Some of these positions that lifting requires are awkward enough, add a trainer in a precarious position helping you, throw in the fact that you have just seen this man naked, a pinch of random stares, and you have a recipe for a newly converted gym homophobic.
*H is apparently his English name; he has a Hollister hat that reads H, I'm assuming he had that particular hat on one day and the boss was like
"All the other personal trainers have English names, you need one too. I don't care that you don't speak that much English, what name would you like?"
H (in Korean) - "I don't know any English names"
Boss (also in Korean, looking at his hat)- "How about H?"
And so it was done, the name H was born.
I now spend about one minute and fifteen seconds in the locker room, and I'm trying to cut it down another 25 secs.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
the continuation of the To be Continued
Disclaimer: After receiving some feedback, I want everyone to know that I don't drink that much. Maybe half of the posts I write contain some form of alcohol, but remember I only write one or two posts a week. So it may seem like I'm drinking a ton, but I'm not. In reality, this blog magnifies the amount of drinking done. In fact, I have never been healthier. I go to the gym four times a week. I eat more veggies and fruits than I ever have, and I drink 2 gallons of water everyday. Just because I'm at a bar doesn't mean that I am drunk, believe me I am never as bad as my Korean counterparts. The stories that contain alcohol are events that happen, and usually have a story worth telling. If I just wrote I woke up, watched "The Young and The Restless" taught some ornery kids, ate gimbap, watched Letterman, and went to bed. Would that interest you? That being said, this post contains alcohol.
The continuation of the To be Continued
After the tiring competition, we ate some pork belly and then headed home and fell immediately asleep. Right now you must be thinking, "why didn't he just finish that last sentence on his last entry?" Well, I am thinking the exact same thing myself. What a waste of a to be continued! Apparently, I had other ideas for the story, but I have lost them over the course of a week.
That Sunday we saw Hellboy 2, which was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I usually can watch and appreciate B movies too, this one was hard to stomach. The only American movies that come to Korea are action adventure and family movies though, so I'm sure I'll see some more duds. The plot had some historically bad love flings, the cheesiest dialogue, and bizarre characters. Star Wars characters look normal compared to these dudes. Awful. I really want to see the new Cohen brothers movie, Burn after Reading. One reviewer said it could develop a cult like following. Sound familiar anyone? If you have seen it please drop a comment.
Sometime before this weekend, Meg, John, Doug, and I were playing darts. We met a Korean man named Hyuksu. Doug and John left to go meet up with Zach, and we decided to stay because it was getting late. We wanted to stay closer to home. We talked and talked to Hyuksu. His English was way better than our Korean, but that is not saying much. Body language was the key to our communication. We ended up playing games and made plans to go out to dinner with him and the bartender. He actually lives just a few minutes away from us. We were like 15 minutes away from our home at the time, so it was pretty random in a big place like Seoul.
Well, true to his word, Hyuksu was in the lobby of our building at 4:00 with word that Duyoung (the bartender) was not going to be able to meet us. He took us (in his car) to our favorite place. The place that hosted Crazy Worker Party I and II. We ate great food.* Then he snatched up the bill, and simply refused our requests to pay for it or at least give him some money. We met up later at a western-style bar called Beatles.** We played more games, and relived the night we had the previous Thursday.
* The best part of the night was Hyuksu could hardly speak English at first. The obvious reason was he was sober. So, does drinking help when speaking a language? I think he needed booze to loosen up and not be afraid of making mistakes. Sure enough, he got better as the night progressed. This phenomenon reminds me of dancing, you may be a sloppy dancer while drinking but the inhibitions have been lowered and by God you're out there, in the middle of the floor, doing the Macarena with one hand on your hip and the other holding a beverage thinking to yourself, "I need a hat next to me, so I can get some money like those bums downtown. This show should come with a ticket price, it's that good! Yeah!!" So, at the end of the night Hyuksu was lecturing me on Korean history, American beef, melamine, and Kim Jung Il like he was a professor. His seminar didn't make much sense, but he's out there trying, speaking English like it was easy, holding a beverage in one hand waving the other madly, thinking to himself, "Man, I should charge these ignorant Americans money, this knowledge shouldn't be free, yeah I'm that good!
Liquid Courage...
This little tidbit was good too: he had an engagement to go to, and he was driving. While we were eating he refrained from drinking beer, but that didn't stop him from topping off his soju glass from time to time. Soju is of course stronger than beer, so you tell me if that makes sense. Koreans well, they're just different. They don't make sense a lot of times. He ended up taking the subway.
**Western-style bar just simply implies that it's a normal American bar. Korean HOFs (bars) require you to get food when you drink. This bar also has thousand and thousands of vinyl records. Comment some good song choices that I probably haven't heard in a while, please.
Side Note
Korean's don't throw away their waste from the bathroom, and by that I mean toilet paper. Gross, I know, but ask yourself, does it make sense? Anyways, I flush my paper. I don't know what kind of damage I'm doing to the sewage treatment center, but it can't be that bad. A toilet at work backed up on me and left me in quite a dilemma. I blame the toilet paper. First, came embarrassment, not this kind of embarrassment though. Next came the decision making process. Do I tell someone, do I try and find a plunger, do I flea the scene? Honestly, I just left the bathroom and prayed that a student would be blamed for my surprise. Nothing ever came of it though.
The continuation of the To be Continued
After the tiring competition, we ate some pork belly and then headed home and fell immediately asleep. Right now you must be thinking, "why didn't he just finish that last sentence on his last entry?" Well, I am thinking the exact same thing myself. What a waste of a to be continued! Apparently, I had other ideas for the story, but I have lost them over the course of a week.
That Sunday we saw Hellboy 2, which was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I usually can watch and appreciate B movies too, this one was hard to stomach. The only American movies that come to Korea are action adventure and family movies though, so I'm sure I'll see some more duds. The plot had some historically bad love flings, the cheesiest dialogue, and bizarre characters. Star Wars characters look normal compared to these dudes. Awful. I really want to see the new Cohen brothers movie, Burn after Reading. One reviewer said it could develop a cult like following. Sound familiar anyone? If you have seen it please drop a comment.
Sometime before this weekend, Meg, John, Doug, and I were playing darts. We met a Korean man named Hyuksu. Doug and John left to go meet up with Zach, and we decided to stay because it was getting late. We wanted to stay closer to home. We talked and talked to Hyuksu. His English was way better than our Korean, but that is not saying much. Body language was the key to our communication. We ended up playing games and made plans to go out to dinner with him and the bartender. He actually lives just a few minutes away from us. We were like 15 minutes away from our home at the time, so it was pretty random in a big place like Seoul.
Well, true to his word, Hyuksu was in the lobby of our building at 4:00 with word that Duyoung (the bartender) was not going to be able to meet us. He took us (in his car) to our favorite place. The place that hosted Crazy Worker Party I and II. We ate great food.* Then he snatched up the bill, and simply refused our requests to pay for it or at least give him some money. We met up later at a western-style bar called Beatles.** We played more games, and relived the night we had the previous Thursday.
* The best part of the night was Hyuksu could hardly speak English at first. The obvious reason was he was sober. So, does drinking help when speaking a language? I think he needed booze to loosen up and not be afraid of making mistakes. Sure enough, he got better as the night progressed. This phenomenon reminds me of dancing, you may be a sloppy dancer while drinking but the inhibitions have been lowered and by God you're out there, in the middle of the floor, doing the Macarena with one hand on your hip and the other holding a beverage thinking to yourself, "I need a hat next to me, so I can get some money like those bums downtown. This show should come with a ticket price, it's that good! Yeah!!" So, at the end of the night Hyuksu was lecturing me on Korean history, American beef, melamine, and Kim Jung Il like he was a professor. His seminar didn't make much sense, but he's out there trying, speaking English like it was easy, holding a beverage in one hand waving the other madly, thinking to himself, "Man, I should charge these ignorant Americans money, this knowledge shouldn't be free, yeah I'm that good!
Liquid Courage...
This little tidbit was good too: he had an engagement to go to, and he was driving. While we were eating he refrained from drinking beer, but that didn't stop him from topping off his soju glass from time to time. Soju is of course stronger than beer, so you tell me if that makes sense. Koreans well, they're just different. They don't make sense a lot of times. He ended up taking the subway.
**Western-style bar just simply implies that it's a normal American bar. Korean HOFs (bars) require you to get food when you drink. This bar also has thousand and thousands of vinyl records. Comment some good song choices that I probably haven't heard in a while, please.
Side Note
Korean's don't throw away their waste from the bathroom, and by that I mean toilet paper. Gross, I know, but ask yourself, does it make sense? Anyways, I flush my paper. I don't know what kind of damage I'm doing to the sewage treatment center, but it can't be that bad. A toilet at work backed up on me and left me in quite a dilemma. I blame the toilet paper. First, came embarrassment, not this kind of embarrassment though. Next came the decision making process. Do I tell someone, do I try and find a plunger, do I flea the scene? Honestly, I just left the bathroom and prayed that a student would be blamed for my surprise. Nothing ever came of it though.
That's what is going on over on this side of the world, I went to a monastery last weekend. I'll post about it later on in the week. Check out the pictures down below.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Pictures of the Festivity
Tug of War to the right
Balloon Stomp above
Team Jump Rope
Group Photo (above) With a couple of people, you could throw it very far.
Zach is wearing the black shirt, and I'm wearing the striped blue shirt. (below)
Great action shot below.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
I forgot my camera
11:00 p.m. Friday Night Sushi house
Because of our predicament, an early morning event, my boss and I had a talk about the festivities of the night. She tried to give the foreign teacher crew a curfew, and we politely declined. Each side gave a compelling argument, but since we held the language advantage we were able to convince her otherwise. 2:00, which was the curfew, may sound late, but when you're getting off of work at 11:00 it's just three hours.
The night began with a tray of assorted raw fish appetizers, es-car-got, and other snail like creatures. I indulged in it all, not necessary because I like it or even might like it, but because I like eating weird stuff and telling people about it. The next plate was a plate full of sushi. Not normal sushi either. This is raw fish. Raw fish and an assortment of sauces. You can also wrap it in lettuce if your heart desires. There is no roll, no rice, no veggies, no California in the name, no avocados, just raw fish. It's really good too. They also delivered calamari at this point. Really big fried squid tentacles, and guess what, the Koreans did not like calamari, (it's too cheap compared to an expensive plate of raw fish) so I feasted.
There was soju and mackju and somack (a combination of the two) and Korean drinking games that I may or may not have participated in. There were chants and cheers. There were spitwads flying at mirrors, resembling a scene from Billy Madison much more so than an office party.
2:30 a.m. Noribong
We sang our hearts out as if we were in the finals of Korean Idol.
3:30 am Apartment
In the convenience store at the bottom of our building, we were busy preparing for the next day by aggressively detoxing the liver. This involves Morning Care, lots of water, and ice cream. Morning Care is a gross drink that Koreans swear will cure your hangover. It tastes like medicine and it costs $4.5o, which is expensive over here. Water is essential when trying to cleanse the body. The ice-cream, well it just sounded good at 3:30 in the morning. This trio of treats was sure to get me off to a good start at 8:30 in the morning. Right?
8:15 a.m Saturday Apartment
Because of our predicament, an early morning event, my boss and I had a talk about the festivities of the night. She tried to give the foreign teacher crew a curfew, and we politely declined. Each side gave a compelling argument, but since we held the language advantage we were able to convince her otherwise. 2:00, which was the curfew, may sound late, but when you're getting off of work at 11:00 it's just three hours.
The night began with a tray of assorted raw fish appetizers, es-car-got, and other snail like creatures. I indulged in it all, not necessary because I like it or even might like it, but because I like eating weird stuff and telling people about it. The next plate was a plate full of sushi. Not normal sushi either. This is raw fish. Raw fish and an assortment of sauces. You can also wrap it in lettuce if your heart desires. There is no roll, no rice, no veggies, no California in the name, no avocados, just raw fish. It's really good too. They also delivered calamari at this point. Really big fried squid tentacles, and guess what, the Koreans did not like calamari, (it's too cheap compared to an expensive plate of raw fish) so I feasted.
There was soju and mackju and somack (a combination of the two) and Korean drinking games that I may or may not have participated in. There were chants and cheers. There were spitwads flying at mirrors, resembling a scene from Billy Madison much more so than an office party.
2:30 a.m. Noribong
We sang our hearts out as if we were in the finals of Korean Idol.
3:30 am Apartment
In the convenience store at the bottom of our building, we were busy preparing for the next day by aggressively detoxing the liver. This involves Morning Care, lots of water, and ice cream. Morning Care is a gross drink that Koreans swear will cure your hangover. It tastes like medicine and it costs $4.5o, which is expensive over here. Water is essential when trying to cleanse the body. The ice-cream, well it just sounded good at 3:30 in the morning. This trio of treats was sure to get me off to a good start at 8:30 in the morning. Right?
8:15 a.m Saturday Apartment
Well, a train apparently hit me in my sleep. My trio did nothing to prevent my present condition. Morning Care, just like every other hangover prevention medicine, is a load of dung. This is just what I've heard, I have no experience in this matter. I'll tell you what does work though: McDonald's. It just so happened that the bus was picking us up right in front of a McDonald's. And we ate. I love McDonald's for their breakfasts, and I have never scarfed down a hasbrown as fast as I did that morning. I have for the most part been deprived of great greasy treats, and my condition was less than stellar. After Mickey D's and a little cat nap, I felt good.
10:45: Somewhere on a Mountain
We finally arrived at what was basically a boy scouts camp. Hundreds of Korean cub scouts lined the paths of a pretty Korean hillside. We had a competition between the foreign teachers. Once again Zach was pitted against John, Meg, and myself. It was his academy versus ours. Games included the usual suspects like tug of war and a group jump rope competition. Then there were new games. One game was essentially volleyball with no rules, but a 20 pound ball the size of a full grown midget. Basically a huge ball that was filled with air. It was soft and big. There was no spiking of this ball, in fact, if you tried to hit it with just one hand it would hardly move. That proved to be an embarrassment for me on more than one occasion.
The first time I hit the ball as hard as I could. My arm moved further than the ball, just in the opposite direction, right into another guys face. With his nose bent and a fat lip, Brian hung in there and tried to help the team. We ended up losing this game for a multiple of reasons. Here is a list of excuses why we failed to win:
1) We had three children running around on our side of the court. These were the director's children, so we had to embrace 'em. Zach's team had zero kids.
2) The other side had more men on their side, although half of the team was gay. I am not joking or exaggerating either. Zach works with maybe five homosexual men. That is starting to look like less of an advantage as I sit here typing. Okay, scratch that.
2) My team was hung over. No, that doesn't work either. I'm sure they were hungover as well, this is Korea after all.
Okay they won. Why do I need multiple excuses in the first place? They didn't have any kids. That's it. That's why we lost.
We also lost Jump Rope, and a balloon stomping contest. The balloon contest is where everyone runs around kicking and stomping like madmen. The goal is to pop other peoples balloons, while protecting your own balloons. The balloons are attached below the knee and around the ankle. Everyone has two balloons. I never stomped anybodies balloon. I was horrible. We won tug of war, literally pulling Zach in our direction like a rag doll. We also won another contest, but it's too hard to explain.
To Be Continued
Friday, October 10, 2008
Busy Weekend
I'm finishing up my final week of easy work before the grind begins all over again, but I have some good news. Tonight, we are having another work party. To remind you, here is what they entail.
So expect another boozy filled night of stories, lost in translation moments, and good food. This time we're going out for Sushi and Saki. Should be a blast. I have a camera now, so I'll take lots of pictures. I'm also going to take pics of the classroom and students. This should give you a better understanding of my environment.
On Saturday, every foreign teacher in the entire corporation (10+ schools) is getting the privilege to go on a field trip. The problem is the timing. We have a company party on Friday night, and those get crazy. It starts at 11:30 at night, who knows when it will end. Then we have to wake up by 8:30 a.m. to get to the bus by 9:30 am! Will we make it? I'll put the line at +110, to get some action.* I think this might be some type of cruel joke our big bosses are playing on us.
*Alright am I an addicted gambler? Here are the questions I must ask myself:
Do I have a gambling problem?
You may have a gambling problem if you:
Neglect work or family to gamble
Yes, I am guilty of this. I neglect both work and Meg quite often. I study sports while at work all the time, and then bet at work. That has to be a case of addiction.
Gamble in secret
I do it in the open, right at my office computer.
Lie about how much you gamble
No, I'm open about it. I read on a site that only 1 percent of sports gamblers win over the long run. I have also read how sports betting could be a worthwhile investment. How could only one percent of investors making money be considered a worthwhile investment?
Feel compelled to keep upping your bets
Not yet...
Feel remorse after gambling
Sure! Who likes to lose money? If you didn't feel a touch of remorse, then you don't value money.
Gamble until you’ve spent your last dollar
No. I put 100 dollars in 5 months ago, and I still am playing with that money.
Gamble with money you need to pay bills
Yes, my free rent and lack of automobile payments takes a beating.
Steal, borrow, or sell things to get money for gambling
Yes, I snatch money from Meg's purse everyday.
Dream of the "big win" and what it will buy
Everynight...
Okay, okay, I am not addicted. This stuff is all exaggerated. I would not let myself gamble at work. It's a funny joke, when I lose my original 100 dollars, because it will happen, I will quit.
I did send this message to Tyler though, who asked me about sports betting: "I would highly recommend sports gambling! It is fun, that being said, I think you know that there are some risks associated with it, you laugh now, but have you ever had the gambling hunger, I recommend starting with a small sum of money that you are not afraid to lose and just test the waters." Too bad there wasn't a question on persuading friends.
The field trip will consist of Korean bar-b-que, games, and pottery all taking place at a mountain an hour and a half away. Should be a lot of fun. Zach says he'll be there, his line is +145*. (Zach, in my estimation, has never been up at 8:30 a.m. in his time in Korea.) ((Still up from the night before does not count in this situation.)) Just kidding Big Guy.
*Does making lines on whether someone "no shows" help or hurt my case of addiction?
I'll be back with pictures and stories on Monday.
So expect another boozy filled night of stories, lost in translation moments, and good food. This time we're going out for Sushi and Saki. Should be a blast. I have a camera now, so I'll take lots of pictures. I'm also going to take pics of the classroom and students. This should give you a better understanding of my environment.
On Saturday, every foreign teacher in the entire corporation (10+ schools) is getting the privilege to go on a field trip. The problem is the timing. We have a company party on Friday night, and those get crazy. It starts at 11:30 at night, who knows when it will end. Then we have to wake up by 8:30 a.m. to get to the bus by 9:30 am! Will we make it? I'll put the line at +110, to get some action.* I think this might be some type of cruel joke our big bosses are playing on us.
*Alright am I an addicted gambler? Here are the questions I must ask myself:
Do I have a gambling problem?
You may have a gambling problem if you:
Neglect work or family to gamble
Yes, I am guilty of this. I neglect both work and Meg quite often. I study sports while at work all the time, and then bet at work. That has to be a case of addiction.
Gamble in secret
I do it in the open, right at my office computer.
Lie about how much you gamble
No, I'm open about it. I read on a site that only 1 percent of sports gamblers win over the long run. I have also read how sports betting could be a worthwhile investment. How could only one percent of investors making money be considered a worthwhile investment?
Feel compelled to keep upping your bets
Not yet...
Feel remorse after gambling
Sure! Who likes to lose money? If you didn't feel a touch of remorse, then you don't value money.
Gamble until you’ve spent your last dollar
No. I put 100 dollars in 5 months ago, and I still am playing with that money.
Gamble with money you need to pay bills
Yes, my free rent and lack of automobile payments takes a beating.
Steal, borrow, or sell things to get money for gambling
Yes, I snatch money from Meg's purse everyday.
Dream of the "big win" and what it will buy
Everynight...
Okay, okay, I am not addicted. This stuff is all exaggerated. I would not let myself gamble at work. It's a funny joke, when I lose my original 100 dollars, because it will happen, I will quit.
I did send this message to Tyler though, who asked me about sports betting: "I would highly recommend sports gambling! It is fun, that being said, I think you know that there are some risks associated with it, you laugh now, but have you ever had the gambling hunger, I recommend starting with a small sum of money that you are not afraid to lose and just test the waters." Too bad there wasn't a question on persuading friends.
The field trip will consist of Korean bar-b-que, games, and pottery all taking place at a mountain an hour and a half away. Should be a lot of fun. Zach says he'll be there, his line is +145*. (Zach, in my estimation, has never been up at 8:30 a.m. in his time in Korea.) ((Still up from the night before does not count in this situation.)) Just kidding Big Guy.
*Does making lines on whether someone "no shows" help or hurt my case of addiction?
I'll be back with pictures and stories on Monday.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Interview with Meg part II
1) How is the hiking in Korea?
I absolutely love hiking in Korea. Keep in mind that I have only gone twice, but each time was equally rewarding. Even though there are so many people hiking the same mountain, you have plenty of opportunities to escape and venture off on your own little path. I actually enjoy seeing all of the people. It is such a scenic and cultural experience.
2) What do you think of the Korean hiking outfits?
Wow! They really take their hiking to a whole different level. I was so overwhelmed and felt a little out of place in my jeans and tennis shoes. You have plenty of opportunities to purchase your hiking gear on the way up to the entrance of the mountain. Koreans get fully decked out in hiking boots, hiking pants, shirts, vests (the vest is an essential accessory if you want to be cool), backpacks, hiking canes (two if you are really a pro), gloves, water bottles, blankets, and of course, the makoli (Korean rice wine).
My first impression was that they are being a little bit ridiculous with all of their gear. Deep down inside, I was definitely feeling a bit jealous. I really wanted one of those canes or walking sticks. As I stated earlier, some hikers were sporting two canes. OK, now that is just being selfish!
Next time I hike, I will have to take a picture of some of the hiking gear kiosks. I think the true hikers are addicted to this gear. The hikers who are already decked out are swarming the stands while the kiosk owners start shouting out their limited time offers. It truly is something you have to see with your own eyes.
If you are wondering, yes, I did show up a little more prepared on my second hiking adventure. I went out and purchased an official hiking shirt. I also got some pretty nice track pants as well. Needless to say, I still felt pretty left out that I didn’t have a vest or a hiking cane. I don’t think I will ever purchase anything else hiking related, but I thoroughly enjoy and respect the people who do. Besides, I am way cooler than anybody in my hot pink hiking shirt.
3) How about Makoli?
As I briefly explained, makoli is a traditional Korean rice wine. It is tradition to take a bottle (maybe more than one, I have no idea) up the mountain with you when you hike. I was pretty baffled by the idea of hiking and wine. Honestly, how could I have been so surprised that they cannot even go hiking without a little booze in them??
Personally, I was not too impressed with the taste of makoli. I do not even think I can accurately describe it. I have never tasted anything like it before. It has a bit of a bitter taste, but is definitely easy to get down. I would not be able to drink much of it simply because I just do not care for it. Regardless, I could not have been happier being on top of that boulder, enjoying nature, and sharing a few drinks with Chris.
4) I found it funny that there are so many paved hiking trails, what did you think about the concrete paths?
I think the paths are great. I cannot say I gave them much use because I was enjoying the “off trail” hiking. I noticed that a great majority of hikers are a bit older. For them, the paved paths are essential. It is a great way for those who can no longer frolic around creeks and boulders to still enjoy what the mountain has to offer. I also used the paved paths as a guide to get back to the bottom of the mountain, so I feel they were pretty useful.
5) What is your favorite part?
I think you asked me this question because you know I have a weakness. I can never pick just one favorite thing about an experience!!
The entire day is quite eventful. Your journey begins the moment you leave the subway station. People are selling a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables immediately outside of the station. You are surrounded by hikers and literally have no other option but to go with the flow. Everyone begins their journey up to the mountain entrance, which is a good 25 minute walk from the subway. On the way up, you pass by hundreds of tiny kiosks, all really selling the same exact thing. If you forgot your hiking gear, you will easily find all you need from these street vendors and shops. If you like fish, you are in luck. Every other stand is cooking fresh fish over an open flame. Plenty of tasty treats are available for those who do not care for fish, but fish is definitely the most common.
Once you finally make your way through the hustle and bustle, the journey up the mountain begins. Hikers can pick from two different routes to take. From these two routes, you can find yourself endless paths and trails to take. I love the different scenes you stumble across on your way. For starters, you can expect to randomly stumble upon a rest area/fitness area. Here, you will find people resting to grab a bite to eat, drink some makoli, lift weights, or hula hoop. Yes, I said hula hoop. I also enjoy passing by people picnicking and drinking makoli. Everyone seems so at peace and completely at ease.
The sound of loud steps and chatty voices is a great way to know it is time to head back. Also, a Korean saying “Down” to you is a pretty good sign as well…People begin their descent back down the mountain around 5:30 or so. I am not sure if it is a rule to leave at a certain time, but everyone seems to head back together. I am always sad to head back, but I know my day is not yet complete.
On the way back through the hustle and bustle, you will find all of the hikers enjoying a victory meal along with their soju. Chris and I skip the soju, but we do enjoy our own victory meal. We each get a sausage and a beer. The last time we went hiking, we really did not want a beer. Honestly, all we said was “sausage doogay joosayo”, which literally means “sausage two please bring me.” No one mentioned anything about beer, yet the lady gave Chris and I each a tall, frosty mug filled to the brim with beer. Needless to say, we couldn’t turn it down. Beer or no beer, I love our victory meal. It is great to see everyone laughing, eating, drinking, and feeling accomplished. To sum it up, I love love love hiking in Korea!
*Editor's Note- Here are some ideas for unofficial Korean slogans-
1) "Korea, where every meal comes with alochol, even if you don't want it."
2) "We drink more than the Irish"
I could go on.... but I'll spare you some lame jokes.
Thank You Meg
I absolutely love hiking in Korea. Keep in mind that I have only gone twice, but each time was equally rewarding. Even though there are so many people hiking the same mountain, you have plenty of opportunities to escape and venture off on your own little path. I actually enjoy seeing all of the people. It is such a scenic and cultural experience.
2) What do you think of the Korean hiking outfits?
Wow! They really take their hiking to a whole different level. I was so overwhelmed and felt a little out of place in my jeans and tennis shoes. You have plenty of opportunities to purchase your hiking gear on the way up to the entrance of the mountain. Koreans get fully decked out in hiking boots, hiking pants, shirts, vests (the vest is an essential accessory if you want to be cool), backpacks, hiking canes (two if you are really a pro), gloves, water bottles, blankets, and of course, the makoli (Korean rice wine).
My first impression was that they are being a little bit ridiculous with all of their gear. Deep down inside, I was definitely feeling a bit jealous. I really wanted one of those canes or walking sticks. As I stated earlier, some hikers were sporting two canes. OK, now that is just being selfish!
Next time I hike, I will have to take a picture of some of the hiking gear kiosks. I think the true hikers are addicted to this gear. The hikers who are already decked out are swarming the stands while the kiosk owners start shouting out their limited time offers. It truly is something you have to see with your own eyes.
If you are wondering, yes, I did show up a little more prepared on my second hiking adventure. I went out and purchased an official hiking shirt. I also got some pretty nice track pants as well. Needless to say, I still felt pretty left out that I didn’t have a vest or a hiking cane. I don’t think I will ever purchase anything else hiking related, but I thoroughly enjoy and respect the people who do. Besides, I am way cooler than anybody in my hot pink hiking shirt.
3) How about Makoli?
As I briefly explained, makoli is a traditional Korean rice wine. It is tradition to take a bottle (maybe more than one, I have no idea) up the mountain with you when you hike. I was pretty baffled by the idea of hiking and wine. Honestly, how could I have been so surprised that they cannot even go hiking without a little booze in them??
Personally, I was not too impressed with the taste of makoli. I do not even think I can accurately describe it. I have never tasted anything like it before. It has a bit of a bitter taste, but is definitely easy to get down. I would not be able to drink much of it simply because I just do not care for it. Regardless, I could not have been happier being on top of that boulder, enjoying nature, and sharing a few drinks with Chris.
4) I found it funny that there are so many paved hiking trails, what did you think about the concrete paths?
I think the paths are great. I cannot say I gave them much use because I was enjoying the “off trail” hiking. I noticed that a great majority of hikers are a bit older. For them, the paved paths are essential. It is a great way for those who can no longer frolic around creeks and boulders to still enjoy what the mountain has to offer. I also used the paved paths as a guide to get back to the bottom of the mountain, so I feel they were pretty useful.
5) What is your favorite part?
I think you asked me this question because you know I have a weakness. I can never pick just one favorite thing about an experience!!
The entire day is quite eventful. Your journey begins the moment you leave the subway station. People are selling a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables immediately outside of the station. You are surrounded by hikers and literally have no other option but to go with the flow. Everyone begins their journey up to the mountain entrance, which is a good 25 minute walk from the subway. On the way up, you pass by hundreds of tiny kiosks, all really selling the same exact thing. If you forgot your hiking gear, you will easily find all you need from these street vendors and shops. If you like fish, you are in luck. Every other stand is cooking fresh fish over an open flame. Plenty of tasty treats are available for those who do not care for fish, but fish is definitely the most common.
Once you finally make your way through the hustle and bustle, the journey up the mountain begins. Hikers can pick from two different routes to take. From these two routes, you can find yourself endless paths and trails to take. I love the different scenes you stumble across on your way. For starters, you can expect to randomly stumble upon a rest area/fitness area. Here, you will find people resting to grab a bite to eat, drink some makoli, lift weights, or hula hoop. Yes, I said hula hoop. I also enjoy passing by people picnicking and drinking makoli. Everyone seems so at peace and completely at ease.
The sound of loud steps and chatty voices is a great way to know it is time to head back. Also, a Korean saying “Down” to you is a pretty good sign as well…People begin their descent back down the mountain around 5:30 or so. I am not sure if it is a rule to leave at a certain time, but everyone seems to head back together. I am always sad to head back, but I know my day is not yet complete.
On the way back through the hustle and bustle, you will find all of the hikers enjoying a victory meal along with their soju. Chris and I skip the soju, but we do enjoy our own victory meal. We each get a sausage and a beer. The last time we went hiking, we really did not want a beer. Honestly, all we said was “sausage doogay joosayo”, which literally means “sausage two please bring me.” No one mentioned anything about beer, yet the lady gave Chris and I each a tall, frosty mug filled to the brim with beer. Needless to say, we couldn’t turn it down. Beer or no beer, I love our victory meal. It is great to see everyone laughing, eating, drinking, and feeling accomplished. To sum it up, I love love love hiking in Korea!
*Editor's Note- Here are some ideas for unofficial Korean slogans-
1) "Korea, where every meal comes with alochol, even if you don't want it."
2) "We drink more than the Irish"
I could go on.... but I'll spare you some lame jokes.
Thank You Meg
Hiking
Alright, I'm trying to learn how to have a slide show so everything will be so nice and tidy, but I can't figure it out. For right now, I'll just have to post a lot of pictures like this.
Journal Edition
I live under constant shade. Not the shade from a weeping willow or a tall oak tree, but shade from multi story buildings. Nature is non-existent in such a large city. There are trees on the side of the road, a couple of months ago I heard some locusts, and now there are small mosquitoes, but that is about it. This concrete jungle inspired us to go hiking. We have now gone twice, and it's safe to assume that it is one our favorite things to do.
We take the subway north for about an hour to get there, practically spitting distance from the dark side, North Korea.* From there we walk about 25 minutes in crowded pathways toward the mountain. The hiking trails, just like the beaches of Korea, are extremely crowded. People everywhere! This defiantly takes away the enjoyment of the great outdoors. Solitude, beauty, nature aren't in the same category as over dressed Koreans. 
Oh, how other cultures can
Oh, how other cultures canbe so alien at times. Korean hikers get geared up for hiking like they are about to embark on climbing Everest. That's fine, but when it is 70 degrees outside, and your hiking on a paved path at a very manageable grade it just seems a bit excessive. Put away your damn walking stick! They are all walking advertisements for North Face and Columbia.
*On a serious note, my associate director just informed me that China has been claiming more of the historic Baekdu mountain through various means. She thinks that North Korea might be getting paid to let some of it happen. This makes sense since North Korea is so poor. The government could use that money to feed it's population or buy more plutonium instead. Whatever.
This is somber news, because South Korea has no control over that mountain which lies on the boarder of China and North Korea. It is a prized Korean possession, and the largest mountain on the Korean peninsula. The mountain is seeped in Korean history.
Being the rebel that I am, Meg and I hopped off on every side path we could fine, most of the time we blatantly ignored the koala bear sign with his hands held up in a stop position. Hiking is getting dirty, which is hard to do when traversing pavement. We ended up having a great time hiking along rocks, creeks, and even some trees! It was so memorable. I have always thought that the best time of any of my trips have been the nature excursions, and Korea has not been an exception. I loved it!
It also inspired this short semi autobiographical story, that I'll finish maybe tomorrow, maybe never.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Won Update
I don't know if anyone cares about this kind of stuff, but I really find it interesting. Check out the won free fall. It's amazing, I might be stuck over here due to the fact the won is worth zilch.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
The Beer
Let me start off by saying, I never have drank a beer that I haven't liked. Oh sure, I might say Stag is awful, or Coors light tastes like water, or PBR stands for Probably Bull uRine, but I like them. If I was stranded on an island and I had to choose between those beers and no beers, I would choose those beers. And yes, that collection would have me salivating like Pavlov's dog, or a parched hick at the Indy 500.
Korean beer is worse than those beers. It's more water like than any of those beers. Europeans and other beer enthusiasts (snobs) often say that the vast majority of American beer is water. (I may or may not agree, but that is neither here or there) They need to come to Korea, because this beer is WATER! These beers are light and airy. That being said, you would think that I would just stick to mixed drinks or import beers. If you thought that you would be WRONG!* Korean beer is cheap, and I follow The Simple Economic Rule to a T: If the price is low, then the demand is high, and if the price is high, well I'll stay the hell away.
The price of import is high, while the price of Korean alcohol is low. Soju, (remember 20% ALC, tastes like watered down vodka, and costs one dollar for a pint of it) Korean beer (one dollar), and Korean wine (one dollar) are very cheap. Those are all convenient store prices in case you were wondering.
*There are many business ideas that come into my head over here. The best one yet might be a Small brewery/pub/restaurant idea. I love these joints. It would be similar to a Flat Branch/Freestate/75th street brewery place.** Here is why it would work:
** I have never used that many slashes in my life...combined...including 3rd grade when the math curriculum centered around division.
1) The amount of foreign teachers coming to Korea to teach English is increasing.
2) Koreans love the majority of things associated with America and the western world.
3) Half of the Korean population could be considered alcoholics.
4) The lack of quality beer in Korea
5) I came up with it, how could it not succeed?
Idea number 2- Transplant El Rancho right in the heart of Seoul. El Rancho is fabulous, greasy, sloppy, Mexican food. It dominates the late night food options of Columbia Missouri. It is authentic Tex/Mex. (that probably gets a hyphen, but I'm on a roll with the slash) All the employees are from across the boarder, and they may or may not have green cards, but they can roll a burrito the size of your head in a matter of seconds.
Why it would work:
1) There is a real lack of quality Mexican food in Korea. Any Korean attempts at Mexican food are poor. They have a franchise Mexican chain that is pretty good, serving small portions of over-priced food. Really, pretty good in the sense that it is Mexican food in Korea. Beggars can not be choosers.
2) They don't have Taco Bell
3) If you get the Mexican Crew to sign up for this transplant experiment, you would get one of the world's highest quality workforce (at least North America's right?) to sell many big burritos. Why this would work: it's not like the majority of the workers at El Rancho can speak or read English anyway, so I imagine they could be equally adept fumbling around with the Korean language. There's no difference!
4) Same as the above number 5
What was I talking about again? Oh right, Mackju. Korean beer is called Mackju. It's cheap but not that good, but it beats paying 8 dollars for a Guinness. Budweiser is pretty prevalent in Korea, but I try and stay away. I don't like large, looming conglomerates and InBev OWNS the worldwide beer market, including Korea's water beer. There is only one large beer company in Korea that is not owned by InBev, and that's my beer of choice.
InBev, a Belgium company, bought Budweiser a couple of months ago. As John put it, "I thought Budweiser would buy Belgium." I try and refrain from buying InBev products because, hell that is what a consumer is supposed to do when having an objection with a company. I know it won't matter to InBev, who bought an icon of America, an icon of my state. So my beer of choice is HITE, Korean beer water not associated with the global machine InBev. As of writing this blog InBev does not own HITE, that could of changed in the minutes I've spent writing this.
Korean beer is worse than those beers. It's more water like than any of those beers. Europeans and other beer enthusiasts (snobs) often say that the vast majority of American beer is water. (I may or may not agree, but that is neither here or there) They need to come to Korea, because this beer is WATER! These beers are light and airy. That being said, you would think that I would just stick to mixed drinks or import beers. If you thought that you would be WRONG!* Korean beer is cheap, and I follow The Simple Economic Rule to a T: If the price is low, then the demand is high, and if the price is high, well I'll stay the hell away.
The price of import is high, while the price of Korean alcohol is low. Soju, (remember 20% ALC, tastes like watered down vodka, and costs one dollar for a pint of it) Korean beer (one dollar), and Korean wine (one dollar) are very cheap. Those are all convenient store prices in case you were wondering.
*There are many business ideas that come into my head over here. The best one yet might be a Small brewery/pub/restaurant idea. I love these joints. It would be similar to a Flat Branch/Freestate/75th street brewery place.** Here is why it would work:
** I have never used that many slashes in my life...combined...including 3rd grade when the math curriculum centered around division.
1) The amount of foreign teachers coming to Korea to teach English is increasing.
2) Koreans love the majority of things associated with America and the western world.
3) Half of the Korean population could be considered alcoholics.
4) The lack of quality beer in Korea
5) I came up with it, how could it not succeed?
Idea number 2- Transplant El Rancho right in the heart of Seoul. El Rancho is fabulous, greasy, sloppy, Mexican food. It dominates the late night food options of Columbia Missouri. It is authentic Tex/Mex. (that probably gets a hyphen, but I'm on a roll with the slash) All the employees are from across the boarder, and they may or may not have green cards, but they can roll a burrito the size of your head in a matter of seconds.
Why it would work:
1) There is a real lack of quality Mexican food in Korea. Any Korean attempts at Mexican food are poor. They have a franchise Mexican chain that is pretty good, serving small portions of over-priced food. Really, pretty good in the sense that it is Mexican food in Korea. Beggars can not be choosers.
2) They don't have Taco Bell
3) If you get the Mexican Crew to sign up for this transplant experiment, you would get one of the world's highest quality workforce (at least North America's right?) to sell many big burritos. Why this would work: it's not like the majority of the workers at El Rancho can speak or read English anyway, so I imagine they could be equally adept fumbling around with the Korean language. There's no difference!
4) Same as the above number 5
What was I talking about again? Oh right, Mackju. Korean beer is called Mackju. It's cheap but not that good, but it beats paying 8 dollars for a Guinness. Budweiser is pretty prevalent in Korea, but I try and stay away. I don't like large, looming conglomerates and InBev OWNS the worldwide beer market, including Korea's water beer. There is only one large beer company in Korea that is not owned by InBev, and that's my beer of choice.
InBev, a Belgium company, bought Budweiser a couple of months ago. As John put it, "I thought Budweiser would buy Belgium." I try and refrain from buying InBev products because, hell that is what a consumer is supposed to do when having an objection with a company. I know it won't matter to InBev, who bought an icon of America, an icon of my state. So my beer of choice is HITE, Korean beer water not associated with the global machine InBev. As of writing this blog InBev does not own HITE, that could of changed in the minutes I've spent writing this.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
I'm getting back to Writting
I'm ending my hiatus from writing real posts. I'm back in the saddle. Okay, to fill you in on the last couple of weeks is simple. I spend most of my time searching the Internet. Half of my time is spent on sports websites*, and the other half is spent reading the news. The news was so depressing, all I wanted to write about was how the world is going to kill itself, how the dollar will collapse, how Sarah Palin** looks more like an "American pageant contestant" than a Vice President Candidate or more like the "VP of the school board" than the VP of the United States. Basically, I was reading a lot of doom and gloom for our country, which is very depressing.
*About five months ago, I put 100 dollars into a sports betting account. I dubbed this "entertainment" the first sign of an addiction. In five months, I have built the 100 dollar "entertainment into $325. I'm not great at it, but I'm pretty consistent. I can see why gambling can be dangerous, especially when you're winning. Secondly, anything that has a sub language is dangerous. Drugs, for example, have a language all to themselves. Here is some of the slang in the drug world. Sports betting is no different, complete with words upon words that a layman would not understand. I know this is an addictive endeavor, because the language is a dead give away. I'll monitor my status for a week to see if I'm addicted to gambling or not, based on the signs of this website.
** Sarah Palin is great, if just for the fact that Tina Fey can spoof her. What an uncanny resemblance. I can't tell a difference!
Then the house vetoed the 700 billion dollar Bailout plan, and I regained some hope. With that little silver of hope, I have decided to spilt my time between sports websites, and watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia via the website surfthechannel.com. (which illegally allows you to access thousands of TV shows) Apparently, all I needed was a little Charley Day in my life, because I got the bug to write again. No more doom and gloom!
North Korea has started up their nuclear program once again, after disabling for relief. They want to be taken off the Axis of Evil list or the Terror Whathaveyou List, but Washington wants to see more progress first. Whatever, I am not a diplomat, I don't care. Just realize I am less than 100 miles from an arsenal of weapons that could turn Seoul into a lake of fire. I have never been more scared in my life (maybe a slight hyperbole) than when I saw fighter jet after fighter jet fly by heading north. It felt like I was out a scene from Independence Day. I was sure Will Smith was up there winking at me from his cockpit, telling me everything would be alright.
This was just a Lazy Sunday mind you, just a pleasant weekend afternoon, yet I knew Armageddon was upon us. Why would ten to fifteen US fighter jets be heading north? What part of Seoul is burning to the ground? Every Korean was looking up to the sky as well, which did not help relieve any of the tension in my mind. I was a deer in headlights wondering what to do.
"What should we do Meg? Should we take the subway South, maybe down there we can avoid all the potential nuclear fallout. Do subways make good bomb shelters? I know the London subway protected the Queen during World War II. Hey, if it's good enough for royalty it's good enough for us. We'll need some sort of a shank, we'll probably have to resort to cannibalism down there. I expect everyone to head underground. Don't worry, you'll be safe. If the bombs turn everyone into Zombies... well, we'll cross that bridge when it comes. " Those were the frantic thoughts spewing forth from my mind. You think crazy now, but have you ever been that close to imminent death?
My thoughts were calmed mere minutes later when Meg remembered that there was an Air Show at one of the military bases in Seoul. A calming sensation ran through my body, yet it was tainted with fear because this situation could happen at any moment. Aw, living a life in fear is never the way to live, I say that as I look at the homemade shank on my desk. Better safe than sorry!
Man, writing is your mood put on paper or in this case blog. After watching three back-to-back episodes of my new favorite sitcom ever, I feel as crazy as Charley. Most of what I said is all joking of course, but how would you like to live under the world's fifth largest standing army and this guy:
*About five months ago, I put 100 dollars into a sports betting account. I dubbed this "entertainment" the first sign of an addiction. In five months, I have built the 100 dollar "entertainment into $325. I'm not great at it, but I'm pretty consistent. I can see why gambling can be dangerous, especially when you're winning. Secondly, anything that has a sub language is dangerous. Drugs, for example, have a language all to themselves. Here is some of the slang in the drug world. Sports betting is no different, complete with words upon words that a layman would not understand. I know this is an addictive endeavor, because the language is a dead give away. I'll monitor my status for a week to see if I'm addicted to gambling or not, based on the signs of this website.
** Sarah Palin is great, if just for the fact that Tina Fey can spoof her. What an uncanny resemblance. I can't tell a difference!
Then the house vetoed the 700 billion dollar Bailout plan, and I regained some hope. With that little silver of hope, I have decided to spilt my time between sports websites, and watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia via the website surfthechannel.com. (which illegally allows you to access thousands of TV shows) Apparently, all I needed was a little Charley Day in my life, because I got the bug to write again. No more doom and gloom!
North Korea has started up their nuclear program once again, after disabling for relief. They want to be taken off the Axis of Evil list or the Terror Whathaveyou List, but Washington wants to see more progress first. Whatever, I am not a diplomat, I don't care. Just realize I am less than 100 miles from an arsenal of weapons that could turn Seoul into a lake of fire. I have never been more scared in my life (maybe a slight hyperbole) than when I saw fighter jet after fighter jet fly by heading north. It felt like I was out a scene from Independence Day. I was sure Will Smith was up there winking at me from his cockpit, telling me everything would be alright.
This was just a Lazy Sunday mind you, just a pleasant weekend afternoon, yet I knew Armageddon was upon us. Why would ten to fifteen US fighter jets be heading north? What part of Seoul is burning to the ground? Every Korean was looking up to the sky as well, which did not help relieve any of the tension in my mind. I was a deer in headlights wondering what to do.
"What should we do Meg? Should we take the subway South, maybe down there we can avoid all the potential nuclear fallout. Do subways make good bomb shelters? I know the London subway protected the Queen during World War II. Hey, if it's good enough for royalty it's good enough for us. We'll need some sort of a shank, we'll probably have to resort to cannibalism down there. I expect everyone to head underground. Don't worry, you'll be safe. If the bombs turn everyone into Zombies... well, we'll cross that bridge when it comes. " Those were the frantic thoughts spewing forth from my mind. You think crazy now, but have you ever been that close to imminent death?
My thoughts were calmed mere minutes later when Meg remembered that there was an Air Show at one of the military bases in Seoul. A calming sensation ran through my body, yet it was tainted with fear because this situation could happen at any moment. Aw, living a life in fear is never the way to live, I say that as I look at the homemade shank on my desk. Better safe than sorry!
Man, writing is your mood put on paper or in this case blog. After watching three back-to-back episodes of my new favorite sitcom ever, I feel as crazy as Charley. Most of what I said is all joking of course, but how would you like to live under the world's fifth largest standing army and this guy:
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