Happy New Year!

12/31/06

Here's a sweet dragon car (that totes sightseers around) I took a picture of today while walking around the Suwon Fortress. It's an enormous guard wall that stretches around a portion of Suwon, a suburb to the south of Seoul. I don't really know why the wall was constructed, nor do i really care. I do know i had enough time left in the day to walk half of it and i plan to go back and take more pictures soon. The area, about an hour+ sub ride from Suyu (my suburb), has a lot of neat things and i even saw a mexican restaurant i plan on trying out.

On the way home I stopped in Jonggak to get a book and there were firework vendors on the streets shooting their products up in the air. Apparently everyone likes colorful explosions. Not feeling great and had a few drinks last night with my high school friend, Jeff Potter, so I probably wont be going out. A calm night in for the New Years. I know i've been dissapointed since high school about how new year's parties go. It always feels like it's a big build up to a big let down. Perhaps i'm hoping for something that doesn't exist. Wish i knew what that was. Hasta

kc

First Sticky Snow

12.19.06

This is what it looked like a few days ago when i woke up. Now most of it is gone or slinking around in those parts of the city that are shadowed all day. It's encouraging for a white christmas, though. Haven't seen one of those in the last several trips around the sun.

kc

12.14.06

Tried to post this once then accidentally deleted it. Here it is again with less text, which is probably better for all involved...

kc

Andy Warhol

12/10/06

Today we went to Insadong. It's a touristy strip of shops that is fun to walk through. It's mildly humorous that a lot of the stuff in Korea says "made in China", too. There was an Andy Warhol tribute thing there where people who had made similar art posted in the little area. These odd looking blokes are a few of the pieces. Sitting next to them is my new roommate, David (aka So Cal). Behind him you can see blue umbrellas hanging from wires that were painted to look like a lightly cloudy sky. Not a big Warhol fan, but some of the stuff was kind of neat. Got some chicken on a stick (roughly shishkabob) which was really good.

This coming weekend we have the school's New Years Eve party. Two weeks early. Not really sure why we can't have it closer to the actual new year, but whatever. Free food and drinks are not something i scoff at. Not too much else new. Learning the language slowly, but with progress here and there. Or 'yogi' and 'chogi', to speak in Hangul (Korean). Figuring out the names of all the foods i like. The dumplings are great. Fried. Boiled. Whatever. Christmas is coming soon, obviously, and i've got all the gifts for the folks. Gotta put them in the mail tomorrow. That's it for now,

kc

First Snow

11.30.06

The first snow flakes of winter fell this morning in seoul. Shop keepers swept the trees' leftover leaves into yellow piles on the street so sidewalks would retain their muted colors - shades that don't steal attention from bright, new winter coat window displays and shiny sale signs....

Happy Thanksgiving

11.26.06

I'm a few days off for wishing anyone 'Happy Thanksgiving', but we didn't even have the meal until last night, so i guess it fits. The dinner was delicious! I didn't think a Korean Thanksgiving would be good, but the cooks did a spectacular job. Kudos to them. I pulled my usual stint of hovering directly over the turkey, dressing and rolls, devouring anything and everything i was allowed to.

I realize the picture above isn't really Thanksgiving appropriate, but i like it. That's my Boston roommate, Rob. Also, i didn't end up taking many thanksgiving pictures. I was too food oriented. Sad to see my Brittish roommate leave this week, but he'll be coming back to Seoul to teach more (at some other school) in a few months.

I have a video of several of us in the street the other night kicking a soccer ball. I'm in the middle of trying to get Youtube.com to send me a confirmation email so I can upload it... Wierd game, though. There was a machine on the street with a soccer ball attached to it. For the equivalent of a dollar, you would get about 10 kicks and after each kick it would rank the strength of your kick in points. They should have these machines in every bar district. Incredibly fun.

kc

November ECC Retreat

11.12.06

This weekend we had an ECC retreat somewhere North East of Seoul. About two hours away by bus. We played soccer, tug-0f-war, kick ball, had a jump rope contest and a team vs team chicken fight. The food was great. Saturday night, the boss provided copious amounts of alcohol, as is apparantly Korean culture, and everyone loosened up a bit. {retty good group of people, I work with. Today we rode ATVs. It would've been fun but we had to follow guides and never really got to let loose. After that, we drove back and had a very nice meal in Seoul that the boss covered (roughly $32 per person). I'm incredibly sore and tired, but very glad i went. Successful weekend, to be sure.

Winter is starting to settle in. I've already gotten to wear a scarf several days. Nice. My britt roomy moves out in half a month and then we're inheriting someone else. We're trying to have that someone else be a guy already here named David who currently lives alone. Another Monday tomorrow, but the weeks are all starting to truck along a little faster. By December I'll have been here 3 months. A fourth of my tenure. All for now,

kc

ps - posted some new pics

Halloween

10.31.06

Halloween. In Korea. Odd, for sure. They don't celebrate it, generally. Some of the bars had costume partys last weekend, but definitely not all. Teachers at English Hagwons (private schools) had to dress up, so i went as the terminator. My Brittish roommate went as a zebra and got some funny looks from people on the street. We're already the odd-men out and then he went and did something like that. Posted some pictures from the school version of Halloween on the flickr site. If you have an account on Facebook.com, i have a much more exstensive photo collection there.

Not too much new. We got a Popeye's about ten minutes from our house now, though. Rock. We found the market where everyone sells anything and everything (and usually for dirt cheap) last weekend. We may head back this weekend to see if there are any deals to be had. Had a full-band practice with a few members from my school at a rehearsal space last weekend. Definitely not the next 'thing', but it was fun to attempt some music. I had more to say earlier, but now i cant think of it. Bummer....

kc

Old Friends

10.16.06

That's what our kitchen looks like sometimes. The little yellow thing off on the right of the sink is a rice cooker. Awesome. Should have 'em in the states, but they run a pretty buck or two (i.e. are fairly expensive). I inherited this one from Mike, a fellow who left at the end of September. I saw a friend i haven't seen since college last weekend - Jeff Potter. He's been here 4+ years. It was good to see him and I plan on spending quite a bit more time with him.

Other potential interesting tidbits - a girl from school bought a football and when we were throwing it last night, three different people stopped (for multiple minutes each) to watch us throw. Not a whole lot of football here, apparantly. I tried pig intestines today at lunch. My recommendation? Don't do the same. Bowling is very cheap here. Played thursday and friday night with a mix of western and korean teachers. About $6.20 for shoes and two games per person. Not to mention, the machine that gives you your shoes spits them out after you deposit two coins in the machine with your size. Very neat. That's all

kc

Chu-Sok

10.9.06

The Chu-Sok holiday ends today and we start teaching again tomorrow. From what i understand, it's the equivalent of Thanksgiving. Didn't do too much this week and i enjoyed every not-doing bit of it. Explored the city a little (saw the river) and designed several poor album covers for the upcoming oddibe cd. Also learned a little more korean. I can now say things like "don't mention it", "okay", "to the left", "to the right", "soon", "quickly", "slowly" and a few others. I'm obviously dominating the language at this point. Published poetry works in korean soon to come. The picture above is fairly self-explanatory. And probably far more interesting than me typing words about it. Hasta

kc

Meditation

10.01.06

Rob, my roommate, and I walked to the buddhist temple today. I wanted to see what the deal was with meditating there - open to anyone? We happened in just as an english session was starting so we sat in and did a chanting meditation for thirty minutes and then listened to the presiding monk tell stories and answer questions. Very nice. I expect I'll be there more often now. On the way there we passed a tiny little dog that seemed too confused or worried to bark at us. That's the little guy up above this text....

kc

ps - i should mention that i now have the ability to acquire refried beans. They're between 2 and 3.50 a can, but it's worth it. And it's worth the forty minute subway trek to itaewan to get them, too. I've made nachos and fajita quesadillas all week. Home away from home.... ahh....

Palace Visit

9.17.06

We visited a palace in a part of Seoul today that i wont butcher by trying to reproduce here. Fun. We watched a changing of the guard, a king's escort, and had a good laugh at the fake beards the twenty-something guards had pasted to their chins.

Afterwards, we walked down a street in Insadong that's covered in touristy shops and restaurants. We sampled foods from a few of the various and very present street vendors. There's a lot of that here. I suppose people like to snack and/or eat on the go.

I'm learning some of the names of foods i like and I'm feeling that I might be able to venture alone into a restaurant soon. Have some new pics on the link. Can only upload so many a month, though, which is kind of a bummer. Will have to find a better site or settle for only so many pictures. Have got to get moving on some oddibe artwork. Am such a procrastinator. That said, expect big things from me towards the end of life. Right.

kc

Oddities

9.12.06

Happy birthday, mom.

There are a lot of bizzare things here - naturally, as I'm a foreigner. However, some of these things defy logic. For example:

no one really uses paper towels. At work, in restaurants, people use either beverage napkins or toilet paper. This sucks when cleaning a spill or wanting to quickly and effeciently wipe your hands and/or face.

There are literally hundreds of karaoke bars between my apartment and work. If you've seen Lost in Translation, there's a karaoke part. Apparantly that's one of the 'in' things.

People wear the strangest things. Koreans really like t-shirts with English writing. Almost as often as not, however, there are misspellings and phrases that make virtually no sense. We keep trying to photograph them, but it's a difficult thing to do discreetly. Also, fashion spans several decades and is mixed and matched without hesitation. I saw a girl with a denim hat on the subway the other day. Really.

People are constantly running into each other and getting in each other's way in the city and in crowded stores. This, however, is countered by the fact that no one seems to get upset. Everyone apparantly brushes off rather easily. Either that or this country harbors the one of the most intense internal rages of our generation.

Too Many Pictures for Not-Me's

9.10.06

Here's what it looks like out my window when it rains. Well, I've posted more photos. I doubt I'll say when I'm posting more photos from here on out, since I expect I will put copious amounts of pictures on the internet. Maybe if I'm really excited about a particular batch. Anyway, have a go if you like. I've got a link to my photos on the right under the picture of myself. Played Texas Hold 'em tonight. I'm out. They're still going. I wonder if Texas really has a hand in working out this version of poker. Dunno. Last night we went to a novelty club called the Ice Bar. You wear a parka and it is entirely ice inside the bar. We didn't stay that long. Don't assume anyone does or would even want to. Fun for the brief part of the evening it was, anyway....

Pictures Available for $2000 Won (aka two bucks)

9.6.06

a few pictures availabe for absolutely free viewing. Well, costs only your time and perhaps a minute amount of attention:

http://flickr.com/photos/78812807@N00/sets/72157594271660048/

Life As Usual

9.5.06

A week can sure help make a place feel more like home. I can read a bit now. The language is very simple and a gaggle of words, once you sound them out, are English words phonetically translated. This weekend was good. I walked around the city a little and saw a buddhist temple (the picture above is of that). I sorted out the Subway system and can now confidently get anywhere in the city that way. We went to Costco and bought some American goods (but God forsake it all, there are no refried beans!!). We went to the electronics district and bought some necessaries. I've taken some pictures, but not enough good ones to get an album going on a website or anything yet. Perhaps after this weekend. All for now....

Panoramic Living Room Balcony View

9.1.06

Room with a View

9.1.06

Okay, now things are taking shape. I'm in my apartment, finally, and I have a transformer box that allows me to use my electronic equipment. I can take pictures and put them on the computer, make music, etc... Above is a picture of my view I took minutes ago. My room is remarkably small, but I kind of like it. After the tiny motel, I was prepared for a small room. I have my own personal balcony (a little different than US style balconies, though) and the place is nice enough. Today I start classes. More news at 11.....

A Foot on Foreign Soil

8.28.06

Dear God,

Good one, chief. You forgot to turn off the sun and it was on the whole way to Korea. No matter. I managed to sleep enough despite the inconvenience and landed safely on the other side of the world. My two biggest concerns seem to be finding plug adapters for my electronic-device minions and hoping I can communicate enough in food establishments. I'll be in a hotel for the next few days until a few of the dudes move out I'm going to replace. I will take some pictures. Have you quit smoking yet?

Good-bye, Oz

8.13.06

Oz, my ex-cat, is in good hands with a high school friend, Deeter. Oz now has two human roommates, a cat named rueben, two dogs, and a whole house to contend with rather than one hermit-esque owner in an efficiency apt. I think he'll do okay. He's pretty resilient and seems to take to most anyone. As any decent relationship ends, it was sad to see him go - although, I wont mind the lack of neediness around the apt before I leave. I will miss his good moods and laid-back attitude. Hard to get that cat upset. I'm scheduled to leave within two weeks. A dramatic life change. It's definitely going to be something.

Decided

7.30.06

Well, I've decided to go. And to keep this blog, which is silly. A blog is a public diary. Who wants to read a 'public' diary?! They're only fun if someone doesn't want you to read it. That said, I don't expect many visitors aside from family and a few friends. Mainly myself, just like what my myspace pages were created for. I find out my flight info and roommate situation this Thursday. I have my music gear and my camera and video equipment on standby....

kc

Deciding

7.13.06

I am still deciding if I'm going. I've given myself until next Friday to decide. I keep hoping for some sign from God (or next of kin), but I don't expect it will happen. I'm sure I will just have to make up my mind and accept the consequences of either action. C'est la vie, n'est pas? Either way, I will continue living and will die when my time comes, like everyone else. And in the end, shouldn't I have some fun, seeing as no one one hundred years from now will have the slightest clue of who I was?