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.....