Climbing a mountain, indoor version.

So I decided to get out tonight since it's Friday. Well, technically, if you've been reading along you know I was supposed to have choir practice tonight. I walked down to the church and it was full of people listening to a guest priest talk. I saw my friend Hwan Jo's dad and sat beside him. Using a combination of facial gestures, his cell phone's calendar and my cell phone's dictionary, he silently told me that choir practice was canceled this week. So now I had no plans.

I took a taxi to Mega Mart and walked around there for a bit, to see if they had any Christmas decorations for sale yet. They're slowly starting to bring them out, so maybe I'll go down there again next weekend and pick up a small tree and some lights for the apartment. Speaking of next week things, last week I went to ETLand, an electronics store. They promosied me that they would have the iPod Touch in stock next week, which is now this week. Conveniently, ETLand is right next to Mega Mart, so I strolled in, only to be told that the Touch isn't going to arrive until December 16th or so. I don't know if this is a sign that I should order one online or if this is a sign that I don't really need one at all.

Anyway, I was already halfway downtown by this point, so I took a cab to Hyundai Department Store. Assuming they closed at 9 (it was 8:30), I went in and took the escalator to the second floor. Then, abruptly, the escalator stopped. "Hm," I thought. "I guess they shut the escalator down half an hour before the store closes. I'll just walk up the rest of the way." Big mistake. By the time I got up to the sixth floor where the iPods were, I was about to die. It was like climbing a mountain, part two, this time in public and wearing a winter coat. I arrived to a deserted electronics section. There were a few guys in suits over by the big screen tvs, but I don't know if they were employees or what. At this point I noticed there were dust covers over everything. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe the department store doesn't close at nine.

I was wrong. The department store closed at 8:30.

So anyway, in no shape to mount the escalator for a manual descent, I looked for the elevator. Finding it, I was dismayed to discover it was not functioning, it being after store hours. Frantically looking for an alternative to climbing down the escalator from the 6th floor of an empty department store, someone asked, in English (!) if I needed any help. Luckily, the 6th floor manager was walking around and spotted me. He took me to the employee elevator and rode it down too the ground floor with me. Then some Korean girls (who were simply amazed that I knew any Korean at all) talked with me for awhile and gave me directions to Bennigans. I knew where Bennigan's was, but it was a nice gesture nonetheless. We said goodbye, I walked for about a block, stepped inside a Paris Baguette for a pastry to fortify myself, and took a taxi home.

Not a bad Friday night. Sure beats sitting at home.

Results of the first experiment--subject is a hopeless failure.

I lasted about thirty minutes last night in my quest to not become a screen zombie. Part of the problem is that the view out of my apartment window isn't as much scenic as it is facing the side wall of the apartment building beside me. There's only so long I could look at the posters on my walls before I just had to get on the internet. Oh well. I accept my defeat.

Tonight is my first choir practice at church. Should be interesting.

Nothing like a little K-Fed talk in the morning...

One of my little joys in life is talking to one of the office girls via the school's IM client every day. Here is a transcript of one of our recent chats. Unfortunately, you have to read from the bottom up. I've also changed her name, so no stalking! ;)

자님이 보낸글 >>
That is , a good father

John님이 보낸글 >>
Ah, I see. He is not a good father?

자님이 보낸글 >>
He is a merciless demand to brittney spears.

John님이 보낸글 >>
why?

자님이 보낸글 >>
I think a bad man.

John님이 보낸글 >>
k-fed = Kevin Federline

자님이 보낸글 >>
k-fed ?? What mean??

John님이 보낸글 >>
what about k-fed?

자님이 보낸글 >>
I remember . She's exacting.
Paparazzi always picks on her.

John님이 보낸글 >>
Remember when she shaved her head? Why did she do that?

자님이 보낸글 >>
Take pity on brittney spears. Not crazy.

John님이 보낸글 >>
i dont think brittney spears is dignified any more. she is crazy!

자님이 보낸글 >>
She's a dignified appearance, Good~


John님이 보낸글 >>
i think every korean girl likes brittney spears and beyonce ^^

자님이 보낸글 >>
like a Korean girl????

John님이 보낸글 >>
You sound like a Korean girl ^^

자 님이 보낸글 >>
Britney Spears, Beyonce , Ne-Yo(Shaffer Chimere Smith)

John님이 보낸글 >>
do you have a favorite american singer or band?

I'm a screen zombie.

I need to get away from the screen. What screen? All of them. Television, computer, you name it. Since coming to Korea, whenever I'm not teaching, I'm usually in front of my laptop (at school) or my television (at home). This can't be good for my eyes. I've got to find something to do to make my eyes relax. I think tonight I'm just going to go home, lie down, turn off the lights, and put on some music. No screen time tonight. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

In the meantime, why don't you read Azreal's (of Gaijin Smash fame) editorial on his quest to overcome the dreaded screen zombine syndrome.

OLPC

I've never found a way to accurately describe what a waste of time, effort, and resources the OLPC (one laptop per child) project is. Luckily, someone summed up my feelings in a comic.

It's Desert Bus for Charity!

I went to these guys' website to check it out--it's super cool how you can watch both a live stream from their house and the "bus cam." Watch and donate (if you're so inclined) at desertbus.org!

This article says they will raise $5,000, but they've almost raised four times that amount!

Article Link

Three, oh three, it's a magic number

In class this week I'm doing a lesson on numbers. As a treat at the end, I printed up the lyrics to Three Is A Magic Number from Schoolhouse Rock and showed them the video featuring the Blind Melon song. Have you ever heard something so funky?

New culinary adventures.

This past weekend was full of that great Korean tradition, drinking and noraebang. I did try some bun dae gee, which is silkworm larvae (see above). Never again. Mind you, the folks I was with were gulping it down like there was no tomorrow.

Thanksgiving is not a good holiday to spend alone. Of course, in Korea, there is no Thanksgiving. I spend the evening with a pizza and Oblivion for the 360. Not an ideal marriage, but that's the breaks when you choose to live in another country. Tonight I'm going out with some of the administration staff for dong dong ju (potato liquor) so that should be fun. Today is pay day too! And Friday! Woo hoo!

If you know me, you know I love Gaijin Smash, the best ex-pat blog on teh intarwebs. It puts mine to shame by at least a thousand percent. Anyway, in his newest article, Azrael talks about his perfect wedding.


Personally, I want my bride-to-be to come down the aisle to the Voltron theme song. Preferably running. And then I could hire Peter Cullen to do the narration in the Optimus Prime voice - "From days of long ago, from uncharted regions of the Pacific Ocean, comes a legend. The legend of Azrael, Defender of the Gaijin. A mighty Gaijin, loved by teachers, feared by junior high school boys..." And then the minister could say "Ms. Azrael, do you vow to activate the interlocks, to always connect the dynatherms, to ensure that the infra-cells are up, and to make sure that the mega-thrusters are go for as long as you shall live?" Would that not be the most awesome wedding ever? Any woman who can't get on board with this is clearly not a woman I want to be marrying.


The teachers had to look up at me to make sure I was ok after reading that.

Let me tell you something I don't udnerstand about Korea. It's November. It's freakin' cold outside. Inside the teacher's room, it's warm and toasty. However, once you step outside those cozy confines, it's cold. The schools I teach at have no heating system in the hallways. Ok, I'm fine with that--maybe it provides some extra incentive to get kids in the classroom on time. However, why open the windows? That's right, the teachers open the windows in the hallways in November, allowing an arctic wind to permeate throughout the school. I asked a teacher why they did this and she responded, "Air conditioning." Maybe she misunderstood the question.

Also, random question. Why bother using the vibrate function on your cell phone if the sound of the phone vibrating is louder than the ringtone? Just throwing that out there.

My nonprofit dream....

Considering what the Eee PC can do with such small processing power and RAM, I'd love to start a nonprofit that:

1. Accepts old computers free of charge and gives receipts for tax writeoffs.
2. Wipes the HD.
3. Puts a build of Linux on there that looks similar to Eee PC's--or even simpler. 5 big buttons: Email - Internet - Office - Pictures - Solitaire. Each one leads to its corresponding program (linux again).
4. Sells these computers to the general public for $25-$50.
5. Gives away these computers to people or organizations in need.

This has always been a personal dream of mine. Maybe one day it will come true.

Classic Video Games in SK

In Seoul, there's a place outside of Yongsan Station that sells video games. However, most Koreans are only interested in the latest and greatest, so it's difficult to find anything before the PS2. Also, it was technically illegal to import anything VG related from Japan until 1997. However, Hyundai and Samsung somehow convinced Nintendo and Sega respectively to put their company badge on their consoles and games, making them legal to sell. However, all these efforts were generally a flop, so those Hyundai and Samsung branded games and consoles are very hard to find now. I did manage to find some though, with the help of a Korean friend.



Samsung Saturn Game


Hyundai Super Comboy Game


Here's a random Game Gear (I guess in Japan it's Kid's Gear) game. I never knew they ported Virtua Fighter over!


I also found a Tagamotchi game from Japan buried within some random stuff.

The importance of being earnest.

One of the best things about talking to other Koreans is because of their limited vocabulary, it's actually easier for both of you to say what's on your mind. It's wonderfully refreshing to hear things like, "I really like having you as a friend," and "Was lunch delicious?" It's hard to explain, but in America everyone is so dependent on euphemism and indirect comments that sometimes you wish people would just come out and say what's on their mind. Of course, this has its downsides, especially if you have thin skin. Korean men regularly comment on how fat I am, for example. I don't think they mean it as an insult, rather, it's just an observation. On the other hand, you never need to worry about someone saying something and meaning something else--it's all out in the open.

TGIF!

Here's some K Pop I actually don't mind. Of course, the video makes no sense, but that's ok.

Feeling lazy today, here's a music video.

Our step mom we did everything to hate her
She took us down to the edge of Decatur
We saw the lion and the kangeroo take her
Down to the river where they caught a wild alligator

Sangamon River it overflowed
It caused a mudslide on the banks of the operator
civil war skeletons in their graves,
They came up clapping in the spirit of the aviator

The sound of the engines and the smell of the grain,
We go riding on the abolition grain train
Steven A. Douglas was a great debater,
But Abraham Lincoln was the great emancipator

Chickenmobile with your rooster tail
I had my fill and I know how bad it feels
Stay awake and watch for the data
No small caterpiller, go congratulate her

Denominator, go Decatur, go Decatur,
It's the great I Am
abominate her, go Decatur, why did we hate her?
It's the great I Am

Denominator, go Decatur, anticipate her
It's the great I Am
Appreciate her, appreciate her,
Stand up and thank her,

Stand up and thank her,
It's the great I Am.
Stand up and thank her,
It's the great I Am.
Stand up and thank her,
It's the great I Am.
Stand up and thank her.

-Sufjan Stevens

I really hate the litter in Korea. I guess about 15 years ago there were trash cans everywhere, but people tell me that they were removed because people were putting their home trash in them and not paying for trash pickup, so they were removed. The downside of this is now when people are out and about they just throw their trash everywhere. At the end of November we're doing a special lesson on pollution, so I was looking for a good Youtube clip to show the kids. I found this, which I must have missed when it aired on American TV.



A great reminder that the US hasn't come far enough since the original crying Indian commerical in the 70's.

Today is Pepero day, a day invented because "Pepero" spelled in Korea looks like 11/11. Kind of. Anyway, this is so much more of a Hallmark day than Secretaries Day, Paraprofessional day, etc. The company that makes Pepero, Lotte, makes a mint, because the entire holiday involves around people exchanging Pepero. Not even individual sticks-whole packages!

Here's some more info from Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepero_Day

Another...interesting....school outing

Yesterday the all the teachers at Yeonam Middle School took a trip to see the fall foliage at Pohang. We loaded up in a charter bus (which had the same disco lights as the one I rode from Jochiwon to Ulsan in) and took off. On the way up I ate some Jeju oranges, which is by far the best fruit Korea has to offer. I especially appreciated the lack of seeds. Anyway, we got to Pohang about an hour later, and as a result of the curvy mountain roads, many of the teachers were extremely sick. After a half hour looking at the mountains and the local Buddhist temple, we got back in the bus and went to dinner. What's good for curvy mountain road-supset stomach? Raw fish! That's right! We went to a raw fish place for dinner. Not only that, there was (as always) a ton of soju. Some of the teachers were trashed. Of course, she threw up in the bus on the way home. Good times. Not to mention I had to sit next to a drunk adjosshi who insisted I repeat his name over and over while he gave me a hand massage. Not the best time I've ever had in my life. After we got back to Yeonam-dong, I was going to go home, but once again I fell under the influence of members of the fairer sex and ended up going to the noraebang. Luckily, I was able to escape after a few songs (and a painfully sung rendition of George Harrison's Something sung by yours truly) and went home to bed. The teacher that threw up on the bus last night sits next to me in the teachers room. I don't look forward to seeing her condition this morning.

Korea's got Seoul.

I had a good time in Seoul this weekend, but I don't know if I'll ever go back. It's just like a bigger version of the city I already live in. They do have a lot more western resturaunts though. I bought a computer so I can watch American TV. It uses Windows XP so I couldn't use my Mac. I got a good deal on one though--a brand new Pentium 4, 3Ghz for $120, including mouse, keyboard, speakers, and Windows XP. I also got an adapter to hook it up to my tv, which cost $30. Now I'll be able to watch tv from back home using Sopcast.

I hung out with my friend Hwan Jo, and he took me to some of the more famous street markets in the city. We went to one that Metallica always visits when they come to Korea. It was pretty awesome. I'll have some pictures up soon. The thing is though, there are all kinds of those markets in Ulsan. Basically, Seoul is just like a bigger version of Samsan dong and Seongnam dong. Lots more people but the same stuff. The train ride was really nice though--much better than taking a bus. The return trip was better than the going one because it was daytime and I could see more of the scenery. I also picked up some cool Korean video game stuff--a Super Comboy, which is a localized Super Famicom marketed by Hyundai of all people, and a Comboy Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt cart, which as common as it is in America, is really rare in Korea, because back in the 80's the console scene was almost nonexistant. At any rate, Oblivion came today in the mail so I'll be spending lots of quality time with the 360 this weekend-no more travel for me until I visit Dan.

Going to Seoul today!

Woo hoo! As soon as school is over I'm going to Ulsan station and taking the next train to Seoul. It should take about six hours--not a short trip by any stretch. I've heard the train is very comfortable here though. Tonight I'll stay in a hotel and tomorrow I'll hit the streets to do some gift shopping for my family and maybe pick up a cheap Windows computer so I can run Sopcast. Saturday night I'll stay with a friend, and come back on Sunday. Yay for having something to do on the weekend!

Happy Halloween!

Well, it was yesterday for me, but in the US, the fun is just getting started! Kids here in Korea have a faint idea about Halloween--they know it involves ghosts and pumpkins, but I had to explain to them the whole process behind dressing up, trick or treating, the ghost of the bayonet, etc. I still don't think they understand completely how trick or treating works. I used my buddy Flack's blog post on pumpkin carving to help explain that.

The thing I was most surprised at (though in hindsight I shouldn't have been) is that Korean kids don't really understand how a witch is supposed to look--the pointy hat, the broom, etc. Of course, the hagwon kids that study after school with other foreign teachers knew all about it, but the kids who didn't had no idea what I was talking about.

If you don't know about Homestar Runner, their Halloween cartoons are a great place to start. It's the best Halloween tradition on the internet!

http://www.homestarrunner.com/ween07.html