Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Reboot!


Hey-o

Haven't been here in a while; it's not for a lack of news; rather, it's because of a tremendous amount of news of which I can't even fathom where to begin with.

Well;

- I've moved into a new place, and to a new job (hallelujah!)
- I'm not balding, it seems (I'm kinda bummed since it's something that inevitable - you know the worst part is the waiting)
- Leah also has a new job and a new place - which is with me!
- I've ran around like a chicken without a head for Leah's documents, packing, moving, etc. and we've had to move *TWICE* to get a decent place.
- My mom visited here from the US - when she was around, she managed to buy Leah a hanbok
and introduce "us" to the fam-fam. Of which I was not clearly aware of (I went there wearing jeans and a sweater).

Anyhow, just living the good life now - gound a Kyokushinkai place nearby, I've been going to a dissappointing Muay Thai place nearby of which I stopped going because . . . it was dissappointing. Duh.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

No Tokyo for Dan. . ..

Ugh.

So it appears that, at this time, Tokyo has eluded my grasp (sigh).

Well, this is why - I've got to move into the new place and start work a full week sooner than expected when I told them that I had the week free (me and my stupid mouth)! So I have to move.

Appearantly, though, it's possible to rent a car as long as you have a license - not strictly an international license, either.

Minds are a' brewing, folks . . ..

(Time to get packing)

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Tokyo, Packing, and Tattoos

So, I'm changing jobs.

Why?

Well, for several reasons;
  • For another, the place I work at, while filled with great staff, SUCK because they only take two holidays off a year. And no, other places do NOT do that.
    • And it's not Christmas, New Year's Eve, nor No Pants Day - and frankly, I don't want to be associated with an organization that doesn't celebrate No Pants Day. (Not, that the new place would observe the holy day, but they have more holidays, at least)
  • Another complication was that a few months ago, Leah's school decided, without Leah's input, that she would work the morning shift.
    • Let's think about this one:
      • Lil' Daniel goes from work from 3PM to 10PM (which, coincidentally, kills his chances of him joining ANY clubs/activities)
      • Lil' Leah goes from work from 9AM to 5PM
      • Leah and Daniel live/work about an hour away from each other, which means that either Leah would have to leave Daniel's place at 7:30AM to go to work or that Daniel would arrive at Leah's place at 11PM, only to see his wife go to sleep at, oh, I don't know, midnight.
Like I said, with the exception of the holidays thing, I like my job - I like my coworkers, I like my boss (well, he is very absent-minded, but I think it may be a Korean "your-boss-is-a-god-so-suck-his-cock" kind of thing), and I like where I live(d)!

Having said that, this (08/18 to 08/22) is my last week with my current employer.

And,
  • My current boss, William, tells me that I can move out whenever I'd like - so, since this is my last week AND the fact that I've paid rent for all of August, I thought I'd move out next week at the end of the month, when I'm NOT working all day and when I DON'T have to travel an hour to get to/from Leah's place.
Well, that's apparently not the case.
William conveniently tells me last Thursday, that I have to move my shit out by the end of the term - meaning, this Friday (I did, however, get to convince him that I should get the last week refunded to me). Did I mention that I have to work all afternoon?

You know what, I don't think I like my boss that much.

So, I start searching for new jobs - and I interview, after interview, after interview - and you know what? Every single place tries to either dick me around, saying that they would NOT give me housing (which they do for, "full-blooded Americans"; you know, honkys), or they just tell me outright, no Korean-Americans (actually, Leah's soon-to-be former employer stated that they don't want African Americans working there; yeah, anti-discrimination laws don't exactly exist here yet) - until I go to this new place.

My god. The place is new, and I go for an interview, at which point, I'm taken aback - the owners are w.o.n.d.e.r.f.u.l human beings. I mean, wow. So, I get the job (thankfully), and I actually convince Leah to interview with them - and she loves it too! I mean, her other job kinda sucked to begin with, so there's nothing much to compare it with, but I'm looking forward to it, I tell you what.

But, having said this, I get two weeks of vacation from my previous job to getting the new job - which means I have time . . . to TRAVEL! I am excited, I tell you what; for 4~5 days, I think I'm going to hit up Tokyo, as in Tokyo, Japan.

And when in Rome . . ..

Being less ambiguous, here's a lowdown of things I want to see/do while I'm in Tokyo;
  • I want to stay at a capsule hotel; yes, because I'm a nerd.
  • I'm pretty much planning on sticking around Akihabara; yes, because I'm a nerd.
  • I'm definitely going to visit the Kyokyshinkai Honbu; yes, because I'm a nerd.
  • And who could forget? The Kodokan . . . and yes, because I'm a nerd.
    • (While I'm in Korea, I might visit the Kukkiwon. Maybe.)
And, of course . . . (and this one might surprise you guys a little)
  • I might get a tattoo. I don't know about this one, as it will be pricy (it IS Tokyo) and I AM flighty, but I think I'll look into it and if it's possible, then why not? I'm looking into getting a half-sleeve if possible, but we'll see what I can swing . . .. I guess this is also because I'm a nerd(?).
(If I missed anything, or if you have criticisms/advice, dish it out!)

Anyhow, at this time, the plans are still tentative. What with moving and changing jobs, I'd hate to leave it all to Leah willie-nilly; I'm sure she'd do great, but it'd still not be fair.

So, to sum it all up; I'm busy as hell, but I can't wait.

Jeju Island (a little late, perhaps?)

Well, I'd like to give you a reason for not talking about Jeju Island . . .. Why? Well, no reason other than the ol' standby (because it's true) - I'm laaaazy.

Anyhow, Leah and I went to the isle for about a week. And it was, surprise surprise, awesome. For the most part, we just beached around, and hung out, nothing spectacular.

Jeju is a small island, and we rented a scooter (the cheapest ones go for about $10/day) and I tell you what, it was a blast. I mean, this being Korea and all, it's only 125cc and it did 50MPH max, but it was just great being able to ride again!

And as far as the rest pf the trip gpes, we also checked out some other tourist areas - we did the submarine tour (which sucked - there were no marine life to speak of, and the poor narrator guy was trying to excite us with what basically amounted to floating kelp in the sea) and we got this lil' nifty picture at a tourist spot called "Love Land" - for the neophyte, or just the person who is too lazy to click the link, it's a place to educate people about sex - well, Koreans nowadays are pretty educated (but from what I hear, they don't use protection, which is . . . well, let's just say I'm glad I'm married), but apparently even 20~30 years ago some newlyweds didn't know how to do the horizontal tango.

And Jeju being the honeymoon destination for Korean newlyweds, a new business market grew out from then on . . ..
(On the downside, I was expecting XXX when all I got was a Skinamax R)

Last but not least, the beaches. Oh, the beaches. There was this one particular spot that was nearby the hotel we were at and I have to say, it was beautiful there - the island is volcanic, so the sand had this beautiful mix of gold and black and the beach itself was (what was told to me by a friend of mine here) a "pancake" beach - which means that the beach water was flat and you could go out, pretty much, for about 200 yards and you'd still be waist deep.

All in all, I think it was a blast - as far as vacations go, I'd give it a solid 3 1/2 stars out of 5.
(I've taken down a star because we were stupid enough to go beaching at the sunniest hours of the day, on the first day, without sunscreen. We paid for it dearly)

Monday, August 11, 2008

North Koreans

First of all, sorry; I havent' kept up with this blog as much as I should.

Not, that there's like a blog-o-meter or something.

Anyhow, been back from Jeju Island and just finished peeling all my skin off. Pleasant to itch my back only to find a sliver of skin has decided to jump ship from my back . . . onto my hands.

(A full week of beaching on a volcanic island was kinda nice, though.)

Anyhow, now that that business is done and over with* I have another topic I want to (aimlessly) ramble on about;

North Koreans.

I mean, where to begin, right? Well, let me be a little more specific here - I've been to North Korea, the most totalitarian nation on the face of the Earth, before this whole fiasco - right before, and to the same damn place, actually, and let me give you an impression of the North Koreans I've seen there.

Stiff as a board.

You may ask yourself; what, are they bored stiff**? Are they dead? Are they the stereotypical-hard-nosed commie types we've all seen in 80's codl war movies? Are they scared stiff?

My answer, and of course I could be wrong here, is that it's a mix of all - and in retrospect, an uneasy fear, especially around caucasians.

Why do I being such a topic up, you may ask? First, I'd say get out of my head, and secondly, I'm currently volunteering to teach North Korean refugees English through a small church*** - essentially, they get a free college education but they have to qualify to enter - and admittedly, I've just started to help, but damn.

It's kind of weird to see them in person - what I mean is, they are, physically, just the same as South Koreans - but they do have a North Korean accent, and they seem just as friendly and outgoing as any of us - it still blows my mind that just two months ago I've seen others like them in North Korea, standing stiffly, monitoring our evey move and anxious to not be around any white people. And that they had to risk their lives to get here.

I'm not saing that we should be grateful to be here (where ever that "here" may be - America or S. Korea), but goddamn that outs some things into perspective.

I tell you - one the one hand, I feel for what they may have had to go through, but they have my utmost respect.

*I'll post pictures later. Maybe.
**Rimshot
***No, I've not suddenly turned fundie Christian - it's a coworker's church that I've decided to help out in.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

This week in review: From a Wednesday(07/16/08) to another(07/23/08) - part 2

So, the rest of the week, nothing else interesting happens . . ..

Until Tuesday.

Did I mention that Korea is prone to monsoons during Summer? Well, it is.

This is a long one, folks - I hope you have time to sit and enjoy. At my expense.

Well, being a good grandson who hasn't really seen his Grandma in 20 years, I have a weekly habit of spending the night at her place on Monday nights. Unfortunately for the both of us;
  1. There is no AC in her place
  2. My sleeping schedule is absolutely fucked from working a 3~10PM shift*
So, on continuing my charade of being a good grandson, I wake up usually at 10AM** because, everyone at grandma's sleeps according to the sensible, regular kind of schedule.
*Please take note that I am currently posting this at 4:30 in the fucking AM.
**After going to sleep at 5AM - but grandma still thinks I'm being lazy. I mean, I AM lazy, but it's not the point.

Well, I wake up, take a shower, and eat breakfast, and go to my place in the subway*.
At this point, I'm standing in the hot crowded subway and I'm tired. So, upon reaching my stop, I ride my bike back to my place, and take a short nap. It's about noon, and I'm thinking I was going to take a 30 minute~1 hour nap, and I should be fine.
*Fuuuck I'm starting to hate the subway

So, I go to my place, a studio apt, throw my clothes off, and plop on the bed to promptly pass out. After a little while, I hear this din and think nothing of it, thinking that it is just construction outside*.
Well, I figure that it's time I should wake up and do some errands or whatever, when I sit up.
Now - and this part is relevant, I promise - remember the part when I said I threw my clothes off? Well, I threw them off, if you get my drift. At this junction, I've just woken up, sat up stark-ass naked and pretty much blind without my glasses off when I notice that
my front door is slightly ajar and is letting in light.
*There's construction going on all the time in Seoul

Didn't think too much of it . . . and then I hear the landlady* say, "I didn't know you were home".
*An ajumma in the classical sense, as mentioned prior

Turns out that she was doing some maintenance work and the din I heard wasn't construction, but it was her knocking on my door to see if I was home. So my landlady saw me buckass nekkid.

Ah, whatever - I kinda feel bad for the lady, as she's this unmarried Christiany-Christian person, and she's normally pretty nice.

Well, so I get up, and check the time; shit, it's 2:45 - I take a peek outside to see that my trusty bike is . . . stolen. Yep, it's gone.

I throw my clothes on and go around the block, just to make sure that no one maybe moved the damn thing, but it's gone.

Damn.

So at this point, the landlord's seen me naked, and my bike's stolen. I'm not exactly upset, as I've left this bike in front of the place unlocked (like I said, I expected to be in and out) and a coworker/neighbor of mine says he saw the bike when he left for work at 2:25.

Well, I guess I was asking for it. Anyhow, some of the other teachers and students, when I mentioned this, suggest that I go and steal someone else's bike. Not, that I would, but I guess it happens frequently around here.

Like I said, I'm not happy about it, but being upset doesn't do anything either, so, blah.

Anyhow, onto today . . ..

Well, since it's a Wednesday, that means I only have a half day of work. So, I gather my coworkers, and go down to the same burger place to hang out and have some burgers. On the trip there, nothing. We get over there, take our seats, and order our grub.

And then I feel a slight tap on my shoulder.

I look over, and a green cicada has decided to join me on the back of my shirt sleeve. That fucker was huge - about as big as my
thumb - and did you know that you can skewer them and eat them? Anyhow, back to the story - it's really not that a big deal - I reach for it, and flick it off my shirt.

Except that I don't look up to see where I'm flicking this off to.

Whoops.

I flick it off and I turn back to my burger, thinking nothing of it. Well, I hear a couple of girls scream bloody fucking murder and it turns out that I've hit that critter right at them.

At this point, they're still screaming their head off. I go over, and it's on the ground. As I'm pondering whether to step on it and save its pain of having to hear those two shrill screams, the owner, Y, comes and picks it up, and lets it out.

So at this time, I'm somewhat embarrassed, and I genuinely apologize to the girls.

Their reply? "Yeah". One of them was so shaken up that she had to go to the bathroom.

Later on, I find out that did they only not get up as they saw the whole event transpire before I flicked that guy, the goddamn thing didn't even hit them nor go on their table at all.

For fuck's sake.

So that was my week, folks. I don't quite know if all that was that terrible, but was odd nevertheless. Hope that entertained you at least a wee bit. I'll get to my regularly scheduled blogging as something new comes up!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

This week in review: From a Wednesday(07/16/08) to another(07/23/08) - part 1

What the hell.

Well, interesting(?) things have been happening to me recently. Not in the mind-blowing sense, mind you, but rather in the sense of slightly odd series of events. So let's begin.

Last Wednesday: After a half-day at work, I, as well as a few other coworkers decide to go check out this burger joint that Leah and I found*.
So we are in the subway** and it being Seoul, it's pretty busy - on the way there, we're chillin', making small talk with coworkers as we're standing as there are no free seats, holding onto the handles, and just waiting for our stop to come.
Well, on one stop, this older ajumma that was sitting down right in front of me, decides to stand up. Nothing out of the ordinary, right? Well, at that precise instant I was talking with my coworker/boss, Nate, and had my hand turned away.
*Actually, this place was opened by the owner of a bar that Leah and I frequented. It's also in the foreigner district, so all the clientele are essentially expats.
**If you've read the other posts so far, I'm hoping that you know at this point that we use mass transit extensively

Anyhow, you would typically think, knowing the Dan you guys knew in the States, or, possibly in Korea, "What did you do this time, you ijit?"

So, what
did I do?

Nothing. Not a god damned thing.

I was just standing there, talking to Nate like I said and standing still, holding onto the subway handle when the lady decides to headbutt my elbow (on the arm that was holding the handle, by the way). Yeah. She wanted to find out who'd win; her head or my elbow. Unfortunately for her, my elbow won.
Smartassedness aside, I quickly turned over to see her and muttered an apology to the lady.

(Was I supposed to apologize at this instance? Anyhow . . ..)

Turning back to Nate, who saw the whole thing, we kinda had an awkward chuckle as we both weren't sure what kind of response to take.

Well, I guess that was a bad move, as her daughter, on seeing me talking to Nate(a white dude - stand up guy, by the way) in fluent English, maybe thought I was laughing
at the lady.

So naturally, she decides to go off on me, saying things like, "You shouldn't have been in her way/you need to look out for them/blahblahblah" in Korean, while her mom is pulling her out of the subway.

Now at this point I'm stupefied more than anything at this point, and I'm just staring at her(and so is Nate), not knowing exactly what to say to all this.

Then, it gets kinda weird. The girl, seeing that her screaming in Korean is not getting the reaction she wants and seeing me hanging out with a whiteboy, proceeds to do her best to scold me in her best "I speak English" impression while the mom keeps pulling her out of the subway, which just stupefies me even more.


Then the doors close on her as she is screaming.

At this point, for some kind of karmic balance and entertainment value, I would love to say that "Oh, the doors closed on her noggin, her head got chopped off and everyone lived happily ever after" and all that, but real life being what it is, she was out of the subway, the door closed, and we went on our merry (and now somewhat awkward) way.

The rest of the week gets weirder. Just wait.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Daydreaming: Motorcycle of my dreams -

- The styling of the Confederate Hellcat (Standard/Cafe Racer, not a cruiser)
- The hollow-tank/frame/oil resevoir/muffler placement from Buell
- Vertically-stacked LED Headlights / Turn signals, rear lights/signals integrated to rear wheel cover
*challenge*
- a Mazda Renesis Rotary engine, scaled-down for mid-weight (500~800cc) output

One day . . ..

Dog, or the eating thereof

Yes, I ate dog.

I know, now I'm never, ever going to hear the end of it from you guys.

But let's get down to the meat-and-potatoes of this (HA! Get it? Mean and potatoes? Ha . . ..) - how was it? Well -

Backstory - This is how it went down; Seoul still has a very, very small foreigner community for a city this size. And being one of a handful of people who are foreign, I get talking to a few other American/Canadian teachers about eating dog, and some are for it and some are not.

Anyhow, Leah's best friend in Korea, Jenna, is leaving soon - next weekend, in fact - and she's been wanting to eat dog since we got here.

So Leah, Jenna, and I go to a little dog place around the corner - we've been asking around if anyone knows if there's a good place for it, and no one knows - so Leah suggests going to a place around where Jenna lives, close to Leah's (I live about an hour away from where Leah lives, more on that later) - it's new, and it's big. I'm kinda weary of new places in Seoul(there are overnight operations everywhere here), but whatever - I agree and go with them.

We walk in, and this solid wall of . . . funk hits us. It's not quite wet dog as you'd expect, but it's a weird mesh of burning-rancid-something that just doesn't scream "hygienic and delicious". I mean, dog's supposedly nutritious, right(well, I suppose y'all prolly don't know - yes, it is; and as all things Asian, it's also supposedly an aphrodisiac/assist in virility)?

Well, whatever - we're on a mission, damnit; and I'd be damned if I don't complete said mission. We plop down, hoping against hope that we get used to the funk (we don't) and order dog and a coke.

The coke came first.

Anyhow, the dog (stew):

As you can see, it's just a stew of sorts with meat and assorted vegetables. Due to the aforementioned funk, however, Jenna and I just picked at the meat and had some, and promptly got out. Leah was going to try a piece, but the smell got to her, so it was a no-go. By the way, the stew smelled fine, so it wasn't that.

Honestly, it's nothing outstanding about dog meat that would scream, well, I dunno, "woof" maybe?

It's just meat, dammit!

Oddly enough, though, it wasn't the meat that bothered me - it was the fat; there were some fatty pieces there, but thinking that the fat came from a dog somewhat disturbed me. I can't wrap my head around why dog fat would do that, but well, it did.

Anyhow, overall - I would give dog meat a . . . well, I can't tell. Like I said before, the funk was so overpowering
that I don't think it'd be fair to give the meat a rating at this time. However, for the restaurant, I'd give it a 3/10.

To fairly assess dog, I think I will have to try again sometime, at a different place.

(On a sidenote, Leah wants to get a dog when we go back. To keep as a pet, not eat. I think I'm down with that. I wonder what it'd say if it knew that I ate one of its kind.

Probably "woof".)

Motorcycles: Ongoing, pt.1



Korean cops get nice motorcycles (if you notice, the bike is a beemer).

Video guide to buying a bike.

Just a head's-up, a note for myself really, for me when I get back to the States . . ..
To continue on with my passive-obsession, this is what I've seen about the motorcycle culture in Seoul;

First of all, let me set this up - Seoul is crowded. I mean, I wouldn't want to live in a place where rush hour is four to sev . . . wait a minute, I do.

Damn.

Anyways, back to the point - In Seoul, I've seen people use motorcycles a lot more frequently than in the States - definitely more than Chicago or Bloomington, for sure.

Case in point; observe, if you will;


This was all within a 100-yard strip of an alleyway in Seoul. Now imagine every singe alleyway like this, and I think that it's a pretty accurate description of just how many of these things there are.

This is typical of most motorcycles in Seoul - Korean, lighter displacement, all over the damn place (more people ride on the sidewalk than on the road), and used as a tool for delivery - especially the red & white one. The thing that's sticking out on the back is used to hoist whatever thing they have to haul around - piping, food (did you know that in Seoul McDonalds delivers?) what have you.

Anyhow, that's that. Nothing significant. Except . . . every so often I see a group of Ducati riders around where I work. Talk about night and day - but I think that talks more about Korea's economy than anything else.

And that I'm totally envious.

So, at this juncture, what am I doing to better my motorcycling situation? Well, nothing, really. Other than this . . .




Eh.

By the way, we got Leah this:

It's called a Suzuki Choi Nori - a lil' 50cc scooter - it's pretty cool, in a I-wouldn't-be-caught-dead-admitting-that-I/my wife-own(s)-it kind of way. But, I did talk Leah into taking the MSF rider's course when we go back. Maybe I can get her a lil' Ninja 250 or a CBR125R and see how it goes from there. Totally badass.

Since it's Leah's first scooter and she's really excited about it, maybe I'll put up more of a post about it later. Maybe.

- Current bike to get when I'm back(realistic mode): an '06 Honda 599.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Everyday mundane


Nothing new, just updating the blog . . . for the sake of updating the blog, really.

I have all these things I have to talk about, but I'm not really feeling it right now. Procrastination at its finest, I say. Well, the most exciting thing as of late is that Leah adopted a new pet - a snail. Reading up on it, those things are kinda cool, actually. I mean, not exactly pet material - I wouldn't want it to snuggle up to me at the end of a day, for example - but it's interesting nevertheless.

Oh, and I also got a tablet. I hope I make good use of it - well, at least get used to it, I think my right wrist's been bothering me a bit; so if I use the tablet, being that I'm a leftie, it should help a bit.

Pic-tar of the tablet. Just because.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

a non sequitur: Motorcycles


Yep. That's right. This has absolutely nothing to do with me bing in Korea.

But I can't help it - it's the onset of summer, the weather, rain notwithstanding, is gorgeous; and I miss mototrbiking! Nevermind the fact that I've been watching Long Way Round - of course Long Way Down is in queue . . ..

(To be honest, it's not that I rode much back in the States, but still - )

I'm constantly looking at motorcycles (online) - although I did see this on a vendor in Korea: it's a Confederate Hellcat

A beaut, innit?

Anyhow, yeah; I completely miss riding with Kevin (the few times we did, anyhow) and I've got to set up sometime for riding w/ Jason (hope she's treating ya well, buddy!).

90% of the bikes I've seen here are either lower displacement, Korean bred workhorses, or the rare Ducatis/Hondas mixed in . . . anyhow, scooters and motorcycles are a lot more popular here, but like I said, most are lower (250cc or lower) displacement . . ..

Current bike(s) of obsession/thinking about getting once I get back to the good ol' USA(in no particular order):
- Honda CBR600RR
- KTM Duke 690 (I [happily] blame Kevin for this development)
- Honda 599
- Kawasaki Versys
- Suzuki SV650

Considering that the Duke is a new model for this year and it almost costs $10k(msrp), realistically I'd be looking at the 599 or the SV again . . . and this is a modest dream of mine, but if I get one of those two, I'd love to chop it up to look like that Hellcat!

So, to summarize:
  • my obsession with motorcycles did not waver since I got here.
  • I will ride with Jason and Kevin once I get back
  • Granted it depends on what job situation I get once I get back, but it'd be aweeesome to join in on one of Kev's long-term trips (I've got that adventurin' bug in my blood, no thanks to you)
  • I want a bike again!
So, dear reader, I suppose you're asking, why don't I get a motorcycle here, in S. Korea?

FAAAAAAAACK
YOUUUUUUUU
(Seriously, they're batshit insane here as far as traffic goes - the second video is *typical* for most riders - and I'm just not good enough of a rider to do that without maiming almost everyone - got a bicycle, though)

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Being in Korea - part 1

Hey peeps,

Just thought I'd update this a bit - you know, I have to make it a habit if I am to keep this up, me being a masterba, I mean, master procrastinator and all.

Anyhow, this is more for the peeps back in the States ('sup) - (part of) my general consensus of living in Korea as a whole.

Well, it's certainly different, being that, you know, Korea's not the US and all - but where to begin? Hmm, let's begin with the small things - there's an Outback steakhouse everywhere you look (Leah said that she has never been to one until she came to S. Korea). And they serve kimchi and fried rice with their meals; I wish I could say I was joking, but I'm not kidding here folks, they're serious about that shit here.

Ah, speaking of restaurants; here's one more - you know what they call a Quarter Pounder in Seoul?
Answer: nothing. They don't have a fucking quarter pounder. Most of their menu, save for the Big Mac and Cheeseburger, is completely different. And they deliver (free of charge, no tip), too.

And, of course, you can't forget the penis fish.
They eat that here. I mean, not the "they" as in "all of them Koreans" but think of the same ratio as Americans that eat prairie oysters.
But, dear reader, notice the aquariums in the video where the penis fish were? That's right - being a peninsula, fish is cheaper than beef and pork here - and fresh, to boot.

I mean, I could go on and on about food in Korea, but I think the rest is up for another time. Peace out, yo.

- This next part is more for my sake than anything else, so don't mind me.

Being in Korea is;
  • Food
    • Variety
    • Itaewon
    • Tipping
  • Sexuality/Dating in Korea
    • Whore alley
    • Gay, or attitudes towards
    • Picking up one night stands vs marriage material
  • Perception of foreigners
    • Towards foreign women vs men
    • Towards gyopos
  • Job
  • Family

Monday, June 16, 2008

Yes, I've assimilated!

I've given up. Quit. Compromised.

Quit what, you ask? I've quit not being assimilated into the now-culture; I've given up my proud status as an independent, rational human being (in reality a thinly-veiled guise for my neo-tech phobia/ineptness for such things - or just good ol' American lazyness).

Anyhow, yeah; so now I'm a proud(?) member of myspa-, er, I mean, cyworl-, oh, facebook this time. Right. Well, every foreigner in Korea has one, so hey, when in Korea . . . (inside joke; as my lovely wife tells me, "fuck a Korean" . . ..)

So why the blog, all of a sudden? Well, I've been meaning to, really. It's just that . . . "things" have been getting in my way; er, right (i.e. I'm a lazy fuck, and I wholly embrace the lifestyle - you, dear reader, should subscribe to this lifestyle; don't want to try? Eh, I'm too lazy to sell it to you).

So where to begin? I mean, I'm going to send this to everyone in the States so they can read this, right?

Well, it IS late at night (oh no, it begins) so I'll just bulletpoint some things I should cover;
  • My trip to North Korea
    • Guards, the flags and their love of saucer hats
    • Their hatred of all things American; yet they only take US dollars?
    • The weird box thing we found in the hotel room
  • My trip going Whitewater Rafting
  • My job
  • My continuing obsession/"passion" with;
    • Motorcycles
    • Martial Arts - Muay Thai in particular
      • Other martial arts schools in Korea I've seen/found
  • Male Pattern Baldness - oh noes!
  • Marriage to my wife, the person I married
Of which I will cover with glee - later(maybe). Maybe I'll take a poll of which one I should start with.

Oh, forgot to mention a few things;

To bulletpoint, I mean - coincidentally, it's all oh-so very perv related in one way or another;
  • Whore alley/town/district/whatever
  • Penis Fish
  • Penis Statues we found on the way back from North Korea (In South Korea)
  • Adult Novelty shops . . . er, vans on highways