a redneck adrift in the morning calm

Hiroshima

2008-01-26T22:14:00.000+09:00

And now a more ominous side of Japan. I woke up the morning I went to Hiroshima and pushed a button. The first button I pushed that day shut off my alarm clock. The subsequent buttons I pushed that morning sent messages to my friends and family, ordered a train ticket and purchased a coffee. Not so long ago, long about the time my grandparents were falling in love, another button was pushed. This innocuous little chit of plastic however vaporized a city, and most of the people who lived in it. Now I'm not in the business in saying who was right in war, but I am in the business of feeling for people whose skin fell of of their bodies and who witnessed the extinction of their entire families. Those that evaporated that day were the lucky ones, never having to deal with the hells of radiation, or the horror of always wondering whether their descendants would be born malformed. Hiroshima has of course moved on. It is today a vibrant cosmopolitan community. So I guess all things, no matter how awful, pass. We must not forget how these people suffered, and do whatever possible to ensure that this piece of contemptible history never fades in obscurity.

Japan

2008-01-26T21:38:00.000+09:00

I just got back from Japan. It is quite an intriguing country, full of friendly people and beautiful history. I had a few problems eating though; all menus are exclusively written in Japanese. Thankfully through drawing pictures and the general fun-loving nature of the Japanese, I could communicate what I was hungry for. I took the Shinkansen bullet train on my journey. It is nothing short of an airplane on rails. Little villages raced by the window like they were frames of an old filmstrip, and other trains were merely a blur as they whooshed past. The old castles or (Jo) were also magnificent. They are a testament to the simplicity and quiet stateliness that was feudal Japan. Also noteworthy is the strange juxtaposition between the Jo and the ultra-modern eyesores that are the modern Japanese city. In Kitakyushu, there is a nouveau Art-Deco monstrosity across the street from the keep of the old city's Jo. The effect is off-putting, but yet symbolic of the encroachments of the new world upon the old. Gehry himself would probably be upset by the uneasiness that the space creates. Unavoidable I suppose, in a country pining for elbow room.

Bummin around the mall

2007-12-23T20:47:00.000+09:00

Last year this time, I posted about Farah and I doing some shopping for Christmas, well looks like its Christmas number 2 in Korea. We are still jobhunting so that is a bit of a bummer, but the free time is always nice. Most of our friends are in Thailand for the holidays so we will probably just head to the Twon for some turkey on the 25th. Here are some more dorky shots.

Didn't think I would have missed Galbi so much

2007-12-23T20:37:00.000+09:00

After you spend some time away from Korea, you realize the parts of it that really treasured. For me, there is nothing better than getting together with a few buddies and having a galbi dinner. Jesse and Mikey are leaving Korea after some years here and this was their farewell. Alas the tough part Korea; the constant turnover of friends. Oh well, I'm sure I will see these guys again somewhere.

798 Baby

2007-11-29T22:02:00.000+09:00

There is fantastic art district in Beijing, the 798. It was formerly a big ugly communist era factory zone. Much of the manufacturing apparatus is still intact, giving the area a gothic industrial feel. There is a world class gallery called the Ullen's. Many people don't realize that China had its own artistic tradition that thrived alongside that of the West. There is abstract-expressionalism and post-modernism on par with anything produced by Kandinsky or Warhol. Anyway enjoy the pics.

China Redux

2007-11-29T21:56:00.000+09:00

Wow has China changed in 3 short years. It is bigger, brassier and more confident in every imaginable way. The Olympics are going to do some magnificent things for this mighty country. I'm glad of the opportunity of being right next door when it all goes down.

Old Friends, (and some new ones too)

2007-11-29T21:47:00.000+09:00

I also got the chance to reconnect with dear friends in China. I am happy to report that Glenn, Tyson and their significant others are all well, and happy. Nicole and Jeff, as well as Sunny and Jade and myself went for the obligatory Beijing duck dinner on the eve of my departure...bittersweet.

Kev

2007-11-29T21:34:00.000+09:00

There really is nothing in the world like hanging out with an old bro. Kev and I have been friends since we were kids. Little has changed I guess, still ridiculously immature and lovin it. We spent most of our time partying in China. We did a couple of open mics (the theme from Rawhide) haha, and played lots of pool. Kev's new hottie is great too, her name is Marion, and she is from France. When I was accosted by the snake, Marion got up and did a belly dance with the dancer and thereby deflected the attention from a very freaked out and hyper-ventilating Chaddy, merci Marion.

My new hobby

2007-11-29T21:15:00.000+09:00

So I've taken up snake-dancing. There I was, eating a casual, relaxed meal of mutton rou at a Xinjiang restaurant, when a snake lady began her act. Kevin (the prick) motioned her hither, and before I knew it I was dancing in front of 200 people festooned with a python about my neck. I still shudder to think of that night.....just look at the pics, in the immortal words of Rick McLennan, Keeeeeeerist!!!!

Qatar chillen' (well sweating actually)

2007-10-16T20:42:00.000+09:00

Mom and I have been having a blast over here. So far we have dune-bashed, sand-boarded, swam in the inland sea, and ate DQ blizzards. She is awesomely set up here; it has been quite a shock from what I was used to in Goa. I have a huge ensuite bedroom, and a swimming pool across the street. Although I do miss the fleas, and being sick every week in India, Qatar is growing on me. Due to it being the Eid holiday here, Mom has lots of time off, so some days we just cruise in the car, dodging camels and 16 year old Sheikh millionaires doing 150 in their shiny new Bentleys haha.

Reliving my youth

2007-10-16T20:20:00.000+09:00

Some of the countries I wind up in have big stockpiles of unused military ordinance. They are looking to make a living and I am looking to behave like an idiot. I loved G.I. Joe as a child so I thought hey wouldn't it be fun to squeeze off a few rounds from an AK-47 assault rifle. It was everything I imagined a machine gun could be; noisy, stinky and reminiscent of all that is stupid about humanity. Oh well at least I got to keep the paper target. One more for Grandma's fridge haha.

More Rajasthan

2007-10-02T15:12:00.000+09:00

Rajasthan

2007-10-02T14:03:00.000+09:00

This province is in the extreme west of India. It is dominated by the Thar desert, so it is very dry and hot. I went to Jaipur, Pushkar, Ajmer, Jodhpur, and Jaisalmer. Most cities have a huge fort dominating the skyline. Jodhpur's is breathtaking. Some are museums and some are in ruins. In Jaisalmer's case, the fort is still alive, with businesses and houses contained within. I stayed in the fort in Jaisalmer. I also went on a camel trek, which was incredible.

India, where to start, Delhi I guess

2007-10-02T13:41:00.000+09:00

Sorry I have been neglecting th blog for so long, but there is just so much to tell about India. It have been life-changing for me here. The people are great and the sights are times ten more amazing than anywhere else in the world. Delhi is a strange city, the south is all ordered streets, and nice parks, the north is chaotic bazaars and lanes. There are of course many things to see. Humayun' tomb, and the Qutb Minar were my favourite.

Monkies

2007-09-20T14:46:00.001+09:00

India is just crawling with critters. I was actually mugged by a monkey the other day. I was walking up to see a Laxshmi temple, totally minding my own affairs, when the cheeky little shit climbed my pants and removed a bag of peanuts form my pocket. They are intriguing little creatures, so humanistic. He was not the least bit threatening, he just figured that I was not using the peanuts, so he relieved me off them is the most civilized fashion. I kept walking up to the temple, but picked up a brick, the monkies understood this perfectly, and I was not acosted again.

Amritsar

2007-09-20T14:46:00.000+09:00

This was a fascinating city. It is the centre of the Sikh religion. Like anyone in Calgary can tell you, Sikhs are amongst the friendliest and most hospitible people to be found anywhere. We weren't cheated once, and people even gave us freebies (turbans). The Golden Temple is stunning. It has gleaming white marble buildings set around a sacred artificial lake. In the centre of the lake is a square golden temple. The effect is breathtaking.

Agra

2007-08-24T00:05:00.000+09:00

What can I say. I spent the entire day breathless. I wondered through a living fairytale of a city with the love of my life. It don't get much better for a good ole boy like me.

Varanasi

2007-08-23T23:49:00.000+09:00

This time it was the epicentre of Hinduism that I visited. Varanasi is incredible. It is a living breathing reminder of another time. Religion swirls around daily life here. Cows freely roam every alley. The Puja ceremony puts the entire city on hold every night. The Ganges river is the the most holy to the Hindus. People bathe, worship and come to die here. I saw an actual cremation take place on the burning ghat. This was, at first, and obviously, a tad disturbing. But as the cremation proceeded, I saw nothing but the peaceful and natural process of life come to its obligatory end. I spent those minutes counting the many blessings that I have been given, and promised myself to make each day count as much I can.

Bodh Gaya

2007-08-23T23:40:00.000+09:00

This area is the centre of the Buddhist faith. Under a Bodhi tree many centuries ago, Siddharta Gautama attained enlightenment and became the Buddha. A tree related to the original still stands behind the big temple. The area is very peaceful, and rings of spirituality.

Calcutta

2007-08-23T23:23:00.000+09:00

I made it to India, thus fulfilling a lifelong dream. India has been everything that I imagined it would be and much more. Calcutta was very interesting. There is some great old colonial era building that are are in pristine condition. I visited a temple dedicated to the goddess Kali. There were many pigrims there that day. A brahmin priest managed to push us in to see the inner sanctum, and cleansing tank. He also said some Hindu prayers for me, that I might be re-incarnated as a higher being. Now at least I have that going for me. The poverty of Calcutta is upsetting. I suppose I could say something about the dignity of the poor there. Or maybe I could poetically lament the suffering that I witnessed. But I think instead I will just say that poverty plain old, big fat SUCKS. It needs to be addressed and eradicated quickly.

Phmominal

2007-08-11T15:21:00.000+09:00

Phnom Penh is a wonderful city. We stayed at a little guesthouse on a lake called the Lazy Fish. The city was a French colony for many years, so it retains some of the faded elegance of those times. The people are really nice and tourists are treated like honoured guests. Well worth the trip if you ever get time.

Sites of the Cambodian Genocide

2007-08-11T14:56:00.000+09:00

In the 70's, the Khmer Rouge regime under the tutelage of Pol Pot massacred approximately one quarter of the people of Cambodia. I debated with myself whether or not to share these pictures, but concluded that it was at least my duty to bear witness to the atrocities, and share the experience within my sphere of influence, limited as it may be. The dark times that Cambodia suffered has really done very little to dampen their spirits. The people are without question some of the finest and friendliest souls that I have ever encountered. In the photos you will see the Choeng Ek Killing Fields, and also the Tuol Sleng torture area, also referred to as S-71. The tower houses thousands of human skulls, many belonging to women and children. Imagine the horror of being blindfolded, trucked out of town and then listening to your relatives being shot and cast into pits, until your turn arrives. Many of these people suffered this fate for the heinous crimes of becoming doctors, or learning to speak French. Well, I won't tell you to enjoy these photos, but please tell your friends about these events, and remember your loved ones, and the beautiful life that we all enjoy these days. After seeing all of these places, I found myself incredibly disenfranchised with life. Thankfully, in Cambodia, playing children and smiling people are never far around any corner.

Angkor Wat

2007-08-05T17:02:00.000+09:00

I cannot put this place in words....sorry. PLEASE visit it sometime.

Laos

2007-08-05T16:31:00.000+09:00

I had a really nice time in Laos. The people are very relaxed and nice. Luang Prabang is a small city in the north. We climbed waterfalls and visited temples there. Vang Vieng is a small riverside town, great for motorcycling and also falling off motorcycles, not me of course, some other careless Canadian. He even broke the brakes off the bike, and bashed up his elbow. Putz.

Rafting down the Mekong

2007-07-25T14:06:00.000+09:00

Farah and I did a huge 2 day boat ride down the Mekong river. It was something like a cross between the Kon-Tiki expedition and the Middle Passage. We crammed in like sardines, but mostly people had fun anyway. The Lao people are used to such travelling methods, so they just let everyone get comfortable, then they sit on all of us. Lao are small and Westerners are fat, so this is actually a pretty good arrangement after all haha. Everybody wins.

Pai

2007-07-25T13:49:00.000+09:00

I went to a little town in northern Thailand called Pai. It was really great, sort of a small musician's community. I jammed with some Thai rastas, and mostly just hung around my balcony watching the rain come down. Probably the greatest thing about this trip is not having to follow a schedule. I don't feel guilty about spending a couple days doing nothing. Whereas whenever I took shorter trips, the tendency was to cram as much in as the 3 weeks or 1 month would allow. I also got lost in a canyon with a Dutch girl, probably should have warned her about my sense of direction before she followed me in. The pic shows this narrow little strip of mountain. The rim of the canyon mostly looks like this, in the centre is a dried up riverbed, and lots of jungle. Scratches and dehydration aside, it was a pretty good day.

Chiang Mai

2007-07-16T13:18:00.000+09:00

I have really been enjoying my time here in Chiang Mai. I have been taking some motorcycle trips around the environs here. For my money that is definitely the only way to enjoy what this magnificent country has to offer. With a bike you are free to go where you want. So far I have ridden up to a temple mountain. There were also several tribal villages. Farah was laid up in the guesthouse sans one wisdom tooth, so I did a bit of offroading as well. There are some pretty dangerous little paths that were very thrilling. Farah was soon back to herself, so the next day we went out of town and saw some hotsprings, and had a wonderful meal at a little restaurant/greenhouse. The fresh ingredients and friendly cook made it quite unforgetable.

Thailand

2007-07-11T14:14:00.000+09:00

Well, I finally made it to Thailand. It has been nothing short of amazing so far. I spent a few days in Bangkok just hanging out with Farah and letting the jetlag wear off. Next we went to Ayutthaya, and then Sukhothai. We are now in Chiang Mai, probably for a couple weeks. I cannot put many photos up now because the bandwidth is bad. But I will do my best to get a few up in the days to come.

Canada Day

2007-07-11T13:50:00.000+09:00

I spent Canada Day pretty much the way I always wanted to. I hung out with Mom, Dean, Amanda, and Chris and Kerri. We went fishing in the park. This was to be my last day in Canada for quite awhile, so it was awesome to enjoy it so much.

Banff

2007-07-11T13:47:00.000+09:00

Mom and I went out to Banff for the day. I never realized how nice it was out there. Any time I was there I was just passing through or skiing. It's wonderful in the suumer too. I will put the photos up later, they are on my computer which is stored in Bangkok.

Travels with Dad

2007-06-27T07:46:00.000+09:00

Since I've been home, I have had a chance to do some travelling with my Dad. We went to the Big Rock in Okotoks (yes the one from the beer). We went to our old family farm, and hometown. I got the chance to see some people that I hadn't in many years. My family is all doing very well, and so are all of my friends. What more can a person hope for. Being home has been great.

Goodbye Korea...for now.

2007-06-27T07:39:00.000+09:00

Wow, what a year. It has been the most life affirming year in my life so far. I have really come to know my myself and the world around me. Korea has afforded me the opportunity to meet some wonderful people and have some unbelievable experiences. I am back in Canada now, but will be leaving on a South East Asia oddyssy very soon. Im not sure if I will start a new blog or keep using this one, but keep checking. Bye-bye.

Going Away

2007-06-27T06:11:00.000+09:00

My last little while in Korea was great. The last open mic at Dublin's was amazing. Most of my friends came down and partied. We all got up and did a version of Brown Eyed Girl. I will never forget you guys.

Cool Church

2007-05-20T21:37:00.000+09:00

Farah and I went on a big urban trek the other day. There is a church that saw once from a vantage point in Jeongja. I have always wanted to check it out but wasn't sure how to go about it. The church is across a freeway in what I would assume to be the northern part of Suji. Freeways in Korea are essentially unnavigable on foot because of the constant density of traffic. So several clandestine gardens and even a stormdrain later, we managed to get across. The church is stunning. It clearly takes its influence from the Gothic school. Notice the peaked arches of the windows and pointy spire. The architect is particularly impressive in my books for including flying buttresses. These were building conventions rendered all but useless by the advent of rebar. Basically they allowed medieval masons to build large ornate stained glass windows into the walls. The butresses carried the weight of the roof off the walls. Anyway enjoy the pics, we worked hard for them haha.

Boxing Match

2007-05-20T21:20:00.000+09:00

I went and saw my friend Justin box this weekend. The fight was out in Uijeongbu. There were about 10 fights on the card. Mostly there were Korean fighters, but also Filipinos and Thais, and in Justin's case, one Prince Edward Islander. Justin fought all the way to the tenth round, where he pretty much just fell asleep after a long bout. At times we thought for sure he would win, but the other guy just stayed awake longer. Boxing is a real spectacle, nerve-wracking and tense, especially when it is someone you know fighting.

First Big Hike

2007-04-22T14:51:00.000+09:00

Farah and I went on our first big hike last weekend. The weather was beautiful, but still not too hot. We went to Namhansanseong in Seongnam-Si. There were many other people out, but strangely this didn't bother me. This mountain is such an integral part of the Korean identity. It sums up their history, individuality and self-sufficience all in one gigantic mountain. Watching them walk around the site in groups of friends and families was really interesting. You see the pride they take in the mountain and sometimes you sorrow when there is a plaque explaining some ungodly invasion or war that their ancestors had to endure. Anyone who has read their Korean history quickly realizes the resiliency and tenacity inherent within the people here.

Spring (finally)

2007-03-25T13:30:00.000+09:00

Hi guys, sorry for being away so long. The truth is that I haven't had much to talk about lately. The winter instincts kicked in and this Canadian went into serious hibernation. Winter is not a very nice time to be in Korea. It is bitterly cold, and everything seems very drab and grey. The last couple weeks have been better though. Farah and I went and checked out a museum that had a collection on loan from the Cleveland Art Museum. There were some great pieces there. Matisse. Van gogh, Monet, and Picasso were all represented. There was also an exceptional Rodin series of sculptures. There was photography permitted but I did manage to snap a couple photos on the quiet. The big green one with tiger is by Rousseau and is one of my alltime favorite paintings. The big ugly concrete building is the art museum (it's nicer inside). Farah and I usually spend weekends in Itaewon and Yongsan shopping and hanging out. I bought a new Xbox 360 and she got a swanky new digital camera. Next we went and had some Pakistani buffet yummy. Well that's it for now, I promise to be more diligent now that it has warmed up.

Fire

2007-01-21T14:14:00.000+09:00

There was a crazy fire across the alley a couple days ago. My friends Matt and Lisa were over. Lisa noticed embers dropping from above outside my window. We all went to the roof and saw a terrific blaze. Luckily it was just a demolition site, and apparently no one was hurt.

Soju Vapourizer

2007-01-14T19:27:00.000+09:00

Maybe some of you have heard of soju before. Its the local rotgut around here. Korean love the stuff but most of foreigner only drink it once (the hangover is one of biblical proportions). Anyways, I recently bought a humidifyer because the winters here dry out my nose. I had a few people over one Saturday and we all thought it would be jolly fun to vaporize some soju. Oddly enough, it is a little more pleasant when consumed pneumatically haha.

Star Wars

2007-01-14T19:19:00.000+09:00

We went and checked out a Star Wars exhibit. It was loads of fun. Many of the actual props from the movies were there. Farah was accosted by stormtroopers not once but twice. I guess it just goes to show you that some things transcend differences around the world. Everyone on this planet likes Star Wars, call interstellar diplomacy I guess haha.

Christmas Party

2007-01-14T19:00:00.000+09:00

I had a few people over for a bit of a soiree over Christmas. It was great fun. This time of year is tough on alot of expats. The pressures of being away from home can be overwelming. It sure helped me to have afew friends around to just hang out and celebrate the holidays. Everybody brought a dish of few, me being the true Mclennan that I am handled the mashed potatos. I also got my hands on some Wiser's Rye Whiskey teehee. The photos will show the terrible result. We had a bona fide photo artist come to the party. Compare his black and white masterpieces to shaky colour ones haha.

Street Protest

2007-01-14T18:42:00.000+09:00

Hi everyone, sorry that I have been such an inattentive blogger lately, but with Christmas and all I haven't had the time. This is just a little Korean tidbit. I stumbled upon a Korean street Protest. The I could surmise was that it was about the lack of housing. I sometimes stop and think how difficult it must be for some people here. Canada has 30 million people or something thereabouts, while Korea is fast approaching 45 million. When you think about all those people trying to scratch out a place for themselves in a country the size of Vancouver Island, you can't but feel for them. The protest was was not violent, but you could really see that people were upset.

Christmas Shopping With Farah

2006-12-10T22:20:00.000+09:00

Farah and I went out to Seoul and did a little shopping. Seoul actually gets a little Christmassy this time of year. We mostly bummed around Gwanghwamun and COEX. We had some coffee and brownies and went to Burger King also.

Average Day

2006-12-10T21:50:00.000+09:00

Well, I don't have too much to report these days that's of any significant interest. Sooo I thought I might just give some insight into an average Friday. First I drag my butt into work. This usually includes a walk if its nice, or a bus ride if its not. This Friday there was this crazy teenage girl chasing pigeons, in fact this was a strange Friday all around, my bus driver barked like a dog when I left the bus, as the other passengers howled with glee. For all the sternness and somberness, Koreans can ham it up with the best of them now and again. Next I go to work (pshhaw work hah), I play with awesome kids all day. I included some pictures of my favorite little RA class. There is also some pictures that they drew for me. They are ADORABLE. There is also a shot of me in the elevator either going to work, or heading out on my break to get chicken on a stick. Next is the weekly galbi dinner. We are a little whacked out here because it is Mikey's last day at work (short hair and winning smile,). There is also the little bakery in my building, (sweet pickle croissants yummy). There is also a few shots of my co-workers. With Mikey's departure, I am now officially the oldest veteran, scary. Although the staff has completely changed since my arrival, I still love every person I work with. I will take some of the friendships that I have made with me for the rest of my life.

Cebu II

2006-11-18T12:38:00.000+09:00

I went to the Taoist Temple in Cebu City. It is a testament to the sizable and affluent Chinese community of Cebu. It is located in the district called, appropriately enough, Beverly Hills. On my last day in Cebu I went to Mactan Island near the airport and drank banana shakes and suntanned all day.

Cebu City

2006-11-18T12:16:00.000+09:00

This post will mainly focus on the stuff I did in Cebu City. There are some fantastic things to see there. The main church is the Santo Nino Cathedral. It was really serene and peaceful. The Filipinos are devoutly Catholic, and their piety really comes through in their architecture. Next I went to the San Pedro fort. It is a relic of the Spanish colonial times. Magellan's cross was the one planted when he discovered the Phillipines and claimed them for Spain. In fact the Phillipines are named after King Phillip II, an insanely zealous monarch from the Habsburg Dynasty. If you are interested, there is a lot of literature on him. He tried to invade England and built el Escorial Palace in Spain. Carbon market was also really cool. The best way to travel around the city is by jeepney. These are left over jeeps from the war, that have been decidedly Filipinoized. The are garishly decorated and cheap to ride. I stayed on the Fuente Osmena. It is a large noisy traffic circle in the centre of town. In the middle there is a nice old fountain.

Phillipines Redux, Kawasan Falls

2006-11-15T13:35:00.000+09:00

I thought Kawasan deserved it own post. The falls are out in the middle of nowhere, about an hour by hubel-hubel, or 45 minutes by multicab, which we took. The ascent takes a leisurely hour. Lucky for me I hiked the falls with Swiss people, pretty hard to tire them out mountain climbing. Unfortunately I could not get them to yodel for me at the top haha.

Phillipines Slight Return

2006-11-15T13:21:00.000+09:00

These are a few more shots of the resort and the dive shop. There are also a few from the boat rides out to the various dive sites.

Phillipines

2006-11-15T13:00:00.000+09:00

I just returned from my vacation in The Phillipines. It was a paradise in every sense of the word. The landscape is all palm trees, and tropical flowers. The people were fantastic and unbelievably friendly. I did my PADI open water SCUBA certification in Moalboal, which is on the island of Cebu. My instructor was Albert the gentle German, whose competance was matched only by his sincere love of the sea. The course took 3 days, 90% of which were spent underwater. I dived various sites including Kasai, Talisay, Pescador Island, and an airplane wreck. I saw lots of coral, turtles and of course, fish. I stayed at a place called the Asian Belgian Resort, owned by, you guessed it, a Belgian fellow named Daniel and his Filipina wife Mary. They went out of their way to make me feel like one of the family. In fact there 7 year old Tommy was my tour guide for The Moalboal Orchid Farm. I had the entir place to myself all week, except for Thursday where Daniella and Raphael, a Swiss couple, showed up. The staff also showed me around the town as well as a daytrip out to Kawasan Falls. Yes that's me the first stupid foreigner to leap off the cliff. I took meals with the family and spent my nights either drinking beer in Panagsama Beach, or just swinging in the hammock, playing guitar and singing with Joan and her sister Irene. Actually little Tommy traded me guitar lessons for Cebuano language training, Salaamat dong, Tomtom. My guitar Greta was a big hit with the Filpinos, who spend almost all of their leisure time singing karaoke. The first morning I woke up in Cebu city, and went for a walk, I hadn't gotten 10 steps before a security guard stopped me and asked to jam. Soon the girls that worked at a nearby convenience store came out and started singing too, hilarious. Anyway here are some pics, I will publish more later.

Halloween Show

2006-10-29T19:40:00.000+09:00

Our gig in Itaewon was last night. We had a wicked time. It went ok without the old singer. A few of my friends made it for the show also which was nice. We had a couple guest stars as well. Jen came up and did a few songs, and then a couple Filipinos came up and did a few songs as well. Then the ghost of Stevie Ray Vaughan came up and did a song also. Haha, actually I just wanted to include this photo. It was given to me from my friend Sherri. It was taken in the Commodore Ballroom in downtown Vancouver sometime in '83. Cool huh?

Band Practice

2006-10-22T22:03:00.000+09:00

We fired our singer today so we had a practice to see if we can still pull off our Haloween gig without her. We decided that we will be ok. Jon and myself will be performing in drag so we will sing all the songs that she used to, hopefully with maximum irony and therefore laughs. I plan to sing Madonna's "Like a Virgin" and Jon will be doing renditions of several Avril Lavigne songs, should be a hoot. Here are some shots of the rehearsal. I will be drumming some songs this time also because Tyler our Drummer wants to sing some of the songs also. It really is something to hear "You Outta Know" by Alanis Morrissette, sung with a Korean accent.

Jeongja

2006-10-22T21:48:00.000+09:00

There is a great little neighborhood close to where I live. It has many little bistros and bakeries and what not. It reminds of Stephen Avenue in Calgary. Although I still eat Korean food nearly every day, it is always a welcome relief to go to Frankie's for a pastrami sandwich, or Aglio for some spaghetti. Back home I took food like this for granted, now I eat it a little more haha. In fact there is a store in Jeongja that sells imported food. Its called I Love Cookie (gotta love that Konglish) haha. I bought some nachos and salsa, chocolate chip cookies and Canada Dry ginger ale, as well as the obligatory box of Kraft Dinner haha.

Random Seoul

2006-10-22T21:43:00.000+09:00

Seoul never ceases to amaze me. There is always some new crazy thing that jumps out and bites you. I was driving with my friend the other day and we encounter this huge wicker dragon, pretty cool huh?

Drunken Master

2006-10-05T13:48:00.000+09:00

In keeping with the theme of the last post, I thought you all might enjoy this story. I was playing pool in Itaewon with some buddies when encountered this man. He is Japanese, and wantonly soused. In fact he wobbled so much that he fell several times. He routinely kicked his opponents, and told them that their female relatives swam out naked to greet the Japanese battleships, fortunately for me, he knew too little about Canada to insult me righteously. The weird thing is that nobody could beat him at pool. He ran the tables twice when I was there, this one guy didn't get one shot. Incredible sage-like man.

Regina moment

2006-10-05T13:39:00.000+09:00

Korea has quite a drinking problem sometimes. It isn't a rare occurence to see people passed out everywhere. There was once a guy sleeping in my elevator, and one time whilst walking home from work I saw no fewer than 3 people puke on the street. Craziness haha.

Coex

2006-10-05T13:33:00.000+09:00

I went to the Coex mall the other day. It is massive and mostly underground. It has all the same stores a home, and I even got some greasy Chinese food at the food court. The guy in the photo is my buddy Pikey from Wales.

New band

2006-10-05T13:26:00.000+09:00

I joined a band a few weeks ago. We played our first gig last weekend. It was a lot of fun. Our singer is Fionn from California, Keegan is from Virginia, Tyler the drummer is Korean, and John, the guitar player closest to me in the photos is from Manitoba. We rehearse every Sunday and will probably be playing most Saturdays. Its really cool to have time for music. University consumed too much time to make a band feasible. Anyway enjoy the pics.

Moroccan

2006-09-10T18:31:00.000+09:00

We celebrated Farah's birthday last night. There were about 20 of us or so, and everyone had a good time. The food was glorious; similar to other Middle Eastern cuisine, but with its own distinctiveness nonetheless. After the meal we smoke sheesha pipes, it all kind of took me back to my time in the Levant.

Farah

2006-09-04T13:03:00.000+09:00

I am sorry that I have not posted in such a long time, but I have been very preoccupied. I have entered into a new phase for my time in Korea. I have been spending a lot of time with a girl that I recently met; her name is Farah. We get along amazingly well, and as you can see, she is extremely beautiful. Here are some pics from some of the trips that we have taken in the last few weeks. We went to Suwon, and just returned from Gangneung on the East Sea. Enjoy.

Zoo

2006-08-16T21:55:00.000+09:00

I had an awesome time at the Seoul Zoo this weekend. Its a world class facility and the animals were extra cantankeroud. I almost got doused in baboon pee, thankfully I was fleet enough of foot to avoid the stream. Enjoy, the cuddly-wuddlys.

Deano

2006-08-02T17:54:00.000+09:00

My next visitor was my brother Dean. We had a really nice time. My birthday was a couple days ago and it was awesome having some family around for it. Dean and I hit a few tourist sites and more than a few bars and had lots of laughs. Here's the pics.

Kevin

2006-08-02T17:35:00.000+09:00

Sorry it has been such a long time since my last blog. I have had a couple visitors this month and they have kept me quite busy. Kevin arrived a couple weeks age and we had an absoute blast. I hadn't seen him in a year so we had some partying to catch up on. We mostly stayed around Bundang and got into Seoul a few times as well. I'll let the photos do most of the talking for this one.

Namhansanseong

2006-07-05T12:32:00.000+09:00

I hiked a fantastic fortress the other day. It is in Seongnam, mostly. Actually its absolutely huge. I hiked most of the day, and went down the wrong side of the mountain and wound up in the city of Gwangju. The fortress is very different than the one in Suwon, which completely filled with city: Namhansanseong is filled only with trees. There are many temples and what not on the ascent up. It was one of the most enjoyable hikes that I have yet been on in Korea.

Canada Day

2006-07-05T12:17:00.000+09:00

I had a fantastic Canada Day. People take it very seriously here, probably because we are so homesick. It was a wonderful feeling to be in a bar full of Canadians speaking Enlish (and French bien sur). We went to the Rocky Mountian Tavern and ate poutine for supper. It was also a nice opportunity to meet some new people. The pics hardly capture the atmosphere but the Rocky has 2 floors, both packed, and the hair is from some girls doing a jig to Great Big Sea.

Galbi

2006-06-28T02:41:00.000+09:00

In Korea there is a meal that I eat almost weekly. Galbi is big hunks of marinated meat that you cook yourself over a brazier. Jon and I found a little place that has seats outside. It's a really fantastic Saturday evening, and there is also a great frozen yoghurt place next door for dessert.

Korea

2006-06-26T18:14:00.000+09:00

I read Simon Winchester's book "Korea". I thought it was very good. Much of the literature out there for Korea is fairly heady, and indigestable, but Winchester's book is not. Basically, Winchester is a journalist and writes as such, although he is also quite an intellectual as well. He undertakes a walk that bisects South Korea from south to north. Along the way he meets many interesting Koreans, Expats, and a whole host of irritating Americans. His humour is subtle and at times not so subtle as well. I recommend this book because it is unique, and not pretentious. The only real downside is that there is not much in the way of academic to be found in it, but then again there are many other books for that.

Sorta like back home

2006-06-24T16:28:00.000+09:00

When living in a new country, particularly one as removed as Korea, a person starts to yen for their life back home. Luckily a little patience and an inquisitive nature often helps to assuage these feelings. In Canada there was nothing I enjoyed more than playing my playstation and drinking slush. Well did I luck out, I found a playstation-bang, and a place that sold slushes. In Korea there are these big buildings which are pasted with banners telling you what types of businesses are to be found within. This is well and good when you understand Korean, but we poor Waeguks are often left dazzled in the neon so to speak. Often we only get the privelege of frequenting the businesses that are on the ground floor, because we can peek our heads in and see that indeed the business is a Gimbapjjip, Osteology clinic or Baskin Robbin's. Lately I have taken to exploring the upper floors just as a matter of course. My first big reward has been the Playstation-bang. I guess its sort of a metaphor for my life, I don't really feel alive unless I am able to check out the occasional upper floor. Life for me is usually found in the secret places.

Korea vs. Switzerland

2006-06-24T16:00:00.000+09:00

I seem to have become something of a soccer fan recently. Last night Jon Isaac, the Sage and myself, along with about 2 million of our closest friends went to Seoul city hall to watch a soccer game being broadcast from Germany. The match was at 4 in the morning so almost everyone was well imbibed by then. It was an utterly indescribable experience, the soccer mania here knows no bounds. I have never felt such a sense of comunal energy in my life. The long journey home at 8 a.m. was equally moving, the dejection was enormous (Switzerland won). I was fortunate in that I chose to wear a South Korean flag as a cape, or I might well have had my blonde, Swiss-resembling ass kicked.

Bundang chillen

2006-06-14T00:46:00.000+09:00

This post will be about my little slice of heaven: Bundang. I sometimes cannot believe how lucky I got here in Korea. Having been here a while now, I have heard many horror stories from those less fortunate in situation than me. Many people find themselves trapped in a hellhole, in a sketchy area of town with a boss that only pays them recreationally. My company is fantastic, kids are even better. And then there is my beloved Bundang. It is basically a nice quiet suburby place, with plenty of nice parks and rivers. I have had it described to me as the place to be in Korea. There is a hiking trail a few minutes from my place. It has this fantastic little temple at the base of the mountain, good place to catch your breath on the way back down. Central park is also really cool. Jon and I are to be found there most Saturdays, playing guitar. The park has some strange secrets if explored. There is an outdoor gym, not a basketball court mind you, but a full fitness centre with weight machines and treadmills. Its on the top of this little mountian so your workout is half over by the time you even hike up to it. There are also chicken coups and rabbit hutches. The best part is the plaza square. Koreans enjoy all manner of divertissment there: rollerblading, badminton, picnics and plain old quality time as well. The nicest thing about Bundang is that you can walk anywhere, and the walking iself is pure caprice.

Seoul

2006-06-13T00:25:00.000+09:00

Had another cool day in Seoul this weekend. Jon and I went to the Deoksugung palace, and also visited the Namdaemun and Hongdae. his city never ceases to amaze, it is truly one the global megalopoli of this planet. It is difficult to describe the vibrancy and speed with which Seoul exists. Yet, there is respite to be found in tucked away corners like the palace. Korea is not (yet) a major tourist destination so there are no hoards of people clambering all over everywhere, in fact I was the only person clambering on anything the whole time. As you can see from the photos pretty much had carte blanche to be as foolish as we wanted. That's Jon in the blue shirt taking the photo of the pond (actually the cute Japanese girls on the other side of it). The large steeple is part of the Myeongdong cathedral, many people do not realize the depth of Christianity here, there are estimates of about 40 percent of the population. The Namdaemun, or big south gate is Korea's national symbol, and there is a huge market across the street from it, not as cheap as many of China's but equally as sqallid. Talk to y'later.

Seoul

2006-06-06T22:23:00.000+09:00

This is just some more stuff I did in Seoul in the last little while. There is actually a Canadian bar in Seoul, owned by a couple of Calgarians no less. Some of my buddies from work went to watch the Oiler playoff game. I also went to Yeouido, which is sort of the Manhatten of Korea. It is home to the National Assembly, Building 63 (tallest in Korea) as well as the largest church in the world, by both volume and congregation.

Itaewon Mosque

2006-06-06T21:57:00.000+09:00

I had a really cool experience today. I went and saw the mosque in Itaewon. It is very nice and peaceful. Itaewon is one of Seoul's more infamous neighborhoods; many foreigners share it with some of Seoul's ladies of the night. It is quite interesting to see pious bearded Muslims sharing the streets with tattered natashas. The mosque is fairly new as far s mosques go, Islam came to Korea during the Korean War, compliments of the Turkish soldiers that came to help the South. I went in and sat down and no sooner had I taken off my backpack, some Bangladeshi and Malaysian guys came over to chat. Like anyone with a Muslim friend can tell you, they are very kindhearted and hospitable people. We shared stories about travelling in the Middle East, and they explained a few things about Islam Korean style. Many people do not realize what a widespread and ethnically diverse religion it is. I visited a mosque in China as well, also very distinct from those that are found in Arabian culture. Enjoy the pics.

Freakonomics

2006-06-02T11:16:00.000+09:00

I read this fantastic book the other day: Freakonomics by Stephen Levitt. He offers some excellent perspectives on strange statistics. The most interesting thing about the book is the challenge to conventional wisdom that it poses. I have also long wondered why some people believe the things they do. Levitt describes how the Ku Klux Klan was ultimately rendered impotent. No amount of public education or political posturing worked, so a man infiltrated the organization and became a member. After learning all the (infantile) machinations and rituals of the Klan, he exposed them to children as Superman's enemy. Soon members of the venerated Klan saw their children wearing sheets and calling each other exhalted wizard. The kids knew all the nomenclature of the supposedly clandestine society right down to the secret handshake. Most of the grownups then took stock of how ludicrous the whole thing was and evidently grew up. Levitt applies his new approach from topics as diverse as sumo wrestling to being a good parent. A thrilling read, I would recommend it to anyone.

Been a while

2006-06-02T02:46:00.000+09:00

Hi guys, I am very sorry that it has been so long since my last blog. I have been taking it easy these days, not doing to much touristy stuff, just mostly hanging out and enjoying all the wonderful new friendships that I have made recently. The weather has been really nice these days. I bought a piece of shit bike the other day and have been out riding quite a bit. Life has been pretty good lately. My friend Jon and I have taken to playing our guitars in Sunae plaza. It is an excellent way to meet Korean people. Tonight we just started playing and before we knew it there about 20 or so Koreans hanging out and listening. One older guy kept running to a store and buying us beer. He just listened for an hour or so, clapping along. On a lark, I jokingly asked if he played guitar and tried passing Greta over to him. Turns out he plays beautifully, and had the crowd spellbound with his Korean songs. I find many Koreans to be like him, absolute treasures once you take the time to scratch the surface. I always knew that music was a universal language, but actually seeing this old idiom in practice has been one of the greatest experiences in my life. Anyway I promise not to be such a stranger...more to come.

Hwaseong Fortress

2006-05-14T22:32:00.000+09:00

I went to Suwon today and saw the Hwaseong fortress. It was fantastic, the city of Suwon is partially inside the old walls. Cities like Suwon are always so fascinating because of the juxtaposition of old and new. The fortress was built almost 4 hundred years ago, and now is houses bus stops and cell phone shops. The city of Split in Croatia is designed this way, and so is Xi'an China. The walls take a couple of hours to hike, but there is other stuff to see as well, you just have to look for it. There is an old, but fastidiously restored, palace. I also saw a huge statue of the Buddha in this temple in the hills belows the walls. I caught a glimpse of the huge church there aslo. It is Presbyterian, and seems to be of the Dutch school of architecture, but it is all Korean in size and scope. Things in this country are just huge. I went to the roof of my building tonight and it is like a park (grass, trees and people making out). The whole nine yards. The weird thing is that my building is not even one of the big ones. Getting around this country is also very easy. People have literally no English, but are friendly and do what they can to help anyway. My Korean is progressing a little each day, probably because there is no choice but to learn a smattering, you would get pretty hungry otherwise. Reading Han'geul (Korean alphabet) is also becoming second nature, easier than English even. Well that's it for now, hope yer all doin well.

Open mic

2006-05-08T23:20:00.000+09:00

I discovered a nice little Irish pub a while ago. It has an open mic on Wednesdays, and I have jammed the last three weeks. Its usually a blast, and actually gets rockin pretty good some nights. It is great to have time for music again, it is something that I have sorely missed as there was no time in Vancouver. Some of the people I meet are interesting, I played a set with a guy from Boston, the old host is an Aussie, and my friends Ontario Mike and Jonathan usually make it also. The bar has a great atmosphere, but pales in comparison to the Big Eye...oh well can't have all I guess, at least the puke smell isn't quite as acrid haha.

Deliverance with no hillbillies except me.

2006-05-08T22:48:00.000+09:00

I had an absolute blast whitewater rafting this weekend. We went to Gangwon-do to this gorgeous river valley. I had rafted once before in Montana, equally fun, but very different. The valley was ethereally beautiful, with shades of green that were outright otherworldly. Seven of us went: Chantal, Heather, Nova Scotia Mike and myself from the Migeum campus, Rebecca and Lindsey from Sunae campus, and Scottish Mike from Incheon. It was probably one of the better weekends of my entire life. The rare combo of great times and good friends was unbelievable. Our Korean guides came and partyed the night away with us as well, also really great folks. I apologize for not having any pics of the actual valley or the raft, camera would have got soaked. I swiped a couple of Heather's pics from her site (sorry Heather, owe ya a Soju). You can check out her site too if you like, I will include the link. www.sitekreator.com/heather She also has some pics from a retreat we all had to do when I first moved here. I will pinch some of Lindsey's pics as well, as soon as I can. She has all the pics of Nova Scotia Mike being shorn in his sleep. Enjoy. Love Chaddy-waddy.

Seoul searching

2006-05-02T09:46:00.000+09:00

I had quite a day on Saturday. I went exporing in Seoul. It is truly a fantastic city, and it has given me a new definition for the word huge. It is built in a small mountian range, and the mountains themselves are incorporated into the geography. There are tunnels through them, buildings clinging to them, and some have been geo-formed completely out of existence. I went to Insadong which is a nice little area, little meaning most of the buildings are not thirty stories or more. There is a guitar market there the size of Val Marie. I was in heaven (well hell actually, no first paycheck yet haha). I also went to Dongdaemun, a huge market. I capped the night off with some friends in Hongdae, one of the nightclub regions. Anyway here are some of the shots I got. Later.

Gyeongbukgung

2006-05-02T09:00:00.000+09:00

I got the chance to see the palace complex of Gyeongbukgung. Built in 1394 and razed several times by the Japanese, the complex is the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty. I thought it was very beautiful and peaceful. It was similar to the Forbidden City in Beijing except smaller and without the hordes of tourists.

Patience is a virtue...but she won't always wait

2006-05-02T00:31:00.000+09:00

The publishing tool for this blog is fast becoming the bane of my existence. More often than not, I cannot publish my pics. So if you see a blog that is text only, please be patient, I will have the pics up when the friggin thing is working...haha I'm not really bitter, just underwhelmed.

Baseball Korean style

2006-05-01T23:59:00.000+09:00

Howdy. I checked out a really fun baseball game this weekend with some friends. It was quite a spectacle, the diamond was bigger than my hometown, and it was only one of twenty or so stadiums in the area. If you you want to see where, do a search on the Jamsil Olympic Park. Its absolutely huge. The only similarity to back home is that they play nine innings, and use bats, pretty much everything else is different. First off, the entrance fee was only three bucks, this is the Korean major leagues mind you. Beers were only two, and the cab ride over was four. The teams do not represent cities, I cheered for the Samsung Twins, I think. The crowd does all kinds of mass chanting and songs, and people throw toilet paper around. For snacks we had Kimchi flavored chips and squid jerky. The energy was amazing; the fans here are completely rabid. We almost got nailed by two homeruns, one hit the row in front of us and one hit two back, pretty crazy. Anyway here are the pics. See ya.

Book Review

2006-04-27T09:46:00.000+09:00

I thought that I would review all the books that I read in Korea. The first one is Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. It was written by Dai Sijie. I quite enjoyed the book; as a hopeless Sinophile, I found it absorbing in its Chinese-ness alone. It is about 2 boys who were relocated to the countryside for "reeducation" during Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution. The meet another boy who has a suitcase full of forbidden Western books including one by, (you guessed it) Honore de Balzac. The book succeeds in that it demonstrates the witchhunt-like mentality that encapsulated China at the time rather competently. This seemed to be Sijie's crux for writing the book. It is as much as about the desolation that comes of floating in a sea of mediocrity, as China; for this reason it has something to offer everyone. The human condition and all that other nonsense is also addressed so Oprah might even like it. Its only failure is the clumsy changes of voice towards the end which offer no propulsion of plot, or even insight itself whatsoever. In fact upon first reading the book, I would recomend that they be glossed over, and then reapproached after the book is finished and you have nothing better to do. Worth a read anyway though.

Bundang Cathedral

2006-04-25T23:30:00.000+09:00

Sorry to flood the site with posts one after the other, but the publishing site is finally working. This morning I went for a walk to the Bundang cathedral. It is truly an amazing building. It seems to to a synchretism of styles throughout Catholocism's history. At first, whilst walking towards it, it seems very Gothic and Northern European, but that is only the one side. Around the cormer is a circular aspect that reminds me of Giotto's sacristy in Florence. The arches over the windows and doors are rounded and smallish relatively and not at all pointed, giving it a Romanesque feel as well. The interior is no less of a conglomeration. Mediaeval icons share wall space with ultra-modern automatic doors. To top it all off, there is a scale reproduction of Michaelangelo's "Pieta" inside. The effect is not at all too busy however; a sense of very real serenity pervades. The spiral ramp with tiled renderings of Catholic parables and history is particularly settling. It was a welcome change from the ubiquitous neon and bustle of Korea.

Work

2006-04-25T23:13:00.000+09:00

Hi guys. Its probably high time I showed what work is like over here. I sometimes cannot believe what an amazing group of people I work with. Everyone has done their best to make me feel welcome. I will leave everyone nameless for privacy reasons. Avalon is a huge school, last I heard there are over 5000 students at many different campuses. Anyway enjoy the pics.

Bibimbap

2006-04-24T22:45:00.001+09:00

I thought I would share my daily breakfast experience Korean style. I have fallen in love with bibimbap. It is basically just a bunch of vegtables, an egg, rice and hot sauce all mixed up. The first picture is what arrives on your table, next you mix it all up and eat it. It comes with 5 side dishes, and a bowl of soup, all at a whopping 3 bucks. So who can afford to eat at home haha. The other pics are from inside the restaurant. This particular place is my favorite so far.

2006-04-17T22:53:00.000+09:00

Hey everyone. I thought I would share these photos of Bundang that I took this weekend. It is an unbelievably beautiful town this time of year. The cherry blossoms are out in full force, and so are the people enjoying spring. I walked from Seohyeon station all the way back to home in Ori. It took about 3 hours with stops. I played some catch with some little guys for a while, and stopped for a doughnut as well. Korea is really beginning to agree with me. I was sick last week, which was a real drag, but am back in the pink nowadays. My classes are really coming together also, obviously the first couple days were a little overwhelming but I seem to have found my groove. I had the opportunity to visit a beautiful traditional Korean teahouse this weekend. It was utterly gorgeous, and the tea was exquisite. Unfortunately, I did not have my camera along, but I will be visiting again soon. I have heard that near the park in which the teahouse is located there is a massive cathedral with a scale reproduction of Michaelangelo's Pieta. Having seen the original in the Vatican, I hope to compare the two sometime this weekend. Well that's about it fer now, talk to ya later.

My Pad

2006-04-13T17:59:00.000+09:00

I am very happy with the apartment that my school gave me. It is an officetel located about 100 feet from Ori subway station. As a minimalist by nature, this apartment is custom tailored to my purposes. It is basically one big room, and a bathroom. My coworkers have expressed how lucky I am for all the perks that came with the place. I got a microwave, copious utensils, a rice cooker, loveseat and an iron. The washing machine, air conditioner, microwave and talking door lock are all in Korean. To most people this poses a challenge. I am fortunate however. I was gifted with a fanciful mind (scatterbrain) that couldn't usually be bothered with reading appliance instructions, even back home in Canada. The approach is the same here, just punch random buttons and hope for the best. For washing clothes the 46 with 2 squiggly lines and upside down V works capitally. Never had whiter whites. Here are some pice. Take 'er easy.

blogo numero uno

2006-04-13T17:42:00.000+09:00

Well, I finally made it to Korea. I am thoroughly enjoying this fascinating country. The people are wonderful and so is the food. The area I live in is really great, it has wide streets and is very clean. Although I am sure that there are millions of people surrounding me, it doesn't feel crowded. The school that I work at is also very nice. There are about 10 or so foreigners working there, all of whom seem to be terrific people. In less than a week, I have been invited out 4 times. Everyone went out of their way to be nice to me. The day I landed, the head teacher took me out and showed me around. Best cure for jetlag? Get off the plane and party until 3 or 4 Korean time. You will be exhausted, but the next day, after your headache goes away, you will be acclimatized. I went hiking on Saturday to a fascinating place. It is a complex of temples on a mountain in Seoul. I will write more about the experience when I get time. That's it for now, take 'er easy.