i realize that I very much enjoy my social interactions in Korea

I had some very satisfying ones today

most recently, a foreigner at the Chinese place where I stuffed myself silly wanted to know where the dumplings were on the menu. I wish in retrospect I had taught him about the very English-able 'cheap place' restaurant.

the waitress at the restaurant tried to warn me: I looked up on-kur on my phone after I ordered it, it means rather spicy. Well yes it was quite spicy.

Then I was exchanging glances with a young lady through a mirror on a column in the middle of the restaurant.

Then I met a couple of Korean boys who exchanged small talk in two languages.

and then I had some pretty bearable calls to my kids.

My stomach and body are tired, hope everyone has had or is having a happy halloween.

I'm going to get on top of making this less boring, among other important things

Halloween

Home plus is still not open despite rumors and signs that indicated yesterday would be their reopening.

I met a crazy-ish foreigner lady (some weird mix of Western and Eastern European accents) who has been here for 4 years. I was happy to share that New Core is the best source of foreign food in this part of Bucheon

Then I went for one of my favorite meals in this neck of the woods, Spaghetti Story for Deungshim Donkkas(eu) for 3,900 won (about 3 and a half dollars). SUCH GOOD GRAVY! Well not many people were eating it today but the place was packed. While waiting outside for takeout (I ended up eating there after some people left) these outgoing kids came over to look at my phone. The girl wanted to know if my phone had games. Nope. They spoke a little English, I spoke a little Korean, pretty typical except that they were strange kids. At some point they went into this restaurant and came back out and asked, I gathered, whether I had been drinking or was crazy. No on both counts, I indicated (who are their parents to be asking me if I'm crazy, they started it). Then I showed the little girl that I still have plenty of skills around a jump rope.

I think thems is all my stories, cept how I incidentally ran into a friend who was supposed to be meeting for me that I didn't remember agreeing to today or the previous day.

Getting a little sad I can't get through to the new cats, oh well, se la vie, more time to meet them later. Time to take a shower and get ready for all hallows eve in Seoul.

I've been having continued skin problems, seems to be connected with dryness. My best response so far, seriously, has been olive oil. I'm a little mediterranean olive, and I don't care who knows it.

I can't believe it

I did it again.

What'd you do you ask?

I got into another discussion with the church of god.

This time I much more seasoned professor (I guess- one who professes) was telling me how important my opportunity was. People come from all over the world to study in Korea (I didn't have the heart to ask what ethnicity of people do) and according to some unnamed newspaper, his church is the only that celebrates the bible correctly.

No Christmas, one Passover. Whoa, that sounds like mine I say. No, yours is wrong.

Well fuck this dude. I gave him a lot more time than I did those pretty girls. But I got just as far. He was really obsessed with meeting me. I was trying to explain that I was wasting his time. I asked him, if we meet, what will come of it? He didn't understand, he just wanted me to understand the bible as correctly as he does.

It's fact by the way, as proven by Job who predicted SPECIFICALLY the workings of the universe, 3500 YEARS AGO! These guys, man, just kind of funny.

I didn't have the heart to ask him more about his family where he is the only Christian. I was going to say that perhaps if someone like him had walked up to somebody else in his family - well, that person would be me, still not a believer.

He got my number, or more specifically I his. He lamented with his partner of all the people who say they will come one day but never do. They sounded bummed out like dejected sales people. Dudes, it's alright, soon enough rapture will come and everybody is going to want that water of life you are hosting.

and I'm considering meeting with em.. I'm really not sure. I am sure of one thing

I am tired

Goodnight

I remembered something else I need gentle encouragement on:

consuming in more moderation

and eating healthier and at home more

I've reconsidered my stance that On the border is Mexican food that makes me gassy - it appears that very large meals do this, as well as upsetting my stomach.

I had my 3rd run-in with Church of God-ers (I forgot to mention my very brief 2nd mention) but this time after telling them I was ok in Korean, the lady said, "oh yes I know you" which is weird, either word has gotten around about me, or she was one of the people there on the 2nd confrontation. I shouldn't call them confrontations, they are largely pleasant.

So I re-potted my plant from work finally. I am worried that I am killing it. It's hard to explain what I did. I had this bucket of water that was very moldy from roses that used to reside there. I started putting compostables in there. The day I bought soil at the dollar store, I found a dead dragonfly on the floor nearby. So I added it in with the soil and put the plant in to the water (I dumped a little water trying to keep as much material in there). Well it was way too much water. I poked holes in the pot. I added more soil.

No sooner had I had this fear than the bugs had materialized. Now I'm afraid to open my window as I don't want gnats in here. My hope is it will dry out some, the bugs will get bored, and the plant will spread out happily and not drown.

Not it's getting frigging cold which brings me to my fears about the cold killing my lovely plant friend. Well, I guess we'll see. I still send it good vibes everyday.

Lucy teacher gave me cookies this morning, very nice of her.

I had a pounding headache all day, cept for the moment when one of my kids gave me a massage. Well I feel better now, just gassy and tired. I wish my guitar player hadn't accidentally held onto my good tiger balm.

Concise

I realized that despite hopes of pictures and links to my mom's blog and re-hashing of old xanga posts, all I have are really wordy posts.

And I'm trying to say less, (read: type less, also).

This morning I had a trippy dream. I was on the coolest water roller coaster ever, but it broke down, and I felt really desperate at this point, when we got through we decided we wanted to ride it again, this time with 4 people (myself, Dave, James, and i know not the 4th party). The roller coaster is starting to come back to me only as I type this. Intriguing how you can be so caught up in a dream, wake up and watch it dissolve into nothingness (well not watch it, but I sure forgot the dream quickly).

I had a nice day. Yesterday my body felt like poop. I guess we drank a lot during our 2 hours of singing. Yesterday I didn't drink, I napped and I made it to my favorite show so far. Only a bit of a bummer that my friends showed up late. I'm thinking the band is going to keep providing fun and interesting experiences. Today, hungover had disappeared, I felt good after a long night of sleep. I went over to James' to watch MMA and drink bloody mary's. It was the first one I had enjoyed, and subsequently the 2nd 3rd and 4th. Had a quesadilla with Declan the old irish employee and Dave and Natalia. Took a nap.

Finally overcame the pressure to journal and am doing it, at (as Irish people like to say) half midnight (they just leave out the past). I had a late dinner, posted pictures to facebook. At dinner I stole (I mean its self serve dispenser, and I did buy a big double portioned dinner) 2.5 (give or take) liters of purified water.

Discussing with Natalia, I realized it's a sort of wonder that I survive as well as I do as I feel like I'm losing out on 2 of my favorite life forces, sleep and water. Throw in one of my favorite medicines... well it's a good thing we have good tiger balm out here.

I appreciate Alex being a good influence on the journaling front, that said it's not that high of a priority. Those people close to me, please help me (just by nudging gently, though I feel like I am nudging myself) to

a: Prioritize

I think I'll start these habits one at a time.

study korean

practice trumpet

etc. etc. etc.

I'm excited about snowboarding. I've also resolved to go up to one of the few Kumdo places I have seen and use my limited Korean to inquire about the possibilities of starting in with that.

Well that wasn't too long. Good night.. for now

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance

Ugh. I don't know why I watched this again. I guess I was tired of telling people they should watch it, I wanted to see it again myself to make sure, and being October I thought it might be scary.

Well it wasn't. It was sad.

Park Chan Oo (I don't know why, but apparently English people cannot say Oo, without a 'w', or Ee without an 'l') is a superb Korean director. He really gets the love, the laughs, the sex, the confusion, the joy, and the pain.

Mostly the pain.

This is one of the 4 movies of his I've seen, and I have now decided his films epitomize the Korean ethos of "han" His other's are (most famously) Old Boy (most accesibly) Lady Vengeance, and Joint Security Area. Each contains all of those emotions, and characters who you love in situations you hate. This one and Old Boy and JSA, well I guess all of these movies of his I love, have this touch of Romeo and Juliet to them... so beautiful, so lovely, and so unnecessary that everyone has to die in the end. But then.. that's life.

an ethos I don't really understand, but I feel it everywhere about me.

Like the river that flows through Seoul, Han is something of desperation, or despair, of reverence and regret. I don't know. It's a frown on their face, and yet it brings out an unmatched rage, and laughter, and nervousness, and extroversion, and alcoholism.

I think it reminds me somewhat of the pain of the Jewish people, who feel pretty in the right, and when shit goes down, they look around and all they can see is Chinja? (really?)

Had to get this off my chest

There's little time for me to talk about my almost undoing of my apartment, and the rift in my heart, and my topsy turvy thoughts on religion. Back to sleep, and better living! Assa!

Apparently, too, I have chased away my readership with a new address. Well I like this one better, more concise and to the point.

Closing with the English translation of one of my favorite quotes from Oh-Dae-Soo, in Old Boy, describing the meaning of his name ... "it means getting by one day at a time....

... but why can't I get through today?"

I am frustrated by a steady stream of headphones in and out of my life. I am going to get better at repairing them.

As far as explicitly gospel songs go, Touch the Hem of Your Garment by Sam Cooke is real nice.

I bought a white board to help prioritize and organize.

I wrote down some jokes last night while watching funny people, a good movie.

I am tired but getting ready to start.

Trying to work out my final tallies for voting by mail

Did my 3rd Jimjilbang, 2nd trip to Dragon Hill. The outside spa was a dissapointment. Managed to dip myself in the hottest water this time (44 degrees celsius- actually a rather huge difference from 40 degrees). Noraebang was rough on me, think my voice is still recovering from the 2 hour visit with Alex and Courtney, but perhaps if I keep working it I can rebuild stronger and better vocals.

I set out to do stretching yesterday and decided to give yoga a try.

http://yoga.about.com/od/yogasequences/ss/dailystretch.htm

now I'm trying to decide if I need a mat. I e-mailed my chiropractor. The worst part of going on these laminate floors were exercises on my knees. Are bruises bad for your knees? I do have a severe fear of damage on my knees. In a twist of irony, my ankles have been aching since I left Dragon Hill last night.

I'm going to go back to that right now, using Shawn's old heat blanket as a mat. Try to get through all 10 today.

Much love to those of you out in the blogosphere.

O I almost burned down my apartment yesterday, but it's ok, the smoke is gone, and the singed hairs are not noticeable. Man I manage to do some of the stupidest shit out here. Hopefully it'll make for good growth and funnier jokes.

House scorpion, great, the bug is again sending shivers up my exhausted spine.

Alex and Courtney have departed, it is sad to see them go, but we had a very nice time together.

I did my first Jimjilbang thanks to them.

I finally went to Gyeongju.

I went to Insa-dong multiple times, and had a chance to view the very intriguing declaration of independence in beautiful Tapgol park.

I viewed Nanta, one of Seoul's 2 most popular shows (very cool).

I finally bought a vest. And then a zip-up tie.

I proved that my apartment (actually, it's an officetel) can host 3 people with some amount of comfort.

I managed to teach and only be slightly overwhelmed by my duties during this time, I went through a good deal of money but enjoyed all of it, I reinvigorated my vigor for living in Korea, and we rounded out the trip with a 2 hour long Noraebang stay (though I'm rather peeved that we were not comp'ed more time.

Last night after dinner and ice cream I was walking home when a couple of Korean girls began to openly and nervously approach my friend and I. They said they were students and they were doing homework. They seemed nice and not like bible freaks so I obliged. In they began with questions about the holy mother. I countered with Virgin Mary. They said no.

We discussed, for maybe 20 minutes, their ideas and mine. They said they wished for my salvation. I said ok, save me from what? They said, not your body, but your spiritual salvation. Again, I said from what. Then she started in with using the word "ticket" that I don't have it. They key to salvation, she told me repeatedly, was the passover. Well I'm trying to explain to her that Passover (or Pesach) is a Jewish celebration of the Exodus (clearly she and I understand very different part of the bible) and I believe what she is talking about is the Eucharist (I could not think of a different or more appropriate name for the reenactment of the last supper- or seder if you will). I liked where she was going with the heavenly mother thing, so we kept on. She kept on quoting the bible to me, poor girl using the English side of her bilingual NIV (which I told her stands for New International Version, in reference to my comment on the old and new testaments). If you're wondering on the switch from "them" to "her"- well I was initially approached by 2 girls, but then it became apparent one was more ready to preach to me and the other was more of a wingman. At the corner in front of megaplus 2 more friends met up and helped throw her a quote or translation. Well she told me it was not opinion but it was god's word, and I told her that I perceive the bible as more of a mixture of history, literature and spirit. Of course I had to flesh out that argument. I wasn't following her argument about the "clearly proven" heavenly mother, loosely alluded to in quotes in Revelations. At this point it is as clear to you as to me that this is going nowhere, as talks on religion often do. I asked her who wrote this bible, and who gave it to her. Perhaps this was the only part of conversation where I took on the aggressor and tried to impress my beliefs.

Well eventually my Korean friend Tom C saved me, just walking by, he inquired what all this was about and brought some levity to the conversation as well as a more competent English translation. I am not sure, but I guess that he is not a Christian, or that he is much more easy-going than these girls, poking fun at the whole thing. He tells me that (now in Korean, and I could follow a little) that I am welcome to their church at any time, and I am sure that I am.

I hope this does not offend anyone, I surely was not trying to, just keeping the dialogue open, if you will.

It was both a pleasant and frustrating conversation, and did not make me feel all that more confident about futures in religion.

Added pictures of the horrible bug, and the havoc I reaked on my place in it's wake. Kinda regret not having that glass cover on the light, maybe that's why I've always hated having it on.

Lots of new thoughts, not all coming to me currently.

Finished A Prayer for Owen Meany, amazing and strangely moving, as well as Me of Little Faith, a little unexpectedly tame and ironic twists of fate but very appropriate.

Viewed Stephen Colbert's testimony at congress, and at first felt like it was awkward and maybe inappropriate, but after slightly more consideration think it was the right place and time, if only people understood laughter.

New hopes for change:

I want to help peace in Korea and Israel

I also really want to end the practice of carelessly throwing flyers and other trash on the ground in Korea.

I miss home and am happy to be approaching the end of my contract but I will also miss it out here a lot.

I love the idea of a dream journal though I have some trouble keeping up with it. Alex pointed out the brilliant idea (I guess it's called journaling) of writing down one special thing of every day- would leave a person with a lot to look back on one day.

great link

http://gizmodo.com/5634257/ikea-let-loose-a-herd-of-100-cats-into-store-to-see-what-happens

sun is risen, UCLA is defeated, friends have departed from DMZ

last night I saw the largest Fireworks show ever, the Seoul Great Fireworks (fireflower) Festival (which I know how to write in Korean but have not practiced enough on the keyboard to do without the Korean keyboard which is all the way over there....)

Finally went to Gyeongju, only for about 12 hours though. Will go back. Jinju, too. 3 or 4 large festivals going on, including the South River Lantern Festival, which we saw and purchased fireworks at (which end up being vaguely fun and dangerous after the fireworks exhibition in Seoul). Watched bull fighting (like 2 bulls butting heads till one backs down) entertaining, touched a couple of bulls, and had a chance to win a bull calf (or a tv, unfortunately not victorious).

Bought a tamagotchi in Jinju, played with it the whole ride back from Jinju, very frustrated about the reset button being so easy to hit. Turns out its a knockoff. Still it was entertaining for 2 dollars, and maybe I'll find a good home for it.

People are kicking ass by the way. Matt is making sets in NYC for good money, Shea is engaged to be wed and with child and extremely thrilled about it, friends from High School are professional cheerleaders and business people, travellers, and much more. Time to make more of myself.

Band added a lot of new songs, which is great. Need to keep practicing my Korean, but it's slowly getting decent.

Ok enough rambling in an attempt to remember what I thought I would put up here. Ah I think it was rantings about the skewed perspective and priorities of the Korean people, ok more on that next time, for now sleep and restorative food.

Be well =)