Just say No

If you happen to be catching summer tv in America there is this new Reality Game Show called:
I Survived a Japanese Game Show.

Hmmmm

The premise being that you take a handful of Americans plant them in Tokyo, Japan and make them play crazy games on a game show.

Oh yea while at the same time emphasize the craziness and wackiness of Japan and its people with disregard to the reality of Japan.

I think though you could watch it for some value. For instance it appears that for the first few episodes everyone is excited and happy to be there, then things go downhill from there.

That is just like any foreigners experience in a foreign land so it can give you a visual example of what happens to go to another country.

Anyways I may watch this to see the poor Americans crumble under the pressure to win money. But it isn't a priority of mine to watch.

Date in Insadong: Part 3 (tea)

Insadong is a cute place and I think if you try to go beyond just the streets you can find cute little places. We were pleased to see that the rains had stopped while we were eating and so now could enjoy walking down the streets.

While BK was on the search for the Teahouse he heard about, we came upon a part of Insadong that was set off from the street. It was a shopping area, that had several floors to it. Basically you start out the bottom, climb up some stairs then circumambulate the area. In the center is an open area. Some of the vendors of this place were local artists selling jewelry, hats and other little knick knacks they have made. I saw a lot of cute things, that I know I will be thinking about purchasing after my salary comes in.

What I really loved about this place was that on the stairwell there were graffiti scribblings, I didn't manage to get a pic but enjoyed it nonetheless.

This is a picture of a plant sale going on.

Also there was a shop that featured Korea's version of Hello Kitty.

I forgot the name, but isn't it cute! Well I didn't do much shopping and felt a little guilty of this when we left, but I figured I can come back again anyways.

Next we were off to the teahouse. Following BK's lead he went up a flight of stairs in a building and opened a door to a large room that had wooden tables and chairs, along with calligraphy paintings on the wall. The place was empty except for the host and so I immediately felt a sense of relaxation come on due to that it was a space away from all the people on the street. (smart move BK!)

We sat at a table where you take off your shoes and sit cross legged. Bo Kwan ordered the tea, a cool red tea for himself and a hot flowery tea for me.

I really felt at peace in this place, mostly because it was quiet and simply decorated. I think if anyone was going to treat another person to something special I would highly recommend going to a teahouse.


I think all the relaxation at the tea house made the activities of the day catch up with me because I became tired, so we headed home.

It was a lovely little trip and I hope to go back and do some shopping. Maybe pick up some souvenirs for everyone back home.

Well another work week ahead of me, I think I am getting the hang of things. :)

Date in Insadong: Part 2 (explore)

When we stepped outside the movie theater it was pouring down rain, thankfully I had brought my umbrella. We then traversed our way over the Insadong corridor, slowing our pace to window shop and enjoy the street. Along this street there are many shops that sell tourist tokens, like jeweled boxes and mirrors along with fans and pottery. The set up is like any tourist part of a city, because practically every shop sells the same knick-knacks.

But nestled between these shops are some stores that offer up other treats, for example I found one that sells art supplies. We walked inside and their quantity and quality of supplies were pretty good. I found that they had watercolor paints and brushes so I already made a mental note to come back some day.

Moving on from the art store we went down the street, but with the rain pouring down it made shopping at the street stalls somewhat cumbersome. So it seems BK just led me down the street to where we would be eating our lovely date-dinner.

The restaurant he took me to was down a corridor off the street. Already from seeing the way it was decorated I was put in a romantic mood. This feeling was further captured by the restaurants decorations, which were tasteful and set the mood for an Italian dinner.The name was An Da Mi...something like that.BK did a good job taking his girl to a lovely restaurant in Seoul. The food on the menu all sounded truly delicious, but you could only pick out one dish, so I tried a spaghetti dish that had vegetables in it. The taste was great and there were some surprising veggies inside like a roasted potato wedge and some beans. All in all I am pleased with the meal BK took me to and the overall date. After the meal we left the restaurant and headed back onto the street in search of a Teahouse.

But those details will have to be revealed in Part 3!

Date in Insadong: Part 1 (movies)

My sweety pie BK took me on a date to Insadong. The day was rainy and mildly hot but we had a good time anyways. I was looking forward to doing something besides working and planning so this was a very nice treat.

Insadong is an area in Seoul near Jongno-3 station. If you recall I had been here during my first week but only had a small amount of time to explore. This time I was able to walk aimlessly with BK down the street and window shop at the street stalls.

But before we headed over to the Insadong street we first watched the movie Hancock. I was excited because this was my first time to see a movie in Korea, and it was an American movie. So I was able to get a taste of home. Hancock Movie Review:
I have to say out front that I am a fan of Will Smith. After seeing his performance in The Pursuit of Happyness I found him to be an endearing actor with a conscious. So I like seeing him the screen.

Hancock isn't one of those movies that will turn your world around, but does give you a fun ride. The story takes some twists and turns but none all too surprising.

I do think the writers and producers could have expanded on the story behind his superpowers more, because that was really interesting.

Anyways, if you have the time go and have some fun and watch this movie.

Korean Movie Theater experience review:
Watching the movie in Korea at the cinemaplex wasn't all that different from back home. A note of difference were that during the previews they did not dim the lights.

What was intriguing was that during the movie I found myself to be the only laughing at certain parts. I think this was because I got some of the jokes before others did. I am sure if I watched a Korean movie the rest of the theater would be laughing at times, and not me.

Otherwise there was popcorn and nice cushy seats, so not much different.

It was fun and refreshing to be taken to the movies. In the next part I will reveal our fun times in Insadong.

Earthly reminder

I like to watch CNN to catch up on what is happening in the world and back home. So I was watching some videos and came upon one about international weather. I enjoyed watching it because it reminded of how many countries and continents there are on this planet. Now being in another country I can somewhat feel how I have neglected to consider all the other places in the world and how they function. Anyways take a look at the world's weather.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/showbiz/2008/07/04/anderson.us.queen.bees.cnn

Soothing rain showers

Awe, yea relax.... the rainy season allows one to slow down and remember to enjoy your moments in life. This is something I need because lately I have been drowning myself in preparing my lessons. Working hard is one thing but trying to get ahead to the point your at the office from 9am to 7:30pm, and only getting paid for 6 of those hours...is well nuts really.

But I take pride in my planning because I know that when the intensive period comes up at the end of the month (and in August) I will be able to tackle it with less stress. Everyday when I go to work at 10am I remind myself that for four weeks I will have to get there by 9am, that isn't a great feeling. But at my last job I had to be there before 8:30 am, and make it by a 45 min ride on the subway, so there is a contrast.

Anyways, back to the relaxing rain. Seeing it come pouring down outside reminds me of my Florida times when it would pour and pour then stop for a little bit then pour down again. Let me help you understand some history here.

(Me in Florida at age about 12-13)

I lived in Florida for 15 years when then I moved to California to live with my father. Since then I have visited Florida only about 2-4 times. There are certain aspects of Florida that I miss:

• Tropical fruit
• Thunder, lightning and pouring rain
• Swimming pools
• Atlantic Ocean (warm)
• Family

So I find it somewhat humbling to travel across the world and be reminded of my childhood upbringings. I guess it is cliche to say but it is like going full circle, only exception is this is another country and it has mountains, Florida is as flat as pancakes. Anyways I will be going to work here in an hour or so, but I made it a point to just relax this morning and not think about work, instead try to focus on myself and my life.