Am I wrong?

Am I wrong for thinking -5C is a really cold day?

Am I wrong for taking afternoon naps after a three hour work day?

Am I wrong for missing these naps now that I have my regular 9 to 5 schedule again?

Am I wrong for reading during commercials and not paying attention?

Am I wrong for gorging on rice crispes squares this afternoon simply because I was bored?

Am I wrong for milking the flu I had and taking the whole month of January off from the gym?

Am I wrong for blogging about all this?

*If you answered yes to any of these questions, please note these questions are rhetorical.

Sit Down!

I shower daily. I use body soap, shampoo and conditioners all the time to help mask my manly scent. I then have an eye cream to cover my bags up and I pat a high quality face moisturiser into my mug desperately trying to keep a youthful look. I'm not afraid of deodorant and avoid overdosing on colognes. I can say 100 percent convincingly that I am clean.

Then why is it I am the last person Koreans will sit next to on the bus or subway? Everyday I experience the rejection of sharing a bench or seat. Instead, people chose to stand colliding into others who also reject me rather then filling the spot to my right. They would rather hold onto the dirty germ infested handles hanging from the roof than sit comfortably on my left.

But while millions of Seoulites reject me there are a select few that are brave enough to take on my adjacent seat. These brave Koreans come in the form of grandmother's and ajumas(married women usually sporting a perm) who are in a hurry. These are also the two most dangerous travelers in Korea as they will throw a nasty elbow to get any open seat or to create space. I'm not sure if I should be happy they sit next to me or fearful they're there.

A Birthday in Itaewon

"We're just going for dinner."
"Just dinner."
"After dinner we're going home."
"Right, just dinner then home."
"Dinner. Home."

This is the conversation Saejin and I repeated seven times on Saturday in preparation for Shelly's 31st birthday. We all met up at Chakra for a buffet of Indian spices and love. The food was as tasty as usual and the prices at Chakra are always affordable. The dinner was quiet and ended with Shelly feeling down because all the guys at the table were thinking about heading home early. This would of left the party as a girls night out.

To help keep the birthday cheer alive Saejin and I suggested a drink nearby the restaurant instead of heading out to Hongdae as Shelly's original plan had been. Joel and Adrian also agreed and off we went to Friend bar. This place is a dingy bar that we usually find barren but as it was happy hour and well before the military's curfew the place was packed.

Things then get hazy as booze in bottles, glasses and shots were consumed. Saejin and I didn't end up leaving early and neither did the others. The birthday party was 100 percent settled in Itaewon and Shelly seemed to of had a good time.



*These pictures come from friend's websites.

The City of Calgary

I love to hate Calgary but whenever I'm there my friends remind me it is an amazing place to live. I was lucky to miss the minus 30 degree temperatures and Chinook winds warmed the air almost daily. While the sun shone I walked from downtown to my brother's place one gorgeous afternoon snapping pictures the whole way home.


A view of Eau Claire from the bridge crossing the Bow River into Kensington.

The river may of been partially frozen but the weather was perfect the whole time I was home.


Seeing as Greg doesn't have a home phone this phone booth was my only way to contact people. It was anything but convenient and I missed meeting many friends because of it. This phone booth and I became great friends though and I have to admit to feelings of jealousy when others were using it and I had to wait.


The one thing I have learnt being away from Alberta is that others are annoyed that we Albertans don't consider ourselves a prairie province. Albertans love to point out the Rockies on the western boarder but the fact is they only make up a tiny fraction of the province. This is where Jackie and I took her dog Samson walking and it is 100 percent pure prairie setting. The uninterrupted view of the setting sun was ____________ (place adjective here).


My second favorite picture from my trip. Jackie pretending to pick up Samson's poo in the dog park. This girl is brilliant when it comes to convincing others she is responsible and did the exact thing I would of done. I love it.

These Kids Got Famous

This video is a few years old now and I still don't get it. These kids created their dance at home and as was the fad here they became famous for acting like morons. The whole thing is inspired by a Ramien brand. Koreans have an obsession with dancing and singing, on TV at any hour you are bound to find a show where stars stand around talking but as the music starts so does the dancing. Each person then tries to one up the other with their "dances". Nobody takes it seriously and on the odd Saturday afternoon I have found myself laughing out loud (and taking notes.)

Cold Drinks and Great Friends

I forgot just how much beer Canadians drink. It started In Brooks with noon beers than continued intermittently all afternoon and into the night. It never stopped when I went to the Flames game where the "Heroin Beer" is still served ice cold. Joining friends at pubs I never saw a menu of cocktails and when I asked what was on tap the much annoyed server dared me to pick a beer and it would be there.


Here's Gray and I in Ducky's (a leader in trashy bars) drinking what we thought was the trashiest beer they had, a pilsner.

Mardi and Jackie plotting to infect me with the flu on our last night out.

Rob sporting a rare smile and enjoying the beer as much as I was.

Tammy, Mardi, Rob and I posing in the smoke free Ship and Anchor. Had we taken the photo a few days earlier you wouldn't be able to make out our faces because of the thick clouds of smoke the bar was famous for.

My favorite picture from my trip. Jackie, Tammy and Mardi all looking hot. There were many more beers consumed and friends met but for some reason I was shy about taking my camera out and capturing them.

No Smoking on Buses

I was in Calgary to see the beginnings of the no smoking ban. When I work, eat and travel I do expect (relatively) clean air so I agree smoking should be banned in these venues. But, I personally think bars lack anything healthy (both food and drink) so why pick on the easy one?

Being in a developing country (I'm not sure how Korea still gets categorized as this) you see a lot more health hazards than back home. I have been to clubs that are sponsored by British American Tobacco and when you pay the cover charge they gladly fill your hand with a pack of smokes. (You gotta love Western companies changing markets when their home market sales start to slump. Fast food, Crispy Creme and big tobacco).

Yesterday while coming home from work the bus I rode had only a scattering of travelers. As I sat there staring out at nothing I could faintly smell a light trail of smoke. When I looked up, I noticed the bus driver puffing away as he drove. He did have the window open but, like mom and dad smoking in the car through bitter cold winters, this just blew the cold smoke into the back. I was completely shocked that the driver was doing this but no one else on the bus seemed to notice. It was definitely a first for me which was a nice(?) surprise after all this time here.

Good Weekend for Eating

I could bitch about how I'm still not 100 percent and hate all my Canadian friends for infecting me with a special strain of the flu that confuses Korean doctors and pharmacies but I won't because I'm not petty. Instead I'll be passive aggressive and just say it will be a long time until I return to the gateway of the Rockies.

My running low on energy didn't stop me from going out this weekend, as I'd made too many plans earlier in the week anticipating a full recovery. Friday night Saejin and I went to Santorini's for Moussaka(?)and Chicken Souvlaki. After dinner we met up with Hyun, one of Saejin's best friends who is visiting from New York where he now lives and works, and Chan Young who I last saw the night before flying to Canada. We didn't stay out too late and having a few Gin tonics did seem to work in fixing my cold (or at least helping me forget about it).


Hyun and Saejin in Hollywood Grill.

Chan Young and I filling up the other side of the table.



After Hollywood Grill we met up with Min Joo at the new Irish Pub and she was in the mood for drinking. She slammed back her Jack and cokes and later danced up a storm in Queen's. When we moved over to Soho for a quieter drink she lasted about ten seconds before cuddling up on her own personal couch.

Saturday night our plans were to meet up at the fancy Italian place we always go. This time it was to go with Chan Young as he isn't working nights right now and had the chance to take us there. Joining us for dinner were Nick (a cool Australian doing some articling here for a Korean law firm but he insists it's more like surfing the web because of the amount of free time he has between deadlines) Joey (an American teacher who relatively new here but most people tend to be compared to myself and Heidi) and the same cast from Friday night. Chan Young used to manage this restaurant so he was busy supplying our table with free food. We got two huge platters of desserts brought that were full of fresh fruit, ice cream, cheese and chocolates.


Joey, Chan Young and Nick.

Myself, Min Joo, Hyun and Saejin.

Sunday Saejin and I met his cousin Mee Jeong for brunch at Suji's. It was a good meal but not really worth the 30 minute wait or price. After brunch we came back here and looked online for a pension (penthouse/mansion) to go to this coming weekend. We found a nice one on the West coast and hopefully they aren't all booked up so we can have a great road trip. Sunday night Sung Ho joined us and we all went over to a restaurant across the street and had about 100 side dishes placed in front of us. I will post the pictures later as I used Saejin's Cell phone to take them.

Friends with Babies

As I waste away here in Korea many of my friends are procreating and building amazing families. Going home and meeting them was one of the best experiences. I first got to meet Maya and her best friend Dora the Explorer. Graham told her it was alright to be scared of me because I was a scary person and she started to sniffle on cue. I calmly told her that it's ok to be scared because later on we'd be great friends simply because I have a million stories to share with her about her father.
We didn't hang around Maya for too long as Dominika needed out of the house so her, Graham and I went off to Moxies while her mom took care of Maya. The meal was a great visit and I got to hear details of birth that only a mom can calmly talk about while eating. I wish I got to see Dominika again but the next time I was allowed to play with Graham I was starting to feel ill and didn't feel right being near Maya.

The second baby I met was the huge eyed Odessa. Supposedly she and Mardi were just getting over the flu but they both looked great. They live out on a farm miles away from Calgary out in a small farmhouse surrounded by trees. This prarie setting is a perfect place for Mardi and will help Odessa groove with Mother Nature. Sitting here in a concrete jungle I am very jealous.


Mardi gets great help from her friends and living with Tammy makes raising Odessa easier. There is a little patio out back of the house that has a huge couch on it. It was here that Jackie, Tammy, Kelsey and I shared a smoke. It was unbelievably cold but there's also something insanely fun about challenging the blizzard blowing only a few feet away. It was a nice afternoon and even if the Jackie swore the whole car ride to and from the place it was fun seeing old friends and meeting the gorgeous Odessa.

Foggy

Wednesday morning I woke up to a fog so thick it was impossible to see the abominable snow man lurking about. It was so thick angles were running into one another as they went about their good deeds. The fog was so heavy it made wanting to work impossible. Mind you I only have to make it to noon now a days but as I'm still not 100 percent so it's tough. This week I'm at a different school doing a winter camp. This Elementary school is huge with at least seven classes per grade. There are three buildings that make up the school. The two pictures here are taken from the same place looking out over the playgroud and the third school wing.

Go Flames Go

One of the highlights of my trip was the night at the Flames game. Hockey is the only piece of Canadiana that I do truly miss. Even when the Flames were the worse team in the NHL Graham, Eamon and I would trudge out there in support. There was even a period at Uni where Flames reps would beg students to take tickets off their hands.
Now, it so very different. Graham and Bill had to wake up one month early and head down to the Co-op to stand in line for the chance at a set of tickets. Luckily they combined weasel powers and got the last two pairs for us.
We all met up outside of Graham's place where Bill drove us down to the parking in front of St. Mary's. From here Graham started off by complaining about the flesh eating disease at work on his hands before he took us on the most out of the way detour to get to the rink. Like the constant entertainer he is, he pointed out every truly Calgarian site along the way and why we should eventually go to the place.

Graham showing off the tickets after the very dull game. While in the Rose and Crown we pieced together that we'd never been to a game where the Flames actually won.

Another institution I do miss from Canada is the Husky House. Grease filled meals that soak up all the alcohol in your body. This was how Bill, Graham and I ended the night. While in the restaurant we cleaned all the waiters out of loonies as we placed bets on what NHL sticker would come out of the dispenser next. It was not a proud moment but at the time it was well worth the money.

Christmas in Brooks

Brooks can be ranked as the stinkiest city in all of Canada thanks to the huge meat processing plant just outside of town. It's a town you want to avoid with all your might but when family call it home you just find a way of ignoring the smells and you blame the dog if the smells become too much.

This was where the family all got together for Christmas this year. I took the bus out there a day earlier than Greg so I could catch up with the family. The bus was a few minutes early so I was patiently waiting when a hulking truck came speeding into the somewhat empty lot. To make a better arrival my aunt Wendy chose to honk her horn the whole time she was driving up to me. She wasn't the least bit embarrassed and the more I ignored the chaos the louder she made it.

Eventually we made it back to their new home and where Wendy quickly showed off her nice new and completely inconvenient car. (There's no trunk space and barely fits two full grown people).


Here's a shot Grandpa Mac used to love to take, the whole family waiting to eat and then the amazing food that helped me gain about a million pounds (thank god for the new diet of falling sick).



There was a huge build up for opening gifts and none of it came from anyone under the age of 40. The most entertaining gift turned out to be the PONG games (a fact I cannot tell anyone in Korea about).



Greg's favorite gift was the trashy stock car jacket that Uncle Brad promised to give away. He was scared Greg may actually like the horrible thing and want to keep.


Grandma and Florence showing off their new duds.


Grandma, Greg and I.

The Family with Toby, the world's hairiest dog in need of a brush. I didn't even recognize him as being Toby when I saw him.



Chandel taking shots in the backyard like a good Canadian. I don't think I could even raise the puck anymore.

Brad and Wendy cooking more food than was necessary.

Nine days later and I am almost feeling normal. I've been to a doctor who prescribed a ribbon of pills better suited for a 90s rave. After a week of western medicine and no real improvement I decided to visit my friend Nara's husband's clinic.
Here Mr. Nara sat behind his desk and took down all my vitals and complaints. He then brought me into a back room where I lay on the hottest warm pad in the world. Here my left hand was pierced with three acupuncture needles while my foot got another prick. The doctor then jabbed away at the swollen gland on my throat. It was painless until I got to the accompanying medicine which was a vile batch of brown chalk. I've only managed to take one dose.
I will finally be posting about Canada tomorrow.

Blame Canada

In the end it wasn't a blizzard or the rocks being thrown up into the windshield of the car that harmed me. It wasn't the many wild animals I came across roaming the streets that took a round out of me (rabbits, white tailed deer, squirrels and a variety of birds are scary to some, ask Saejin.) It wasn't even the fact I hardly slept more than six inches of the floor for two weeks either. What took me out was hanging out with friends who had just had the flu.

I got back to Korea on Friday and was feeling alright but a lot more jet lagged than usual. Saturday morning I woke up feeling like crap and from then on my condition worsened. My pores were constantly flowing and the chills that attacked my body each step I took were more than I expected to get from my friends. I spent almost two full days laying and staring up at the roof without a thought in my head.

Yesterday I went to work but really shouldn't have. Luckily it is the start of my three hour a day schedule and so at noon I was the first to leave heading straight for the hospital. I wish I had a picture of the layout of the hospital because it would of made a great Family Circle cartoon mapping out all the places I was made to walk to.

I'm a firm believer in free health care, profiting off of the sick is disgusting. In Korea it's a for profit system where the government only pays a minor fraction of the cost. So while meeting with the doctor I kept telling him my friends had just had the flu and I strongly believe I caught it. He then went through all my symptoms and thought I may have the flu. We were definitely connecting here. He then told me I needed to have a swollen gland in my neck sonogramed. If this were Canada I'd of been told to take the medicine and if my conditioned persisted to come back. Then I'd be checked for cancer. The doctor saw the won sign over my head and went for it. 80 dollars later the lady checking me told me it didn't look serious and was probably just the flu.

I then returned to the doctor and he wanted more. He felt I should be admitted. I rolled my eyes and told him there was no way I was staying even if my temperature was a balmy 39.6. Eventually he saw I wouldn't budge and we made a appointment for today. The one good thing is that this is Korea and as i was leaving the doctor asked me to be his private tutor. Maybe the money I've spent is just an investment.
This morning I woke up feeling much better but called in sick just to keep improving.