It's been a while since I've seen some quality Engrish. Here it is!

I do believe in science, but there are just too many complexities of life that can't be explained by science, which was made by man anyway so we could figure out what the heck we are and this planet we live on.

Science cannot explain everything because... tell me just how it can explain traffic jams? Drunk dialing? The fact that somehow all children know how to play that "The Floor is Hot Lava" game? People's likes and dislikes? Or the fact that some people are just assholes? Even if a guy is rich and handsome, if he's a jerk, most women will leave him? And men can't stand overly obsessive women?

This is kind of an old "Writer's Block" question, but I'd have to say Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It's got awesome magic, dragons, French and German-esque wizards, and a Mega World Cup Quidditch competition.

Recently my friends and I took a weekend trip to Deok Jeok Island, off the coast of Incheon.

Background info:


Deokjeokdo is an island 80km southwest of Yeonan Pier, Incheon. The island, which has an area of 36 km2, is home to the 292m-high Mt. Bijobong.

Note: I live on that island that has the picture of the airplane.

Note: Please note how close we are to North Korea.

The journey:


Seopori Beach


Flowers on a succulent that looked plastic and spray painted


Seashells

More to come!

(This post was taken from my friend Brad's blog Life of Adventure. He says some excellent things about meditation and how it affects our mental state. Please go read his blog and live vicariously through his adventures if you have to. It is worth it.)
Posted June 4th, 2009.

( Adventure On! )

I just love these guys. When I go to Japan, I'm going to try to be their personal English tutor/backup dancer. Wish me luck!

Currently in love with this song!
What makes it so good?
Is it the bad techno beat?
The Japanese English accent?
Or the blurry minute and a half dance routine at the end?

Random stuff around Incheon and Seoul!


You can run up a tab but you can't send the bill home.


This is charcoal, you put it in your room to eliminate bad odors (paint, smell of children's feet, etc.)


Just in case patrons forgot


Post-modern art or destruction site?


Micro-brewery in the grocery store?


Crazy Korean totems!


Awesome!


Doesn't this flower look like a little doll with big pink hair?

Made by puppies for puppies!


Not exactly Engrish but I don't remember hearing this in MY childhood. Readers?


10 bucks for anyone who can verbalize this!

Hongdae is definitely one of my favorite places in Korea. Centered around Hongik University, this area is one of the most unique places in Korea in terms of art, music, clubs and food. Last Sunday, I had a chance to meet some friends and enjoy the city.

Subway Graffiti






Chillin' with Mister Donut!


I met up with some friends and, after many twists and turns through various alley ways, we wound up at 'del mundo', a Japanese restaurant with an alledged cult following.


The menu was made from a block of wood! There were only 3 entries on the menu - onigiri (rice balls), oyakudon (Chicken/egg with rice) and curry rice.


I ordered my favorite, curry rice! This meal also included hand-made yogurt, wine jelly with some Chinese fruit, a salad with tuna and rice tea. Delicious~!


We had fun talking about Haruki Murakami, Hayao Miyazaki anime, funny talk shows, music and other things. We must have stayed in that restaurant for almost four hours!


I knew this was a Japanese restaurant when I saw the spoon smile at me! The Japanese seem to throw in cute things every chance they get.

Bikes are cool.
And since I live on an island, buying a bike is a logical investment and a good excuse for me to explore and have all kinds of adventures.




K-pop idols protect my bike from thieves.

More later!

Work ethic is taken very seriously in Korea.
It's so important to Koreans that they are willing to sacrifice long hours and their physical health to finish whatever task they need to do.
When I worked in the high school last year, teachers often stayed in the office until 9 or 10 o'clock at night. There's even a 'resting room' in the school for teachers who need a little nap in between classes. Proof that Korean teachers are more hard-core than Chuck Norris, John McClane and the Kindergarten Cop combined!
Employers and employees often have "soju" dinners with one another and will also take field trips, overnight trips or extended vacations abroad together (never, ever with families). So, even though we work at a government institute, our place is no exception.

Last Thursday, the foreign and Korean staff had a short field trip to the American embassy in Seoul with our teacher-students (we call them 'trainees'). After lunch, the trainees left to do some last minute packing/shopping before their trip to America on Saturday (it was later postponed due to swine flu). The rest of us hopped on the subway, then a bus, and headed towards....



SEORAK MOUNTAIN!!
(Objects in Photo are 1000x More Awesome in Real Life)

Background Info:
Seorak mountain is the highest mountain in the Taebaek mountain range. It's located in the Gangwon province in eastern South Korea and it's the third largest mountain in Korea.Taebaek stands for "Great White", so I think of these mountains as like the Great White Shark Teeth that just cut through Korea. Likewise, many Koreans consider Seorak to be the 'backbone' of the peninsula.


The Journey:


Nick and Mr. Ro, part of the crew. Mr. Ro has climbed Seorak several times and considers it 'a piece of cake'.


Buddha watched over us from afar



May 2nd was Buddha's Birthday, so you could see dots of color where the Buddhist monks had hung lanterns along the trails. I'm always impressed by Asian bridges, and these stone bridges were everywhere in Seorak Mountain.
Interestingly enough, if you go to Japan, you can easily see Buddhist temples and shrines right along side the hustle and bustle of the city. Korean temples however, are usually secluded in the mountains, so it's always a pleasant surprise to be walking and suddenly find an Buddhist alcove in the middle of the woods.


Stacking rocks is a sign of fortune and good luck.


Traditional Mountain Torture Devices


The sign below explains that when a Buddhist monk dies, a stone appears in their body, which is supposedly created after years and years of meditation. These stones are enclosed in the stone containers that you see here.


Chinese characters carved into the mountain side.


A wonderful view


These mountains look like they were taken from a Road Runner cartoon.


Our hiking posse standing in front of Seorak Mountain's "Shaky Rock". The lightest push can make the rock "shake" but not tip over.




A near-by cave housed some Buddhist figures. I couldn't get a clear picture of the Buddha, despite many attempts. Maybe the Buddha's spirit was protecting itself by blurring my camera's lens?


Can you find the little Buddha?

Nick's thoughts on climbing Seorak Mountain's summit


The hike itself was strenuous, and we spent more than three hours just to reach the half way point of the trail. Nevertheless, walking through the lush greenness of the forest, contrasted with its stark, barren peaks, I can see why Seorak has an almost majestic, spiritual appeal to Koreans, especially to Korean Buddhists. For Koreans, mountains have often been the refugee to Buddhists monks, the site for religious pilgrimages, the subject for much of Korea's art, and the retreat for modern day families who wish to escape the crunch of the city. I'm more receptive to Korean hikers and backpackers stopping to practice English with me while on the trail then if we're both huffing it through the city. Hiking might be one of the only times in Korea where Koreans and foreigners can really feel like equals instead of strangers.

After signing a new contract in Korea, your workplace will allow you to take a 'home leave' to your home country for roughly two weeks or so. I had the best time in Tennessee while I was there in April - I went to my twin brother's wedding, danced the Thriller, went to the zoo, saw a lot of my friends, and played a lot of Scrabble with my mom.

Behold! I now present to you, 'Things You Can Only Find in America or At Least the Southeast Part'


Only in America can you buy cutesy tea pots with cartoons on them!


Only in America can you get your 'gator on a stick!


Only in America can you chew meat-flavored gum after a meal!


Only in America can you side-walk chalk the Sistine Chapel's creation scene! (Note the strategically placed flower)


Only in America is fake ice cream made from mashed potatoes! (Asians just do it in plastic)


Only in America can you take an at-home drug test for Ecstacy!
("Say... I can't remember if I took Ecstacy at the club last night or not...")


Only in America can kids play with toy Hummers!

God Bless America! I love it!

I got back to Korea Monday evening and I'm still not over my jet lag. That's why I'm up now writing to you! For the past few days, I've woken up at 4:30 in the morning without going back to sleep, and I am convinced that 4:30 is one of the best time slots in the day. I meditated, did some yoga, and just stared out my window as the dawn broke. I challenge you to witness the sun rising and not be blown away by it's wonder!

Anyway, I went back to my apartment after work to before to going to meet Jen. The bed looked so inviting that I thought a twenty minute nap wouldn't hurt! Man, was I wrong. Poor Jen had to call me to see if I was still alive and if she could go ahead and eat. Sorry Jen!

Work has been pretty rough and the foreign teachers are starting to feel a lot of pressure from the Korean staff. We've been working on a set of lesson plans for months now, and we're being asked to revise them AGAIN for the 4th or 5th time. It turns out that these lessons plans are going to be compiled in a book and used by Korean teachers through out Korea as part of their national curriculum or something along those lines. Maybe. Talk about 'no pressure!'This has been going on since before I got there in January. By the way, my lessons are about "Korean contemporary culture"(I didn't choose this, our supervisor did by asking me to make lessons about "Things foreigners would like to know about Korea" - I chose what I find interesting, Korean dramas, Korean night life and Immigrant History in Incheon). It seems ironic that a white girl would be asked to make lessons about Korea for Korean teachers to use, but you never question what you're told in Korea. Even if it seems absolutely ridiculous, like sitting in meetings to criticize other employees' demo classes even though you didn't see said demo classes, you do it anyway because that's Korean culture.

Today is my second day as a developing vegetarian. It's tough work living in the land of delicious BBQ, but I'm going to stick to my principles as much as possible.

Okay, back to bed, maybe!

Greetings everyone!

I spent last Saturday morning in the kitchen of a friend of our Korean language teacher. Her name is Rosa and I've known her for a few months now. She's funny, great to talk to, and has had a number of adventures herself. She's also taken up salsa dancing and can speak Mandarin Chinese fluently.

A few weeks ago, I had told her how much I loved Korean food, and how eager I was to learn how to make it. Alas, I just had not had enough time to sit down and put something together. Rosa showed me how to make "Oiji", a spicy cucumber side dish which is one of my favorites.

First, you need to cut the cucumber into slices.


Add salt and sugar and mix. Let the mix settle for about 10 to 20 minutes. Afterwards, the cucumbers will have become soggy, so you will have to strain them to get the excess water out.


Cut up and add some green onion.


Add some crushed garlic.


Add some red pepper powder.


What you do in the final stages is up to you. If you want to eat the oiji immediately, you can add sesame oil and sesame seeds in the final stage. If, however, you want to wait and eat later, you can add vinegar instead. Do not add both!


Eat and enjoy.

Taken from fatmanseoul.com, these delightfully cute pictures were featured in the Korea Times to help foreigners navigate the Korean food scene! (click for big)

I may be the only one among the staff who actually likes and will stomach the cafeteria food. Granted, it is food on a budget, but sometimes, just sometimes, they can get things right, especially sauce on rice.
Today's lunch consisted of radish kimchi chunks, cherry tomatoes, boiled dumplings, rice with black bean jjajang sauce, and egg, mushroom and onion soup. I think the cafeteria staff was trying to go for a Chinese food type theme with the food, but the always manage to spice it up by throwing in some random kimchi as a side dish.

I use to hate radish kimchi with such a passion that I would purposely exclude it from my meals. One day, I had a change of heart and decided to give it a second chance. It was crunchy, and extremely spicy and tangy. Today was no exception, but I was too full to finish them all off.

The jjajang sauce is Korea's equivalent to America's Chinese fortune cookie. Basically, when Chinese immigrants starting coming to Korea in the early 1900's, they created jjajang noodles, noodles with black bean sauce mixed with meat and vegetables, since they couldn't get it back home. Interestingly enough, single people traditionally eat jjajang noodles on April 14th ("Black Day") to celebrate/bemoan their singleness. Long story short, the sauce was hot and sweet, with mixed pieces of squid! Surprising and delicious.

The tomatoes were your usual fare, small and sweet, and easy to pop in your mouth.

The individual dumplings were about the same size as the tomatoes, and they were filled with sweet potato noodles and cabbage. A little bland. Some dipping sauce on the side would have made them much better.

The egg soup had the same thin and watery broth. It was too salty, which is often the biggest clincher in Korean food. As delicious as Korean food may be, sometimes there's just way too much salt, so much in fact, that I've occasionally gotten headaches after eating. The mushrooms were a nice surprise.

Overall, today's lunch was good, except for the overload of salt.
If it's saucy, it's gonna be good!

Nihilism at its finest.



That's what she said.



Sage advice from someone with just four fingers.



Not something one should admit publicly.



Why are friends of happy always so cute?



Diugent makes for an exploding spell checker.

This is pretty much what you'll see on every channel in Korea:

Watch at your own risk as it may be strangely habit forming!

Part 1 & 2?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HTyOfM1Vf4&feature=related

Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdoSQUDBAHo

Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_mF1c91RGQ&feature=related