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Saturday, September 30, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Dinner in Myeong Dong
Heat and spice that defied description. Waitress told our Korean host that she had never seen white people eat kimchi before. Chicken dish name translated to "very hot spicy bird". hmmm.
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The King Who invented the Korean alphabet
King Sejong from Korea's 14th century. Not me. the other guy. On the grounds of the Deoksugong palace. Brought enlightenment, health and education to the masses. Took the overly complex Chinese alphabet and simplified to 24 characters, used to this day.
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Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Industrious
Our host's wife is a high school teacher. Her students are in class from 7am to 11pm five days per week. So his wife teaches 16 hours per day five days per week. 8 months of the year. THey do get 3 months off in the winter, and then 1 in the summer. But gruelling. The reason? University applications are so high that there are 40 students for every single university position. So at any of the 20 or so Seoul universities, if there's a capacity of 20,000 students, there are up to 800,000 applicants each school year. Our hosts 13 year old son has classes from 7am to 1am. He eats dinner at school and takes a short break and then is in intensive studies until 1am, then walks home and sleeps for a few hours.
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Irony
One of South Korea's little known but successful exports is tear gas. Recently a group of 1,000 Korean farmers travelled to Hong Kong to protest the WTO. While there, 14 were arrested by the surprised Hong Kong military police. Several farmers were injured when they were sprayed with...
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Underground mall
Subterranean mall that stretches for hundreds of meters in many directions. Filled with tiny shops, most not more than 200 square feet, mostly selling the same shit. Tailored shirts, Korean trinkets, at least 20 eyeglass shops that I counted, handbags, dresses, hats, socks, ginseng and kites.
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Cheonggyecheon
In 2005, road crews uncovered the Cheonggye stream hidden for 50 years. Mayor decided to reopen its course and make a sunken green-belt and water way for the stream's 6km length all the way to the Han river. Controversially removed an entire highway running through downtown to do it. Starts at this fountain amid a concrete bounded course, and becomes greener and wilder as you walk downstream. PAcked with people into the wee hours. "Rock" steps across the stream are embedded with blue LED lights. Visually stunning. Cool air and negative ions are welcome amid smog.
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When is a Mercedes not a Mercedes?
When it's a Ssangyong. Benz OEM's them to Korean companies since Koreans like to buy from Koreans. Most cars are Hyundai, with some Kia. You see lots of Nissan Maximas that are Ssangyong as well. Very odd.
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Grey Blocks
10 storey building with no windows save for those in the stairwells. I found out they are purpose-built department stores. No need for windows. Outside is festooned with advertising instead.
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Korean BBQ
Amazing meal. Tender marinated Korean beef is expensive but worth it. Here, they BBQ at your table over a charcoal fire with a vent that hangs over the table and raises/lowers electrically. Served with two kinds of kimchi, marinated onions, hot bean curd sauce. You make wraps out of sweet sesame leaves and stuff your face. Wash down with (s)hite beer.
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Space Oddities
I miss the earth so much, I miss my wife. Left my mark on a graffiti board at an outdoor photo exhibition in Seoul City Hall Square, which is surprisingly round. Site of many political demonstrations.
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Riot police
Huge traffic jam ends up against a cavalcade of riot police in barred-window buses. Here, armed forces service is mandatory for young men, but soldiers don't leave the base except for 2 weeks of the year. Many men choose service in the oft-used riot police instead, since they do get out and about. Buses full of giggling and face-pulling young police being carted from demonstration to demonstration. Koreans like their political events...
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Monday, September 25, 2006
Gullivers Travels
Hard to see but the sink is knee high. feel like a giant here. head touches the roof of the shower stall.
slept well except for jack hammer road work all night. interesting unions they must have. cool and breezy this morning. meetings all day. more later.
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slept well except for jack hammer road work all night. interesting unions they must have. cool and breezy this morning. meetings all day. more later.
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arrived safe in Seoul
no mobile coverage at all. all is well tho. can only blog. no email yet. maybe tomorrow.
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Sunday, September 24, 2006
Friday, September 22, 2006
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Starting all over again
Somehow all my posts were lost...weeks of my reno log. Sigh.
So i'll start again, with similar goals. This is from my i-mate sp5m.
3 weeks into the post summer diet and I am 13lbs lighter than i was when I lumbered off the plane at the end of July, following 2 weeks of debauchery in Europe with friends. Since then i've cycled a total of 171km, bladed about
48 and rowed about 15. About
400 bicycle crunches and there's still no sign of the abs.
Off on a business trip so will be hard to maintain the regimen.
More later.
Hoto
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