29.1.12
28.1.12
Garden - Final Update
I decided to do some cleaning up around the house today and found my garden. It has been a while since I told you about it and let me tell you, things have changed drastically. I am no longer expecting it to produce produce as I once thought was inevitable. I gave that dream up at about the same time that I realized that I have left it out in the monsoon rains for too long. Apparently even plants can have too much of a good thing. What was once a flourishing ecoculture is now more like a desert's dessert than the fruitful jungle I had hope it would one day become.
27.1.12
26.1.12
Lotte World - A Quick Look
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of joining a few friends in Seoul for the weekend. One of the things that ended up in our schedule was a stop at Lotte World. Now a number of my students have gone and have said that it was unbelievably fun, so I was game. But I always have to remind myself that I teach kindergarten and what they find unbelievable might differ from what I think.
We decided to go after 4:00 because it was marginally cheaper and we didn't feel that spending the whole day at the park was necessary. Our first order of business was to find a restroom for a few of the over active bladders in our group. This meant a walk through the park; a chance to have a look at what we had just gotten access to by paying our 27500 won($25).
I distinctly remember standing outside the washroom with one of the other guys thinking what child's play we had gotten ourselves in to. We were not even close to impressed. But having paid our dues we decided to try a few of the rides out.
Our first ride was the indoor roller coaster called French Revolution, after a solid wait of three quarter hour we were ready to be blown away. While the ride didn't do that, it was a bit better than we had expected, hitting a top speed of 90 km/h, having a loop and a few corkscrews. We were ready to see what else the park had to offer.
The next ride that we decided to participate in at the over whelming desire of one of our group was the overly tame looking boat swing called Conquistador. After a short wait we managed to get seats right at the back of the boat making our swing the most intense that if could be. For what it was, it was a lot of fun.
From there we decided to see what was outside. Being winter it was a little chilly but that just meant that the lines were a little shorter. We decided to try out the Gyro Drop due to the lack of wait time, seeing as there was no line and it was almost ready to go. I have never ridden a drop ride and I was not ready for what came.
The gyro in the name is overly tame as all that it does is slowly spin while you go up. Seeing that you are outside it feels as though you can see the whole city. Half way up the tower it starts pulling you up faster and it just keeps going higher and higher. A full 70 meters when if finally locks off. The seconds that follow are well drawn out as you mentally work through what is about to happen. What follows is a overstimulation of your brain trying to figure out what is happening and what you can do about it. Then just like that it is all over, your feet are back on solid ground and you are working on how to get back in line to do it again.
We did a number of other rides some we liked, others we wondered what the line up was all about but for the most part we had a blast. I would not recommend it to everyone, it would have been very easy to take one look around and write it off but I think part of what made it was that we were all in a good mood and pretty easy to please.
If you are interested they had a different live performance every time we walked through the main area. One time it was a dancing group on the stage, the next a live orchestra, then a lady doing acrobatics while suspended from a ballon, then a fire and laser show and I am sure we missed/ignored one or two. I would also be a great date spot as there are enough things going on to make some interesting conversations as well as some lasting memories.
Here are a few weak pictures to give you a slightly bland taste of what it is like:
We decided to go after 4:00 because it was marginally cheaper and we didn't feel that spending the whole day at the park was necessary. Our first order of business was to find a restroom for a few of the over active bladders in our group. This meant a walk through the park; a chance to have a look at what we had just gotten access to by paying our 27500 won($25).
I distinctly remember standing outside the washroom with one of the other guys thinking what child's play we had gotten ourselves in to. We were not even close to impressed. But having paid our dues we decided to try a few of the rides out.
Our first ride was the indoor roller coaster called French Revolution, after a solid wait of three quarter hour we were ready to be blown away. While the ride didn't do that, it was a bit better than we had expected, hitting a top speed of 90 km/h, having a loop and a few corkscrews. We were ready to see what else the park had to offer.
The next ride that we decided to participate in at the over whelming desire of one of our group was the overly tame looking boat swing called Conquistador. After a short wait we managed to get seats right at the back of the boat making our swing the most intense that if could be. For what it was, it was a lot of fun.
From there we decided to see what was outside. Being winter it was a little chilly but that just meant that the lines were a little shorter. We decided to try out the Gyro Drop due to the lack of wait time, seeing as there was no line and it was almost ready to go. I have never ridden a drop ride and I was not ready for what came.
The gyro in the name is overly tame as all that it does is slowly spin while you go up. Seeing that you are outside it feels as though you can see the whole city. Half way up the tower it starts pulling you up faster and it just keeps going higher and higher. A full 70 meters when if finally locks off. The seconds that follow are well drawn out as you mentally work through what is about to happen. What follows is a overstimulation of your brain trying to figure out what is happening and what you can do about it. Then just like that it is all over, your feet are back on solid ground and you are working on how to get back in line to do it again.
We did a number of other rides some we liked, others we wondered what the line up was all about but for the most part we had a blast. I would not recommend it to everyone, it would have been very easy to take one look around and write it off but I think part of what made it was that we were all in a good mood and pretty easy to please.
If you are interested they had a different live performance every time we walked through the main area. One time it was a dancing group on the stage, the next a live orchestra, then a lady doing acrobatics while suspended from a ballon, then a fire and laser show and I am sure we missed/ignored one or two. I would also be a great date spot as there are enough things going on to make some interesting conversations as well as some lasting memories.
Here are a few weak pictures to give you a slightly bland taste of what it is like:
18.1.12
4 Lanes
With the new apartments going in across the street I had a hunch that they would want to make the road from a 2 lane in to a 4 lane. The only problem with that was there was a house right on the corner that stuck out well in to what could be 2 lanes.
Through the usage of past tense I am sure that you can guess what happened. They just tore half of the house down. It is an interesting sight and probably an even more interesting living situation.
Through the usage of past tense I am sure that you can guess what happened. They just tore half of the house down. It is an interesting sight and probably an even more interesting living situation.
17.1.12
Korean Driving Course
I went for a walk other day on the hill above my apartment and got a view of the driving course that is right next to me. I have walked around on the course previously but did not realize how cool it was until I saw it from above. I am a little jealous when I imagine the fun one could have if allowed to go for a rip on the course and really learn how to drive a car. But I have seen driver training cars driving around town and the fun seems to be kept at a minimum. I will stick to my imagination.
16.1.12
Bouldering Wall
This past year I have been blessed to come in to contacted with a number of people who enjoy rock climbing. While I have never been overly serious about it I do very much enjoy it. I was able to tag along and learn from them on a weekly basis. Ever since the summer I have been warned that the warm weather would not last. It has slowly gone from the point of sweating up the wall, to having numb fingers by the time you get to the top of the wall, to now being just to cold to climb.
I had heard rumours of a bouldering gym somewhere in the area that occasionally lets people climb. Over the past month or so I have had the privilege of being allowed to enjoy this area. It is great to be able to have a place to fight off atrophy.
I had heard rumours of a bouldering gym somewhere in the area that occasionally lets people climb. Over the past month or so I have had the privilege of being allowed to enjoy this area. It is great to be able to have a place to fight off atrophy.
12.1.12
4000
Annabelle and I have been going steady now for almost 11 months now and I can honestly say that she means more to me now than when I first met her. Sensing the cold weather coming I anticipated that it would affect our relationship in some way but I can now tell you after a few months of near freezing temperatures, it has not. We are as still as strong as ever.
When we go out lately I feel detached from reality, it's just her and I, cruising down the open road as if we were in some sort of video game. The difference could just be a result of the amount of clothing I wear now that the weather has changed. I bundle up as if I am playing some sort of dress up game based on quantity so I am warm while my mind thinks that I shouldn't be. But I would like to think that it is not the clothes but rather a result of our relationship growing stronger.
So strong, in fact, that we just rolled over the 4000 kilometer mark of our relationship.
We have come a long way since we first met. here
When we go out lately I feel detached from reality, it's just her and I, cruising down the open road as if we were in some sort of video game. The difference could just be a result of the amount of clothing I wear now that the weather has changed. I bundle up as if I am playing some sort of dress up game based on quantity so I am warm while my mind thinks that I shouldn't be. But I would like to think that it is not the clothes but rather a result of our relationship growing stronger.
So strong, in fact, that we just rolled over the 4000 kilometer mark of our relationship.
We have come a long way since we first met. here
5.1.12
Snowboarding in Korea - Muju Ski Resort
This past week I had the privilege of going snowboarding in Korea. I had been talking with a friend over lunch about going sometime if he had the desire. That afternoon he called to inform me that he had just gotten a day off and we could go.
Muju is the closest ski hill to Geoje(I think) but it is still a good 2.5 hours by car. We were off by 5:30am in order to be in line when the ticket window opened. We had made ticket and equipment arrangements the day before but when we called to confirm they didn't seem to understand what we were asking for. Thankfully they offered up the same deal at the window; 50,000 won for the lift ticket and 25,000 won for the rental.
Driving up we wondered if there would be any snow and it would be too cold but as we got closer we saw that there was in fact enough snow to make it down the mountain. We were also blessed with clear skies, low wind and a temperature of -3 degrees Celsius for the majority of the day. Couldn't have asked for more, well we could have but...
From the top you can see that Muju is the tallest mountain in the area but it did not feel very tall. The map says that the mountain is 1614 meters tall and while you do start at the peak, you do not go all the way to sea level. Regardless of how tall the mountain actually is, the time you spend on the lift is more than the time you will spend going down. Unless you are learning, then you will spend much more time on the ground than anywhere else.
The good weather and great company made for a day well spent. It is a solidly fun time and almost needs to be done if you even remotely like going down a snowy hill while standing up on wooden sticks.
Muju is the closest ski hill to Geoje(I think) but it is still a good 2.5 hours by car. We were off by 5:30am in order to be in line when the ticket window opened. We had made ticket and equipment arrangements the day before but when we called to confirm they didn't seem to understand what we were asking for. Thankfully they offered up the same deal at the window; 50,000 won for the lift ticket and 25,000 won for the rental.
Driving up we wondered if there would be any snow and it would be too cold but as we got closer we saw that there was in fact enough snow to make it down the mountain. We were also blessed with clear skies, low wind and a temperature of -3 degrees Celsius for the majority of the day. Couldn't have asked for more, well we could have but...
From the top you can see that Muju is the tallest mountain in the area but it did not feel very tall. The map says that the mountain is 1614 meters tall and while you do start at the peak, you do not go all the way to sea level. Regardless of how tall the mountain actually is, the time you spend on the lift is more than the time you will spend going down. Unless you are learning, then you will spend much more time on the ground than anywhere else.
The good weather and great company made for a day well spent. It is a solidly fun time and almost needs to be done if you even remotely like going down a snowy hill while standing up on wooden sticks.
1.1.12
Grab Bag #2
Here are a few leftover pictures from the last couple of weeks.
This is a 6 kilogram ham that was ordered for one of the Christmas parties I was invited to. It was incredibly big, I would think pretty much a whole pig if I didn't know any better. It was quite delicious to boot. It did come at a cost. 210,000 won($200). That works out to about $33 a kilo.
It is starting to get cold here. Almost -5 degrees celsius some days. Caught this on my way to work.
This is downstairs at my school, in the same breaker box that caught fire a few months ago...
This is a package of chicken that was sent from Gangwon-do the northeastern most province in Korea. It was for our school's Christmas party. Apparently that area is famous for a specially spiced chicken and they eat it cold. Interesting for sure but it tasted just like the stuff you would get down the street if you left it in your fridge to cool off for a day. The Korean staff was all about it but when I asked the kids about it the next day they weren't so keen on it and didn't know why it was special...
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