by the numbers

this entry, however it turns out, is going 2 be an attempt 2 recap the goings on of the last 6 weeks of ‘livin’ with seoul,’ & i’m gonna do it by the numbers.

18: day’s since the last entry.

74: day’s until i finish my latest, & possibly last ck contract.

83: day’s since my latest return 2 seoul.

86: day’s until my next departure from korea (unless my ailing ear says otherwise it'll be on march 4th 2010).

18: day’s until christmas day.

5: years since i’ve last been @ home for christmas (2004).

27: day’s until the latest camp starts.

22: number of teachers recruited for that camp.

0: the number of those 22 who are irish (9 -yawn -canadians, 3 aussies, 4 yanks, 4 brits, 1 south african & 1 new zealander).

27: teachers i’ve had 2 cancel, so far, for camp (that swine of a flu).

71: day’s now i’ve been on my latest round of korean antibiotics for an ear infection, an infection that now seems 2 be more than just an infection. great.

19: day’s since irelands ‘hand of gaul, we-wus-robbed’ exit from the world cup.

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how 2 say “we’re sorry… but not really,” french style.

'We were stunned and were not able to develop our game - I understand that the Irish are frustrated. They must forget this evening and use it for the future. You have to take a philosophical approach to this match. Football is played on small details, however, qualification is still beautiful.'

- french football federation president jean-pierre escalettes speaking to l'equipe, admitted he understood the Irish frustrations… but didn’t really care 2 much about them.

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9: date, in september 2011, that the rugby world cup begins, the only world cup worth following.

61: day’s until the start of the 2010 6 nations.

20: years of age dual kim, one of koreas top models, was when she committed suicide a few weeks ago.

13: people killed by jeong nam-kyu, one of south korea’s most prolific serial killers. he also committed suicide a few weeks ago... while on death row... but, unlike dual kim, people didn’t really seem 2 care all that much about him. even less spoke about the …

2: …year suspended sentence one-time national hero hwang-woo-suk received for cooking his stem cell research books.

215: the retail price, in us dollars, for a pair of north-korean produced, nook branded jeans that were due 2 go on sale recently in sweden. it didn’t happen; the store where the jeans were 2 be sold pulled the plug on the deal, citing that it didn’t want 2 be associated with a ‘political issue.’

950: attempts this lady needed 2 pass the theory section of the korean drving test. when i read this i sent the link of the story 2 all my ck colleagues accompanied by a definition of the word 'perseverance.'

32: days since pat became a dad. congrats lad.

32: day’s since i won a tbs radio drive time competition for texting the answer 2 the following question:

what, in 2007, lost its title, reducing 9 2 8?

for those who don't get it the answer is @ the bottom of the entry.

20,000: the amount, in korean won (₩), of pizza school vouchers i won.

0: the amount, also in korean won (₩), of the vouchers i have thus far cashed in. keepin’ them for a special occasion you see.

33: day’s since the yankees won their 27^th world series.

7: conn iggulden books i’ve read since i started reading this back in june (all of the emperor & conqueror series... read them; they are amazing).

10,376: songs, according to itunes, in my itunes library.

29.7: day’s of continuous music playing those 10,376 would equate 2 (again thanks to itunes).

64: days since i last bothered 2 update my twitter account.

20: people i’m following on twitter.

15: people following me on twitter (for what i’ve no idea).

420: the number of pictures @ present in the ‘livin with seoul’ photo album.

483: the number of views of the most viewed picture in the album (this is 2^nd with 343 views, & this 3^rd with 339 views… & no, i’ve no idea why these in particular are viewed so much more than others).

128: the number of views of the most viewed picture in the ‘livin’ with seoul’ blog photo album that features roopa. she’s a beacon of self-centeredness & is always looking for a mention in my blog. so there you go troops.

0: the number of the ‘worst 100 movies of the decade’ i’ve actually seen. mel made me - yep, made me - sit through ‘love actually’ the other day & i’m shocked it’s not on the list. what tripe.

-2: temperature, in degrees celsius, in seoul right now. yep, the winter is finally here.

8: temperature, in degrees celsius, in dublin right now.

south korean volunteers wearing santa claus outfits prepare for a street march in seoul, 1 december 2009. the march followed a ceremony 2 launch a charity campaign for the poor .

from the bbc’s ‘big picture,’ december 1^st 2009

what i'm listening 2 right now

mumford & sons - the cave

here is the answer 2 the question posed above. if you got it right well done; you’re as smart as me (although not smarter)... & i'll gladly share my pizza vouchers with you.

failure

haven’t had an entry in a while. been busy. honest. will get back 2 ‘livin' with seoul’ soon, but just felt the need 2 comment on the latest irish letdown. now i don’t mean 2 kick a country when it’s down, least of all my own country, & especially not when i’m sitting on the other side of the world avoiding its issues. but what the hell, i’m going 2. ireland just failed. failed again. the irish soccer team failed 2 qualify for the 2010 soccer world cup finals. now, i’m not blaming the irish soccer team; i accept that they gave it their all (even i could see that, watching the game as i was on-line via an intermittent connection @ 5am this morning in my apartment). & i also accept that they, all being said, just weren’t good enough. but what i don’t accept is the tolerance of failure that is inherent in irish society. we react 2 failure as if it were a success, & react 2 rare bouts of over achievement as if we won the competition we’re competing in, even when we invariably exit the event. italia '90, where we didn’t even win a (read one) game (officially @ least... penalties don't count), is the classic example. back then failure was expected, & any sort of achievement was anything but (expected, that is). so, the perceived 'success' of getting 2 the quarter finals of italia '90 without even winning a game (yes it's possible 2 do, as ireland proved) & the euphoria it created amongst the irish public ensured it was a once-in-a-lifetime, 'where-were-you-when?' kind of experience for those who were lucky enough 2 have lived through it, myself included. but that’s not the point here; the point is that italia '90 was probably the first time i realised how good, & tolerant, we as a nation are @ embracing failure, something we’ve done on a regular basis ever since. harsh? na, i don't think so. the latest failure has just materialised (the game has literally just finished) so as yet the media - that’s you rte - hasn’t as yet gotten around 2 posting its reports or pundit feedback, all of which i’ve no doubt will spin the same old lines: that we were ‘unlucky’ (which of course on this instance we were, but again that's not the point here), that we ‘deserved 2 win', that we all should 'be proud' & that we 'did well considering we’re such a small country’. maybe it’s because we’re so used 2 failure. i dunno. one thing is for sure; how ireland go about accumulating failures seems 2 make them all the more acceptable. how we failed this latest time - by beating france over 90 minutes in paris, something nobody predicted, & only loosing out on a world cup place thanks 2 an extra-time goal that shouldn't have even been allowed - will of course please those who are happy 2 settle for second best. but what about the rest, the minority? roy keane is/was one of them. he was chastised for saying this years ago, in the midst of another failure. but why? because he’s a winner? & because he wanted nothing more than 2 be just that - a winner - with his country? of course. on both counts. but he got nowhere. sounds familiar.

robbie keane. a legend. just like his team-mates.

legal alien

noun: alien eyleeun

1. 1 1) a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country

22 2) anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found

if nothing else the timing is ironic. one day shy of the date that marks my 1-year anniversary of coming 2 seoul full-time & i finally receive my alien registration card. (oh oh, i’m an alien,i’m a legal alien). every westerner issued with a 1-year visa is supposed 2 register their visa within 90 days of arrival in the country. doing so means you're doing what you're supposed 2 do & of course keeps you on the right side of the authorities. doing so also gets you a nice alien registration card. easy, right? well seemingly no, not for me @ least.

i arrived 364 days ago with a fresh visa in my passport, my first yearlong visa. i knew i had 90 days 2 register it. i even took the medical test that is part of the registration process. but then i forgot; forgot 2 do anything else. forgot 2 do anything else within what was left of the the 90 days i had 2 do everything (you with me?). as a result they – the nice ‘just-doing-our-job’ koreans in the immigration office – cancelled my visa. it caused problems. big problems. they - the same 'we're-just-doing-our-job' koreans - were even going 2 audit the ck office (for what i've no idea). hell, i was almost deported (honest). of course questions were asked. in korean. serious questions i was led 2 believe. the boss had 2 go bat for me @ the immigration office. he had 2 call some “friends” in high places & get some strings pulled. it worked. i wasn’t deported, which was good. what was even better was that they agreed 2 give me a second yearlong visa. … but only if i 1) went 2 japan first 2 get a temporary ‘filler’ visa (done), & 2) registered my second e2 visa within the required 90 days of receiving it (done). so now i’m officially an alien, & a legal one @ that. about time 2.

‘livin’ with seoul’ fridays

friday is easily the best day 2 be here in the ck office. there's an altogether different mood in the office compared 2 other days of the week not called friday (as i’ve noted previously here & here). on fridays the koreans here seem 2 make less of an effort 2 hide the fact that they are actually doing nothing. yes they still sit @ their desks frantically typing, staring intently @ their computer screens, & generally giving off an air of busyness. but they aren’t foolin’ anyone, least of all me (i know a idler when i see one). but other things, not just the idleness, make friday the best day of the week. yes, come 5pm (or 8pm if you’re korean) it’s the weekend but that’s not it. its the friday freebies we seem 2 get 2 ‘ease’ us through the day, 2 entice one last big effort - of concealment - out of us as we approach the weekend. a few minutes ago someone i’ve never seen before walked into the office with a big bag of ice-cream, with one for everyone in the audience (of course as a westerner i get/got first dibs). so right now we’re all sitting around on our desks, eating ice-cream & blatantly doing nothing. it’s a reprieve from having 2 pretend 2 be doing nothing.

‘livin’ with seoul’ teaser

moon daddy is trying 2 get me 2 go drinking tonight. i'm resisting... so far (although i don't know why... work tomorrow maybe?).

he's referring 2 this night.

‘livin’ with seoul’ world series watch

the yankees lost yesterday but won today. so now it’s 1-1 (first 2 4 wins).

‘livin’ with seoul’ this & that

big changes are afoot for the internet & the decision 2 implement them was made here in seoul. another, slightly less popular decision was also recently made here.

‘livin’ with seoul’ texting & driving video

hard hitting. one of those video that leaves an impression on you… just like it’s designed 2 do

‘livin’ with seoul’ legend watch

ladies & gentlemen, paul burrows.

what i’m listening 2 right now

u2, dancing barefoot

irish potato

last night mel took me 2 experience a little bit of home in a fancy seoul shopping centre. she said nothing other than the fact that we were going 2 “irish potato,” her frugalness with the details leaving me free 2 dream up a vision of utopia; a sit-down restaurant with a menu dedicated 2 everything potato: boiled potato, diced potato, mashed potato, steamed potato, roasted potato, scalloped potato, chipped potato, sliced potato, fried potato, grated potato, potato skins, potato wedges, sweet potato, seasoned potatoes, baby potatoes, potato salad, hash-brown potatoes, sour-crème & chive potato, potato latkes, potato pancakes. oh boy, it was going 2 be good & certainly a night 2 remember. so good in fact that even before i’d laid my eyes on the nirvana of starchy goodness that i, being the optimist i am, assumed we were approaching, was cursing myself for never having graced its door previously (& i was anticipating 'irish potato' surpassing nuri (dirty) bar as my new favourite place in seoul).

well, rarely before have i experienced the magnitude of let-down that i experienced upon seeing/experiencing ‘irish potato,’ somewhere only irish in name. if 'irish' is chips/french-fries served in a tub, doused with overly sweet chilli sauce (my choice; there were other topping options, none of them overly irish) & consumed on a bench, albeit a nice bench, in a shopping centre hallway (the door i was so looking forward 2 gracing didn't actually exist), with a stellar view of an indoor car park then... then... then i’m mr. tayto himself. was i expecting 2 much? obviously. will i be back gracing irish potato’s counter any time soon? not likely. but i do know where 2 go if i ever need cheap beer; cafri sells for ₩1,020 (€0.57) in the same shopping centre. so the night wasn’t a total loss after all.

‘livin' with seoul’ anniversary

this saturday, the 31^st, marks my 1-year anniversary of arriving 2 work full-time in seoul. 1 whole year. the fact that it - the anniversary - falls on a saturday is convenient. the fact that i’m working on the same day isn’t. oh well.

‘livin' with seoul’ photo album

check out the latest pics, including those taken on the ck team-building/drinking ‘workshop’ last weekend & that of an irish proverb i’d never before heard of.

speaking of photo albums. mel has her own on-line photo album (she actually has 2 albums... the 2nd one, a picture from which is shown above, is mel's "mucking around with photoshop album" to use her words). both albums showcase her growing photographic skills. she’s keen -very keen - & even has plans 2 buy a dslr. all this coming from someone who doesn't, yet (as i said she's keen) know iso from f-stops from depth of field. hell, she didn’t even own a digital camera of any kind until earlier in the year. on-line photo albums & a dslr. & they say imitation is the highest form of flattery.

what I’m listening 2 right now

i'm actually watching, & thus listening 2 commentary, of an on-line feed of the 1^st game of the world series. you gotta love the internet. go yankees!

time 2 bond

it's 1pm on friday. i'm just about 2 leave the ck office with the rest of the crew 2 embark on an overnight 'team-building workshop.' yep, that's what they - the korean's - are calling it. everyone here seems pumped for what lays ahead, going so far as 2 break with the norm by wearing casual attire for the day (i do every day) & even, get this, consuming some bijo with our lunch @ the chinese restaurant earlier (a definite 1st). but then they probably know what lays ahead. me? well, i haven't been briefed fully - stress fully - but i can probably guess based on a few things: i was told we'll be overnighting (that mean we'll be drinking late tonight), i was told 2 bring 'sports' clothing, & i was told we'll been broken up into teams 2 do 'events.' so i can decipher from that that there will be 1) plenty of competition (typically korean), 2) plenty of alcohol consumed (also typically korean), & 3) little sleep garnered. i've been told i've been assigned 2 team 1 &, apart from being, obviously, the lone westerner in the team i'm also, i might joyously add, the lone male. so bring it on. we'll all be piling into a few cars for a 2 hour drive 2 some location where we'll do... do... do 'events,' in teams, wearing sports clothes after which we'll drink. all of this will bring us closer as a unit, or so it's thought. i can't wait. not that i need 2. cos we're off. now.

welfare

i got 2 talkin’ 2 a few of the guys in the office over lunch today about state welfare. don’t ask me how, it just happened (we normally talk man stuff like beer, baseball & girls). i didn’t learn anything by virtue of the fact that i already knew that korean society has, financially @ least, little tolerance for the unemployed or the old; there is no such thing as dole & once retired it’s the responsibility of the oldest son 2 fend for & financially support his parents for their remaining days, one of the main reasons male births are still favoured over female births (that is slowly changing however… slowly). the conversation got exciting when i dropped the bombshell that one can sit on their arse @ home in ireland & the government will give them the €200 a week 2 do so, the equivalent of ₩350,000, quite a tidy sum over here (that little ₩ is the symbol for the korean unit of currency won, pronounced ‘one’). there followed a lot of korean banter, a bit of number crunching, counting on fingers, exasperated sighs, & glances at yours truly 2 confirm that what i was telling them was accurate/true.

"seriously guys… yep,” with an accompanying affirmative nod of the head.

“taxes?” they then asked.

“yep, pretty high… higher than here.”

still though, that didn’t take the gloss off the revelation. the impression i took from the conversation was that they now think i’m mad 2 be in seoul, 8 time zones from home & spending my days in an office with them, which is strange considering i’m employed here & we were talking dole payment amounts. i’m sure it would have been lost in translation had i attempted 2 explain 2 them that, a free ₩350,000 per week aside, ireland is crippled, hasn’t a penny 2 rub together, & anyone who can is getting out. i wonder what they’d have thought of that revelation.

‘livin with seoul’ photo album

spent a bit of the work day today updating the blog album covering the events of the last 3 weeks. oh the fun i’ve had with culture & nature.

from the 'living with seoul' photo album, october 2nd 2009

‘livin with seoul’ video

I like this.

what I’m listening 2 right now

david gray, everytime

another celebration

it almost, just almost, seems like we’re in celebration day season here in korea. following hot on the heels of armed forces day & the chuseok holiday last weekend, today – friday - is hangul day, the day that celebrates the creation by some king way back of the korean hangul script. i have been told more time than i care 2 remember/admit since 1^st coming 2 korea in 2003 that it’s quite an easy script 2 decipher; all you need 2 do is put a bit of effort into it. which is why it’s kind of shameful that, 2 me, the script still just looks like an ordered grouping of lines, circles & curves…which i guess is exactly what it is, except 2 koreans it actually means something. anyway, 2 celebrate this day the koreans are unveiling some statue of the aforementioned king – sejong was his name, sejong the great no less – later this evening in the middle of a big-ass road here in central seoul (& about time 2; the poor chap has been dead for some 560 years). me? well i’m heading south for the weekend 2 take in the green tea fields of somewhere called boseong. yep, i have an 8:10pm reservation on the ktx, koreas version of the french tgv & the newest feather in the korean public transport cap. the weekend should be fun. it always is.

‘living’ with seoul’ week of firsts

some firsts that occurred this week (& keep in mind that I’ve been living here fulltime now for almost a year

• signed up for & went 2 the gym.
• bought & cooked (2 firsts) potatoes in my apartment.
• actually did a full, honest day’s work for the 1^st time since my latest return a few weeks ago (3 actually). it’s not my fault; it’s the nature of the business that things are slack around here @ this time of year. if i recall last tuesday was the day in question, a day when i was reminded once again that it’s actually less work 2 actually work as apposed 2 pretending 2 work… if you know what I mean?

not 2 belittle armed forced day, the chuseok holiday, or even hangul day, but maybe the koreans will dedicate a day 2 any one of the above.

‘livin’ with seoul’ video

check out this video. i like it. you might 2. the korean connection? samsung of course.

what I’m listen 2 right now

the murmer of office work, korean style.