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?).
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
