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Beijing irony

Two ironic things about Beijing:

1. The air is actually clear today. We could actually see the city a good half hour before we landed.
2. I felt a sense of freedom when I entered the terminal. Not political freedom, but freedom from the crap shoot of working in Korea.

Oh, and China sucks at being communist. This country reeks of free market capitalism. ;)

Leaving South Korea: by the numbers

Now that I'm on my way to China, here are some random statistics. (Stats accurate as of arrival in China.)

• Duration spent in the country (not incl. trips abroad): 337
  
  
• Number of passport stamps prior to arrival: 0
  
  
• Number of passport stamps after leaving Korea: 19
  
  • S. Korea: 7
    
    • 1 x alien registration stamp
      
    • 3 x arrival stamp
      
    • 3 x departure stamp
  • P.R. China: 1
    
    • 1 x transit stamp
  • Hong Kong S.A.R.: 6
    
    • 2 x arrival stamp
      
    • 2 x expiry date stamp
      
    • 2 x departure stamp
  • Macau S.A.R.: 3
    
    • 1 x arrival stamp
      
    • 1 x expiry date stamp
      
    • 1 x departure stamp
  • Japan: 2
    
    • 1 x arrival stamp
      
    • 1 x departure stamp

• Number of S. Korean metro cities visited (max. 7): 5
  
  • Seoul
    
  • Incheon
    
  • Busan
    
  • Gwangju
    
  • Daejeon
  
  
  
• Number of S. Korean provinces visited (max. 9, excl. metro cities): 3
  
  • Gyeonggi
    
  • Chungcheongnam
    
  • Jeollanam
  
  
  
• Number of S. Korean cities visited: 14
  
  • Seoul
    
  • Incheon
    
  • Busan
    
  • Gwangju
    
  • Daejeon
    
  • Bucheon
    
  • Yongin
    
  • Namyangju
    
  • Yangpyeong
    
  • Anyang
    
  • Suwon
    
  • Gongju
    
  • Cheonan
    
  • Jeonju
  
  
  
• Number of different electrical outlets encountered: 5
  
  
• Number of customs checkpoints passed: 17
  
  
• New records (or near-records):
  
  • Coldest temperature experienced: -21 C (-6 F)
    
  • Most ground distance traveled in 1 day: 333 km (207 miles): Seoul-Fukuoka one-way
    
  • 2nd most ground distance traveled in 1 day: 331 km (206 miles): Seoul-Gwangju round-trip
    
  • Most consecutive days spent abroad (after Sept. 1): 378 days
    
  • Farthest distance traveled on public transit in 1 day: 120 km (75 miles)
    
  
  

안녕히 가세요, Korea! 你好, Beijing!

It's hard to believe that my year in Korea is finally over. A lot has changed on both sides of the ocean during the past year and it's a little bit of a relief to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

It also occurred to me that this is the first time in a long time that I have nothing related to work or school to look forward to in a while. Since high school, I've had classes or work at least every summer coming up. It's strange to not think about the new school year or starting a job.

At the same time, it's somewhat refreshing. This year in Korea was hard, partly because it felt like one long business trip. I never really relaxed for the past year; it was "go go go now now NOW quickly quickly QUICKLY" for 12 months and this is the first time in a while that time is no longer a factor.

In the past year, I also found out or confirmed a lot of things about myself. I had a tough time during some of these discoveries but I guess now I know.

I'm going to miss having the freedom to live alone, but living in a familiar place with a familiar language and familiar customs would be a nice shift from this chaotic year.

It's Friday afternoon and I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! I'm done!

Party at my place!

Bus blows up in Seoul

Holy crap. (Full news story here.)

10 days left

So I officially have 10 full days left in Korea. It's hard to believe that the number of days remaining is now in the single digits.

I already came to terms with leaving a while ago, so I've had some time to reflect what I'm going to miss about Korea and what I'm not going to list. It's quite a colorful list, actually.

Things I'll miss about Korea

• cheap public transit fares
  
• not having to tip at restaurants
  
• the option to travel the country by KTX bullet train
  
• the Wolfhound
  
• almost non-existent sales tax
  
• sales tax being included in the price tag
  
• readily available street food
  
• living conveniently next to the city center
  
• the T-Money smart card system
  
• convenience stores at every corner
  
• proximity to nearby places and countries
  
• the awesome internet service
  
• the low crime rate, especially property crime
  
• range of camera equipment on sale
  
• bargaining for products
  
• cheap cab fares
  
• fried chicken (much more superior than Canada's)
  
• the ease of clearing customs
  
• cleanliness of the subways
  
• cheap cell phone rates
  
• having squid available for lunch every second day
  
• cheap and plentiful billiard halls
  

Things I won't miss about Korea

• drivers running red lights, not shoulder checking, nearly running over predestrians, etc.
  
• people spitting everywhere
  
• every car on the road being the same 4 Korean car brands
  
• every car on the road being either black, silver or white
  
• occasional overt discrimination against foreigners and other Asians
  
• garbage on the streets everywhere
  
• motorcyclists driving on the sidewalks
  
• insane back roads and side streets
  
• Korean currency values going up and down like a yo-yo
  
• the mutant mosquitoes in summer
  
• the pesky cicadas in summer
  
• the humidity of summer
  
• the extreme dryness in winter, which makes skin crack open
  
• people not knowing how to walk in a straight line and bumping into each other as a result
  
• the unbelievably slow pace of Seoul for a city of its size
  
• people not picking up after their dogs
  
• the random puddles of puke and urine on the streets
  
• the tight regulations on stuff like imports, cell phones, and communications in general, causing either unavailability of products or inflated prices
  
• the lack of decent/authentic international foods outside Itaewon
  
• the extreme homogeneity of Korea; I think I prefer a multicultural area more
  
• noise pollution during election time... oh dear god...
  
• crazy adjummas
  

Summer: the noisiest season

300 km/h

For the folks visiting this blog from Canada and the US, have you ever wondered what 300 km/h (186 MPH) looks like on a train?

Whenever you feel inferior...

...watch this and you'll suddenly feel a lot better about yourself.

Insane weekend II, part 3: Busan

My friend and I woke up the next day to a somewhat overcast day, which was a huge improvement over the previous day, when it was pouring rain. Considering that this was our last day in Busan and some of the stuff we wanted to do was outdoors, it was quite a lucky break.

The first place we decided to go to was Haeundae Beach, which is often considered the best beach in Korea. It is also the most famous, and is often crowded with people. The sun was peaking out at times, but it wasn't too busy when we were there.

The gorgeous Haeundae Beach.

Considering that Seoul isn't close to the water and the nearest coastline in Incheon is pretty gritty, and that the Han River that runs through Seoul is so polluted that my friend and I saw a dead fish floating there once, seeing a beach like this was refreshing.

After the beach, we went for a sushi lunch at Centum City, and then decided to wander around. We eventually hit a beach called Gwangalli, where we had a great view of the Busan skyline.

The Busan skyline from Gwangalli.

After Gwangalli, we went on the visit the United Nations cemetery. The UN has a special place in this city because Busan was one of the only two major cities (along with Daegu) not to fall under North Korean control during the Korean War.

Flags of Korean War participants at the UN Cemetery.


The monument for Canadian, British, Australian and South African soldiers.


Canadian graves at the UN Cemetery.


The monument for Canadian soldiers.



General view of graves at the UN Cemetery.


The wall of foreign Korean War military casualties.


The Canadian section of the wall.

We were rather late by the time we finished, and the guard actually locked the gates by the time we got there. But the guard was nowhere to be found. Somehow, we managed to find someone who could track him down, and we finally left for Busan Station. We got there a little later than I would've liked but we made it.

The KTX trip back to Seoul was timely and hassle-free, but it was raining by the time we got back -- a big shift from the sunshine we had in Busan. Apparently it was raining even harder in Seoul the day before than Busan, so I guess we shouldn't complain.

Insane weekend II, part 2: Busan

After arriving at Yongsan Station from Gwangju, I went straight home, had a VERY late dinner, and went to bed around 1:00am. At around 6:00am, I woke up once again to travel across South Korea. This time, my destination was Busan (부산/釜山).

I've only been to Busan once before, and that was only during a layover en route to Fukuoka. This time, I went with a friend and the plan was to stay overnight there before heading back the next evening.

The trip to Busan was faster than the trip to Gwangju, thanks to high-speed rails continuing all the way to Daegu -- almost twice as much as the route to Gwangju. We imagined going to the beaches in Busan and enjoying the open air, a refreshing change from the crowds of Seoul.

And then we arrived. And it was RAINING HARD. Damn.

The first thing we did was head towards our hostel. It was a bit hard to find, but the guy who runs the hostel was very helpful and led us to it. I was at a hostel in Japan in May, and it was kind of what I expected. But this hostel was much different.

The view of Busan from the hostel.

For starters, this hostel was on the 15th floor of an apartment building. It had a great view of Busan, unlike the hostel in Japan, which had a great view of... the parking lot.

Also, this hostel was pretty big. Its common area was huge and spacious. The place was built as an apartment, so it felt more like a home than a hostel. The layout of the place encouraged more mingling among guests. One thing that I also noticed was that the place was incredibly clean; apparently it won a cleanest hostel award a while back. The host, June, was extremely helpful in offering advice about where to sightsee, even on this rainy day.

After looking for a while for a place to eat, we settled on bibimbap. It was pretty decently priced and good.

Since it was one of the rainiest days in a long time, indoor activities seemed best. So the first place we went to was the Shinsegae Centum City department store, which is the largest one in the world.

The underground subway entrance to Shinsegae Centum City.

The fountain at the underground entrance to Shinsegae Centum City.

Interior view of Shinsegae Centum City.

Across from Shinsegae Centum City is the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO), which is one of the largest convention centers in the country and has the largest exhibition hall in the world.

Interior view of BEXCO.

Needless to say, the place was huge.

After that, we went to have dinner. We settled on barbecued chicken, which was a bit spicy but I didn't show signs of distress, with me being the macho man and all. (Granted, this macho man listens to Miley Cyrus, but... actually, yeah. Scratch that. I'm not macho.)

We went to the hostel afterwards and hoped for better weather the next day -- and promptly fell asleep.

---

Coming next:

To Busan, day 2

Insane weekend II, part 1: Gwangju

In May, I did a crazy weekend trip out to Fukuoka and Hiroshima, Japan (1, 2, 3) and the DMZ (1) back-to-back in less than 4 days. I said to myself that I probably won't travel so insanely again until I leave Korea.

Yeah, right.

My school's classes finished on Wednesday, and I unexpectedly had Thursday off. Friday was already a day off, and I had already planned to go to Busan for the weekend with a friend. So now I have an extra day off, and my time in South Korea is limited. What did I do?

I decided to do another insane traveling weekend.

One of the places I was already considering was Gwangju (광주/光州), in the southwestern part of South Korea. Mainly, it's for historical interest; Gwangju was the site of a major political uprising and massacre during the country's period under military rule. One of the pivotal sites, the former Jeollanam provincial building, was being scheduled for demolition so it seemed a bit important to visit it now rather than later.

I woke up bright and early on Thursday morning. I live near Seoul Station, which serves most train routes going to other parts of the country, but in this particular case, the KTX bullet train to Gwangju started at Yongsan Station. I had to make an extra journey, but Yongsan isn't too far away. The trip to Gwangju takes a bit longer than usual because after Daejeon, the high-speed rails stop and the train goes at regular speed. After what felt like forever, I arrived at Gwangju Station.

Gwangju Station in all its glory.

Unlike some of the other KTX terminal stations, Gwangju Station is not connected to the subway system. I had to go on foot for a while to reach one, but in my stupidity during the planning phase, I didn't realize that there's another KTX station in Gwangju that DOES connect the subway. Whoops.

The Gwangju Subway has an interesting payment system. In Seoul, we have T-Money cards, which are contact-less smart cards that you use. One-time only tickets in Seoul work exactly like the cards, except you return them to a machine at the end to get your 500 KRW (50 cents CAD) card deposit back. Gwangju's system gives you a small POG-like token. It has a sensor inside, which you scan like a smart card. When you exit, you don't scan it. Instead, you insert the token in a slot, and the ticket machine swallows up the token and lets you out.

Views of a Gwangju Subway car. It's narrower and feels more cramped than Seoul's subway cars, but are a lot fancier.

My first stop was the former Jeollanam provincial offices. This building was the site of a lot of bloodshed and violence during South Korea's period under military rule; these uprisings eventually led to the democratization of South Korea, which is a source of pride among residents of Gwangju. One of the people involved in the uprisings was Kim Dae-Jung, who eventually became one of the most influential presidents of South Korea and unfortunately passed away on the day I arrived at Incheon airport last year. (Canadians: he was like the Koreans' version of Pierre Trudeau, except more activist-like.)

The former Jeollanam provincial offices, site of much bloodshed and violence during the Gwangju democratization uprisings in 1980.

When Gwangju became a self-governing metropolitan city, the capital of Jeollanam province (which Gwangju used to be a part of) moved out and the building was vacated. In the photo above, you can see demolition fences around the building, and much of the area looks like a construction zone at the moment. The fate of the building is uncertain, but in any case, my timing was impeccable.

After having lunch nearby, I went out to the 518 Memorial Park, which is dedicated to the victims and heroes of the uprisings (nicknamed "518" because of the uprising's starting date, hence the name of the park).

The 518 Memorial Park.

Afterwards, I decided to check out the World Cup Stadium. Officially named Guus Hiddink Stadium, it was one of the important venues of the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea. It was named after the Dutch-born head coach of the South Korean team during that tournament. It was a bit far, and I decided to catch a taxi back rather than waste more time.

Gwangju World Cup Stadium, or Guus Hiddink Stadium.

Near Gwangju Station is another important site of the Gwangju uprisings, Chonnam National University. It was at this university that the uprisings started in the first place, and it shows. Throughout the university are structures dedicated to the uprisings as well as reminders of how democracy is something worth fighting for in the face of injustice.

Path near the entrance to Chonnam National University.

A plaque commemorating the university's role in the Gwangju uprisings.

A statue dedicated to the Gwangju uprisings.

After seeing the university, I headed back to Gwangju Station and started making my way home on the KTX... and got ready to head off across South Korea again the very next day, this time to Busan for two days.

---

Coming next:

To Busan, day 1
To Busan, day 2

Can't find a job? Come to North Korea!

If I was Jack Bauer, this would be the stupidest 24 hours of my life.

My plane ticket home has been confirmed.

I'll leave Seoul on August 15, and stay in Beijing until September 1.

However, the trip from Beijing to Vancouver will be a long one, since it's not a direct flight. I will have a layover in San Francisco for over 7 hours. Jack Bauer could save the world in the same amount of time it'll take for me to reach home. (Damn it, Chloe, give me a better flight!)

Happy Canada Day

In honor of Canada Day, I bring you a rant involving Canadian accents performed by a fellow Canadian, Russell Peters.

Korean War 60th anniversary

I tend to harp on Korea sometimes, but you have to give credit where it's due. Take, for instance, this advertisement at Time Square in New York to mark today, the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War.

My weird music preferences

Some people say I have the weirdest collection of songs on my iPod. Looking at it, it's hard to argue otherwise.

How is it weird? Well, here's my entire song list in alphabetical order (and the order it appears on my iPod).

• "Addicted" -- Simple Plan
  
• "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" -- Van Halen
  
• "All About Us" -- Tatu
  
• "All My Life" -- Foo Fighters
  
• "All Star" -- Smash Mouth
  
• "All the Small Things" -- Blink 182
  
• "All the Things She Said" -- Tatu
  
• "All You Did Was Save My Life" -- Our Lady Peace
  
• "Always" -- Blink 182
  
• "Amber" -- 311
  
• "Angels Losing Sleep" -- Our Lady Peace
  
• "Are You Gonna Go My Way" -- Lenny Kravitz
  
• "At the Hundredth Meridian" -- The Tragically Hip
  
  
• "Back in Black" -- AC/DC
  
• "Bad Luck" -- Social Distortion
  
• "Bad Romance" -- Lady Gaga
  
• "Before it's Too Late" -- Goo Goo Dolls
  
• "Behind Blue Eyes" -- Limp Bizkit
  
• "Better Days" -- Goo Goo Dolls
  
• "Beautiful People" -- Marilyn Manson
  
• "Bleed Like Me" -- Garbage
  
• "Boom Boom Pow" -- Black Eyed Peas
  
• "Brand New Low" -- Treble Charger
  
• "Bring Me to Life" -- Evanescence
  
• "Bro Hymn" -- Pennywise
  
• "Broken" -- Seether
  
• "Buffalo Soldier" -- Bob Marley
  
  
• "California" -- Phantom Planet
  
• "California Sun" -- The Ramones
  
• "Call Me When You're Sober" -- Evanescence
  
• "Careless Whisper" -- Seether
  
• "Catch My Fall" -- Katy Rose
  
• "Ch-Check it Out" -- Beastie Boys
  
• "Changes" -- Thornley
  
• "Check My Brain" -- Alice in Chains
  
• "Chelsea Dagger" -- The Fratellis
  
• "Clumsy" -- Our Lady Peace
  
• "Cold Hard Bitch" -- Jet
  
• "Complicated" -- Avril Lavigne
  
• "Crackerman" -- Stone Temple Pilots
  
• "Creep" -- Radiohead
  
• "Crush" -- Jennifer Paige
  
  
• "Devil on my Shoulder" -- Billy Talent
  
• "Diary of Jane" -- Breaking Benjamin
  
• "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" -- AC/DC
  
• "Dirty Little Secret" -- All-American Rejects
  
• "Disconnected" -- Face to Face
  
• "Don't Speak" -- No Doubt
  
• "Down" -- 311
  
• "Dr. Feelgood" -- Motley Crue
  
• "Dragula" -- Rob Zombie
  
• "Dream On" -- Aerosmith
  
• "Dude Looks Like a Lady" -- Aerosmith
  
  
• "Enter Sandman" -- Metallica
  
• "Every Little Thing" -- Melanie Doane
  
• "Every Morning" -- Sugar Ray
  
• "Extraordinary" -- Liz Phair
  
  
• "Face Down" -- The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
  
• "Fade to Black" -- Metallica
  
• "Faint" -- Linkin Park
  
• "Father of Mine" -- Everclear
  
• "The Fear (I Don't Know)" -- Lily Allen
  
• "Firestarter" -- Prodigy
  
• "Flagpole Sitta" -- Harvey Danger
  
• "Flowers in the Window" -- Travis
  
• "For the Moment" -- GOB
  
  
• "Get Free" -- The Vines
  
• "Ghetto Superstar" -- Pras
  
• "Gimme Sympathy" -- Metric
  
• "Girlfriend" -- Avril Lavigne
  
• "Give Up the Grudge" -- GOB
  
• "Going Under" -- Evanescence
  
• "The Good Life" -- Three Days Grace
  
  
• "Heading for Nowhere" -- Jets Overhead
  
• "Heaven Coming Down" -- The Tea Party
  
• "Heavy" -- Collective Soul
  
• "Hell Yeah" -- Rev Theory
  
• "Hell's Bells" -- AC/DC
  
• "Hella Good" -- No Doubt
  
• "Help I'm Alive" -- Metric
  
• "Here is Gone" -- Goo Goo Dolls
  
• "Hey Baby" -- No Doubt
  
• "Hot 'n' Cold" -- Katy Perry
  
• "How's it Going to Be" -- Third Eye Blind
  
• "Hurricane 2000" -- The Scorpions and Berlin Philharmonic
  
• "Hysteria" -- Muse
  
  
• "I Can't Stop Laughing" -- The Trews
  
• "I Don't Care" -- Fall Out Boy
  
• "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" -- Aerosmith
  
• "I Get Knocked Down" -- Smash Mouth
  
• "I Hear You Calling" -- GOB
  
• "I Kissed a Girl" -- Katy Perry
  
• "I Knew I Love You" -- Savage Garden
  
• "I Know You Want Me" -- Pitbull
  
• "I Like" -- Katy Rose
  
• "I Need You" -- LeAnn Rimes
  
• "I Think I'm Paranoid" -- Garbage
  
• "I Will Follow" -- U2
  
• "I Will Not Bow" -- Breaking Benjamin
  
• "I'm Just a Kid" -- Simple Plan
  
• "I'm Only Happy When it Rains" -- Garbage
  
• "I'm Shipping up to Boston" -- Dropkick Murphys
  
• "I'm With You" -- Avril Lavigne
  
• "If You Only Knew" -- Shinedown
  
• "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" -- Weezer
  
• "Imaginary" -- Evanescence
  
• "In This Life" -- Chantal Kreviazuk
  
• "Indestructible" -- Disturbed
  
• "Innocent" -- Our Lady Peace
  
• "Iris" -- Goo Goo Dolls
  
• "It'll be You" -- Daniel Wesley
  
• "It's About Time" -- Lillix
  
  
• "Jumper" -- Third Eye Bline
  
  
• "Kashmir" -- Led Zeppelin
  
• "Keep On Rockin' in the Free World" -- Neil Young
  
• "Kickstart my Heart" -- Motley Crue
  
  
• "Ladies and Gentlemen" -- Saliva
  
• "Last Parade" -- Matthew Good
  
• "Leaving on a Jet Plane" -- Chantal Kreviazuk
  
• "Lemon" -- Katy Rose
  
• "Let it all Hang Out" -- Weezer
  
• "License to Thrill" -- Katy Rose
  
• "Life" -- Ashlin Debison
  
• "Lights and Sounds" -- Yellowcard
  
• "Love is a First" -- The Tragially Hip
  
  
• "Major Tom" -- Shiny Toy Guns
  
• "Man in the Box" -- Alice in Chains
  
• "Man Overboard" -- Thornley
  
• "Master of Puppets" -- Metallica
  
• "Mess of Me" -- Switchfoot
  
• "My Happy Ending" -- Avril Lavigne
  
• "My Immortal" -- Evanescence
  
• "My World" -- Sick Puppies
  
  
• "Never Ever" -- All Saints
  
• "Never Gonna Stop" -- Rob Zombie
  
• "New Divide" -- Linkin Park
  
• "No Rain" -- Blind Melon
  
• "No You Girls" -- Franz Ferdinand
  
• "Now or Never" -- Everlife
  
• "Numb" -- Linkin Park
  
  
• "Oh! Ellin'" -- GOB
  
• "One of a Kind" -- Breaking Point
  
• "Original Skin" -- Katy Rose
  
• "Overdrive" -- Katy Rose
  
  
• "Panama" -- Van Halen
  
• "Panic Switch" -- Silversun Pickups
  
• "Paparazzi" -- Lady Gaga
  
• "Paralyzer" -- Finger Eleven
  
• "Paranoid Freak" -- The Trews
  
• "Party in the USA" -- Miley Cyrus
  
• "Perfect" -- Simple Plan
  
• "Pilgrimage" -- Daniel Wesley
  
• "Poker Face" -- Lady Gaga
  
• "Poor Ol' Broken Hearted Me" -- The Trews
  
• "Pork and Beans" -- Weezer
  
• "The Pretender" -- Foo Fighters
  
• "Push it" -- Garbage
  
  
• "Ready to Roll" -- Jet Black Stare
  
• "Real World" -- Matchbox 20
  
• "Remedy" -- Seether
  
• "Rescue Me" -- Hawthorne Heights
  
• "Right Now" -- Van Halen
  
• "Rise Above This" -- Seether
  
• "Rock and Roll" -- Led Zeppelin
  
• "Rock Superstar" -- Cypress Hill
  
• "Run Baby Run" -- Garbage
  
• "Runaround" -- Van Halen
  
• "Rusted From the Rain" -- Billy Talent
  
  
• "Saeglopur" -- Sigur Rios
  
• "Saint Veronika" -- Billy Talent
  
• "Saints of Los Angeles" -- Motley Crue
  
• "Santa Monica" -- Everclear
  
• "Savior" -- Rise Against
  
• "Seasons" -- The Veer Union
  
• "See You Again" -- Miley Cyrus
  
• "Seether" -- Veruca Salt
  
• "Sex on Fire" -- Kings of Leon
  
• "Sex Type Thing" -- Stone Temple Pilots
  
• "She Could be You" -- Shawn Hlookoff
  
• "She Likes Me for Me" -- Third Eye Blind
  
• "She Likes Me for Me" -- Everclear
  
• "She's a Genius" -- Jet
  
• "She's so High" -- Tal Bachman
  
• "Sick Muse" -- Metric
  
• "Slide" -- Goo Goo Dolls
  
• "So Whatcha Want" -- Beastie Boys
  
• "Somebody Save Me" -- Remi Zero
  
• "Somewhere Out There" -- Our Lady Peace
  
• "Steal My Sunshine" -- Len
  
• "Stupid Girl" -- Garbage
  
• "Sucker Train Blues" -- Velvet Revolver
  
• "Sweet Child of Mine" -- Guns 'n' Roses
  
• "Sympathy" -- Goo Goo Dolls
  
  
• "Take Me Out" -- Franz Ferdinand
  
• "Telephone" -- Lady Gaga
  
• "Then the Morning Comes" -- Smash Mouth
  
• "Thunderstruck" -- AC/DC
  
• "Tik Tok" -- Kesha
  
• "Times like These" -- Foo Fighters
  
• "Tomorrow" -- Lillix
  
• "Too Close" -- Next
  
• "Torn" -- Natalie Imbruglia
  
• "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" -- Stone Temple Pilots
  
• "Truly Madly Deeply" -- Savage Garden
  
• "Typical" -- Mute Math
  
  
• "Ultimate" -- Lindsay Lohan
  
• "Underneath it All" -- No Doubt
  
• "Uprising" -- Muse
  
• "Upside Down (and I Fall)" -- Jakalope
  
• "Us Remains Impossible" -- Matthew Good
  
• "Use Me" -- Hinder
  
• "Use Somebody" -- Kings of Leon
  
  
• "Vivrant Thing" -- Q-Tip
  
  
• "The Wait" -- Metallica
  
• "Walk" -- Pantera
  
• "The Way I Feel" -- 12 Stones
  
• "We Used to be Friends" -- The Danny Warhols
  
• "We're from America" -- Marilyn Manson
  
• "Welcome to My Life" -- Simple Plan
  
• "Welcome to the Jungle" -- Guns 'n' Roses
  
• "What I Like About You" -- Lillix
  
• "What?" -- Rob Zombie
  
• "What's my Age Again?" -- Blink 182
  
• "When I Grow Up" -- Garbage
  
• "When You're Gone" -- Avril Lavigne
  
• "Where the Wild Roses Grow" -- Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave
  
• "Who Are You" -- The Who
  
• "Why Can't I?" -- Liz Phair
  
• "Why do you Love Me?" -- Garbage
  
• "Woman" -- Wolfmother
  
• "Won't Get Fooled Again" -- The Who
  
• "Wonderful" -- Everclear
  
  
• "You Could be Mine" -- Guns 'n' Roses
  
• "You Get What You Give" -- New Radicals
  
• "You're Going Down" -- Sick Puppies
  
• "You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" -- Offspring
  
• "Your Love is My Drug" -- Kesha
  
  
• "3 A.M." -- Matchbox 20
  
• "24" -- Jem
  
• "50 Mission Cap" -- The Tragically Hip
  
• "1901" -- Phoenix
  
• "1985" -- Bowling for Soup"
  

Non-Korean Asians in Korea: What to expect

When I was applying for this job, I was curious about one thing -- as a non-Korean Asian, how would things be like in Korea? By physical appearance, I look like everyone else but obviously I wouldn't know the language or the culture too well. I tried looking for resources about what to expect, but came up disappointed. As I approach my 10-month anniversary, I think it's time I came up with some general observations about how it is to be a non-Korean Asian in Korea.

Please note that these are based on my own personal experiences and may or may not have any bearing on any future newcomers. Please take these with a grain of salt; it's different for everyone.

• Koreans can't tell the difference between Koreans, Japanese and Chinese people.
  
  In general, people from places like Hong Kong are able to tell whether you are one of them or not, either from your physical features or your dress. They can often even tell whether you're an Asian expat or not. But not in Korea. Quite often, they simply assume I'm Korean. If they find out I'm not, they predict that I'm Japanese. After that... American. And after that... well, you get the picture. A grand total of 1 person has got it right (even though either "Chinese" or "Canadian" would've been acceptable). They can't tell.
  
  
• If you look Asian and say you can't speak Korean (either in Korean or in English), a lot of people won't believe you.
  
  This is a bit strange, but whenever I say "hanguk mal malayo" or "I don't speak Korean," a lot of Koreans don't believe me and continue talking in rapid Korean to me... then get upset with me when I don't understand them. Quite weird stuff but it happens to be quite often.
  
  
• Mistakes are often magnified.
  
  Whenever you make a cultural mistake, the effects have a much larger impact than if you were Caucasian. You're expected to "know" a lot of stuff in Korean culture even when it applies only to Korea and not to other Asian countries, and committing a faux pas is something to look out for. However, linguistic faux pas have a lesser impact for some reason.
  
  
• The "staring" problem is solved but it comes up as soon as you speak.
  
  A lot of non-Asian foreigners in Korea complain about being stared at. I don't have that problem, but once I open my mouth and reveal that I can't speak Korean (and any Korean I do know is very bastardized), the staring would start and continue until I remove myself from eyeshot. The same thing happens whenever I answer my cellphone in public as well.
  
  
• If you're a teacher, your school is not going to know what to make of you.
  
  I've had instances where my school was surprised that I knew how to use chopsticks, even though I'm Asian. But there'd be other instances where they wouldn't be surprised that you know something Asian-related. It seems that they don't really know what to expect. Students can be a bit on the cruel side as well, such as mocking you for looking like a Korean but not knowing Korean stuff.
  

All in all, it's a mixed bag. There are usually extremes on both sides of the equation, as there are often some people who fit these descriptions perfectly and some who will act completely the opposite -- Korea is a place of extremes.

From what I've noticed, one annoying thing that a lot of Asians tend to complain about is how a lot of people here don't seem to have an awareness of other Asian countries around them while being relatively aware of English-speaking Caucasians. I can see this as well, even though it seems to be improving.

Things might change in a few years and things have changed since last August, so this may change in the future.

Sometimes Vancouver incompetence is so amusing

If this doesn't end up on Failblog, I don't know what will.

Basically, a building demolition company is under investigation for something that happened in downtown Vancouver. They were taking down a concrete building, and they screwed up big-time.

And unfortunately for them, there were a lot of people who videotaped the screw-up and posted it on YouTube; some of the videos have already reached over 100,000 views and have made all the major news outlets in town (Vancouver Province, Vancouver Sun, News 1130, CBC).

And to boot, it happened during rush hour on a weekday evening on a street in the middle of downtown Vancouver.

As my friend Larry said, it's a lawsuit waiting to happen. (The car near the first collapse was actually driven by a lawyer.)

The World what?

Am I the only one who considers soccer a "fringe sport"?

The future of this blog

In about two months, I will be leaving Korea. I created this blog mostly to document the events leading up to my trip to Korea and during my stay in Korea. Thus, the original purpose of this blog will come to an end.

Now the question is whether this blog should continue after I get back. I'm sure I'll continue blogging in some way but this blog's title was created with Korea in mind. The options are...

1. end this blog (but leave it online) and start a new blog
   
2. continue this blog with a new name
   
3. delete this blog
   

I'm not sure which option to take but I am erring towards option #1 right now. If so, the domain name (buckyhermitkingdom.com) will expire and this blog will cease to be updated and new comments will no longer be published.

But continuing this blog as-is with a new name may provide some sort of logical continuity to everything, which would be nice.

Ah, what to do...

Insane weekend: To Fukuoka (photos): Day 3

Friday was my last day in Japan, and it would be a short one because my ferry back to Korea was scheduled for the mid-afternoon. I spent much of the morning packing my stuff and checked out.

I went to have my last sushi meal and ate more than I did the previous night. Then I went and got some souvenirs for myself and my family, and started making my way to the ferry terminal. Here are my final glimpses in Japan.

Above: The mean streets of Fukuoka.

There are some quirks in Japan that I haven't seen elsewhere. First of all, Fukuoka is a city that really tries to get people to stop smoking. Anti-smoking banners and signs are everywhere.

Above: Even the cute scissors is discouraging smoking.

Above: A weird way to tell people to stop smoking. Scare tactic fail?

Another interesting thing is that buses in Japan operate differently from the ones I'm used to. The ones I've been to would have you pay your fare when you get on at the front of the bus. The buses in Japan are like the streetcars in Hong Kong -- you enter the bus through the back and pay and exit through the front.

Above: A Fukuoka city bus. You enter through the back, and exit and pay through the front.

By the time I got back to Seoul Station, it was late night. I quickly rushed home and went to bed, and got ready for the ill-fated DMZ tour the next day.

Overall, Japan was a refreshing trip but also a shocking one. It is so close to Korea yet the differences between the two are like night and day. I could easily see why visitors generally prefer Japan over Korea and why Japanese people might look down on Koreans. If I had a teaching job in Japan instead, I could see myself living satisfactorily there, but I'd also be broke since everything is so expensive.

It was also my first trip somewhere far without a family member or friend meeting me at the other end (not including the initial journey to Seoul). It was an interesting experience, and it was interesting meeting some of the other people such as backpackers or those who are long-term travelers. I could see myself getting addicted to traveling if I had the money.

Having been to Japan and the places I wanted to go in Korea, I feel like I've accomplished all I wanted to over here in terms of traveling (not including a possible journey to Beijing after my contract). My time here is almost done, and I look forward to coming home.

Insane weekend: To Hiroshima and Fukuoka (photos): Day 2

On Thursday, it was another early wake-up time but nowhere near as early as Wednesday. However, like Wednesday, it was another day in which I had a lot of miles to travel. On this day, my plan was to visit Hiroshima.

Above: Hakata Station was my starting point today for another long journey.

I made my way to Hakata Station and bought my breakfast -- a small takeout box of sushi. I went to buy tickets for the Shinkansen bullet train, and boy, was it expensive. I had to buy two separate tickets for it. The first one is for the journey from Hakata Station to Hiroshima Station, and the other is some sort of zone/city boundary fee because I was going from one zone to another. The latter cost effectively doubled my fare cost, and was over double what the KTX cost me from Seoul to Busan (which is the most expensive a KTX ticket could go).

Above: A Shinkansen bullet train at Hakata Station.

I thought the KTX bullet train in Korea was fast, but I was absolutely blown away by the Shinkansen. The Shinkansen went at around 400 km/h, while the KTX went around 300 km/h. The KTX waited to exit the city before it picked up speed, while the Shinkansen is already was full acceleration before it even left Fukuoka.

Above: The train was already in motion when this was taken. I was seated and reached high to take this photo. Good thing, because I didn't know it would go at 400 km/h before even reaching the farms!

Before long, I reached Hiroshima Station. It was about the same distance as Seoul to Daegu but only took about an hour. The difference between the two commutes was really remarkable.

Above: Hiroshima Station!

Above: The busy Hiroshima Station.

As you may have guessed, one of the main reasons for me wanting to go to Hiroshima is because I wanted to see the atomic bomb memorial. While Tokyo is easy to reach from most places, Hiroshima is in southern Japan and is harder to get to from anywhere else -- except Korea. With the long weekend, it seemed like the perfect time to make this trip.

Above: The directions to the atomic bomb memorial are remarkably clear.

I may sound insensitive for saying this, but one of the unintended consequences of the atomic bomb attack was that it made Hiroshima a big tourist attraction. The Japanese seem to have a reputation for knowing how to deal with tourists, and this was no exception. The directions to certain attractions are very clear and easy to understand, and a lot of signs are even quadlingual (in 4 languages).

Above: Some signs in Hiroshima are in Japanese, simplified Chinese, English and Korean.

The distance from Hiroshima Station to the atomic bomb memorial wasn't too bad. The first place I encountered there was probably the most famous sight of all -- the Genbaku Dome, also known as the Atomic Bomb Dome.

Above: The Atomic Bomb Dome along the river.

Above: The ruins of the Atomic Bomb Dome.

The Atomic Bomb Dome was a lot more ruined and destroyed than I expected. But then again, as I said, I don't know what the hell I was expecting. Of course it's going to look ruined and destroyed -- it was hit by an ATOMIC BOMB. There was rubble lying around everywhere, as they seem to have left most of the debris untouched.

After the Atomic Bomb Dome, I went to the nearby memorial park where they had many monuments and statues, including one dedicated to the children victims of the attack, inspired largely by Sadako Sasaki, the Japanese girl who folded over a thousand paper cranes in an act of hope.

Above: Display cabinets full of donated paper cranes donated from all over the world.

Above: Paper cranes on display.

Above: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, with the Atomic Bomb Dome in the background.

Adjacent to the park is a museum detailing the historic events leading up to and after the atomic bomb attack. Admission was cheap (about 50 cents Canadian) and well worth it.

Above: A replica of the Atomic Bomb Dome inside the museum.

Above: A model of Hiroshima before and after the atomic bomb attack.

Above: The atomic bomb's epicenter.

Some of the displays were a bit graphic and jarring. One of the most memorable displays had the front steps of a bank with a large shadow on it. Someone was sitting on the steps of the bank, waiting for it to open, when the atomic bomb was dropped. The person was incinerated to death on the spot but his sitting body shielded part of the steps from the radiation, resulting in a shadow. That was a bit creepy.

Above: A destroyed Buddha figurine.

Above: A wax figurine depicting the immediate effects of the atomic bomb attack.

From what I keep hearing about Japan, I didn't expect to see anything in the museum admitting imperial Japan's role in the war. But I was a bit surprised because they dedicated a large section of the museum showing the errors and atrocities that the imperial Japanese government committed prior to the end of the war. I wasn't expecting this at all.

Above: The final hallway at the museum.

After the museum, I went for more pleasant surroundings at the Hiroshima Castle. I didn't go inside many of the buildings but it was nice to see something not related to the atomic bomb.

Above: The tenshu of Hiroshima Castle.

Above: Interior view of the ninomaru of Hiroshima Castle.

Above: Exterior view of the ninomaru of Hiroshima Castle.

Above: Hiroshima Castle's Gogoku shrine.

After Hiroshima Castle, I decided to make my way back to Fukuoka. Back in Fukuoka, I did mostly exploring, as it was getting late and a lot of places were closing. I had to hurry in order to get things in before daylight was completely lost.

Above: The ruins of Fukuoka Castle.

Above: Momochi Seaside Park, which overlooks Tsushima Strait and the Sea of Japan.

Above: Fukuoka Tower, the tallest seaside tower in Japan.

Above: Fukuoka's Tenjin shopping district.

After exploring, I went for dinner. Being in Japan, I felt like I should probably get sushi -- so I can go home and say I had sushi in Japan.

Above: It had been a long time since I had decent sushi.

Sushi is considered a luxury in Japan, so the bill was a lot more expensive than a normal meal. But this is something any visitor to Japan must do, so the cost was secondary to the experience.

After this, it was getting rather late. I went back to the hostel. I met some of the other hostel guests. We had a nice chat about places we visited, as well as share stories about living abroad. (Those of us who have been to Korea shared an inside joke about the horrible drivers here.) After it was done, I took a shower and went to bed.

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Coming next:

• Insane weekend: To Fukuoka (photos): Day 3