Korea Life Blog - Strange Conglomerations (1)

Here is the first installment of Strange Conglomerations (Korean buildings with an odd assortment of businesses).


As promised, a picture of the PC bang building where I have been updating my website. You can use the internet upstairs or get your car serviced below.


In this building you can eat chicken and drink beer, get your computer serviced, buy pencils and notebooks, buy bread and cake, rent a video, get a hair cut, and a couple of other things I'm not sure about. How convenient!


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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - The Lists Revisited

Just incase you didn't see my lists by clicking on the link here they are again:



You've been in Korea too long when�

It no longer bothers you when an Ajuma bumps you out of the way.
You own one of the following: mosquito spray, mosquito smoke coils, mosquito swatters, or a mosquito net.
You own a scooter.
You can order food in Korean.
You have a favorite Korean commercial.
You've eaten Kimchi and rice for breakfast.
You're embarassed about your newly found smoking and drinking habits.
Using chopsticks no longer feels strange and awkward.
You've tried any of the following once: bo shin tang, eel, live squid, whale blubber, or bun dae gi.
You own a handphone, but still find them annoying.
Using a squatter has become bareable.
You eat shrimp chips and seaweed with beer.
You've given in and now beat your students with a stick.
You bought a small dog.
You've purchased several items from subway salesmen.
You know the mystery of the missing 4rth floor.
You understand how to play Baduk.
You eat a lot of the garlic they give you with bulgogi.
Your student loan is almost paid off.
You can drink 1 bottle of Soju.



You've been in Korea MUCH too long when....

You bump Ajumas out of your way.
You own ALL of the following: mosquito spray, mosquito smoke coils, mosquito swatters, and a mosquito net.
You own a car.
You can order food over the phone and give directions.
You have a favorite Korean drama.
You prefer Kimchi and rice for breakfast.
You boast about your now heavy smoking and drinking habits.
Using a fork feels strange and awkward.
You've tried any of the following MORE THAN once: bo shin tang, eel, live squid, whale blubber, or bun dae gi.
You own the newest and most expensive handphone and check it 10 times an hour.
You squat over western style toilets
You eat fruit with beer.
You beat your students with a stick and feel insanely powerful.
You've dyed your dog's ears blue or pink.
Your friend is a subway salesman.
You're terrified to be on any 4rth floor.
You've beaten a Korean at Baduk.
You eat EVERYTHING they give you with bulgogi.
You're student loan is almost paid off.
You hail yourself as Soju drinking champion of your city.



How To Know You Lived Too Long in Korea Now That You're Back Home. . .

You didn't recognize your family at the airport.
You habitually bow your head to people.
You're favorite store is no longer Price Chopper. It's Mr. Kim's Happy Korean Market.
You pay $12 for Kimchi Chigae and $10 for a bottle of Soju.
You gasp in horror when people walk into your home wearing shoes.
You squat over your toilet for old time's sake.
You continually call your friends "babo".
You get depressed when little kids don't notice you now. In fact you get very depressed that no one notices you now.
You can't understand why the bars close at 2AM, why you can't buy beer after 2:00AM, why you always have to show ID, and why you can't walk from bar to bar carrying an open beer.
You can drink 4 bottles of Soju. Your friends can't even drink 1. You hail yourself Soju Master of (Your Town).
You continually tell people, "Hurry! Hurry!"
You're friend asks you what you're fixing for dinner. You reply, "Oh, a little dwen jang chigae, kimchi, various side dishes and rice."
You miss the smell of bun dae gi.
You refer to all your friends as foreigners.
You have nightmares about kids screaming, "Hello! What's your name? What time is it? Do you like Kimchi?"
You now find supermarkets eerily quiet.
You constantly beep your horn in traffic.
You're contemplating opening your town's first O-daeng stand.
Your friends and family are concerned about your new smoking and drinking habits.
You casually offer 500$ to immigration officials to issue your Korean girlfriend a working visa.
You can't sleep at night becuase it's just too quiet.
You've called your mother Ajuma more than 3 times.
You're still buying kimchi, seaweed, spicy leaves, and shrimp chips on a weekly basis.
Your friends call the humane society because your dog's ears are pink and blue.
You talk about people near you forgetting they can understand you.
Your friends wonder why you have a roll of toilet paper on your kitchen table and you wonder why they're asking.


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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Garbi Tang



Another mouth-watering picture of Garbi Tang for your enjoyment. I ordered this at the restaurant across the hall from my school. Infact you can eat Garbi, drink beer at a bar, visit a travel agent and study English all in the same building. As a matter of fact, below this PC bang you can get your oil changed. I'll get a pic of that up later. This also gives me an idea for future posts as well...strange conglomerations.


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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Mandu Man


One of the best things about living in a small country town is that it's quiet. One of the worst things about it is trying to find something decent to eat -especially if you're eating by yourself, as I've said before. Most of the restaurants here cater to groups of people such as families or friends. I don't want to go into a crowded restaurant and order Garbi only for myself again. So, over and over again I find myself eating mandu again - a simple, tasty, quick, cheap, easy meal.



At the restaurant, Mandu Man is hard at work. Unlike donuts which are made in the morning, it's always time to make the mandu. He is very friendly and always welcomes me with a smile. Thank you Mandu Man.



Jin Bbang man got jealous when I took Mandu Man's picture. "Me too," he yelled. Even though I dislike bread filled with red beans, I took his picture anyway.



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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Wet Again

When I first moved into my apartment I thought what a good idea it is to have the shower connected to the faucet. That soon changed. The problem is I keep forgetting to switch the shower back to the faucet. Several times I've gone to wash my hands only to end up soaked from the shower blasting me with ice cold water.


Here it is - the shower connection to the faucet. An efficient method. Brush your teeth, then turn the knob to the left and take a shower. Make sure you don't forget to turn it back to the right after your done...that is unless you want a sudden surprise the next time you wash your hands.



A stunning photo of the shower head. Notice it's natural direction is towards the sink. Just finished some kimchi chigae, time to brush my teeth - ho hum, ho hum....ahshiiiii!!!!! WET AGAIN! (Occasionally in the night, as I fall asleep, I hear a quiet snickering coming from the bathroom.)


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written by shawn matthews    -|link

The Seoul Blog - Korea Life Blog Update


I finally added permalinks to the homepage (only) so that each post has it's own address from now on and makes things easier to find from search engines. You can use these links to link to a specific post on my site, either on your site, or sending the link in an e-mail to all your closest friends over 13. For example, this link here will take you directly to the post about drunk guys: click here to see the drunk korean guys again -- The links are next to my name under each post.


I organized the links section on all pages.


I lowered the quality of the pictures on the Seoul pages so they will load much more quickly now.


I added an archives page. From now on all posts will automatically end up archived under that link. This will save me a lot of extra work as it was becoming a real pain making a new page and moving posts every time the page got too long. Also, the "shout out" comments will not be lost anymore. Three cheers for Korea Life Blog.

Thanks James Lee for the suggestions.


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written by shawn matthews    -|link

Korea Life Blog - Plantman and Plantwoman (1)


I needed something more to look at than bars and buildings so say hello to my new plants: Plantman and Plantwoman (left). They're healthy and happy and in love. They've been growing very fast. I'll take a pic in a few weeks for comparison. I can hardly wait, can you? (Oh boy!)



Meanwhile, right outside my wall without a window, the building owner has brilliantly planted these lovely trees that nobody can see (unless you look over the concrete fences or squeeze into the tiny backyard). Another great idea!



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written by shawn matthews    -|link

The Seoul Blog - Crane Game (1)

If you're in Japan and you have 500 Yen, or about $4.00 you can try to win a cool prize out of a crane game. If you're in Korea and you have 500 Won, or about 40 cents, you can try to win some well, sort-of-cool prize. Sometimes they have decent stuffed animals. The older the machine is, the more likely the prizes are crummy, sometimes they're even used. When I lived in Pusan, a friend of mine who was addicted to crane games knew all the hot machines that you could actually get something out of. Those machines have rubber bands around the crane claws that help keep the toy from slipping, and the cranes don't jerk sharply. Most crane games are rigged so that the crane picks up a prize, carries it enticingly toward the hole, then jerks hard as it changes direction, dropping the prize and leaving you with an insane desire to insert more coins - only to have the process repeat itself until you run home to your apartment without a toy, crying in shame, defeated and broke.


Here's the crane game up the street from my apartment. It's full of cheesy toys. You get a whopping 12 chances for 1000 Won, or about 80 cents. Quite a bargain, huh? - too bad you're never gonna win anything...it's rigged with the Crane Game Jerk of Death, dropping your would-be toy every time. Wahhhhhhhh!


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written by shawn matthews    -|link

The Seoul Blog - My Name is Angus




My name is Angus. Some folks call me Anus. That's only because I'm a pain in their assus. I come from down under, that's right I'm Australian. We don't carry guns like all you Americans. Watch me now as I act like a punk. Watch as I jump on Shawn's bed when I'm drunk. Watch me try to kiss him. Watch the bed break. Oh me!oh my! I made a mistake! The owner will kill me, throw me out of this place. That's OK, I won't cry. All I have to do is tell a big lie. I'll blame it on Shawn for stealing my bed. Watch as I lie, turn all angry and red. Watch as I do my poor con man's dance. Watch the owner give me another last chance. That's it for now, but come again soon. There's plenty more stories about me - the buffoon.


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written by shawn matthews    -|link

The Seoul Blog - Apartment City

Everywhere you go in Korea there are giant apartment complexes. They all look pretty much the same: tall, rectangular, plain - with a name and building number on the sides. Seeing as the apartments cost a fortune, you'd think they could at least stylize the buildings. Can't they make them look a little unique? Sometimes the complexes look identical and have the exact same name. For example, their are Samsung Apartments everywhere in Korea.


A typical cluster of apartment buildings, these near Ehwa's Woman's University. They're tall, they're plain, they block all the scenery. Some of the complexes are so big they actually become miniature cities.


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written by shawn matthews    -|link

The Seoul Blog - Jake's Twitch




Here's my friend Jake and his innocent face. He's not looking at chicks outside of the place...


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written by shawn matthews    -|link

The Seoul Blog - Instant Stores by a Subway Station Entrance (1)



At almost any subway entrance you find people trying to sell something or other by setting up an instant store. Usually these items are cheaper than you could get them elsewhere. Now and again I'll snap a pic of one of these for you to see. I bet your about to erupt with excitement.



Exit 2, Hongdae. A woman organizes her Instant Store by a Subway Entrance. Hmm, after a tiresome day of teaching, I think I'll buy myself a wooden spoon. The students better behave tomorrow. Muhahaha!


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written by shawn matthews    -|link

The Seoul Blog - Radiohead Korea




Check out my ravingly unique collection of Radiohead CDs. I picked the rare ones up from a specialty shop back in New York.



The Radiohead bar or restaurant or something somewhere around Hongdae, Seoul. I passed by this place a bunch of times while walking to Sinchon, but it was always too early to go in.



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written by shawn matthews    -|link