Balloons KPop Style

This is the music video clip for Balloons, or Pung Seong, by Dong Bang Shin Ki.

I just love all the animal costumes and the I-can't-believe-they-aren't Backstreet boys moves!!

Happy Birthday to Mike

Today is Mike's Birthday. Someone told him it's unlucky to be 29, so he's made the change to using his Korean age. So here's my birthday card for Mike.

Congratulations to Georgia & Ty

I did it!!

I have finally skied an intermediate run without freaking out!! Yeah for me.
Yesterday Mike and I skied A2 or Athena 2 about four times and it was lots of fun.
I'm hoping next time we'll give Hera 1 or Hera 2 a crack.
I'm still not sure about skiing the advanced stuff - it looks awfully steep! But we'll see how I go.
Yesterday I fell over four times - twice right on the end slushy bit of Zeus the second fall was maybe 5 meters on from the first, but I got up and skied to the end and that's what matters.

I've been invited to go cross-country skiing on Thursday and downhill on the same day - so I'm not sure what will happen there. Could be an exhausting day... good for the thighs though!

Below is the map of my convenient ski resort, High 1.
So far I've skied all of Zeus and most of Athena.
Mike's skied H1, V2, all of Zeus and most of Athena.

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day

Well Valentines Day seems to be celebrated with the gifting gusto that I am becoming accustomed to here. I've received 3 Ferrero Rochers and it sounds like Mike is being given boxes full of chocolates at school! I'm also watching a steady procession of flowers being carried into the school.

This will be a Valentines Day to remember because Mike's gift to me was to shave off the horrible 5 week beard he had grown. I seriously thought that he was not going to get rid of it. He'd even started conditioning it with MY conditioner!! He managed to surprise me. Last night he shaved off his beard but kept his sanchez-esk moustache and triangle hair thing. I thought he kept these bits just to annoy me...
Then this morning, suddenly, even the last irky hairs have been shaved away! Finally - I get my husband back!

Good thing too or he might not have received the cute "Love Chocolate" box that I got for him.

so;
Happy Valentines Day everyone

Airports, Airplanes and Layovers

Our first flight is with China Airlines from Incheon to Taipei and only takes 3 hours. The flight is packed but the service is excellent. Shame about the lunch - we ate the different options and both were terribly bland.

My first thoughts, once inside, Taipei airport are "oh crap", it was a dump! A horribly dated sevice-less dump!! But what can we do? We have 7 hours to kill and the last city tour left almost 30 minutes ago.

So we go do the transit thing; turns out it's just a security check and up an escalator and suddenly we're in departures. This dump of an airport isn't looking any better.

Determined, as we are, to get through the 7 hours with our sanity inact and to find the transit hotel, we begin walking. After 20 minutes we have found the end of the terminal and seen the tantilising view of what appears to be a much newer part of the airport. We gaze longingly through the windows, both of us transfixed by the promise of time killing diversions in a building where salmon floor tiles would be scorned...

So we keep walking, we hit more dead ends but we keep going.

After over an hour of teasing glances and depressing facilities, we happen upon a ramp with grey (!!) carpet. Mike is close to a run to see what is around the corner and up the ramp... it's salvation!! We have found the new building! Yeah!!

We pass the remainder of our time using free massage chairs (oooh yeah), free internet (and if we'd been dishonest free laptops too!), walking and then we succumb to the transit hotel. Due to the price, we just hire a room for 3 hours; we wanted the sauna but it costs just as much as the room again! The transit hotel room was $39 (US) for 3 hours and for that we had our own bathroom, TV, queen bed and floor to ceiling view of cars driving around the airport.
A bath and a Van-Damme movie and it was time to go.

On the way to our gate, we found the blind massage place and as they kindly suggested we have the 30 min upper body, we went for it. It was one of the most painful and hard massages I've ever had! Good though.

The flight to Bangkok has better food but sadly the service was abismal! (China Airlines) Considering the flight was almost empty - that's pretty bad! I watched "The Last Kiss" which while it was very good, I found it disturbing (probably because it didn't have a saccharine ending).

At last we're in Bangkok and the new airport, Suvarnabhumi, is massive ugly. Not massively ugly. Clearly the designer either has a thing for glass and steel beams or he has an interesting stock portfolio. Sadly most likely the second. Mike's been reading about the problems at this new airport and seems determined to blame anything going wrong on the airport. Granted cracks in the runway are a terrible problem. Narrow walkways are an annoyance - no wonder this airport can only handle 5,000 more people a year that good old Don Muang. We get through immigration, clear customs and find the downstairs public taxi rank quite quickly.

Mike feels its just not the same to arrive at this new airport - even the taxi ride is different. It's 2am so long as I'm in a relatively comfortable taxi, I really don't care. It feels cooler than on other visits and I am hoping that it's the night. I guess we'll see tomorrow. At least the worst travel day is over.

What I have learnt about South Korea

Everything is last minute.

Soju is good.
Beer and Soju is bad.
Makoli is an acquired taste - if you're into something that tastes like dirty water.

Ginseng has many names but it always tastes like dirt.

Banana milk is the best.

The colder the weather gets, the shorter the girl's skirts are on Saturday night.

It doesn't take much to get on TV.

People spend just as much time taking photos of a festival as they will of you at the festival.

Forget Taekwondo, shopping is the national pastime.

All TV ads must be shot in Sydney.

Department store ads should avoid having Korea people in them.

Korean people are some of the kindest and most generous people I've ever met.

Friends and family are only a phone call away but its not the same as a hug.

Frankie & Steve visit South Korea (video)

This video is a compilation of video shot by Mike & I when we were visited by Frankie & Steve.

Locations
Seoul
Cheonggye Stream, Nam San & N Seoul Tower, Gyeongbokgung (Palace) & a restaurant in Dongdaemun.
Taebaek
Coal Museum (the Snow Fight!)

Footage shot by Micro & Squeezy
All production & editting by Squeezy

2007 Movies & TV Series Watched list

So here goes my Movies and TV Series watched list - this should (could) be interesting!
I've decided to link to the imdb page for each movie.


2007

Movies

• The Hogfather
• Thunderball (007)
• You Only Live Twice (007)
• On Her Majesty's Secret Service (007)
• Diamonds Are Forever (007)
• The Devil Wears Prada
• The Man with the Golden Gun (007)
• The Last Kiss
• King Naresuan aka Tamnaan somdet phra naresuan maharat phaak ong prakan hongsaa - is this the longest movie title ever??
  
• Titan AE
• The Prestige
• Jopog Manura aka My Wife is a Gangster
  

• Eragon
• Live and Let Die (007)
• Idiocracy
  
• The Holiday
• Confetti
• Infernal Affairs aka Mou gaan dou
• Holes
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
• For Your Eyes Only (007)
• Hot Fuzz
• Octopussy (007)
  
• Never Say Never Again (007) - the most terrible Bond movie... EVER!!! Mike likes it though??? Weirdness!!
  
• A View to a Kill (007)
• Shrek 3
• Mønti Pythøn ik den Høli Gräilen
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix
• I, Robot
• Spider-man 3 - it needed a fez
• Alex & Emma
• 300
  
• Die Hard 4.0
• The Simpsons Movie
  
• Blades of Glory
• TMNT
  
• This movie is not yet rated
• Transformers
  
• Blood diamond
• The Living Daylights (007)
• License to Kill (007)
• Ratatouille
• The Mummy Returns
  
• Flushed Away
  
• The Golden Compass
  
• Leon (the professional)

TV Series

• Heroes (Vol 1, Vol 2, Vol 3 started - cliffhanger) - love it, love it, LOVE IT!! must. not. hyperventilate...

• Prison Break (Season 1 started '06 - still haven't finished this one)
• Canada's Next Top Model
• America's Next Top Model (Cycle 7 & 8)
• Hotel Babylon (Season 2)
• Australia's Next Top Model (Cycle 3)
• Men in Trees (Season 1, 2 started - waiting for more episodes to air)
• Torchwood (Season 1)
• Firefly
• Doctor Who
  
• Bionic Woman
  

Happy New Year!!

If I don't get the chance to say this to you in person - then Happy New Year!!

I hope 2007 brings fun & laughter to you all.

love
Squeezy

Accident at work

For anyone I've spoken to lately, you'd know I've had an accident at work. I slipped with a knife while cutting paper and sliced off part of my left index finger. I now have three stiches through my fingernail - which I'm not looking forward to having removed.

So just for fun (?) I took a couple of pics of said finger while I was waiting for the doctor to look at it today. If morbid curiosity has the best of you then click on the photo below.

The Claw

Hwangji Jung School Concert

This is the video of the 2 Christmas Carols as sung by my conversation club and I. We sang "We wish you a Merry Christmas" and "Santa Claus is coming to town". Watch out for the silly dancing!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

As I watch Mike skiing tomorrow, I'll be missing all my friends and family in Australia and Japan terribly! (We're going skiing then off to the casino buffet for Christmas dinner.
)

Much love to you all - I will call as many of you as I can :)

Happy Birthday Granny for today! The card is probably still in the post.

love
Squeezy

Happy Birthday Tim

Thank you & quick catch up

Heeeeelllllllloooooooooooooooooooooo,

So since it has been a while since I posted, time for some thank youes!

First, Thank you Granny for crocheting a scarf and beret for me!!
I wore the beret all day at school today and my students seemed to approve - which means a couple of extra "I love you teacher" were called out today. Also the beret and scarf are super comfy!

You can see me in the beret here.

Next, Thank you to Maggie for sending Mike & I an advent calendar! It really brought home that Christmas is coming soon. Also the thai curry sauces - YUM!! Total lifesaver!

Ok, so we've been travelling around ( I think I lost my fave mascara and eyeshadow doh!!), we visited our local casino (the casino part was rubbish BUT the VR games were great, the Russian dancing girls had an interesting take on the Can Can and the seafood buffet was sensational!) and we've had a little time at home.

My regular conversation classes with a group of 3rd grade boys has sadly come to an end - so I chucked them a New Year Eve party complete with party poppers! I have added as many names in as I could manage.

I took some photos from our flat to show off the view. Thrilling stuff, eh?

I have spent the last 2 days showing my lesson plans and trying to give our brand new english teacher, Jeff, a bit of a clue. For some reason he was dumped on me, as opposed to someone with a clue. It became a little frustrating, in that there seemed to be no plan for Jeff and after four days in Taebaek he still had not met his co-teacher! He's a pretty cool cat, so I think he'll be just fine.

Gohan's ski resort, Gangwonland, opens on Friday which is exciting! I have been told that they have snow, which until I can confirm with my mate in Gohan, I won't believe. As I understand it, the resorts here do end up manufacturing most of their snow. So if they're organised (Hah!) then it could be beautiful from day 1.

Anyhoos must run,
love
Squeezy

I ordered pizza in Korean over the phone!

Wooo Hoooo for me!! This is not to say I can speak Korean but I can manage basic conversations now - Yeah!

When I called up, I introduced myself and said I'm from Australia. We had been to Let's Pizza before, so I hoped the pizza man might recognize me by telling him I'm from the land of Oz. There are only 2 Aussies in Taebaek and that's Mike & I.

Sooooo, I ask for 1 pijja, pe-pe-ro-ni pijja (I don't think this really needs translation). Then he asks me something and I'm like uh..., then he says sije (relief!) larg-e!

Ok, so now I start talking him through our address bit by bit and that goes well. Good thing I translated the numbers before I picked up the phone.

We're almost finished and he starts saying cola. huh? So I say ney which means yes. Agreeing is definetly the path of least resistance...

So 25 minutes later we have fresh peperoni pizza!

:)
Squeezy

Time to Catch Up

Ok it's been a little while since I posted. So I think a photo will best bring everyone up to date.

However there have been spurious movember related jokes going on, so I'm setting the record straight here.love
Squeezy

It's Snowed!!

Last night it snowed - not that I saw it and sadly I missed the light snow that fell just after lunch yesterday. However I did not miss the chance to take a couple of photos this morning - mainly of our car covered in Snow. It looks like the snow tires will be required very very soon!

Taebaek looks so beautiful with the snow covering the trees up high and the lower altitude trees are still showing their autumn colours.

I'll link in the photos here tonight :)

excitedly
Squeezy

I've been published in print!!!

It's true! I have been published in the Gangstar - a magazine for English teachers in Gangwon-do. Seeing as I couldn't nab an extra copy to send home to my Mum, I'm re-publishing the same article below. Mike also wrote an article, and since he read mine before writing his own - lets say you can tell; so I'm not re-publishing Mike's! Ha! He really should start his own blog :)


First Impressions

I arrived in South Korea on the evening of the 21st of August 2006. I arrived with high hopes and much anticipation of the adventure that I had left behind my family to pursue with my husband, Mike Rowe. After two laps of Incheon International Airport, we found the EPIK desk and were met by the perpetually cheerful Mr Kim. He promptly sent us off for dinner, which was delicious! That night we were delivered to Korea National University of Education for 10 days of orientation; preparation for our entrance into our own Korean cities and jobs. Orientation was a whirl of lectures on teaching techniques, Hangul and Korean culture. I found the course was well planned and well run. I enjoyed orientation immensely. I made many friends in my spare time, who I talk to and meet up with whenever I can!

All too quickly orientation was over and we were packed into a bus, destination Chuncheon, Gangwon-do. I was nervous about meeting my co-teacher; would he or she like me? After our presentation I met Mr Jo and Mrs Yun, who were both very welcoming and kind. But neither were my co-teacher, so I would have to wait. It was also my first chance to meet Lotu Fuli, who was also bound for the mountain city of Taebaek. It wasn’t until the next day that I was finally able to meet my co-teacher, Mrs Sohn; I was so excited to meet her and find out that my school is Hwangji Middle School - a boys only school! I had a good feeling about this.

My first day of school and I had a number of questions to face that I wasn’t expecting, “We go out for coffee?”, “What is your mobile number?” and (my favourite) “Could you pull out your hair?”. I had been warned that the questions from the students would be personal, so I was ready to smile, laugh and say no! The thing I wasn’t prepared for was the welcome screams and yells – as soon as the students realised that I would be teaching their class. At first this made me nervous but the students have gotten a little quieter and I have gotten used to their excitement. Having blonde hair has certainly been interesting for me; my neighbour’s children came over to visit me one afternoon and started patting my hair! I felt a bit like a pony. I’ve learned just to go with it, people are just naturally curious about someone as different looking as I am. My bright blonde hair, my blue eyes and curvy figure makes me strange and I have come to think that part of my job is to be strange, to be different. I’m cool with that.

Just before Chuseok, Mike and I headed north to Chuncheon for the weekend. It was a decision that we would have been better off planning but we knew the bus service would get us there. So after 6 hours on some slow buses, we arrived in Chuncheon and met with our friend, a fellow Aussie, Albina Lee. We wandered around Chuncheon, amazed to be in such a big city and compared stories. Albina’s family had kindly offered us a room for the night, which turned into dinner, breakfast, sightseeing, some fabulous Chuncheon BBQ Chicken and being taken back to the bus terminal. It was just an amazing weekend and I was blown away by the hospitality so freely given.

I have been in South Korea for 8 weeks now and I can happily say I have no regrets for becoming an EPIK ELI. I’m still learning which food I like and which I don’t. I’m finding that last minute changes are the norm and an easy-going attitude makes all the difference. Being here with my husband really is a great help – we blow off steam together and share lesson ideas. The students are fun to teach and my co-teacher is great to work with. I have found Korean people, by and large, to be kind, generous and happy. I love my small mountain city, returning from a trip to Seoul showed me how much I think of Taebaek as home.

Squeezy

I Need Cheesy Pick-up Lines

I have discovered an interesting cultural phenemon here in South Korea. Guys don't know how to talk to Girls. OK so that's nothing new... Well the new bit is that here, you don't need to.

Here's the scene, you're in a bar with your mates and you see some hot chickies.
What do you do?
A) Buy them a drink, so that they come over to you?
B) Start singing "You've lost that loving feeling" a la Tom Cruise in Top Gun.
C) Ask the bartender to talk to them and send them over?

hmmm Well the correct answer is C! Which may be ok here in South Korea but would not work elsewhere.

So, I'm going to do a "cultural differences" class, which will be the pretense for teaching my students pick-up lines.

Any suggestion of cheesy (I want them to be funny) pick-up lines, would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Squeezy