OK, it's official. I am a Certified Alien... In Korea that is. This really is good news as it means that I can officially get a mobile phone, use it for social networking purposes, and can even use the camera to make sure that my hair looks good!*
*Whilst on a subway I saw a girl using her camera phone to put make up on. Now I can have a camera phone too! All this from one simple little Certified Alien Registration Card; wonders never cease!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
In Honor/Horror of Thursday's
This one goes out to a friend in Vanuatu. Today is Thursday. Tomorrow is a special event at school and as a result I don't have to go to work until 4:30PM. More than likely I will find myself here with my Canadian friends. This is a picture of Samsung Plaza just above Seohyeong Station. It is a 10 minute bus ride from my house to Ori Station then a 5 minute Subway ride to Seohyeong Station. On the left you should see what looks like a smiley face (it's really a smiling monkey) inbetween a red and white PC sign and a black and white one. It is a club called Monkey Beach. I will most likely head there after work tonight. I was dragged there three days after I got here with my predecessor and counterparts; we had a great time. It really reminded me of my days in Vanuatu with a mate that was dubbed It's Thursday.... This one is for you! ;-)
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
In Rememberance of 9/11
In remembrance of September 11, 2001....The day most of the world mourned. I remember being on a business trip and woke up to this. I was scheduled to depart a few days later for Kentucky to visit the CEO of the company I worked for to receive an award for working as a volunteer to give teens life skills. I missed the flight and left when the ban on air travel was lifted a day later.
I felt uneasy receiving that award after this...
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
The Switch...
For a great parody on the annoying phone companies that call and try to get you to switch long distance phone carriers click HERE. Thanks to Ace for the heads up on this one. Personally I would have gone with the mobile....home, but then again I am in Asia and not Europe. Now if they did that here I would definitely not want the mobile home. 8-)
Monday, September 10, 2007
My First Visitor from the US
While I was waiting in Sydney, Australia for the Korean Consulate to approve my visa I got a return email from a friend in that other business that I used to work in. It was my former boss. He told me that he would be in Seoul on business two weeks after my arrival in Korea and it was my job to show him a good time. Well, if memory serves him correctly, I think we did succeed in the fun department. I only say this because one of his staff members and I had a phone conversation before he got here and she threatened to fly out and beat me up if he did not come back to the office with a smile on his face. Now of course I had to seriously consider my options, and while there were no down sides in the scenario, I chose to show him a good time here in Seoul... And succeeded... I think because, well I did not get beat up. :-0
So I worked a little magic and got Friday off because there was some sort of a contest at the school and they did not need that many foreigners. ;-) This means that I met up with my friend on Thursday evening after work. By the time I got off work at 6:30PM and got a lift from my current boss to the bus stop (foreigners can't do anything without a local) it was already 7:10PM; the next bus came at 7:50PM (I know It's_Thursday... It's a numbers thing!) I arrive at 9:30PM, check in to the hotel (nice room by the way...very nice shower/sauna thing), change clothes, and catch a taxi it is past 10:00PM. We meet shortly after that. Neither he nor I thought that we would have company, but the people he was meeting with were there to show their Korean hospitality. It was cool. It reminded me that I was working in that industry at one time and that I hadn't forgotten too much; I even kept up in the conversation and even participated.
A little food, drinks, and great conversation later and it was off to bed. A good time had by all. Then comes Friday. Both he and I sleep in until late morning. He is at a hotel two blocks away, so I get up, shower (Awoah, for the second time!), get coffee and two bagels from Starbucks from across the street, and leave him to tidy up some business stuff so he can shut his darn cell phone off, loose the diaper bag full of soccer dad stuff, and have some fun. We are off! First stop is the Doeksugung Palace.
Doeksugung Palace is # 3 on the Seoul's Best 100 Things to See list. Following the heritage of the Joeson Dynasty we try to hit up the two other remaining palaces, Changdeokgung (#2) and Geyeonbokgung (#1) Palaces and only got to see Gyeongbokgung Palace, but it is a monster. I will be doing separate posts on the Top 25 Best Things to See and Do in Seoul so please stay tuned to this blog for those updates.
After the Gyeongbokgung Palace we took a brief rest then headed back to Yeouido Island (The Manhattan Island of Seoul) for a shower then it was off to see the sunset atop the observatory deck of the 63 Building one of the tallest structures in Seoul. It was dark by the time we got to the top, but the site was fantastic. Funny how there is a Seaworld at the base of the building, we did not go in though. After a cocktail from the observatory deck it was time to hit the nightlife in Itewon #4 of the Seoul Top 100. A quick dinner at Subway then it was clubs away! I found it strange seeing that many white people in the clubs there and on the streets, but then again, I have been gone for a while and the ratio of whites to Melanesians is significantly lower in Vanuatu.
OK enough jabbering from me. I have gotta shower and drag my leg to work. I will be visiting more of the Seoul's Best 100 and providing separate posts for those. Please keep your eyes peeled.
Ale, mi stap go nao. Lukim yufala afta!
Nam Tasa
So I worked a little magic and got Friday off because there was some sort of a contest at the school and they did not need that many foreigners. ;-) This means that I met up with my friend on Thursday evening after work. By the time I got off work at 6:30PM and got a lift from my current boss to the bus stop (foreigners can't do anything without a local) it was already 7:10PM; the next bus came at 7:50PM (I know It's_Thursday... It's a numbers thing!) I arrive at 9:30PM, check in to the hotel (nice room by the way...very nice shower/sauna thing), change clothes, and catch a taxi it is past 10:00PM. We meet shortly after that. Neither he nor I thought that we would have company, but the people he was meeting with were there to show their Korean hospitality. It was cool. It reminded me that I was working in that industry at one time and that I hadn't forgotten too much; I even kept up in the conversation and even participated.
A little food, drinks, and great conversation later and it was off to bed. A good time had by all. Then comes Friday. Both he and I sleep in until late morning. He is at a hotel two blocks away, so I get up, shower (Awoah, for the second time!), get coffee and two bagels from Starbucks from across the street, and leave him to tidy up some business stuff so he can shut his darn cell phone off, loose the diaper bag full of soccer dad stuff, and have some fun. We are off! First stop is the Doeksugung Palace.
Doeksugung Palace is # 3 on the Seoul's Best 100 Things to See list. Following the heritage of the Joeson Dynasty we try to hit up the two other remaining palaces, Changdeokgung (#2) and Geyeonbokgung (#1) Palaces and only got to see Gyeongbokgung Palace, but it is a monster. I will be doing separate posts on the Top 25 Best Things to See and Do in Seoul so please stay tuned to this blog for those updates.
After the Gyeongbokgung Palace we took a brief rest then headed back to Yeouido Island (The Manhattan Island of Seoul) for a shower then it was off to see the sunset atop the observatory deck of the 63 Building one of the tallest structures in Seoul. It was dark by the time we got to the top, but the site was fantastic. Funny how there is a Seaworld at the base of the building, we did not go in though. After a cocktail from the observatory deck it was time to hit the nightlife in Itewon #4 of the Seoul Top 100. A quick dinner at Subway then it was clubs away! I found it strange seeing that many white people in the clubs there and on the streets, but then again, I have been gone for a while and the ratio of whites to Melanesians is significantly lower in Vanuatu.
OK enough jabbering from me. I have gotta shower and drag my leg to work. I will be visiting more of the Seoul's Best 100 and providing separate posts for those. Please keep your eyes peeled.
Ale, mi stap go nao. Lukim yufala afta!
Nam Tasa
Welcome to The Nam Tasa Newsreal
Welcome to my new blog. You might be wondering what is up with the name? "Nam Tasa" is the custom name that I was given by Chief Caspar of the Banks Islands in the Republic of Vanuatu. During my good-bye party Chief Casper and his clan performed a custom dance* for me and bestowed a custom name that means "man that can do anything he sets his mind to."
The name I was given honestly represents many of the challenges I have faced throughout my life and career. Now I find myself once again doing something that is new to me. There is a new language to learn, new culture to figure out, new environment to adjust to, and new food to learn to love. Korea has been fantastic so far. One month down 11 more to go.
Please stay tuned to this blog for updates on the happenings here in Korea and wherever I go in the world. It is the only place to receive "real news" on my travels and adventures. Hence the name, "The Nam Tasa Newsreal."
The name I was given honestly represents many of the challenges I have faced throughout my life and career. Now I find myself once again doing something that is new to me. There is a new language to learn, new culture to figure out, new environment to adjust to, and new food to learn to love. Korea has been fantastic so far. One month down 11 more to go.
Please stay tuned to this blog for updates on the happenings here in Korea and wherever I go in the world. It is the only place to receive "real news" on my travels and adventures. Hence the name, "The Nam Tasa Newsreal."
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Nam Tasa's Chief
The custom dance Chief Caspar and his clan performed prior to Nam Tasa's departure from Vanuatu. This is where and when Nam Tasa recieved his custom name from the Banks Islands in Vanuatu.
