창경궁 - Changgyeong Palace and Seoul

I JUST THOUGHT IT WAS YUMMY BREAD

For a long time I thought Shilla Bakery, like all Korean bakeries, just provided a limited selection of delicious, but over-priced breads. However, upon close inspection I recently learned that they do much more than feed the hungry middle-class. Shilla Bakery is an integral part of Korean society and facilitates a nation-wide harmony, both at home and in public. Who would've known? I wish we also had bakeries in Ireland that "make your family happy" and "share pleasant conversations". Maybe one day...

LUCKY ME

Above are all the chocolates I received for Valentine's Day this year. Unbelievable!! It's a big advantage being in Korea for this holiday because traditionally girls give to boys on Feb 14th. And then next month on Mar 14th, White Day, boys return the favour. Anyway, lots of the students at my institute gave us teachers chocolates and I just had to show off :o)

SOUTH KOREA MOUNTAIN

남한산 = Namhansan {Translation: South(nam) Korea(han) Mountain(san)}

Work is always stressful for me in the first week of the month. Our courses change and we get new students so it's more tiring than usual. The weather forecast for Sunday was to be clear and a surprising 10 degrees. So I bypassed the usual Saturday night drunkenness in favour of a quiet and restful night in. I got up early Sunday and traveled southeast by subway. After only forty minutes I arrived at Namhansanseong Station. And from here it took only twenty minutes on foot to the mountain.I hiked alone for a couple of hours thinking and listening to my favourite music. Although the views weren't great as I was still on the outskirts of the city and visibility wasn't so clear, it still felt great to be outdoors. A welcome respite from the high rises and busy streets of the financial district where I live.
I found a sunny place for lunch and a siesta and then, batteries fully recharged and body refueled on vitamin D from the days sunshine, I returned to the subway and the city's madness.

Not quite Spring.A sunny spot for lunch.Rest spot pavillion.Piles of rocks; Korean's version of throwing coins in a wishing well (but cheaper).A riverless bridge waiting for Spring melt.

HERE WE GO AGAIN!

I know it's still two weeks away, but already I'm dreading upcoming Lent. 2009 will be my eighth or ninth time giving up alcohol for this forty day period (well 39 days since I get St. Paddys off). I remember way back thinking that with each passing year it would get easier and easier. But I was sooooo wrong. It gets harder and harder. The big challenges are not alcoholic cravings or "I need it to sleep", it's more a problem of social retardation. Alcohol (and consuming it) is an integral part of socializing, especially here in Asia. And opportunities for relaxation and enjoyment are limited without it (at least in my social circles). Plus there's always the issue of explaining/justifying why you aren't drinking to people who ask. I can't really say 'becuase of my religion' because I don't consider myself a Catholic anymore. So it leads to a long-winded explanation of why I started doing it and why I continue to do it. Plus it's very hard for me to sit in a bar or go to a club sober. And even harder to tolerate drunk people becoming drunker.
But all the negative stuff aside, it should be good for my health and good for my bank account. Let's just hope my sanity stays intact.

WAR MUSEUM

I visited Seoul's War Museum today with some friends. It was very impressive and grand. But, of course, the whole concept was very depressing :o(

LUNAR NEW YEAR

We had a long weekend for Lunar New Year (AKA Chinese New Year) so I went snowboarding with some people. A bunch of us headed up to Yong Pyong, supposedly Korea's best resort, for a couple of days.It was great. Neither the resort or the snow lived up to Japan of France, but I had a good time anyway. And there was tons to do in the evening.
A bunch of us rented a condo together and the craic was good. We ordered pizza in the evening, then played drinking games, and when we were oiled up, went bowling (always a good idea).
I was supposed to ride for two or three days, but unfortunately a 180 that went wrong on day one left me with a bruised tailbone (at least I hope it's just bruised). So I split a day early for the comforts of home and so the others wouldn't have to tolerate my "poor me" complaints about always getting injured.

LIPSTICK INDEX

Lipstick Index is a term they use out here when talking about the economic situation. Basically when the economy is suffering and consumer confidence is low, the sale of lipstick goes up as women still wish to shop and look good, but can't afford the usual clothes, handbags, accessories, etc. I thought that was kind of funny. But maybe it is also said in other countries and I've just never heard it.

INSADONG SNAPS

FROZEN SPLASH

It's cold here. Really cold. Even the Canadians I work with are complaining about "the cold". It regularly drops below -8 Celsius.
The other evening it was -8.5. I bundled up and went to the gym on my dinner break. On the way, I passed a frozen splash. I guess a car or something had driven through a puddle in the street, but before the water had time to flow from the street back into the pothole from which it had came, it froze solid. This glassy, frozen splash reflected the neon lights of the bars on the dark street and was quite mesmerizing. I've never seen anything like it before.