Hogmanay 2012->2013

So not that much to tell about this new years eve.  A bunch of folks came round to mine, made lots of mulled wine and watched the fireworks from the roof (they set off a bunch for about 10 minutes).  

My secret santa gift was a weird magnetic fishing set.  Obviously the lake in this case was someone's bosom.  Girls will always be girls ha.  Afterwards headed downtown in my kilt (I don't get enough opportunities / excuses to wear it!  In related news, I've become progressively better at removing bum photos from facebook before my family sees them..   Anyway, enjoy the cheesy gifs.

Snow / Staff Meeting / Shilom Jjimjilbang / Santacon

So the temperature in Daegu dropped the last couple weeks.  According to the long term forecast it should get back to normal winter temperatures in a week or so.  Hopefully.  The ski season has already gotten off to a good start here this year (as of Monday the 10th 13 of the 23 slopes at the YongPyeong ski resort).  We had our first snow here in Daegu on Friday, see the photos of my students going mad.  It was cold enough that it froze and settled really quickly, after about an hour and I got a message saying other schools had cancelled classes (sadly not mine though).  Even the snow did not stop the korean election demonstrations in the street (I imagine they're saying something like "dancing for democracy" or "Candidate 3 Style Freestyle").

WE LOVE ( CANDIDATE ) 69!

Later on was the staff Christmas party at the Daegu Grand - so ancient and historic it can trace its history all the way back to 1989.  The company had hired out a room with a buffet for the 50 or so staff, the teachers were split into 6 teams (5 korean, 1 with all the foreigners).  There was also a table for school principles and local 'celebrities' - the big name this year was the Mayor of Suseong-gu.  Me and the other waygooks practiced quickly outside then settled in to an alcoholic beverage (or dozen).  One of the coteachers had made a delicious plum/soju mix, and we when we ran out of booze we ordered some more.  As you can see we certainly managed to make a dent.   



There was a korean MC (who spoke no English).  Each team performed and I got a few videos - they ranged from 'sexy' singing/dancing, a Pink Ladies comedy sketch, a blacklight glove show and our 아줌마 파워 dance to "Sexy and I Know It".  There was Gangnam Style, and 'sexy' kpop, then white people dressed as old korean ladies.  My Thursday coteacher definitely took a video, so I will try and hunt one down.  In the mean time enjoy the videos I got of the other groups (and the awful pictures of our performance).  After that there were a bunch of weird korean games (lots of rock, paper, scissors, back massages, shouting 야! and the occasional bum pinching from my boss..) and a few other things lie a triathlon (with skipping, kicking up a ball, blowing up a balloon and popping it between two people) and an word guessing game where Chris acted out stuff for us to guess.  We won that one easily (but probably only because we luckily picked the group of cards without anything that was just Korean written out in english).  Finally we ended with a raffle.  I won a shampoo set!  By this time me and Paul were shouting Fisting instead of Fighting so it was probably time to leave!  Grabbed an unopened bottle of soju and butter from New Zealand and headed downtown to spend our 50k for winning Charades.

Had a few hours in bed then caught the train up to Seoul (had to get up just after 6am to make the 7am KTX).  First stop was the American Diner at the east end of 이태원.  If you're ever there I wholeheartedly recommend the spicy bacon omelette.  Had a nap/made up for lost time with Matt and let the omelette digest - (Richard Copycat's American Diner is along near the junction near Noksapyeong station and the Welcome to Itaewon arch).


After a little hunting online I came across this wonderful blog and a second here about Siloam Spa (실러암 찜질방).  It's halfway between 서울역 and 충정로 (map) - if you're at the AREX entrance, go out the nearest entrance and immediately turn right.  It's less than 5 minutes walking north, at a big junction you can see it across the road.  The mixed part was really good - hot jade, hot and warm salt, ice room and a superhotigloo style.  


The men's part had : 

• soil/mud bath (will look closer to find out what that was)
• massage pools (a bank of 4)
• hot salt sauna (there was a big wooden bowl with salt in it for you to cover yourself in.  It's meant to be good for respiratory illnesses and the skin due to the 82 trace elements found in your average spoon of sodium chloride.  I was a little bit too close to it when an old man decided to salt his front with his crotch right near my face.  sexy).
• jade hot tub (apart from the famous use in China, it was also used in burials and weddings in Korea.  During the 신라 period it was also used for crowns)
• mugwort tub (Chinese Mugwort or 쑥 (ssuk) as it's called in Korean has long been used in traditional medicine.  It is burnt during acupuncture to warm up the surrounding region to stimulate Qi flow in a process called Moxibustion)
• waterfall bath (really good, you could just move around while the hot water pounds down)
• backbone massage jet (you lie on a massage table with your head through the hole to breath and hit the button on your right.  heaven).

Lastly there was Santacon, ended up at the sauna too late to make it for the actual walk - had dinner at a galbi restaurant that Matt introduced me to in Hongdae (it was written up in the New York Times) which is right next to the square where we took the photo last year.  Sadly we didn't see them (they must've decided on another place for the photo).  We still saw smaller groups later on.  

수성 Christmas Tree

Kinda gutted I'm going to be missing the Daegu Santa walk this weekend but I'm looking forward to Jonas' Birthday Bash as well as the Tim Burton Exhibition in Seoul.  Honestly the bit with the group is really the only fun bit - once it gets messy (and everyone is in Hobar) it's not really my thing.  After stumbling home at 2am and getting up at 6 to leave for Seoul Matt and I were pretty much both done by 1am which is kinda a poor showing.  It got me into the Chritmas spirit, and I got to hang out with a bunch of friends, Matt and I even got chatted up by 2 girls from Canada and Middlesborough which was certainly amusing.  Matt asked me which one I'd "go home with if [I] didn't have a choice).  Turned out he would've picked the Brit and I would've chosen the Canadian.  Guess that's how it worked out anyway.  :-P

Next weekend is the lovely Deva's and Jona's birthdays, and the Tim Burton Exhibit.  Can't wait!

A tale of 3 Thanksgivings

Elaine giving a speech at Una's potluck Thanksgiving

  
So it's been a busy month Thanksgiving-wise.  First off Erica and I had our gaydate for Canadian thanksgiving - the Tofurkey at Buy The Book in downtown Daegu (check the map in the Daegu Compass).  Sandy really cooked up a feast with a pile of veg and gravy.  Got kinda dressed up for it, it was a Thursday so I feel it was justified, especially when I found I could make it into a weird animation.  Enjoy.  

Second was American thanksgiving, went out on the Thursday with the Hagwon people from down the road.  Just went to 서래 on Thursday Party street for galbi.  I know it's a chain but they're average price and good meat.  Despite being another Thursday we ended up going through some soju and beer with dinner - somehow found myself sat with a guy who's managed to be fired from his last few jobs but is the best employee eva..  Ditched him and went to a beer bar on restaurant alley (not far from Jeep) - late night.

Lastly, on Sunday Una decided to host a potluck party, there were a bunch of fun people, bumped into a few people I already knew but didn't know would be there.  Una (and Elaine) really went all out and everyone bought a dish or two.  A few of the highlights included my potato salad, the bobotie, milk tart and my staple Mulled Wine (recipe at the end).  There was so much food that a few dishes were forgotten in the fridge!  The mulled wine went down a treat and everyone ate until they felt sick (which I believe is the point of Thanksgiving, right?).  It inspired me now I've got a flatmate (and hungry friend down the road too) who I can feed anything I cook before it goes bad.  Anyway, my bf Matt taught about what happened with the Native Americans and early settlers, I'll leave you with a page from the book:

Mulled wine recipe:

If your mulled wine is not delicious, try adding more alcohol directly to your mouth



















• A lot of wine (Homeplus/Emart do 1.5l sangria bottles, the 1750W bottles of Jinro wine from your local corner shop will do).

• Chopped fruit (apples, bananas, oranges)

• Orange Juice

• Spices (I've got some packs from home, throw in anything you have like vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc)

Directions: toss it all in together, heat but don't boil, enjoy!


PS. Gonna be trying out some new recipes.  Foreign ingredients can be really expensive if not impossible to buy (not to mention I've only got a small oven).  Any ideas, give me a shout

Korean Wedding

Wedding Hall

On Sunday (hungover but surviving) I headed back to Daegu for Eva's wedding.  We used to work together so Sophie, Sunny and the school boss came from work.  Sometimes Koreans get married in a church which is longer, but most of the time they opt for "Wedding Halls".  My friend compared it to a bread factory.  The one we went to was called Versailles and had a picture of a disney-like castle.  Obviously they've never been!  They had 2 wedding floors, with the main room, an entrance and waiting area and a side room where you can get a couple photos taken with the bride.  Eva looked really beautiful and her dress resembled a giant flower.  The groom had on the traditional shiny shiny suit.  Outside the wedding hall were TV screens (used for when the hall is already full so people can see).  Before the wedding it was showing a slideshow of cheesy, over photoshopped pictures. They walked into bagpipes over the soundsystem.  Pretty sure it was a Beatles song at the end too.

Traditional Tea Ceremony Room

The ceremony was quick and simple.  As much time was spent taking photos afterwards as the actual vows. Julian seemed to think that it was quiet for a wedding ("because they're old").  The family were wearing hanbok.  We all then went upstairs to the buffet which was pretty good.  I guess they just constantly have food cooking and going out when they're busy with weddings.  The family then went down to the basement (I took a peek and some photos after lunch) where the newly weds had gotten changed into hanbok and were taking part in a traditional tea ceremony.  I'm not sure really what was going on, but at the end the mother-in-laws bowed and then hugged each other as if welcoming each other into the family. 

Climbing FAIL / EWorld / Exco Pool

Trick Art

I was really, really, x20 looking forward to going climbing! However, the large climbing wall near the Daegu Stadium will be closed for refurbishment until the end of July. Mark, Joe, Laura and her Korean friend Diana. Grabbed Ginseng Chicken stuffed with rice for lunch then went to a gym near Daegu Bank Stadium instead. Got Laura's friend Diana to call them when we couldn't quite find the right building, only to be told they were closed (and told off for calling as they were in church).


So we decided to go to EWorld (used to be Woobang Land). We took the cable car up to Daegu Tower. There's an icerink, teddy bear museum, trick art as well as the sky jump which I still haven't done.

ZE:A Children Of Empire

Went on the usual rides, except for the flume which had a giant queue. A couple of the singers/entertainers (Gag Concert) from the band ZE:A (said Je-ah). 황광희 was the only name I caught. He just happens to be the Guinness World Record holder for putting on 252 T-shirts. The konglishi for a comedian here is Gagman - which sounds more like someone who works in the adult fetish industry than a kpop band. We avoided them as much as possible as they were surrounded by huge crowds and TV crews. It was better to wait until they'd left to go on the ride without queuing.

Jono Hamster Run!

As we were there fairly early for once the animal petting zoo was open. Saw the cutest panda mice. Got told off for picking one up. They also weirdly had a big long trough with tiny fish for you to touch. There was the cutest little monkey, I really wanted to take him home, until he got a GIANT BONER. I don't know if I should feel insulted or complimented? I'll do neither and take it as an exception. Diana made a joke and suggested the bf and I are a couple.  Then didn't believe us when we said yes!


Last we went into these big inflatable balls on a large pond near the entrance and Haunted House. Honestly the best 5000 won I've ever spent. You get in, they blow it up and then push you onto the water. It's big enough to stand up in, and there's a big zip that keeps the air in and water out. It took a little while to stand up, especially as balance isn't my strong point.

Fighting!

Managed to get up and even run for a bit. After a while though it got kinda hot and sweaty (not the best when you're already hungover). You're only in there for 7 minutes but you'd be surprised how tired and sweaty you can get in such a short time! After rolling around like hamsters on the water we headed to a 찜질방 near 반월당역.


We went to the Jjimjilbang near exit 1 of Banwoldang station. It's under the Green Core Apartments and had the usual stuff there. Plus point: massage jets in a big pool. The cold bath was FREEZING but right next to the steam room. Bad point: no sleeping mats if you're planning on passing out after drinking downtown. Dinner at 소래 then the usual drink.



Sunday Laura, bf and I went to the pool on the roof at the Hotel Inter-Burgo near EXCO. There were Korean men in the tiniest little pink speedos. A lot of really oily, shiny flesh on show. There was also the first time I've noticed 'white face' - koreans who have put lots of sunscreen/whitening cream onto their faces so they resemble mimes. There was an actual tan line around their face.



Next weekend - Busan Drag Prom!

Tea Festival and Ulsan Old Downtown Band

Grabbed some delicious food in Daegu Friday night with the Gaksan locals.  Saturday at the Daegu Exco was the Tea Festival.  Wanted to head across to the actual tea fields, but they were on the other side of the country.  Really didn't fancy another Mokpo trip.  There were meant to be a few people going, but due to hangovers it ended up just me and the bf.

There were stalls with traditional clothes, 찜질방 pajamas, plants (sadly no tea plants, Mark really wants one), a small museum, different cups and pots, coffee, lots and lots of tea, a main stage and a few places where you could watch the traditional korean tea ceremony.  The main stage had foreigners wandering around in 한복, a big band (including 3 generations of a family) playing mouth organs.  The primary school brothers came back on by themselves to play a KPOP cover.  Strange, very Korean and enjoyable.

Afterwards we headed to Ulsan.  There were bands playing in a park in Old Downtown.  Apart from the bands there was also a group of asian (mostly girls, but a couple gayboys as well) high school age kids from Korea and the Phillipines who did sexy line dances.  Straight mans wet dream.  Foreigners got free beer, which ran out pretty quickly, but that didn't really stop us.  Dinner and drinks, fairly quiet night as we were saying goodbye to a friend.

Remind you of the movie you've got hidden in your sock drawer?

Leavers weekend / Woobang land

Friday I met up with Sam and Susan to take their old table stove off their hands.  Moved a cupboard in my kitchen and discovered that a pretty chunky corner of it is more mould than anything else.  Love it.  Hagwon boss said on Monday he'd repair the wallpaper (still waiting).


Last years February EPIK teachers left this weekend so headed out in Daegu Friday night.  Went to MF and met up with Erica as well as one of Charles' friends - Jay.  Or as he liked to say "Its the 10th letter of the alphabet, count them out with me, A, B..).  "Douchebag alcoholic" status clinched when he put sunglasses on.  Headed to 노래방 to belt out show tunes over some 소주.


Saturday I had a pretty bad hangover.  Was waiting for Charles who managed to explode his toilet.  Headed to 우방랜드 in the evening.  Rode the "skylift" to Daegu tower.  It was cold, and Daegu looked cool in the mist.  Befriended some high school kids in the line for one of the rides.  Taught us some Korean slang and we ended up riding a few rides together.  Korean kids find even the simplest phrases and words funny, but the moment you use some Daegu slang its hilarious.

Ulsan weekend / Yangsan Skiing

Headed to Marks in Ulsan Friday night after work as we were going skiing.  Saturday morning we met up with Olivia and Aiden and then picked up Stacie to go to 양산.
It was about an hour away (although we got lost, and discovered this great little restaurant which we decided to try on the way back).  Olivia and Aiden were snowboarding whilst Mark, Stacie and I were skiing.  Mark decided the first person to fall over had to buy the first round of drinks.  Needless to say he was the only one of the skiers to fall over.



Saturday night we got back quite late but we had some herbal highs (caffeine, guanine and sugar pills) so had one of those and joined Couchsurfers and some newbie EPIK teachers.  Put in my application with footprints so hopefully next year I'll be public school too.


Sunday we watched the Couchsurfers in the Korean Ultimate Frisbee.  Teams had come into Ulsan from all over Korea and despite it being cold the sun was out.  Even managed to get a little pink from lying out watching the frizbee in the afternoon.