Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Doorways
I do so like little doorways. The make me see so HUGE! RAH! I'm like a little Western Godzilla. Enjoy my visage from abroad and dwell upon my great accomplishments.
Fortress near Insadong, Continued
Here are some pictures of the performance taking place in the fortress in the previous post. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on for most of it, and one of these creatures that appears to be a woman is most certainly not. For another cultural reference regarding cross-dressing and gender-bending, watch the movie "The King and Clown" (translation is not exact). Also, you can see more pictures of the fortress in the background behind and next to the stage.
Fortress near Insadong
A couple of weeks ago, on a trip to Insadong, we hear musing. We walked around the corner to find a big stone wall and a large gate house (below). Through the gate house we found a large open courtyard filled with Korea's finest senior citizens. They were there to see a free performance, but the performance was over or hadn't started yet (we found out later which). Here are some pictures from the fortress we had entered. I will put the pictures of the performance in the next post to keep this a little shorter.
One of the things I think is the most interesting is the juxtaposition of old and new that is so common in Asia. I find the picture above to be a great example with three very clear styles visible. The modern city of Seoul is just built up around these things as if they, too, were just office buildings and apartment complexes. There are certain considerations made for their antiquity, but they are still very close to the newer structures. In other places in the city, you can see the effects of pollution and acid rain on the structures, and some have even been cleaned and encased in glass to keep them safe.
One of the things I think is the most interesting is the juxtaposition of old and new that is so common in Asia. I find the picture above to be a great example with three very clear styles visible. The modern city of Seoul is just built up around these things as if they, too, were just office buildings and apartment complexes. There are certain considerations made for their antiquity, but they are still very close to the newer structures. In other places in the city, you can see the effects of pollution and acid rain on the structures, and some have even been cleaned and encased in glass to keep them safe.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Buy a Daewoo
Meet Kim. During the day, Kim works as a secretary at a law firm and is saving money for a trip to Cancun during Spring break. To pay for college, Kim works as eye candy for Daewoo. She enjoys long walks on the beach, mai tais, and large groups of old men with DSLRs taking very, very close-up pictures of her exposed midriff.
Meet Jennifer. Jennifer is a retired CEO who has taken up spokesmodeling as a form of recreation. It's another way to boost her already giant ego. For fun, Jennifer plays polo, races exotic cars, and volunteers as a dominatrix at the under-privileged submissives' shelter.
Observe the group of men with cameras on the right in this picture. Perverts. Only perverts would take pictures of a spokesmodel (Kim) from two feet away. Only perverts. Did I mention that this entire event is in the middle of a huge train station? Perverts.
Meet Jennifer. Jennifer is a retired CEO who has taken up spokesmodeling as a form of recreation. It's another way to boost her already giant ego. For fun, Jennifer plays polo, races exotic cars, and volunteers as a dominatrix at the under-privileged submissives' shelter.
Observe the group of men with cameras on the right in this picture. Perverts. Only perverts would take pictures of a spokesmodel (Kim) from two feet away. Only perverts. Did I mention that this entire event is in the middle of a huge train station? Perverts.
Dongdemun
There is a giant market in the center of Seoul where they sell bootleg soccer jerseys, among other things, and it is called Dongdemun (Dong-day-moon). I have a strong affection for bootleg soccer jerseys, so off we went. Pictures of the market will come after another trip, but there are some pictures of the area around Dongdemun, which is at Seoul Station.
In Seoul, there is quite a variety of architectural styles, from Oriental to European to Revival to Contemporary. I think that this picture gives a good taste of the randomness.
Summer and I pose for a picture in front of a convenience store.
This is the fountain at Seoul Station. It wasn't running (because it had been raining), but it still has some very nice adornments in the "Heroes of our Country" style that I saw so much in Russia.
This is a nice photo of the cleavage building, which is also at Seoul Station.
(Update: Thanks to Jon Allen for pointing out that this is the new post office building. Jon has a great blog which you can check out here. Lift and seperate Jon, lift and seperate.)
The next three photos are of a fountain outside of Dongdemun, which is the building on the left in the picture. It is a very, very large building and stretches for several city blocks, which you can kind of see. The fountain is actually in a stream, and it changes colors as it shoots up in the air. There are walkways all the way down the stream and there are seats along these walkways where people can sit and watch the fountain. Of course, there is a man with a baton to keep people from going in and enjoying themselves.
To get home from Dongdemun, we took the last subway trip of the night. There was a young man resting his eyes on the subway and he kept dropping things, including his phone and wallet, which I and others would just stick back into his pockets or hands. The man to his left just kept reading the paper and pretending that he wasn't there. A good end to a good night.
In Seoul, there is quite a variety of architectural styles, from Oriental to European to Revival to Contemporary. I think that this picture gives a good taste of the randomness.
Summer and I pose for a picture in front of a convenience store.
This is the fountain at Seoul Station. It wasn't running (because it had been raining), but it still has some very nice adornments in the "Heroes of our Country" style that I saw so much in Russia.
This is a nice photo of the cleavage building, which is also at Seoul Station.(Update: Thanks to Jon Allen for pointing out that this is the new post office building. Jon has a great blog which you can check out here. Lift and seperate Jon, lift and seperate.)
The next three photos are of a fountain outside of Dongdemun, which is the building on the left in the picture. It is a very, very large building and stretches for several city blocks, which you can kind of see. The fountain is actually in a stream, and it changes colors as it shoots up in the air. There are walkways all the way down the stream and there are seats along these walkways where people can sit and watch the fountain. Of course, there is a man with a baton to keep people from going in and enjoying themselves.
To get home from Dongdemun, we took the last subway trip of the night. There was a young man resting his eyes on the subway and he kept dropping things, including his phone and wallet, which I and others would just stick back into his pockets or hands. The man to his left just kept reading the paper and pretending that he wasn't there. A good end to a good night.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Goddamn it!
This will be twice, TWICE, in a row that I have lost my job to some reflexive-consonant-using Indian sitting in a cubicle in the outskirts of Delhi.
According to the Korea times, a company will be offering English instruction via the Internet for much less money than what is currently charged by English academies such as the one at which I work. I haven't checked out pricing yet, but if they can deliver half the product for one-quarter of the price, we're all screwed.
Mom, clear out my bedroom; I'm coming home.
Indians to Teach English via Internet By Cho Jin-seo
Staff Reporter (Korea Times)
An Indian company is tapping the lucrative English education market in South Korea with a person-to-person online tutoring service at an Indian price, known as e-tutoring, or "education outsourcing.''
Krishnan Ganesh, the founder and the CEO of TutorVista, said the Bangalore-based firm is preparing to open a Korean-language site this month to launch full e-tutoring programs for individual students and for companies.
He also said that some 50 Korean students are already enrolled at general English programs which offer unlimited, 24-hour-open tutoring at only $100 per month, and about 200 more are in more expensive SAT, TOEFL, GMAT and GRE examination preparation courses taught by Indian teachers in real time.
"We spent six months of research in the Korean and Chinese markets,'' he said in a telephone interview with The Korea Times this week. "There is a small market on the top of the pyramid for native English-speaking teachers. That comes at $30 or $40 per hour and that is affordable only by the rich.
According to the Korea times, a company will be offering English instruction via the Internet for much less money than what is currently charged by English academies such as the one at which I work. I haven't checked out pricing yet, but if they can deliver half the product for one-quarter of the price, we're all screwed.
Mom, clear out my bedroom; I'm coming home.
Indians to Teach English via Internet By Cho Jin-seo
Staff Reporter (Korea Times)
An Indian company is tapping the lucrative English education market in South Korea with a person-to-person online tutoring service at an Indian price, known as e-tutoring, or "education outsourcing.''
Krishnan Ganesh, the founder and the CEO of TutorVista, said the Bangalore-based firm is preparing to open a Korean-language site this month to launch full e-tutoring programs for individual students and for companies.
He also said that some 50 Korean students are already enrolled at general English programs which offer unlimited, 24-hour-open tutoring at only $100 per month, and about 200 more are in more expensive SAT, TOEFL, GMAT and GRE examination preparation courses taught by Indian teachers in real time.
"We spent six months of research in the Korean and Chinese markets,'' he said in a telephone interview with The Korea Times this week. "There is a small market on the top of the pyramid for native English-speaking teachers. That comes at $30 or $40 per hour and that is affordable only by the rich.
Hat Day!
This past week we celebrated Hat Day. After walking around complimenting random passers-by on their fine choice of head-wear in honor of this holiday, we drank in our hats. Simple. Fun. Ridiculous. The problem, unfortunately, is that I don't have a single picture from hat day. I hope that this picture will be a consolation prize for those who were not lucky enough to see me wearing my hat.
This is a hat of the Korean people who lived on Russian lands for so long. I think it is quite stylish, though not as functional as I like my hats to be.
Hat via English Russia
This is a hat of the Korean people who lived on Russian lands for so long. I think it is quite stylish, though not as functional as I like my hats to be.Hat via English Russia
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