Blog entries

Fun with Crayons

miconthehil — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:33:54 +0100

I have been having a lot of Korean adventures, but what I haven’t been doing is remembering to come blog about them. I usually wait for a comment or two on each post before doing another one, so the lack of activity has made me bad about posting… but I will try to do better about getting one up every other day or so as long as someone is still out there.

Which brings me to… a non- Korean adventure. When I was a child, I used to do all sorts of crafts and projects withRead More...

My Big Surprise!

Constant Crafter — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:02:00 +0100

While living in South Korea I got together with Metal Guy and did some metal designing. I told him what I wanted, drew it out and he made the prototypes. He also had a Korean manufacturer that he used. He scratched his head over my delight. He sees hangul every day and didn't appreciate the beauty of it much like I feRead More...

Long Time, No See

Constant Crafter — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:51:00 +0100

Wow, what a deal or should I say ordeal. This post I'll fill you in on our flight and first days back home. We did somes sightseeing those last few days in Seoul and I'll blog about that at a later date. Grab a coffee or Coke and sit back, this is going to be a long post.

Rocketman decided to check our plaRead More...

Mireuksa Temple - 미륵사 (Busan)

Dale Quarrington — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:04:00 +0100

The wintry view of Mireuksa Temple in Busan up on Geumjeongsan Mountain.
Hello Again Everyone!!
I had been to Mireuksa Temple two times in the past, but it had been four years since I last went during Buddha's Birthday. And even though the temperature was -9 degrees Celsius up in the mountains, nothing would stop me during myRead More...

Seoul Orientation -- Free Refreshments!!!

Danny B — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:18:13 +0100

Still feeling disoriented? I've been here like 3 lifetimes and I still have a hard time figuring out where my local Immigration office is. Here's a quick head's up from your good buddies over at the Itaewon Global Village Center.

Get on it, make it happen, make some friends and get oriented!

Sangsu Station (상수역) Line 6 – Station #623

seoulsuburban — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 09:00:54 +0100

And after five years? What then?

The minute someone sits down at a keyboard, sets an f-stop, or turns over a fresh page in a sketchpad and tries to describe a place, it’s already a little bit gone. Unavoidable and just fine really. It clears the way for new records, allows for comparisons (maybe even lessons or conclusions), and staves off obsolescence for at lRead More...

Pork Stew and Pig Heads

Hallie Bradley — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:12:05 +0100

There are two places in Hongdae that offer up one of my favorite meals in Korea, but since I was in Busan last week I got to eat the stuff where it came from. Some years ago I was introduced to dwaejigukbab, or pork stew, and haven’t been able to get enough of it since. This meal, I was told, isn’t generally eaten by girls because the smell can be strong, or foreigners, for the same reason. I was hesitant for a millisecond before remembering I was with people I truRead More...

The Korean Pagoda (Part 3)

Dale Quarrington — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:17:00 +0100

The extremely ornate pagoda from Samgwangsa Temple in Busan.
Hello Again Everyone!!
Another interesting aspect to the Korean pagoda is the varying number of tiers that make up the height of the pagoda. And like all things related to the pagoda, the tiers also have a lot of symbolic meaning attached to them.
First, it mRead More...

Light Show in Seoul

Constant Crafter — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:43:00 +0100

When we were at Seoul Station last weekend, we saw this wonderful light show on a building across the street. I took some video of it.

We've been running around doing a ton of sightseeing which I'll post about when we are back home. It's been wild and we have been having a blast. Our flight leaves at 11:30 am on February 1st and arrives in Minneapolis and the same time. Imagine that!!!

A few months ago, Chris appeared in the Korean version of the American Idol called Superstar K. While standing out with his bright blond hair, he lasted into the group of final 7 before getting the boot; it was no disqualification this time, just didn't make the cut. Since appearingRead More...

Tarsier Time: Hanging Out With the World’s Smallest Primate

Courtney — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:14:37 +0100

A long-time opponent of zoos, my up-close experience with wild animals has been somewhat limited. A trip through SE Asia years ago provided brushes with iguanas, water buffalo, and the ubiquitous gecko, but sightings of elephants or tigers evaded me; I refused to visit them in camps, wary of bearing witness to animals who underwent training for the sole purpose of entertaining humans. Wild creatures of an exotic nature felt like an aspect of the planet destined to remain distant from my ownRead More...

Temple Bar Trad Festival

janetnewenham — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:07:35 +0100

I went out to meet a Spanish friend for lunch yesterday and ended up staying out til past midnight, thanks to all the free TradFest events in Temple Bar. I met up with a load of awesome couchsurfers and spent hours walking around from pub to pub listening to all the great traditional Irish music and even had a free Irish dancing lesson in The Arlington Hotel!

We drank, we danced on the street, we danced in the rain, we laughed, and Read More...

Owl Museum and Cafe

miconthehil — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:52:08 +0100

On Friday one of my best Korean pals, Lindsay (who writes a mean blog of her own) , and I went off in search of an owl-y adventure. And Seoul provided as with the perfect spot… the Owl Museum!

Not really a museum, but instead a life’s worth of collecting owl all displayed on the walls. You also get to sit and have a cup of coffee (Read More...

Homigot

GwangjuChronicles — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:35:58 +0100

Homigot

Re-published with permission from the author. Check out The Gwangju Chronicles for more great postings from the author.

Dallas Black Community Erupts in Anti-Korean Sentiment

HiExpat — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:36:26 +0100

In Dallas, Texas, a small dispute over payment on gas at a Korean-owned gas station has almost escalated into a racial conflict between blacks and the Korean.

On Dec 9, 2011, Jeffrey Muhammad, an Islam minister, tried to use his debit card to pay for his gas which was at $5 -- below the posted minimum amount for allowed card transaction. When the Korean owner refused to take his debit card payment, an argument followed and escalated into a battle of words in which the both sides Read More...

My Last Field Trip with My Bojagi and Chasu Teacher

Constant Crafter — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 18:45:00 +0100

I met KJ one last time near Dongdaemun to visit her favorite silk and satin store. It happens to be a hanbok store too. I walked into a color explosion. There were rolls of fabric everywhere and I was in heaven.