Happy Animals March to Their Deaths

One thing that has always amused me in Korea are the signs you see on restaurants. Most restaurants show pictures of happy animals. The kind of animals that you can consume once you're inside the establishment. If it's a bbq place selling beef, you'll see a happy cow on the sign. You may see dancing pigs or squid holding hands...or should I say tentacles. I also am fond of the infamous cow and pig with arms around each other giving the thumbs up. I walked outside my apartment late this afternoon and within 10 minutes had these wonderful photos.

" Yay....come on in and eat us. We'd be so pleased if you did...WE'RE YUMMY!"

This is one scary shrimp. He's so pleased to serve his on kind on a plate...what a bastard!

These two little fellas look like they deserve to be eaten. I'm not sure about the typical I.Q. of an octopus (but who is), but I assume that these little buggers are somewhat lower than the average 8 tentacled sea creature.

How could you say no to this guy. His death wish is so strong that he's given us all a thumbs up to tuck on in!

What a cute pig....he was delicious! I recommend giving it a try.

That's the kind of Sunday it's been...taking pictures of strange signs. I went running to at the beach. My stamina is building up. I did about 10k this afternoon with ease and then went out for dinner at Bennigan's, negating the run I had just completed. There's a decent view of Haeundae Beach from the restaurant. It's a rainy day, but there are still reems of people coming to the beach to hang around and of course, swim with their clothes on. Lots of young Koreans crawling out of the surf this afternoon with wet jeans, sweaters, skirts and dresses. It's truely a site to behold.

It's been a tiring week, but next week will be even moreso. Summer special classes begin which means I'll be teching early in the morning as well as my regular afternoon and night classes. On the bright side...big pay check! This is my only day off...Sunday...oh my Sunday how I love thee. The problem with having only one day off every week is that there are so many things you want to do that it in no way seems relaxing. what must I do today???

1. Blog
2.Go to Starbucks and prep my class for tomorrow morning.
3.Read novel that I'll be teaching in the morning (luckily it's a Goosebumps book!)
4.Get haircut...I'm looking crusty.
5.Go to bookstore.
6.Go to band rehearsal (I'm playing drums in a rock band now, see ya at Ol55 and U2 nextweek)
7.Dinner with friends.
8.More prep for the morning
9.Go for a run.
10.Sleep early (I have no idea how I'll do this one).

I've decided to throw up a series of random and strange photos I've taken with my camera phone in the last six months or so. Enjoy.

Yes, I know...pedestrian humour Kevin, but...so be it. This is a schol in Seomyon (downtown center of Busan). It's the Pre Medical School.

The "Well-Being" craze meets Konglish. These are "well-being" potato chips.

I don't think I have to say anything.

This is in the lobby of my apartment building. I suppose that if I feel any discomfort, I have a way to deal with the problem.

Ever dream of having bigger "caucasin" eyes, but can't afford the double eyelid surgery? Well, if so, here's your solution....you can find them in any 7-11.

Yummy...what's on the menu here??

Happy "Amazing" BIRTHDAY....

This has been an amazing 24 hours. It was my birthday yesterday, July 20th...I'm now little older and a little crustier. The BIG NEWS of the day is that my big brother and his wife had a healthy and lovely baby girl on my birthday!!! She was born July 20th at 12:15am. Baby Ellie will now have to be spoiled by Uncle Kev when he gets back to Canada. CONGRATULATIONS!

Carolyn (my sister-in-law), baby Ellie and Patrick.

The Birthday Boys. This is soooo strange...we all share the same birthday. Joon (manager of U2, where I've played many times and will again with the new band I joined), Kyle (my next door neighbor...literally), moi, and Christian (my coworker) are all JULY 20TH b'day folks!

Kevin and Chrisitan....sharin a b'day.

The usual suspects at U2.....Tom, Russel, Joon and Moi

Tom...Russel (you ok?) and Kev...

This was the scene at a local calbi restaurant just before we made our way to U2. Both Christian and myself work for CDI Busan and since we share a b'day....all of the staff came out for eats. It was a hall of a day.

Seoul Floods

The Olympic Highway on the southern bank of the Han River was flooded yesterday and closed to traffic.

Monsoon batters central peninsula, at least 13 perish

July 17, 2006 ㅡ Rain battered the central part of the Korean Peninsula over the weekend as a monsoon front hovered over the area. The heaviest precipitation was seen in the capital region and in Gyeonggi, Gangwon and South Chungcheong provinces.Thirteen people were reported dead in weather-related mishaps, mostly in Gangwon province. Traffic in Seoul was snarled as the Han River and smaller tributaries flooded, closing parts of some expressways. In some areas, people were evacuated from low-lying areas threatened by floods.Seoul recorded more than 300 millimeters (11 inches) of rain yesterday; the Han River reached the flood warning stage. At the Hangang Bridge, the Han River rose from a level of 4.6 meters (15 feet) at 10 p.m. Saturday to 7.2 meters at 7 a.m. yesterday. The Paldang Dam, on the river's upper reaches east of Seoul, was opened again yesterday to relieve pressure on the structure. The Han River Flood Control Office issued its first flood warning since 2002 at 7:30 a.m. yesterday. The river crested at 9.7 meters at 4 p.m. and began to recede.

The Korea Meteorological Administration forecast more rain around the country today, with some areas south of Seoul expected to see up to 250 millimeters. Another 50-100 millimeters could be dumped on the Seoul area, the weather agency said.The Olympic Highway on the south bank of the Han River was closed in both directions yesterday afternoon; the Dongbu Highway, on the banks of the Jungnang Stream in eastern Seoul, was also closed to traffic as the water rose.

All the park areas on the Han were flooded, for the first time since 2002, inundating several cars parked there.

In Seoul's Eunpyeong district, a middle school wall collapsed and a landslide damaged an apartment block next to the school. A hundred residents were evacuated to a high school nearby.Other reports said a church was damaged and at least one house was buried by a landslide. One person was reported slightly injured; there were no reported deaths in the Seoul area because of the rain.

In Yeongdeungpo, Seoul, a levee along the Anyang Stream was breached. Houses nearby were flooded; electricity and gas service was interrupted. Residents of 500 homes were moved to four schools.

In parts of Gangwon province on the east coast, as much as 480 millimeters of rain fell over the weekend. As of 7 p.m. yesterday, 11 persons were reported dead and 18 missing. Most of the victims were killed in landslides or were carried away by floodwaters while they were attempting to protect their crops or farm structures.

A 53-year-old man and his wife, 47, were buried by a landslide in Yeongwol yesterday morning while they were sleeping, police said. Three members of another family, parents in their 80s and their 66-year-old son, were also buried in a landslide.

Some tourists picked a bad day for their summer vacations. About 120 hikers were trapped by flood waters from streams on Mount Seorak, and 600 more were unable to leave the resort area because of washed-out roads leading east and south.Landslides buried parts of the Yeongdong Expressway between Wonju and Gangneung, cutting off the eastern part of Gangwon province. The Korea Highway Corporation said the expressway would be passable by Wednesday at the earliest.

Over 1,300 houses in Gangwon province were damaged or flooded and about 2,400 people lost their houses. About 6,000 residents of the city of Yeoungwol were moved to shelters at schools after the Dong and Seo rivers, which run through the city, were hovering at flood stage.In North Chungcheong province, 1,200 residents in Danyang county were evacuated hurriedly to a nearby middle school and pension houses in higher areas at about noon yesterday when the South Han River began to rise rapidly.

by Kim Soe-jung <soejung@joongang.co.kr>

10 questions...

After several years living in Korea, there are so many things I don't and I'm sure I'll never understand about the everyday behavior of Korean people. So many questions I'd love to have answers for. Here are 10 of those questions I often ask myself?

1) Why do Korean people play in the ocean with their clothes on? (That's right jeans, dresses, shirts...the works)

2) Why do so many 20 and 30 something Koreans where sunglasses inside? (nightclubs, subway, restaurants...it's not cool...just looks like you try to hard)

3) Why do taxi drivers think that if they turn on their 4 way flashers, they can run any red light?

4) How come no one else sees red lights either?

5) Why is ordering a coffee at Starbucks seem like one of the most difficult decisions a person will ever make?

6) Why do Koreans crank up the A/C and then open all the windows?

7) Why are my students always cold?

8) Why do men wear long earings, sport hair bands, carry man purses and wear Channel sunglasses?

9) Why do Korean men give me the death stare if I'm even standing within 2 meters of a woman of Asian descent?

10) Why is it socially acceptable for men to wear Speedos at the beach?

I have many more questions...these are but a few. If you have answers, please let me know.

I'm A Liar!

In my last post I mentioned that the severe weather would miss Busan....apparently I'm a liar....it's raining sideways here! Umbrellas are useless....they only kep some of your hair dry.

To Be Bleak or Not To Be Bleak??

We were all expecting bad weather this weekend. The combination of "the rainy season" plus the approaching typhoon would make for a really crappy day, but surprises were the order of the day. I woke up with a heavy sense of bleakness. Today was my only day off and I woke up to the sound of a torrential downpour. I fell back asleep again and woke up to a lack of rain, but an overcast sky. I immediately suited up and went for a hike up Dalmagi...a swanky little area close to my apartment. Lots of weekend tourists flock to this picturesque little peninsula in Haeundae to dine at at upscale restaurants and cafes and whoop it up at night at singing rooms and "girlie bars."

These are the "Five or Six Ilsands". I'm not joking...they are actually called this. I expect it has to do with the tides. Low tide = 6 islands.....High tide=5 islands. The fog hanging over them looked kind of mystical....eeewwww. It was a nice hike though...damn muggy! Just putting on a baseball cap today was causing me to break out into a sweat.

Again..the "5 or 6 Islands." What I love about the harbour in Haeundae is the giant buoy. It looks like a giant lotus flower. Lots of buoys floating around my place in Nova Scotia, but none of them were this large or decorated so tastefully

A trip down memory lane. Here's a pic of me from almost a year ago. I was in Youido Island in downtown Seoul. Another 10k race. I was running with the Seoul Synergy running club for the Korea Youth Day Run. I had quite the buzz cut in those days and am brandishing my trademark red wraparounds! If anyone in Seoul is ever interested in Running, you should hook up with these cats.

So...this is the latest pic of the typhoon. This storm tracker was set at 9pm Korea time. Looks like it's going to b effecting Jeju Island, but us in good ole Busan should be ok. Looks like it'll be skipping past us. Poo Hoo...I was hoping to take some cool pics of storm surges.

3 hours to the World Cup final. France vs. Italy. It's Zidane's last game. he's retiring after this match whether France wins or loses. Who's going to win? I have no idea. Any team I gave a half crap about was sent packing. I'm glad I'm not a gambling man cause I'd always be losing. If you want to know what team will lose...just ask Kevin who he thinks will win! Ah well...tomorrow is another day to face the children of Korea and the adults as well.

My First Typhoon in Korea!

Another rainy day is upon us...I suppose there is a reason why they call it the "rainy season"!

While I was out last night some people were talking about a typhoon that is heading our way. It's actually kind of exciting. I've always loved storms...well those of the "non-destructive it's so bad outside that work must be cancelled" variety. Hopefully, Typhoon Ewiniar will be that kind of storm. It should be cool checking out the storm surges...from a safe distance of course.

Tomorrow is my only day off. I'm praying for at least a little sun...some nice weather for a few hours. I'm now working 6 days a week full-time and it's exhausting...nice pay though! I was only getting enough hours to work 4 days a week for several months so now I'm happy to have a full schedule. I'm still not used to the long hours though. It's the CDI way...work, work, work, work...and then work some more. I just saw some pics of some of my old Songpa CDIcoworkers partying in Seoul. I had a slight pang to be back there in Seoul. There are some aspects of lifr in Seoul that I miss, but for the most part, life in Busan is far better. I love the cleaner air, hiking, beach and more chilled out attitude of both the foreigners and the locals.

North Korea has a tantrum!

Well, good ole Kim Jong Il is up to his old hijinx again. "Look at me, Look at me!" As the six nation talks have ground to a halt and the world seems to be offering loads of concessions to Iran to end that nuclear standoff....poor Mr. kim felt left out. "Ah jeez...why won't George W. pay attention to me?" Seems like he's come up with his solution...and it certainly has the world looking. Pyongyang (capital of North Korea) decided to launch 5 medium-range scuds and one long-range Taepodong-2 missile (oops....that puppy can in theory reach the western seaboard of the U.S., fell out of the sky in under a minute...didn't even complete it's first stage..oops...somewhat embarrassing as far as muscle flexing goes!). They launched a 7th about 5:30 this evening. I was in the middle of a class when my BBC news flash update popped up. Who says that livin on the Korean Peninsula is boring?

On a more jovial note....for those who aren't of German decent...Italy knocked the Germans out of the World Cup in a white-knuckler of a game...2-0 in extra time. The "dive kings"...oops...I mean the "thespians"...oops..I mean the Italians are off to Sunday's final. Who will they face?? Dunno...France faces Portugal sometime early in the morning while I'll be counting sheep (not chasing them). I really have no allegiance to either side. I kinda hope Portugal will win. They don't seem as smug and I've always like they're jerseys....I bought one last World Cup...looks good...burgundy is a colour that works for me! if they win, there'll be one hell of a part on Toronto. More than 300,000 Portuguese-Canadians live in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area).



Ok....Some Canadian soccer info comin up...NOW!! I know our men's national team sucked this year...but I feel left out. Here are some more "Canadian Soccer Facts via Kevy" to tantalize and bore!

Torornto FC (MLS Team) and The National Soccer Stadium....in Toronto.


I was surprised to just hear that more than twice as many young Canadian boys and girls play soccer than hockey in Canada. Guess it’s a hell of a lot cheaper…I mean, hockey gear, ice time, etc. isn’t cheap by any means. Good ole Canada will be hosting the Junior World Cup next year. Toronto will also become the first Canadian city to get a MLS (Major League Soccer) franchise. The new National Soccer Stadium is under construction in Toronto and will seat 20,000 people. It’ll be open May 1st, 2007….the Canadian Gov’t just kicked in another 27 million to make it even more spiffy! The MLS team…Toronto FC will call it home and I’m sure the Junior World Cup final will be there.

At the end of the day…Kim Jong Il needs a nice room with white padded walls and GO PORTUGAL…you’ve got smart jerseys….or should I say…kits?

I bought a new camera....Happy Indepedence Day!

I have a new toy!! I bought a digital camera yesterday. I haven't had a good camera in a long time and there was a sale on Olympus cameras...sooooo....no more relying on my camera phone. I suppose I'll be a bit of a shutter-bug for the next few weeks.

It's Kevin at the Jangsan "Wa Bar"......Canadian and German beer...a rare treat!

A nice German dunkel beer will always put a smile on my face....

Gwangan CDI. These are my new digs. The new and improved school. It's new, smells like paint and it's definately nicer than the old school I was working at.

Here's my classroom. I have room for 15 kids and a lot of craziness. I get to have a tv cause I watch CNN and movie clips with my high level listening classes. I even bought a cactus to make this sterile room look a little less sterile....needs more though!

I'll try to get some of my Canada Day pics up soon, but I took them using a Kodak "funsaver" disposable camera....may take awhile.

To all of my Amaerican friends.....Happy Independence Day!!!!

Post Canadian Day....Soon 4th of July!

July 2nd....Haeundae Beach....the smell of booze is thick in the air...so is the patriotism!

Been watching a documentary on Korean TV about a bunch of dudes climbing a mountain. They all had "Pagoda" sponsorship logos on their clothes. Found it strange. I used to work for that school on Seoul...Shinchon. I know that the owner climbed K2 so it made sense.An ex-girlfriend of mine was a teacher there...small world.

Canada Day celebrations were great last night!!! Starface was packed. Standing room only inside and 5 deep at the bar. I just stood outside the bar and drank. There was no way to get a drink inside so most stood outside and bought beer from the local Family Mart....luckily....drinking beer in public is perfectly legal in Korea! So many people.....so much fun.

I just bought a new camera this afternoon so I'm pumped. Got a sweet little Olympus 5 megapixel jobby for $150! Sweet. I'll start posting cooler pics and now videos.......no more camera phone pics.

Let's get set....Tuesday is the 4th of July....a weekday, but a greatday!!!! I hope to knock a few back with some of my many American friends ^^

Canada Day!!

The day is here...Happy Canada Day to all you Canadians out there. Another Canada Day in Korea. It'll be my last one so that gets me excited. This is my first one in Busan though. I remember going to the Canada Day In Seoul BBQ my first year here. that was great cause it was just a few days after the World Cup had finished in Korea. That summer was more fun than my body could handle!

Well...here we are in Busan. Monsoon Seaon has officially started and it Canada's B'day. What am I going to do?? Since it sems that the majority of teachers in Korea are canadians, there are a few parties happening today and this evening. I'll head to a party shortly...get primed and then off to the main event. Canada Day at Starface. Strface is a local expat watering hole and they are promising many things "Canadian" this evening. Canadian Club, Molson Canadian beer (I never drink the swill when in Canada, but it's a whole lot of delicious compared to Korean beer.)...there are even rumours of Clamato juice...Caesars...hhhmmm....haven't seen one of those since my last time in Canada.

I'll post photos of tonight's festivities in a few days.