LONG OVERDUE, I know. I went back home to FL for a few months and traveled around a bit.
Now I've been back in Korea for about a month and I have lots of photos to share! :)

I plan on blogging about Mud Fest but that can come a little later.
For now, more random snapshots! ::woot woot::


I still have no idea what this place is. I think it may be a bar of sorts? Maybe a juicy bar? I like to call it "The Poor Man's Starbucks" or maybe "The Perverts' Starbucks" would be more fitting..? ;P



And speaking of perverts, this is where you can get some action! Haha.



My favorite ashtray EVER! Can you tell what it is? What does it look like to you?



If you said a pile of poo, you are correct, sir. A-ha-ha. And it comes with its very own maggot! WOOHOO!



My friend Daisii gave me a cute li'l gift one day. She said to make sure I include it in the next blog. This was the gift. THANKS DAISII! :)



Looks like a normal scrub brush, right? Take a closer look at the label! ;) For you, young male teens- you don't have to recite the Pledge of Allegiance anymore. Just scrub lightly with this brush!



Daisii also provided these photos for me. She purchased these adorable shirts in the CHILDREN'S DEPT.!!!

..

I was grocery shopping at E-Mart the other day (the equivalent of a Super Wal-Mart, only not as cheap) and came across these lovely cans! I got incredibly excited!! FINALLY! Energy drinks! I was hoping to find one that tasted like Sugarfree Red Bull (oh, I miss you so) but when I walked closer, I found out these weren't energy drinks after all. Wine in a can! How classy can you get?? ;)



Another great find at the friendly E-Mart. Kid's Lunch Pack! Your very own california rolls & sushi! You even get your own animal shaped rice cakes! Wheee!



You'll see these just about everywhere. Some carved out of stone, some of wood... Good for fertility! Also, it supposed to help ensure you'll have a son!



And of course, I must save my favorite for last. I read this on the kid's jacket one day while walking off Joongdo Island. Turns out it was a friend of a friend!
Does this remind anyone else of Seinfeld??? Hehe.



Hope you enjoyed these! Tune in next week! :)Random Snapshots IV
Before I begin, I need to throw a big thanks to my new friend, Gavin, who let me "borrow" a few of his photos. Thanks Gavin! :) One more quick thanks to Kevin too for letting me steal one picture. Thank you!

Korea is known for having many, many festivals throughout the year. In early January, there was an Ice Fishing Festival in Hwachon. Wayne, Chris and I ventured out to partake in the festivities. Towards the back was this gigantic ice cave. We walked through the long icy corridor and once inside, we were greeted by huge ice animal sculptures. Incredible! I gave Mr. Rhino a kiss cuz he was my favorite. :)





I thought Americans were bad about cell phones but man, Korea's worse. In Korea, EVERYONE (including your mom and your dog) has a cell phone and these phones are glued to their hands at all times. A few years back they all wore them around their necks on a rope but I guess that fad died out. Anywho, you can stop by any local convenience store and get your phone charged for about $1. It's a pretty sweet deal if you're in a jam. OR you can swing through your local Tom N Toms Cafe and charge it for free! Give your body juice and let your phone get some juice as well! ;)



Another clever idea- a two in one cup! The bottom half will store your soda while the top stores your food! Cup o' spagetti & coke!



Speaking of food, here are two very common snack foods (or anju) in Korea. On the left is dried cuttlefish. On the right is bbun-deh-gi. They're boiled silkworm larvae. Yum! Not only do they look lovely, they smell just as lovely. ;P



I love me some Konglish.



One of the best things about thrift shopping is that you have to really rummage through crap to find the treasures. In Korea, they have thrift shops on wheels! I made myself comfortable and found quite a few treasures! ;)



Have you ever wondered what the lovechild of a high-heeled shoe, a scooter and a zebra would look like? Well, wonder no more cuz I found it!



This toilet + bidet is so complicated that it comes with an instruction manual. With this fancy toilet/bidet, you can squirt water up your bumbum or up your hoo-hoo. And you can dry it with warm air! Best yet, you can heat up the toilet seat for those cold winter days.



One of the things I love about Korea is the subway system. Not only do I get a chance to catch up on my reading but I also get to do a lot of people watching.



And sometimes, a little animal watching as well. ;)



That's it for now! Stay tuned! I'll be back with Part V soon! :) Random Snapshots III I know there have been many requests for this. Sorry I didn't post it sooner but it took a while to collect these images. ;) I'd like to thank Max for taking a few of these photos during his visit. Oh and Daisii- I'll add your special gift in the next Random Snapshots blog- I promise!!!

This is the view from my 10th floor apartment. I live in a city called Chuncheon, which is technically considered the countryside. It's still a pretty good-sized city, located about an hour and a half northeast of Seoul. Thanks for the panoramic photo, Maxfield! :)



Ordering in is incredibly convenient in this country. During Max's stay, we ordered boo-dae jjigae. It's a spicy soup with various ingredients like ramen noodles, vegetables, ham, mushrooms, Spam, rice cakes, chives, etc. This is how it was delivered to my door.



Items in basket: deep pan with all the soup ingredients, canister of broth, portable stove, side dishes, bowls of rice, chopsticks, silver spoons and newspaper.

All you have to do is lay out the newspaper (for easy clean-up) and place all the items on top, add broth to ingredients then turn on the stove! Voila! It'll be ready to eat in minutes! When you're done eating, just place everything back in the basket and leave it outside your front door. The delivery person will pick it up later.



Another lovely convenience of living in Korea is the cheap alcohol. Soju is the drink of choice for 99% of Korea. It tastes like vodka and it's dirt cheap. You can buy a 2-liter bottle of soju for close to $4-5. While most enjoy straight soju, some people prefer soju cocktails. Recently, we went to the wrong bar by mistake in Gangnam, Seoul. What a wonderful mistake it was! We ordered apple soju cocktails and they were served in REAL APPLES! So delicious!



When we were done with the cocktails, we got to eat our own cups too!



Koreans love their soju and I mean LOVE their soju. Alcoholism is a rising problem in this society but very few seem to take it seriously. It's not uncommon to see people passed out drunk in public places like subways, buses or even on the streets. We saw this guy back in '04. At least it makes for a great photo opportunity! ;P



February 18th this year was Lunar New Year. This holiday is bigger than the January New Year holiday that you are all used to celebrating. On this day, people give gifts and gather with family to play holiday games and eat, eat, eat. NGVI gave New Year's presents to all the employees- this is what we received.



SPAM and olive oil gift sets! Koreans love Spam almost as much as they love their soju.

Obesity has never been a problem in Korea. On the contrary, most Korean women are underweight and suffer from eating disorders. However, with the rising popularity of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, this may change. The line ran out the door and wrapped around.



ARRRRR! My new favorite shirt!



While waiting for a subway, one can purchase drinks, candy, snacks and books!!!





And (almost) last but not least, I wanted all of you to know- I've met the man of my dreams. Here's my future husband.



His friend was much more passive but he was quite a looker too.



Hope you enjoyed the photos! I'll start collecting for the next blog soon! :) Random Snapshots II
Congrats to Sacha Baron Cohen..on the Golden Globe for Borat!

American comedies are usually a flop in Korea due to the language barrier and cultural differences. Because of this, very few American comedy movies are released in this country. Borat was no exception. It was never released in Seoul. It was, however, sold on the streets everywhere on the black market. It was also, for some crazy reason, VERY popular in Busan, Korea.



I feel I owe you guys an update on the puppy. This is the adorable puppy that I posted photos of before. Here he is with his two siblings. I want to thank all of you for giving me suggestions for names. Unfortunately, I was not able to name this cute li'l pup because he was adopted (behind my back!) by our Gimhae branch office. I was very sad when I found out. I hope they're taking good care of him out there. =(



Speaking of puppies, do you remember Teddy? He was the puppy with the Mickey Mouse face. Guess what? He's all grown up now! He's healthy and VERY strong. He can also dance on one foot!



Most of you know, I am a part-time private English tutor. This is my student. This is how she arrives at my apartment door, twice a week, for her lessons.



Everyone knows that Asians love cute things- cutesy, adorable, tiny, cartoony things. This is a sign for the police department in Itaewon (a part of Seoul). No wonder cops get zero respect from the public here.



My buddy Daisii is modeling a fancy pair of KKK gloves. Make sure you get yourself a pair this winter!



What kind of a Korean blog would this be without a little bit o' Konglish? This is my new favorite notebook!



In Korea, many women are self-conscious about using toilets in public. More specifically, they don't like to let others HEAR them pee. That's when the "etiquette bell" comes to the rescue! Push this button then you'll hear sounds of a waterfall so you can pee freely. WOOHOO!



Last, but certainly not least, is a birthday photo. I just recently learned about a Korean tradition for birthdays. It is very popular amongst teenagers and college students to tie the birthday boy/girl to a pole then to throw cake ingredients at him/her. If you can't find flour, you can always replace it with fry batter. It's up to you to get creative with it!

Here's the first birthday boy I saw on the street. He was drunk off his ass in freezing cold winter weather with eggs and flour dripping off his body. Happy birthday, indeed.



Well, that's it for now! In the next few weeks, I'll be posting my birthday photos, as well as the Bali pictures. See you then! =) Random Snapshots I The bar scene in Korea is very different from the American bar scene. Of course, there are plenty of "western-style" bars but a typical Korean bar is set up more like a restaurant. There is no place to sit at the bar. It is only a place for the servers to grab drinks. Instead, there are booths and tables all around. Sometimes the booths are sectioned off so you can have some privacy. My favorite thing about Korean bars is the call button.

Whenever you need service, you push this button, your table number lights up and a server will come to you. It is truly one of the best inventions, EVER.

The drink of choice in Korea is soju. It tastes similar to vodka. It's a clear rice liquor that will get you pretty messed up, fairly quickly. You can mix it or drink it straight, which is what Koreans do. We sometimes like to order the soju cocktails by the pitcher. They come in all different fruit flavors: strawberry, melon, watermelon, lemon, peach, pomegranite, etc.


Another interesting fact about Korean bars is that you're sometimes required to order what is called "anju." Anju is food that is served with your alcohol. In the States, after hours of drinking at a bar, my friends and I would hit up Denny's or Steak 'N Shake.. maybe hit up a drive-thru. In Korea, people don't eat after the drinking. They eat WHILE they drink. It's pretty smart since you can't get drunk as fast on a full tummy, so you'll end up ordering and drinking more.

Most bars provide basic anju as "service" or free of charge.


We once ordered nachos at a bar in Gangnam. This is the Korean version of nachos. Needless to say, we were quite let down. Koreans need to learn about cheese.


If you don't go out drinking Korean-style, you can always rely on food tents. They are EVERYWHERE and remain open until sunrise. Corndogs, chicken on a stick, spicy rice cakes and blood sausages- yum! These are truly lifesavers at 4am for the hungry drunks wandering the streets.


And now on to some random photos that I've been meaning to post for weeks...





Korean Eye Exam


The streets are incredibly uneven and bumpy. It's very easy to make one wrong step, get your heel stuck in a crack and kill your favorite pair of shoes. =(


The famous Korean toilet. It's basically a urinal placed flat into the ground. Western toilets exist but these are still very common in this country.


Look! I'm turning more and more Korean everyday! (with my adorable cousin, Sunny)

Hope you guys enjoyed these. If there's anything else you'd like to learn or see about Korea, let me know. I carry my camera just about everywhere I go!