Ringing in the New Year

It's hard to believe that 2011 has ended. For the last seven years, I have celebrated New Year's in a different city, so it was cool to continue this trend. Some of my friends and I went up to Seoul to celebrate the new year. We had a few drinks, walked around the city, and went to one of the largest gatherings in Korea. Many events were going on that night. There were 3 main events going on that night: the Highlight Countdown Party, the DJs Ministry of Sound, and the Bosingak Bell Ceremony. Since it was still early in the day when arrived in Seoul, we decided to checked out all three events. The Highlight and DJ party featured American and European acts, but it cost $80 minimum for the featured performers! We didn't stay very long since the steep cost was for mediocre talent at best. Later on that night we went to Bosingak Bell Ceremony. 

We were shocked by the huge crowd that was present. Last year several people were injured during and after the event, so the city brought in a massive amount of law enforcement this year. We had to stand outside for almost two hours for the official ringing of the bell, but the large crowd kept us from getting cold! It was an interesting cultural experience for sure. 

There were a few K-pop artists performing and some other local entertainment, which was decent. The music performances continued after the bell ceremony, but we wanted to avoid the "pedestrian jam" by leaving early. Unfortunately, many people were thinking the same thing (haha). We had to also walk much farther to take the subway since all of the nearby stops were closed off and barricaded by the police. It was entertaining to see some of the people try to sneak behind the police by jumping over the barricades to the closet subway stops (which they failed to do). The wait time was long, the temperature was cold, all of the stores and bars near the bell were closed, and the walk back to our hostels took over two hours. We eventually went into a bar in the hostel area. Even though some things didn't work out as planned, I had a good time.  Here a short video of the countdown and ring of the Bosingak Bell.

Christmas 한국 Style

This year was officially the first time that I would celebrate Christmas overseas. It was a little surreal not celebrating with family or relatives for the first time, but I had a great week overall. I started the beginning of the week with a jazz concert. This ensemble had a mix of familiar instruments such as the saxophone and drums, and Korean traditional instruments such as the daegum (bamboo flute) and kayageum (zither). The concert was a nice and relaxing experience, and it was nice that they ended with their performance with a little bit of holiday spirit. 

Throughout the week, I also did some Christmas shopping, which probably was not the best idea. I had to fight through some crazy crowds, but it was entertaining to see shoppers scramble for last minute holiday deals!  For the rest of the week, I had some nice dinners with the teaching staff and friends, then on Christmas day I went to a world music performance. The night ended nicely with friends from Singapore coming up to visit me.

The changes in the background color and the smoking effects added a nice touch to the performance. Occasionally the smoke was a little overbearing, but it wasn't enough to take anything away from the performance.

During parts of the jazz performance, they also mixed in some traditional folk singing, called Pansori. Even though I didn't understand the majority of what she was saying, she blended in very well with all of the instruments. She also has a pleasant singing voice.

If you're a fan of Christmas music, you will hear a tune that should sound very familiar!

This was the crowd that I had to deal with when I went shopping on Christmas eve!

After several attempts, I was finally able to get a picture of this cool reindeer and sleigh ornament! I had to wait until all of the crowds were gone.

 This concert showcased some very interesting instruments that I've never seen before. There were 16 performers that represented countries in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East.

 All of the performers did a great job blending all of the sounds together. There were times where it felt like I was listening to a movie soundtrack, and other times where I felt like I was in meditation.

Postcard Art

Here are some interesting postcards made by local artists. I tried my best to narrow it down to the best designs since there were about 50 different ones.

Itaewon Freedom!

One of the things I did last weekend was attend a grand opening of a dance club in Masan. Usually I'm don't get into the club scene much because I'm probably getting too old for it, haha. Since we knew the DJs and we didn't have to pay for cover and beer, I figured it can't hurt to check it out. The Koreans definitely know how to party!

The lasers and flashing lights came out pretty nicely in this picture.

How would you like to be welcomed to the restroom like this?

This is the view that I got from the men's restroom.

I got a kick out of the Milli Vanilli impersonation...haha.

The DJs are trying to keep the crowd entertained.


Watching this video will completely explain where I thought of the title of this blog:)

End of Fall...

Looks like I'm about to experience my first real winter in five years!

Gyeongju Cultural Trip

The Korean Education department provided a wonderful trip for the Native English Teachers. Gyeongju is considered one of the most important historic cities in Korea. It was the capital of the ancient Silla kingdom that ruled most of Korea. Throughout the city, there are several sites designated by UNESCO. At first I was hesitant to go on this trip because it rained almost at the beginning of every weekend (in November). We lucked out since it only drizzled at night instead of the day. The autumn landscape blended in nicely with all of historic structures. Aside from site seeing, we also had the chance to see some music performances and participate in a few traditional ceremonies and games. It was a great cultural trip overall with some pleasant surprises.

The first woman on the left is playing a gayageum, which is similar to the zither. The woman next to her is playing a haegeum, an instrument that has two strings. After about 20 seconds some of you might recognize the tune that they're playing!

We had a great tour guide accommodate us during our trip. In this video, he told us a folk story about the wooden fish that you will see hanging around.

Bright Night Lights in Jinju

People who have been following my blog may have noticed by now that Korea has many festivals throughout the year. As a foreigner, I think it's a great thing. I can learn more about the country's culture and history at these events, and I also get to see some cool art, displays, etc. The Jinju Lantern Festival highlights familiar Korean cultural references and can also tell a story about important events in Korea. All of the lantern sculptures are placed near or on the Namgang River, a significant area in Korean history. This river is significant because a war between the Koreans and Japanese took place here. Even though this was a last minute trip, the festival was a great experience. I was impressed with what artists were able to make using paint, paper, and plastic!

This is the entrance leading into the main area of the festival.

Here is the lantern sculpture depicting the Korean soldiers defending their land from Japanese invasion.

This photo was taken from one of the two main bridges that cross the Namgang River.

One of the wishing tunnels that was made during the festival. People put their wishes in the lantern and hang then on the wire frames. While the sentiment was great, I couldn't get over their music selection....

I was glad to get some video of the bamboo forest. All of the pictures I took turned out blurry, so it was nice to get some video. The lanterns and landscape were amazing, and this area is also accompanied by some "interesting" choice of music.

Bonri Fall Festival

Each year, the school has a fall festival that lasts for two days. There are five main areas in the festival and it's interesting seeing the teachers, students, and some of their parents participating throughout the whole school.

This concession stand has all of the foods made by the students' parents.

I'm posing with one of my co-teachers at the beverage stand.

The students are cooking some finger foods at their own stand.

Some of the students participated in the cooking contest. Each grade had four or five groups participating in the contest. It was interesting to see how some of the foods were not strictly Korean. The students even tried making Thai and Vietnamese food! I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with the students' cook abilities.

Notice the spring rolls in the back!

One of the cool sculptures that the art teacher made. The sharp contrast between the colorful umbrella and earth toned statue is a nice touch.

Some of the students art being displayed in the gallery. Since I have limited space on my blog, I have set up an account where everyone can see the rest of the art. Please go to this website (will be posted once this is complete).

Sea Fishing

While the weather was still decently warm, we decided to go on a deep sea fishing trip near Busan. We had eight people out on the boat. The fishing expedition was a success since everyone caught at least one fish, including one tuna and a flounder! Most of the fish were on the small side, but they were still big enough to eat. It also helped that we caught about 20 of them. After that we ended up having a potluck at a friend's place.

Some Randomness in Tokyo

I wasn't sure where to group these photos and video of Tokyo, so I decided pick the most interesting photos and videos.

 Here is the west view of the city from the Tokyo WTC observation deck.

View of the east side from the same building

Here's a quick shot of a busy street when I was going up on an escalator.

 I'm standing just right outside the Imperial Gardens. 

 This train goes through several districts in Tokyo.

 Another video of me riding on the same train, except this one gives a nice view to the bay.