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How to Find Parking at Costco in Korea
2007-06-14 02:33:00
Here's the best way to find a parking spot at Costco in Korea . Forget dealing with finding a spot on the street (or on the sidewalk) because you won't find any. Wide open spaces are unavailable here for parking lots so they are usually underground or up above.Here's a video of how to find parking at Costco. You drive into individual elevators that take you to the underground parkade. On busy days, this could take you a long time to either leave or enter the premises (let's hope the elevator doesn't get stuck while you're in it, that would suck!):Another interesting tidbit of information, is that most drivers will leave their cell phone numbers on their dash so you can call them to move their double parked cars. Also, some drivers leave their cars in neutral so people who are boxed in can push their car out of the way. The following video is courtesy of Bryan from his blog, Student in Korea--how to properly push a car out of the way:
More About: Shopping , Parking , Find

Flying Cows Consulting: Teaching In Korea Made Easy
2007-06-13 04:05:00
Teaching in South Korea can be an exciting journey, but finding a job can be a daunting task. There are so many opportunities out there it is hard to choose from all of them. One option is to find jobs yourself but that can take some work. What to do? For starters, you can turn to Flying Cows Consulting for help. As one of the loyal readers of my blog, Flying Cows Consulting has ordered up the following review through ReviewMe.Flying Cows Consulting has a tag line that says "Teaching in South Korea...without the Bull!". This tag line is true of their services offered, as their website is up front and to the point. Their website is easy to navigate and is pleasant to the eye.FCC provides excellent content for the first time job-seeker looking for information about teaching and living in South Korea. All the relevant information you are looking for is at your fingertips, including the following topics:Quick Facts for ApplicantsWhy Teach English in South Korea?About South KoreaApplica...
More About: Internet , Reviews , Blogging

Bulgogi Bros: No Relation to the Super Mario Bros.
2007-06-12 16:58:00
A few months ago, a new restaurant opened up next door to our work. In typical Korean tradition, I've noticed that whenever businesses change hands, the entire building is gutted from head to toe and renovated. This was the case for the two-story building next door--it was gutted and revamped into a new restaurant, called Bulgogi Bros. Bulgogi stands for "beef" in Korean, so translated, it's literally the "beef brothers"!South Korea has some of the most expensive beef prices in the world. So when you're out dining, eating beef can be quite pricey for the quantity that you receive. I am always keen on trying out new restaurants. Even though we knew our experience at Bulgogi Bros. would cost higher than average, we went anyways--hey, you gotta live a little, people!Bulgogi Bros. is a couple steps up from your neighborhood bulgogi joint. The interior is nicely decorated and the decor is very modern and chic. Tables are nicely spaced apart, unlike the "I'm a sardine in a can" feelin...
More About: Reviews , Food , Restaurants , Super , Mario

South Koreans Gone Wild!
2007-06-11 15:18:00
The overconsumption of alcohol can do many interesting things to people. It's an easy way to make friends on the subway and help you fall asleep. It can also make you dress up like your favorite comic book character in 30 degree Celsius weather, on a Saturday!Just outside of the 2007 Seoul Wine Market, there was another convention going on. It was some sort of comic book convention and hundreds of people were having some fun dressed up as various comic book/animation characters. Either there wasn't really a convention going on, or they had one too many samples of wine from the Wine Market! I present to you...South Kore ans Gone Wild (not to be confused with Girls Gone Wild)!These girls were playing some sort of game, almost similar to "Simon says":Sailor Moon's South Korean counterparts (they are supposed to be Sailor Moon, right?! Correct me if I'm wrong!):Playing the violin is more enjoyable when you're wearing a light blue wig:Everybody was waiting for the convention to open....
More About: Entertainment

Buying Wine At The 2007 Seoul Wine Market
2007-06-10 16:31:00
There's nothing better than sampling a fine wine. The aromas of the grapes and the subtle flavors that linger on your palate are really shine--when you're tasting a sample from a mini Dixie cup! On Saturday I wound up going to the 2007 Seoul Wine Mark et with some Korean friends. A couple of them were huge wine fanatics, so we met at Yangjae Station (near Gangnam) and took a bus to a convention hall where it was being held. This was an enjoyable day, so let's take a look at what I experienced at this wine market!Welcome...come one, come all. Admission was 10,000w ($10USD), but it included a 10,000w voucher that could be used towards buying wine. So basically they are forcing you to spend money on wine--more on this later!It was a fair busy Saturday afternoon with lots of people at the event, even the kids:The event's last day was Sunday, so if you didn't make it, check out this small clip, just for you:Everybody purchased or brought their own wine glass to sample the plethora of...
More About: Reviews , Buying

Free Hugs in Korea Gone Bad
2007-06-09 16:30:00
You've heard of the Free Hugs Campaign by now right? It is a worldwide phenomenon that is a random act of kindness. People setup in public places holding up a placard that says "Free Hugs". I have to say the Free Hugs Campaign in Kore a is alive and kicking.Anyways, check out the following video of a Free Hugs Korea campaign gone bad. From my knowledge, they are supposed to actually hug you right? Well, while we were in Myeongdong last weekend we spotted some girls holding their signs proudly. So I decided to have some fun and put their Free Hugs gig to the test--by hugging both of them at the same time. Too bad they did not reciprocate, as they seemed a bit embarrassed by the whole situation (probably because there was a camera in their face...hehe). Check it out for yourself (I just got a haircut in the morning):This is a Free Hugs in Korea video on YouTube that has had 1.2 million views...how it is really supposed to work:Have you hugged anyone recently or been given a "free hug"?
More About: N Korea

Where are the Garbage Cans in Seoul?
2007-06-07 18:00:00
Are you a responsible citizen? Do you like to place garbage in the trash bin or are you a die hard "litter bug"? Anyways, after living in Seoul for 10 months, I have been impressed with their super duper concentrated efforts towards recycling everything. However, one thing I have noticed is that throughout the city, there is a lack of garbage cans.Down in the subway stations, there are zero garbage cans. The reason for this was to eliminate any chances of terrorist attacks within subway stations. It's a huge pain in the butt when you want to throw away some garbage, but there are absolutely no garbage cans in sight. How did this happen?Well, the South Korean government developed in 1995 a new garbage disposal system to reduce waste. Part of this involved purchasing standard garbage bags for disposal (different colors according to where you live) which is supposed to reduce the amount of garbage per person. According to an article from the Korean Herald:The new system was found to h...
More About: Garbage , Where , The G

Watch TV Soon with Beyond the Rhetoric
2007-06-06 17:01:00
Everybody knows by now that I'm a sucker for contests. I've entered a few contests in the past, one was to win a Nintendo Wii and most recently, was my entry into Stephen Fung's USB drive giveaway (which I won!). Anyways, contests are a great way to generate some traffic and publicity for your website. Now, the freelance writing of Michael Kwan has come up with a new contest giveaway: a nifty USB TV tuner!Entering these contests is part of being involved with the interesting world of blogging. Here's a picture of Beyond the Rhetoric in my Google Reader:The contest ends July 1st and is open worldwide. So head over to Michael's interesting blog if you want a chance to win. Let's see if my luck will carry on...unlike these frogs who are destined for the kitchen (I apologize for all those frog lovers out there! picture taken from my recent trip to Hong Kong):
More About: Internet , Watch , Blogging , Tori

June 6th: Memorial Day in Korea
2007-06-06 04:17:00
Today is a holiday in South Korea . It's Memorial Day , and according to the Life in Korea website: June 6 denotes the day set aside for citizens to remember those who died for their country. Civilians and soldiers alike are honored in ceremonies held throughout the country, especially at Seoul's National Cemetary.This holiday is similar to Remembrance Day in Canada, which falls on November 11th. How will we celebrate this holiday? Well...I think it would be a good time to watch Shrek 3. Last week we watched Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End at the Megabox. Movie theaters are one of the best places to spot the notoriously dressed "campus couples" in South Korea. It's also one of my favorite places to stuff my face full of food too!You know Pirates of the Caribbean is a popular movie when...it's playing in six theaters. We pre-bought our tickets for a Saturday morning show. The cost?--only 4000w ($4USD) each! So watching movies in the morning is definitely a bargain! Assign...
More About: Holidays , Entertainment

AGLOCO Viewbar Released and Ready to Download
2007-06-04 19:17:00
When I checked my email after work tonight, I found a very interesting email that I've been expecting. It was an email from AGLOCO informing me that their Viewbar has finally been released, and ready for download! After months of delay and speculation, the Viewbar is finally out for the public to download!What is AGLOCO about you ask? Well, it's a company that was created from the former founders of AllAdvantage, which paid you for surfing the net (the catch? you had to install a viewbar to accrue your surfing hours) but went bankrupt along with other companies during the dot com bust. Anyways, the founders are back and they have launched AGLOCO as the "new" AllAdvantage. I was skeptical of AllAdvantage back in the day, but that skepticism disappeared when I actually received multiple checks in the mail.If AGLOCO can deliver the goods like AllAdvantage, sign me up. If you are interested in joining up with AGLOCO, you can sign up here through my network. The more referrals you have...
More About: Internet , Download , Blogging , Released , Load

The Best Places to Take a Nap in Seoul
2007-06-04 16:45:00
When you're feeling tired, what should you do? The obvious answer is to get some rest, or try to take a nap. However, the big question remains...just where is the best place to take a nap, especially in Seoul ? Well, you could nap on your bed or couch, but that's no fun. Why not venture outside and get some fresh air while you're resting?Every time I venture out and about in the city, I always see something random. Luckily I am always armed with my camera to snap up on these Kodak moments. Check out these chaps enjoying their rest on the weekend. It seems like some of the best places are out in public, in high traffic areas. Let's take a closer look, shall we?This one is an oldie, taken way back from our first trip to Insadong last July. This is a classic...when you're tired, just stretch out your arms and lean back. If you make it look like you're dead, people will leave you right alone--perfect!This is a buddy of mine near Jongno...he was tired after walking around all day in...
More About: Places , Lace

Want to Get Dirty in Seoul with Christina Aguilera?
2007-06-03 06:45:00
Seoul has had its share of artists dropping by for concerts. Think of Eric Clapton (Jan 2006), The Backstreet Boys (Jan 2006; hell yeah), Jay-Z (Fall 2006). Some people argue that Seoul might be off the radar for big name acts. What do you think? When was the last concert you attended in Seoul?Speaking of concerts, Christina Aguilera is hitting up Seoul on the weekend of June 23rd and 24th. Is anyone going to check her out concert? It's going to be at the Olympic Park Stadium. I found out that the cheapest tickets are going to cost 88,000w (roughly $90US). How did I hear about Christina's "Back to Basics" tour? I saw it on a nylon billboard in Hongdae! Maybe I need to read the newspapers more, but I never seem to find out about what's going on. What's your number one resource?I will leave you with a clip of the Jay-Z concert (thanks YouTube!)--they love the Jigga Man in Seoul:
More About: Entertainment , Dirty , Dirt

Korean Fashion: Campus Couple Saturday!
2007-06-02 05:37:00
Today is a special day because it's what I'd like to call "Campus Couple " Saturday . This will feature some of the latest Korean fashion worn by couples that I've spotted in the past couple of weeks. If you haven't seen some of the other campus couple observations, check them out here. You have to be fast to take these pictures, or else you'll lose your one moment to shine. If I miss my shot, sometimes we turn around and follow them paparazzi-style for that "perfect" shot (which is hard to come across at times). Let's take a look at what we have in store today!This was taken inside the elevator on the way up to the Megabox movie theater. I had to be a little sneaky since they were literally a meter away from us. I took this picture because the guy's outfit was just so darn...cute:One more from the back, after his girlfriend put her black vest to complete the "campus couple" look:It seems like blacks vests are the thing to wear for couples...check out this mannequins modeling t...
More About: Fashion

Dining at Jackie's Kitchen in Seoul
2007-06-01 04:13:00
Jackie Chan is the king of comedic action movies. I watched his movies growing up as a kid, in particular the original Police Story. I remember watching it when I was younger and being unable to control my laughter when Jackie turned to using pencils to eat a bowl of noodles. That memory has stuck inside my head and it led me to experience dining at Jackie's restaurant chain, Jackie's Kitchen .The sixth location in Seoul just recently had a "grand open", conveniently right by us in Mokdong located in the CBS Building, along with ColdStone and VIPS. I have heard mixed reviews about the food quality and prices at Jackie's Kitchen in Seoul. So of course, we ventured out on the weekend and had to try it out for ourselves. Since I had just returned from a quick "food vacation" in Hong Kong, my palate definitely had high expectations for dim sum! Let's take a look at our experience at Jackie's Kitchen in Seoul.We entered the restaurant through the CBS Building after making a quick sto...
More About: Reviews , Food , Restaurants , Dining

The Hyundai Tuscany in Korea
2007-05-31 16:55:00
When the Hyun dai Tiburon sports coupe debuted in late 1996, it caught the attention of others around the world including myself. Although the design was sleek at the time, I never considered owning one (I was a die hard Honda fan--I have previously driven a '94 Acura Integra RS, '95 Acura Integra GS-R, and '98 Acura 1.6EL). It was the "it's still a Hyundai" mentality that some import car enthusiasts had. However, times have changed and Hyundai is now one of the leading car manufactures in the world.For those who are not already aware, the Hyundai Tiburon goes by the name of the Hyundai Tuscany here in South Korea , and the Hyunda Coupe in other worldwide markets. What does a Hyundai Tuscany look like? It looks the same as the Tiburon in North America. Here are a couple pictures of the Tuscany, if you are not already aware of what one looks like:The 2007 Tiburon:Were you ever into the import car scene (or currently still an avid fan)? What kind of car do you drive? It is...a Hyundai?
More About: Cars

Why Google Korea Will Fail in South Korea
2007-05-30 16:58:00
What is one way to find out news fast? Check out the stories on the social news site, Digg. I just noticed one that caught my eye. It was a story about Google Korea 's new 'animated' start page, which looks much better than the regular Google.com homepage. When you rollover the icons along the bottom, little animations appear revealing the Google's other innovative free services, such as Gmail (2.8GB of online storage and the BEST spam filter available), Google Talk, Google Calendar, Google Notebook, Google Toolbar, Google Desktop Search, and Picasa (a simple to use photo organizing software).This is probably part of Google's plan to get a bigger chunk of the Korean internet search market, as it is currently dominated by the domestic search giant, Naver, which since its inception in 1999, has remained very popular. Naver also has its own email, blog, and desktop search just to name a few services. Another popular search engine portal is Daum, which has risen in popularity since ...
More About: Internet , South Korea , Blogging

The Winner of Stephen Fung's Blog Contest: Me!
2007-05-29 16:55:00
One of the joys of blogging is discovering blogs written by others within the online community. It's interesting to read up about what other people are up to in their lives. One of the blogs that I visit regularly is Stephen Fung DOT NET, who lives in Vancouver, BC. He is a Dot Com Mogul in the making that enjoys giving to charity--his blog is definitely an interesting read.With his recent USB contest giveaway, participants were required to post a comment as to why they should win the USB drive. Stephen was generous enough to donate one dollar per entry (up to $100) for every person who entered the contest. Even though only 12 people entered, he topped up the amount to $25. Requirements for comment posts had to be somewhat humorous to crack him up. Here is what I wrote that won the contest for me:Here are the TOP 3 reasons why you should give this USB flash drive to Gdog: 1. I get to see inebriated Koreans puke all over the sidewalks and subway stations?it?s so darn cool because th...
More About: Contest , Internet , Blogging , Blog , Winner

Maple Story: Another Video Game in South Korea
2007-05-28 16:43:00
Remember the recent announcement about the upcoming release of Starcraft 2 in South Korea ? Anyways, that game got my students (and some Korean staff) super excited. This is nothing new, but if you're not aware already, South Korea is one of the most connected countries in the world. People here play Sudden Attack 24/7 in PC Bangs, also known as computer gaming cafes. I really need to visit one before I depart from South Korea.A major "massively multi-player online role-playing games" (or MMORPGs) that is hugely popular here amongst elementary kids is the Korean developed Maple Story . This online multiplayer game basically is an adventure game where you can spend real money to buy enhancements. It's huge here--almost all my younger students like to play Maple Story when they have free time (which is next to none). Maple Story is coming out for the Nintendo DS which also has people excited.The purpose of this post is to let you in on something...which I like to call "Korean pogs". I...
More About: Video , Entertainment

Jogyesa Temple: Lotus Lantern Festival in Korea
2007-05-27 07:40:00
May 24th was Buddha's birthday, and in celebration it was a holiday in Seoul (which meant a day off for us from work). The Lotus Lantern Festival is an annual event leading up to Buddha's birthday. There was a large parade (that I missed!! You can check out "Lanternpolooza" pictures here and here) from Jongno street from Dongdaemun Stadium to Jogyesa Temple that was held on May 20th. I was a bit disappointed, but what I really hoped to see was the 1000's of lanterns at Jogyesa temple. I went on Saturday afternoon/evening and I was in luck as the lanterns were still up.I've seen pictures of the lanterns in books on Korea and I was glad that I visited the temple to see them for myself. It really is breathtaking since there are so many handmade lanterns hanging in the air:As for the temple itself, located inside are three Buddha statues. The temple area was calm and peaceful...so peaceful that I took a nap in the bushes nearby--NOT! (A Borat inspired "NOT!"; It would have been fun...
More About: Holidays

The Last Food Diary Entry from Hong Kong
2007-05-26 16:05:00
This is it...the finale, the last hurrah, the finito, whatever you want to call it--the last entry of my "food vacation" to Hong Kong . In the beginning I had a goal of reporting to you every single morsel of food that entered my body. I believe we have been successful, minus some chewing gum, miscellaneous candy, grapes I had at my cousin's house, and a few sips of Coke Zero. Other than that, this should be it (oh wait, I had an ice cream cone at the airport before I returned to Seoul). Here's the list in order:- my first "afternoon tea" snack in Hong Kong,- then roast goose dinner,- dessert at Hui Lau Shan,- a pre-dim sum snack,- dim sum for breakfast,- Hui Lau Shan part deux,- cow stomach noodles as an afternoon snack,- dinner in Tsim Sha Tsui,- dim sum dish washing rituals,- and finally mangosteens and pork buns.If you want to view all my Hong Kong entries on one page, you can view them here.For this last entry, I had dinner with my aunt and a couple of my mom's friends. After...
More About: Diary , Travel , Food

The Easiest Way to Move in Seoul
2007-05-25 16:55:00
Moving to a new place can be a pain in the butt. You have to organize and pack all your junk to prepare it for moving. I always find it interesting when I'm packing things up to move because I always find something interesting that I never knew I had. If that's the case, then whatever I found should have been thrown into the trash. Ahh, the joys of being a rat pack. It's a tough habit to break I tell ya.When we moved to from our original officetel to our bigger officetel, it was quite easy because we only had to drag our stuff up six floors (using a Homever shopping cart is more handy than you think). What happens when you want to get serious about moving furniture and other miscellaneous goods? Well, if you live in an apartment, this is one of the easiest way to move, as spotted on the way to work one day. Using a massive lift that goes up thirteen stories or so...awesome. I'd hate for my grand piano to fall down from up there though:Have you experienced moving with one of thes...
More About: Housing , Move , Seoul

My Cafe de Coral Experience in Hong Kong
2007-05-24 15:32:00
Today we had a day off from work because it's BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY! To celebrate I am going to tell you more about the food I ate in Hong Kong (oh boy!)...excited yet?This will be last of my afternoon tea "snack" posts about my recent trip to Hong Kong. Anyways, the purpose of trip was for a job interview. Who knows where we will end up once our contract is finished in Korea. Anyways, after the interview I met my aunt at Cafe de Coral , a large Hong Kong cafe chain. I'll talk a little more about them later. So...after an interview, one's brain gets a little fried. I wasn't hungry but I ate anyways (who am I kidding, I'm ALWAYS hungry). What did I eat?Prior to making a decision on what to eat, I was informed that my mom's friend was going to take us out to dinner later in the day. So I had to order accordingly to leave room for dinner. I ordered a pork chop sandwich on a Portuguese bun and an iced "yeen yeung", or a coffee/tea mix. This sandwich was good, but the BEST pork chop sa...
More About: Travel , Food , Experience

The Fresh Waffles and Cream Lady in Hongdae
2007-05-23 16:55:00
Some people follow the mantra that hard work pays off (well, it does most of the time). I believe in this too most of the time and so does the following waffle lady in Hong dae. If you haven't spotted her little waffle shack yet, you should. It's one of the most popular snack stalls in Hongdae and it's located up the hill on the same side as the Giordano store.What's the secret to her success? Well, for starters she sells fresh made waffles with your choice of cream or ice cream as a filling--for only 600w. Usually, most food stalls charge 1000w+ for something similar (like in Myeongdong). So her money making plan is to sell waffles by volume by working super fast. It's quite amazing watching her pour the waffle batter into her three waffle presses, taking the cooked waffles out to cool, making the waffles, and at the same time accepting cash and giving change.Let's say she is able to sell two to three waffles a minute, with no washroom break and working as fast as she can. How...
More About: Food , Lady , Fresh , Cream

Want to Taste the World's Most Expensive Mango?
2007-05-22 16:39:00
Prior to our arrival in Seoul to teach English in Korea, someone told me that Seoul was an expensive city to live in. I kept an open mind and ignored the comment, waiting to make my own judgment after reaching the Korean peninsula. Well, now that I'm here...some things certainly are cheaper than back home (think clothes and accessories) but there are still some pricey items here, compared to back home and other world cities.Have you checked out my mini "World's Most _______ " list? Think back to:The World's Most Expensive Maple SyrupThe World's Worst Goldfish BowlThe World's Most Heavily Defended BorderWell today I'm adding to that list...The World's Most Expensive Mango !I've said this before and I'll say it again: fruit is expensive in South Korea. There must be crazy import taxes on fruit from abroad, because the selection here is limited to fruit that is domestically grown. Finding cheap tropical fruit can be difficult. Apples and oranges can be over a dollar each. Kiwis...
More About: Food , Taste , Want

South Korea's Fattest Dog Loves Giordano
2007-05-19 17:27:00
Who loves shopping? Do you? I love shopping too. However, when pet owners go shopping their pets can be pretty lonely at home all alone. What's the next best thing? Take Fido with you! That's what I witnessed last week inside the Giordano store in Hongdae. I saw quite possibly one of the fattest dogs in South Kore a. This cute doggy was INSIDE the store roaming around and trying on socks and underwear. My first reaction was "gee, I wonder how you would taste on the barbecue?"--that was a joke, please calm down all you dog lovers out there! ;-)Anyways, check out the following video of this pooch in action (that voice is our friend wanting a picture):I feel sorry for the little legs that have to carry all this weight:"Do these pants make me look fat?"On a side note at the next store, this girl was nice enough to pour some scalding hot tea into my mouth--thanks lady:
More About: Shopping , Test

Hot Pot in Korea: Shabu Shabu in Hongdae
2007-05-19 16:15:00
Have you had shabu shabu before? It's the Japanese hot pot experience that is thriving in Korea . I think of it as Chinese hot pot, where you throw various meat and vegetables into boiling/simmering broth to cook. By the end of it, the broth is full of flavor from the ingredients.This shabu shabu experience took place in Hongdae last week. For 9000w each ($10US) four of us had a huge plate of thinly sliced beef and vegetables to cook. The price also included a cabbage coleslaw appetizer and iced green tea (very refreshing) was included too. Let's stop talking and move onto the food!This restaurant had a relaxing atmosphere with each table having a burner placed in the middle:Here is our appetizer, pretty tasty and well proportioned with the right amount of dressing:Here's the massive plate of meat and vegetables I was talking about. There's something here for everyone. The beef was thinly sliced like how it is prepared for Vietnamese pho noodle soup. Now, because I was so hungry ...
More About: Reviews , Food , Restaurants , N Korea

The Forgotten Pre-Dim Sum Warm Up Breakfast
2007-05-17 18:03:00
The previous Hong Kong food update was about dinner, and prior to that it was dim sum. I forgot to post about a "mini" breakfast that I had right before heading to Tsim Sha Tsui for dim sum. My aunt and I quickly popped into one of her favorite cafes for a light snack.This time around I had a hot "yeen yeung" and an order of Hong Kong-style French toast (I scraped away most of the butter--see, I do advocate healthy eating). I also ate half of my aunt's buttered toast. This is the perfect pre-dim sum breakfast. Since I basically consumed a whole bunch of carbs (and some protein from the French Toast) it only lasted the subway ride anyways. Once we traveled from Olympic station to Tsim Sha Tsui, I was hungry again. So don't worry, I was well taken care of. ;)
More About: Travel , Food , Breakfast , Fast

Eating Dinner in Tsim Sha Tsui
2007-05-17 16:47:00
Here we go again with another Hong Kong food update. If you have family in Hong Kong and they are taking you out to dinner, most of the time you just go with the flow and eat whatever is ordered and served to you. After visiting some of my cousins in Tsuen Wan, we decided to head back to Tsim Sha Tsui for dinner. I can't remember the name of this restaurant that we went to, but it was located underneath a hotel. Forgive me for not concentrating hard enough on the name, as I was concentrating harder on what I was going to eat!Do you like XO sauce? It's a Cantonese-style spicy seafood sauce that contains dried chopped up seafood such as scallop, dried fish, and shrimp that has been cooked with chili and other ingredients. It's an excellent side dish and is seen as a gourmet concoction. I love the stuff to death...tasty and spicy!Since it was only the four of us, we didn't go all out and just opted for a simple dinner. Here we have some roast pork, with the skin done just right--ni...
More About: Travel , Food , Dinner , Eating

May 15th: Teacher's Day in South Korea
2007-05-16 16:38:00
There are many "special days" in South Korea . Do you remember White Day and Pepero Day? Well, recently on May 14th it was Yellow Day-Rose Day. On Rose Day you give roses to people. I did not know this but Devante got a rose from one of her students. It was a single red rose that he secretly hid on her chair that was pushed into her desk--how sweet (I threatened his life afterwards for trying to make moves on my girl--btw, he was only 10 years old)! Also, on Yellow Day lonely singles are supposed to round themselves up and eat curry together. Dressing in yellow is also an option--what fun!Teacher's Day is May 15th of every year. On this day students rejoice by paying respects to their teachers. Most schools have the day off or half days. Unfortunately, private hagwons stay open, so these kids still have to go to academies on special days! I don't expect my students to give me anything, but whenever I get some sort of "peace offering" that student automatically gets an A+--hey, ever...
More About: South Korea , Teaching , Student life

Eating Beef Tripe Noodles for Afternoon Tea
2007-05-15 16:53:00
We're halfway through my mini trip to Hong Kong . This was my routine for two and a half days:-wake up-eat a cheap and delicious Hong Kong-style breakfast-eat lunch-eat afternoon tea-eat dinner-eat dessert (Hui Lau Shan 80% of the time)**repeatThis is how you maximize your time in Hong Kong if you're only here for a short period of time--eat yourself into oblivion! Anyways, here's my little blurb about what I had for my afternoon tea "snack". We hung around Tsim Sha Tsui for the day so this is where most of my meals originated. This time around, I revisited one of my favorite little restaurants that serves some of the best beef tripe (the muscular lining of a cow's stomach; loved by all around the world) noodles. If you haven't had beef tripe done up Hong Kong style (it's always awesome for dim sum) I would highly recommend it. The beef tripe at this little spot in marinated in its own juices all day, resulting in tripe that melts in your mouth. *insert Homer Simpson drool soun...
More About: Travel , Food , Beef , Noodles