some photos

If you want bigger copies, say for desktops, just let me know. Flickr resizes everything smaller than I'd like.

So I went walking through downtown Seoul late in the afternoon. Apparently I also had shakey hands (or not enough light to work with) so here's what I saw:

I nearly shit my pants when I found this. I have the smack-my-head moment, yes, even now two months on: 'whoa, I'm not in Canada anymore.' Here was another moment. I mean, we don't really have statues of medieval ass-kicking admirals in our cities, and none of our mountains look quite like those. By the way, this is Yi Sun-sin


Is there anything more cliched in photography than 'old meets new?'


I gotta say, after seeing Yi Sun-sin, this utterly shitty piece of public art was quite a letdown. Say what you want about honoring ancient tyrants, at least we aren't staring up at a stupid gaudy shell.


Yeah, lots of traffic. Off in the distance is Namdaemun, the South gate of what was ancient Seoul.


Off in the distance, Seoul tower in the middle of a park. Closer to the foreground, you can see that Koreans are ready for Christmas. Took this shot just moments before they turned on all those lights. And I do enjoy 'happy sales.'


All that gawking at big buildings is useless without acknowledging the agricultural sector that makes all that impressiveness possible. This was a quick snapshot from the bus... farms seem to get crowded into the tiny spaces left over when the kilometres of furniture shops, driving ranges and garden centres taper off. Most food in Korea is domestic; contrary to the rhetoric of neo-liberals even 'Asian Miracle' countries like Korea protect their agricultural sectors. Korea is negotiating a free-trade pact with the U.S., and agricultural protection is on the cutting block. Just in time, the government is declaring that they will crack down on 'anti-social' elements who might object to the destruction of their livelihoods. At the same time, the Korean government seems to be determined not to lose their farming sector without shaking loose some sort of compromise out of the Americans. And American negotiators don't seem to do too well in offering compromises. Interesting times...

not dead...

Mired in work. Kids had their finals last week, and now I'm writing comments for their report cards. These comments bring out the 'failed writer' in me, that toxic combination of perfectionism and procrastination that kills most would-be novels within three chapters. What's ironic is that the comments, for the most part, are probably complete gibberish to the Korean parents that read it. Especially after I put my heart into explaining why their rat-bastard kid could achieve their full potential, if only they would stop trying to shiv me. Ha ha, okay that's not true at all. I may have inadvertently exagerrated the depth and scope of shivvings in my classroom.

I had a nasty day when my gas seemed to stop working, but that seems to have cleared up now. The stoves are working (hot coffee tomorrow!) Also: the water heater has just coughed and turned over (hot shower!). What else? After two weeks of searching, I have found a hoodie. I'm not much for the charcoal-grey sweater conservatism of male Korean attire. Already the kids are in love with my wallet-chain and the fact that sometimes I wear glasses, and sometimes I don't. Also, I wear a button-down shirt, untucked, unbuttoned, over a simple t-shirt! This could be another episode of "You're doing it wrong", but honestly I could give two shits, as long as the bosses are happy. I don't wear my Fucked Up band pins, and I keep the hoodie with the 'Fuck white supremacy' patch at home. (Not that I'm embarassed by the principle at play, but the explanation and translation might be somewhat awkward for grade school.)

After two weeks, I have fallen out of love with Korean television. Too many cosmetic commercials! Too many doe-eyed pouty waifs! I've gotten sick of that shit, and I can see why Misun has been denouncing that aspect of Korean culture since I've been here. Also: there's only so many games of Starcraft that you can watch on television before it gets dull-ass boring. Heh, kind of like football. You either have to delve into the minutae of tactics and personalities, or watch it casually a few times a year. Oh, did I mention that the kids who compete in Starcraft tournaments wear racing jackets? Funny shit. No, the only thing I can bear to watch is this: ding. Thanks, discovery channel. You still suck though. At some point I also will force myself to watch an hour of the American Forces Channel, if only so I can review and disseminate it for my other long-suffering weblog. I miss you, pleasure-spot! I just have to finish writing fucking comments for these kids...