Subway wedding

Subway wedding

``Those who played a part in the bogus wedding ceremony should offer a public apology. I feel so ashamed of sympathizing with the couple,’’ an Internet user posted on a major portal site.

Another user said that it is wrong to cheat subway passengers who thought the ceremony was real, saying the students should have performed the act in a theater instead.

``It is sad that nobody will believe it when something like this actually happens in the future. A happening like this makes the world a harsher place,’’ another user lamented.

Sense of humour anyone...?

Happy Christmas

Ho Ho Ho HO HO

Live Club Night and Fuck Japs

These were stencilled all around Hongdae so I couldn't resist.

Nice to see that old tensions never die.

Tried out Live Club Day again this Friday with David, Kath, Tom, Peter, Caleb, Carl and some others. Unfortunately the bands weren't much cop this time around. At a bar called Alice we got settled into the nice ambience waiting for the band who ended up sounding like every daytime TV chatshow/gameshow/lifstyle show theme tune you've ever heard. We left. Back to the Freebird where a rock cover band was doing their thing. They weren't great but they did do a pretty good Queen medley.

We ended up in Bar 66 to try and save the night. I had to leave soon after though on account of my Saturday shift.

Queens Birthday Ball

Went to the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Itaewon to attend the Queen's Birthday Ball. Black tie event. The theme was Doctor Who and there was an ice sculpture of the TARDIS outside the main ball room.

I went with a David and Kath (no date for me) and we shared a table with some friends of Dave's, a couple of career US amry guys and their wives and some others who's names I've forgotten. The food was fantastic as was the jazz band that played. There was a free bar too (we asked that the Baileys was left at our table) and Dave and I finished our time in the ball room supping brandy and puffing on cigars next to the huge window that takes up one whole side of the ball room and overlooks the lit fountain. With the tuxes, cigars and Sinatra covers, it was like being in a scene from Goodfellas (but without psychos running around asking if we thought they were funny).

The previous week I went and got measured up for a suit in Itaewon, 300,000 won (150 quid) for two piece suit, fancy dress shirt and bow tie all made to measure. I wanted to hire a tux like I would have done back in the UK but it's impossible to do that here. I'me getting older so I figured I should be going to more balls these days anyway, right?

Co-worker Meet-up

Met up with some ex-coworkers in Gangnam today. I've not seen Mi-young since she left Daewoo months ago, plus some other guys still at Daewoo turned up.

We had nice Vietnamese noodle soup at Jackie's Kitchen before moving on to a Japanese odeng bar for beers and snacks.

New Job

My last job has finished, contract over and no chance of renewal. A shame because of the money, but not such a shame in that I needed a change of environment. So what to do? I've found it near impossible to get another IT related job in Korea. One reason is that Korea is home to it's own skilled IT workforce (therefore it's hard to justify hiring a foreigner), another is that I don't speak Korean. If I want to continue doing website related work, I'll have to go back to England, but I don't really want to do that at the moment so I opted to try what my foreigner friends do in Korea and teach. I had four interviews, four job offers and I chose a job teaching adults near Gangnam. It was the best paying of the lot but the hours aren't very sociable. We'll see how it goes. I'll be starting the end of this month. In the free periods I'm going to start revising then studying more Korean.

I'll have to make the most of these free days.

Limited Express

On Saturday and Sunday night I went to see Limited Express (has gone?) at Club DGBD and Club Aura in Hongdae.

Here are the photos.

I thought I'd see them both times because I get starved for decent music in the middle of this huge city. My decision was in no way influenced by the fact that the bassist was extremely cute. The band members were very friendly and cheerful, smiling all the time while belting out their punky and discordant music, sometimes screaming and squeeling and always jumping around. It was quite a show. The DGBD gig was better because they played longer and were far more energetic, but the Aura show was still pretty good.

Club DGBD is a cool venue. You go down some stairs and walk along a gallery on one side of the room that overlooks the main floor and stage. To get to the main floor you go down more steps at the bak of the room. The sound there was so loud that for he first time ever I actually stuffed toilet tissue into my ears.

Dancing In Silence

This is an odd idea, but I'd love to see it in action!

Silent Disco (The Guardian)...

"You would be completely freaked out to see 3,000 people dancing in silence. It's certainly quirky, but our big push this year is keeping the noise down because that's what the council is keen on."

Limited Express

Band: Limited Express. From Japan, avant garde punk. Never heard them, heard good things though.

Time & Place 1: Saturday 2 April - Club DGBD, Hongdae. It's nearer Hapjeong station actually; leave by exit 3 and head towards Hongik Uni station keeping to the right-hand side of the road. Then take a right at the first big cross road you come to and it should be on the right somewhere.

Time & Place 2: Sunday 3 April - Club Aura, Hongdae. It's nearer Sinchon station actually; leave by exit 8 and stick to left-hand side of the road. Walk some way then take the next biggish turn on your left. It's not a cross roads, more of a major T-junction. Keep along there and it'll be on your left.

Personally I think they should play a gig on Dokdo.

Dinosaur Jr. reform for Fuji

Link: Dinosaur Jr. reform for Fuji - Music-News.com.

Now dats some news!!!!

Fuji Rock Festival.