Still Alive - And movin' on up...

...to higher elevations. Out of Seoul, and into the mountains and hills of Korea's Gangwon province. Much more to come!

The more you watch the less you know

Perhaps an odd topic for my first post in almost exactly a full calendar year, but I watched a fairly frightening documentary today. Comparing the Ministry of Truth in the classic 1984 with new FCC regulations under Bush's white house, the doc explores the relationship between media control and the trouncing of democracy. With media ownership falling into fewer and fewer hands, whose view will we come to embrace as truth?

"Orwell rolls in his grave" http://www.freedocumentaries.org/theatre.php?filmid=87&id=801&wh=1000x720 -lots of other free docs to be found on this site worth their 1-2 hours of time and more.

In other news, life in Korea has continued to be wonderful. Still climbing, though more sporadically than i'd like. The bouldering scene in this country however, is about to explode. Its what'll happen when climber types wishing they had more time+$$$ back in N America discover the financial freedom and house-sized stones accessible in korea. awesome.

Plastic bag philosophy under flickering florescent strip lighting

- groovy, but if you suffer from epilepsy, ask a doctor first.

http://www.yhchang.com/LOTUS_BLOSSOM.html

in-transit: Euljiro sam ga

Insubong enjoys its status as Korea's most classic peak to scale. A great view of western Seoul was expected from the top, but a shock and awe blitzkrieg of low heavy clouds had gathered from nowhere and consumed the peak by the 5th pitch.

Our route followed fractures along the sparse tree line on the right, tucked under the over-hanging 'nose' and emerged on top in a soup of fog and cool autumn rain.

"Beauty is not less for falling in the breeze"

Does grace colour us all the same? ... Copper and bronze coins high up in the trees fall to pay our weight, our way, through winter.

-From Paulette Dube's 'First Mountain'

Gyeonghuigung

The west Palace

Quite empty on a Wednesday evening

5 blocks away

all along.

I mean to wander more often.

After the better part of an hour, mid-evening hunger and a flashing low battery light had me heading towards the front exit where I'd come in, and where I caught the night-duty putting the last crossbar across the heavy wooden doors. 5 minutes later and I'd have been spending the whole night where the kings had slept.

In wild anticipation of finishing the last two episodes of the third and tragically final season of Arrested Development, I tore open the pack of popcorn seeds that'd been sitting in my cupboard for the past 3 months, and went to town on the gas stove. I really hadn't planned on putting back enough popcorn to overfill a stove pot and require the additional space of a medium mixing bowl as well as a bonus-size cereal dish, but I was inspired. Arrested Development has been the best use of roughly 20 hours at home after work that would normally have been used for something even less productive.

One of the greatest scenes out of the whole series. Astroman takes on the Mole, destroying a desert subdivision mock-up, and wildly insulting a score of Japanese would-be investors.

The popcorn, was brilliant. Perfect. All 2 gallons of it. When does LOST start up again?

For the past 8 months I have been unable to access this blog at work, blocked by some malicious code intentionally designed to keep me on track with the business of teaching English. And now, the wall has fallen. Could this hearld a flurry of insightful postings pertaining to my life, work, and observations in South Korea? It could. Or not.

There's the bell.

Chusok Holiday

The carefree, empty beach days often associated with summers by the lake back home, do exist in Korea. But you've got to wait until September to find them. While 98% of Koreans hit the highways heading to family gatherings, handfuls of familiar foreigners jumped on a boat at Incheon and had the island all to themselves. Perfect sand, warm water, blue skies.

Happy Chusok.

Deokjeokdo, and the Yellow Sea