The thing looks a little terrified and surprised at it's ability to burp fire.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Cower Before me Puny Mortals
Once again, the parade dragons. This was my third time seeing the Lotus Lantern Festival parade and these guys are still the hit of the show. I just know though, that given repeated use, one of the things will blow up one day.
The Rally
The Rally
Originally uploaded by karmking1111
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Hooters Water
"Please enjoy this water. A $4 dollar charge will be placed on your bill." For $4 for water, I'm sure Hooter's Hotel and Casino would love for me to drink their water. Then again I gave them more than that at the blackjack table and got nothing back in return. Ah, Vegas.
That's right, Hooters has a hotel and casino in Vegas and I stayed in it. Say what you will. The price was right.
I was a bad photographer on this trip. The only pics I took were of this bottle of water and some random shots around the southwest.
Kat and I had a great time back. It was fun to catch up with old friends if only for a short time. Those of you I wasn't able to catch up with, we will see each other on the next trip (which will probably be the wedding...which will be in Vegas as well... but probably not at Hooters).
That's right, Hooters has a hotel and casino in Vegas and I stayed in it. Say what you will. The price was right.
I was a bad photographer on this trip. The only pics I took were of this bottle of water and some random shots around the southwest.
Kat and I had a great time back. It was fun to catch up with old friends if only for a short time. Those of you I wasn't able to catch up with, we will see each other on the next trip (which will probably be the wedding...which will be in Vegas as well... but probably not at Hooters).
Scenic Lookout
This pic makes me homesick. It's something that's hard to explain. The west can be a lonely, trying place-- but beautiful and welcoming as well.
Emerald Pools 1
I've always wanted to see Zions canyon with snow in it. I've actually wanted to snowshoe in it, but the canyon rarely gets that much of the white stuff. Still it was a pretty cool site to see the cliffs with the light dusting they had.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
The Best of Both Worlds
Sometimes life presents you with a perfect mix. Here is New Zealand meets Korea. Flight of the Conchords at the No-Re-Bong. For those of you who are not familiar with either, sorry for the gibberish.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Taming of the Mechanical Korean Bull
This pic was taken this summer by Jason. We found a carnival along the beach in Bundang. I don't want to dis on the Korean cowboys, but they weren't doing to well. They would hop on the bull, get real stiff, lock their arms and legs, and fall off on the first buck. One guy was so drunk that I don't believe they even started the bull; he just fell off. I decided to show everybody what was up and put on a show. Actually I think I was just mediocre, but compared to the competition, I shined.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Friday, January 09, 2009
Palawan, oh Palawan
The long awaited winter vacation to the Philippines has come and gone. There was laughter, joy, anger, frustration, and a few tears wept in happiness and uncontrollable rage. Yes, Misty and Kat were rather embarrassed to travel with me.
We stayed a few days in Puerto Princesa and then headed to the northern town of El Nido. Good friends Sarah and Jason went to El Nido about six months ago and I made fun of them for it. "El Neato?" I said, "What sort of tourist trap is that?" I am well aware of the irony, taking travel advice from the people I just made fun of. I humble myself before you Sarah and Jason. You may now make fun of me (although I'm sure you already do).
Rather than go into everything that happened, I'm going to piece-meal this entry and give the advice I wish I'd had on my journey:
1. Puerto Princesa is not beach adjacent. I repeat, it is not on the ocean. There is no beach. It's amazing how that came as surprise, not just to my small group, but to many other travelers as well.
2. If you find yourself in Puerto Princessa, do the Honda Bay tour. The tour company will drive you fifteen minutes to the port and the boat will take you to three pristine islands. Well worth the cost.
3. The Underground River is cool, just be prepared for hordes of tourists.
4. Do not bring bananas to the Underground River. Rather, plant bananas on your friend and watch him/her get get mugged by monkeys. I saw a monkey straight-up pilfer this Japanese man's bananas. It just ran right up and yoinked the fruit right off this guys backpack. It guess it is true, monkeys go bananas for bananas.
5. Make bus/shuttle van reservations in advance as soon as possible, and be prepared that your reservations may not be honored. Other option is to gather as many other travelers as you can and hire a private van.
6. Stay at Taiyo Cottages in El Nido. Most of the cottages in town are crammed together, and not all that peaceful. Taiyo is different. It's a bit of a walk to get there, but it's worth it. http://www.elnidocottages.com/
7. I don't recommend the island hopping Tour A, B or C packages in El Nido. We did tour A and it was a frantic dash from island to island. Instead hire a private boat (the people at Taiyo can do this for you) and tour the islands at your pleasure. Be aware that the sea can get rough.
8. The Manila airport is a zoo of epic proportions. Get there at least 4 hours before your flight leaves.
9. Zest air is cheap, justifiably cheap.
10. Bring flashlights.
11. Watch out for Satan's creation on the secluded beaches. Satan's creation a.k.a sand fleas and nick-nicks. Bring bug spray. This can be purchased at the Art Cafe in downtown El Nido.
12. Bring all the money you will need for your trip. Puerto Princesa has ATMs but El Nido has yet build a town bank.
13. Bring Immodium or some other bowel plugging medicine. I mercifully won't go into detail here.
I'm sure there's more to say, but the list is long enough. Looking at the list it makes my trip seem full of travel mishaps, bug bites, and mad dashes to the bathroom. It was that, but it was more. We got to party and dance with the locals at an outdoor Christmas rave. We saw fireflies. We laid on the beach, read books, and drank wine. We met people from so many different countries and basically had new experiences. That will do for me any time.
The long awaited winter vacation to the Philippines has come and gone. There was laughter, joy, anger, frustration, and a few tears wept in happiness and uncontrollable rage. Yes, Misty and Kat were rather embarrassed to travel with me.
We stayed a few days in Puerto Princesa and then headed to the northern town of El Nido. Good friends Sarah and Jason went to El Nido about six months ago and I made fun of them for it. "El Neato?" I said, "What sort of tourist trap is that?" I am well aware of the irony, taking travel advice from the people I just made fun of. I humble myself before you Sarah and Jason. You may now make fun of me (although I'm sure you already do).
Rather than go into everything that happened, I'm going to piece-meal this entry and give the advice I wish I'd had on my journey:
1. Puerto Princesa is not beach adjacent. I repeat, it is not on the ocean. There is no beach. It's amazing how that came as surprise, not just to my small group, but to many other travelers as well.
2. If you find yourself in Puerto Princessa, do the Honda Bay tour. The tour company will drive you fifteen minutes to the port and the boat will take you to three pristine islands. Well worth the cost.
3. The Underground River is cool, just be prepared for hordes of tourists.
4. Do not bring bananas to the Underground River. Rather, plant bananas on your friend and watch him/her get get mugged by monkeys. I saw a monkey straight-up pilfer this Japanese man's bananas. It just ran right up and yoinked the fruit right off this guys backpack. It guess it is true, monkeys go bananas for bananas.
5. Make bus/shuttle van reservations in advance as soon as possible, and be prepared that your reservations may not be honored. Other option is to gather as many other travelers as you can and hire a private van.
6. Stay at Taiyo Cottages in El Nido. Most of the cottages in town are crammed together, and not all that peaceful. Taiyo is different. It's a bit of a walk to get there, but it's worth it. http://www.elnidocottages.com/
7. I don't recommend the island hopping Tour A, B or C packages in El Nido. We did tour A and it was a frantic dash from island to island. Instead hire a private boat (the people at Taiyo can do this for you) and tour the islands at your pleasure. Be aware that the sea can get rough.
8. The Manila airport is a zoo of epic proportions. Get there at least 4 hours before your flight leaves.
9. Zest air is cheap, justifiably cheap.
10. Bring flashlights.
11. Watch out for Satan's creation on the secluded beaches. Satan's creation a.k.a sand fleas and nick-nicks. Bring bug spray. This can be purchased at the Art Cafe in downtown El Nido.
12. Bring all the money you will need for your trip. Puerto Princesa has ATMs but El Nido has yet build a town bank.
13. Bring Immodium or some other bowel plugging medicine. I mercifully won't go into detail here.
I'm sure there's more to say, but the list is long enough. Looking at the list it makes my trip seem full of travel mishaps, bug bites, and mad dashes to the bathroom. It was that, but it was more. We got to party and dance with the locals at an outdoor Christmas rave. We saw fireflies. We laid on the beach, read books, and drank wine. We met people from so many different countries and basically had new experiences. That will do for me any time.
Naoko, Misty and Kat
Pictured is one of the sweetest ladies in the world (sorry Kat and Misty, it's not you). Naoko owns and runs Taiyo Cottages in El Nido and I recommend it hands down. She'll take good care of you.
Moth and Beer
The beer is there to give you some size perspective. It was the only thing I could find handy (stop judging me).
Honestly, this was the largest insect ever seen, including all of those insects I've seen in bug museums. Pretty cool, but then you start to wonder how big the spiders are on Palawan. If this is the size of a moth, I don't want to see what eats this thing.
Honestly, this was the largest insect ever seen, including all of those insects I've seen in bug museums. Pretty cool, but then you start to wonder how big the spiders are on Palawan. If this is the size of a moth, I don't want to see what eats this thing.
James Bond Entry
I thought I was super cool but apparently I did it wrong. I just kind of flopped. I figured what the hell, I got in the water, mission accomplished.
Misty Looks on as Minos Practices Counting
Pictured is Misty and our dive instructor Minos. All the girls were in love with this French dude and dubbed him McSalty (ala Grey's Anatomy). I just like the guy because he kept me alive underwater.
On a side note, on my second day of dives, I saw a Yellow Haired Ukrainian Idiot. I went diving with a bunch of internationals and this Ukrainian dingus dove to forty meters. After 30 meters bad things can happen (nitrogen narcosis, the bends, death). A dive master went down and made the guy come back up. The dude was almost out of air when he surfaced. I thought divers were a pretty respectable group with all the training that goes into it and what not, but I guess this doesn't apply to all divers.
On a side note, on my second day of dives, I saw a Yellow Haired Ukrainian Idiot. I went diving with a bunch of internationals and this Ukrainian dingus dove to forty meters. After 30 meters bad things can happen (nitrogen narcosis, the bends, death). A dive master went down and made the guy come back up. The dude was almost out of air when he surfaced. I thought divers were a pretty respectable group with all the training that goes into it and what not, but I guess this doesn't apply to all divers.
Am I Doing This Right?
Using my regulator above the water as I also give myself an upper-cut to the face.
Hot Springs Trail
Misty loved this. I thought it thoroughly sucked. Misty thought it was adventurous. I thought it was a major pain in the ass. When we signed up for the hot springs tour I envisioned luxurious mineral pools we could relax in. Instead it was a hot muddy hole in the ground.
Pictured is Kat walking the trail to the hot springs. At this point the water was scalding hot, so balancing on the skinny log was imperative. I took too much time trying to navigate the log, began to burn the bottom of my feet, scurried across, jumped to the other side of the spring, and sank crotch deep in mud. Adventurous? Yes, but it's the kind of adventure I can do without.
Pictured is Kat walking the trail to the hot springs. At this point the water was scalding hot, so balancing on the skinny log was imperative. I took too much time trying to navigate the log, began to burn the bottom of my feet, scurried across, jumped to the other side of the spring, and sank crotch deep in mud. Adventurous? Yes, but it's the kind of adventure I can do without.
I think all the close friends and relatives know already, but on Christmas I proposed to Kat. We found a secluded beach and the time seemed right so I popped the question. She said yes and I thank her for that. (I plan to spend the rest of my life thanking her.)
Tentative plans are to have the wedding in Las Vegas. I suggested the Chapel of Elvis, but Kat has something a bit more classy in mind. We are choosing Vegas strictly because it's a good half-way point between her family and mine.
Tentative plans are to have the wedding in Las Vegas. I suggested the Chapel of Elvis, but Kat has something a bit more classy in mind. We are choosing Vegas strictly because it's a good half-way point between her family and mine.
Holly Slips
Here's Holly pretending to fall a great distance and doing too good of a job. This pic scares me and I know it's not real.
Efficent Use of Passanger Space
This was our ride up to El Nido. Eight hours on a bumpy road with this. When we first arrived at the bus station we were informed that all the seats were sold out, but there was space in the isle and on top. Misty was all about riding up top, but eight hours on top without sunscreen did not appeal to me. Isle it was and despite being uncomfortable, everything worked out okay.
The Tricycle
The main form of transportation on Palawan. At one time we fit six people onto/into one of these.
Dance Suckas
This was one of the coolest things I've ever participated in. The walk back to our hotel zigzaged through a Philippino neighborhood in the jungle. On this night, December 23rd, there was a pretty big Christmas party going on and we were spontaneously invited. The adults gave us lots of rum and the kids just want to dance. A good time was had by all.
Gotcha 2
I was sitting out on our hotel porch when this spider darted between my legs and nabbed this fly. I would have screamed but the spider was about the size of a quarter of my little fingernail, so not very big. I snapped the super macro filter on my camera and this what I got. One of the coolest things I've ever seen.
The Snorkel Bread Dance
Here I am, man of the beach, getting my fishy groove on. I was about to go snorkeling and feed the fish. You can buy bags of buns to feed the the coral dwelling marine life. The Honda Bay Island hopping tour is highly recommended.
Gaping Maw
The entrance to the Underground River, a must see around Sabang and Puerto Princesa. Beware though, throngs of tourists lurk.
The Exit
My pictures don't do justice to the Underground River. In places the cave was was 50-60 meters high.
Monkey Detail
We didn't see too many monkeys, which was a shame. However, we did get to see a Japanese tourist mugged by a monkey for his bananas. It was as funny as it sounds.
Zest Air
"Zest Air-- Asia's most refreshing airline" Ah yes, nothing beats that cold wave of panic that hits you when Zest Air announces that they will no longer be flying on Fridays causing you to miss your connecting flight.
I have this piece of advice for travelers in Palawan, pack your patience. True, everything was beautiful and chill, but perhaps, it was a little too chill. We arranged for a shuttle van to take us the five hours south to the airport two days in advance. When we arrived at 7 in the morning we were informed that the shuttle was full and they could not honor our reservation. This was very reminiscent of that Seinfeld episode (see below). We then hired a private van which cost us three times as much and made it to the airport four hours in advance of our flight.
One would think that four hours would be enough to make a flight, but in our case this proved naught. Kat went to the Zest Air counter at three different times to see when we could check in. All the airport personal told us to wait and the Zest Air representative would be there shortly. An hour and half before our flight was scheduled to take off, someone finally approached us, asked what airline we were flying on (we were the only ones in the airport), we said Zest, then they laughed and told us all flights were canceled. They pointed to a half-taped piece of paper on the far wall that stated "Only fly Thursday, Saturday, Sunday until December 25th." Seeing as how this was January 2nd, we figured this did not apply any more. We were wrong. Refreshing indeed. I only have this to say about Zest Air and everyone at the El Nido airport (fill in the words as you see fit):
**** you, you ***-**** mother ******* pieces of ****. Do your ****-**** mother ****** job and take that ******* of ****** out of your ****** you ***** ****** ******* ****** infested ****** ****** hole ****** of ****** ******* that ******* ******* ****** eater ****** ****** donkey *******!!!
You get the picture. Eventually Zest coughed up the dough to get us on another flight (after initially telling us there was nothing that could be done), and we barely made our connecting flight the next day. Sometimes travel cures the travel bug in a stiff remedy.
I have this piece of advice for travelers in Palawan, pack your patience. True, everything was beautiful and chill, but perhaps, it was a little too chill. We arranged for a shuttle van to take us the five hours south to the airport two days in advance. When we arrived at 7 in the morning we were informed that the shuttle was full and they could not honor our reservation. This was very reminiscent of that Seinfeld episode (see below). We then hired a private van which cost us three times as much and made it to the airport four hours in advance of our flight.
One would think that four hours would be enough to make a flight, but in our case this proved naught. Kat went to the Zest Air counter at three different times to see when we could check in. All the airport personal told us to wait and the Zest Air representative would be there shortly. An hour and half before our flight was scheduled to take off, someone finally approached us, asked what airline we were flying on (we were the only ones in the airport), we said Zest, then they laughed and told us all flights were canceled. They pointed to a half-taped piece of paper on the far wall that stated "Only fly Thursday, Saturday, Sunday until December 25th." Seeing as how this was January 2nd, we figured this did not apply any more. We were wrong. Refreshing indeed. I only have this to say about Zest Air and everyone at the El Nido airport (fill in the words as you see fit):
**** you, you ***-**** mother ******* pieces of ****. Do your ****-**** mother ****** job and take that ******* of ****** out of your ****** you ***** ****** ******* ****** infested ****** ****** hole ****** of ****** ******* that ******* ******* ****** eater ****** ****** donkey *******!!!
You get the picture. Eventually Zest coughed up the dough to get us on another flight (after initially telling us there was nothing that could be done), and we barely made our connecting flight the next day. Sometimes travel cures the travel bug in a stiff remedy.
Car Rental
This was my experience with the shuttle bus in El Nido except the office was outside and there was a chicken bus adjacent.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
I wrote this a few years ago and forgot about it. When I was cleaning all the junk out of my e-mail, I found this in the draft section. I dusted it off and am now posting it for your reading pleasure. May I present:
History of My Walking
I have become reasonably proficient at walking since my first attempt over twenty-nine years ago and have propelled myself into some interesting places and unexpected situations. Walking is a symptom of the chronic restlessness infects my family. My grandmother could often be seen trekking out slow laps around the park close to her house just as my grandfather, on the other side of the family, would tack on silent miles in the countryside. I was confused by this type of walking as a child. To me walking was a means of getting from point A to point B, and a rather slow way of getting from A to B. If there was no point B, no definite destination then what was the point of leaving A in the first place?
I had once again made an evolution of sort. I had graduated from walking to flying, though it was for the briefest of moments. Seeing a hawk underneath me was surely proof of that.
Sadly I haven’t had any more flying expeditions. Sure I’ve been in planes before but that doesn’t really count. Flying in that manner is more of a testament to the machine’s power as opposed to my own. I’ve still been walking though. I recently quit my job serving tables so hopefully the desire to walk for recreation might return. Walking is still functional for me though. I’m sitting in a café writing this. I had planned to run errands today, but my car broke down. I dropped it off at the mechanics and walked here.
History of My Walking
I was over at friend’s house the other day observing her daughter who was trying to master that most fundamental skill in life, walking. She took a small tentative step, clumsily threw one foot in front of the other and bam!—fell on her face. She looked up expectantly; expecting what I couldn’t quite say, rebuke or praise, but the look on her face seemed to say, “What the hell just happened?”
I have become reasonably proficient at walking since my first attempt over twenty-nine years ago and have propelled myself into some interesting places and unexpected situations. Walking is a symptom of the chronic restlessness infects my family. My grandmother could often be seen trekking out slow laps around the park close to her house just as my grandfather, on the other side of the family, would tack on silent miles in the countryside. I was confused by this type of walking as a child. To me walking was a means of getting from point A to point B, and a rather slow way of getting from A to B. If there was no point B, no definite destination then what was the point of leaving A in the first place?
Therefore, my father was an enigma as he would drive deep into the Wyoming desert and proceed to walk to no place in particular. Not only did he drive to the middle of nowhere, he proceeded to walk in it. This random and spontaneous act could take place in the middle of the summer heat or the biting cold of winter. Utter confusion totally set in when my father began to drag me on these excursions. I would walk around with him confused as to why we were in this place, what we were doing and what we were looking for. I never asked my father any of these questions because I knew he couldn’t give me a reasonable, clear answer.
When I was seventeen I bought my first car and took my first step to transcending the action of walking. Rather than propelling myself to destinations by means of my own energy, I would now employ machine to transport me. I bought a 1984 Bronco. Shortly after I bought the thing I would find myself, almost against my own will, driving into the hills, abandoning the vehicle and walking around.
I few years ago I took up snowshoeing. This is the activity where one straps tennis racket like equipment to one’s feet and walks around in the snow. I’ve one-upped my father.
My father loves to play golf. He never rents a cart.
I few years ago I took a nine month tour through Central America . I hopped busses the whole way and walked the rest of it. For four months of my voyage I lived in the beach community of Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica and learned how to surf. Every other day I would walk to the two miles to the beach and let the waves have their way with me. From there I would buy a coconut, drink the milk for quick energy, and walk the two miles uphill back to the apartment I had rented. This is a story I shall someday share with children of my own, “You think you’ve got it tough. I had to walk two miles every other day to the beach to go surfing when I was twice your age.” Some people say that things never really change. I’m inclined to disagree.
In Manuel Antonio I met many of the ex-pats who now called Costa Rica home. Often, when I was introduced to somebody new, that person would say, “Oh, you’re the guy I see walking everywhere.” I’m not sure if was proud about that title or not, healthy enough to walk myself wherever I needed to go and too poor to afford any other means of transportation.
I began to feel like an apostle. When I was a kid and my mom read bible stories to me it seemed as though the apostles and Jesus spent eighty percent of their waking life walking from one place to another. I was also poor and wore sandals which added to my apostle like image (never mind my head was shaved and I carried around a surf board everywhere).
In my walking I had the chance to see many things that a person zooming by in a car would have missed. I would stop and watch the monkeys in the trees. At the beach I would gawk at the beautiful girls walking by. Once I stepped on a snake in my absent minded strolling. While that’s not an experience I wish to repeat it is an experience that will stay in my mind forever. Had I been driving, I never would have noticed the snake though I believe the snake still would have noticed me.
Every once in awhile, the ability to walk spontaneously leaves me. This is generally when I’m hiking in the mountains. I’ll space off, lost in my own thoughts; drag a foot, which will catch a rock, which will in turn propel me faster down the hill than intended. If I’m lucky some clumsy maneuvering will allow my feet to catch up with my momentum. If I’m unlucky I return to a state similar to that twenty-nine years ago when I was first learning to walk, bam!—flat on my face. Sad to say it, I probably handled that situation better when I was one-year-old than I do now days. I didn’t swear as much when I was one.
Whiskey and walking do not mix. This seems obvious, however; when get a quantity of whiskey in me the desire to go walking increases even as my ability to do so diminishes.
When I was seventeen my dad was going to drag me out in the desert to walk to God knows where. He suggested that we bring the twenty-two rifle. Walking became a lot more fun.
I don’t really go hiking any more because walking isn’t that fun now. I’m a server, so I constantly employ two skills I've mastered: carrying things and walking (as well as faking laughing at customers’ terrible jokes). When I have time off I prefer not to walk around. I feel that this will change once I’m not employed at job that requires so much walking. Maybe I should take the twenty-two. That might make walking fun again.
Once, when I was seventeen, my father and I hiked around the sandstone hills in the Wyoming desert. He knew of an area in which we could hike to the top of this hill and peer down into a golden eagle’s nest. There were chicks in this nest so we had to move slowly and quietly along the top of the hill so as not to evoke the wrath of the adult eagles. The eagle’s nest was as large as the dorm room I would rent two years later. (That says something for the immense size of the nest and the cramped quarters I inhabited in my first year of college.)
After arriving at point B my dad and I wandered around a bit to see if we could find anything else of interest and then headed back to the car.
My father wanted to take a longer path around the sandstone hills while I, not wanting to waste time, wanted to go over the hills in a straight line to the vehicle. Since neither one of us could convince the other of the merits of our chosen route, we split up. In hindsight my father’s path was the safer choice. Though the hills were smooth and rounded on ascent they dropped off on the west facing sides where I had to descend. This made for some precarious scrambling. I reached a point where I came to a cliff edge and found a five foot drop into a sandy cove. It was the only place I could see where descent even seemed possible so I scooted on my butt to the edge, steadied myself, and jumped right as a red tailed hawk flew out from underneath me. What I hadn’t seen from my vantage point was the ledge I had approached contained a cave underneath. I had jumped from the overhang of that cave wherein a family of hawks resided. Upon hearing me jump I had startled what I believe to be the largest hawk in existence and it took to flight. I had mentally prepared myself for the jump making sure to keep my knees slightly bent for impact, trying to land on the balls of my feet but the unexpected sight of this large bird underneath me caused me to loose all form in the air. I pin-wheeled my arms to try and gain a nanosecond of air born time so I wouldn't land squarely upon the hawk's back.
I had once again made an evolution of sort. I had graduated from walking to flying, though it was for the briefest of moments. Seeing a hawk underneath me was surely proof of that.
I am happy to report that I did not land on the hawk and it safely, while narrowly, flew underneath me. When I hit the sand in the cove I immediately fell into a crouch and looked up behind me, expectant to see another enraged raptor with talons outstretched for my eyes. All I encountered was nest slightly smaller than the eagles nest I had previously seen, devoid of any bird life.
What I Made for Thanksgiving
A couple of weeks ago, we had Thanksgiving and it was pretty authentic too. The only thing we skimped on was the turkey (we had chicken). Actually, I shouldn't say "we". As you can see, the only contribution I made to the feast were the cranberries, and I didn't even buy those--just opened them.
Kat invited one of her co-workers and her co-worker's son. That was pretty fun as they had no idea what stuffing was. You should have seen the look on the kid's face when we started pulling bread crumbs out of the butt of the chicken. Sorry, that's a lie; we didn't go traditional. Still, it was fun to share; after all, isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about?
Kat invited one of her co-workers and her co-worker's son. That was pretty fun as they had no idea what stuffing was. You should have seen the look on the kid's face when we started pulling bread crumbs out of the butt of the chicken. Sorry, that's a lie; we didn't go traditional. Still, it was fun to share; after all, isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about?
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Foreign Tongues
(Another great name for a band.)
When I first came to Korea I worked with a bunch of Canadians. (Go figure, I thought I'd be working with a bunch of Koreans.) Naturally I picked up some of their speech from the great white north. One phrase I adopted whole-heartedly was "giver". As far as I can understand "giver" is the Canadian equivalent of "let's do it", "it's all good", and "sure, I'll have another" all rolled into one. It's a casual acknowledgment of the affirmative, then again I might just be a wanker mis-using this word. ("Wanker" is one of the Britishisms I've adopted as well.)
Time has a way of marching on and now days I find myself hanging out with a lot of New Zelanders. They have the New Zeland equivalent of giver: "sweet as". This is supposed to mean "it's all cool," but I don't think I'll be using this phrase very often as it sounds a lot like "sweet ass". This was rather confusing when I asked my friend Craig if wanted to get some dinner. "Sweet as" he replied and then there was this big awkward silence. I wasn't sure if he was saying he wanted to go or if he was coming on to me. Eventually I asked, "Is that a yes?"
I know I should be studying more Korean while I'm over here, it's just that this English language is so hard to master.
(Another great name for a band.)
When I first came to Korea I worked with a bunch of Canadians. (Go figure, I thought I'd be working with a bunch of Koreans.) Naturally I picked up some of their speech from the great white north. One phrase I adopted whole-heartedly was "giver". As far as I can understand "giver" is the Canadian equivalent of "let's do it", "it's all good", and "sure, I'll have another" all rolled into one. It's a casual acknowledgment of the affirmative, then again I might just be a wanker mis-using this word. ("Wanker" is one of the Britishisms I've adopted as well.)
Time has a way of marching on and now days I find myself hanging out with a lot of New Zelanders. They have the New Zeland equivalent of giver: "sweet as". This is supposed to mean "it's all cool," but I don't think I'll be using this phrase very often as it sounds a lot like "sweet ass". This was rather confusing when I asked my friend Craig if wanted to get some dinner. "Sweet as" he replied and then there was this big awkward silence. I wasn't sure if he was saying he wanted to go or if he was coming on to me. Eventually I asked, "Is that a yes?"
I know I should be studying more Korean while I'm over here, it's just that this English language is so hard to master.
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