butterfly mornings

deery-lou.
destination: tioman island, malaysia
monday, october 2
left royal peacock hotel at 5:30 am to head to bus depot. the tour bus for malaysia was leaving at 6 am. got there around 5:45 am. the bus was late and we didn't head out until 6:20. there were only 11 of us on the bus. singapore is a small island so it didn't take long to get to immigration. that took all of a minute then it was back on the bus. five minutes later we were in malaysia. we had to take our luggage through malay immigration. again not many people were there so it didn't long at all. back onto the bus we headed for mersing where we were to catch the ferry to tioman. the bus ride was pretty uneventful. i napped. in mersing we had about an hour to kill before getting on the noon ferry. it kind of reminded me of the harbor city we went to in thailand. there were some shops, restaurants, and lots of cats.

mersing

the ferry was packed. it took almost two hours to reach tioman island. we were the second stop once we reached the island. the ferry had made one other stop at rawa island. rawa looks amazing. along the way to tioman there was a small island with thousands of birds flying around it. it was like seeing something out of a movie. quite majestic and beautiful. we reached the paya resort dock around 2 pm. i almost busted ass jumping from the ferry to the dock while carrying both my backpack and suitcase. of course i was wearing the GIANT shoes so that didn't help much. we checked into our little chalet p1. there was one chalet in front of us but off to the right we could still see the sea. i was happy. we took a stroll up and down the beach. we found a little cove to the right of the resort. it looked like the perfect place to swim. since it was low tide we were able to get to the little island. there were some family fishing. we did a bit of exploring then went off to check out the other side of the resort. along the way were some local houses, abandoned boats, some gifts shops, restaurants, diving places, etc. most of these seemed to be owned by paya resort. at the far end of the island it look like some houses. we didn't notice any roads or any sign of a small town. there's was a boardwalk that headed off into the jungle. we would save that for another day. we grabbed a late lunch at the resort restaurant. at this time they were only serving western food. we both got the chicken burger. surprisingly it was good. the rest of the day was spent poolside swimming. from the pool was a great view of the jungle and mountain. it was quite relaxing. dinner was between 7-8:30 pm. although not starving we figured if we didn't eat we'd be sol later. nothing else but the resorts restaurant was opened. after dinner i opened some wine and had a glass or two on the porch. the evening was spent relaxing.

paya resort

tuesday, october 3
i awoke to the sound of pouring rain. it sounded like we had a tin roof. it immediately reminded me of rainy summers in florida. it never failed that we'd have a thunder storm everyday. i love storms. i opened the door to have peek. the wind was blowing extremely hard. back to bed i went. around 8:45 am we checked to see if the snorkeling trip was still on at 9am. it has since stopped raining but was still kind of windy. the trip was postponed til 2pm. since we were up we decided to grab some breakfast. afterwards we didn't to go exploring. we went back to the path we saw the other day. it lead to another part of the resort with more cabins. we walked to the end and thats when i saw some monkeys. the started to take off for the jungle. well all of them except the monkey king who jumped onto the ground and started to hiss at me. i didn't like that so i hissed back. we saw a sign that said rock falls so we decided to check it out. afterall we had plenty of time to kill. it was a mini trek into the jungle. the rock falls itself was nothing fabulous. however, it was cool to be in the jungle.

rock falls

we saw another path so figured why not check that out too. that lead us to an overrun soccer field. in the middle of the field were cows. jungle cows!! there was yet another path to check out that lead behind the chalets. the area where all the monkeys took off to. along that trail with saw some black squirrels. didn't see anymore monkeys but we didn't get too far because the mosquitoes there were off the wall. i could see tons of them flying behind don as he walked. we left mosquito trail and headed back. once on the boarded path that lead us to the beach i noticed some monkey. there were a whole mess of them. i snapped a few pictures. it was hard to see them in the trees.

beach to the cove

with still time to spare before the snorkeling trip i went for a swim at the cove. it was so beautiful there. the water was so blue. i couldn't figure out why more people weren't swimming there. i swam for awhile. enjoying the sea, the silence, and the scenery. it was like my own blue lagoon adventure. but where was christopher atkins? while swimming around i decided that i should buy an underwater camera. so i head to the store. my favorite store on the island where the "aunty" works. she's always so friendly. i bought a camera and she gave me a loaf of bread to feed the fish with. she also gave me an empty water bottle. she told me to break up the bread and put it into the bottle. once in the water open the lid and squeeze the bottle. the bread will shoot out like a bullet. she's so smart. i love aunty. at two we boarded the boat. there were only 8 of us not counting the crew of three. the first stop was at a marine park. it had a section marked off for swimming. the minute i jumped in i was surrounded by colorful fish. everywhere i looked fish. fish. fish. fish. all so pretty. of course i forgot my bread gun. but so many others were feeding the fish that i didn't need it. this area mostly had fish. not alot of coral . as i swam around i stumbled upon a group of concrete tables and chairs. it was like i had entered an underwater restaurant. i was so fascinated by these tables.

underwater table for two

our next stop was near a very small island. i jumped in this time with my bread gun. it was kind of hard to coordinate shooting the gun and taking a picture. the minute i squeezed out the bread there were a million fish surrounding me. it was cool to see them swarming the bread. that is until i actually got bit by a couple of them. i didn't like that. i was over the feeding of the fish at that point, so i squeezed out all my bread and watched them devourer it. with the bread gun tucked into my shorts i swam around pretending i was aquaman. there were lots and lots of coral to see here. it was all so amazing. being able to see underwater is way cool. its like another world. as i was swimming a large group of fish came towards me. once again i got bit on my back. damn fish. i came to the conclusion that since i'm so white i probably looked like a giant loaf of bread to them. little bastards. there was so much to see. besides the coral and numerous colorful fish i saw a stingray and lots of urchins. i also managed to see a lot of fish urinating. lucky me. that night we ate at the resort again. later i chilled out on the porch then on the beach listening to the silence.

wednesday, october 4
it was day three on tioman island. i rented a mask and snorkel for the day. headed off for the cove to check things out. don was going to meet me there later. how happy was i with the mask. it seems that there was a whole magical underworld to see right in my backyard so to speak. i brought my bread gun. figured i'd give these guys a try. they were a lot nicer. no bites today. since the cove is near an island there were lots of things to see. again i swam around for hours taking it all in. i was going to try to swim around the island but though it might be a bad idea. especially if i got really tired. plus the further i went the more jellyfish i saw. they were actually hard to spot. i didn't want to chance getting stung by one. so instead of going completely around i got out and walked to the other side to check it out. there really wasn't much to see. it was a lot rocker on the bottom. when i went to swim back to the island's beach it was going against the current and was kind of hard. it was nice to be able to swim at your leisure. no tour guide telling you 5 minutes left. the whole time i was swimming i kept thinking that i want to come back as a sea creature. how cool would that be. the ocean is so beautiful, magical, and peaceful. as long as i had a snorkel and mask i could swim all day. until i got hungry at least...

fish

after lunch i headed off poolside. i end up falling asleep in the chair. once i awoke i grabbed my mask and snorkel and headed back to the cove. i wanted to maximize my swimming. the tide was coming in so i left my shirt on the beach instead of taking it to the island. in the distant i heard some rumbling. couldn't tell if it was boat engines or thunder. the sky looked clear. i ignored it and continued on my way. during this swim time i picked out one fish and followed him all along the sea bottom. he took me on a wonderful journey. i saw another stingray. this one had a bright blue streak going down its back. i didn't get to look at him long though cuz he went under a rock. my guide was a hungry little fellow. the whole time he was swimming he was eating too. he dive down to the bottom eat something and then a couple of minutes later spit out a bunch of shells and sand. i was in awe. even though this was my third time out in the cove everything still felt fresh and magnificiant. i was looking off to my right and when i turned back my guide was gone. i thought it best to pop my head out of water to see where i was. the sky had turned dark blue. the wind was picking up, too. definite signs of an approaching storm. the wind had cause ripples in the once calm waters of the cove. i was actually pretty far out and started to head in. the wind picked up. the swimming was becoming much more difficult against the wind. it felt like i was getting nowhere. once i got to where i could stand it was all good. by the time i reached my stuff the rain had started. this wasn't a nice, soft, gentle rain but a hard, prickly one. it felt like little needles going into my skin. the wind continued to pick up and the rain started falling harder and harder. when i reaching the protective covering of the chalet it came pouring down. i sat on the porch watching the rain. it such a peaceful and calming sound to me. the storm didn't last long. when the sea had calmed down i went back out.

warning!

yes, this boy wanted one more swim with the fish before leaving tomorrow. the tide was much higher now. the once accessible island was becoming an island again. i had to start swimming much sooner than before. without realizing it the wind-current took me pretty far out in a short period of time. it was actually a lot rougher than it looked. again i found myself swimming crazily against the wind to get back. the land looked much further away than before. i think alot of this had to do with high tide coming. it didn't feel as safe to be out here so i headed back. i said goodbye to my fish friends for the final time. that night we ate at a different restaurant. yes, something else was finally opened. although i think it might be owned by the resort. one clue is that our server had a paya resort t-shirt on. the food was quite good and much cheaper than at the resort. the rest of the evening was spent strolling the beach and chilling. our time on the island was up. we leave tomorrow.

thursday, october 12
we opted to take the speed boat back to mersing. the main reason was that the ferry left at 7:30am. hi, too early. the speed boat was suppose to leave at 9:30 am. we actually boarded it around 10 something. i sat in the back outside. i wanted to feel the wind against my face and we zipped through the sea. on the way back we had to pull over so that someone could barf off the back of the boat. and no it wasn't me. there were alot of little islands to see. we also stopped back at rawa. i got a better look at this resort and so want to go there next. back on the water i put on my ipod and sunglasses and chilled. it was a great ride. again we had a few hours to kill in mersing before the bus left. we stocked up on snacks. i was trying to spent all the riglets i could. our bus back was upgraded to biz bus. much bigger seats and a lot comfier. again there weren't many people on the bus.

on the bus back

going back through immigration was pretty uneventful. although i had to smuggle in some smokes for don. smokes are a lot cheaper in malaysia than singapore. we got to the newton bus depot around 6 pm. our malay holiday was officially over.

to be continued…
next time: a return to singapore

photo albums
tioman island
snorkeling trip [note: these aren't the best photos]

be well…

p.s. while sitting on the beach one morning an actual coconut dropped from a tree right next to me. i heard the loud thud. good thing i wasn't sitting right under it.

pendulum

deery-lou.
i'm in the midst of uploading photos to snapfish. so in the meantime i figured i'd go ahead and start with my vacation post. i'm sure you are all just dying to know who and what i did. don't worry i won't put everything in one post. i'll stretch it out like a good old mini-series on tv. and now on with the post…

saturday, september 30
e-notables [pre-arrival]
1. while on bus to airport [its a 2 hour ride] i think i witnessed a k-boy band photo shoot. the bus went by pretty quick but what i saw was some boys all decked out in black and white standing in front of what looked like a building that had been destroyed by fire. in front of them was someone with a camera. will have to look into this.

2. while going through security the guard checking my passport remarked how my hair changed. he then said my hairstyle now was good and told me to have a good weekend. he went on to inform me that next week was a korean holiday.

3. there were a lot of trendy asians walking about the airport. all high fashion. figured they must be from japan.

4. conversation overheard in lounge:
older yuppie guy to a younger guy in a faux army jacket drinking a beer and smoking: are you american?
ajg: fuck yeah! [holds up his beer and smoke]
oyg: from where?
ajg: philly!
oyg: how bout them eagles?
that was enough to make me leave.

5. while sitting at the gate which was empty when i got there i soon looked up to see that i was surrounded by the entire flight crew. creepy!

6. on the mini pizza box i got on the plane were these words:
eet smakelijk
bon appetit
buon appetito
hyvoa runkahalua
god appetit

*****************************************

by the time i went through immigration, picked up my luggage, had a smoke, used the restroom, etc. it was midnight. don was there to greet me. we stepped outside and i was immediately slapped in the face by the humidity and heat. it was like i had returned to florida. i guess i should have expected it. i mean it is a tropical jungle island afterall. i adjusted rather quickly although my hair decided to fro out even more. i had my first experience with driving "on the other side of the road". i kept thinking i should be driving but there was no wheel where i sat. that too took some getting use to. we got to the royal peacock which was located in the city near chinatown. the building and the surrounding ones used to be old shop houses.

coverted shop houses

we dropped off my stuff and took a little rest before heading out. we went to mox [a g-bar]. it had a retro 70s decor about it. there weren't many people. most of them were crowded on the balcony smoking while the rest were gathered at tables talking amongst themselves. much better then what we got in korea. we had one drink then left. not only was i extremely beat but i was having a hard time breathing. i needed a hit off my inhaler and it was back at the hotel. probably shouldn't have been smoking but i never said i was smart. before heading into the hotel we stopped in 7-11. THEY HAD BIG GULPS!!! someone definitely hates me. actually i wasn't even tempted. imagine that. i checked out what they had for snacks, drinks, etc. i love checking out stores in different countries. i decided on some sweet tea. oh, how i miss different sweet teas in a can. back in the room i took my puff then passed out. i was one tired boy…

sunday, october 1
i awoke to a room that was pitch black. i had no idea what time it was. one could sleep the entire day away in this windowless room. luckily it was only approaching 10 am. we rallied and headed out into the heat. don took me to a hawker centre for lunch. we had rice with gravy, eggs, some veggie, fried pork, chicken stock rice, and boiled chicken. its was sooo good. i washed my meal down with a sweet red tea.

chinatown hawker center

from there we went to exchange some money for our trip to malaysia. we were leaving at 5am monday so figured it would be best to do it now. near the money exchanger was a bakery and other goodie place. i got a pineapple drink and some pork balls on a stick. we also got some goodies for our trip. then it was off to the minced pork stand to get some of that for our trip, too. they had some samples so i tried a little first. words can't even describe the deliciousness of it. [note: i brought some back to korea]. don needed to do some work so i went off to walk around the markets in chinatown.

one entrance into the market

the markets kind of reminded me of the ones in hong kong but way less crowded. they were selling everything from coconut drinks to hanging paper lanterns. love it! love it! love it! i spent hours just walking around exploring all that there was to see. i stopped in at the sri mariamman temple, a hindu temple.

sri mariamman temple roof

they were getting ready for an event that was going to happen on the following sunday. it was a pretty nice space. met back up with don. went to a grocery store to get some bread and other stuff for our trip. i found wasabi peas so bought a couple of bags. i also got some mints since the only thing i ever see in korea are mentos. we chilled out at the hotel for a bit to cool down. don needed to take his car home so he dropped me off at orchard road where he'd meet up with me later. orchard road is one giant mall after another. like the markets in chinatown it reminded me of hong kong. a much cleaner version of hong kong. all those malls can be quite overwhelming for someone. especially when they don't know which one to go into. and to go into them all would be madness. i wasn't much for shopping that night so i just cruised up and down the street to see what was there.

sign on orchard road

i found a toys r us but they were closed. two t-shirts i saw on guys were: big bad wolf, i heart bears. there was also an orange julius stand. hi, flashback to high school and the altamonte mall. of course i had to get one. it was orange julius. i got a raspberry julius. its too bad it wasn't connected to a sams pretzel like the one in the altamonte mall. while sitting on a bench resting, a prostitute approached me asking if she could "talk" to me. i kindly told her that i was meeting someone. i headed off to borders since everything else was closing. browsed through some local magazines then went outside to wait for don. we took the bus back to the hotel. we opted for an early night since we had to wake up early. we need to be at the bus depot by 6am to head off to malaysia.

to be continued…
next up: malaysia & tioman island

be well…

venus in furs

deery-lou.
i'm baaaack! stayed tuned for a full report on my tropical vacation. must get some rest now. been up for over 24 hours. teaching was TUFF, today! at least there's instanst coffee in the house.

be well…

beat city

deery-lou.
tomorrow i head off to singapore for a holiday. i'll be gone for 9 days. three of which will be spent at paya resort on tioman in malaysia. i'll post again when i return on oct 9. i love vacations.

the go-go's
vacation

Can't seem to get my mind off of you
Back here at home there's nothin' to do
Now that I'm away
I wish I'd stayed
Tomorrow's a day of mine that you won't be in

When you looked at me I should've run
But I thought it was just for fun
I see I was wrong
And I'm not so strong
I should've known all along that time would tell

A week without you
Thought I'd forget
Two weeks without you and I
Still haven't gotten over you yet

CHORUS
Vacation
All I ever wanted
Vacation
Had to get away
Vacation
Meant to be spent alone

A week without you
Thought I'd forget
Two weeks without you and I
Still haven't gotten over you yet

CHORUS

be well…

fur immer [forever]

deery-lou.
i simply couldn't resist. oh, how i love thee smurfette.




be well…

measure

deery-lou.
it's a record. i actually completed a book in less than a week. for those that know me, i'm not a big reader unless its comics or mangas. give me a book thats over 300 pages plus being a biography of sorts and it takes me forever. it's not that i don't like reading i just get sidetracked with tv and napping. i actually love browsing through bookstores. when princess was over at my apartment she kept pointing to books asking me how it was. my response was always, "i don't know. i haven't read it yet". this prompted me to start diving right in. the first on my shelf i grabbed was girl sleuth: nancy drew and the women that created her. i believe this book was given to me my mistyl for either christmas or my birthday. whichever it was its been sitting on the shelf collecting dust for months. i was a bit aprehensive about this book since it was a biography. my initial thoughts was that it was going to be a long boring read. thankfully i was proven wrong. the writing style was sharp, fresh, and quickly paced. it was quite interesting to read about a character that was created in an era where women were still coming into their own. i found it to be both a fascinating study of a character's creation as well as glimpse into historical events. i was even more excited to reach page 285. that's when the book started talking about pamela sue martin who played nancy on the hardy boys/nancy drew mystery show.

the hardy boys & nancy drew

it interesting to see how nancy changed and how the books were revised for the changing times. i never really realized just how popular she was. its great to see a character who has been around for so long. as of last year nancy has found herself in a new form. that of a graphic novel. i've only read the first one and i must say i was quite impressed. it was alot better than the hardy boys graphic novel. if you're a total nancy fan be sure to check out the following site: the nancy drew sleuth. so here's to nancy and her friends for over 75 years of publishing. my she continue to live on.

be well…

sushi bar song

deery-lou.
my favorite tv quote of the week:
"I've never known an Asian person in my life and the Cho brothers, I love them to death. Honest to goodness, we've never been around gay people, but buddy, I like them."
— mary, coalminer's wife, contestant on the amazing race

if you're not watching you should. goodstuff!

be well…

green

deery-lou.
monkey see, monkey do. since misty decided to post her results, i will too. see how much fun you are creating miss chen.

Using only songs from one artist cleverly answer these questions...

Name: jethan

Pick an Artist: throwing muses

1.) are you a male or female? him dancing
2.) describe yourself: pretty or not
3.) how do you feel about yourself? i'm alive
4.) describe your ex boyfriend/girlfriend: no way in hell
5.) describe your current boyfriend/girlfriend: limbo
6.) describe your current location: vicky's box
7.) describe where you want to be: white bikini sand
8.) your best friend is: golden thing
9.) your favorite color is: bright yellow gun
10.) you know that: america [she can't say no]
11.) what's the weather like? clear and great
12.) if your life was a television show, what would it be called? and a she-wolf after the war
13.) what is life to you? matter of degrees
14.) what is the best advice you have to give? shimmer
15.) if you could change your name, what would you change it to? surf cowboy

be well…

black plastic

deery-lou.
in celebration of the 30th anniversary of charlie's angels, farrah's official website has launched. click here. i know! it's about time. ummm, hi t-shirts for me to buy. farrahtastic!

fawcett online

be well…

a girl like me

deery-lou.
this past weekend was festival central here in korea. it seems like every neighborhood was having one. i went to bc's hood on saturday for new waves in gwangmyeong, a music festival. the mustangs were playing. it was strange seeing them during the day and on such a huge stage. i'm used to seeing them in tiny bars. it was a great day to be outside. the weather was amazing. while waiting for the mustangs to take the stage we caught another band same old story. they pretty much rocked! after the show we checked the merchandise area. i wanted to see if they had same old story's cd. no luck. time to hit the record stores.

we went back to bc's pad to get ready for the big evening. it was prom night. 80's prom night to be exact. this event was put together by miss chen and some others. i don't even remember how long it took us to get ready. bc was having SOME issue with her wardrobe. i had brought two separate outfits with me and bc helped me select the best one. here we are looking our somewhat finest…

she blinded with me science

being a foreigner here one comes to expect the constanst stares. throw on an 80's getup and it becomes even more magnified. it felt like i was walking down the street with a "hey, look at me!" sign around my neck. when we got to club [ta:] it was pretty dead. had i brought my magic eightball it probably would have said "outlook not so good". we grabbed some drinks, chatted we some peeps, and before i knew it people were pouring in. the place looked great. chen and company did a fab job. i was pleasantly surprised to see so many peeps showed up in 80's attire. there were some great digs. i even had a few flashback moments, especially when a girl walked by with giant hair. during my senior year at lbhs [1988] the halls were packed with giant-hair girls. i still get nightmares. everyone seemed to be having a great time. i even managed to get quite a few compliments on my outfit, all of which came directly out of my closet. there was live music, a fashion show, lots of great tunes, and even a ballot box for king and queen. i don't know who got crowned. bc and i left around midnight. i wasn't feeling up to par plus my new shoes felt like bricks on my feet. the cab ride back to bc's was something else. he was literally driving at top speed never failing to go through every red light we encountered. at one point i actually thought i was going to be sick. and i had only had two drinks. my second prom was officially over and it was the second time i didn't score. they say that the third times a charm. i'll just have to wait and see.

bc and i found ourselves to be up fairly early on sunday. we lounged around then decided to set out in quest of phone cards. yes, our list was put on hold this weekend. i scored two phone cards from two different places. combined its such a better deal then what i was paying before. during the course of our day we found ourselves at a bookstore and a foreign market. at the market i found montery/cheddar cheese, picante sauce, flour tortillas, corn chips, spaghetti sauce with olives, and beets. all of which i bought. lunch was somewhat of a bust. we were so hungry we ended up stopping at a sandwich place. i ordered an italian sandwich which turned out to be a hotdog with special sauce. gotta love it. i got back to ansan about 4pm. it felt so good to take off my new shoes. breaking in shoes is H.A.R.D. noone ever said fashion was easy.

be well…

p.s. here's bc all decked out in the skirt she bought for prom but didn't wear. so cute.

she's a valley girl…

chelsea girls

deery-lou.
this song popped up in my head the other day. oh, the randomness of life. i actually haven't heard this song in some time. i heart the go-go's…

The Go-Go's
Girl of 100 Lists

Ghetto blasters, phony jewels
Cathedrals, castles, making up rules
Trashy novels and leather gloves
This is a list of the things I love

CHORUS
I am the girl of 100 lists
From what shall I wear
To who I have kissed
Check items off
Let nothing be missed
Sing I to myself and my 100 lists

Pick up your laundry, doctor's at ten
We're out of toothpaste, rehearsal (again)
Stop by the bank and cash my pay
These are the things I must get done today

CHORUS

Ricky and Danny and Terry and Jim
Dean lasted six months-don't forget him
Perhaps some day this list will end
Till then I tally my gentlemen friends

CHORUS

be well…

not even jail

deery-lou.
i've been having a lot of dreams lately. more than usual. at least 3 a night. not sure what brought about this sudden onslaught of mini-movies in my mind. so it seemed only fitting to add this to my blog. something i found on the science of sleep site. perhaps there was a reason i stumbled onto that site.



be well…

damaged people

deery-lou.
oh the places you can go…last night while having a fit of insomnia i decided to "personalize" my free google page. while searching for things to put on it i stumbled upon a link for FOUND magazine. i love this mag. having been away for so long i had forgotten about this gem. they specialize in printing "found" materials: letters, photos, lists, etc. that give a glimpse into someone's life. i never really thought to look for them online. my mistake. but now that i've "found" them again i can go back to enjoying those treasures left behind. be sure to check it out if you're into stuff like that. i know i am…

so while on the FOUND site i came across an ad for the movie the science of sleep. it's a new film by michel gondry. the trailer looks amazing. very visual, very mystical. i can't wait to see it. i only hope it finds its way to korea. its looks like one of those films that needs to be seen on the big screen. what has me most excited is that it stars gael garcia bernal. a definite hottie if i do say so myself. ever since amores perros i've been a huge fan of his. and then there was y tu mama tambien. swoon!

movie still

in the film bernal's character is living somewhere between his "dream" world and "reality". he comes up with a disastrology calendar, illustrations of diastors likes car crashes, plane crashes, earthquakes, etc. you can see these images on the site. the drawings are actually pretty cool in a weird kind of way. here's a sample:

earthquake

anyway…i think i've lost track of what i was attempting to say. so here's to the bizarre and quirky.

be well…

superconnected

deery-lou.

Your Life Path Number is 22

Your purpose in life is to use your power for good Of all the life paths, yours has the most innate power. Your power lies in your vision, and you must recruit others to help you in this vision. You are able to be a great idealist, but you still have the practicality to get things done. In love, you tend to be a big romantic - but you also tend to keep your distance. You have a lot of potential, and it's sometimes hard to live up to. Sometimes you just feel like slipping into obscurity and doing nothing. You tend to be prone to dramatic emotions, until you step back and look at things honestly.

What Is Your Life Path Number?

so true in alot of ways.
be well…

this place is a prison

deery-lou.
frustrated. angry. that's how i felt after getting off the phone with the earthlink people. trying to cancel my sprintmail account was much more difficult than it should have been. one thing i did realize is that the people at earthlink are morons. complete morons. i spent an hour on the phone mostly on hold. they managed to suck all the minutes off my international card—bastards! sometimes i wonder why they even have the computer prompted questions. as soon as a person answered they asked me the same ones. and of course they had to switch me to someone else. then this person couldn't find my account in their database. funny that i could read all my account info but this genius couldn't. i tried to explain to him that i'm calling internationally. he kept telling me i was on the toll free line. hi, its not toll free when calling out of the country. he still couldn't find my info so i got sent to embark. i guess they own part of sprint. the empark guy couldn't help me either. he said he was getting a supervisor but instead i got sent to a sprint phone sales person. she kept asking me for my cell phone number. over and over i explained that i'm calling to cancel an email account. "you get phone email," she said. she couldn't help. she sent me back to embark. the new embark lady happened to be quite helpful. she managed to track down a earthlink employee who knew what they were doing. the el employee asked me why i was leaving. i basically told her that i don't have time for these stupid questions since i've been on the phone at international rates for an hour now. she got the message and said that as of sept 26 my account will be termintated. thanks for listening to me rant. i think i'm over it now.

be well…

p.s. i'd like to make another shout out to the embark lady who was so helpful. sorry i didn't get to thank you on the phone. your the best!

our time

deery-lou.
here's a note from a former student.

to Ethan.....
Ethan. Hi! I'm Mary
Long tine no see.
How about you?
How about your trip?
I'm miss you.
see you later!!
bye bye!
I Love you!

to: Ethan
From: Mary

sweet.

be well…

transgender bar

deery-lou.

so going to check this out.
its actually in my hood of all places.

full moon, empty heart

deery-lou.
construction, contruction, construction!! that's all i hear nowadays. the koreans love to work 7 days a week. there's nothing like waking up on a sunday morning at 8am to a saw. it's sunday, people. take a freakin' rest. the building is begining to take shape and i think its going to be a church. yes, a church right in my backyard. perhaps its a sign. from the looks of it, its going to be fairly big. they're even building what i think is a giant parking garage next to my apartment building which is connected to the church thats behind my building. more on that as it progresses…

princess and i attempted to complete operation transtot. however, it was a slight bust due to the fact i couldn't find the flyer for the transgender bar. all we could remember was that it was close to carrefour. we decide to stroll around jungang dong hitting all the stationary stores that came into our path. its fun having someone come to my hood. at one store i almost ended up buying a 5,000 won [$5] pencil that i thought was 500 won. i opted out of the purchase. we went to one of my favorite places which i simple call "the batcave". we ordered a pitcher of beer, a plate of fries, sweet and sour chicken, and a fruit plate all for 18,000 won. can't beat that. princess amazed me with her great reading ability. the menu was in korean. even our waitress commented on it. while enjoying our meal we decided that operation transtots would have to be aborted this time. we now had operation boardtot. we set out to hit up the boardgame room for a night of gaming. we found one place that was also a pc room. score. however, the gods were not on our side that night and no sooner had we stepped inside when the guy came running over to us making the the infamous "x" sign with his arms. boardtots had been aborted. there was only one thing to do. operation transtot was set back in motion. off to carrefour we went. along the way we had some girls run after us just to say hi. it never ends. we left the lively jungangdong and headed into sleepy ansan new town, my old hood. we circled carrefour with no luck. once again operation transtot was set aside. at this point we were both sort of beat so we headed back to my pad. i took princess along the scenic route so she could see the houses. the houses are a much better sight at night.

we had an early start to our sunday thanks to the workers. we made plans to meet up with bc at noryangjin station at one. the majority of the morning was spent trying to motivate ourselves. before jumping onto the train we stopped at dunkin donuts. i suckered myself into trying the iced blueberry white chocolate. why am i such a sucker for blueberry things. it basically tasted like mik with blueberry flavoring. so not good. on the train princess tried to spruce my drink up abit my adding some coffee to it. as i tried to close the lid i managed to shoot a load of whip cream onto the woman next to me. she didn't noticed and princess and i couldn't stop laughing. lunch was had at a tofu restaurant. its actually a chain but quite good. after lunch we set out to find sayuksin park which happens to be one of the things on "the klist of things to do" that i compiled for bc and i. we strolled around the grands. there's a good view of the han river. there are also some tombs. i busted out my 35mm to take pictures. i can't tell you how long its been since i used it. it felt good.

on the way back to the train station we stopped in at artbox. bc helped pick out my new pencil case. its a mini-case. i needed to downside. its "super panada, i believe i can fly". its got some great quotes on it like "alcohol is my soulmate", " let's party like rock stars!", etc. now you understand why i couldn't say no.

fun fact:
40: thats how many people we counted wearing socks and sandals in a time span of 5 mins.

be well…

the list

deery-lou.
so that i won't lose it. here's the list of things i compiled for bc and i to do. i will probably add more to it as things come up.

the klist of things to do
line 1
1. deoksugung palace [also on line 2]
2. chongdong theather - traditional performance arts series [also line 2]
3. jongmyo royal ancestral shrine [also line 3, line 5]
4. royal quard changing ceremony - 2 - 3:30pm
5. hongneung arboretum
6. sayuksin park - there are some tombs there done
7. saenamto martyr's shrine - catholics persecuted there

line 2
1. kukkiwon - taekwondo headquarters hehe
2. bongwonsa temple
3. jeoldusan martyr's shrine [also line 6]
4. sillim - area know for sundae [pork sausage]
5. nakseongdae park
6. bongeunsa temple/kimchi field museum
7. seonjeongneung royal tombs
8. the aquarim at the coex

line 3
1. gyeongbokgung palace done
2. national museum of korea done
3. unhyeongung - private house of royal family
4. changdeokgung palace and huwon
5. seocho flea market - saturdays 10 to 3 pm done
6. seodaemun prison hall done
7. yangjae flower market done

line 4
1. changgyeonggung palace
2. china town in incheon
3. donam-dong - "youth town" as the book calls it

line 5
1. yeouido park - for walking around etc. i think we can get boat cruise there
2. bangi-dong baekje tombs
3. jananpyeong antique market
4. rodeo street - i have no idea what this is but definitely needs to be looked into
5. yunjungno cherry blossom trails - best time to do is in april
6. pungnap earthen fortess

line 6
1. war memorial of korea done
2. taerung royal tomb

line 8
1. seokchon-dong early baekje stone temples
2. mongchon earthen fortess

some other things in seoul area
1. seoul city tour
2. boat cruise - i think we can do this from yeouido park
3. seoul nori madang - an outside performance during the afternoons, i think its near city hall
4. bukhansan national park - hiking, picnicing
5. tabuki storm - totally misspelled it, drumming performance
6. suwon fortress
7. cafe street [ask princess]

some things outside of seoul
1. ganghwado island
2. hwanseongul cave
3. ulleungdo island
4. asan hot springs
5. jeju-do

moral kiosk

deery-lou.
my shoes have arrived. how happy am i. oh, how i love big shoes.


happy stomping. be well…

your ghost

deery-lou.
some mindless fun from the internet. zenjen did one for me on myspace. in the picture i was wearing sunglasses. the celebrity match up was something else. check it out if you have time. there's a link to my myspace in the sidebar. here's the one i did. a much better selection. who is kian egan and jensen ackles?



be well…

shark/white bikini sand

deery-lou.
for some unknown reason i decided to check out my results on blogpatrol. this tells me a lot of useless information about my blog like: amount of visitors per day/hour, referrers, keywords, search engines, browsers, etc. there was one site under referrers that i didn't recognize so i decided to check it out: click here. my spanish is quite rusty these days but from what i can make out this blogger is listing 5 sites for blogday 2006. yeah, i have no idea what that means. most of the sites seem to be about korea. i couldn't really tell about number 5. after reading the bloggers tag, it appears that they are in korea, too. anyway…so there in the number three spot is my blog, seoul train. next to it is a description that reads: "otro maestro loco de inglés viviendo en Korea." again, it's been some time since my high school spanish class but i think it says: "another crazy english teacher living in korea." now i'm wondering—is that a crazy good or a crazy bad?

some more useless information i learned today. the following is the top keywords. once again this provided by blogpatrol for my blog.

1	"sauna outfit" gym (Google)
1	kris kross (Netscape)
1	korean young teen got rape in jungle (Yahoo)
1	seoul lotte hotel world sex (MSN)
1	fahrenhiet degree (Google)
1	emart + seoul (Yahoo)
1	hongdae park sunday market (Yahoo)

aww, the internet. what a strange and wonderful place.

be well…

neighborhood #3 [power out]

deery-lou.
first of all i want to give a great big shout out to mistyl who celebrated her birthday on sept. 9.

happy birthday,
misty!

you know i wish i could have been there to help you celebrate. at least i got to speak to her so that was good. one day soon we'll be celebrating birthdays together again.

saturday before heading into seoul i had lunch with young teacher at the tofu house. we ate so much food. we spent almost two hours there. it was nice to just sit and chat. we haven't been able to do that in some time since school is quite busy these days. from ansan i travel to hongdae to meet up with bc and her beau charlie. we met at club ff for the "pop the cherry!" show…


the main draw was to see nunco band [see link in sidebar]. as usual they put on an awesome show. this was the third time i've seen them and they keep getting better. they are definitely one of these bands that need to be seen live. i dig their cd but it doesn't do them justice. they're definitely a performance group with loads of energy. you can tell they have a good time playing together. the lead singer has that chic-geek appeal to him. they have a way about them to make you feel good and wanna dance. everytime i hear them i can't help but think of them in the same vain as the b-52's [a band that brought me much joy in my youth].

oriental lucy was the first band. the lead singer works at club aura and i had met her once before awhile go. they good. they definitely got the crowd going. she look so cute too. decked out in a short flowy blue dress, marron hose, black heels, beaded necklaces, and a leather coat. i love asian rock stars. will definitely check them out again. plus the drummer is quite nice to look at. actually the whole band is.

throughout the show their were three peeps walking around in turbans. from the minute i saw them i assumed they were part of sultan of disco. of course i was correct. which leads me this act. i'm still not sure if i actually saw what i saw or i was dream. although i know that bc and others were there so it must have happened. describing it won't even do it justice. its one of the things that one must experience to get the full pleasure from it. it was part dance performance. part lip-sync. part like watching a singing comedy sketch. but it was all good. the element of surprise is a great thing. the sultans are definitely something i wouldn't have necessarily sought out but i'm sure glad i stumbled upon them. the audience loved it. they wanted an encore. since this was their first time playing out they didn't have any more. so they played the last song again and everyone loved it even more. i almost forgot. besides the turbans they had on sunglasses and white tops. the two girl backup singers wore all black with white lace that criss-crossed along the chest. and then there was the mask guy. not sure what he was about. during their set the masked one held up a sign that said "b-boy' and then a number to call. apparently they are looking for boy dancers. perhaps i've found my new calling…

sultan of disco

the masked one

last night i got to see arie, nabi bartender, again. its been awhile since i've seen her. luckily i had the cds i made for with me. she was quite surprise when i handed them to her. also met these two adorable girls that bc had met. they were so damn cute and very excited that they got to meet the members of nunco. will probably rank this show as one of the tops in korea.

be well…

stained

deery-lou.
twice this week i've seen it. both times at night while i was on my way home from taekwondo. at different times. in different places. glowing orange as it passed by. staring at me with its evil grin. is it a sign. an omen. or simply a lucky charm. i've tried to capture it on film. although i was much to slow. it catches me off guard. when i close my eyes i can see it. it intrigues me, yet haunts me, too. like ghosts and goblins on halloween. questions run amuck in my head. answers that i need to get. perhaps one day i will. until then it will continue to thrive in my dreams. this mysterious thing that i call…the pumpkin truck.

be well…

this-that

deery-lou.
r.i.p deery-lou. you served me well, however, your time has come. your tattered skin is showing your age. how i wish our time could be longer. my money, cards, etc. must now take residence with the smurfs. you will be missed but not forgotten.

be well…

the wretched

deery-lou.
the park is definitely a great place to people watch. last sunday i watched volleyball-soccer. thats when they don't use their hands to play volleyball. only head and feet. the net is much lower than normal. it interesting to watch but not sure i'd want to play. i also saw the elderly korean folk out in full force pulling weeds. thats one job i don't think i'd ever want. now i know why they are all hunched over. the best part of the day was when an elderly woman who spoke no english approached me. she wanted to know what time it was and i figured it out. yeah, me! note to self: spend more time in the park.

be well…

mama cita

deer-lou.
here it is in all its glory—my apartment, my home!

my apartment building

magnet/postcard door

sink & stove

fridge

view from kitchen

here's where i do all my living/sleeping

main wall

my first bookshelf in korea

supergirl flies above my bed to protect me from evil

the pez guard my clothes

the bathroom

the shower, yes its between toilet and sink

looking into the kitchen

the washer

the block view from balcony

the marvelous park

be well…

where i end and you begin [the sky is falling in]

deery-lou.
its been almost a month since i've settled into my new pad. there's a few things i realized:

1. i need to add more art to my bare walls
2. photos must be taken to show friends
3. i love airconditioning
4. seeing the park from my balcony makes me happy
5. having a pad that feels like home is a nice feeling

so it looks like this weekend i'll attempt to finish #1 and #2. as of today i'm officially starting year 3 here in korea. i can't believe 2 years have passed already. at times it feels like i just got here. perhaps thats because on a daily basis there are new things to experience. gotta love that. i went and got my haircut today. it funny that the best haircuts i've gotten have been here. especially since the guy who cuts my hair speaks no english. go figure.

be well and stay cool…

the world is full of crashing bores

deery-lou.
now here's a rafting adventure i could get into. i'm digging the waders and shorts look. perhaps i've found my spring 2007 look.


be well…

7 sub-culture

deery-lou.
a photo-documentation in footwear. an ongoing project. the following were taken in san francisco during my vacation in early august 2006.

street

ted

kate

john

misty

adawg.01

jethan

derek

adawg.02

hez

curbside

be well…