Nok in Seoul

This is Nok around Jong-no a week or so before Christmas.
A few photos of Nok in and around Seoul. Courtesy of Jay's new digital camera, which I haven't quite figured out yet.


These are in Dan's apt, which is more or less the same as our place now. His is a little newer and nicer though...ㅠㅠ

The update

Well, a slowdown on the blogging front. Work has been a killer. Things are going well, but I seem to be consumed with work. Mostly, it is probably the contrast with my last 8 months.
Classes are going well--I have really interesting stuff to go through now: I am teaching Brave New World in a literature class. Next book is Waste Land, followed by Pygmalion and, oh yes, the Great Gatsby. I also have a history class, which is cool, as it gives me a chance to brush up. Of course, there is too much material to cover in such a short time, but it is great to go over it and focus on the interesting bits as much as possible.
The appartment has been found and rented. It is nice to have a place to go back to that isn't cold and full of noisy people who get angry at you when you make a little noise. We are cooking up lots of Thai food and eating well. I found an international food market that has lots of great food from everywhere, even the stinky fermented fish (oh jess).
Well, off for now, but will be posting pics later.... Take care, all, and merry Christmas.

Thialand Number 1 ?!?!?!

Just something I saw the other day to add a bit of statistical background to the immigration issue with Nok. Apparently, Korea has deported more people this year than last year, and Thais top the list!!! So, of the 8, 700 some odd deportees, like 3,000 something were Thai. That explains a lot.
The link above is to a horribly written summary in the Korean Times, which is famous for poor editing, and it is actually quite a gem of a piece. I think it was actually an AP or Reuters piece, but they just copied it and called it their own. Well, so it goes in Korea. What it means in the last paragraph is that the largest number (around 6,000) were denied entry because they didn't present a clear reason for coming, which is the category Nok would have fit into. Anyway, my Chinese and Mongols are up there on the list, too!! Not to mention Bangladesh.

My Nation State

The time has come to put an end to my experimentation with www.nationstates.net . It is just taking to much dedication for me to go to the site and update my government all the time. Still, it was fun, and I have to thank Mr. Winters for showing the site on his blog. My region started out cool, but has become lame, and in the end I am not so into role-playing games where there are no real repercussions for anything you do. I mean, in the end, you can just make up any crap you want and it goes. Guess that's why I never did D&D and all that.

Anyway, below, my country, in all its greatness. May its legacy live on in the hearts and minds of all peoples the world round. I do dig that my nation is listed as an "enforcer".

The Nomadic Peoples of Sko al"Come be nomadic with us...."
UN Category: Inoffensive Centrist Democracy
Civil Rights:Very Good Economy:Strong Political Freedoms:Below Average
Location: Scion
Regional Influence: Enforcer

The Nomadic Peoples of Sko al is a huge, environmentally stunning nation, renowned for its punitive income tax rates. Its compassionate, hard-working population of 599 million have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.
It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of the Environment, Education, and Healthcare. The average income tax rate is 91%. A tiny private sector is dominated by the Book Publishing industry.
It is illegal for police officers to carry out searches due to strict privacy laws, the government has cut its subsidies for all special interest groups, pharmacies close down as medicinal drugs are sold freely by the government, and guns are banned. Crime is totally unknown. Sko al's national animal is the ch priit, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its currency is the sko a.
Sko al is ranked 2nd in the region and 5,907th in the world for Most Cultured.

Korean Immigration Tale

Our entry story:
Travelling with a Thai has definitely been interesting, if a bit frustrating. My first question / suggestion to all governments who issue visas and then give people hell about them : Why did you issue us a visa in the first place? Counterfeiting aside, isn't the visa document enough to get into your country anymore? It is stated on the website and at the embassy, but the borders don't trust us. Maybe your embassies are full of idiot automatons who stamp visas on any paper in their vicinity and the hillbilly border guards actually are in the game with their full faculties. I tend to think it is the other way around.
That is mainly for China, which blocks this blog anyway, so no harm no foul. (For this and other banned/blocked sites in China you can use www.flyproxy.com ...for now)
So, after the entry problem, the exit turned out to pose a problem as well. The guy scanned her passport, looked around, looked at her, and then raises his handin that lazy official sort of way, hands loosely closed but index and middle fingers extended. He flags another official behind him, saying "There is a Thai here, come take a look at this."
Strangely enough, we were LEAVING. I was wondering what this guy had in mind. Was he thinking she was Chinese, but had purchased a Thai visa to get out? He did talk to her in Chinese to see her reaction (she knows no Chinese...so there was a blank smile, I assume). Was he wanting to detain her in China since she was Thai and likely to have trouble in Korea? I am just not sure what he was looking for, since we had legal visas and were departing within the validity of the visa.
I finished about 30 seconds after she had been taken aside, so I went up to the table. The guy looked at me and ask in English if I was travelling with her. What was my relationship with her? How long had we known each other? I have never been interrogated so much upon LEAVING a place. Maybe he thought we had drugs crammed up our orifces.
Once he saw that I was taking her, it moved along. I didn't risk asking why the suspicion, as I feared that would start us back into everything. The flight to Seoul was uneventful, lasting about an hour and a half. Upon arrival, however, our names were on a list of about six people. We stopped and gave the girl our pp info and boarding passes. She wrote everything down and smiled saying thanks. I asked if there was a problem, but she said no. I am not sure if this was related to immigrationor not.
I passed through the check with no problem, and then Nok got up to the counter. After about 5 minutes of looking at her passport and going through the computer, deja vu : into the special room for special checks. WOW.
NOTE : Korea has signed a treaty allowing ASEAN countries to enter without a visa. This is obviously not the case, which means the treaty IS A PAPER VOID OF MEANING. So, you sign the thing to make everyone feel better or to get some benefits for yourself, and then you just keep doing things the same way.

THE INSPECTION ROOM

I waited for about 30 minutes outside of the inspection room, waiting for word. They would not let me in with her. I couldn't see her from where I stood, but I tried to remain present and visible in the hopes that they would call me over. Finally, a woman did come out and ask if I was the boyfriend. She then proceeded to ask me a series of questions about where we had met, how long we had known each other, and lots of other details. I am sure this was to see if we answered the same way, which we did. After this questioning, I was allowed into the room.

The room was fine, not some dank interrogation spot. A couple of other travellers were in there getting questioned. A Chinese-Korean guy was having his documents questioned. An African guy was sitting there saying nothing. A few more Chinese came in, and a Nepali guy was also taken in. I tried not to pay too much attention to them, but it was interesting to see who got pulled.

Basically, I was told that, although Thais are eligible for visa-free entry, so many of them stay that they require more. Again, wish it said that everywhere else. Well, I signed an agreement saying that if she didn't leave I would go to jail and pay loads of money. It seemed like that would be enough, but later an old guy showed up, and said a Korean guarantor would be required. Jung Hoon's number was the first one I found, so we caled him. It did help that he works for a famous company. He was nice enough to sign the guarantee for me to guarantee her. The officials looked more or less happy with that, and we were on our way.

Now, if I could just get started with work...

Getting here.

We got here. Headaches and Chinese vendors and missed and delayed flights but we got here. Immigration is a story best left untold, but Nok is here. All in one piece, stamps in the passports (Thanks to Jung Hoon).
Photos on the way....legs still hurting from the great wall.

funniest youtube video ever

We Just Obliterated These Two Dogs

"You sound like you quite enjoyed that."
Actually, I didn't but I was sleep-deprived and in shock after seeing what happened. A line of dogs (and a chicken or two?) sitting in the highway in the middle of Laos, about six in total. Our bus rolls around a bend and there they are. I don't recall the driver beeping or anything, but most of the dogs managed to get out of the way. BUT, these two dogs just didn't get the message and were still sitting while we plowed over them. I had never been in any situation where I was so sure we had completely decimated two animals.
One was stuck to the bus, and was carted off later. Nok joked that it would be for lunch the next day. Considering where we are, I am not so sure it was much of a joke.
Good eats to all.

I Love India

What has happened to quality programming in the US? Make sure you give yourself at least 30 seconds of viewing to ensure hysterical laughter starts.
Also, for more Asian goodness, we laugh at the gamers but the Chinese make money off of them.

Fire's a burnin'

Well. Thailand. September 20th. Somehow, yesterday in the wee hours of the morning, the military decided to take over the country.
This doesn't mean the place is in chaos. Yesterday was calm, people were working in the market like regular. Watched it on TV. Not even really discussed much.
Downtown Chiang Mai, near the Night Bazaar, had some soldiers with M16s walking around. Besides that, the only evidence of the coup was the TV. I saw it on Thai TV and then on CNN. Seemed as far away as Iraq.
For those who don't know, the Prime Minister had been elected in what many people say were fraudulent elections (the opposition also boycotted the election), and there were irregularities all over the place, and big money being tossed around all over the place. Well, he kept power as a "caretaker" Prime Minister, the most ridiculous title I have ever heard of. Basically he is a guy with a ton of cash who controlled the media, got a hold of the country, and uses it for his personal gain. Recently he went and had a meeting in Burma. People speculated as to why he went, but it is pretty unanimously agreed that he was securing some contracts with the junta members. Well, this guy is obviously running the country into a hole, and should be out of there.
Supposedly, the kind has made some grunts of some sort that reflect his consent of the coup. This will certainly help it become accepted, because in Thailand, if the king is doing it, it must be cool. More on that tomorrow. Wear yellow and be good.

Driver friends in Phnom Penh

Here is a good pic of my motorbike driver friends in Phnom Penh. These guys are out every day looking for work. Busses show up and they are there trying to get a rider. Most of the time the busses empty and they don't get a fare.
Doesn't stop them, though. They stick around and wait for the next bus.
The guy in the fatigues is a police officer. He was cool and was one of the people who helped me mangle my way through a bit of Cambodian. Too bad you can't see his machine gun--although I was never sure if it was loaded or not.

2Pac and kids

Above, or left, depending o the whims of blogger and your browser, playing a game.... run!!!!!
I am so angry at this blog site for its messy layout tools that I am rejecting formatting completely and just letting this post evolve as it may.

These are the kids at the dumpsite. Pretty cool little guys. Work picking up trash day and night, and when they have some cash or rice, they go to school. The NGO next door serves 480 families, I believe, trying to get them trained to do other things and get them to school.

Notice the kid with the 2Pac hat. I have another one where he is smiling, but I won't post it out of spite.

Also, you can see the smoke a burnin'. I assume this is stuff they cannot sell, so they are making room for the next loads. More soon. Too lazy for more today.

Angkor Wat

Well, here are a few more pics of the temples. I mostly took them because I thought I was supposed to, haha, or that I would regret it later. Here they are: Above, a Buddha in the mist and halways of a fairly deserted temple (for Angkor Wat). Below, one of the marshy near-canals that seem to be near many of the main entrances. Later they fill up with more water, apparently.
Here, on the top, is the so-called Lady Temple, but I think that is a misnomer by the locals (sop I heard). Will have to check on the facts for that one. Regardless, it is beautiful and has much better carvings than the other temples. On the bottom, of course, the main temple at Angkor. So there you have it, I lined up and took my photos with the thousands of others there.


Ok, then, here we have a redified area at the main coplex which was cool. I took it right behind a Naga (snake head depiction) which I think makes it looks cool, but I am sure a true photographer would slaughter me for my composition. To finish off, a sunset that actually hurts your eyes if you look into the photo for a few minutes. More to come.

The Animals Bite Back

As I am sure Hoops knows, I will shed no tears for Steve Irwin. The world loves this guy, apparently, as he tortures animals for his own profit and fame. Ok, he ran some museums and /or organizations. Great. I don't hate him. As far as I know his father started them. Whatever. The point is, a human being maimed by an animal bothers me far less than the crap he walked around doing. Sorry for the family. I guess a sting ray got him in the heart. Experts say this is highly unusual, and makes me wonder if this particular sting ray was getting Mr. Irwin back for all the crap he had done to other creatures.
I think South Park struck closest to the essence of Mr. Irwin in this clip.

South Park - Crocodile Hunter

When the natives are restless, give them photos

Following my regular protocol, I managed to take 4 rolls of film without appearing in a single picture, haha. Here, my absolute favorite photo I got from the dumpsite out of Phnom Penh. The kids were great, even if their lives are very difficult. Later I will try to put up some more that show the conditions better.


These two: top, Bayon, one of the complexes at Angkor Wat that I liked the most. Bottom, a really blurry one of Nok (she is on the right).

Tweaking consumerism

Short post about something I don't feel has much to do with my life anymore, but is interesting.
Some basketball player, Stephon Marbury, who must be extremely famous, has created a line of basketball shoes that people can actually afford, and he says he is going to wear them as well. Interesting. Maybe this is the end of inner city kids killing each other or mugging to pay for their $175 Nike Jordan's? Status and its workings being what they are, I doubt it, but at least it is hopeful. I mean, sure, the guy will make money out of it, but, it seems a little more reasonable. Here is his page.

Thoughts before departing

Not about Cambodia, though. Just inspired by conversations I had here. Was talking with Miwa. Eric, if your African connection allows you to view this, I know you will freak out when you realize she used to work at Messhuga's, which was so much crazy fun back in the day, although many reports say it sucks now. Oh well, remember and forge on.
During the conversation we ended up talking about blogs, and I remembered going to a site that I reached somehow through Hoops' site. Benjamin, Hoops, somebody knows The Git. Not sure who. Or, you can go to my favorite story on the site: the Ballad of Carl Wilson. Anyway, just an example of something great found through these blogs. Might put a permanent link on it.
One last thing, has anyone got the scoop on these 911 photos? Interesting, just don't know what the story is behind them coming out. Worth a look if you have time.

A wonderful quote from the beer I was drinking the other day. Hilarious. I chuckled and drank one more, and then I was done. Also, found a funny review of the beer by a guy who knows more about beer than I do. Click on the pic to read it. Pretty funny. Oh, Cambodia. I take your challenge.

“Klang Beer is carefully brewed using the most advanced brewing technology available. It is brewed to the highest possible standard for beer drinkers the world over. Klang Beer is a perfect drink for all kinds of celebration and it can be savoured at any time of day. Mind you, it’s a very strong beer but go ahead and take the challenge! After all, it is specially brewed for you."

Siem Rape

or at least that is what it should be called. The place is infested with tourists and reeks of commercialism. I seriously preferred Phnom Penh. I doubt I will be back unless someone just begs me to go with them, but I doubt it.
Once I got over that, the place was ok, but I wasn't that excited about it. There were a few "wow" moments, but I still think Tikal was prettier.
I guess the coolest thing about Angkor and the surrounding temples, which is actually kind of sad, is the fact that these ruins are really in ruins. So, you walk among things that are completely deteriorating, which lends the place a bit of mystery.
Now everyone can lambast me for not loving Angkor, but all the better. I leave this place for those package tour folks to revisit year after year. That said, the people in Siem Reap are great.
That is my superficial report over this slow connection.

wrong, but so funny

Look carefully at the sign the boy is carrying. Laugh. Explanation below.

April 2004: This image, which was widely circulated on the internet, shows a U.S. Marine posing for a photo with two Iraqi children while holding a sign reading "Lcpl Boudreauk killed my Dad then he knocked up my sister". Boudreauk claims that this image was tampered with from the original, in which the sign read "Welcome Marines". A military investigation into potential wrong-doing was inconclusive. It remains unclear if this image is authentic.
Got this from an interesting look at image manipulation by someone at Dartmouth.

I stink

Well, if only I had a digital camera....
Dare to dream. Anyway, I would post the photos now, but they are on a roll of film. Today I went and rolled around in the trash and shit. Well, not rolled, but walked on it. Went to a dump where people live and work. they pick up trash and haul it off to factories to be recycled. Some is burned. Smoke is everywhere, as well as all the trash you can imagine and more, plus loads of what I assume is cow shit. Horrible conditions for these people, and I cannot imagine what kind of health problems they must have, especially the children. They are there working as well.
So, I interviewed one guy working for an NGO that is trying to provide education to the children and vocational training to the adults. Many come from the countryside and have no other way to make a living. I was there for a total of about 2 hours, but only mayube 45 minutes in the trash. the rest of the time was just next to it where the NGO is housed.
So, that is what I am doing in Phnom Penh. Pretty crazy to many, but I am having a blast. I go back tomorrow and try to finish. Wish me luck.

Mr. President, are you reading this?

Probably not. It is exactly what he needs to have a look at though. This week Doonesbury has been right on, so I thought I would post them.....Gary Trudeau can't sue me, right????? I didn't make these...he did, and you can go to his site here. Always sketched about what I can just rip off of other pages.
Anyway, enjoy. I am off to an undisclosed location that is not Thailand. Will follow up on that later. Hoops, you happy?

Marijuana makes you smarter?

A hilarious paragraph from an article in Slate about an experiment to see if pot smoking rats were more likely to become addicted to heroin. Well, turns out the stoned rats were taking more heroin, but this paragraph reveals the strange (and unexpected?) reason for their increased comsumption:
Hurd (the researcher) says that because the marijuana-exposed rats demonstrated this heightened sensitivity, she expected them to be more motivated in pursuing the drug. But they weren't. The control rats paced their cages and repeatedly pressed the active bars even when the light indicating availability wasn't on. The pot rats, on the other hand, figured out that the heroin was available only at certain times, and that pacing and tapping the bar incessantly wasn't worth the trouble. When heroin was available, the marijuana rats took more of it. But when it wasn't, they chilled in the corner.
So, I guess discernment and some chill pills get you further than anxiety. Anyway, hope all find this as funny as I do.

Doing doing Ching ching ching ching ching ching....

Ran through the Chinese district here in Chiang Mai, and was pleased to revisit my Chinese opera. Was on my way to a fight, so could not stay long, but managed to get a few pics. Where is Lan when you need her? WWWoooo bbbuuuuu xxxiiihhhhuuuaaannn wwwaaaaiii gggooouuuu rrreeeeennn !!!!! ching ching ching ching ching ching........

Thar She Blows

Yes, I had to take the pic of Alcatraz on the way to Angel island, but the main one turned out nice. Here is the close-up. On my way to the Angel.

Finally, here is an overcast San Fran. Was very pretty.

Mom, if you're looking....

Here are those fearless deer. They have no natural predators on the island (Angel Island off of SF) so they just hang out while you walk up to them. Funny funny.

Long Live Russia

***
Finally, with what was now open disrespect, the colonel from headquarters started questioning the Corps Commander about his plan for the next day.

Plan! There was something so un-Russian about the word. What plan?
***
--from Solzhenitsyn's August 1914

Bonus Question: Anybody know why chapter 22 was removed by the author? I know what the chapter is about and where it is now, but why was it taken out in the first place? You have too much time on your hands or you know your Russian emigre authors too well if you can answer this. ^^

MANGOSTEEN

Quit wasting your time with that damn stank ass Durian and get on the Mangosteen train. . . also make sure you get to an island before you leave Thailand. . . don't make me hurt you. . .

Current reading flurry

Just read a pretty cool book called Deep Survival, which is an interesting look at who survives and how the human brain functions in crisis. Read an autobiography of Gandhi "My Experiements in Truth". Pretty good, although I need to read a true history of it. Sticking with the biography phase (why??? It all started with Einstein in Korea)I am reading the biography of Richard Feynman, who is someone I've always wanted to know more about. Hopefully I will finish this monster up and then read the other, more famous one Surely, You're Joking, Mr. Feynman. Anyway, it is good to read this one, because it explains a good deal of the science he was doing.
A little quote that made me laugh regarding the religious beliefs of different physicists of the 30's and 40's:
"Einstein's piety was sincere but neutral, acceptable even to the vehemently antireligious Dirac, of whom Wolfgang Pauli once complained, 'Our friend Dirac, too, has a religion, and its guiding principle is 'There is no God and Dirac is His prophet.'"
If you don't find this funny, maybe I am spending a little too much time in my own mind. Anyway, I laughed histerically at it. Enjoy.

The frooeets that started it all

This one is for Hoops, and will almost surely provoke a retaliation in the form of a post. I ate the fruit, Durien, the mother of all huge, spikey, stinky fruits, and it is a strange one. For one, it is SUPPOSED to stink. Of course, after opening it, I realized that it smells much the same way a mango does when opened. Not exactly a stink, but a slightly less-than-pleasant smell that doesn't tell you anything about the taste.
Strangely enough, the Durien is creamy. It reminds me of Boston Cream, like the kind they put in those donuts. A creamy fruit. Apparently it is not to be eaten if you plan on imbibing large amounts of alcohol, as it will kill you or something. Have to do more research on that.
See if you can dig one up and try it. Hoops, you to, second time is the charm.

now you can watch the video over and over and over again. . . . thanks for reminding me of that shitty song. . .

The Tooth with the Bamboo Stuffing

Well, I know everyone (except me, of course) is sick of looking at my teeth. I swear I cannot get enough, and I will be glad to have them on the site to gaze at from time to time. In an effort to be done with all this, I post for you the x-rays and some root canal photos. Make sure you look at the last one. It is so trippy looking, like they stuck bamboo shoots up the hole in my tooth. I cannot stare at it too long. Any theories about that? I think it is making room for the posts you will see in the x-ray, but that's just a guess. Meanwhile, gaze away.


















Here are the best of the x-rays. I am too lazy to format this, so just look ^^.

Reconstructing My Tooth

Well, this one should be pretty self-explanitory, so I will leave the pictures to speak for themselves. I just could not believe that from that massive hole, a tooth was just remade (and I mean it looked real!) That was accomplished in about 45 minutes. Pretty amazing what modern dentistry can do. Enjoy.