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.