MISSISSIPPI to KOREA

New Blog ....Change Your Links...thanks~!

2009-08-24T01:23:00.007+09:00

I have made the switch to self-hosting on Wordpress. I will not be posting on Blogger anymore. You can follow me here. (M2k)I still have some bugs to work out and probably will get rid of the flash to speed up the load time. I still am not 100% happy with the theme, but it is the best one that I have found. I will still be posting the same kind of content, but most centered around photos that I have taken. I was going to wait till the move back to Hattiesburg, but decided to go on and make the change.

If you are looking for information on Dongtan, please feel free to have a look at my photos or older posts. If you are looking for a school in Korea, give me an email and let me get you in touch with my recruiters.

Dongtan Questions

2009-08-17T22:57:00.002+09:00

If you have sent me an email asking about Dongtan or Korea in general, sorry for the late replies. I still have at least 3 more emails to answer. I have been in the middle of redesigning the blog and planning a vacation. At a later date I do plan on having a post with information all about Dongtan. I do seem to answer the same questions over and over and probably will end up just publishing the email that I write here on the blog.

Best Fake Punt Ever (Bills/Titans)

2009-08-16T21:40:00.001+09:00

another test

MIA

2009-08-12T15:26:00.002+09:00

I have been MIA as of late. I will be making the switch to wordpress and self hosting my blog sometime in the future. I have already hosted my domain and still working on trying to pick a theme that works. I have gone through about 10 different themes to find the one that works best for me. I am looking for something similiar to what I have now, but am not having much luck. I want to be able to show larger pictures and have a side bar. Anyone that has a good suggestion, please leave a comment!

Embracing the Unknown and a Whole Lot of Change

2009-08-08T13:31:00.009+09:00

4 years ago I wrote:

I am in the final stages of leaving for Korea for a year. There are quite a few people who did not believe that I was serious about moving overseas........HA I'll show them. My VISA should arrive sometime next week. I will be working for large school in the Yeongtong area of Suwon, South Korea. Hopefully if I have the will power, I will update this frequently.

When I wrote the title of this post, I was not thinking about what I wrote 4 years ago when I was preparing to come to Korea. I was actually thinking about what will happen when we make the big move back to Hattiesburg, MS 2 months from now. I often think about how much has changed since I got on that Delta Airlines flight to Korea. I wonder how much more will change in the next 4 years.

Lately, I have been bogged down with thoughts of jobs, houses, cars, money.etc. Then I start to think about what all has changed since I set foot in Korea. Mainly, I think about the biggies. There have been additions to the family both through weddings and births. There have been losses. Basically, I am going back to a family and set of friends that are in a totally different situation than when I left them. I am sure that they feel the same way about me. I disappear for 4 years and come back with wife in tow. The move would only be so much easier if I was only worried about visible/outward changes. The changes that I am most worried about are the ones that have taken place internally. I hope that I have changed for the better. I know that I have a better sense of the world and of the way America is viewed outside of the western hemisphere. I think that I have also learned how to cope with adversity in a total different way. I am still trying to figure out how if any my personality has changed. My four years in Korea have been far from perfect, but they have been pretty damn good. I am sure that I will be eager to return to Korea four years from now. We do have plans to come back and settle in Jeju, but it remains to be see if those plans stick.

I have grown accustomed to my way of life here in Korea. I have my routine. I miss my family and friends but there are things besides my family and friends that are drawing me back home. Sweet tea, fried catfish, clean air, New Orleans, Southern accents, football weekends, family dinners, soul food, cotton farms, tailgating are all calling me back. My family is probably the single biggest reason why I am excited to get back. I will be able to spend some much needed time with my parents. I also will get a chance to hold my nephew for the first time. I will also get to spend time with my new sister and brother in law. I also will be able to spend time with my best friends and their new children, some of whom I have never seen. All in all, it is time for the move and I can't wait.

We literally have a list of at least a hundred items that must be completed before we can make the journey home. The next couple of months will be spent worrying about wedding ceremony arrangements, flights, packing, vacations, pensions....so much, but these are actually items that I enjoy worrying about.

I can't wait to look back 4 years from now and see what all has changed.

Gangwon-do Weekend 2박3일 Part 6 Last Day

2009-08-08T01:14:00.003+09:00

We woke up pretty early and got on the road. We headed to a 5 day travelling market. Basically, this market moves from town to town and comes back every 5 days. There were lots of interesting things to be seen and I am so pissed that I did not get a photo of the dried frogs. We left the market and started on our way home. Troy with his eagle eyes found the sushi restaurant that specialized in the sushi that he really wanted to try. It was a local trout like fish that was grown in a pond in front of the restaurant.

Ginseng??

Working hard

Squid and Fruit
Fishing on their vacation

Korean Turnip Greens

Random Field

Troy taking it easy

We also ended up stopping at a great fruit market where we picked up some fresh seedless grapes. All in all it was a great trip and I look forward to going back. I would really love to be able to go back and hit all the good photo spots at the time with the best light.

Gangwon-do Weekend 2박3일 Part 5 Moonlight Dinner

2009-08-06T23:32:00.005+09:00

We left the cave and found a small market to buy some meat, soju and beer. Troy and Joanne took care of the meat and JJ and I went in search of some beverages. There was a really cute miniature pincher that was sitting on a sofa with the owner of the small store. He let me pet him, but when I stopped to take a picture, he suddenly forgot that he was a miniature.Bad ass Dog

We got back to the pension and rested for awhile. I went out to try and grab a couple of HDR photos.(seen below)
Cornfield HDR
Right outside our door. I wish I would have gotten more of the field and less of the fence.

and then the pension owner, Troy and I got everything ready for our cookout. Again, I loved Gangwon-do kimchi. We had some great meat and had an enjoyable evening under the moonlight.

Firing it up

JJ chomping down

Great Kimchi

Troy grilling it up

Troy posing

Eating and cooking at the same time

You can see that the temperature at night was definitely lower. After eating and drinking too much, it was way too easy to fall asleep. Sunday was a very busy day, but I didn't take too many photos...Only one more update to go!

Gangwon-do Weekend 2박3일 Part 4 The Cave

2009-08-06T01:52:00.002+09:00

Walking to the ticket office to find out about the 1+ wait.

A dish special to the region. Muk. The name is actually longer, but I really can't remember or spell it.

Finished with a great meal

The Monorail

We left the creek and went to Hwa Am Cave. There was about an hour wait for the monorail, so we grabbed a quick bite to eat at a restaurant near the cave monorail ticket office. Troy and I had a jug of Makgeolli just because we could. There was a pretty cool park near the restaurant, so we walked around and relaxed while waiting for our monorail trip.

Fountains in the park.

Troy resting after our meal and drinks.

When it was time for us to board the monorail, it felt like I was back at Gangnam station. About 40 of us all crowded into one of the cars and of course because I am slow and don't elbow people, I didn't get a seat, but it was a really short trip up the mountain, maybe 15min. We entered the cave and it felt wonderfully cool inside. The first section of the cave had some Disney World like figurines showing the history of the mining. They also had sections of the cave covered with glass and magnifying circles, so that you could see the gold veins running through. The last section of the cave was for kids and it really reminded me of It's a Small World.

Reflections on the Monorail

Walking down a hellacious staircase

Formations

More formations

Snowbunny

A shaky view of one of the caverns

Lion Rock

Welcome to .....

Yes, God indeed has a sense of humor.

We left the cave and went back to the pension for a great moonlight barbecue. Part 5 tomorrow!

I also wanted to say thanks for the messages about my mother. She is doing much better and should be getting out of the hospital sometime this week.

Gangwon-do Weekend 2박3일 Part 3 The Creek

2009-08-05T01:25:00.002+09:00

JJ pausing to take a shot

Joanne and JJ getting ready to go to the creek

Troy posing

Taking a break

Stopping for a break

So happy

Look what I got

Digging under the rocks

Crowded

Catfish?

We left the convenience store and made our way to small creek that was supposedly well known for its fresh spring drinking water. I was going to try the water, but heard it tasted strange, so I passed. We walked around this area for awhile and started watching people try to catch these catfish like fish. I think the fish were released for people to catch, but regardless people were having a great time. They were searching under rocks, diving under the water, and generally just having a great time. We walked down the creek and then took a trail on the other side of the creek to make our way back to the car. We then made our way to a great cave which will come in part 4.

A Great Call

2009-08-04T16:19:00.002+09:00

I spoke to my dad last night around 1 or 2 am Korea time and was given the message that mom was doing much better. I called it a night and crashed out.

This morning around 8am I was awoken by the sound of my cellphone singing. My mother was on the line, but it took me a few extra seconds to 1. wake up 2. recognize her voice. I believe that she was still on some pain medicine, but she really sounded fine and didn't remember anything from the day of the surgery. She has been moved from ICU to her own room, so hopefully she will be able to go home in the next 4 or 5 days. I look forward to being able to talk to her when I am fully awake. I went back to sleep after speaking with her for just a few minutes and when I woke up, I thought for a second that it might be a dream.

In other news, we made another visit to the dentist. JJ had one of her wisdom teeth taken out and I got prepped for my crown. It was so nice to be able to sit in the dentist's office waiting room and check my email via the computer set up in the waiting room for clients.

Gangwon-do Weekend 2박3일 Part 2

2009-08-03T22:53:00.003+09:00

We got up late on Saturday morning and had lunch at the pension. The area is famous for a certain kind of rice dish called gondre. I had mentioned on Facebook that I was in the mood for some turnip greens, well I got the Korean version for lunch that day. I also have to mention that Gandwon-do kimchi is unbelievable, a little spicy, but wonderful.

Gondre Bap

Cooking us some great lunch

We spent some time just hanging out in the pension's restaruant which we had to ourselves. The family that ran the pension also lived here, so it was more like sitting in a huge den with sofas and a TV.

The eating area

Taking it easy

Our Courtyard

A view of our pension from above

The weather was awesome. I could have really just sat outside all day long. We were very slow to get started and really just took our time lounging around.

Before he was scared to death

Troy got a little hungry

We started to make our way to Hwa Am Cave in Jeongsong. We stopped to pick up some supplies at one of those great little convenience stores in the middle of nowhere. There was a small creek that flowed nearby the store. We quickly picked up some snacks and headed on to the cave.

The weather was so nice. It was so nice to see pure white clouds in the sky. This is probably one of the biggest things that I have missed about being away from Mississippi.

Part 3 Trip To The Creek will come soon....

Mom

2009-08-03T06:14:00.003+09:00

As soon as I had finished posting about our trip, my sister-in-law called and told me that my mom was going to have surgery today. That set off a firestorm of emotions and prompted many skype calls and facebook messages. I really figured that I had a couple of days before I really had to worry about her going under the knife. Well, she just got out of surgery and seems to be doing pretty well. She will be in ICU for 24 to 48 hours and then back to her regular room. I held up pretty good till I spoke with her over the phone while they were taking her to surgery. I haven't cried like that in a long time. It was just something I didn't expect. Now, we just have to pray for a speedy and safe recovery. The doctor said that there didn't seem to be anything else wrong with her except for the enlarged spleen, so that is great news.

The links of communication were great tonight with my family keeping me informed via;facebook, skype, email, and cell phones calls and text messages.

I am going to crash and try to get a few hours of sleep in before I have to work at 1pm. I will definitely sleep better knowing that she is out of surgery.

Mom and Gangwon-do Weekend 2박3일 Part 1

2009-08-02T23:08:00.005+09:00

I first need to say that mom is doing a little bit better, but it looks like she will be having surgery this week sometime. I just got off the phone with my father and they have a couple more doctors that are supposed to drop by the hospital room before they schedule anything. I did feel bad about having a great time in Gangwon-do while my mom was hurting, but knowing her she would be pissed if she heard that we didn't have a good time on her account. I am so proud of my sister, who is a nurse in New Orleans, who has been taking such good care of her and making sure that her nurses do what they are supposed to do. My father and brothers have also been in and out checking on and taking care of mom as well. JJ and I are both pretty worried, but hopefully she will be making a full recovery soon. Love ya and praying for you mom!

Day 1

Troy and Joanne picked me up from school on Friday at 10pm and we drove straight to my house and got JJ and our luggage. We then started our way to Gangwon-do. We did have to make a few pit stops. Joanne is pregnant, so it was nice to be able to get out of the car every hour or so. We drove for hours through the winding road and every time we reached a city we all thought that our pension would be located there, but we continued and at times our navigation system sent us through backroads that would make Mississippi proud. We finally made it to our pension in Jeongseon(정선) at about 1:45 am and were greeted by the owner who was super nice. We checked into our room, which was plain, but served us fine, and then headed out to the casino that was about 15minutes away. The weather was definetly cooler in Gangwon-do. I had to grab my jacket as soon as I got out of the car. It was so nice to also be able to look up and see stars in the sky with no haze!
I took this on our second night after way too much soju hence the blurriness

Korean Casinos! No Fun!(and I won money)

We got to the casino and the first thing we noticed was how crowded it was for such a late hour. We finally found a parking spot and walked to the casino. We tried to go in, but found out we had to register and pay our taxes to enter the casino. Luckily, I had thought ahead and had brought my passport instead of just using my Korean id. Foreigners are not required to the pay the entrance tax of 5,000 won.(Yeah--Baby). Having received a ticket to enter the casino, we were allowed to go in, but only after going through the X-ray machine and the Swine Flu camera(temperature detector). I have never seen a casino this crowded before. People were stacked up 3 and 4 deep at the blackjack tables. Other people were taking whole rows of slot machines. There was so much that was so different than from what I expected. People would walk away from machines with a couple hundred dollars worth of credit while they went to the bathroom/took a break. I kept wondering how much of a problem they had with people stealing other's credit. There were so many times that I almost played some other person's machine. Other people would save their machine by putting a 1000 won note in the slot for change. I could have easily made money by just taking the notes that were sticking out of the coin slots. Other people were playing 4-5 slots. It took us forever to find a machine and when we found a couple; we didn't want to leave. We played for about 30-45 minutes and JJ and I ended up winning about 240,000 won(about $200). The placed was filled with zombies. Not your usual casino/drunk zombies, but it looked like some of the players had been playing for days.

Our pension owner later told us that foreigners usually don't like it and that most Korean people go to really try to make money and not to have fun. We joked that we could probably have gotten a good deal on a car at one of the local pawnshops that are open 24 hours a day. We were all hungry and there was no way that we were going to pay 8,000 won for some bread that was available at the casino. We went to a local kimbap restaurant that was pretty decent and the first one that I have ever seen that sold soju. We made it back to the pension around 4 and crashed out.

Day 2 and 3 to come later with tons more pictures.....

Central Park II

2009-07-31T15:54:00.001+09:00

Centralparkredo, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

I took the above shot the other day near Central Park Dongtan. I am still working with the HDR software trying to figure out just how to process them. This one came out a little too yellow for my taste, but I still like the effect.

I will leave for the casino tonight around 10pm. You know those people that win the lottery or lots of money and say that they will continue to work at that current job, well, if I win a large amount of money, you can bet the house that I will finish this current contract a little earlier than expected! Wish me luck!

I have about 4 hours of short classes to make it through today. Saying that I am ready for the weekend is the understatement of the year.

Weekend and Mom

2009-07-31T12:05:00.002+09:00

Sign, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

The above photo was taken a week ago in Central Park. I have had a pretty busy week, so I haven't had a chance to go out and taken many photos.

How nice was it to wake up and not have to teach my kindergarten class. I was going to sleep super late today, but was woken up by a delivery guy dropping off something that JJ had ordered. I spent the morning packing and getting ready for our trip to Gangwondo. We are taking off about 10pm tonight. We are going to stay in a pension near the casino. I really have no idea what we are going to do, but it should be fun and I hope to get a lot of great photos.

I just got a call from my father. It seems that my mom has been put in the hospital for a spleen related problem. This was not what I was expecting when he called. I know that she hasn't been feeling well lately and know that I will be praying hard for her to get well soon. She disagrees with me, but I still say that it is stress. According to my parents, she will be released tomorrow morning. I will be looking forward to receiving the call letting me know that they have put her on some antibiotics and that she will released. It sounds like the hospital is not given her the best attention and I hope that either she will be released or transferred. This is one of those times that I really wish I was back in the States. I don't care so much about missing big events like birthdays, weddings and holidays, but I really hate not being at home when something like this happens..This was taken when my parents were in Korea last year. I really can't wait for the next 3 months to fly by, so that I can be back at home with all my family.

DCF Filing in Seoul

2009-07-30T12:12:00.003+09:00

I checked out quite a few resources when JJ and I decided to get her American CR1Visa here in Seoul instead of doing the fiancee route. Here are a couple of links that I used to figure out just what all Direct Consular Filing involved.

The CR1 is the visa that you will receive if you are leaving in Korea and have been married less than 2 years. The IR1 is for couples that have been married for more than 2 years.

Here are some links that I used to gather information before I started the long process.

Visa Journey is a great forum and I found some great examples of the paperwork that I needed to fill out. I also found someone that had just gone through the same process. I was able to email her and she gave me some great information. Here is her story. You should be careful with the information that you read. Every embassy around the world is a little bit different and all of them seem to require different types of forms/evidence.

The US embassy in Seoul has plenty of information written on their website. I read this page about a thousand times trying to make sure that I was following the process correctly. The website says that both of you do not have to be at the embassy to drop off the I-130. This is incorrect. The beneficiary must attend because there is one extra form that is not online that he/she must fill out.

Here are the posts describing our experience.

VISA in Hand

2009-07-29T11:54:00.003+09:00

It is Wednesday morning and the delivery guy just handed me JJ's visa.( after I gave him 8,000won) That was a fast turn around. I never expected it this soon! That's just one more thing that we don't have to worry about! **Edit I added some photos. I was actually at home alone when the deliverly guy called. The photos were taken when JJ got back home from her lesson.

Planning

2009-07-29T01:14:00.002+09:00

Central Park, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

Another HDR shot taken inCentral Park. A little too dark on my monitor.

Things on the schedule.

1. Heading to Gangwondo for the weekend
2. Got a new teacher to train this month
3. Need to book a photographer for my wedding ceremony
4. Need to pack up a lot of junk in the next 3 months
5. Going to Jeju-do the last week of August
6. Going back to Jeju-do for Chuseok
7. Need to book a couple flights home
8. Need to book flights for JJ's parents
9. Need to book a hotel room in Honolulu
10................

Success

2009-07-27T23:21:00.002+09:00

We made our way on Sunday to Namdaemun. I bought an ND8 filter and we grabbed a late lunch at one of the most disgusting, but delicious restaurants that I have ever eaten. It was very similar to the type of restaurant that I visited with Troy and Joanne a few weeks. There was tons of service! This was the kind of place that the health department would shut down in a second, but the food was brilliant.

We went and found a hotel in Jongro and then we walked around that area looking for somewhere to have a drink. We had a few drinks at a bar called Casino and then went to VIPS for some steak. We made it back to the motel about 10:30 or 11:00 and sat around making sure everything was good for the visa interview the next day.

I could hardly sleep. I was so damn nervous. I think that I fell asleep around 3 and woke up about 7.

We got to the embassy at 8:15 and went upstairs to the third floor where the immigrant visas are processed. We pulled lucky number 7 and prepared to wait for awhile. Our number was called less than 30 minutes after we arrived and we presented our package to the State Department official. She was very kind and only spoke Korean to JJ. Everything seemed to be in order and we were told to wait for JJ's name to be called. About 30 minutes later her name was called. We thought this was it, but it was only time for her to have her fingerprints done. We then waited for about another 35 minutes and they called her name again. This time they returned a bank letter that I accidentally included and gave us a bill for 520,000 won. We were directed to another window and paid our bill and were told to wait for our interview.

JJ was called for an interview about 30 minutes after paying the bill. The interview was relatively short. They did ask if she wanted a translator. She took them up on their offer. The translator did a great job.
They asked:

1. How long have you been married?
2. When did you first start dating?
3. How did you first meet?
4. Have you met each other's parents?
5. What will you do in America?
6. What does Jason's father do for a living?

The young lady that conducted the interview was obviously a new employee and was being assisted by her manager(?). That was a little nerve wracking, but JJ nailed the interview and they told her that we were approved and that we would receive the visa in a week or less.....The walk out of the embassy was so much smoother than the walk in. I felt like a 10ton weight had been lifted off my shoulders. This is just one less thing to think about. We do have a lot of planning left to do, but we are relaxed and getting ready to go to Gangwando this weekend. I am hoping to win some money at the casino or at least get some good photos.

Thank You

2009-07-27T20:35:00.001+09:00

Thank you U.S. Department of State, Immigrant Visa section!

JJ was approved for her visa today.

Details later!

Central Park

2009-07-26T00:59:00.001+09:00

Central Park 2, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

I recently got Photomatix Pro and went out and tried to get some HDR shots. I thought this one came out nicely. I do wish that I would have been more to the left of the gazebo.

JJ and I just went through our last check-through of the visa materials and we have everything we need to go to the embassy. We will stay in Jongro. We also need to do a little shopping mainly order some wedding bands and I want to pick up an ND filter. Hopefully, we can find somewhere to have a nice dinner as well.

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona)

2009-07-25T02:44:00.001+09:00

I really want to upgrade my camera after seeing what the HD video looks like on the 5dMkII. Make sure you watch it in HD.

Friday Night

2009-07-25T01:39:00.002+09:00

I have been spending some time trying to narrow my choices of what vehicle we are going to buy when we get back. I have looked at everything from a Honda CRV or civic to Hyundai Santa Fe or Sonata. We are leaning towards a used Santa Fe(pictured above), but are not really sure at this point.

We have a little on our shedule tomorrow besides meeting with some friends of ours to finailize our trip to Gangwando. We will have to make our way to Seoul and will possible stay with JJ's sister on Saturday night and then stay near the embassy on Sunday night. We decided that we would rather stay in Seoul and not have to keep up at the crack of dawn to make our 8:30 interview time.

A few junk photos from tonight.

Milkshake in a bag.

Ice Cream and Gum

Reminds me of crack(not that I would know)

JJ posing.

Monday's the Day

2009-07-22T13:02:00.003+09:00

Our date for our interview is slowly approaching. We are filing DCF( Direct Consular Filing) in Korea for her visa at the Seoul Embassy. That probably doesn't make much sense to anyone else, but someone looking for the same kind of information that I was can use our list to see what we included. I have to pick up a letter of employment from Troy, and statements from our banks to prove how much cash on hand we have(probably not needed, but won't hurt) and then we can pick up the courier receipt at the embassy. I am also going to bring all my evidence of a bonafide marriage with me to the embassy just in case. That includes..bank account information, showing JJ on my insurance, photos of our life, and wire transfers from JJ to my account. I hope that everything goes smoothly on Monday. It will be nice to have all of this behind us. I am more than ready to begin buying tickets home and making hotel reservations for our vacation to Honolulu.

JJ Passport-X
Photo-X
Courier Receipt-O
Medical Report-X
DS230 Pt 1-X
DS230 Pt 2-X
Marriage Certificate-X
Basic Certificate-X
Family Certificate-X
Marriage Certificate-X
Old Family Register-X( maybe not needed)
Translations-X
Criminal Check-X
Translation-X
I864-X
2008 Tax Return-X
Copy of my Birth Certificate-X
Letter explaining why we need a cosponsor-X
Proof of Domicile
-School Contract showing ending date-X
-School Letter-X
-Change of Address for Credit Card-X
-Letter from Community Bank-X
-Dad's Letter allowing us to live at his residence-X
-Troy's Letter-O
-Contract with Dreamworks-X
-Dad's I864-X
-Dad's proof of Residence-X
-Dad's Tax Return-X
-400$ Fee-X

Spammer

2009-07-21T23:25:00.000+09:00

Anyone wanna help me out??? How do I stop a comment spam bot. Apparently it is leaving a message on everyone of my posts and flooding my email with notifications.

Mud Festival and The Big Picture

2009-07-21T12:52:00.002+09:00

The Boston Globe featured a few photos from the Boryeong Mud Festival in this week's Big Picture. You can check them out here.

Our Friends

2009-07-20T21:41:00.003+09:00

I would say that our favorite Chinese delivery restaurant in Dongtan is pretty awesome. Not only do they know exactly where our villa is, but they also know the code to our villa's front door. We tend to only order when it is raining and pretty much always get the same thing. I always go for the sweet and sour pork(탕수육) and Noodles with black bean sauce(자장면). and JJ goes for the spicey seafood noodles( 짬뽕).

I am so going to miss being able to order this when we get back to America. I almost think that I should open my own Korean style Chinaese restaurant, but I wonder how long it would take for all of our bowls and dishes to be stolen/not returned. I can picture a college students apartment filled with bowls and plates they acquired by ordering food.

JJ Sunday

2009-07-20T01:42:00.002+09:00

Sitting, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

We went out for a late lunch today and really just spent most of the day lounging around the house, but we did find time to run out and take some photos. I think that I got a few good shots. You can see the rest here.

The List

2009-07-19T14:07:00.006+09:00

I have a little over 3 months left in Korea. One of my coworkers and I were talking the other day about how nice our neighborhood is and especially how friendly the people in our neighborhood are. We started rattling off a list of people that went out of their way to treat us nice here in Dongtan. My list included:

1. The owner of the "Blue Bar", our local bar. Not only do his eyes light up(probably with dollar signs) when we show up, but he really goes out of his way to take care of us. I can remember more than a couple times strange drunk businessmen coming over to harass us and them being shown the door very quickly.

2. The 4You24 couple. I have been visiting this store in Dongtan since we arrived in January of 2008. Not only do they always go out of their to speak to me, but always are curious about what's going on in my life.

3. The Yoga couple: I have never taken Yoga lessons and I don't really have a desire to so. A few of our other teachers go to yoga at their studio. I met them in the elevator about a year ago and they will cross the street to come say hello to me. They are probably some of the nicest people that I have met in Korea.

4. Mr Jun: Mr. Jun runs the Jun Mart near my house. He knows everything. He knows who I teach private lessons to. He knows what my wife likes for me to buy at his store. He always reminds me to buy things for my wife. He is a great guy. He has been harassing me to go drinking with him for about 6 months now. I am going to have to take him up on his offer soon.

5. Mr Pharmacy: This man runs the pharmacy that is located on the first floor of our school building. Not only does he always speak to me, but will go out of his way to help you. He actually took another teacher to the doctor and translated for him.

6. Mr Real Estate: This guy is funny. He sells real estate in our building and all I ever see him doing is playing badminton in his huge office or sleeping. When he sees me waiting on the elevator, he walks over and always attempts to say something in English. He is studying for the TOEIC test and is really just a beginner. With our help he can now distinguish between breakfast, lunch and dinner. Those elevator lessons are paying off for him. He is another one that really wants to go drinking with me. I speak to him in Korean 90% of the time, so I know that dinner would be really interesting.

7. Mr Family Mart: They recently sold their business to another family. He and his wife both worked at the store. They both didn't speak any English, but were wonderful people. He couldn't understand why I don't have any children and every time I saw him, he would remind me to start having children. I would always tell him that I don't have enough money for a child. His answer in Korean was always the same,"Your right, Your right,"

8. Addonnis Owners: Yes, your children go to our school, but you never look down on us when we have to much to drink at your bar. You always give us more service than we deserve. You go out of your way to make sure that we have a good time.

9. Mr Delivery Man: He regularly delivers food to our school. He sees me almost everyday. Everyday he almost wrecks his motorbike to go out of his way to say hello to me. I remember when he first found out which school that I worked out. He was quite surprised and now always looks for me to say hello.

10. Kimbap Heaven Workers: My Korean is not that good. You never laugh when I order incorrectly or when I can't figure out what I want(Ok, you laugh, but you always laugh with me, not at me.

11. The Singing Dentist: He is probably one of the nicest people I have ever met. He goes out of his way to make sure that I'm not in pain. His singing during dental procedures is quite soothing. He is always happy to see us and hopefully it isn't because I am spending enough money to buy him a new car.

12. Mr. Dakgalbi: He was one of the first restaurant owners to actively recruit English speakers to come to his restaurant in Dongtan. He speaks no English, but always says hello and treats us very well.

Stare

2009-07-19T03:14:00.002+09:00

Stare , originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

Taken a week ago in Daejeon.

In other news:
Thanks Melvin. You comment spam POS.

Market Day

2009-07-18T15:44:00.002+09:00

Our school uses a stamp reward system to encourage the students to not speak Korean, do their homework, and to study for their translations tests. The students are able to exchange their stamps for Hagwon money. We then have a Market Day where the students are able to spend their money on food, notebooks, stickers and what not. We have held off having a Market Day for various reasons and our students have been eager to spend their money. Little did they know that inflation had set in and prices had to be raised. The children always have a good time and their is a fair amount of bartering that goes on. I think that everyone enjoys Market Day, especially the teachers.

What a Range!

2009-07-18T01:38:00.001+09:00

A Sign That You Need a New Computer.....

2009-07-17T14:01:00.002+09:00

Click the above image to see what the error says......I am trying to decide if I should buy a computer here in Korea or wait till I go home.

Birthday

2009-07-14T23:49:00.003+09:00

I turned 33 today. I started off the day with a nice double root canal......What a way to spend a birthday! I go back to tomorrow to finish up the treatment.

Orange

2009-07-12T22:58:00.001+09:00

Orange, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

Another photo from our visit to Daejeon.

Too Cool

2009-07-12T22:45:00.001+09:00

Too Cool, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

JJ and I woke up early and got a call taxi to the Suwon Bus Terminal. From there we went to Daejeon. It took us about two hours on the bus in the pouring rain. It hadn't let up by the time we reached Daejeon and we got soaked grabbing another cab to for the trip to her sister's apartment.

We sat around with two of her sisters, her father and her niece, Saewon, pictured above. She has met me before but did not remember. She kept her distance for about 15 minutes and then all of the sudden was ready to play. She is three and our Korean abilities are about the same. We all sat around and talked about JJ and my plans for America and there were many questions to be answered. We stayed about 5 hours and then got the bus back to Suwon.

Hopefully this week will be somewhat less stress full than last. I still have a lot I need to get done before our interview on the 27th and really need to quit procrastinating.

More and more processing

2009-07-12T00:06:00.001+09:00

Stare, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

I am still trying to experiment with CS4.

Blue

2009-07-11T15:05:00.001+09:00

Blue, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

I ended up staying up too late last night trying out some new tips from Scott Kelby's CS4 for Digital Photographers.

JJ and I are going to Daejeon tomorrow to spend some time with her father who is there to babysit JJ's sister's baby. Today looks like it will be a pretty lazy day. We got some shopping to do and then need to get organized for her visa interview which is in just 2 short weeks.

I hope to get out and try out the new 50mm 1.4 lens that JJ gave me for my birthday. I haven't had that much time to go out and take photos.

Recent Company Dinner.

2009-07-10T01:42:00.003+09:00

The Group

Billie

Refreshments

I really like when they pick the restaurant that is literally 20 meters from my front door.

It Has Begun.....

2009-07-10T00:49:00.002+09:00

With a little under 4 months to go, JJ has already started packing. In four years I have collected a lot of junk, so this is only the start of a bunch of boxes that will ultimately make their way to Mississippi. JJ is only teaching privates, so this has given her a lot more time take care of the packing situation.

I have started to go to the dentist about twice a week to get all of my work done. My dentist is awesome. He doesn't speak that much English, but he is a singer. I know this sounds strange, but when you hear someone singing opera while that person is trying not to cause you immense pain, it is somewhat refreshing. I told him that I liked his singing and was going to start requesting songs for him to sing while he worked on my teeth. He got a kick out of that.

The last couple of weeks have flown by. My sister got married last week and is now back from their honeymoon. She has now started to help JJ plan our wedding ceremony. JJ is really getting into the spirit and looking forward to moving to Mississippi.

I have spent a lot of time on the phone this week due to recruiting a teacher for our school. I have a few more interviews this week and if you have expereince and want to work at a good hagwon, send me an email!~

In Thought

2009-07-08T01:39:00.001+09:00

In Thought, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

Still reprocessing more older photos. This was taken during Buddha's birthday at Jogaysa. I

Cheers for the American Embassy

2009-07-08T00:27:00.002+09:00

I sent you a request for a CR-1 interview for my wife on Monday night around 11 pm. Less than 24 hours later you send us a message letting us know that we have an appointment and that you gave us our preferred day and time! I'm impressed. Now, let's hope for no problems with the visa!

More reprocessing

2009-07-07T12:46:00.001+09:00

Seoul Motor Show, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

I took this in April at the Seoul Motor Show. I have too many shots that are similar in nature to this one. I should have been more creative.

Low Duck

2009-07-07T01:26:00.001+09:00

Low Duck, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

I have been spending some time processing some older photos that I hadn't gotten the chance to work on. Took this near the Suwon Fortress.

Visa Info

2009-07-05T15:05:00.002+09:00

JJ Passport-X
Photo-X
Courier Receipt-O
Medical Report-X
DS230 Pt 1-X
DS230 Pt 2-X
Marriage Certificate-X
Basic Certificate-X
Family Certificate-X
Marriage Certificate-X
Old Family Register-O ( maybe not needed)
Translations-X
Criminal Check-X
Translation-X
I864-X
2008 Tax Return-X
Copy of my Birth Certificate-X
Proof of Domicile
-School Contract-X
-School Letter-X
-Change of Address for Credit Card-X
-Letter from Community Bank-0
-Dad's Letter-O
-Troy's Letter-O
-Contract with Dreamworks-O
-Dad's I864-O
-Dad's proof of Residence-O
-Dad's Tax Return-O
-400$ Fee-X

I think my dad will send his package tomorrow. I hopefully can go on and book a time for her interview on Monday when I know the package is on the way.

Saturday

2009-07-05T02:24:00.004+09:00

I started off the day by going to Shindorim and picking up a lens that I had purchased from a member of Flickr in Seoul. I chatted with Jon for a bit, grabbed the lens and took off back to Dongtan. (You really should check out his work. He is really talented.)

I got back to Dongtan and grabbed a short nap while JJ and her friend Rang hung out. We decided to hit up my favorite restarant in Dongtan. We love eating tuna and probably eat here a couple times a month. A 10,000 won tip to the chef gets us upgraded to the more expensive all you can eat set. We drank a few bottle of soju mixed with cucumber as well. If you haven't tried that, you are missing out.

We then made our way over to the Wah bar where we had a few drinks and then took Rang to the bus station.

JJ and went back out to the park, so that I could try to get some photos at night, but none of them really came really well. Here are a couple of the better ones.

Tomorrow will be a lazy day. The only thing I really have to do is sign an employment contract with Troy. We should also be applying for JJ's visa interview tomorrow. After I have a copy of my employment contract and a signed letter of intent, we should only have to wait on my father's finical information. I think we will probably end up getting an interview date in the middle or end of August.

Forced Perspective

2009-07-04T18:20:00.002+09:00

For mom and gram!

2009-07-03T00:18:00.001+09:00

Thai Food

2009-06-24T02:44:00.002+09:00

Sawatdee is a great Thai restaurant in Songtan that is popular with the soldiers. I can never stand to order any spiciness higher than 2. If you can handle the level 5, you are the man. I have been going here for years now and have never had a bad meal. Then again, I always order the drunken noodles which is pictured above.
The last shot is of a truck that is parked near my apartment. Infringement?

Water Dragon

2009-06-15T21:41:00.001+09:00

Water Dragon, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

Where has the time gone..............

It has been awhile since I sat down to write a post about what has been going here in Dongtan.

On June the 6th, JJ's mother came in to Suwon bus terminal. I met her at the bus station around 4. Since JJ had to work until 10, I needed to entertain mom till she got home. We got in the taxi and made our way to Dongtan. She explained who I was to the taxi driver and went on to explain how these days international marriages are acceptable. She went on to tell him that a few years ago it would have never been possible. The taxi driver either agreed with her or is a really good liar..... We got to Dongtan and even though JJ and I had cleaned the house she went through and decided that she would spend the her time cleaning. Maybe, I bored her into cleaning! She cleaned for a few hours and would ask me to get her various items that she needed, but wouldn't let me help her. She told me I needed to rest since I had been working so hard.(SWEET) After a few hours we went to the local super market and then made our way through the park. JJ got home around 10 and we ended up staying up late chatting.

On Sunday June the 7th, we headed into Gangnam to take mom to JJ's oldest sister's house. We decided that we would take her to VIPS for lunch. She had never visited and was quite impressed with the selection and more with the number of people that would pay 20,000 for lunch. We took mom all the way to the sister's house and hung out for about an hour or so. Which was long enough for JJ's mom to convince the sister to give me some of her extra whiskey. (SWEET)

JJ and I have also been planning our wedding which will be the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We are still at the beginning of the planning and have a lot of work to do. Wedding dress has been bought, Hanboks ordered, priest scheduled, church reserved and that is about it. We got a long way to go.

We are also working on JJ's visa. We have filed the DS230 part 1 and are now gathering all of the information that we need to apply for our interview. I have to work with my dad to cosponsor JJ since my income in Korea is not counted. I have a lot of evidence to produce and not a lot of time to get it all ready. JJ booked her medical check for this week, so that is one more thing that will be out of the way. I set a goal of applying for the interview by July 10th. I hope that we can have everything ready by that time.

I have not had that much time to go out and take pictures, but I did get to go to the Hwaseong Fortress on Sunday the 14th and I think some of them came out pretty good. I am currently reading a couple of Scott Kelby's books. I started with his Digital Photography Book 1 and now am reading CS4 for Photographers. Both of these are very cool and his humor is interesting/annoying...I really like the way he explains everything in a down to earth sense.

I also spend a pretty good amount of time trying to get our newest hire ready to come to Korea. Ironing out all the last mintue visa problems and what not. I honestly hate recruiting new teachers and have been lucky that we have gotten such good teachers to work at our school. Our newest teacher will arrive in a couple of weeks and seems like she is going to be a perfect fit for our school.

We are currently throwing around the idea of making an extended lay-over on our way back to Mississippi. We were leaning towards Honolulu, but I think we have come to the conclusion that for a couple of extra dollars we can visit Paris. So that may be a possibility as well. We are also supposed to travel with JJ's parents before we head to Mississippi and we are trying to figure out just where to go on that trip as well.

4 months and 15 days left....but who's counting?

Suwon Fortress HDR

2009-06-15T02:38:00.003+09:00

Suwon Fortress HDR, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

Suwon Fortress

2009-06-15T02:38:00.001+09:00

Suwon Fortress HDR, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

Cramming

2009-06-06T14:33:00.002+09:00

6 hours alone with JJ's mother. I'm on the way to pick her up from the bus stop....Come on Korean language ability!

Saturday Shopping

2009-05-31T13:35:00.003+09:00

My schedule involves me getting about 3 to 4 hours of sleep every Thursday night and I end up putting in a 12 hour day on Fridays due to other obligations, so when I decide to get up early on Saturdays, it is usually a struggle. I did end up getting up about 9:30 yesterday. JJ was a little curious as to why I would leave so early, but I just replied that I really wanted to spend all day taking photos. Having lied successfully, I made my way to Gangnam via 1550-2. I transferred buses and took another one to get me to Seoul Station. The female bus driver on my second bus was unbelievably kind. Not only did she help me with directions, but also woke me up when my stop came up. I was exhausted and had grabbed a quick power nap that could have turned into a round trip back to Gangnam. I got to Youngsan and headed straight into the electronics market to find the an Iriver P35.

I had spent all week trying to decide on which PMP to buy her. I knew that I wanted one that had a DMB player and WIFI. Well, there are not that many that have both and I found that the only one that matched what I wanted was the Iriver. Since we are only going to be in Korea for another 5 months, it would be pretty useless to shell out a lot of money for a DMB player that will not work in the States. I had no idea that DMB was really only used in Korea, until I read about it here.

I acutally had a couple of older students who spent their break time looking at all of the Korean specifications and breaking them down for me. They all said that it looked pretty cool and that JJ would love it.

It took me awhile to fine the exact model that I wanted. There are three different models. Basic/DMB/Wi-Fi with DMB. I was looking for the Wi-Fi with DMB. I got shuffled around by a few vendors.(Not that uncommon at Youngsan) I had already printed off a couple pages from Gmarket and Danawa, so I knew the price range and had some evidence to barter with. The few vendors that I wasted time with told me that they had every PMP made, but as usual the one that I wanted was out or they only had the 36GB model. I really would have preferred to buy it over the Internet, but really didn't have the time to wait on delivery, but I did eventually find a guy whose English was great and was willing to negotiate on the price.

I made the purchase and then was getting ready to leave when I saw a promotion for a new media player that was happening outside. They were also using racing/promotion girls. I ended up taking a bunch of photos that I can't post right now. My CF card has some kind of format error and it is not being read by my camera. My card reader is also broken, so I have been using my camera to directly upload my photos to my computer. I think that I can recover the photos if I go buy another multi reader.

I met up with my friends Troy and Joanne in Namdaemun where we went shopping for some gifts for their trip back to America. We had lunch at a great Sal-Gook-Su restaruant that was basically a two for one deal and we ended up ordering way too much food. The restaurant was a hole in the wall and I was actually nervous to drink the water. Apparently, it was a pretty famous place and had been featured on a bunch of different TV shows. We ended up heading back to the peace and quiet of Dongtan not long after having a late lunch. They had driven into Seoul for a wedding, so I was able to ride back with them. Public transportation is convenient in Korea, but riding back in the comfort of their car was nice.

I have a ton of things to do today:
1. Buy a card reader
2. US taxes
3. JJ visa work
4. New teacher interviews
5. Process some phtos

I would much rather do number 5 than 2,3, or 4...

P35 IRiver

2009-05-31T03:36:00.002+09:00

Almost 4am. I am dead tired, but wanted to post a couple of photos of JJ's gift. She mentioned a few weeks ago that she wanted a DMB/PMP player. Needless to say she was surprised. More Photos from my day out and the full story later.

Night Flower

2009-05-24T02:05:00.001+09:00

Night Flower, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

I bought a SB26 and a cheapo flash trigger about a month ago. I have been experimenting and trying to read up on Strobist as much as I can. I keep waiting to buy umbrellas until I get back stateside. I took a bunch of photos tonight of my wife's birthday flowers. I got a couple of keepers but I thought that this one came out nice.

JJ on Green

2009-05-23T21:42:00.001+09:00

JJ, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

Lazy day today...This was taken last week!

Lens

2009-05-21T00:31:00.000+09:00

I follow about 20-30 photography sites through Google Reader. I don't know which site I saw this on, but you should really check out The New York Times new feature "Lens" Photography, Video and Visual Journalism. From the New York Times:

Lens is the photojournalism blog of The New York Times, presenting the finest and most interesting visual and multimedia reporting — photographs, videos and slide shows. A showcase for Times photographers, it also seeks to highlight the best work of other newspapers, magazines and news and picture agencies; in print, in books, in galleries, in museums and on the Web. And it will draw on The Times's own pictorial archive, numbering in the millions of images and going back to the early 20th century.

I am a news junkie and love the set-up of this page. It reminds me of The Boston Globe's Big Picture series, but with more content. I hope that they update more frequently than the Big Picture. I have already added it to my Reader and can't wait to see what they post.

Sky Phone

2009-05-17T03:49:00.001+09:00

Sky Phone, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

Just one more shot that I took today. I took a couple more that I am going to process, but this is one of the better ones. I still wish I would have fixed the light on the right to get rid of the shadow. I am still trying to figure out how to use a two light system or rather any kind of light system.

JJ bought me this phone when my Shine phone crapped out on me.

Rainy Saturday = DIY Lightbox

2009-05-17T02:42:00.002+09:00

Kimchi, originally uploaded by JR-Mississippi.

I woke up late today and decided that I wasn't going to fight the rain or crowds in Seoul. I spent some time searching around Flickr looking at some awesome work.

I spent most of the afternoon making a little lightbox. I still can't get the background the color that I would like, but am getting better. The Kimchi is from JJ's mom. We have almost worked our way to the bottom of our supply, so we should be expecting a shipment from Jeju soon.

It seems like my mother has been reading my photography books!! She promised that she was going to get them in the mail this week. Maybe she will buy a camera and some good lenses. I need someone that I can borrow from!

I had a great interview tonight with a potential teacher. It is always funny when I find out that a potential employee has read my blog. It seems that I am one of the first blogs that pops up when you search for Dongtan, Korea or my school's name

Tomorrow looks like it will be raining, so JJ and I will probably work on some visa/wedding stuff.

Teacher's Day

2009-05-16T04:12:00.001+09:00

A, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

I am a couple of hours away from being up for 24 straight. I wonder how long it will take me to get back to a normal sleeping schedule when we move back home.

Today was Teacher's Day. I didn't get any apples, but I did get a few roses and a few bouquets of flowers. I also got some hand cream and was given a gift for JJ as well.

I spent most of the night going through Flickr looking at some great photos, trying to learn anything and everything I can.

It looks like I will probably take the bus into Gangnam tomorrow. I hope that the weather cooperates at least for a little while. I think I am just going to take my camera and a 50mm and see what I can stumble across.

I am trying to work on my CS 4 processing. I took this photo a few months ago.

Weekend

2009-05-15T01:39:00.002+09:00

Walking, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

It looks like Saturday is going to be rainy, so I will wait and decide where I will go when I wake up. I am thinking about going out even if it is raining on Saturday and trying to get some photos in Gangnam in the rain. I also need to head over to Youngsan and start pricing a computer. I think I am going to get someone to make me one with the parts I choose, but I am not sure.

JJ sent some money to my account in America last night or at least we hope she did. We got a rate of 1240, but today's rate is sitting at about about 1265. This is not that much of a difference on the amount that I sent, but every little bit helps. We haven't gotten an email saying the transfer went through and it hasn't cleared my account either. I will have to check back tomorrow.

I am also waiting on a couple of books. I ordered three from Amazon over the last week and am just waiting to get them sent from home.
I can't wait to read them and wish that I could have them shipped quicker.
I ordered:
1. The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby
2. Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson
3. The Adobe Photoshop CS4Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby

The above picture was taken in front of the AT Center during the cosplay convention. I really wish I could have shot this at 2.8f. It would have been a much cooler picture if the background was blurred out more.

Drum-master

2009-05-14T02:02:00.001+09:00

Drummaster, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

I took this shot a couple of months ago when I was in Seoul.

I am still working on a few different projects that are work related and very few projects that I really want to be doing. I can't explain in words how happy I am that I have about 5 months left on my contract. I am getting to that point where I am feeling pretty burned out everyday that I walk into my school. I am fighting to stay motivated and that really is not fair to my students. I know that it is a just a slump but still am happy that we will be starting over in just a few months. I do have a new class starting next week that I am excited about. I am still working on trying to get everything ready for it. I also have been enjoying my adult class. We still go out for drinks about once a month and it is refreshing to get out and not think about work.

I am trying to decide where to go this weekend for photos. I really have no idea. Bridges,temples, markets.......choices.....

Cosplay Part II

2009-05-10T04:10:00.002+09:00

Roses, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

I spent most of the evening editing and uploading photos. I love the colors in the above photo. I sure wish that I wouldn't have cut off the top of the flowers!!! I still have a few more photos to process and I am trying out some new CS4 tutorials because I don't have much of a clue as to what I am doing with sharpening, levels and curves. I recently ordered a book on CS4 and I look forward to receiving it.

Seoul Cosplay

2009-05-09T23:55:00.002+09:00

Red, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

I got to the AT Center about 2pm. There was already a huge crowd. I was really impressed with the turnout. There were some really unique costumes and some that probably took forever to put together. I ended up spending most of my time in the park behind the center. There were also a bunch of photographers there. I saw a few guys that had even brought their own reflectors.(would love to see their shots). I never actually went into the Center, since hundreds of cosplayers were actually in the park behind the building. I ended up leaving about 5:30 or so and heading back to Dongtan.

I took a ton of photos and I got some good ones I think, but I can see how much I have to learn about photography and composing shots in general.

I will probably be processing more photos later and you can check them out on Flickr here.

Friday

2009-05-09T01:29:00.003+09:00

Self, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

Today was one of those days that could not end soon enough. I had my usuall Friday schedule with waking up at 7 and then my part-time work at 10. I was able to grab a quick nap before my classes in the afternoon. I really have to start going to bed earlier on Thursday night.

I am really excited about heading to Gangnam tomorrow to the Comic World Festival that is being held at the AT Center near Yangjae Station to take some photos of the cosplayers. Here are some links to some galleries that were taken by a few of the photographers in the Flick in Seoul group the last time there was a Comic Festival. These guys take great photos. I hope I can get some good shots.

Derekwin
Hojusaram
DSLR Mania

JJ and I have plans to be lazy on Sunday and go have duck at a restaurant that I found last Monday. I really don't think that we will do much of anything else. I do know that I really need to sit down and work on her visa. My parents sold their house, so we will need to wait for their new address before we turn in the paperwork, but I really gotta start working on it.

The above picture was taken while wondering around my neighborhood.

That Doesn't Look Like the Batmobile.

2009-05-07T01:39:00.002+09:00

Batman's Part time job, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

As hot as it was on Tuesday, I bet this guy was dying. He was running all over the park delivering chicken to various families. I saw him at least 3 times wandering around the park looking for his customers. Great gimmick for BBQ chicken, but if I worked for them and they told me that today I was going to dress like batman and deliver chicken I would have to find a new job.

This is not the first time I have seen super-hero get up in Korea. We had Superman come to our school selling insurance about a month ago. It was shame I didn't have my camera.

Children's Day

2009-05-06T23:54:00.002+09:00

With Dad, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

Here is one of the photos that I took on Children's Day that I thought came out pretty good. This man and his wife had full crew and were running around everywhere to keep up with their children. The park was packed. I don't know if I have ever seen it that busy. It seems like every family in Dongtan came out to Central Park and set up a tent or blanket.

Today I went back to work. It really felt like a Monday especially with the amount of work that was piled up on my desk. Thankfully, it is a short week.

I did start my new daily routine today and will explain more in a later post this week.

I just cracked open a beer and am about to process some photos and catch up on a couple weeks worth of the Seoul Podcast.

Never Forget

2009-05-05T15:08:00.001+09:00

Stone, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

Due to circumstances beyond my control, my schedule today was thrown off. I don't even wanna write about it. I was already ready to head out to the temple today, but will instead need to stay close to home today waiting on a phone call and a meeting. Not that I don't like extra money, but sometimes I hate the fact that I am so willing to stick to my word.(Note to self: buy a daily planner that you will actually use, not a sticky pad) I am about to walk over to the park near my house and see if I can get some good photos. My wife will probably be thrilled that I need to stay home/ clean the house. Her school was in session today and she will be teaching classes till late. I need to get organized around here and do some cleaning, but I really was expecting to go to Seoul..ㅠㅠ

I will try to hit the temple this weekend or next. I may try to go to the Comicon and get some photos of the Cosplayers on Saturday. It really depends on what is happening around here. I do know that I have a busy half week ahead of me. We are still hiring new teachers and I have a ton of resumes to go over with the manager and director.

The above photo was taken behind Jogae-Sa
*I have been doing most of my posting these days via Flickr. I like the way they layout photos. I am seriously thinking of switching over to Wordpress and running my blog on my own server, but will need to research it a little bit more first.

Change of plans

2009-05-05T02:29:00.003+09:00

JJ Wall, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

I was just about to head out to Suwon when Troy called and wanted to have dinner. I ended up just hanging out for awhile and processing some photos. Due to the amount of memory left on my computer, it takes me forever to use CS4. Troy and I went to a local duck restaurant and then went to Wah Bar for a few drinks. After too much soju and Wah Bar dunkles, I got home and snoozed till JJ got home.

Tomorrow the plan is to get up early and head to Bongeunsa (봉은사). Kushibo left a comment saying that he had visited there before and I did some research and checked out Flickr and it looks to be a great place to snap some photos. I hopefully can wake up rather early and head out.

Photo of JJ taken in Samchongdong

Running Monk

2009-05-04T15:10:00.002+09:00

Running Monk, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

I am sitting here trying to decide where to go tonight to take photos. I really wanted to go into to Seoul and take some photos along the Han River, but really don't feel like going all the way to Seoul. The alternative may be to go out to the fortress here in Suwon and try and get some night shots.

The picture above was taken at Jogaesa a couple of days ago.

Cafe

2009-05-04T04:34:00.002+09:00

Cafe, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

One of the many cafes in Samchong-dong. I was surprised by the number of DSLRs that I saw. There were actually quite a few photo clubs in the area that were taking photos. Next time, we will have to see what the food is like here.

KPOP and Crappy Computers

2009-05-04T03:21:00.001+09:00

Sitting around processing photos in the middle of the night while JJ sleeps. I have to listen to my MP3 since my crappy computer will not do anything if more than 2 applications are open at the same time. I am getting closer and closer to buying a new one and turning this into a word processor only.

Anyway, JJ put this song on my MP3 a few months ago and I like it. It is We Are Now Strangers by Kim Kyung Rok and Jewelry's Baby-J

Behind the Temple

2009-05-04T00:02:00.002+09:00

Behind the Temple, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

For the third time in as many weeks I ended up at Jogaesa. I wanted to take Adam, Carley, and JJ there to see the lanterns. We walked down Insadong Gil which was more crowded than I have ever seen it. We also went back to Samchongdong. We had a late lunch at a pricey cafe in Samchong dong, walked down the main strip, and then went back to Gangnam where we hit the newest branch of Krispy Kreme. The dozen I got to go is not going to be great for my diet.
I hope that the weather is as good tomorrow as it was today. I need to wake up a little earlier for some school work and then I might go to the Han river and take some photos of the bridges. I really want to take some shots at night.

The photo above is JJ behind Jogaesa.
More photos in my Flickr.

City Hall Plaza

2009-05-03T12:45:00.001+09:00

City Hall Plaza, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

I mentioned how nice it was at City Hall/Samchongdong to JJ, so it looks like we are heading out there again today. I don't know the schedule for the HiFestival, but I am sure that we will stop by there as well.

Now, I just have to figure out where I am going to head off to on Monday and Tuesday.

Comtemplation

2009-05-03T00:17:00.001+09:00

Comtemplation, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

One more from the temple.

Monks and Bloggers

2009-05-02T12:51:00.007+09:00

I made my way downtown yesterday. I spent some time near City Hall and then worked my way to Samchong Dong. The riot police were out in full force and I ended up seeing the protesters marching while I was sitting on the bus on the way back to Gangnam. After walking down Samchong Street, I made my way to Jogaesa. I was taking pictures of the lanterns and monks when I recognized a face. I read Drifting Focus and am always jealous of Kelsey's photos. I had seen her post saying that she was going to be in Seoul, but doubted that I would run into her. We stood around and spoke about photography and expat life. Check out her blog to see her photos and more about life on Jindo. She even let me try out her new toy. The Sigma 2.8 is a monster and I would probably have to hit the weight room to carry it around all day.

I had to take off soon after meeting Kelsey. I got turned around leaving Jogaesae and ended up trekking all the way back down the Chungechun. I had promised one of our teachers that I would take he and his girlfriend(who just flew in to Korea for vacation) out for dinner. I made it back to Dongtan about 9 met JJ and then we finally met Adam and Carley about 10. It is always fun to take someone out for their first Korean dinner.

It was a great day. The weather cooperated and didn't rain. It looks like today is going to be an inside day. I am supposed to meet up with a couple of people here in Dongtan for dongdongju and kimchi jeon.

Chungechun

Hanging Prayers?

Buddha

Lanterns

Kelsey

Vacation

2009-05-01T13:43:00.003+09:00

I have a much needed 5 days off. I don't have to teach at any of my other side jobs as well. I am about to venture into Seoul and probably check out Samchongdong (삼청동). I think that I will head back to Jogaesa (조계사). I wasn't too thrilled with the photos that I took when Damon and I visited a couple of weeks ago. It may be quite crowded, but I will attempt to check it out anyway.

It looks like the weather for Saturday is going to be crap, so I hope that I can get organized at home. I have a ton of things that I need to do, starting with JJ's visa.

I still am interviewing for the positions that we are trying to fill for late June. I have a couple interviews lined up for this weekend, so I will still have to work during my vacation.

I have received a few emails asking for information about Dongtan. You may be applying for our job or at a different school. I don't know, but I will try to get back to you in the next couple of days.

One More from the White House

2009-04-30T02:43:00.001+09:00

P020209PS-0149, originally uploaded by The Official White House Photostream.

One of the first comments was "Looking for change."

White House Photos on Flickr

2009-04-30T02:31:00.003+09:00

P032409PS-1060, originally uploaded by The Official White House Photostream.

Just found out that the White House has a Flickr account that they are uploading to regularly. Here is one of the shots that I really like. Here is a link to their photostream.

Sky View Lunch

2009-04-27T00:52:00.003+09:00

Here are some shots from our lunch. It was great to meet both of their families and they couldn't have been nicer. I will suggest that we do lunch a little bit later next time, so I can really enjoy the beer. I had only been up for about an hour when they poured me my first one. I'm more of a coffee in the morning kind of guy.

In other news, I think that I am slowly but surly going to be addicted to Twitter. All I need is one more hobby to take up my time that should be spent doing something else.

Mini Dongtan

2009-04-27T00:45:00.002+09:00

Mini Dongtan, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

I have been studying CS4 and wanted to try and do some Fake Tilt-Shift Lens processing for awhile. This was actually a lot easier than I thought. Here is the tutorial that I read.

End of Days

2009-04-27T00:32:00.003+09:00

End of Days, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

Jaeyoun and I had a great lunch with YH, KJ and their families today. They are both in my adult class and have been attending class for at least 6 months or so. We walked over to KJ's apartment which is not far from ours. He is on the the 30th floor and I was able to take some pretty cool shots of Dongtan. We had Samgyupsal on the roof along with beer and soju. It was a little early for me to drink, but a good time was had by all. More photos to come later. The above shot was just me playing around in Photoshop.The weather was actually great today.

SB26

2009-04-25T23:36:00.002+09:00

I was gonna stay in and rest all day, but got the urge to head to Namdaemun. I dropped by Namyoung camera. I was trying to pick up a used Nikon SB26. They have one on their website for sell and was hoping that they still had it. Unfortunately, it had already been sold. I did end up getting a Hotshoe to PC adapter from them. They were super nice at the store and let me use their internet to help show them an item that I couldn't explain in Korean.

I wandered around Namdaemun and ended up getting a good deal on another used SB26 and a cheapo wireless flash trigger. The SB26 dwarfs my Canon 430EX by the way. I have been reading up on Strobist and now just need to pick up some light stands and umbrellas.

Peering into North Korea

2009-04-25T12:10:00.003+09:00

If you don't follow The Boston Globe's Big Picture Series, you are missing out on some great photos. Their recent post is titled Peering into North Korea and they have some great shots taken from across the Chinese border. Apparently most North Korean soldiers don't appreciate having their photos taken.

Don't Stare! 뭘봐?

2009-04-21T12:33:00.004+09:00

Seoul Grand Park Zoo is recommending that visitors wear special glasses that prevent people from appearing to be staring at the animals. This supposedly makes the animals feel better.

The image above and text below is from the Chosun Ilbo.

Visitors wearing them can peep at the animals through a small hole punched
in the glasses. Seoul Grand Park made such glasses to reduce the risk of animals
feeling threatened or challenged when strangers glare at them.

They could just give all the animals this t-shirt from Babo Shirts. (Speaking of Babo Shirts, how much does facebook advertising cost? Their advertising is literally on my screen everytime I log in.)

FishFall

2009-04-20T12:12:00.002+09:00

FishFall, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

The weather this past weekend was excellent. I wish I could say the same about today's. It looks like we are in store for a quite a rainy week. I hope that it will all clear up by the weekend. Summer will be here before we know it.

This was taken in Central Park in Dongtan.

Doors to Buddha

2009-04-20T02:40:00.002+09:00

Doors to Buddha, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

I wish I could describe the feeling of being here. The sounds and smells were very intoxicating. The incense that was burning was so different from what I have experienced in the Catholic Church. There was some kind of service happening and their were people strolling around everywhere. I felt a little strange taking pictures while the service was happening, but there was an official photography who was taking pictures inside the temple with a huge setup.

Tunnel

2009-04-20T01:53:00.001+09:00

Tunnel, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

Damn, I wish that I wouldn't have cut off those fingers!

Temple Tree

2009-04-20T01:46:00.001+09:00

Temple Tree 2, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

Damon and I had a great time walking around near Jogaysa and City Hall. We went to Queens Head Saturday night and had our fill of chicken and Weizen. Today we walked around Central Park and then went to Suwon. Damon left for the long bus ride back to his home near Busan. It was a great chance to catch up. I can't believe that it has been close to two years since we have met up.

Lanterns

2009-04-19T03:07:00.001+09:00

Lanterns, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

Tons of photos to process. Damon and I went all around downtown today. City hall, Insadong, and Jogaysa

Looking Out My Window

2009-04-17T14:12:00.001+09:00

Looking Out My Window, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

Looks like the neighbors got a new dog. I hope they don't forget to untie him. He howled like a wolf last night. I felt like I was back living at Yellowstone.

Testing Flickr quality

2009-04-17T08:39:00.001+09:00

Seoul Motor Show, originally uploaded by nosaj100.

test

CS4

2009-04-16T13:07:00.002+09:00

I just acquired CS4. I have no real idea what I am doing, but I have watched some pretty cool tutorials and look forward to playing a little bit more. Looks like many hours of practice are ahead.

Flickr Korea

2009-04-14T02:35:00.004+09:00

I have been spending a lot of time admiring photos on Flickr. There is nothing like inspiration from other photographers to make you work harder on your skills. I take some photos and then look at others on Flickr and realize that I have a ton to learn. You should check out the following photographers that I have recently been checking out. They are all based here in Korea and have some great shots in their collections.

Mister Bokeh
The Good Pak
Silky
Youngdoo
Haksaeng

I didn't get permission to post any of their photos, so you will have to check out their photostreams to see examples of their work.

There are also a couple of groups that I check out often. I also really want to join the FIS group the next time they have a meet-up. I have never been able to join them due to scheduling conflicts.

Korea Images
Korea Photo Club
Flickr in Seoul

I am actually considering doing a photographer of the week and will probably be contacting some photographers for permission to link to their work.

Great Job Guys!

2009-04-13T11:49:00.003+09:00

From Fox News. You can read the entire article here.

Captain Richard Phillips is now safe and healthy aboard the USS Boxer after
Navy Seals launched a rescue attempt that ended when snipers killed three
pirates in three shots, all direct hits to the head.

They established clear head shots on all three pirates: one was visible
through the front window, and the other two were revealing their heads through
the top hatch, presumably to get fresh air. It would be their last breath.

Thank goodness the on scene commander was not worried about the political ramifications of using force. I am also impressed that this was not a planned operation, but just the commander making a decision on the fly. The rescue came later than I thought it would, but what do I know? I am definitely impressed and proud of our Navy for a job well done. I bet that pirate that came on board the US ship is thinking that he made the right choice.

I agree with GI Korea at ROK Drop that pirates will probably be thinking twice about hijacking American flagged vessels. You can read more of his thoughts here.

I will be waiting to see if any of my students tell me about this today. Most Korean teenagers/men love to play the game Sudden Attack. They all know the English words "head shot." This would probably be one news story that would keep their attention, I will definetely be using it for my adult class.

A Few More Photos....

2009-04-13T01:39:00.003+09:00

Here are the last few photos that I will post of models from the show. You can check out more on my Flickr. I still want to process some of the shots from the performances that we saw.

I hope that everyone had a great Easter. I wish that we would have had a couple days off. Monday is here already. I am not ready to work, but I am already trying to figure out where I am going to take pictures for next weekend. I was thinking about Insadong or Namsan or maybe both, but have made no definite plans yet.

Lazy Sunday

2009-04-12T19:43:00.002+09:00

I just finished listening to the Seoul Podcast. This week's guest was A Long Time Ago When a Tiger Smoked a Cigarette. I usually listen on Sunday as I try to get organized around the house. The week's episode was pretty good and you should check it out. You should also check out this video at One Free Korea. It was described as a tear jerker. I would not argue with that. I am interested in seeing the whole documentary later this summer.

Today I was exhausted from Saturday's trip. I ended up staying around Dongtan. I was planning on busing out to Suwon for Easter Mass, but didn't feel that good when I got back from taking photos this afternoon. There was a huge church service happening in the park. For some reason there were more police in Dongtan than I have ever seen. And who are these Best Driver guys that wear blue uniforms and direct traffic? Are they taxi drivers? Are they policemen? Are they drivers? I have no idea, but I saw about 40 in and around the park. Here are some photos of the flowers around Central Park.

Motor Show Male Models

2009-04-12T14:05:00.005+09:00

The model is the guy if you were curious.

My wife asked me if I enjoyed going to the motor show. I replied that I did have a good time and enjoyed hanging out with YH. She said good and that she was going to go shopping today. (I think this was a "you spent all day around racing car models and you better not say anything about me going shopping) I dread seeing the amount of money that she will spend. Well, here are some pictures of the Audi guys. They were quite popular and the female(and some male) attendees of the event seemed to enjoy having their pictures made with these guys.

I had a blast and learned a lot about photography after viewing my results. In the next few days, I will post what I learned about taking photos at these kind of venues and also I have a few more photos to post. I took some cool photos of a couple of the performances that were held at various stages inside the event.

Soul Motor Show Part 2

2009-04-12T01:10:00.003+09:00

A few more photos that I just finished processing. Kim Yu-Na(김연아) also showed up while we were walking around, but I didn't get a chance to take any photos. She had quite a crowd listening to her speak and then signed autographs for the first 200 people that had waited in line. We had earlier seen a large group of policemen come into the hall. They looked like they were thrilled to be given the duty of security at this event. They basically formed a ring around the crowd that was trying to see the figure skater.

We also watched a couple of interesting performances. There was a all girl drum group and a pop trio that put on a show. I will have to upload those photos later. I am also going to try and dump most of my keepers on Flickr, but it will take awhile.