Monday, September 5, 2016
Monday, October 6, 2008
Sean VS South Korea
This is my final post while in South Korea! Unfortunately I have to come home tomorrow. This trip has really been fantastic, and I wish I could stay longer.
This post was inspired by Patrick LaClair. It's an homage to Bear Grylls, the star of the Discovery Chanel show "Man VS Wild". If you haven't seen the show, Bear spends each episode in a different survival situation, and always has to eat something absolutely horrid. After my
experience with the small fish (See first blog post), Pat posted a comment comparing me to Bear. So, I decided to shoot an episode in which I show you what it takes to survive if the only food available is some traditional Korean snack food (If you can call it food). The result is the horror above. This was the second take, as in the first after I tried the stringy white fish I became so overpowered with nausea that I had to run to the bathroom to avoid throwing up. I'm not particularly happy with how this take ended up, but I am completely incapable of doing another because of the way this food tastes. In case you can't tell by my face when you watch, this really was awful stuff. Hopefully I will be able to bring some back tomorrow so those of you at college can experience it.In other news, there was no post last night because it was the final night of the concert and I was invited to the after-party by the staff at the event. They are some very cool kids. I was out very late with them, and when I got back I was way too tired to post anything.
That's all for the night. I have to go do some statistics homework before the deadline (how do these things always sneak up on me?). I will see many of you in about 36 hours. Until then.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
SOUTH KOREA IS AMAZING
The pictures from Yesterday - the first day are on face book. The albums are titled "South Korea" and "South Korea 2". None of the pictures are correctly rotated, I apologize for that. Concert pictures will come tomorrow.
So the title of this post pretty much describes how I feel about this country. Not only is it incredibly beautiful, not only is the food excellent and the coffee amazing, but apparently the South Korean idea of physical attraction is based largely on Western appearance. Which means... I am very popular. Now, my work here is largely grunt. I set up equipment, I take pictures and video, and do pretty much whatever else I'm called on to do. But I wouldn't by any stretch of the imagination call what I do glamorous, in any way. However, this in no way changes the fact that after a performance is over, a giggling gaggle of gregarious girls come running over and want to take their picture with me. Now, why this takes place, I honestly couldn't tell you. When I asked our translator Chan (Who just so happens to be the man) why this happened, his response was "It's because you're handsome". So gentlemen, take note: visit South Korea. You won't be disappointed.
The first picture is of the street our hotel is on, and the one to the left is of a peculiar creation they have in Korea - "Telephone, Coffee & Can Drinks". Where else can your telephone turn on your lights (see previous posts if you don't get this) AND provide you with a hot cup of coffee? These people are too advanced for their own good.
Today was our main concert, and it was phenomenal. There were close to 2,000 people in the audience, and they loved the performance more than yesterday's. There were some serious pyrotechnic events, including giant (25ft) fire jets, smoke jets, a huge fog machine, and fireworks. These all worked well in the beginning, however as time went on, they slowly got more and more dangerous. By the end, I had to stop shooting from the ground near the main jets because they got so huge the heat was almost enough to flash fry an eyebrow. Not to mention, they started failing to extinguish. Twice they had to extinguish the stage left jet with a fire-extinguisher. It was great :)
Tomorrow we get to do some shopping, and yes, that means that many of you back at school will be getting presents. After we finish that, we are heading back to the festival and watching the other performers. I got hired to do photography and video for another group, as thy were unable to arrange for a local cameraman to do the work. They helped us out big time today by playing with us during a segment of the concert that required some assistance and audience participation, so it's nice to be able to help them out. Not to mention it means I have another reason to go back to the festival and meet more cute Korean girls.
The picture to the right is of a South Korean drum/dance group. They played yesterday, and were fantastic.
That's all for tonight. More to follow tomorrow.
Oh, and I taught Chan (Our translator) how to Crip-Walk today. Maybe I'll try and sneak in a video of him tomorrow night. Apparently they don't have dance moves in Korea. This country is great, but very strange.
So the title of this post pretty much describes how I feel about this country. Not only is it incredibly beautiful, not only is the food excellent and the coffee amazing, but apparently the South Korean idea of physical attraction is based largely on Western appearance. Which means... I am very popular. Now, my work here is largely grunt. I set up equipment, I take pictures and video, and do pretty much whatever else I'm called on to do. But I wouldn't by any stretch of the imagination call what I do glamorous, in any way. However, this in no way changes the fact that after a performance is over, a giggling gaggle of gregarious girls come running over and want to take their picture with me. Now, why this takes place, I honestly couldn't tell you. When I asked our translator Chan (Who just so happens to be the man) why this happened, his response was "It's because you're handsome". So gentlemen, take note: visit South Korea. You won't be disappointed.
The first picture is of the street our hotel is on, and the one to the left is of a peculiar creation they have in Korea - "Telephone, Coffee & Can Drinks". Where else can your telephone turn on your lights (see previous posts if you don't get this) AND provide you with a hot cup of coffee? These people are too advanced for their own good.
Today was our main concert, and it was phenomenal. There were close to 2,000 people in the audience, and they loved the performance more than yesterday's. There were some serious pyrotechnic events, including giant (25ft) fire jets, smoke jets, a huge fog machine, and fireworks. These all worked well in the beginning, however as time went on, they slowly got more and more dangerous. By the end, I had to stop shooting from the ground near the main jets because they got so huge the heat was almost enough to flash fry an eyebrow. Not to mention, they started failing to extinguish. Twice they had to extinguish the stage left jet with a fire-extinguisher. It was great :)
Tomorrow we get to do some shopping, and yes, that means that many of you back at school will be getting presents. After we finish that, we are heading back to the festival and watching the other performers. I got hired to do photography and video for another group, as thy were unable to arrange for a local cameraman to do the work. They helped us out big time today by playing with us during a segment of the concert that required some assistance and audience participation, so it's nice to be able to help them out. Not to mention it means I have another reason to go back to the festival and meet more cute Korean girls.The picture to the right is of a South Korean drum/dance group. They played yesterday, and were fantastic.
That's all for tonight. More to follow tomorrow.
Oh, and I taught Chan (Our translator) how to Crip-Walk today. Maybe I'll try and sneak in a video of him tomorrow night. Apparently they don't have dance moves in Korea. This country is great, but very strange.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Late, late night
I got home far too late tonight to do a serious post. So this will be brief, and there is no video.
We performed our first concert today, and the crowd loved it. They really thought it was fantastic, and the applause was deafening. It was quite something to watch. Tomorrow, we play the main concert, to a crowd of between 2-4 thousand people. I took lots of pictures, but the internet is a little sketchy here, and I can't get them to upload. But I promise many are coming tomorrow :)
The coffee here is unbelievable. I don't think I'll be able to drink the junk we have back in the states after this. If you have ever heard the line in a movie "that coffee you made today was really great" and thought, "what's the big deal? It's coffee. It's all pretty much the same" THIS is what they're talking about. The level of flavor really blows anything I have had before out of the water. And I'm not even a big coffee drinker. Alex should have come with me. She would just love this.
I had a 7 course meal for dinner tonight, and it cost just about $70. It was really the epitome of a perfect meal. Every course was perfectly portioned, and the presentation was phenomenal. It was at a new restaurant (brand new, as in grand opening on Wednesday new) called A'MUSE 63. If you ever come to Korea, this is where you should eat. I had lunch there on Wednesday also, and have found it to be consistently fantastic. If you like wine, their selection is quite extensive, and although many bottles are priced over $1000, the $25-$50 selection is also quite full. They feature champagne from most of the best producers, including Vive Clique and Moet et Chandon, and in the later they have a Dom Pérignon in the highly rated 1982 vintage. Service was top notch, and the attention to detail was remarkable, as was the atmosphere. I will be eating there at least once more before I leave.
That's all for tonight (It's currently 1am and we have a full day tomorow starting at 8am). I appologize that there was no riduclous video, but there will be plenty of interesting media tomorrow night, I promise. Have a good day, and a great start to the weekend.
We performed our first concert today, and the crowd loved it. They really thought it was fantastic, and the applause was deafening. It was quite something to watch. Tomorrow, we play the main concert, to a crowd of between 2-4 thousand people. I took lots of pictures, but the internet is a little sketchy here, and I can't get them to upload. But I promise many are coming tomorrow :)
The coffee here is unbelievable. I don't think I'll be able to drink the junk we have back in the states after this. If you have ever heard the line in a movie "that coffee you made today was really great" and thought, "what's the big deal? It's coffee. It's all pretty much the same" THIS is what they're talking about. The level of flavor really blows anything I have had before out of the water. And I'm not even a big coffee drinker. Alex should have come with me. She would just love this.
I had a 7 course meal for dinner tonight, and it cost just about $70. It was really the epitome of a perfect meal. Every course was perfectly portioned, and the presentation was phenomenal. It was at a new restaurant (brand new, as in grand opening on Wednesday new) called A'MUSE 63. If you ever come to Korea, this is where you should eat. I had lunch there on Wednesday also, and have found it to be consistently fantastic. If you like wine, their selection is quite extensive, and although many bottles are priced over $1000, the $25-$50 selection is also quite full. They feature champagne from most of the best producers, including Vive Clique and Moet et Chandon, and in the later they have a Dom Pérignon in the highly rated 1982 vintage. Service was top notch, and the attention to detail was remarkable, as was the atmosphere. I will be eating there at least once more before I leave.
That's all for tonight (It's currently 1am and we have a full day tomorow starting at 8am). I appologize that there was no riduclous video, but there will be plenty of interesting media tomorrow night, I promise. Have a good day, and a great start to the weekend.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Cancer and kidney failure for everyone!
*NOTE* - Yes, this video may offend you. I apologize in advance for ruining anyone's perception of me.
Well, day two is almost over. It's just about 11:15pm here, and today was considerably more work-oriented than yesterday. Most of the day was dedicated to setup and sound checks, but I took time out of my busy schedule to record another video for all of you. You'll notice it was shot about 5 hours before this was posted. In order to get the look I wanted, I had to shoot while the sun was still out. More on the video later.
So many of you have probably heard that South Korea is far ahead of us on the technology curve. Well, it's absolutely true. I generally think of myself as pretty adept with technology, but even the most average of Koreans is on par with my skill set. Here is a brief story that will illuminate exactly just how far behind Korea we are.
Last night, after posting the first blog, and inviting everyone on Facebook to join, I was ready for bed. I brushed my teeth, changed, and went to turn off the lights. This is when I made the horrible discovery that apparently, Korean's don't have standard light switches like we do. After spending the better part of half an hour coming to the conclusion that my AC unit, no matter how many buttons it has, is incapable of controlling the lights, I decided to give up and just go to bed. I lay down, and went to set my alarm clock for the morning. The alarm clock was, however, naturally, entirely in Korean. I pushed the button that I assumed would set the hours, and lo and behold, the ceiling light turned off. I pushed the minute button, and the desk light turned off. This was just about when I noticed that the buttons had a light bulb on them. This was also just about when I decided my intelligence is far to low to be in a foreign country that's this advanced. So to summarize: in Korea, not only does your alarm clock wake you up, it turns your lights on and off. Which is really pretty freaking cool.
That's all for tonight. Now that I know how to use my lights, I'm off to bed. Have a fantastic day.
Note on the video: if it looked like I was talking really fast, I was. You may be curios why. Well, due to many factors outside of my control, I had to re-shoot this particular segment 4 times. Now, I had initially been planning on using some type of substitute cigarette. But, since everyone here is addicted to nicotine, they don't have herbals or something similar. Now I, as a non-smoker, have a very low nicotine tolerance. By the fourth shoot, I had smoked 8 cigarettes in about 10 minutes. I don't think I have ever been that anxious or jumpy in my life.
Final thoughts: the maid who cleaned my room left me with just one pillow. WHY GOD, WHY? And Korean TV is seriously messed up. You Tube it. I'm sure that someone else thought it was strange enough to put it on there.
Well, day two is almost over. It's just about 11:15pm here, and today was considerably more work-oriented than yesterday. Most of the day was dedicated to setup and sound checks, but I took time out of my busy schedule to record another video for all of you. You'll notice it was shot about 5 hours before this was posted. In order to get the look I wanted, I had to shoot while the sun was still out. More on the video later.
So many of you have probably heard that South Korea is far ahead of us on the technology curve. Well, it's absolutely true. I generally think of myself as pretty adept with technology, but even the most average of Koreans is on par with my skill set. Here is a brief story that will illuminate exactly just how far behind Korea we are.
Last night, after posting the first blog, and inviting everyone on Facebook to join, I was ready for bed. I brushed my teeth, changed, and went to turn off the lights. This is when I made the horrible discovery that apparently, Korean's don't have standard light switches like we do. After spending the better part of half an hour coming to the conclusion that my AC unit, no matter how many buttons it has, is incapable of controlling the lights, I decided to give up and just go to bed. I lay down, and went to set my alarm clock for the morning. The alarm clock was, however, naturally, entirely in Korean. I pushed the button that I assumed would set the hours, and lo and behold, the ceiling light turned off. I pushed the minute button, and the desk light turned off. This was just about when I noticed that the buttons had a light bulb on them. This was also just about when I decided my intelligence is far to low to be in a foreign country that's this advanced. So to summarize: in Korea, not only does your alarm clock wake you up, it turns your lights on and off. Which is really pretty freaking cool.
That's all for tonight. Now that I know how to use my lights, I'm off to bed. Have a fantastic day.
Note on the video: if it looked like I was talking really fast, I was. You may be curios why. Well, due to many factors outside of my control, I had to re-shoot this particular segment 4 times. Now, I had initially been planning on using some type of substitute cigarette. But, since everyone here is addicted to nicotine, they don't have herbals or something similar. Now I, as a non-smoker, have a very low nicotine tolerance. By the fourth shoot, I had smoked 8 cigarettes in about 10 minutes. I don't think I have ever been that anxious or jumpy in my life.
Final thoughts: the maid who cleaned my room left me with just one pillow. WHY GOD, WHY? And Korean TV is seriously messed up. You Tube it. I'm sure that someone else thought it was strange enough to put it on there.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Day One in Seoul... Where the driver is always right and the pedestrian always wrong
Day one of my South Korean adventure. Thus far, it's pretty much just been hanging out at the hotel, eating, and a short (4 hour) nap because I'm still on US time. Which is 13 hours behind Seoul time. I have a lot of catching up to do.
This is a very brief introduction of what it's like here, but it's primarily focused on a very unfortunate Korean snack food. What snack food you ask? Well you'll just have to watch it and find out...
Make sure to watch tomorrow's installment, which will be far more interesting. I will be doing a piece to introduce you to a little bit of Korean culture... the kind that isn't pink pens with fluff on the end and hello-kitty style pop art. I'm talking about the real Korea. The gritty, dirty, grimy truth. Which I have uncovered in less than a day. It's that dark.
For now, good luck in school, on mid-terms, or wherever you may be. If you are a member of a communist government that has an interest in this blog, please contact our Public Affairs Department at the address listed below.
Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Korea, and do not make any claim that this will actually have anything to do with the true culture of Korea. In fact, I can guarantee it wont. If you are offended by anything you witness in this blog, please send any complaints or hate-mail to our Public Affairs Department:
Attn: Public Affairs Department
Living/Learning center box 369
633 main street
Burlington, VT 05405-0385
Please note: by viewing this blog, I have your implicit understanding that anything that occurs herein must be taken with a grain of salt, and may be done for artistic purposes. However, if it appears that I have gone insane, I probably have.
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