A woman I work with, let's call her Delilah, found out that I lived in Korea. The first time she tried to actually talk to me instead of just a passing hellos, involved using Korean. A good old anyung, and some broken Korean. I know she was just trying to chat so I replied politely in English. We talked a bit about Korea, when I was there and how long. Delilah shared the same info and that was that. (She is in her mid-30s and it turns out we were in South Korea around the same time. Different cities and circles though.)
Afterwards, whenever Delilah saw me he would try chatting in Korean. And by chatting I mean using the same sentences/questions she had memorised in Korean. I lost most of the Korean I knew in the years since I have returned home. Korean just isn't a language I use in daily life. Hell, in life in general. Now I have to think about it before being able to reply. Delilah was funnily cute at first and then it just became kind of annoying.
Delilah seemed to enjoy the short time (2 years) she had spent in South Korea. She lived in Seoul, partied a lot. Going by her stories she had a solid group of friends (fellow ex-pats) who hung out. They always seemed to have travelled in a group. A lot of partying. Good for her and them. Delilah was basically one of the type of foreigners I didn't hang out with while I was there, or tried to avoid, 1 year wonder frat boys.
I decided early on not to share what I thought of Korea with her. I had made some comments about not having enjoyed my time there but they went over Delilah's head. It seemed better, meaning not actually getting into any heady discussion, to just let her share the memories of her "good times".
When I look back at my time in South Korea there was good and bad. Unfortunately, the bad outweighs the good. I did share that with a few co-workers. One of whom mentioned it to Delilah. Of course she just had to approach me about it one day.
Delilah just couldn't believe I didn't completely enjoy my time in South Korea. She went on about how great the partying was. Her answers to anything I had to say reminded me of shit the apologists would say. For example, when I said that I found South Korea to be the most racist and bigoted place I have ever lived her response was "You have never been to Africa then!".
I gave her an eye roll and said "As I said, 'place I have lived'. So either I have never lived there or did and didn't find it as bad." (Never lived there. Haven't even travelled there. Yet.) Based on that I just let it drop. I didn't need personal shit fucking up the workplace.
Then a week ago I got to spend a shift working in an area with her and another co-worker. When it wasn't busy she would talk, and started off talking about ... Korea. She still couldn't believe I didn't like my time there. So, I decided to ask her about her experiences.
Me "What was your favourite Korean food?"
Delilah "Oh god I hated Korean food."
Me "So, what did you eat?"
Her "Western food. Oh, yeah I liked dunkas."
Turns out she is a REALLY fussy eater. Vegetables must not touch meat. Nor should they touch other vegetables. Vegetables get eaten first then meat. It was basically cook your own, western style restaurants, and bar food for her.
She also talked about partying with her friends. No Koreans were in the circle of friends. Lots of stories about drunken revels and not knowing how she got home. However, when the subject of Korean alcohol came up it was the same result as Korean food. She hated Korean alcohol and wouldn't even try most of them, including the beer.
Me I still love some dong ... dong ju. :)
So, she spent over a year living there but not really experiencing Korea. I can point to experiences that shaped the opinions, good and bad, that I have of South Korea. And every other place I have travelled to or lived in.
I ended up deciding it was best to just not to talk about Korea with her any more.
Seriously, how the fuck can you spend time in a country and not experience the country? It always gave me a headache when my students would talk about going to another country and not really experiencing the country. Did you eat their food? No I ate at Korean restaurants. Did you check out their history or culture? Only in Korean tours that gave ample opportunity for pictures in front of things.
And Delilah is just like them.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Thursday, September 17, 2015
What the ... top list?!?!?!?
Yet another top list about South Korea. :(
A friend sent me a link to The Top 7 Things South Korea Does Better Than Anyone Else. Against my better judgement I took a look at it. The author (who is never given any recognition) says it is 7 things that South Koreans are world champions at. That automatically had me shaking my head. It can only go down hill from there. And it did.
When I first read this post I had hoped it was a tongue in cheek one. But after reading and rereading it I don't think it is.
Here are the Top 7 and my thoughts on them.
#1 Flight Attendant For their service and beauty. Seriously? First off, that is subjective. Second off, everything I saw (experienced living in Asia for 10 years) and read had Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Singapore ahead of any Korean airline. While I would rather travel any Korean airline before Air Canada they weren't the best I experienced. Close but not there.
#2 Plastic/Cosmetic Surgery I always heard that was true. Is it something to be proud of though? Your kids all want to look "western" and get double eyelid surgery instead of being proud of who they are. Yeah. Something to feel great about.
#3 Working Hard & Drinking Hard First off I call bullshit on this. Having lived and worked in South Korea for 10 years this made me laugh. It should have said Seeming to Work Hard & Drinking Hard. They definitely drink hard. Work hard? Fuck off. They LOOK like they are working hard. My co-workers always looked busy unless you actually looked at what they were doing. Shopping online. Playing online games. If you wanted to LOOK like you worked hard all you had to do was have a LOT of photocopies to hand out to your students.
As for the drinking not negatively affecting productivity. Please fuck off. I guess I was just imagining those days after the drinkfests when my co-workers would show up late, INCLUDING my boss, and hung over. They couldn't do their job properly. But what the fuck do I know.
#4 Credit Card Transactions Is that really something to be proud of? Credit card debt is a big problem in South Korea. It is a reason why people kill themselves and get divorced.
#5 Starcraft Once again is that something to crow about? Not even Starcraft 2 which is more recent but the game that came out in 1998. Get with the fucking times, and for god's sake not The Korean Times!
#6 Cosmetics Yes they are obsessed with beauty. Is that something to brag about?
#7 Internet Connectivity FINALLY, One I can agree with. The internet in South Korea is fucking amazing. The cost is low and the quality is high. Canada can only dream of having the same level as South Korea.
1 out of 7 actually made sense as something to brag about. Wow. What a load of shit. Then I looked at the site itself. Koreaboo. What a load of shit. Even though the post wasn't meant as tongue in cheek it was definitely a joke. Much like the site.
There are a LOT of things Koreans should be proud of. This list and site isn't one of them.
A friend sent me a link to The Top 7 Things South Korea Does Better Than Anyone Else. Against my better judgement I took a look at it. The author (who is never given any recognition) says it is 7 things that South Koreans are world champions at. That automatically had me shaking my head. It can only go down hill from there. And it did.
When I first read this post I had hoped it was a tongue in cheek one. But after reading and rereading it I don't think it is.
Here are the Top 7 and my thoughts on them.
#1 Flight Attendant For their service and beauty. Seriously? First off, that is subjective. Second off, everything I saw (experienced living in Asia for 10 years) and read had Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Singapore ahead of any Korean airline. While I would rather travel any Korean airline before Air Canada they weren't the best I experienced. Close but not there.
#2 Plastic/Cosmetic Surgery I always heard that was true. Is it something to be proud of though? Your kids all want to look "western" and get double eyelid surgery instead of being proud of who they are. Yeah. Something to feel great about.
#3 Working Hard & Drinking Hard First off I call bullshit on this. Having lived and worked in South Korea for 10 years this made me laugh. It should have said Seeming to Work Hard & Drinking Hard. They definitely drink hard. Work hard? Fuck off. They LOOK like they are working hard. My co-workers always looked busy unless you actually looked at what they were doing. Shopping online. Playing online games. If you wanted to LOOK like you worked hard all you had to do was have a LOT of photocopies to hand out to your students.
As for the drinking not negatively affecting productivity. Please fuck off. I guess I was just imagining those days after the drinkfests when my co-workers would show up late, INCLUDING my boss, and hung over. They couldn't do their job properly. But what the fuck do I know.
#4 Credit Card Transactions Is that really something to be proud of? Credit card debt is a big problem in South Korea. It is a reason why people kill themselves and get divorced.
#5 Starcraft Once again is that something to crow about? Not even Starcraft 2 which is more recent but the game that came out in 1998. Get with the fucking times, and for god's sake not The Korean Times!
#6 Cosmetics Yes they are obsessed with beauty. Is that something to brag about?
#7 Internet Connectivity FINALLY, One I can agree with. The internet in South Korea is fucking amazing. The cost is low and the quality is high. Canada can only dream of having the same level as South Korea.
1 out of 7 actually made sense as something to brag about. Wow. What a load of shit. Then I looked at the site itself. Koreaboo. What a load of shit. Even though the post wasn't meant as tongue in cheek it was definitely a joke. Much like the site.
There are a LOT of things Koreans should be proud of. This list and site isn't one of them.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
What the ... title?!?!?
A friend showed me the cover of a Korean magazine that is making the Social Media rounds. The Catholic University Magazine.
Or as they call it CUM Story. :)
Ok, I had to take a break to stop laughing. I can continue now.
The reaction of a lot of people I know reminded me of how friends would react when I told them some of the things that happened in Korea, or that Koreans say and believe. They can't believe people would really do or say that. They think it is made up. Then they learn that the wackiness is real.
"Why would they give a magazine a title like that?"
Odds are, and this is from personal experience, the person who came up with the title is a senior who thinks he knows English. Which meant that the juniors would just have to bit their tongues, IF they knew it was wrong, and agree with him. A lot of the time, when I lived in Korea, the answer was just that simple and that stupid.
"Why didn't they get someone who knows English to give input?"
Odds are for the same reason as above. It would tell a senior he was wrong. Or hubris. They just thought they knew best and didn't accept or want any input
It does seem insane considering how many Koreans study English and how many English speaking foreigners live and work in Korea that this sort of shit happens. I think of some of the stupid t-shirts with horrible or insane English on them that I saw when I lived there.
"What the fuck does 'Window of the challenge' mean?"
Who knows? Jut another example of Konglish. Like 'Hyorish". And seriously how can this be the first thing someone noticed and not teh title of the magazine?!?!?! But I digress.
There is another possible answer, one friends and I would chuckle about over drinks. Maybe somewhere there is a Native English speaker in charge of t-shirts, signs, magazine covers, and the like. Sometimes, just for shits and giggles, he approves the fucked up stuff just for a laugh or to see if Koreans actually notice. ;)
Or as they call it CUM Story. :)
Ok, I had to take a break to stop laughing. I can continue now.
The reaction of a lot of people I know reminded me of how friends would react when I told them some of the things that happened in Korea, or that Koreans say and believe. They can't believe people would really do or say that. They think it is made up. Then they learn that the wackiness is real.
"Why would they give a magazine a title like that?"
Odds are, and this is from personal experience, the person who came up with the title is a senior who thinks he knows English. Which meant that the juniors would just have to bit their tongues, IF they knew it was wrong, and agree with him. A lot of the time, when I lived in Korea, the answer was just that simple and that stupid.
"Why didn't they get someone who knows English to give input?"
Odds are for the same reason as above. It would tell a senior he was wrong. Or hubris. They just thought they knew best and didn't accept or want any input
It does seem insane considering how many Koreans study English and how many English speaking foreigners live and work in Korea that this sort of shit happens. I think of some of the stupid t-shirts with horrible or insane English on them that I saw when I lived there.
"What the fuck does 'Window of the challenge' mean?"
Who knows? Jut another example of Konglish. Like 'Hyorish". And seriously how can this be the first thing someone noticed and not teh title of the magazine?!?!?! But I digress.
There is another possible answer, one friends and I would chuckle about over drinks. Maybe somewhere there is a Native English speaker in charge of t-shirts, signs, magazine covers, and the like. Sometimes, just for shits and giggles, he approves the fucked up stuff just for a laugh or to see if Koreans actually notice. ;)
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Kite
Oops, I posted this on the wrong blog. It should have been posted here.
*********
Tonight I watched "Kite". I had never heard of it before, or the anime that came before it.
It started off gory enough. I found out the impetus of the main character quickly enough. Samuel Jackson is in it!!!! Damn!
Sawa, the main character, is out for revenge. Someone killed her father, a cop, and mother. Jackson is her father's partner.
The film has a gritty look to it. Gangs running the streets. Lots of violence.
The acting so far is kind of shite. The action is waning. Damn she just ganked the fucker! Damn, a dildo gun! Ok. It just got a bit better.
The plot is kind of blah. She kills someone who will lead her to the one who killed her parents. Then SJ gives her a drug to make her forget everything. But she remembers ... something.
Meh ... it is hard to get into this movie. It is too jumpy. The fight scenes are pretty good though. It kind of helps make up for everything else. But not really enough.
God damn. Stun gun to the nuts!!! God damn!!!!
Yet I keep having to skip forward for some reason.
Ok, the skewer up the nose was great.
Too predictable.
Oh fuck it. Had to just stop watching this one.
I want my time back.
*********
Tonight I watched "Kite". I had never heard of it before, or the anime that came before it.
It started off gory enough. I found out the impetus of the main character quickly enough. Samuel Jackson is in it!!!! Damn!
Sawa, the main character, is out for revenge. Someone killed her father, a cop, and mother. Jackson is her father's partner.
The film has a gritty look to it. Gangs running the streets. Lots of violence.
The acting so far is kind of shite. The action is waning. Damn she just ganked the fucker! Damn, a dildo gun! Ok. It just got a bit better.
The plot is kind of blah. She kills someone who will lead her to the one who killed her parents. Then SJ gives her a drug to make her forget everything. But she remembers ... something.
Meh ... it is hard to get into this movie. It is too jumpy. The fight scenes are pretty good though. It kind of helps make up for everything else. But not really enough.
God damn. Stun gun to the nuts!!! God damn!!!!
Yet I keep having to skip forward for some reason.
Ok, the skewer up the nose was great.
Too predictable.
Oh fuck it. Had to just stop watching this one.
I want my time back.
What the ... rut?!?!?
It is strange how things come to mind sometimes. The other day, while talking with some co-workers, I realized that South Korea was my rut.
We get stuck in a rut at times. Whether it is literally or figuratively. Figuratively, our lives are going in a direction we can't seem to get out of for whatever reason. Often because it is what we know. What is comfortable. Or at least safer than the unknown. Literally, especially here in the winter, our car tire gets in a rut and it is hard or impossible to control where it goes.
For me it was a combination of things. While South Korea is the most racist and bigoted place I have ever lived it wasn't all shit. I actually enjoyed what I did. Add to that the fact that because I enjoyed it I found it easy to do. So good money, easy work. Fear of the unknown.
Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention that. Fear of the unknown is a powerful motivator, or de-motivator, depending on how you think. I had a job I liked with good pay. I had friends and a good social life. I could travel and have fun on my free time. If I left what was I going to do? Would I find a job I liked? One that made good money? Or would I be miserable. Great de-motivator to making any changes.
Oh yeah, and I was also morbidly obese and didn't give a shit. What a combination. Kind of surprised I am still here and actually happy with life. Surprisingly change was good. This time.
Why did I go to South Korea? I actually wanted change in my life. Something I feared. I had a job I hated. REALLY REALLY hated. Pay was good. Benefits were good. Job was shit and I hated it. But that is a story for another time. ;)
I lucked out when I got home. After taking a year off and shedding a lot weight I found a job. I didn't think I would like it. I didn't think I would last long if they hired me. I have been there for almost 4 years now and have started the move into the management side of things. I never saw this coming. Luckily, I got over my fear of change, and out of the rut, came home and took a chance.
We get stuck in a rut at times. Whether it is literally or figuratively. Figuratively, our lives are going in a direction we can't seem to get out of for whatever reason. Often because it is what we know. What is comfortable. Or at least safer than the unknown. Literally, especially here in the winter, our car tire gets in a rut and it is hard or impossible to control where it goes.
For me it was a combination of things. While South Korea is the most racist and bigoted place I have ever lived it wasn't all shit. I actually enjoyed what I did. Add to that the fact that because I enjoyed it I found it easy to do. So good money, easy work. Fear of the unknown.
Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention that. Fear of the unknown is a powerful motivator, or de-motivator, depending on how you think. I had a job I liked with good pay. I had friends and a good social life. I could travel and have fun on my free time. If I left what was I going to do? Would I find a job I liked? One that made good money? Or would I be miserable. Great de-motivator to making any changes.
Oh yeah, and I was also morbidly obese and didn't give a shit. What a combination. Kind of surprised I am still here and actually happy with life. Surprisingly change was good. This time.
Why did I go to South Korea? I actually wanted change in my life. Something I feared. I had a job I hated. REALLY REALLY hated. Pay was good. Benefits were good. Job was shit and I hated it. But that is a story for another time. ;)
I lucked out when I got home. After taking a year off and shedding a lot weight I found a job. I didn't think I would like it. I didn't think I would last long if they hired me. I have been there for almost 4 years now and have started the move into the management side of things. I never saw this coming. Luckily, I got over my fear of change, and out of the rut, came home and took a chance.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Same Racist Shit Different Year.
Oh Korea, you never fail to show your ass to the world. When asked by people at home if I would ever go back to Korea to live my answer is no. I just couldn't put up with the racist and bigoted bull shit again. If I hadn't used the internet as an outlet to vent when I was there I probably would have lost it. I would never willingly put myself in that situation again. Hopefully, things will change there but looking at some of the current headlines it is a long way off.
An American teacher was turned down by a school for the fact he was black. In fact, that was the reason they told his recruiter and was TEXTED to him.
Sadly, this still doesn't surprise me when talking about South Korea. Nor does the response of the Korean Human Rights Committee.
An official at the National Human Rights Commission of Korea acknowledged that there is no anti-discrimination law in Korea and it would be difficult to take any punitive action in most of the cases.
It would be difficult so we won't even try to do anything about it. Way to protect human rights. It was a better response that a guy I know got when he contacted them back in 2006 about CYJ English Academy's racist ad. He was told that while it was discriminatory it wasn't discriminatory enough. These are the same fucktards that said banning the use of cell phones in schools was a violation of students Human Rights. What the kimchi?!?!?!?
The official from Butler Child Academy in Sangdo Seoul made all the usual comments to excuse their actions. The children would be scared of him. We had to fill the position quickly and had already found someone. (Yet he was texted his rejection on his way to the interview.) They then fell back on a variation of an over used Korean cop out ...
“I suspect that there was some miscommunication between him and the recruiter.”
Ah, miscommunication and passing the buck. It was the recruiters fault. It was miscommunication. The recruiter shouldn't have told him the racist reason we gave. It wasn't our fault. Mind you calling it miscommunication is a step up from the over used misunderstanding. Which I found Korean's tend to use when they had lied and you had caught them.
It seems like Korea hasn't advanced that much since I left, at least when it comes to racism. While I could visit there it isn't a place I could live in again. Or even advise others to live in.
An American teacher was turned down by a school for the fact he was black. In fact, that was the reason they told his recruiter and was TEXTED to him.
Sadly, this still doesn't surprise me when talking about South Korea. Nor does the response of the Korean Human Rights Committee.
An official at the National Human Rights Commission of Korea acknowledged that there is no anti-discrimination law in Korea and it would be difficult to take any punitive action in most of the cases.
It would be difficult so we won't even try to do anything about it. Way to protect human rights. It was a better response that a guy I know got when he contacted them back in 2006 about CYJ English Academy's racist ad. He was told that while it was discriminatory it wasn't discriminatory enough. These are the same fucktards that said banning the use of cell phones in schools was a violation of students Human Rights. What the kimchi?!?!?!?
The official from Butler Child Academy in Sangdo Seoul made all the usual comments to excuse their actions. The children would be scared of him. We had to fill the position quickly and had already found someone. (Yet he was texted his rejection on his way to the interview.) They then fell back on a variation of an over used Korean cop out ...
“I suspect that there was some miscommunication between him and the recruiter.”
Ah, miscommunication and passing the buck. It was the recruiters fault. It was miscommunication. The recruiter shouldn't have told him the racist reason we gave. It wasn't our fault. Mind you calling it miscommunication is a step up from the over used misunderstanding. Which I found Korean's tend to use when they had lied and you had caught them.
It seems like Korea hasn't advanced that much since I left, at least when it comes to racism. While I could visit there it isn't a place I could live in again. Or even advise others to live in.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Social Experiment
What can I say, I am proud of how this "experiment" turned out. It proves what I have always though about Canada and Canadians.
I heard a lot of people (which means foreigners) in South Korea talking about how they would treat Koreans if they encountered them at home. It pissed me off. I hated how foreigners were treated in South Korea. I would never want to make someone feel that hated in Canada. It is something I actually thought about while there. Something I thought about before I came home and after I returned.
In South Korea I was pretty much labelled as a piece of shit just because I was a foreigner. In my first couple of months I was labelled as having aids just because I was a foreigner. I was labelled as a just wanting to rape/molest "their" women. I always felt like a 3rd class or worse citizen there. Which is why people talking about "giving it back" to Koreans in their home country bothered me.
If I hated being treated some way why the hell would I want to treat someone that way. It would make me a hypocritical piece of shit. Which is worse than being a piece of shit. I wanted to make sure I never treated a foreigner in Canada the way I was treated in South Korea.
While I don't like these ambush type of "media" stories it does make me feel good. I have always thought of Canadians as being tolerant. That "we" wouldn't put up with racist bullshit. This "experiment" actually confirmed it for me.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
What the ... spoof?!?!?
Football Reality or Fantasy? It is hard to tell. A video has been posted on YouTube purported to be an Official North Korean news report about how they are poised to take on Portugal for the World Cup tomorrow. It could be a spoof someone made. However, considering their reported excuse for the NK women's team losing years ago, it is also believable that the NK's actually reported this.
It is a country that constantly tries to rewrite reality to inflate their own sense of being and importance.
It is a country that constantly tries to rewrite reality to inflate their own sense of being and importance.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Hairy Bikers Asian Adventure
The Hairy Bikers did a series in Asia. The 6th and final episode was done in South Korea. I liked it.
Unlike a lot of shows that went to South Korea it didn't focus on the bizarre. It focused on what is normal there. Samkyubsal, fried chicken, traditional markets and street food. It was pretty good and had me reminiscing. Watching the market scenes had my mouth watering.
I liked how they talked about what food would be a hit back in the UK. And talked about what was actually popular in the West.
The kimchi making was well done. It reminded me of the time I made sauerkraut with my Great Aunt. Damn I miss her. :(
I really enjoyed the way they looked at Korean history too.
Strangely enough I even liked the way Gangnam Style kept showing up. :)
Damn I want some bibimbap now. And samkyubsal. And yangyum chicken. Sundae!!!!
Unlike a lot of shows that went to South Korea it didn't focus on the bizarre. It focused on what is normal there. Samkyubsal, fried chicken, traditional markets and street food. It was pretty good and had me reminiscing. Watching the market scenes had my mouth watering.
I liked how they talked about what food would be a hit back in the UK. And talked about what was actually popular in the West.
The kimchi making was well done. It reminded me of the time I made sauerkraut with my Great Aunt. Damn I miss her. :(
I really enjoyed the way they looked at Korean history too.
Strangely enough I even liked the way Gangnam Style kept showing up. :)
Damn I want some bibimbap now. And samkyubsal. And yangyum chicken. Sundae!!!!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
What the ... bureautards?!?!?!? Part 3
And they wonder why people don't like dealing with Government?!?!? Following the rules? Or think that Government agencies are incompetent?!?!?
My issue with the International Tax Services Office (ITSO) of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has been resolved! Mind you they neglected to TELL ME! They sent me 2 letters to let me know it was under review. Notthing to tell me it was resolved.
It took over 4 months for them to "review" the issue. All they had to do was confirm that I entered Canada to stay on May 10th 2010. Something that I HAD informed the "mother office" of back in 2011. But momma don't tell the young'uns nothing it seems.
Now, finally, the issue is resolved. They confirmed I moved home on that date and became a full resident citizen of Canada then. Let the next phase of bull shit begin!
I got a letter from the GST branch of CRA today stating that ... wait for it ... wait for it ... I owe them money. Not only do I owe them money but they are withholding and garnishing what I owe from GST payments and any tax refund I may get. Nice of them to mail me and let me know there was a problem. Wait until GST payment time and deliver a fait accompli. Fucktards.
What is the problem? Well, now that ITSO acknowledges I have been a resident citizen of Canada since May of 2010 they informed the mother office. Who then informed the other babies. It doesn't matter that the mother office was informed of this a couple of years ago nothing is official until ITSO says so. Now they have spoken.
The GST office says wow! We now know, thanks to ITSO and not CRA that Flint moved back to Canada in May of 2010. We have no information on what he earned abroad for the first 3-4 months of 2010. He has to pay us back all of the GST payments he got in 2011! NOW!
As I said, there was no communication until the letter I got today which delivered a fait accompli. Nothing REQUESTING information. Nothing saying without said information this will happen. Just a letter demanding payment or else they will garnish it. With some bureaucratese on the last page of a 3 page demand stating that they need to know my "world income" earned in Canadian funds for the part of 2010 I wasn't living in Canada. (It makes me wonder how many people just see a letter like that and pay the amount without looking into things.)
They could have simply send a letter saying "Hey, we just found out you lived outside of Canada until May 2010. Could you let us know how much you earned in 2010 while living outside Canada?" That would be too easy. Too civil. Instead attack attack attack!!! Bureautards.
So, I called the 1-800 number and talked to a woman about what was going on. She was incredibly helpful and patient. GREAT customer service skills! Once again, as with ITSO, the solution hinges on mailing them a letter. This one stating what I earned abroad in 2010 and if possible 2009. Wouldn't it have been nice if they had just asked for that from the start?
The letter is in the mail. I expect the next problem to be them wanting some form of documentation about this. The school I worked at closed down shortly after I left South Korea. That makes it kind of hard to get documentation. What can I say, dealing with the government has left me jaded. I expect this to be a problem that takes a while, a long while, to resolve and odds are I won't be informed of the outcome directly.
I am now officially sorry that I followed the rules. I did what I was supposed to. Filled out income tax forms for Canada the first 2 years I was away. Followed procedure and let CRA known when I was back. It has led to nothing but headaches dealing with the bureaucracy. As soon as one problem is cleared up with a branch of CRA another pops up. Problems which should either never have happened if the various branches of CRA communicated with each other or could have been resolved years ago if the branches talked to each other.
This is why people think the Government and it's attendant bureaucracy are a bunch of fucktards and don't trust dealing with them.
My issue with the International Tax Services Office (ITSO) of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has been resolved! Mind you they neglected to TELL ME! They sent me 2 letters to let me know it was under review. Notthing to tell me it was resolved.
It took over 4 months for them to "review" the issue. All they had to do was confirm that I entered Canada to stay on May 10th 2010. Something that I HAD informed the "mother office" of back in 2011. But momma don't tell the young'uns nothing it seems.
Now, finally, the issue is resolved. They confirmed I moved home on that date and became a full resident citizen of Canada then. Let the next phase of bull shit begin!
I got a letter from the GST branch of CRA today stating that ... wait for it ... wait for it ... I owe them money. Not only do I owe them money but they are withholding and garnishing what I owe from GST payments and any tax refund I may get. Nice of them to mail me and let me know there was a problem. Wait until GST payment time and deliver a fait accompli. Fucktards.
What is the problem? Well, now that ITSO acknowledges I have been a resident citizen of Canada since May of 2010 they informed the mother office. Who then informed the other babies. It doesn't matter that the mother office was informed of this a couple of years ago nothing is official until ITSO says so. Now they have spoken.
The GST office says wow! We now know, thanks to ITSO and not CRA that Flint moved back to Canada in May of 2010. We have no information on what he earned abroad for the first 3-4 months of 2010. He has to pay us back all of the GST payments he got in 2011! NOW!
As I said, there was no communication until the letter I got today which delivered a fait accompli. Nothing REQUESTING information. Nothing saying without said information this will happen. Just a letter demanding payment or else they will garnish it. With some bureaucratese on the last page of a 3 page demand stating that they need to know my "world income" earned in Canadian funds for the part of 2010 I wasn't living in Canada. (It makes me wonder how many people just see a letter like that and pay the amount without looking into things.)
They could have simply send a letter saying "Hey, we just found out you lived outside of Canada until May 2010. Could you let us know how much you earned in 2010 while living outside Canada?" That would be too easy. Too civil. Instead attack attack attack!!! Bureautards.
So, I called the 1-800 number and talked to a woman about what was going on. She was incredibly helpful and patient. GREAT customer service skills! Once again, as with ITSO, the solution hinges on mailing them a letter. This one stating what I earned abroad in 2010 and if possible 2009. Wouldn't it have been nice if they had just asked for that from the start?
The letter is in the mail. I expect the next problem to be them wanting some form of documentation about this. The school I worked at closed down shortly after I left South Korea. That makes it kind of hard to get documentation. What can I say, dealing with the government has left me jaded. I expect this to be a problem that takes a while, a long while, to resolve and odds are I won't be informed of the outcome directly.
I am now officially sorry that I followed the rules. I did what I was supposed to. Filled out income tax forms for Canada the first 2 years I was away. Followed procedure and let CRA known when I was back. It has led to nothing but headaches dealing with the bureaucracy. As soon as one problem is cleared up with a branch of CRA another pops up. Problems which should either never have happened if the various branches of CRA communicated with each other or could have been resolved years ago if the branches talked to each other.
This is why people think the Government and it's attendant bureaucracy are a bunch of fucktards and don't trust dealing with them.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
I wasn't surprised. Were you?
South Korea's largest tobacco company is in hot water over their ad campaign for the new This Africa cigarette. The campaign uses monkeys instead of people.
Unsurprisingly, people are pissed off and consider the ad racist and offensive.
Unsurprisingly, KT&G (the company in question) never thought the ad would be considered racist or offensive.
Unsurprisingly, KT&G even tried to blame foreigners for the "problems" with the ad campaign.
I would have been surprised if the company just said "Yes, we fucked up. Sorry." But I know better than to expect something like that. Why accept responsibility when you can pretend to do so while blaming foreigners.
Unsurprisingly, people are pissed off and consider the ad racist and offensive.
Unsurprisingly, KT&G (the company in question) never thought the ad would be considered racist or offensive.
Unsurprisingly, KT&G even tried to blame foreigners for the "problems" with the ad campaign.
I would have been surprised if the company just said "Yes, we fucked up. Sorry." But I know better than to expect something like that. Why accept responsibility when you can pretend to do so while blaming foreigners.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
What the ... bureautards?!?!? Part 2
As mentioned in the previous post on this subject I mailed my info to the branch of the Canada Revenue Agency dealing with Canadians living abroad. Thus letting the branch know what the main office didn't, that I had been living in Canada, and filing taxes, since 2010. That way they would know I don't owe them a dime for having my Tax Free Savings Account ... since the main office doesn't see fit to keep the branches informed on peoples status changes.
That was around August 25th 2013. Today, October 3rd 2013 I received a letter from CRA dated September 27th. A MONTH after I sent them the information. Information that couldn't be given over the bloody phone to start the process. Information the main branch has but couldn't simply memo them about. It had to be mailed to them from me.
Stupidly, I kind of expected it to simply say everything has been cleared up. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Of course it will be a longer process. This letter was to thank me for the additional information about my 2010 tax return (what about 2011? 2012? Everything was mentioned in the letter.) And to let me know that they will review the information and advise me of the results.
What a bunch of bureautards.
So, once again, to warn those who played by the rules and let CRA know you were a non-resident Citizen of Canada, YOU have to the specific department within CRA know when you have returned. Filing your tax returns is not enough. CRA itself will NOT inform them of your status change. Kind of makes me wonder if the BS is worth playing by the rules for.
That was around August 25th 2013. Today, October 3rd 2013 I received a letter from CRA dated September 27th. A MONTH after I sent them the information. Information that couldn't be given over the bloody phone to start the process. Information the main branch has but couldn't simply memo them about. It had to be mailed to them from me.
Stupidly, I kind of expected it to simply say everything has been cleared up. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Of course it will be a longer process. This letter was to thank me for the additional information about my 2010 tax return (what about 2011? 2012? Everything was mentioned in the letter.) And to let me know that they will review the information and advise me of the results.
What a bunch of bureautards.
So, once again, to warn those who played by the rules and let CRA know you were a non-resident Citizen of Canada, YOU have to the specific department within CRA know when you have returned. Filing your tax returns is not enough. CRA itself will NOT inform them of your status change. Kind of makes me wonder if the BS is worth playing by the rules for.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
What the ... BureauTards?!?!?
I have been home for over 3 years. Filing may taxes. Working at the same job for 2 years. In 2012 I opened a Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA). Imagine my surprise when I got a letter from Canada Revenue agency (CRA) telling me that I owed them money for deposits I made to my TFSA. The reason? I am a non-resident Citizen and am putting money into the account that I made abroad. Really?
Like I said, I have been filing taxes since I got back. I actually talked to someone at RCA when I filed my first return because I hadn't made money that year, I was living off my savings. My 1st return also reflected my change in address and status.Which means, or should have meant, that RCA knew that I was living in Canada again.
I called the 1-800 number for RCA and after going through several options that were of no help talked to a real person. They transferred me to the department that handles TFSA. After waiting a while I got to talk to a person. I explained the letter I got and my situation. They immediately knew the problem.
One section of RCA doesn't let the other know what is going on with people. The main office doesn't let the one that deals with Immigration issues (that is the word she used) know about changes in status. YOU have to contact them and let them know. Would have been nice to know that. Seems kind of stupid since the main office knew my status changed but what the fuck, it is a bureaucracy and the stereotypes do have some basis in reality.
So know the onus is on me to contact a section of CRA and let them know what the main office knows. Fucking bureaucrats.
So, if you are one of the Canadian ex-pats who actually let the government know you are living and working abroad, which resulted in a change to your resident status, let CRA know when you return because they don't keep their own departments up to date.
You have to send them a letter explaining the change in your status. When it changed. Shit like that. send it to:
St. John's Tax Centre
ATTN T1 Speciality Services
290 Empire avenue
St. John's, NL
A1B 3Z1
HOPEFULLY, that will resolve the bullshit before I get another letter from RCA saying I owe them money.
Fucktards.
Like I said, I have been filing taxes since I got back. I actually talked to someone at RCA when I filed my first return because I hadn't made money that year, I was living off my savings. My 1st return also reflected my change in address and status.Which means, or should have meant, that RCA knew that I was living in Canada again.
I called the 1-800 number for RCA and after going through several options that were of no help talked to a real person. They transferred me to the department that handles TFSA. After waiting a while I got to talk to a person. I explained the letter I got and my situation. They immediately knew the problem.
One section of RCA doesn't let the other know what is going on with people. The main office doesn't let the one that deals with Immigration issues (that is the word she used) know about changes in status. YOU have to contact them and let them know. Would have been nice to know that. Seems kind of stupid since the main office knew my status changed but what the fuck, it is a bureaucracy and the stereotypes do have some basis in reality.
So know the onus is on me to contact a section of CRA and let them know what the main office knows. Fucking bureaucrats.
So, if you are one of the Canadian ex-pats who actually let the government know you are living and working abroad, which resulted in a change to your resident status, let CRA know when you return because they don't keep their own departments up to date.
You have to send them a letter explaining the change in your status. When it changed. Shit like that. send it to:
St. John's Tax Centre
ATTN T1 Speciality Services
290 Empire avenue
St. John's, NL
A1B 3Z1
HOPEFULLY, that will resolve the bullshit before I get another letter from RCA saying I owe them money.
Fucktards.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
What the ... reason to live in Seoul?!?!?!?
It has been a while since I have had anything to post here. Today a friend pointed out a BuzzFeed post. A "Community Contributor" named Alex Reichert posted a list of 11 reasons to live in Seoul. Thanks to the likes of Chrissy Snowflake, I am pretty jaded when I see that a list like this has been posted about South Korea. Sadly, Alex proved to be about as bad as Chrissy.
There are only 4 items that really deserve to be on a list like that, and 2 could actually be lumped together. None of them are actually Seoul specific, ok plastic surgery capital is but plastic surgery isn't. From his list;
2. Fastest Internet in the World. That is pretty spot on. He could have added inexpensive in there somewhere as well. It is one of the things I miss about not living in South Korea any more.
4. and 10. could really have been lumped into one category. (A category that would ignore 7.) Amazing Food. Koreans do a great fried chicken, but the pizza, meh. (Ok, have to say that Potato Pizza did make me go Mmmm.) And of course Korean BBQ. How he could rank pizza and chicken above Korean BBQ I don't know. Probably because he is a bit of a fucktard. You can find some great food in South Korea, especially in Seoul.
5. Insanely cheap and quick public transportation. I would have called it inexpensive and reliable public transportation. Potato Potato. I loved the inter-city bus system and from those I know who used it the city services were just as good. Taxis are pretty cheap too. This is a good one.
That is it. The rest of his list pretty much sucked hind tit and smacked of the ramblings of Chrissy Snowflake, although not as pedantic. Let's look at the rest of the list.
1. K-Pop. Really, the fuckwit listed K-Pop as the Number 1 reason to live in Seoul. The way he writes you would expect to see people randomly dancing Gangnam Style down every street in Seoul. What really made me shake my head was when he wrote;
"With cell phone shops on every corner blaring music, you’ll be in K-pop heaven."
He leaves out the fact that it isn't just cell phone shops blaring music. It is pretty much every shop. Or maybe every other shop. From my recollection on most bocks there were 4-6 shops with music on outside. Oh yeah, duelling speakers maxed out at 11 whether playing the same or different songs every 30 feet or so is heaven. What a fucking moron.
3. Plastic Surgery Capital of the World. Yeah, that makes a city great. Easy access to plastic surgery. Better yet, the following comment;
"You can’t walk a block in Gangnam without getting the feeling that you just saw the same girl walk by a half dozen times."
It could be because Koreans tend to dress the same and style their hair the same. It must be plastic surgery. Or maybe he is just a racist twat who wants to say most Koreans look alike to him without appearing to be a racist twat. Or he is just a fucktard.
6. Make an unreasonable amount of money teaching English. Up to this point I was thinking, nay hoping, that this was just a tongue in cheek attempt at satire. Then this anal nugget popped up including links to other stuff Alex wrote about teaching in Korea. It included this gem;
"You can easily save $15k by the end of the year if you’re not trying to save, or $20k+ if you are."
Wow, did the bullshit alarm in the Flint Cave ever start blaring when that showed up on my screen. At first I thought the fuckwit was playing K-Pop on his page Then I realized it was just the BS alarm. It looks like I wasn't the only one to have such an alarm go off.
This was picked up in the comment section. Todd Parker wrote;
You're not going to get rich teaching English in Korea. I've looked at the rates pretty carefully when I was considering doing it myself. It's not poverty-wages - it beats the hell out of working minimum-wage in the States - but it's not going to make anybody wealthy.
Well said, Mr. Parker. Speaking as someone who worked there I saw people who did make oscene amounts of money. They were Ivy League graduates who worked insane hours at the most expensive hagwons in Seoul. NOT people who could just speak English fluently and had any old degree.
To which alex replied;
You won't get rich, but considering how "qualified" the teachers are and how much you can make tutoring, it's a pretty good gig. Teaching in Japan is much less lucrative. You can easily save $20k after a year in Korea.
Easily saving 20k a year isn't getting rich? Your stupidity is showing.
Matthew Cross pretty much finished swabbing the BS into the outhouse where it belonged when he posted;
no you really can't. Most people with effort can save on average about 1 million a month. That's only $882/month x12 + severance. Unless your severance is $10000 you aren't going to make $20k in one year, unless you are also working illegally. Face it, your list is awful.
Well said Mr. Cross. Well said.
I could go on and talk about numbers 7, 8, 9, and 11 but why bother. None of them are specific to Seoul. None of them are really things that would entice someone to live in a city let alone make it great. As I mentioned above, I had hoped this was an attempt at comedy. A pathetic one but still an attempt. However, when Alex tried to back Number 6 up with links to "serious" posts/pages he made off of BuzzFeed it made it seem less like comedy and just plain fucking stupid.
Alex also tried to defend himself later in the comment section when Mr. Cross posted what he thought of the post and Alex. He wrote;
I'm sorry, you're completely right. I just finished a teaching contract in Korea and thought it would be fun to throw together a list of quirky things I've come across there, but I'm far from being an expert. It's only purpose was to entertain, and I apologize if it offended you.
So, he did try to play the "comedy" card. It was just quirky things meant to entertain. It wasn't meant to offend. I highly doubt it offended anyone, it just made you, Alex, look like a fucktard. When you actually tried to defend your make unreasonable amount of money comment it kind of puts the lie to saying the list was just in jest. Regardless of your intent, it is a terrible list.
P.S. FYI Alex, it is NOT an article. You are not a journalist. It is a post about a list.
There are only 4 items that really deserve to be on a list like that, and 2 could actually be lumped together. None of them are actually Seoul specific, ok plastic surgery capital is but plastic surgery isn't. From his list;
2. Fastest Internet in the World. That is pretty spot on. He could have added inexpensive in there somewhere as well. It is one of the things I miss about not living in South Korea any more.
4. and 10. could really have been lumped into one category. (A category that would ignore 7.) Amazing Food. Koreans do a great fried chicken, but the pizza, meh. (Ok, have to say that Potato Pizza did make me go Mmmm.) And of course Korean BBQ. How he could rank pizza and chicken above Korean BBQ I don't know. Probably because he is a bit of a fucktard. You can find some great food in South Korea, especially in Seoul.
5. Insanely cheap and quick public transportation. I would have called it inexpensive and reliable public transportation. Potato Potato. I loved the inter-city bus system and from those I know who used it the city services were just as good. Taxis are pretty cheap too. This is a good one.
That is it. The rest of his list pretty much sucked hind tit and smacked of the ramblings of Chrissy Snowflake, although not as pedantic. Let's look at the rest of the list.
1. K-Pop. Really, the fuckwit listed K-Pop as the Number 1 reason to live in Seoul. The way he writes you would expect to see people randomly dancing Gangnam Style down every street in Seoul. What really made me shake my head was when he wrote;
"With cell phone shops on every corner blaring music, you’ll be in K-pop heaven."
He leaves out the fact that it isn't just cell phone shops blaring music. It is pretty much every shop. Or maybe every other shop. From my recollection on most bocks there were 4-6 shops with music on outside. Oh yeah, duelling speakers maxed out at 11 whether playing the same or different songs every 30 feet or so is heaven. What a fucking moron.
3. Plastic Surgery Capital of the World. Yeah, that makes a city great. Easy access to plastic surgery. Better yet, the following comment;
"You can’t walk a block in Gangnam without getting the feeling that you just saw the same girl walk by a half dozen times."
It could be because Koreans tend to dress the same and style their hair the same. It must be plastic surgery. Or maybe he is just a racist twat who wants to say most Koreans look alike to him without appearing to be a racist twat. Or he is just a fucktard.
6. Make an unreasonable amount of money teaching English. Up to this point I was thinking, nay hoping, that this was just a tongue in cheek attempt at satire. Then this anal nugget popped up including links to other stuff Alex wrote about teaching in Korea. It included this gem;
"You can easily save $15k by the end of the year if you’re not trying to save, or $20k+ if you are."
Wow, did the bullshit alarm in the Flint Cave ever start blaring when that showed up on my screen. At first I thought the fuckwit was playing K-Pop on his page Then I realized it was just the BS alarm. It looks like I wasn't the only one to have such an alarm go off.
This was picked up in the comment section. Todd Parker wrote;
You're not going to get rich teaching English in Korea. I've looked at the rates pretty carefully when I was considering doing it myself. It's not poverty-wages - it beats the hell out of working minimum-wage in the States - but it's not going to make anybody wealthy.
Well said, Mr. Parker. Speaking as someone who worked there I saw people who did make oscene amounts of money. They were Ivy League graduates who worked insane hours at the most expensive hagwons in Seoul. NOT people who could just speak English fluently and had any old degree.
To which alex replied;
You won't get rich, but considering how "qualified" the teachers are and how much you can make tutoring, it's a pretty good gig. Teaching in Japan is much less lucrative. You can easily save $20k after a year in Korea.
Easily saving 20k a year isn't getting rich? Your stupidity is showing.
Matthew Cross pretty much finished swabbing the BS into the outhouse where it belonged when he posted;
no you really can't. Most people with effort can save on average about 1 million a month. That's only $882/month x12 + severance. Unless your severance is $10000 you aren't going to make $20k in one year, unless you are also working illegally. Face it, your list is awful.
Well said Mr. Cross. Well said.
I could go on and talk about numbers 7, 8, 9, and 11 but why bother. None of them are specific to Seoul. None of them are really things that would entice someone to live in a city let alone make it great. As I mentioned above, I had hoped this was an attempt at comedy. A pathetic one but still an attempt. However, when Alex tried to back Number 6 up with links to "serious" posts/pages he made off of BuzzFeed it made it seem less like comedy and just plain fucking stupid.
Alex also tried to defend himself later in the comment section when Mr. Cross posted what he thought of the post and Alex. He wrote;
I'm sorry, you're completely right. I just finished a teaching contract in Korea and thought it would be fun to throw together a list of quirky things I've come across there, but I'm far from being an expert. It's only purpose was to entertain, and I apologize if it offended you.
So, he did try to play the "comedy" card. It was just quirky things meant to entertain. It wasn't meant to offend. I highly doubt it offended anyone, it just made you, Alex, look like a fucktard. When you actually tried to defend your make unreasonable amount of money comment it kind of puts the lie to saying the list was just in jest. Regardless of your intent, it is a terrible list.
P.S. FYI Alex, it is NOT an article. You are not a journalist. It is a post about a list.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Buh Bye Kozilla
Wow ... watched Episode 5 of The Great Food Truck Race and the ending was a bit of a shocker. Yet not completely surprising. Why? The Korean team was disqualified for cheating. They added $2700 of their own money to their till. Strangely enough they DIDN'T NEED IT! They still would have finished in the top and not have been eliminated. Morons.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Sejong the Burgermeister
I was watching the 2nd season of The Great Food Truck Race and there is a Korean (by way of NYC) based truck in it. The guys are phenomenal! The food, I wish was available here.
In epsiode 4 they are are in Manhattan, Kansas taking part in a challenge. They have to make a dish based on a maximum of $5. They make a burger and have the hutzpahs to tell the celebrity taster that Sejong Taehwan was the first person to ever taste a burger. THAT is thinking outside the box! I wish they had won that challenge.
In epsiode 4 they are are in Manhattan, Kansas taking part in a challenge. They have to make a dish based on a maximum of $5. They make a burger and have the hutzpahs to tell the celebrity taster that Sejong Taehwan was the first person to ever taste a burger. THAT is thinking outside the box! I wish they had won that challenge.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
What the ... violator?!?!?
Heh, I read a post on Gusts of Popular Feeling that left me laughing. It turns out that Psy's video for his new song "Gentleman" has been banned by KBS because ... heh ... he kicks over a traffic cone at the end. Bwahahahahahaha!!!!!!
It reminded me of when ... surprise surprise ... KBS banned Rain's video for "Love Song" because he ... ran across a deserted street. Which of course is a violation of Korea's traffic laws. And you know how much Korean's love to obey their traffic laws.
And Korean's wonder why the get ridiculed. :)
It reminded me of when ... surprise surprise ... KBS banned Rain's video for "Love Song" because he ... ran across a deserted street. Which of course is a violation of Korea's traffic laws. And you know how much Korean's love to obey their traffic laws.
And Korean's wonder why the get ridiculed. :)
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
What the ... high cost of living?!?!?!?
I was talking with a friend about the high cost of dental care in Canada. He didn't think it was that bad. Then I told him that for the price he paid for a root canal, post, core, and crown last year he could have paid to fly to Korea, have the work done, and stay there for the time it would take for LESS than that. A root canal, post, core, and crown will run you around $4000+ here. The same in Cheongju cost $400-500. The prices are bloody insane here.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
What the ... reasoning?!?!?
A friend pointed out an article "50 Reasons Why Seoul is the World's Greatest City". Many of the reasons would apply to any city in South Korea, not just Seoul. Some of them are just stupid. 9-10 of them are about food that isn't only found in Seoul. Only 11 of them are definitely about Seoul, 2 more can be stretched a bit to be about Seoul. Most of them are about Korea in general. It makes me wonder if this article was written by Chrissy Snowflake.
The article opens with the comment;
There's a reason Asian tourists have ranked Seoul as their favorite world city three years in a row.
Yes, there is a reason. Korean Nutizens flood any open voting site. Remember Rain being voted Time Magazines most influential person in the world? Three years in a row? :)
Lets look at some of the 50 reasons the article gives.
47. Best airport in the world. Ummm ... isn't the airport by Incheon? Which is why it is called Incheon International Airport? Then again when has a silly thing like reality ever stopped someone from making a list?
41. Most committed celeb stalkers. That is a good thing? Something that should attract people to a city and makes the city great?
30. G-Dragon? Really?
28. Excellence in flight. See #47.
23. Road trip to the axis of evil. If the DMZ is a couple of hours away then it ISN'T IN SEOUL. Fucktard.
16. The kimchi miracle. Really? When the fuck did CNN become the Comedy News Network?!?!? Are they trying to put the Daily Show out of business? They actually mention kimchi as something that prevents SARS and other diseases? Did the twat who wrote this article actually read the BBC article this one references? The SECOND sentence says:
The researchers said the results were far from scientifically proven and if kimchi did have the effects they observed, it was unclear why.
Fucking moron.
18. Canine coffee breaks. Wow, the author tries to slough off eating dog with this one? Love the opening sentence.
Koreans have an unfortunate reputation for turning man’s best friend into man’s next meal,
An unfortunate reputation? That makes it sound like they don't do it but people think they do. They do eat dog. If the dog restaurant I was in, and others I have seen are any indication it isn't limited to a small number of the population and old people. For my part, I don't care that they eat dog. It is a meat to them. The fact some believe that a dog beaten to death tastes better bothers me.
The list is a joke. The authors could have done a much better job. There are a lot of reasons why someone could say Seoul is great, or Korea. Most of what was used in this article is too general (applies to all of Korea) or just stupid.
Then you have the comment section which turned into a war on dog eating. Actually dog and cat eating. Which made me scratch my head and wonder. In my 10 years in South Korea I never once heard anyone talk about eating cat nor did I ever see a cat restaurant. Lots of dog ones but NEVER a cat restaurant.
Some of my favourite comments:
Alyssa: To all that are condemning South Korea for the consumption of dog and cat meat; Are any of you vegetarian or vegan?
Because if you eat any form of meat, according to this vegetarian, then you have no right to complain about how dogs are treated in South Korea. There are better arguments that can be made Alyssa.
Anneyong: Seoul is a beautiful country.
So is Africa. Fucktard. S/He then goes on to use that old tactic of "People do bad things in your country so you shouldn't say anything about other countries". Super fucktard.
Jeffrey Heo: How the heck did this comments section turn into a lynching over a cultural cuisine that a very small percentage of the population actually eat?
He tries to bring some sanity back but is it REALLY a small percentage of the population? Based on my experience I don't believe that to be true. The same people who used to tell me that when I lived in Korea also said it was only older people who ate dog. Yet that wasn't true.
The best argument to use about eating dog is a simple one. (As long as they aren't tortured to death. And talking about the conditions food animals are raised in on the factory farms is a very valid point.) It is a meat. Go fuck yourself.
Ana: Just because some people do it does not mean that all Koreans are "scums of this Earth" as you so stupidly put it.
Funny isn't it? That is just how Koreans like to lump foreigners together. Yet they don't like it when the same tactic is used against them.
Guest: The cats and dogs are not the domestic pets that you are thinking of but rather wild animals,
Your stupidity is showing. They are not wild animals. They are bred for eating. Much like cows, chickens, etc here. At least try to know what you are talking about.
sbarto: So Miss I'm From Forward Thinking UK, How does that horse meat taste?
Well said. :)
Michael Hughes: I went to Seoul in 2011 and I can say this is a great list of all that is great about going there. Seoul is certainly recommended. See it now before everyone goes there!
Yes, it is one of those places in the world that isn't frequented much but will be soon. Then it will lose it's uniqueness and be just another Bangkok. ;) What a fucktard.
The last commenter I will mention reminds me of a lot of Korean apologists I have encountered. They will lie to make Korea look good.
Kris: omg SHUT UP PEOPLE. I lived in Korea for years, let me say this: EATING DOG IS RARE. Let me repeat that for you dumbshits that can't comprehend this. IT'S EXTREMELY RARE. The only people that actually eat dog are just 80+ year old people. Why? Because they're used to it, that's what they ate when Korea was dirt poor and starving. Young people won't eat it. Stop getting your information from extremely biased websites. Maybe you should actually talk people who lived in Korea before. Stop embarrassing yourselves since you've never lived there.
This fucktard is so full of shit that nothing really needs to be said about his comment.
The article is disappointing but the comment section is entertaining.
The article opens with the comment;
There's a reason Asian tourists have ranked Seoul as their favorite world city three years in a row.
Yes, there is a reason. Korean Nutizens flood any open voting site. Remember Rain being voted Time Magazines most influential person in the world? Three years in a row? :)
Lets look at some of the 50 reasons the article gives.
47. Best airport in the world. Ummm ... isn't the airport by Incheon? Which is why it is called Incheon International Airport? Then again when has a silly thing like reality ever stopped someone from making a list?
41. Most committed celeb stalkers. That is a good thing? Something that should attract people to a city and makes the city great?
30. G-Dragon? Really?
28. Excellence in flight. See #47.
23. Road trip to the axis of evil. If the DMZ is a couple of hours away then it ISN'T IN SEOUL. Fucktard.
16. The kimchi miracle. Really? When the fuck did CNN become the Comedy News Network?!?!? Are they trying to put the Daily Show out of business? They actually mention kimchi as something that prevents SARS and other diseases? Did the twat who wrote this article actually read the BBC article this one references? The SECOND sentence says:
The researchers said the results were far from scientifically proven and if kimchi did have the effects they observed, it was unclear why.
Fucking moron.
18. Canine coffee breaks. Wow, the author tries to slough off eating dog with this one? Love the opening sentence.
Koreans have an unfortunate reputation for turning man’s best friend into man’s next meal,
An unfortunate reputation? That makes it sound like they don't do it but people think they do. They do eat dog. If the dog restaurant I was in, and others I have seen are any indication it isn't limited to a small number of the population and old people. For my part, I don't care that they eat dog. It is a meat to them. The fact some believe that a dog beaten to death tastes better bothers me.
The list is a joke. The authors could have done a much better job. There are a lot of reasons why someone could say Seoul is great, or Korea. Most of what was used in this article is too general (applies to all of Korea) or just stupid.
Then you have the comment section which turned into a war on dog eating. Actually dog and cat eating. Which made me scratch my head and wonder. In my 10 years in South Korea I never once heard anyone talk about eating cat nor did I ever see a cat restaurant. Lots of dog ones but NEVER a cat restaurant.
Some of my favourite comments:
Alyssa: To all that are condemning South Korea for the consumption of dog and cat meat; Are any of you vegetarian or vegan?
Because if you eat any form of meat, according to this vegetarian, then you have no right to complain about how dogs are treated in South Korea. There are better arguments that can be made Alyssa.
Anneyong: Seoul is a beautiful country.
So is Africa. Fucktard. S/He then goes on to use that old tactic of "People do bad things in your country so you shouldn't say anything about other countries". Super fucktard.
Jeffrey Heo: How the heck did this comments section turn into a lynching over a cultural cuisine that a very small percentage of the population actually eat?
He tries to bring some sanity back but is it REALLY a small percentage of the population? Based on my experience I don't believe that to be true. The same people who used to tell me that when I lived in Korea also said it was only older people who ate dog. Yet that wasn't true.
The best argument to use about eating dog is a simple one. (As long as they aren't tortured to death. And talking about the conditions food animals are raised in on the factory farms is a very valid point.) It is a meat. Go fuck yourself.
Ana: Just because some people do it does not mean that all Koreans are "scums of this Earth" as you so stupidly put it.
Funny isn't it? That is just how Koreans like to lump foreigners together. Yet they don't like it when the same tactic is used against them.
Guest: The cats and dogs are not the domestic pets that you are thinking of but rather wild animals,
Your stupidity is showing. They are not wild animals. They are bred for eating. Much like cows, chickens, etc here. At least try to know what you are talking about.
sbarto: So Miss I'm From Forward Thinking UK, How does that horse meat taste?
Well said. :)
Michael Hughes: I went to Seoul in 2011 and I can say this is a great list of all that is great about going there. Seoul is certainly recommended. See it now before everyone goes there!
Yes, it is one of those places in the world that isn't frequented much but will be soon. Then it will lose it's uniqueness and be just another Bangkok. ;) What a fucktard.
The last commenter I will mention reminds me of a lot of Korean apologists I have encountered. They will lie to make Korea look good.
Kris: omg SHUT UP PEOPLE. I lived in Korea for years, let me say this: EATING DOG IS RARE. Let me repeat that for you dumbshits that can't comprehend this. IT'S EXTREMELY RARE. The only people that actually eat dog are just 80+ year old people. Why? Because they're used to it, that's what they ate when Korea was dirt poor and starving. Young people won't eat it. Stop getting your information from extremely biased websites. Maybe you should actually talk people who lived in Korea before. Stop embarrassing yourselves since you've never lived there.
This fucktard is so full of shit that nothing really needs to be said about his comment.
The article is disappointing but the comment section is entertaining.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
What the ... copy cats?!?!?
I had thought that I mentioned the culture of copying that exists in South Korea long ago. It turns out that while I can say I did it was really a reference to a great post by Dokdo is Ours. What made me think of it now? A message from a student.
In 2011 I got a smart phone. One of my old students mentioned a program to me called Kakao Talk. According to her it was a great Korean invention that would change the way people used smart phones to communicate. I didn't have the heart to ask her if she had heard of instant messanger or Facebook. I just chalked it down to the usual Nationalistic zeal you see in Koreans. A zeal which often causes them to ignore facts and try to rewrite history. But I digress.
I installed it and it was cute. Nothing really new in the world outside of Korea. I still use it today to keep in touch with some friends and old students. I like the ability to share pictures and videos as well as text.
Last year the same person introduced me to Kakao Story. It is a decent program for sharing photos and stories. When she talked about it being innovative and a game changer I could see where she was coming from. Mind you, I had never used Instagram.
Yesterday I installed Instagram on my phone. Or should I say Kakao Story in English? Wow. Kakao Story is such a rip off of it that it isn't funny. Just when you thought you could believe that someone made something original it turns out to be just another rip off. And not a rip off that actually improved on what Instagram does.
In 2011 I got a smart phone. One of my old students mentioned a program to me called Kakao Talk. According to her it was a great Korean invention that would change the way people used smart phones to communicate. I didn't have the heart to ask her if she had heard of instant messanger or Facebook. I just chalked it down to the usual Nationalistic zeal you see in Koreans. A zeal which often causes them to ignore facts and try to rewrite history. But I digress.
I installed it and it was cute. Nothing really new in the world outside of Korea. I still use it today to keep in touch with some friends and old students. I like the ability to share pictures and videos as well as text.
Last year the same person introduced me to Kakao Story. It is a decent program for sharing photos and stories. When she talked about it being innovative and a game changer I could see where she was coming from. Mind you, I had never used Instagram.
Yesterday I installed Instagram on my phone. Or should I say Kakao Story in English? Wow. Kakao Story is such a rip off of it that it isn't funny. Just when you thought you could believe that someone made something original it turns out to be just another rip off. And not a rip off that actually improved on what Instagram does.
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