Showing posts with label Korea Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Korea Christmas. Show all posts

Friday, December 24, 2010

Christmas 2009

I was looking through some pictures from Christmas last year and came across Santa Klaus.


Stig and I had a great Christmas dinner at the rib place and were enjoying scotch and a Churchill on the benches across the street. The bar had someone dressed up as Santa. One of the friendliest Koreans I have ever met. He was handing out candy to kids, and women, passing by. His English wasn't that great but he got by.

It turns out he was the manager of the bar. The owner ended up coming up out. (I may have it backwards ... manager came out and owner in costumes. A little help Stig!) His English was great. We talked with them a bit and extended Christmas greetings.


It made for a nice interlude in a great evening.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Year 1 - Seasons Greetings

Season's Greetings, again!

When I last left off it was the day before the night before Christmas.

Christmas Eve caught me at my best and worst. I had supper with Don and Mary, the owners of the hagwon as well as the 2 South African teachers. We went to a meat and side dish place and hade Galbi. Galbi is beef on the bone. Actually a strip of beef attached to the bone, which you grill up in front of everyone with garlic, onion, Korean sweet potato, and mushrooms. Plus you have a plethora of side dishes. Several types of kimchi, duenjoen chigae, oysters, miniature clams, large peppers to dip in a bean paste, sweet potato noodles, daikon radish, things like that. It was a pretty good time. Even with a bit of a suck up fest I had to put up with from one of the other teachers.

The night took a downturn after dinner. Hilda and the gang who went to Cheju Island called. After talking with them I started getting depressed. All my friends in Korea were either on Cheju Island or off snowboarding. All my family and other friends are in Canada and the US, far away. Yeah, I got a case of the "poor me's". So, I promptly smacked myself one and decided to go out. It turned out that a teacher (Patrick) from another Hagwon and his brother Gordon were still in town. He had hurt his ankle so the snowboarding trip ended up being one night. I ended up joining them at a nearby bar.

Along comes Flint, with his Santa Hat on, and the festivities began. There was a table with 7 Korean women at it. They kept looking over at us. So, mainly due to Patrick, we ended up joining them, and picking up all 7 of them for most of the night. :) What can I say, it was amusing to see other guys try to come over, and the girls send them away to stay with us.

It turns out all 7 of them had been in Canada. They had each spent time, some a year, in British Columbia. Several even sported Canadian flag decals on their phones. They also all spoke English fairly well. We ended up at a nurae-bang (karaoke room) with 4 of them. I got home after 5AM Christmas morning. It was a great night. Odds are we will be getting together with them tomorrow night, New Years Eve. ;)

Mind you it is pretty much impossible to have a social life right now. Actually for the next month. It is winter break here, so all the parents send their kids to private schools. My January hours will be 11 hours a day teaching. 6:30-11:00Am and back from 2:30-9:00PM. Weekends are free, and we have a four day break at the end of the month. Which we will definitely need. I am thinking of spending some time in Seoul.

New Years Eve should be fun. Mind you, it will also be a little sad. It will be our farewell, again, send off for a teacher, Dave. He will be leaving January 2nd for Prague to take a course, and teach. He is a pretty cool guy, one of the better teachers, and people here. We will miss him.

Tonight we took him to the same place I went to Christmas Eve for a send off dinner. Damn it was good. :) Here is a price comparison for you. For 7 of us to eat it cost a whopping 43,000 won. Lets say $43 CDN. It cost 4 people $120 CDN to have a similar, but smaller, dinner at a Korean restaurant in Halifax. Quite the difference.

I hope everyone has a great New Year!

Take care
Flint

*****

I will have to devote a post to the other 2 teachers at the school. I don't really mention them because they were assholes. (Done.)

Heh ... the 7 girls was ALL Patrick's work. Not mainly due to ... all due to. One of the most outgoing people I have ever known and just a great person over-all.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

The Twelve Days of Korean Christmas

The Twelve Days of Korean Christmas
Another Stig and Flint Production


On the first day of Christmas,
A Korean gave to me,
A bill for my Christmas tree.

On the second day of Christmas,
A Korean gave to me,
Two Hanbok outfits,
And a bill for my Christmas tree.

On the third day of Christmas,
A Korean gave to me,
Three kimchi pots,
Two Hanbok outfits,
And a bill for my Christmas tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas,
A Korean gave to me,
F distinct seasons,
Three kimchi pots,
Two Hanbok outfits,
And a bill for my Christmas tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas,
A Korean gave to me,
Five Baek-so-ju,
F distinct seasons,
Three kimchi pots,
Two Hanbok outfits,
And a bill for my Christmas tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas,
A Korean gave to me,
Six Gay Dragons mincing,
Five baek-so-ju,
F distinct seasons,
Three kimchi pots,
Two Hanbok outfits,
And a bill for my Christmas tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas,
A Korean gave to me,
Seven schoolgirls whining (Cho-ah!),
Six Gay Dragons mincing,
Five baek-so-ju,
F distinct seasons,
Three kimchi pots,
Two Hanbok outfits,
And a bill for my Christmas tree.

On the eighth day of Christmas,
A Korean gave to me,
Eight ajummas elbowing,
Seven schoolgirls whining (Cho-ah!),
Six Gay Dragons mincing,
Five baek-so-ju,
F distinct seasons,
Three kimchi pots,
Two Hanbok outfits,
And a bill for my Christmas tree.

On the ninth day of Christmas,
A Korean gave to me,
Nine SNSDs dancing,
Eight ajummas elbowing,
Seven schoolgirls whining (Cho-ah!),
Six Gay Dragons mincing,
Five baek-so-ju,
F distinct seasons,
Three kimchi pots,
Two Hanbok outfits,
And a bill for my Christmas tree.

On the tenth day of Christmas,
A Korean gave to me,
Ten mooks a-shambling,
Nine SNSDs dancing,
Eight ajummas elbowing,
Seven schoolgirls whining (Cho-ah!),
Six Gay Dragons mincing,
Five baek-so-ju,
F distinct seasons,
Three kimchi pots,
Two Hanbok outfits,
And a bill for my Christmas tree.

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
A Korean gave to me,
Eleven adjossis pissing,
Ten mooks a-shambling,
Nine SNSDs dancing,
Eight ajummas elbowing,
Seven schoolgirls whining (Cho-ah!),
Six Gay Dragons mincing,
Five baek-so-ju,
F distinct seasons,
Three kimchi pots,
Two Hanbok outfits,
And a bill for my Christmas tree.

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
A Korean gave to me,
Twelve "Do You Know Dokdo?" T-shirts,
Eleven adjossis pissing,
Ten mooks a-shambling,
Nine SNSDs dancing,
Eight ajummas elbowing,
Seven schoolgirls whining (Cho-ah!),
Six Gay Dragons mincing,
Five baek-so-ju,
F distinct seasons,
Three kimchi pots,
Two Hanbok outfits,
And a bill for my Christmas tree!

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Deck The Halls

Ok, Korean Rum Diary inspired me to try my hand at this again. Unfortunately for you Stig wasn't around to help.

Deck the Halls

Deck the halls and beat them soundly,
Fa la la la la la la la la
They pissed me off and thats their folly,
Fa la la la la la la la la
There is G-Dragon in his gay apparel,
Fa la la la la la la la la
Let's dump the fucker in a barrel,
Fa la la la la la la la la.

See Kang ShinWho mooking before us,
Fa la la la la la la la la
Let's all moon him while singing this chorus,
Fa la la la la la la la la
Follow me in merry measure,
Fa la la la la la la la la
To the Room Salon to find some pleasure,
Fa la la la la la la la la

The stench of kimchi soon it passes,
Fa la la la la la la la la
Pinch your nose and find some lasses,
Fa la la la la la la la la
Drink we joyous all together,
Fa la la la la la la la la
If we survive the hangover then any storm we can weather,
Fa la la la la la la la la.

Happy Ho Ho!

It's Christmas Eve! Isn't it?

It REALLY doesn't feel like one to me this year. It has been a craptastic week. New shit to deal with every day. Instead of looking forward to celebrating Christmas I would rather just say fuck it and grinch about my tiny apartment.

I used to look forward to going to my favourite haunt every Christmas Eve. (Or rather ex-favourite haunt as I don't frequent it as much any more.) Last Christmas cured me of wanting that tonight.

WORST time I ever had on a Christmas Eve. The music sucked. Ok the band wasn't that bad but I really don't want to hear songs yelling on about "Fuck you and all the things you do." on Christmas Eve. Surely to god they could have learned some rock style Christmas songs. Hell Twisted Sister put out a GREAT Christmas Album. (Listening to it now.) WAY too many mooks were there. Every year one of the regulars would read The Night Before Christmas. The fucking mooks wouldn't even shut up and let him do that! He ended up giving up.

Thus went my Christmas Eve tradition in Korea. I don't have the energy to start a new one. Like I said it just doesn't feel like Christmas to me.

Merry Humbug to all
And Seasons Beatings to the mooks.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Twas The Night Before A Korean Christmas

Twas The Night Before A Korean Christmas as Bastardized by Stig and Flint.

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through Korea,
Kang Shin-woo reported all foreigners had gonorrhea.
The Korea Times was printed without any care.
Of plagiarism, or copyrights they just weren't aware.

The mooks were all settled all snug in their beds,
While visions of Blian Golden Balls danced in their heads.
And Omma in her kerchief and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a soju-induced nap.

When out in the street the noise became too much,
As the loudspeaker truck driver ground out his clutch.
Away to the 'balcony' I staggered and stumbled,
and looking out I angrily grumbled.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of cleanliness to the dirty city below.
When, what to my rheumy eyes should appear,
But a piece of shit Kia with the logo of Cass beer.

With a babo old driver, all 'luuded and slow,
He cut off another who wanted to go.
Slower than an ajumma crossing the road,
He hocked up a loogie and spat out his load.

Ya sheepal! Ya Nom! Gaeseki waegook!
Jeshu obso! Our women don't fook!
We're the tops in the world! The top of you all!
But with our tiny weiners we just cannot ball.

Like call girl cards all plastered on cars,
The swear words multiplied like ads on the doors.
The drivers bumped chests and threatened to punch,
But their ardour (like honour) was truly out to lunch.

And then their stumbling led into my hall.
They continued to bluster, but not really brawl.
I had opened my door to see their fake fight,
And they stupidly blinked in the automatic light.

They were dressed in fake track suits
That read "Fuma" and "Abibas."
They didn't wear socks and
On their feet were plastic slippas.

Their eyes how they glared and glowed shiny red,
For baeksoju (their fuel) had gone to their head.
Their puckered little mouths drew down to a frown
For they now knew foreigners watched as they clowned.

Thin little ciggies were clamped in their teeth,
And the smoke stank like the toes at the ends of their feet.
Each had a wrinkled face, dirty and brown.
Showing that their status was considered low down.

They were thin as thin rails, these mean little wights,
And I laughed in their faces at their excuse for a fight.
The squint in their eye and slack look on their mouths,
Soon gave me to know they'd soon shamble out.

They spoke not a word and went out the door,
And peed in the gutter right next to a store.
And digging their fingers into their noses,
They staggered off southward re-arranging their clothes.

I went to my wife and kissed her soft cheek.
This story would last me for more than a week.
And I said to my dear as I put out the light,
"Melly Chlistmas to all and to all a good night!"