Coming attractions

...and so many of them.

I'm in Gimhae (Busan) Airport's Free Internet Lounge, killing time before my flight to Bangkok, where I'll spend a few restless hours before my connection to Phnom Penh.

So many emotions and thoughts...

I have a number of subjects about which I want to write, but I'm currently running on about 3 hours of sleep in the past 36 (9 in the past 60), so now is not the time for it.

Over the next month, I hope to have at least one entry written in each of the following countries:
-Cambodia
-Thailand
-Malaysia
-Singapore

In addition to my insightful and witty commentary on the above destinations, I also want to discuss North Korea, my departure from South Korea, and possibly several other topics. But I also want to spend more time on beaches, in jungles, around temples, and eating street food than I do on the internet, so we'll see how it goes.

À bientôt!

Deadline

I'm going to bed now, but am making this simple promise: there will be a new blog entry within 24 hours. If there isn't, you can expect to see this post removed, 1984-style, and any evidence of its existence eradicated from your memory.

Buona notte.

Rejoice! and be cool

The heat has broken at long last.

Tonight I do not sit under the air conditioner while beads of sweat fill my eyes.

Went to the beach last weekend, and spent the day frolicking in the Sea of Japan.
Good times abounded. Every time I go to the beach, I am amazed anew by the sheer volume of people consorting on the sands and in the water. According to Wikipedia, as many as 100,000 people gather on the one-mile (1.6km) strip of beach on busy days, and I believe it. The umbrellas stretch off to infinity in either direction, and it is no small accomplishment to find valuable waterspace.

A follow-up to an earlier posting: the official site for the movie D-War (Korean title) may be visited here. Again, I heartily recommend it.

We've just started a book box at school, where in people can drop off books they've read, and pick up ones they haven't. I'm cautiously optimistic, but also desperate. I feel like (insert clever and humorous drug dependency-related reference here). I miss books. I quickly got through all those I brought with me, and while one of the bookstores here does have a reasonably comprehensive English-language section, I'd rather not spend money on books that I'll be leaving behind.

The book box also got me thinking about books on which I'm missing out back home. I've got the new Jasper Fforde on my list of to-reads, as well as Paul Shirley's memoir,and Joan Druett's Island of the Lost, among others, but I'm sure there are still many more that have slipped under my radar or will have done so by the time I once again in a land with English-language libraries. In order to keep track, and to hopefully assist anyone else looking for stuff to read, I've decided to keep a list on the side of books I want to read. Feel free to post suggestions on the blog or email them to me here. In the unlikely event that the Book Box proves successful beyond all imagining, I may well open up a second sidebar entitled "what I'm reading now" or somesuch, but this seems improbable at best, so don't hold your breath.

You'll note that the links on the sidebar all bring you to either a big Canadian or American e-retailer. This is simply for ease of information gathering. If you want to read any of these titles, I strongly suggest you go to your local neighbourhood bookstore and pick them up there. Or your library. Libraries rock. I strongly recommend the Toronto Public Library if you live in Toronto. I also strongly recommend Toronto itself.

The Poll is Closed...

... and the results have been tabulated.

On the North Korea Question, the people have spoken as follows:

Yes: 25%
Don't Know: 33%
No: 25%
Do What You Want: 17%

All in all, not the most conclusive of surveys, but that may be fitting. I probably won't be going to North Korea any time soon, but I'm not entirely ruling it out, either.

I've switched to a three-column blog; my hope is that this template will be the one that lasts for a while, but we'll see. The additional column should make for a less cluttered look, so that benefits everybody. Let me know what you think.

Oh, and I went to Japan last week. We left on Wednesday, came back on Thursday. From the little I saw of it, Fukuoka's a nice town, but not particularly exciting. It's cleaner than Busan, which is good, but there are fewer Korean restaurants, the value of which really corresponds to your opinion of Korean food.

Although I had a good 48 hours, I was surprised at the relief I felt upon returning to Korea, where even the modicum of Korean I speak far surpasses the amount of my Japanese. It's still a pretty pathetic amount, though. If anybody knows a KSL teacher, please give them my contact info.

2 Quick Notes

I've taken down the slideshow that was up for a little while on the right-hand side. Those of you who wish to view it may do so at our sister site.

There are only a few hours left to vote on the North Korea question, if you haven't already done so. Thanks to those who did vote, and especially those who explained the reasons behind their selection. I haven't completely made up my mind, but I'm leaning strongly in one direction.

New Feature

In the 1800s, travel was restricted to the upper middle classes or to those who traveled out of necessity, be it for work or war. In Victorian England, it was customary for young adults with money to do a "tour of the Continent" as a rite of passage. The number of Western visitors to Asia, however, was considerably lower. Of those brave souls who did travel to the Orient over a century ago, only a tiny number had blogs, laptops and internet access being far more prohibitively expensive than they are today. For example, an 1894 IBM Thinkpad with teak inlay, ivory keys and a polished silver tracking ball cost the equivalent of a house.

Today, though, it would seem that just about any educated adult with a hankering to see the world can and does set off to do so, and as often as not will set up a website to detail their adventures. It is true, my friends: I am not the inventor of the travel blog.

On the other hand, it is my hope that I am the first to offer your very own personalized Canadian Answerer of Questions Relating to Korea service (CAQRs).

Ask A Waeguk will allow you do direct all of your Korea- and Jeff-related questions to me, where they will be posted and answered in a prompt, entertaining, and sometimes accurate fashion. Want to know what it's like to have random children come up and talk to you because of the colour of your skin? Ask a Waeguk! Want to know what Canadians do in Korea on a Saturday night? Ask a Waeguk! Want to know where to get good bibimbap in Pusan? Ask a Waeguk! For that last one, actually, you might be better off asking somebody who's lived in this city for more than 9 days, but the idea is clear.

Ask A Waeguk : You've got questions. I may even have answers.

Waeguk (n): Clever, handsome foreigner full of witty, perceptive and insightful observations pertaining to life in South Korea.