Random Photos

Seattle Style Teriyaki

Yum

Good-Bye Mercury, Hello Jupiter!

The school year is over! This teacher is beat and glad it's over but will miss his co-teacher, assistant teacher, and students! The students will be moving on to elementary school and I will be getting the middle level students (6-2). They are 6 in Korea but are about 4-5 in Western age. My old class was Mercury Class as you can see in the photo and my new class will be Jupiter. Not all of the classes are named after planets though, just those.

Last week was a flurry of graduation and prepping for the new school year. New school year on Tuesday! After all the hubbub it was time for a holiday remembering the struggle for independence against the Japanese. I got Friday off and went to China town. No photos right now, the girlfriend has all of those.

Japandroids on Valentine's Day

So somehow I convinced my girlfriend to go with me and my guy buddies to a Candian rock concert in Hongdae.

Caught the Tail End of Seoul Comic World

Tonight's Dinner: Kimchi Jjigae

Cool Japanese Pop

Now Broadcasting From Gangnam!

Umm... Hi! So it's kind of been a while since my last update. I'll probably take a different direction with this thing or maybe not. When was my last update? I think it was almost 2 years ago. I'll try and update much more often-- at least photos, right?

Things that have happened since my last update~

End of 2011: Broke up with my ex girlfriend and liberated myself from my last job which I was none too happy with anyway. Having accomplished these things acquired a job at my current school where I still enjoy teaching.

2012: Found myself a new pretty girlfriend at Language Cast Gangnam, which is a group on Meet.com. I was able to visit Indonesia, Taiwan, and go home for Christmas. I guess I owe the blog some pictures, huh? Also, since starting the new job I live in the richest part of Gangnam in Seoul and spent my hours either drinking beer or riding my bike down my the Han River-- probably my two favorite activities from this last Spring and Summer.

Gili Trawangan, Indonesia

Looking tough before going down into the Elephant Temple in Bali, Indonesia

Picking out fried food at a night market in Taipei, Taiwan

Me at Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan

2013: Celebrated my one year anniversary with the new pretty girlfriend and actually just met her parents last night. That's a blog post in itself and will probably benefit somebody searching for such information as I was last night before going over.



Oh and did you ever hear that Gangnam Style song? I guess that was popular.

1 Month Since My Last Post

The writer has been busy of course. Important people are always busy. If you somehow expected him not to be busy then he would of course not be as important as you had been led to believe. One might ask about or point out that the author should have had at least some downtime to write even a small and marginally entertaining piece for your eyes to snack upon. Busy people of course have no time for your snacking eyes. So here's a few photos.

I went to Busan with my girlfriend for my birthday. Suuuuuuuuuun!

Did I mention it was my birthday at some point last month? My buddy Soohyun got me this hat and a cake too.

It was Jesse's last day. He moved into my class from the DC area and now he's moving back. You know how awesome it was having a student who knew what awesome meant? (He's the little dude in green)

3 Photos of Food

Tuna kimbap take out. I ate it while Skyping and playing Starcraft 2 with friends back home two weekends ago.

Went to a buffet restaurant called Ashley with unlimited wine. They also had pizza. The black one is made black with squid ink. It's really sweet tasting-- I mean once you can get over the idea of it being squid ink of course.

A different take on galbijim as it included lots of noodles for one. We had extra mushrooms. Shiitakes are cheap here. I love it.

Anyway, I'm going to be late for work. I'll write something longer later...

1 Way to Make Easier Impulse Buys

I haven't seen this yet, but I think I will soon.

5 Reasons to Go to Ocean World

I think each girl represents a different water slide or something. Anyway, I've been twice. It's alright except that you have to wear life jackets on everything except the water slides (you take it off and clutch it to your chest as you go down).

(Taken from my camera's phone of posters I saw in a lobby)

1 Festival, 1 Parade and 2 Orders of French Toast

Posing and drinking Peruvian beer at the Latin American Festival at Hansung Station near my old apartment.

First order of French toast hit the spot. Tasty stuff found at "The Place" down by Jongno 3-ga. Apparently its a New York style dining cafe-- it works!

The girlfriend had spaghetti with white sauce topped with flying fish eggs, jealous?

2nd order of French toast a la mode hit another spot.

A parade we encountered by the Cheongyecheon stream.

The guard led by the black knight.

3 Cold Towel and 3 Serving of Samgyupsal

Today after work, Susan, Alicia and myself went down to the nearest samgyupsal (삼겹살), roughly bbq'able bacon, restaurant and had dinner. Besides being delicious it came with free cold, wet towels. They also took down the walls to the "sun porch" area which induced a conversation about whether we were actually outside or not. Anyway, photos:

Susan and Alicia modeling the towels and some cold noodles.

My much better modeling of the cold towel.

From 5 Days Ago

Olympic Bridge over the Han

June 14th Is Finally Over

Open Class: 

On one hand, a simple day in which parents come to see you teach in action and see if their children have learned anything.

On the other, a terrible few weeks before hand where hagwon management and everyone around you is worried that you're going to do terrible.

I did well. So did my girlfriend (and she had 2 of them). So we went and had sushi and expensive beers down in Jamsil.

Salmon sashimi with salmon roe on top. The way they pop in your mouth is amazing. I'd recommend it.

6 City Shots on Sunday Near City Hall

Downtown Seoul:

And on the 7th Day He Rested

And what might your tteokboki-eating demi-hero be down for on days when he has no school?

First he visited Deoksugung Palace:

No entry

Line up by rank, jusaeyo

Yeah, I live here

Changing of the guard

Then he went to Boston or rather a coffee shop in a rather brick filled neighborhood of Seoul that had some delicious green tea patbingsu (sundae):

Then to Myeongdong for some sunglasses shopping, and then a late curry lunch-- all with the girlfriend.

Not exactly a quest for the ages to be told in an oral tradition for generation to generation but hell, it's not teaching and it works for this beleaguered and busy Byrnes. Tomorrow though, shall be spent kicking it with the kimchi kids.

1 Cup Please/ 한잔 주세요

"Let's get it pumpin' now"


Ye Ara - Americano

This song is dedicated to probably the most popular coffee beverage in Korea: the Americano. Its the strongest/cheapest you can get. So I get it a lot when I get coffee. Anyway, I post this while I sip my earl grey at home. Ha.

3 Day Weekend Part 3

I think they're in chronological order... no promises. Anyway, some more photos from the Memorial Day weekend. Hope they're to your liking!

Crabs in Yeongdeok

They cook them and then cut them up for you! This makes it entirely too easy to shovel crab into your mouth. Scissors + Crab = Why haven't we thought of this yet?

Talk no, crab yes.

What's a "waman"?

On the beach in Yeongdeok

Temple guardians

Me and the lady

Bulguksa Temple

This is on the back of a coin-- at Bulguksa Temple.

Senior photo

Bulguksa Temple (UNESCO)

Fancy restrooms

Seokguram Grotto (UNESCO) in Gyeongju

Gablijim in Gyeongju, a local dish (that's tastier in Seoul)

An ancient royal Shilla observatory that everyone was psyched about except me. How does it work?? Wikipedia told me it was probably more about astrology. I'd buy that. It's just a tower...

Let's go see some burial mounds, kids!

Blending in

Gyeongju burial mounds

Everything in Gyeongju is "ancient" themed. Someone's Shilla-style house (contrast intended).

(Ancient) electrical box...

Pagoda-cut-out building in Gyeongju

(Ancient) gas station

 This is the (ancient) toll gate to leave town.