and she said, let them eat cake

chocolate envy

4.29.11 - Princess Party, invite on

We all know that the last Friday Wills and  Kate tied the knot.

There has been great debate regarding the hoopla surrounding the royal nuptials. Did April 29, 2011 cost the British economy too much? Was this royal display 'too chauvinistic' considering the ongoing unrest in the Middle East? A commoner marrying a royal - how taboo? Too be honest, I think that all these questions are a waste of breath and energy. At the end of the day, a wedding should symbolize the coming  together of two people and their friends and family. In my opinion, the royal wedding did just that. It was a ceremony tinged with with personal touches and priceless moments between those closet to the couple. Unfortunately the promised happily ever after only exists in fairy tales, when in actuality their relationship will forever be on display for us to chronicle and berate. The fact that until their coronation, the future King and Queen are leading a seemingly normal life, tucked amidst the rolling hills of the English countryside makes them an even more lovable pair. So, lets cut the cynicism and celebrate the fact that two people found each other and fell in love.

Our running commentary revealed:

the best flippin in town

FOMO - LBS - KYMCHI - JUICEBOX

There is nothing like a good ol' round robin game of flip cup and so, Saturday Busanites ollehed all afternoon. 

My team, 'special cocktail, pickle, ****, best in town' preserved Canada's game glory with a respectful quarter final finish.
Cheers. Roll on summer, roll on.

the cherry on top

A cherry blossom canopy now covers the of city Busan. 

With sunlight peaking through, hem lines crawling above the knee, winter coats back on the hanger and beach season around the corner, I can say with great enthusiasm that spring is here. Picnics, days that blend seamlessly into nights and rooftop hangouts...can't wait.

However, as we make this seasonal transition, the August 2010 EPIK class can't help but acknowledge the fact that we are also quickly approaching the end of our contract. One thing I know for sure, we will move through the next 4 months with mixed emotions. Lets enjoy that fresh feeling. 

the dip out

Kym - Adrian - Jen  Seoul 4.2011

'The dip out' - a term coined by my dear Minsu. It describes a situation when one comes and goes without inhibition. Adrian Heller did the dip out last week. Blazed through Seoul and Busan in 6 days...walked the back alley stalls, gawked at the Jagalchi Fish Market, snickered at t-shirt typos in Nampo and enjoyed cheap Mexican night at Eva's. I was surprised how easily a friend from home made his way through our Korean daily routine, meshed with our fri-mily here then packed up, Aussie bound, as if 6 days in the ROK was nothing at all. Thanks for stopping by dudeman, love!

the prime of my life

There is something so exhilarating about live music. 

The vibrations of the base pounding through your body...

The seemingly tangible energy of the crowd...

Anticipating each new song...

Last weekend we traveled back up to Seoul for the MGMT concert, they said it best. 

Control yourself.

Take only what you need from it. 

- kids

This is our decision, to live fast and die young.

We've got the vision now let's have some fun.

Yeah, it's overwhelming, but what else can we do.

- time to pretend

You can feel it in your mind

Oh you can do it all the time

Plug it in and change the world. 

- electric feel

Music and friendship. Timeless. 

I hope you keep dancing to the beat of your own song. 

the sun will rise again

Japan at day break

You can never be prepared for the widespread devastation left in the wake of a natural disaster. The last several years have been punctuated by vast destruction in Haiti, New Orleans, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and now Japan. Although similar in some respects, the crisis that has enveloped North-East Japan for the last three weeks seems uniquely unforgiving. One by one the coast was ravaged by: 

an earthquake > a tsunami > the aftershocks > the nuclear power plant meltdowns > the radio active fallout > and food and oil shortages...

Six weeks ago I visited regions just shy of the hypo centre. Arriving with a basic knowledge of Japan and it's history, I left with a new appreciation for the true resilience of the Japanese peoples. In speaking to friends and family back home about the disaster I remind them of this fact. Everyday the media reveals more about the predicament and the uphill battle the nation is now forced to wage. Nevertheless, I find some relief knowing that Japan is a country with a strong and united origin and that the foundation for its reconstruction is already in place. 

All in all, it has been quite an interesting year to be living in Asia. Please bare in mind that I am not insinuating that North Korea's attack on the South in November 2010 resembles the current state of Japan. Both events are unique and independent of each other, but together have greatly affected my perception of myself in relationship to the rest of the world. 

Stay informed. Count your blessings.

find your voice

'Find your voice.'

Succinct in literal terms, the subtext of these three words have carried a great meaning for me since High School. As you know (blah blah blah) I am a political science graduate and have never had an issue stirring the pot. That said, I was a little apprehensive to be the mouth piece in South Korea that I am in Canada. I feared that this conservative community would not appreciate my often 'colourful' attitude. Perhaps this is why I became a blogger, an outlet for me to empty my brain of all my opinions a few times a month. Speaking to others that share my same pleasure in writing, I realized I was missing out on many other opportunities to 'find my voice' and so I stumbled across Busan e-FM. The show I am involved with is called See The World extending to an audience all around Asia Pacific. The link below is an introductory clip where I briefly address three cultural differences. Up next, I am planning to work with the station on stories that cover anything from international current events to a 'how to survive in...'. I am really looking forward to this partnership and building my personal portfolio. 

Please click [2011-03-24] See The World. After the download is complete, scroll to 28:30 minutes. I hope you get a kick out of the it!

http://www.befm.or.kr/program/seetheworld/ProgramAction.do?cmd=PlayAgain&prgmId=seetheworld