2009 photo-retro

2009 has been a year of ups and downs - as are most years - here's a photo retrospective of my year... something on the decade to come some time in January...

Snow... there was lots of snow this year - starting in January, loads of it in February and then again in December...

February saw flowers arrive at the office for me! First time I've ever had that happen!

February also saw my first professional football match - Liverpool vs Real Madrid - in Madrid, Spain.

While there I managed to take in some of the sights... including this art exhibit in the 'crystal palace'.

...and the cow parade that was all over the city...

In March I went on holiday with my love, Tom, to Edinburgh... this is on the way up to Arthur's Seat.

A view of the city with the castle in the distance...

Tom and I at Edinburgh Castle

Tom and I on the Royal Yacht Britannia

In May I happened upon a fun fair in Hampstead Heath with a few friends after we went there for a picnic

In June I went on a weekend away with my love to Brighton - went to the pier and rode the rides...

We also went on an afternoon fishing trip where a nice man took this fab photo of us!

In August we went to Thorpe Park where we rode the (better than Brighton) rides

We had an amazing day!

In August I celebrated yet another birthday with great friends!

In October I went to Ukraine for my second professional football match - England vs Ukraine World Cup Qualifier - this is St Michael's Cathedral in Kiev - see previous post for more on that...

And finally I celebrated Christmas afternoon with my love and his family in North London.

By evening I had a fever of 102.5F, was told I had swine flu and spent the last week of the year in bed. Now here is New Year's Eve and I'm still not well enough to go to work - or go out :( So it'll be a night in with the telly... Here's to a great year gone and a better one to come!

Happy New Year to you and yours!

a serious update... or january in a nutshell... or it's a really long one...

I can truly say that I brought in the new year with grace and style this year. I think I did anyway. The evening started out that way, kind of. Ok, maybe I'm wrong and it was actually a night of total and complete debauchery... it was so long ago now that the details are fuzzy, though that could also be blamed on the champagne.

Lisa and her most wonderful flat-mate hosted a party - and since I was still living with them at the time, I sort of did too, even though I didn't know very many people there. Lisa and I started cooking the day before - sausage rolls (from her dad's famous recipe), vol-au-vent, dips of all sorts (two Canadian imports - my world-renowned spinach dip and an onion dip). there were meatballs, and plates of veggies - and that's just what we made. There was also a cheese porcupine (you know when the cheese is stuck to toothpicks and they are stuck into a melon to make it look like a porcupine!) sandwiches, crackers, breads, and on and on, like I said, my memory is a little hazy...

The spread at the start of the evening... see the porcupine!?

The bathtub was filled with ice and cold water and the drinks were dumped in. Somewhere in the range of 30 bottles of champagne, as well as unknown amounts of wine, beer, and liquor. (I vaguely remember shots of jack daniels at around 5 am.)

The bathtub at the beginning... should have taken before and after shots...

All we needed were the guests, and like in that famous movie, if you build it they will come... the rest, as they say...

Someone brought these awesome noise making balloons and we all went nuts with them!

It was a truly brilliant night. Sorry there are no photos of me, that's what happens when you're the official photog and no-one knows how a real camera works! Oh well... I think there might be a few shots of me floating around somewhere, but I will likely never see them... and so, neither will you!

At midnight.

The last guests left the party at 7:30 am. If that isn't a night of debauchery then I don't know what is! It reminded of my late twenties when I'd go out clubbing on St. Laurent with the girls *wink wink. Not something I like to do often, but amazing when it happens.

The next day I 'moved' to a different flat a twenty minute walk from Lisa's to (of all things considering my allergies) cat sit. I spent a week there and moved into my own place when my duty was up.

This is when life in London really began for me. No more hanging with people I knew all the time... having my own space... finding my way to work from my new home... getting all the shopping done... and all the other stuff that comes with life.

My room is in a house with seven other people. A Kiwi couple in one room, a (I think) Polish guy, a Columbian exchange student, and three Algerian guys. There is no common room, just the kitchen and two bathrooms, but that's ok. My room is what is referred to as a "double" because it's big - almost, in fact, as big as my apartment in Korea was. (There will be pictures when I tidy up...) It came furnished, almost, but it has everything I need now.

My house. My room is the bottom window.

It's on the first floor and I have huge bay windows that look out on the street. This can sometimes be annoying as I can't leave my windows open, but I don't think I would in London even if I were on the fifth floor! (More on crime in London in another post.) I DO get lots of light though when I want/need it (or when the weather chooses to co-operate!)

In early/mid January, I had a couple of visits with D & A of Korea fame. They finally made their way here after seeing most of Asia, Australasia, Russia and much of Eastern/Northern Europe (I think anyway - check her blog for greater detail - coulda woulda shoulda (doesn't open in a new window, so wait til you finish here!!)) It was kind of surreal to see them here, but it was amazing to have the opportunity. hint hint... anyone coming to london... ?!?!?!

The rest of the month has been mostly work and more work. I work at a regulating body - I'm a spoke in the wheel of bureaucracy... how ironic. It's boring, but it pays for the extraordinarily high rent and cost of living... I just get by really. Sometimes I work overtime on Saturdays.

Sometimes I go into work with Lisa on Sundays - which is incredible. I don't want to name names, but many of you must know where she works, and for me, it is the most amazing place to be learning. If you want more on that you'll have to email me directly, as I need to be more discreet here than in Korea... people... speak... English!

To get to the Tate Modern... follow the orange posts...

I've walked around nice places like Green Park and St James Park (they're both next door to the Queen's house, otherwise known as Buckingham Palace). I went to the Tate Modern a couple of weeks ago, which was one of the nicest museums I've been to... oh the Miro's and Picasso's and Pollacks. I even bumped into an old J-school friend while I was there. Weird.

St James Park

Also St James Park... looks out of a fairy tale...

I will leave you with some pictures and put January out of my mind (and this blog) now... though, if I think of anything, I will let you know.

A black swan at St James Park.

One last thing for January, I hate Haggis for the first time on Robbie Burns Day. It was good, but I preferred the vegetarian version. We even read aloud the ode to haggis... good times.

The Haggi' fresh out of the pot. Veggie on the right.

The meat one being chopped up.

On my plate and ready to go.

happy new year, the second.

All over Asia the lunar New Year is being celebrated this weekend, and in Korea, it's called Sol-nal.

Korea used a lunar calendar until the late 19th century when Christian missionaries started influencing their way of life. Soon after, the Japanese gained control of the peninsula and switched them to the Gregorian calendar (which they had already been using for several decades). Though Koreans celebrate the solar new year along with the rest of the world, the lunar new year is much more important to them.

Being a culture of tradition, the lunar New Year is about honouring your ancestors and spending time with family. It’s not about firecrackers, dancing, and parties, like many other Asian countries. As in most other things, Koreans are much more subdued when it comes to celebrations.

the year of the pig.

This year lunar New Year marks the beginning of the year of the pig. All over Korea there have been pigs statues, pig key chains, piggy banks, and millions of other pig things on sale for months. But what’s the deal? We’ve all heard of Chinese astrology, but where does it come from? One story is that Buddha asked all animals to come visit him on New Year but only twelve showed up. So, he named a year after each one and declared that anyone born in that year would have the traits of those animals - Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. If you want to find out your Chinese astrology sign or get your annual horoscope click here. (I’m a snake.)

new year greeting in korean.

New Year rites are complicated and the procedure exact, and though there are differences from region to region, the activities that comprise New Years day are quite specific. In Korea, New Years’ Eve day is spent cleaning the entire house and preparing a feast for the first day of the year. The New Year is about renewing oneself and reestablishing family ties.

On the eve, rakes, sieves, and/or shovels are placed on doors or walls to ward off any evil spirits arriving with the New Year.

children in traditional han-bok.

In the morning, new clothes are donned, usually the traditional hanbok (see post on chuseok). The first part of the ritual is to pay homage to the last four generation of the family. This is the rite of Charye. Food and drink (prepared the previous day) is set out on a ritual table – often it is arranged by colour and certain dishes must face east, west, north, and/or south. After the table is laid out, incense is lit and the living must bow to the ancestral spirits that have to come to celebrate. The eldest male makes two deep bows and one shallow bow and then offers the food and drink. The rest of the family follows suit according to age and rank. Everyone turns away from the table to allow the ancestral spirit to eat in peace. After a time, the table is cleared and water is served.

table setting for the ancestral spirit.

After paying respects to the ancestral spirit the younger family members must do the same to the living elders. This is called saebae and involves bowing deeply, first to the grandparents, then the parents, aunts, uncles, etc… this is accompanied by the traditional new year greeting. “Sae-hae boke mahn-he pah-du-sae-oh”, which more or less translates to “many blessing to you this year”. Usually the youngsters will receive gifts of money or food from the elders.

paying respects to the elders.

Finally, the living can eat their traditional breakfast, consisting of ttak-guk (a sort of rice cake soup – tastier than it sounds). It is very important to eat this at New Year, or you will not turn one year older. Korean age is calculated at the New Year and everyone turns a year older on the first day of the year (oh no, how OLD does that make me???).

The rest of the day is spent playing (children), cleaning (women), or lazing about (men). Koreans are very steadfast about their traditions, and New Year is no exception. It is the one of two days of the year where everything (almost) closed, and where families must travel back to their hometowns.

And just to make this post EVEN longer, here’s a little about the snake:

Diplomatic and popular, the Snake has the sensual art of seduction down. This Sign is an interesting mix of gregariousness paired with introversion, intuitive reasoning paired with savvy business skills. Snakes are considered to be lucky with money and will generally have more than enough to live life to the fullest, regardless of how important it considers money to be; this may be due to the fact that Snakes tend to be rather tight with cash. They're not stingy, they're simply more mentally than physically active. Snakes tend to hang back a bit in order to analyze a situation before jumping into it. Their charming, seductive quality actually belies a rather retiring nature; this Sign is perfectly happy to spend the whole day curled up with a good book and, thus, can be mislabeled as being lazy.

The Snake is somewhat insecure deep down and tend to be a rather jealous, possessive lover, behavior that can end up alienating loved ones. Despite these less-than-stellar tendencies, however, the Snake often proves irresistible and is a generous, loving partner. Slightly dangerous and disarmingly smart, the Snake's philosophical and intuitive mind generally supersedes logic in favor of feelings and instinct. Snakes will rely on their own gut reactions and intuitions before turning to others for suggestions. This makes this Sign a great hand in any business venture, possessing the caution and smarts needed to get ahead.

Snakes are hard workers (when they see good reason to be!) and are possessed of a keen intelligence. Snakes have incredible follow-through, once they get going, and they expect the same from others. Thus, their coworkers and employees had best stay on their toes, lest they anger the Snake and suffer its poisonous bite!

In general, of course, Snakes are generous and genteel, charming and appealing. Snakes must try to learn humility and to develop a stronger sense of self. Once Snakes realize that confidence comes from within, they will finally be comfortable in their own skin.

The most compatible match for a Snake is the Rooster or the Ox.

Now, doesn’t that just sound exactly like me? happy new year everyone!

a new years eve to remember

like christmas, new years eve (nye), didn't feel like what it was. there was no hype, no days of planning, looking through 'the mirror' to figure out where we should go... no pre-going out drinks at my place... come to think of it, it was the first new years eve that i haven't done that in about eight years... usually people come over to mine and we get ready to go out... my first nye not in my apartment on addington. usually people all came back with me after the bars closed and we would finish off the night at my house sometime around 5 am. sorry, just getting a little nostalgic... but this was a nye to remember anyway!

a bunch of the gimhae-ites met at the bus station at 6 pm: kim, bill, james, rob, fliss, meili, steve, and me. we took the 6:30 express bus to dongnae subway station in busan.

Bill and I on the bus

then we all hopped on the subway to Seomyeon where we were meeting Kat and then going for dinner at VIP's. it's a western style restaurant... i can't think of an equivalant, but it's basically like a steakhouse. the best part though is the salad bar - over 90 items! (as the promo goes) the best part of the salad bar was the tacos and fajitas that i have sorely been missing since coming to Korea. they also had about 25 different salads, soup, shrimp, smoked salmon, pizza, fresh fruit pastries, ice cream... and on and on. it was delicious... next time i'll have to get a steak... i didn't this time just because of the tacos and fajitas... i was stuffed after an hour of eating!

after dinner we headed back to the subway to go to the Busan National University area of town. a lot of young people hang out around there and there are a couple of "foreigner" bars and a few people we knew were already there. we ended up at Moe's Lounge - which is where we spent midnight.

Kat, Rob, Fliss, Chris, Me @ Moes

James, Bill, Kim, Charlotte, MeiLi, Steve

at midnight there were no noise makers, confetti, or balloons (like i'm used to) but we did our own countdown and then sang Auld Lang Syne.

Me and Kim

after a few hours at Moe's we went down three flights to the basement of the building to a club. - the name of which is eluding me at the moment... sorry. we stayed there dancing and playing pool until around 4 AM. then we all went for a bite to eat and then cabbed it back to gimhae.

it was a night to remember, not only because i managed to stay out so long, but because i realized (again) what great friends i have found here in korea... without them, my stay here would be unbearable. it's nice to know that there really are such great people in the world, and that i am lucky enough to have found them! thanks for a great night guys! (Abbey, you were missed... but i'm sure taiwan was great!)

Moe's - we pretty much had the place to ourselves!

Kim and Chris - they went to the SAME high school and know the same people... what a small world!

Chris, Kat, and Me - self portrait

Self portrait (kat loves 'em) they're always so much fun!

really, it was a great night... and one i know i'll never forget! happy new year to everyone!

it's that time of year

i always get nostalgic at new years. maybe everyone does. (?) you know, out with the old, in with the new... i like to think that the new year always gives me a renewed feeling of hope and happiness. it's a chance to redeem yourself, start fresh... it's a time of beginnings. this year is not exception. in fact, i think i feel it more this year. i have a chance to make this experience everything that it can be, after all, i do have another eight months.

let's take a look back at 2006... overall i would have to say that it was a pretty good year for me.
- i started this blog
- i got all A's in my last semester of university
- i graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Specialization Journalism with Dinstinction
- i finally moved far away from home
- i met tons of great people
- i started learning a new language
- i'm learning about a different culture
- i finally freed myself of a job i hated


point form seems a little silly for such a short list... i know that a lot of really good things happened this year, but graduating was the biggest event of my life... then moving here, well, i don't have to spell it out for you. it's been a life-altering year for me in more ways than one, so how can 2007 beat it? i'm not sure yet, that's the great thing about the future... and the hope of what it holds.

hopefully this will be the year that i can begin my life as a journalist. i hope i can discover more about myself, and the world around me. i want this year to be just as good as last, i know that it'll just be in different ways. i have hope for the future... and that's all i really need.

new year's eve in korea will be something that i know i won't forget, no matter what i do. at the moment, i have no idea what that will be beyond "busan". we'll end up somewhere, and like i always say, it doesn't really matter where you are, but, who you're with. so i hope i end up with the wonderful people that i've met here...

i always say i won't make a new years resolution, but i think this year i will:

this year i resolve to make the most and the best out of being in Korea.

that should do it... i'll just have to remember to come back to this post... happy new year to everyone, i hope that you all have the same hope for the future, and that you make this year everything it can be and more. do what you want to do, follow your dreams, and just be happy.