It has been over a year since we came to Korea. Although we've had our ups and downs, I really have a hard time believing we've crossed that threshold. Paul just finished his last day at school before his vacation(he now has a 10-day vacation.. 7 of which he is paid for... due to midterms and then Chuseok).
Anyway, I'm in a giddy mood right now because I just bought myself (with an approval from Paul, I promise!) some new ceramic coated pans! They are sooo pretty! I always told myself that I wasn't going to fall for the home shopping stuff, but after rooting around on the internet to find out about these pans, I couldn't help it.... hehe.... they have a detachable handle!!! AND they come with silicone covers so that it's easy to store. I'm a BIG proponent of easy storage - just ask Paul. The lady on the phone told me it'll take 3 days to get here. I can't wait to make delicious things in them ;) !
I totally stole these pictures from a different Korean blog because these babies won't come in for a couple of days, but aren't they gorgeous?! They have a nice thick bottom to prevent warping and a nice hardened ceramic coating that can withstand metal utensils without becoming scratched up (not that I would use anything besides silicone anyway). And best of all, they will nestle in nice and tight (nicely and tightly?) into my drawers without the handles getting in the way. Woohoo!~
And speaking of watching home shopping, I have to mention what they're selling currently. So, Korea has one of the highest percentage of smokers (more than Japan as of 2009..)... and really, there is a ginormous market for smokers... With this huge customer basis, a lot of companies are now starting to bring those nicotine filled electric cigarettes to Korea. I know electric cigarettes have been around for awhile, but they're finally starting to catch on in Korea now. I should mention also, that Korea is notorious for their lack of PC-ness. In order to appeal to their audience, they are showing these images on the TV (don't mind my cup in the picture). Let me try to narrate...
Wife giving you hell about coming in at 2 AM every night after smoky alcohol-filled office parties (he is TOO sexy for his shirt, no?)?
Then try our electric cigarettes which are fun for the whole family! You can even smoke around your small impressionable 5-year-old child!
You can ALSO smoke while you are pooping in the bathroom.
You know, maybe it's just that I'll never understand this joy of smoking a cigarette while doing number 2, but I've noticed that public bathrooms are always stocked with ashtrays here.. usually right under the 'no smoking' sign. Am I missing out on a simple joy of life? Perhaps. I guess I will never know.
In any case, so Paul and I had a fantastic time last weekend. On Saturday, we decided to forgo the Everland trip and go to Lotte World instead. The difference between the two is really just is just the size and distance from home. Lotte World is a relatively small theme park about 15 minutes from home. Everland is a gigantic theme park that in the middle of nowhere about an hour away. On this particular Saturday, students had school (which we planned in advance) and so we arrived around 11 AM to a relatively quiet and empty park. We had such a fantastic time that we're considering getting a year membership.
So Lotte world is a 1/2 indoor, 1/2 outdoor park... but don't let that fool you. I have NEVER seen such excellent use of space before.
This is the view from about 15 feet away from the ceiling of the indoor portion of the park. This is the ENTIRE indoor portion. This tiny, tiny space holds at least half a dozen rides. I'm currently in an imitation hot air balloon (if you look around the outer skirts of the room, you can see other balloons 'floating' around the perimeter of park). Right beneath me, is a full scale pirate ship ride (which we loved). The center white area is an indoors ice skating rink. This room also has an indoor roller coaster, a stage (that's what the yellow benches are for), a ferris wheel, 2 theme rides (one of which was probably the best theme ride I have ridden on in my entire life), and other various theme rides.
When we walked into the park, I saw a cute little band playing Beatles covers. Being the nerdy ex-brass player I am, I was quite amused and snapped a picture of them playing 'Hey Jude'.
The park is setting up for the Halloween celebration so people wear awesome awkward costumes around the park. And yes, my shirt does indeed say "Try again in 2006". It refers to the glorious period in world history when Korea and Japan co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup and was gloriously devastatingly defeated by Turkey... Someone, somehow ran across these shirts, probably stored away in the bottom of some corner closet, and decided to put them on clearance sale at our neighborhood grocery store for the jaw-dropping price of 500 won (approximately 40 cents) Paul and I HAD to snatch these jems up. We now proudly wear these shirts together when we go out. Paul and I are pretty sure that these shirts were made by someone with no humor that wanted to express their hope and faith in Korean athletics. Hehe.
Also, while exploring the paradise that is Lotte World, we also saw a familiar scene.
A cameo appearance by Harrison Ford? No way?! But alas, the hat, the whip, and the all-too-familiar annoying asian kid made us realize that we were on our way to a great adventure in the Temple of Doom... which apparantly is in Egypt...
I digress.... in any case, like I mentioned before, there is an outdoors portion to the park... and just like Disney World (and Lotte would like to mention that Disney has nuttin on dem) there is a cute monorail that goes around the perimeter of the park. But before we headed out, we decided we were getting hungry so we stopped for a quick snack at the Speedy Gonzales!
Arriba!
Then we got settled in our monorail compartment
and we were off to the great outdoors
where we marveled at the originalities of Koreans! A blue and white castle with a moat?! Where do the come up with these things?!
In any case, by the time we went outside, it was about 3 o'clock, and kids were starting to get out of school, and before we knew it, we were surrounded by swarms of hormone-raging, touchy-feely teens. We rode the best roller coaster we'd ever been on (beats the Georgia Cyclone @ Six Flags over GA, Rock 'n Roller Coaster @ MGM Studios, The Incredible Hulk @ Islands of Adventure, Superman: Ultimate Flight @ Six Flags, Space Mountain @ Magin Kingdom... and the list continues) and said goodbye to the place Paul says he will spend the next 5 days at.
This Saturday, we are having our second wedding - of sorts...
Basically, we were hoping that all the people in Korea would be there.... but it turns out my family can't come... that's right. ALL of them are too busy :( and I'm not sure what's going on with the co-workers so we'll see how this goes... in the least, it should be a fun gathering with friends. Paul will be wearing his hanbok along with the pups.
Also, next weekend (not the one coming up, but the first weekend in October) is a big, special weekend for us. Paul and are going to become certified divers.... in Vietnam. O.o So, those of you who have known me for awhile... a while back when I was dating this someone else, I attempted to be come certified but then couldn't finish my dives due to time restraints. So although I don't have my mask, snorkle, fins, weights, etc.... the center says they'll rent us everything. I wonder if they also have an underwater camera they can loan us... So I've been facebook stalking our soon-to-be dive instructor (BTW, for those of you who are concerned, this diving center received a 5-star rating from SDI) and it concerns me that he likes to call himself the 'love doctor' and is confused about which of the two women he's dating he actually loves. In any case, I'm excited for the weekend to come.
So look forward to some pictures!
So this concludes this post, and I bid you farwell with a few parting photos.
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