I$* {(*$%# % O*&#%$P#^TPQ#*%BIW#*&RW*(#Y!!!!!!????!
Articulate, no?
They came out to install my air conditioner today and when they found out that they would have to put the compresssor on the roof, the guy wouldn't install it. Said it was too far. I am REALLY annoyed. and hot. and annoyed. I have too much to do to go AC shopping again. it will have to wait.
And, yes, Robin, I am certifiable. Would you like me any other way? Easy for you to say, Michigan is a lot cooler than ROK, ja?
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
I Had to Do it.
I broke down. I couldn't take it anymore. It was getting to me, wearing me down, day after friggin' monsoonal day. It was just too much, I tell you. Everybody else was cool with it, why not me, right? So, yeah, I had to do it....I bought an air conditioner, or, "Aeh-Kon" today.
My friend Chris drove me to a part of town where he had looked before. He couldn't find the store he had been to, but the one we stopped at had more used ACs to choose from. So, it was less than a new AC and the price included installation, boring the hole through the wall, etc. I talked them down by 20 bucks. Yeah, not much, but I think (just my opinion, mind you) that waegookins have less bargaining power.
Chris' Korean is definitely better (even if his wife wasn't Korean, he spends a lot more time studying than I do) so he asked the when, etc. But initially I asked for 20,000 won less and the woman said no. She went and talked to the guy in the shop, and when she came back, she didn't say yes or no. I basically showed her the money I had in an envelope and Chris said this is what I had-point being that that was all I had. Since I never spend all my cash, it was close enough. It was an effective bargaining technique.
It will be easier to hang out in my apartment and get stuff done now, although I really need to get a better desk. This isn't an actual desk and it is too tall to work at comfortably. But I waited this long to get AC!.......
My friend Chris drove me to a part of town where he had looked before. He couldn't find the store he had been to, but the one we stopped at had more used ACs to choose from. So, it was less than a new AC and the price included installation, boring the hole through the wall, etc. I talked them down by 20 bucks. Yeah, not much, but I think (just my opinion, mind you) that waegookins have less bargaining power.
Chris' Korean is definitely better (even if his wife wasn't Korean, he spends a lot more time studying than I do) so he asked the when, etc. But initially I asked for 20,000 won less and the woman said no. She went and talked to the guy in the shop, and when she came back, she didn't say yes or no. I basically showed her the money I had in an envelope and Chris said this is what I had-point being that that was all I had. Since I never spend all my cash, it was close enough. It was an effective bargaining technique.
It will be easier to hang out in my apartment and get stuff done now, although I really need to get a better desk. This isn't an actual desk and it is too tall to work at comfortably. But I waited this long to get AC!.......
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
KT saga continues
KT, the Krappy Korean inTerneT company does not have hold music when you call the Engrishee hep-uh line. No, but they do need someone to check the translation, instead of using Babelfish, or a person with equally poor skillz.
Diall 100, press 8 for Engrishee, press 1 for anything not related to repair.
Hold. Listening to the following, mostly in seemingly random order:
"The line is busy."
"Now is on another inquired call."
"Connection is delayed."
"It is a lot of inquiring call now."
"One moment please. Please wait for a while."
I used to wonder what the heck someone was thinking naming a brand called "Ask Inquired" here (repetitively redundant, anyone?). But they seem to use the word inquire very differently and thus translate it strangely. Hmm, is that (inquiring call now) a present progressive used as an adjective? I get my perfects and progressives mixed up until I look them up-and sometimes I still do!
Anyway, this all came about because KT sent me another bill-yes, another one-for service at the old place that I moved out of 4 months ago! I called and was bumped to the pleasant English speaking womanin Seoul that I have spoken to all along, and she called the Wonju office (no English speakers there) and they said they had not turned it off and promised to do so-again. No explanation as to why. Idioterna. Yep, you can guess what that means. We'll see if they actually get around to it.
Eddie, who has been kind enough to bring the bills to me, moves out of that building at the end of next month, I believe. I don't care about my credit here, perse, but what if I move again?
Diall 100, press 8 for Engrishee, press 1 for anything not related to repair.
Hold. Listening to the following, mostly in seemingly random order:
"The line is busy."
"Now is on another inquired call."
"Connection is delayed."
"It is a lot of inquiring call now."
"One moment please. Please wait for a while."
I used to wonder what the heck someone was thinking naming a brand called "Ask Inquired" here (repetitively redundant, anyone?). But they seem to use the word inquire very differently and thus translate it strangely. Hmm, is that (inquiring call now) a present progressive used as an adjective? I get my perfects and progressives mixed up until I look them up-and sometimes I still do!
Anyway, this all came about because KT sent me another bill-yes, another one-for service at the old place that I moved out of 4 months ago! I called and was bumped to the pleasant English speaking womanin Seoul that I have spoken to all along, and she called the Wonju office (no English speakers there) and they said they had not turned it off and promised to do so-again. No explanation as to why. Idioterna. Yep, you can guess what that means. We'll see if they actually get around to it.
Eddie, who has been kind enough to bring the bills to me, moves out of that building at the end of next month, I believe. I don't care about my credit here, perse, but what if I move again?
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Muhahahahahaha!
Oh, my stomach hurts, I laughed so hard.
More funnies, not for all.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Pachanka/OMGBunny
Friday, June 22, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Trackbacks.
Will someone please 'splain this to me? I click to trackback, thinkin' I can link to my site somethin' cool, ya know? Nothing happens. What are they and how do you make them work? I wanted to trackback to Sade's blog and nothin' doin'. Grrr.
BTW: thanks to Robin (yes, it IS your fault :) Resistance is futile) I now have a twitter site:
http://twitter.com/Malcontent
Just because, you know, I needed another website to keep up along with my facebook account and this one.
Hehehehe.
Well, no, I am in Korea so, it's kekekekeke. One of my kids said this in my 7th period extra class on Monday. I got the giggles. Dorky goofy giggles. Kekekekekeke. He's so l337 and he doesn't even know it! You should see this kid, too. He's really grown on me. He sometimes gets this "I'm a wee bit evil and adorable" smile on his face sometimes, like when he kekekeke'd. He didn't know what he did that was so funny, so that made it even better. Anyway, imagine Teacher having a giggle fit in front of 11 slightly bemused children (cuz you KNOW that never happens to me, right?!) whose grasp on English is tenuous at best.
"Teacher, wheh?"
Giggle. Faces chalkboard.
"Teacherrrrrrrrrrr...wheh-guh-rae?"
Turns back. "Paul's silly." Giggle, smile.....lightly, "Kekekeke."
Class continues.
BTW: thanks to Robin (yes, it IS your fault :) Resistance is futile) I now have a twitter site:
http://twitter.com/Malcontent
Just because, you know, I needed another website to keep up along with my facebook account and this one.
Hehehehe.
Well, no, I am in Korea so, it's kekekekeke. One of my kids said this in my 7th period extra class on Monday. I got the giggles. Dorky goofy giggles. Kekekekekeke. He's so l337 and he doesn't even know it! You should see this kid, too. He's really grown on me. He sometimes gets this "I'm a wee bit evil and adorable" smile on his face sometimes, like when he kekekeke'd. He didn't know what he did that was so funny, so that made it even better. Anyway, imagine Teacher having a giggle fit in front of 11 slightly bemused children (cuz you KNOW that never happens to me, right?!) whose grasp on English is tenuous at best.
"Teacher, wheh?"
Giggle. Faces chalkboard.
"Teacherrrrrrrrrrr...wheh-guh-rae?"
Turns back. "Paul's silly." Giggle, smile.....lightly, "Kekekeke."
Class continues.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Strange...but this mught be true. Well, except that I think the whole left/right brain thing isn't quite what people used to think it was. But we use the terms more loosely now. Well, I don't know-do you use the terms left and right brained loosely or do you believe that the hemispheres of our brain are that specific? Comments welcome!
| You Are 50% Left Brained, 50% Right Brained |
 The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports. |
The job
Signed up for another year on Friday. Got what I asked for cuz I was reasonable, but made sure it was fair to me, too. Damn fair. What commercial is it? Because I'm worth it......:P
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
W00T!
I have tomorrow off. I don't know why. Some Korean holiday. I don't know which one. Frankly, I don't care which one. I just know that I have tomorrow off. Sweet!
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Tagged
I was tagged by Shona, a.k.a. Gourdongirl with the "What's in your bag" meme. Ergh. Memes. Love 'em, hate 'em. So, my bag, as of right now, has:
Anna's copy of "Self Made Man" by Norah Vincent
My sunglasses w/ case
My sudoku book
Ticket stub for Pirates of the Carribean III
My bag to hold various smaller items so I can find them, which had:
Eyedrops
A thing of tissues I was handed by a woman on the street. It is a common form of advertising here.
Lip stuff, as we call it in my family-not lipstick, but for moisturizing
Lipstick
Some Arnica Montana, which I am almost out of
My be-stickered altoid tin, which is for ibuprofen and the like
Pen, pencil and eraser
and my Korean health insurance card thingie.
My wallet, when I was hit with the meme, was not in the purse. Go figure.
I'll make tagging optional. If you leave a comment on this post and you have a blog (or blog tyoe account, like facebook), consider yourself tagged. I will check! :)
Now I will transfer everything to my book bag, which I use during the week...the damage would have been much worse there!
Socks, as promised
Finally, a matching set! OK, so I actually finished them a while ago, and have since started working on the first of another pair (since frogged due to gappy heel frustration at the ?gussett?). And it's much too warm to wear them :) now. But once I figure out this gappy problem, I should have some lovely socks by the time is gets cool again.
They wrote what?
Bear in mind that this is an official Adidas store in Seoul, with requisite photos of some one famous. The first photo is for context. Easier to see in the second one, though. In this case, the famous face is David Beckham. I am sure he would be oh-so-proud to be lending his name to this poster (What do I know-maybe he would be). Note the writing below the photo. I can't recall the full text hidden by the clothes. But I couldn't help but notice the glaring lack of an "I." This, I have to tell you, is quite typical, even in high end advertising. Then there is the comma, and capital letter. Is this a new sentence, or what?
Yes, I have been neglecting my blog lately. Apologies to those who check in regular-like to read about the goings on in my life. I have been fairly busy, with school, friends, etc. I went to Chiak Mountain a couple of times, learned to make Mak-Ci (I don't know the spelling, but pronounced Mahk-sigh), visited the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea, lost and replaced my passport.....all in all, no excuses for ignoring my blog, but there it is. Oh, yeah, and I finished a a pair of socks, too. I'll show those shortly. Meanwhile, my trip to North Korea (same as the email many of you got.)
This is the view into North Korea that you get from the part of the DMZ that we are allowed to cross. South Koreans are not allowed to come here, out of fear of defection. The actual line is inside the blue buildings. Our American tour guide is the friendly looking guy at the bottom. Behind the blue buildings is North Korea, and the building their representatives come out of. We saw 2 soldiers at the top of the steps. It was a hazy day, which is common here, so good shots are hard to come by.
There are 3 Swedes and 3 Swiss military personnel at all times on site. These are two of the three Swedes.
This is me, in one of the blue buildings. There are clear markers (speakers and a flag) in the middle of a central table to show where either Korea ends/begins. The reps from either side sit on their own sides. However, there have been times when North Koreans have come in and walked (considering the lack of dancing I have seen here, I doubt they were dancing, despite our guide's description) on the tables. Whatever is on the boots, those responsible for the South Korean maintenance have been unable to remove the boot prints. By the way, in this picture, I am actually in North Korea.
See how fierce he looks? Apparently South Korean (or ROK) soldiers posted here are supposed to do this at all times. The Taekwondo stance, balled fists, and even the sunglasses meant for intimidation. You do not walk between this soldier and the flag on the table in front of him out of respect. He is standing on either side of the line. When they lock/unlock the door on the far side, they now do it in pairs-one with weapon drawn-as there was at least one instance of them being charged by North Korean soldiers. ANd, yeah, don't I look thrilled? You are allowed to take these shots as long as you do not touch them. Still, I felt a little disrespectful, unit it was pointed out by a friend that they do this all day long. Maybe they get a kick out of it?
There are 2 towns in the DMZ-one South Korean, one North Korean. The North Koreans built a fancier one than the South Koreans had, along with music and propaganda that used to be broadcast VERY loudly for the ROK residents to hear, telling them they should defect. ROK built an impressive flag pole, to which DPROK (North Korea) responded by building an even larger one. The flag weight is some insane hundreds of pounds and is cranked manually. Not much breeze that day, and very hazy. Nowadays, ROK residents that live in the DMZ have it pretty good. They are all descendants of original residence from before the war. They are exempt from the 18 month military service required of SK men. They have nice houses built by the government, and do not pay taxes. The average income is about $82,000.00 which is many times the average of most Koreans. Many hire workers to work the farms here, while they live in Seoul (among the most expensive cities in the world) and own businesses. The DMZ is a wild life refuge, having many animals that now live nowhere else in Korea. It will never be reclaimed, as there are too many mines laid by both sides.
This is the view into North Korea that you get from the part of the DMZ that we are allowed to cross. South Koreans are not allowed to come here, out of fear of defection. The actual line is inside the blue buildings. Our American tour guide is the friendly looking guy at the bottom. Behind the blue buildings is North Korea, and the building their representatives come out of. We saw 2 soldiers at the top of the steps. It was a hazy day, which is common here, so good shots are hard to come by.
There are 3 Swedes and 3 Swiss military personnel at all times on site. These are two of the three Swedes.
This is me, in one of the blue buildings. There are clear markers (speakers and a flag) in the middle of a central table to show where either Korea ends/begins. The reps from either side sit on their own sides. However, there have been times when North Koreans have come in and walked (considering the lack of dancing I have seen here, I doubt they were dancing, despite our guide's description) on the tables. Whatever is on the boots, those responsible for the South Korean maintenance have been unable to remove the boot prints. By the way, in this picture, I am actually in North Korea.
See how fierce he looks? Apparently South Korean (or ROK) soldiers posted here are supposed to do this at all times. The Taekwondo stance, balled fists, and even the sunglasses meant for intimidation. You do not walk between this soldier and the flag on the table in front of him out of respect. He is standing on either side of the line. When they lock/unlock the door on the far side, they now do it in pairs-one with weapon drawn-as there was at least one instance of them being charged by North Korean soldiers. ANd, yeah, don't I look thrilled? You are allowed to take these shots as long as you do not touch them. Still, I felt a little disrespectful, unit it was pointed out by a friend that they do this all day long. Maybe they get a kick out of it?
There are 2 towns in the DMZ-one South Korean, one North Korean. The North Koreans built a fancier one than the South Koreans had, along with music and propaganda that used to be broadcast VERY loudly for the ROK residents to hear, telling them they should defect. ROK built an impressive flag pole, to which DPROK (North Korea) responded by building an even larger one. The flag weight is some insane hundreds of pounds and is cranked manually. Not much breeze that day, and very hazy. Nowadays, ROK residents that live in the DMZ have it pretty good. They are all descendants of original residence from before the war. They are exempt from the 18 month military service required of SK men. They have nice houses built by the government, and do not pay taxes. The average income is about $82,000.00 which is many times the average of most Koreans. Many hire workers to work the farms here, while they live in Seoul (among the most expensive cities in the world) and own businesses. The DMZ is a wild life refuge, having many animals that now live nowhere else in Korea. It will never be reclaimed, as there are too many mines laid by both sides.
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