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I’m sure I’ve previously mentioned my utter disdain for the Busan section of the Lonely Planet Korea.  This is no slam on the guy who wrote it, since  I’ve got no idea what kind of limits or requirements they put on him.  Still, the Busan section is small, inaccurate, lists Holly’s coffee as one of two places to drink in Nampo, and generally makes Busan sound like Trenton, New Jersey with a few mountains and beaches interspersed.  I feel that the second largest, and first awesomest city in Korea deserves a little better.  They do mention some useful places on occasion, though.

Oh yeah, Adagio Coffee.  They have the best coffee I’ve had in Busan.  It’s not even close.  It reminds me of the Commonplace Coffee Roasters in Pennsylvania where I always bought bags of coffee, and continue to drink countless cups of coffee from when I visit home.  The guy roasting definitely knows what he’s doing.  It’s also quite a bit cheaper than the chain places lining the main streets of Jangsan.

I usually get coffee to go.  The interior is nice and the workers are extremely friendly, but it’s not a great place to linger.  It doesn’t have that cosy ‘take your computer or book and hang out for a few hours’ sort of feel.  It’s mainly comprised of four person tables, at which I feel awkward sitting alone.  Also daytime crowds of housewives tend to occupy Adagio during my usual work and drink-coffee hours.

My main reason for going is usually to buy bags of good coffee.  They’re obviously a bit more expensive than at home, but 7,000 – 8,000 won for a 100 gram bag of good coffee beans in Korea is not a bad deal.  Especially considering that a crappy Americano at Tom and Tom’s is gonna be over 4,000.   The owner has also been known to throw in a free bag of ‘sample coffee’ from time to time as well.

I only mentioned the Lonely Planet earlier because Adagio is strangely listed in the most recent edition.  I love it and would recommend anyone in Busan who is missing reasonably priced, good coffee to check it out.  It doesn’t really strike me as a tourist hot-spot, but for those of us living here, it’s very nice to have nearby.

Directions: Jangsan exit 4.  It’s in the small street behind the 2001 outlet.  Make the first left off the main road, then turn right.  Adagio will be on the left.

After directing many of his band’s music videos, Linkin Park’s Joe Hahn is set to make his directorial debut with Mall, a film adaption of Eric Bogosian’s dark crime novel of the same name.

Deadline reports that the film, which will follow “the intersecting paths of five disaffected suburbanites,” has cast late night talk show host Chelsea Handler, who will be playing the dark role of a “restless housewife,” and Law & Order: Criminal Intent actor Vincent D’Onofrio as a “voyeuristic businessman.” D’Onofrio, who also co-wrote the script, told Deadline that the “film will be a comment on social violence” and described the film’s premise:

“It begins as a man walks through the front door of a suburban mall armed to the teeth, causing five strangers to embark on a night that will change them forever. As the bullets fly, one teenage boy hurtles through the night on a collision course with the man he will become.”

Joe Hahn expressed that he was “very excited to to be making this dark film with these great actors” on his official website.

Interestingly, Hahn also holds the rights to China Mieville’s novel King Rat. In other words, this is only the beginning of Hahn’s film career.

Head over to Deadline.com for more details.

[photo of Joe Hahn: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]

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from now on, i will keep all korean medication in its original packaging.

trying to rid myself of a headache, i grabbed a bubble pack of ibuprofen-looking pills and popped three of them before settling in for the night. a few hours later, i’m buzzing like a neon sign. it seems i actually swallowed a full day’s dosage of korean cold medicine, which is made with ephedrine. i feel like a sweaty, shaky bag of crud. but also oddly enthusiastic about finding friends who are awake stateside and chatting with them on the internet. and also understanding why people take this stuff for diets, because even thinking about food right now is gross.

why anyone would willingly put this into their bodies is beyond my understanding. fda, good on you for banning it.

During the long weekend I watched a film called “Silmido” or 실미도. The film was released in 2003 and it was directed by Kang Woo-seok (강우석). This film is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Korean history. I give this film a 7/10. 

Based on a true story of 1968 Korean Republic Army plan to assassinate North Korean president Kim Il-Sung. 31 criminals and death row inmates are recruited into secret training on the island of Silmi; for two years they are subjected to maximum mental and physical abuse before the mission is cancelled and the unit terminated. Written by[email protected]

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387596/