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After the Beach, the Temple

In the Rough Guide to Korea, my guru Norbert calls Yakcheonsa one of Jeju’s most magical experiences. The best time to arrive, he writes, is 7 pm on a summer evening, when “worshipping locals chant under the interior glow with their backs to the sunset.”

So I hiked a staircase at the end of Jungmun Beach, grabbed a cab from the Hyatt hotel, and missioned to the temple, which was built in the 1990′s and, according to Norbert, is considered one of the most impressive in the country, despite its less-than-historical 20th-century roots.

In a smaller sunlit hall to the left, these guys sat perched…

over 500 Buddhist figurines stacked on wooden shelves, each handpainted with a different face.

I even spotted one with two faces.

Inside the main hall, locals did indeed chant, though on this particular evening the crowd was made up mostly of Korean schoolchildren, attending Yakcheonsa’s Buddhist summer camp.

In the back row, sitting on a red satin floor cushion, I listened to the head monk school the kids on how to meditate, gleaning what I could from his gestures, since the lesson was in Korean. Beside me, a woman folded one leg into her lap and one palm over the other, showing me the correct position before closing her eyes in silence. Outside, the sun fell. And the waterfalls, and the beach, and the hot night. I listened to the monk’s footsteps as he walked between the rows of children, rapping their shoulders with a long stick if they lapsed in concentration. Two boys cried. I opened my eyes, and a bird sailed in and landed on a pillar, to the left of the gold Buddha, above the bowed heads and the cushions and the candlelight.

Get there: You can cab to the temple from anywhere in Jungmun, but if you want to to walk, it’s about a half-hour from the nearest bus stop. Ask a local for directions and take a slow stroll along the quiet country roads.

Cheese Neurons and Tea-fee

Since coming to Korea, I've noticed that I enjoy kimchi much less than I used to. When I was young, my sister and I used to go nuts for kimchi and basically run a victory lap around the house at the mere mention of its existence. We even used to make amateur kimchi using the wrong cabbage (western 'round' cabbage), which was technically more of a poorly-sliced chilli sauerkraut. Our youthful imaginations learned to compensate, and to us it was nearly as good as the real thing.

But because I eat the stuff everyday now, the neuron cluster responsible for kimchi enjoyment in my brain has been overstimulated and desensitized.

The opposite appears to be true for my cheese neurons. Korea is quite possibly the most cheese-deprived nation in the OECD, and it's a well known fact that an extended sojourn in Korea can increase one's cheddar hypersensitivity. Patrik from Sweden arrived in the country with a much higher dependence on all major cheese groups than me, and it was only a matter of weeks before the tell-tale signs of withdrawal set in. He was soon trekking all the way out to COEX mall from SNU station, just to buy New York Fries.

I'd never had these before, and he led me there one day. New York Fries is a Canadian franchise that sell all manner of kamjatwiggim topped with melted cheese, sour cream and whatever else your impending myocardial infarction desires.

We periodically receive banchan from lovely mother-in-law, who expresses her affection for us in kimchi kilos. It's not uncommon for us to receive more than we can consume, leading to Overstocked Fridge Syndrome.

Here's a typical spread of a mother-in-law-sponsored breakfast. Sometimes when I'm by myself, I get too lazy to make rice so I just whack some banchan in between two slices of bread.

I call it an EMW sandwich (East Meets West).

Here are the dusk silhouettes of Heather and me during one of our campus strolls. Heather wanted people to call her Ka-Hee for a while, but she seems to be less mindful of it these days. I started calling her Heather again in real life and the worst that happens is that I get tickled for punishment.

So, Heather it is.

I had to go to immigration to renew my F4 visa last week. I've now been in Korea for 4 years and my visa was renewed for another 3. Am I sick of this place yet? Well, not really. Korea has it's frustrations, but that isn't unique to any particular country. And thanks to the hard work of GOA'L a few years ago, the process for obtaining an F4 visa is refreshingly easy.

That's Heather's Yogi Bear shirt. She likes to wear different old shirts around the house. There are three main ones, which I've entitled Yogi Bear, Lonsdale and The World. It's like having a different theme for each day. I like The World best, because it has a small amount of geographical information.

After you get married, you tend to do less grinding in the hip-hop clubs and more grinding of coffee at home.

Which is great, if you like coffee.

Sometimes in the mornings I have difficulty deciding whether I want tea or coffee. Tea is higher in antioxidants, but coffee has more of a caffeine-happy kick. The optimum solution would involve the best of both worlds.

To resolve this dilemma, I often fill a mug with 3/4 hot tea, and then 1/4 coffee. I call this drink Tea-fee. It tastes a little strange, I must admit. But variety is the spice of life.

You may like to try it for yourself sometime.

the handsome furs come to town

last weekend, i saw a show from…

with teengirl fantasy.

i’m not sure who was responsible for this, but one of the band provided kaleidoscope glasses.

they clearly did not realize that
a) drugs are exceedingly hard and exceptionally risky to come by in korea and
b) kaleidoscope glasses are fun for approximately 25 seconds when used while sober.

trying to stretch the fun out, i decided to see how they got along with my camera.

eh.

but the band was great!

thanks to supercolorsuper for showing us all a good time.

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Having a dog for the past week has been such an experience. I...

Having a dog for the past week has been such an experience. I forgot what unconditional love from a pet felt like. Yes, he depends on me for food and walks, but he’s so cute the way that he greets me at the door when I get home.

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About

Hi, I'm Stacy. I'm from Portland, Oregon, USA, and am currently living in Busan, South Korea. Check me out on: Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, Lastfm, and Flickr.

I have found some cool things in my neighborhood just by walking...

I have found some cool things in my neighborhood just by walking the dog. For example, I live by the fortress site of Jwasuyeong, which has a few historic buildings, a 500 year old tree and a great view of Suyeong.

Yoon Sang-eun at the Busan Modern History Museum

My wife and I visited the third of five museums in Busan, the Busan Modern History Museum. Of special interest for both of us was this special exhibition, due to close next week, about Cheongwoon Yoon Sang-eun (1897-1984). The founder of Gupo Bank, and a civic leader in business, dinance, and education, Yoon’s life spanned the old world of Joseon and the modern post-Park era. The exhibition, which blames the demise of Gupo Bank during the Depression in the 20s on the Japanese, includes personal artifacts and documents related to his various activities in Busan.

However, there’s some controversy about the cause of Gupo Bank’s demise.

The predecessor of the Gupo Bank was the Gupo Savings Inc., which was established for accumulation of trading capital by Korean people. We can understand the character of the Bank exactly by studying the change of its stockholders and management formations.

The Bank’s founders were as a whole landowners, merchants, and influential persons of Gupo and its region. The Bank name changed to the Gupo Bank in 1912, when Busan merchants on a large scale took stock in the Bank. And then, 1915 the main office moved to Busan in the name of the Gyeongnam Bank. After that, most customers were Busan merchants. Moreover, many landowners from Gyeongnam took stock in the Bank in order to do business corporations as a momentum of the amalgamation of the Japanese Bank to Korea in 1918. Those who were the large stocklholders and the managers of the Bank aimed at raising funds without a hitch in managing their corporations. However, they failed in bussiness by depression early in 1920s and quitted their business in Busan, so that they could be no longer stockholder. On the other hand, the big landowners from Milyang, Daegu, and so forth nearby Busan took over the reins of management as a large stockholder by raising the stocks and getting their membership of stockholder.

The Bank had some distinctions in management as follows. The Gupo Savings Inc. made a business of loaning to merchants and landowners of Gupo and its region. After being the Gupo Bank, the main business of the Bank was discounting a bill for traders from Busan. In profit of the bank, the business took a great position. And in saving account a current deposit was much more than a fixed deposit.

However, by depression and decline of Korean merchants early in 1920s, the Bank management became worse. As a result, the Governmemt-General and the Joseon Bank united the Daegu Bank and the Gyeongnam Bank in force. the Gyeongsang United Bank established the main office in Daegu and the branch office in Busan on 31. July, 1928.

A man whose career straddled a tumltuous century deserves an exhibition

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Filed under: Business/Economy, Korea Tagged: busan, busanmodernhistorymuseum, Korea, southkorea

Letter to Chepe Escondio

East LA Painting by Chepe Escondido Brothers cycling in Kampot, Cambodia

MY brother is NOT impressed with YOUR swaggy homegown, Chepe Escondido!!!!

Joke Only!

Muchas gracias por su generosidad! It's actually really tasty; it just burns up so quickly.
I'm not complaining, merely commenting. Critiquing the latest harvest, that is all. Ah shit!

Give it up for being legal while others are criminalized for doing the same thing.

Did you enjoy the Dengue Fever show? I sure did. Dengue Fever, an East LA Band of Cambodian ancestry. All further photos come from my travels to Cambodia. All further words about the show.

Koh Kong Cambodia, bordertown to Hat Lek Thailand
You can read more about this town in my opus CULTUREBOOK MMX Book Two

Funny thing. Minutes from your door, Chepe sitting at a red light, I had a thought, OH MY DOG!
"Free show, Park setting, East Los / Cambodian Band?" I'd be a fool not to go there and set up shop.

I had no idea where the show was. I've been to Pasadena maybe 5 times in my life. 4 of them with YOU!
I planned to hit Old Town, get an LA Weekly, but I didn't have to. GOD was on my side. I was listening to my Rai Ko Ris CD, my punk rock friends from Nepal, while driving up the Arroyo Hwy thinking -- I thought about Olivier, the 50 year old Mohawk wearing French drummer of Rai Ko Ris, if HE were ME, a writer with a book for sale, HE would totally (LET'S) GO DOWN TO THE PARK TODAY and try to sell books. Why the fuck not?!? Thanks Aubrey for the song with the same title, co-written with Flavor Flay and John Compus and Fleff. It was very fitting. I guess I should thank Erica cuz SHE REQUESTED IT! Funny thing, the store clerk recommended it! Shakolov Shoplifing Berkeley Fleff knew 3 different Sokolovs in 3 semesters! What are the chances of that?

Also, RAI KO RIS is basically Drums and Bass/Guitar both played by Oli's Nepalese wife. When they sing together, they sound kind of like EXene and John Doe, but because RKR's sound quality is not TIP TOP, they sound a little like Tonio singing alongside Chrissy in Beef Church. Rai Ko Ris got me amped.

And, also because of the beauty of Dengue Fever's lead female vocalizations, it all kind of adds up to the proposition that: Perhaps a female singer IS the way to go for, US and our Coffee Stains. I think a woman singing my song Zsa Zsa Gabor would be a lot like NIKO and the VU, minus Andy Warhol. Like Hole. hunky dory bowie

Just a thought that we can roll with.

And Coffee Stain was Chepe Escondido's Sports News Guy character in our old Vid.

I found the park, found parking across the street, was told by organizers that I couldn't NOT set up shop. I did anyway. I sold TWO whole books, talked to a lot of people. Met the band, gave a signed copy to Nemol, Dengue Fever's hot, well endowed, Cambodian singer, whom I rapped with for a long time. She said, "We play UCLA late September." I said, "By then my book will be famous. You have one of the first copies." That's what I told Nemol as I gave her a signed copy with my electronic digits. "This book is going to be very well known in short time." I told her convincingly. She asked him knowingly!

This is NOT Nimol. This is some other girl of Cambodian ancestry whom I know, in Phnom Penh.
She's older than she looks!

If NImo had made a plug of my book while on stage, I'll bet at least 30 people would've bought one. AND I could've sold each for $12. That'll be the price when me and the Gabors have our STORE on Venice Beach next week.

Have his kids be hawkers -- they are 1/4 - 1/2 Mexican/Filipina. They'll DRAW people in by sitting around drawing with us and being noticeable. We'll probably bring a guitar and some percussive as well. Sodas, food, and umbrella for the sun, swim suits. Make a day of it. Zsa and Isis don't go back to school till mid Sept. and their father has no job. Now he does!

Let the product sell itself, but employ the Gabors draw in people. And they get their cut, as promised. With me ALONE I can easily get muscled out or harassed AND I can't even leave to go buy a lemonade! But, more importantly, I can stay true to my word of employing St Tommy. That PROMISE was bent on the whole warehouse premise. Now a new bender is needed.

It's like my mom and our cleaning woman. I used to say to my mom, we don't really need her EVERY week and my mom's reply, "She NEEDS the money!" as if THAT were my mom's chief purpose in hiring her. Funny, but true.

We ARE all in this together. The sooner people realize that, the better for all. I'm glad my mom has been my biggest teacher of all my teachers in this lifetime. I would never want to discount Townsend's influence on me. I'm listening to him right now. Pictures of Lily. Happy Jack. A Quick One, while he's away

I arrived at the Pasadena free show BEFORE Dengue Fever took the stage and that entire show was supreme. Thanks for the idea. Did you see me there? If I'd had a phone, I MAY have texted you. Did you get my ...burrito?

Got my plan all worked out now. Tom will go to work for me. His first job is to make my sign and station. He's an artist. He's good at that stuff. I'll design it. BUY A BOOK    FILL YOUR HEART WITH LOVE TODAY bowie
FILL YOUR MIND      LAOS, CAMBODIA, PHILIPPINES, THAILAND, SOUTH KOREA, JAPAN
US ARMED FORCES and TEACHING ENGLISH IN ASIA                         WHAT IS SEX TOURISM ANYWAY?

Something to that effect

Homeless dudes in urine soaked pantaloons panhandling alms
Me selling my book
What's the difference

Spread the word.

The Streets of Phnom Penh circa 2008

The First Busan Expat Film Festival (제1회 부산 외국인 영화제) 2010

Held next week from Thursday the 26th to Sunday the 29th, all tickets to the 1st Busan Expat Film Festival (제1회 부산 외국인 영화제) are free, so you have few excuses for not attending!

For the details, see the theater website for the location of the theater and movie schedule, and the Facebook page for movie synopses. Unfortunately, I’ll be working on Friday afternoon myself, and even be out of town visiting a friend on Saturday too, but I’ll probably at least see “Section 1″ and “Section 2″ on Thursday night. Any readers that will also be there then and would like to meet up, please give me a buzz!^^

Update: For those of you not on Facebook, Busan Haps also has a page on it here.

Filed under: Busan, Korean Movies Tagged: BEFF, Busan Expat Film Festival, 부산 외국인 영화제

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Habanero – Taco Truck in Hongdae

I’ve been dying to write about a Taco Truck for ages. Last month I almost had my wish. El Camion is a Korean Taco joint Inspired by the Taco Truck scene in the US. It does a decent enough line of Korean inspired Tacos, but as a bricks and mortar establishment it doesn’t really count.

On Saturday, however, I came across the real thing. Habanero in Hongdae sits on four wheels (I checked) and serves a menu of Burritos, Tacos, Quesadillas and Salsa Bibimbap. Unlike El Camion, this is a dyed-in-the wool street food operation; the truck is run by a crew of one and is strictly standing room only.

I really like to see care and personality going into food and this is exactly what chef EJ Chun achieves. Burritos, Quesadillas and Tacos come in a basic beef or chicken, but it’s the personal touches that make him stand out: he is proud of his own blend salsa (very spicy,) finishes each burrito off with a mini blowtorch and he’s not interested in Korean-style tacos. He also strives to set his food apart from the main taco chains, which he considers much too greasy. The result is food that feels very lovingly crafted.

I went for the beef burrito and Sarah opted for a quesadilla. Both were big, filling, tasty and spicy. While other places can get bogged down in cramming as many different ingredients as they can into their burritos, Habanero takes a fairly minimal approach of cheese, meat, rice and salsa. At 3000 won a piece they were also criminally affordable.

As such, Habanero is a welcome addition to Seoul’s streets. The attention to detail, personal service and good food make it well worth the visit.

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