I wanted to post some pictures from our bowling night in Suwon, which was almost 3 weeks ago.  This was also the first weekend that Ras got back from the States.

While bowling, whenever anyone got a strike, he/she had to do a little dance.  I think I danced twice, and the number one dancer was probably Eddie.  Ras has been enjoying bowling lately and wants to start a bowling night this fall.

Here’s a video of us sitting down for dinner, with a guest appearance by Ms. Lee Hyori herself.

Most of the pictures below are from The Crazy Duck bar in Suwon.

Ras and I brought our umbrella out during Rihanna’s “Umbrella.”

The guys were crazy.

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending my first ???, a baby’s one year birthday party.  The birthday girl was Susana, David and Cathy’s daughter.  I had met David at a photography class taught by Mike.  Walking into the banquet hall, I had no idea who would be at the gathering that night.  Guess who was also at the party?  Mike (The Metropolitician),  Joe (ZenKimchi), and Henry (another photography class member).  We sat around the table and caught up.

Because of the high infant mortality rates in the past, this celebration is considered to be even more important.  However, the highlight of this celebration is when the child symbolically foretells his or her own future.

For this ritual, the child is dressed in new traditional Korean clothes. A male child wears the traditional hood worn by unmarried youths, and the female wears make-up. The child is seated before a table of various foods and objects such as thread, books, notebooks, brushes, ink and money which have all been given to the family by friends and relatives. The child is urged to pick up an object from the table, as it is believed the one selected first will foretell the child’s future. If the child picks up a writing brush or book, for example, he is destined to be a scholar. If he picks up money or rice, he will be wealthy; cakes or other food, a government official; a sword or bow, a military commander. If the child picks up the thread, it is believed he will live a long life. [source]

At this party, things were a little more modern, with items that included a mouse and microphone.  So, what did Susana choose?

She chose the microphone!  After fortelling her future, Susie’s parents were sort of forced to dance.  It was really strange and funny at the same time.  Here were two people dressed in hanboks, being pressured to dance to techno music.

After the party was over, Mike, Henry, and I found a bar and had a beer.  We hung out and talked for a couple hours before I had to leave around 10:40pm to catch the subway back to Gunpo.  I finally walked in the door around midnight.

Today is Erin’s birthday, and in a couple hours, a bunch of us will be dining at Wood and Brick near Insa-dong. We’ll be celebrating her birthday and supporting Little Travellers HIV/AIDS fundraiser: “A Common Cause” in Itaewon. I went to their website to learn more about the organization and found out that the EV Boyz will be performing “Kickin’ It In Geumchon” LIVE! I hope we’re there to catch it - that would be too hilarious.

Korea’s biggest youtube celebrities, EV Boyz will perform “Kickin it in Gumcheon” alongside their newest single “A E I love u”, at both The Wolfhound and Rocky Mountain.

This past Saturday was spent outside near the Han River, watching the FIVB Women’s Pro Beach Volleyball Tour. The event was not publicized at all and we only heard about it through Kevin on Facebook. I initially didn’t want to go because 1) it was far (near Jamsil) and 2) isn’t it just an excuse to look at women’s asses? Saturday morning looked to be a promising day, with the sun breaking early. I eventually decided to go when lured with the promise of free sandwiches (from Kevin) and a warm day outside.

When we arrived at the river, we saw Kevin and a few of his friends near the area above (practice area for the players). We then looked for seats, and there were plenty because there weren’t many Koreans in the stands watching, even though it was a free event.

Free paper hats were passed out by the girl in the orange (see below). As you can see, they’re practical and stylish, but we chose to forgo them and enjoy the sun. This SBS camera man (below) would NOT leave us alone. He kept returning four or five times to get shots of the foreigners enjoying the game and daring the sun to give them melanoma by not wearing the paper hats. By then, we were thirteen strong, so I guess it would have been a good photo opportunity.

There were also cheerleaders! For a volleyball game! Needless to say, it looked a little ridiculous.

Last, but not least… for the guys who would come to something like this to see the volleyball player’s asses, here they are. NO, not the little one in the middle with green pants! She’s a Girl Scout. What are you, a pervert or something?!?

More pictures can be seen here.

Hey, better late than never, right? I had a good time this year at the VFW’s annual Super Bowl party in Haebangcheon, near Itaewon. Here’s a good map to the VFW Canteen, with directions, from Republicans Abroad Korea. Bart was sick with food poisoning that morning, so it was just me, Ras, and Kevin. We arrived at 6:45, 15 minutes after the doors opened, and there were only two tables left. Of course we headed for the breakfast buffet first. I filled myself up with breakfast, coffee, and donuts throughout the game.

Most of the crowd was rooting for the Giants. I asked Kevin why everyone hated the Patriots so much, and his answer was along the lines of, “Because they’re so perfect!” Ok, I can live with that.

I also met a Canadian who had found my blog online before coming over to visit his friend in Seoul. He read about my Super Bowl post and dragged his friend out of bed to come see the game. Here’s a picture of Freddie and Scott below. Speaking of meeting people, Steve of seoulsteves.com introduced himself to me near the bar. It’s always nice to meet other bloggers and put a face to a name.

Jeff, who had initially emailed me about the event, was very gratious and walked around the tables making sure everyone was taken care of. He dropped by our table and thanked us for coming out.

Good times all around. If I’m still in the country next year for the Super Bowl, this is the place I’ll be.