(I figure that if you can read Korean, you can know my real name.)

Speaking of the lovely Kristy, I got a care package from her today.  She knows me well because it was stuffed with lots of yummy stationary.  I do miss all that cute stuff in Asia.  And I miss her.

The move went relatively well.  Upon calling around for a moving company, Ras was quoted 500,000 won because he wanted to move on a Saturday.  After changing his moving day to a Friday and some hard core negotiating, he got a full service moving company for 300,000 won.  Since many people aren’t moving during the hard economic times, movers have to be more competitive for customers.  300,000 is pretty cheap for 2 men, and 1 woman to move everything, and drive from Gunpo to Seoul.  The customer doesn’t have to lift a finger.  The men do all the heavy lifting, while the woman packs everything in the bedrooms, kitchen, and bathroom.  They did a relatively good job, except that the woman would open up a can of Coke (from our fridge) and drink it while working.  She also grabbed one for her companions, all the while not asking at all if she could have the drinks.  I’m sure she was thirsty, and it wasn’t a big deal enough to say something, but still…  strange, right?  I even saw an empty granola wrapper on the ground and don’t remember having had some in the last week.

These pictures are the ones Ras took of the loft before the movers arrived.

(above: downstairs, and upstairs)

This is what it looks like now:

When we first saw the place, I knew it had potential, but I’m really happy with how it turned out.  It has lots of storagae, good lighting, and a lot of room downstairs and upstairs.  It’s a 5 minute bus ride to Hongik or Sinchon and there are over 20 buses that go by the place, including an airport limousine bus.  I’m enjoying my time here and can’t wait for people to visit us soon.

It’s pretty and all, but I hate walking around in snow.  Plus, the traffic home tonight will be terrible.

The brick building below is where the apartment is located.  Upon entering a locked front glass door, you’re greeted with the following lobby.  It’s completely decorated with couches, tables, and flowers.  Honestly, it’s a little strange.  Are the resident’s friends hanging out there?

The apartment itself is being completely remodeled with new fixtures, appliances, and wallpaper.  Below is the view of the living room, from the front door.  To the left of the picture, you’ll notice the stairs that lead up to the loft.

This is the view with the window to your back.  To the left, where the blue hose is, will be the kitchen area.  The sink, fridge, and washing machine will be totally enclosed behind white cabinets.  There are two air conditioners, one for downstairs and one for upstairs.

This picture is the apartment of the next door neighbor.  As you can see, this is what the final product will look like.

Next to the stairs is the bathroom.  Inside is a toilet and stand up shower.  Directly in front of me is the mirror, and the bathroom sink will be placed here.

Climb up the stairs and you’re in the loft, which is actually bigger than I expected.  The sleeping area can be to the right or left of the stairs, with plenty of floor space.  Up here will be Ras’ office and bedroom.

Upon climbing to the top of the stairs and looking in, you’ll be greeted with this view.

The apartment is modern and really cute!  It’s a five minute bus ride to Sinchon or Hongik, but a little bit far to walk to those stations.  I’ll give you an idea where it’s located.  Imagine you’re at Hongik Station and you want to take a bus to Sinchon Station.  The bus will go straight and turn right at the Y intersection.  Intead of going right, take the left road and go straight.  After a couple big intersections, turn left, and this is where the apartment is.

Maybe you’re wondering how much is this place?  The landlord was asking for 10 million won key money ($10,000 deposit) and 700,000 won a month.  Ras convinced him to take more key money so that the rent would be lowered to 600,000 won a month.  I guess the landlord likes foreigners because there are seven others foreigners living in the building.

Ras moves in Saturday, December 6th.  This is perfect for us, since we’d like to move out of Gunpo before leaving for our winter trip with Gisela and Eddie on December 20th.  Upon returning, I’ll spend my last month living and hanging out in Seoul.

By the way, if anyone is looking for small and cheap living quarters in Seoul, this is a good place to look: www.oneroom.com

Thanks to YouTube, below are some of the acts from the show.  I have no idea what the woman in white was singing about, but the song was damn catchy.  After the show, Thomas, Kristy, and I were singing the only word we recognized from the song: Alegria.  Before attending the show, I thought it was called “al leg ria,” as in a man’s name, a lower appendage, and the last syllable of the name Gloria.  Boy, was this American bumpkin’ ever wrong.  I was soon embarrassed to find out how much I butchered this word.  It should have rolled off my tongue as “ahl leg rhee ahhh.”  See below:

[audio:Alegria.mp3]

[youtube]http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=smkiSJf2cHE[/youtube]

If there was to be one act we liked the least, it would be the two Mongolian contortionists.  Is it just me, or does it seem unnatural to see someone sitting on their own head???  Yikes!

[youtube]http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=8nEsgpGJbr4[/youtube]

After the show, we showed up at Star Chef with our party of 12.  At Star Chef, the salad is always the belle of the party:

Shrimp:  Before and After

Me: Before (dinner) and After

Definitely check out Cirque du Soleil while they’re still in town.  If nothing else, their churros are fantastic!

[View the night's Flickr album here.]

PANELISTS
Stafford Lumsden (The Chosun Bimbo)
Regina Walton (Where the Hell Am I, Look to the Stars)
Me (lao-ocean-girl)
Rob Ouwehand (Roboseyo)
David Harris (SeoulLife.net)
Luke Martin (ROKetship)

In May of this year, I was asked by Joe SeoulPodcast (and ZenKimchi) if I would be a guest on his show.  I agreed and we recorded a 2+ hour show on a Wednesday night through Skype.  It’s hard to admit, but I never mentioned it on my blog because 1) I don’t like hearing my voice, and 2) I didn’t think anyone would be interested in the random things I had to say.  They’re actually terrible reasons, I know.  Well, a couple months later, I ran into Joe at David’s daughter’s birthday.  He told me my podcast episode was the most downloaded (and still is) at 1433 downloads.  That’s pretty cool, since I was on Episode 9, and SeoulPodcast is on their 27th episode now.  (Coincidentally, David’s episode was the second most downloaded.)

It’s really too late now, but six months later, I’m going to share the link to my episode on SeoulPodcast.  You can listen to me talk about outdated news and try to sound witty here.  As a reward for enduring through my awkward banter “on air,” you’ll be able to find out my real name, which hardly ever comes up on this blog.

I bring up the podcast now, because I’m set to record another one this Wednesday.  Joe invited some of the more popular guests for a round table discussion.  There’ll be seven panelists, not including the hosts – Joe and Jennifer.  I’m not sure how much air time I’ll actually get because it’s such a large group, but I promise to let everyone know when the episode airs this time.  PROMISE.

The guys went as Mexican firefighters – Jos-A (José), Jos-B, and Jos-C.

I went as a pirate.  Reardon and Barbara (pictured above) went as Hall and Oates.

Soju having wine.

To my right is Ji-won, and my left was Courtney (aka Janis Joplin).

Jim Carey and Sara Palin.

(too bad it was blurry.)

I’m not sure how many tickets are still available for the party, but more information can be found on their website.