It must be a conspiracy

From L-R: Dick Cheney, Bill Gates, George Bush, Junichiro Koizumi, Tony Blair, & Hilary Clinton all in one advert...? I'm dying to know what they're advertising here. This cracks up Harry & I *every* time we see it.

Korean War Memorial Museum

On Saturday, we decided something cultural was long overdue & headed to the Korean War Memorial Museum...

Some sort of show was goin' on. They were twirling & throwing guns. You know, cool stuff like that.

This hall was lined with plaques...

...with names of those killed in the Korean War.

They had some enviable fashion sense, even back then!

Seoul Tower action in the background there.


3, 2, 1...deploy!

One for the troops (ha).

We conquered Gwanak-san

Gwanak-san (Gwanak mountain) has been looming in our backyard for quite some time now. So Saturday we decided it was high time to conquer it. We struck out around 10:30am Saturday without a map (unheard of for me normally), strolled through the Seoul National University campus & made our way up. The numerous Koreans (who had our very same idea in mind) with their head-to-toe hiking kit, complete with hiking boots, hiking gloves, backpacks & hiking poles made me feel ill-equipped indeed. But we still conquered Gwanak-san in our t-shirts, shorts & running shoes. Booyakasha.

View from halfway up.

Smoggy Seoul.

My hiking gear was better than everyone else's (not).

Post hike-rest among the rock pile.

COEX Aquarium

Now you see him...

Now you don't.

A kid just goin' nuts for the lionfish. I don't blame him. Who wouldn't?

Nice aquarium decor.

At first glance: Oh, it's just a picture. *yawn*
After the double-take: Oh, it's a tank with fish in it!

The COEX Aquarium put tanks in some of the most interesting places...

In a fridge.

In a washing machine.

In a vending machine.

Hundreds of neon tetra.

Those goldfish with bulbous heads. Don't you just wanna poke 'em with a pin?

Fire eel.

Twin-headed turtle -- I never even knew a 2-headed turtle existed. Anyone?

Cool looking frogs, indigenous to Korea.

Sting ray just cruisin'.

Jellyfish. Check out those tentacles.

Eggs & a T-Rex

It was late Sunday morning, time for eggs, so we had 'em lined up, ready to be cracked & whisked. Out came the butter, a decent helping thrown in the pan, & lo and behold, a T-Rex was lookin' back at us.

My first Korean wedding

I went to my first (& most likely only) Korean wedding two weeks ago for a coworker, a Korean teacher at my school named Franca. I liked it because it was short & sweet, just my style.

The wedding hall.

The getaway car.

Pre-ceremony pic with Franca & Jessica (another teacher at SLP).
Isn't Franca gorgeous?

Franca with a matching young attendee.

About to walk down the aisle.

Mothers bowing & waiting for the bride & groom.

Journey down the aisle between 2 women with swords (um, did you say swords?).

At the altar.

Quick pic with my SLP coworkers (L-R): Estelle, Joanne, Sophia, & Tessa.

Bridge & groom family shot. Check out the colorful hanboks!
(n.b. a hanbok is the Korean traditional dress like a kimono is in Japan)

Excellent Happiness. My thoughts exactly.

Catching Franca & her husband for a moment at the reception in their hanboks.
Back row (L-R): Christine (head Korean teacher/our supervisor), Franca, her husband, Alana.

Front row (L-R): Catherine (principal/director of SLP), Jaime, Travis.

Harry workin' on his b-boyin' skillz

My Lime class kids

The most recent picture I have of me with my Lime class kids. I swear they're growing up before my eyes -- they're all getting so tall!