Moving on

My last few minutes in the hotel room. I enjoyed the view. For some reason, I'm not taking a picture. But take my word for it when I say it is quite good on the 9th floor. Situated in the more modern portion of Seoul south of the river, every main street has large buildings on each side, but smaller, more residential ones in the middle along various side streets that always seem to be two-way.

I've been getting really into Bill Withers this week. I think I got my temporary roommate hooked on him, too. We both whistle "Use Me" quite a bit. Well, he mostly sings and I whistle. On the crowded train, for instance. Oh yes, it gets quite crowded. Getting off requires some serious gusto and rudeness. Apparently there is no Korean word for "please," and we've all forgotten how to say "pardon me." So we just say "mian hanmida," which means "sorry."

I find out my address today. I was a bit peeved that they wouldn't give it to me until I actually get there for shipping purposes, but there's no point in being upset about that any further. I'm going to be taking a long bus ride to Daejeon (pronounced "Taejon"). I'm not looking forward to it, but I know for a fact that the Korean buses that go long distance are FAR more comfortable than any Greyhound or Fung Wah.

I miss everyone terribly, but I'm still so excited to be here that it trumps any homesickness I feel. I'm sure that I'll feel a wave hit me when I'm alone in my apartment with no internet and no cell phone for a week or six. No Xbox, either. That's a real downer for me.

This may be my last post for quite some time. I won't write from my school for fear that they may discover this blog, in which I am sure to write some negative comments about the company. Keep thinking positive thoughts, I must.

Seoul

I arrived in Seoul on Wednesday. It is Saturday. It is very strange to finally be here.

Coming to Korea was such a concept before I realized it was a reality. I wasn't really thinking about how drastically my life would change once I got here. So far things haven't become too different, except I do need to start taking this whole "teaching job" thing a bit more seriously. Example: in a meeting yesterday, the first of many, we took some tests for various topics (one of which I failed. The Codes of Conduct portion. This will shortly become sadly ironic):

I answered a question about inappropriate conduct by saying "jackshit." Professional, right

Good talking with you all.

Try walking a mile in her face

Holy buckets, they actually transplanted a lady's face. Before and after right there:



Seriously, no matter what you say: that is an improvement.

*Ahem*

I got into Aclipse.

I'm going to South Korea.

Yesssssss.

Dear people in New York who forget how to walk

Quick tutorial: left, right, left, right.

That's not my only point, though. The reason I feel I need to remind you how to walk is because sometimes you abruptly stop moving. Normally wherever you are, this isn't a problem. If you're casually strolling in the woods, abruptly stop all you like. You can abruptly stop all the live-long day.

But if you're in New York City, where the streets are full of people -- angry, hateful, violent people -- then you need to remember that to stop in the middle of the sidewalk is to invite your own death upon your skull. It's a good thing New Yorkers like myself are agile, or I would've walked into many a dumb mother fucker by now.

What you should learn from this: If you ever feel the need to abruptly stop, for whatever reason (that you can't do these while moving): make a phone call, pick a wedgie, light a cigarette -- move to either side of the sidewalk, out of the way, and stand still for as long as you want.

In other news: Jumped through the first hoop with my current business venture. Waiting to see if my landing was acceptable.

7 Ways to Save Your Own Life From Yourself

I've joined a site very recently that seems like it might work out in my favor. Too early to tell, but the point of this is that I read a post (they feature blogs, either linked or posted on the site itself) by a girl, Meaghan, who was pointing out how easy it is to Google someone and discover so much about them. She does have a fairly unique name, and so, as an experiment, I googled her and turned up quite a bit. I was able to view multiple profiles on various sites, pictures, her Twitter, etc.

In response to that, and to alleviate some of the tension I am feeling due to this test (read: impending doom) tomorrow, I decided to get some thoughts out of my head. Specifically, thoughts on how to not be revealed as a fool on the internet, and therefore, to everyone in the world that you don't know but might want to know/be hired by. Some of these will be speedballin'...

1. Remove any pictures of you that have any association with alcohol whatsoever. Doesn't matter how funny you think they are, potential employers won't see the humor.

2. Stop using Twitter. It's a pathetic waste of time.

3. If you have an iPhone, chuck it into the nearest river or storm drain. It.will.destroy.you.

4. Twitter or not, don't change your status on Facebook every 10 minutes. In fact, don't change it at all, and try socializing. FACT: Since status changes have begun, passive-aggressive behavior in teens has risen by %4,367,245.

5. If you are one of those people that sits with their laptop on while they watch TV, you are the reason the planet is dying. I have ADHD, and even I can choose one thing at a time. You're probably posting some dumb shit that will incriminate you on the internet anyway, so save yourself the trouble and focus on whatever you're watching.

6. Please. If someone friends you on Facebook because you met them once at a party, and you only just remembered their name because you see it next to their picture on the glowing screen before you, click "Reject." Friendships are becoming cheaper than the dollar, and this whole new term "ex-best friend" is BEYOND upsetting.

7. Set your facebook profile to the most private of settings on all fronts. Believe me when I say this will make life easier and smoother. I know too many people who have family members that were talked into joining facecrack, decided to search their nephew/daughter/grandson to "friend" them (just pathetic...), and then comes a phone call asking about what the Eiffel Tower has to do with Chad and Mark's dorm room. Guy or girl, that's embarassing.

I hope this can help some of you. I also hope this will find its way into this new website I've joined, so i can save my generation from looking worse than the people in the 80s. Bad hair and clothes aside, they had their privacy on lock. Pen and ink diaries are becoming dusty relics, and these blogs and vlogs are penetrating every orifice of the internet with stuff, lots and lots of stuff. We need less these days. Simply provide the beast with less, and it can infect you with less. Simple, non?

Note to anyone who has ever seen Spirited Away: Remember the giant evil black blob monster? Think of that thing as the internet. Every embarassing thing you do and toss casually into the abyss goes into his mouth, and he grows...and grows...and, well, you know...

Now choke that mother fucker and get your dignity back!

Well, I have studied for my Japanese test, but I'm still awake right now, and I have a killer stomach ache. But today was still really good.

I can't do much until I hear from Aclipse sometime this week. I'm beginning to get nervous, because if Aclipse doesn't work out, I am not sure what I'll do. I might just take off and see what happens. I really don't know.

While I ponder this, I can't help getting this quote out of my head. It's from some movie that I can't recall, but the quote is:

There are two kinds of travelers in this world: Those that travel to seek adventure, and those that travel to avoid adventure.

I fudged the quote up quite a bit, but the sentiment is clear. I worry that I might be one of those folks that doesn't actively seek adventure when they travel. If I do one thing this year, it will be to prove myself wrong about that.

Meanwhile, I can't stop thinking that I'm going to end up like Chris McCandless.