Rock, Jazz, and Seoul

Friday night I made my first solo trek to Seoul, Korea. The main reason was to see Sting in concert. For those who have read this blog for a while, know this is not the first time I've seen Sting in a foreign country. In fact this is the third country I've seen him in.

So I took the fast train up to Seoul, and it reminded me how much I love train travel. Upon arriving in Seoul, I proceeded to wander the streets for a while, just taking in all the different sights, sounds, and smells of the city. After a couple hours, and one of the best cream puffs I've ever consumed, I decided to head to Olympic Park to obtain my ticket. I'm glad I arrived early, as it took almost forty minutes and many phone calls for them to find my ticket. In fact they gave me a better ticket than the one I ordered.

As far as the concert goes, Sting puts on quite the show. I highly recommend catching a show when he comes near your place of residence. After the show I went over to Chunnyun where Dominic Miller & Friends put on a show that equaled the Sting show. I sat mesmerized at the front of the stage watching Dominic and Neil Stacey play away on their guitars.

After the show I decided to walk around Seoul for a few hours, as I wait for the first train out in the morning. There were not too many people out on the streets, especially for a city of ten million. I did find some cool spots like an all night shopping mall and a market where you could buy grilled treats from the sea. Although at three in the morning, grilled squid and octopus just doesn't sound good.

By seven on Saturday I was back in bed. And later in the day I was actually giving directions around Seoul to people who have been here for a couple years. All in all, not too bad for a guy who has only spent a couple weeks in Korea, and can only tell Koreans "Thank you" and "Stop farting."

Currently watching:

I Told You So

First off, I told you I might have a problem with the yogurt drink.....


....and I've only been here a week.

Today was my day off, and I thought I do some 'splorin' around the area. I also wanted to pick up a DVD player for the apartment. I first headed over towards an electric store near Homeplus. On my walk, I remembered that I was curious about a large green mesh containment unit in the area. So I decided to check it out.



I realized that I was correct in my guess that it was a driving range. So I went in and drove 5,000 Won worth of balls. While I was driving, a helpful Korean woman tried to help me with my swing. Good luck with that!

Back on the DVD hunt, I found a player I liked, and decided to go home and check the internet to see if it would work. It would, so walked the half hour trek back to the store. And would you believe it, by the time I made it back, they had sold out of that player.

I then managed my first solo taxi ride. Destination Walmart. Once inside the Supercenter, I found a cheaper DVD player, and using my newly acquired cell phone, did the research from the store to see this is the one I wanted. So now I have a multi-region DVD player capable to handle my collection obtained around the world.

So now I will finish the rest of my night off with some yogurt drink and some DVDs.

Currently watching:

Be On Alert

Christians everywhere have been put on Gay Alert. According to this article believers everywhere are to be on the watch for Spongebob and his square pants after he and some friends released this terrorist video. Rumor has it he is running around with Tinky Winky and Barney in a gayification of American. They are believed to be armed, dangerous, and able to soak up a whole lot of water. They might also be traveling with Clifford the Big Red Dog, Aloysius Snuffleupagus, Bill Cosby, and Bob the Builder (Like a construction worker would hang out with gay folk). They are believed to be traveling in some form of magic school bus, no word if it is a short one or not.

So lock up your kids, destroy your television, and run for the hills yelling, "Wolverines!"

Or better yet, take up your sword and go all Braveheart on that little sponge if you see him.

Currently wearing (I kid you not):

Drinking Problem

They say it takes a strong man to admit to the world he has a drinking problem. Tonight I think I must admit that I have some signs that I might just have a problem. See, just the other night I didn't see any problem dropping a 1000 won on a fifteen pack of this drink I've discovered over here. And I had just downed a bottle of it at a local diner too. It wasn't too long after I got home when I pounded down another bottle. I then began to think about ways I could consume it. I stuck a few bottles in the freezer to see if it would be good in a frozen state. (Answer is yes!) It wasn't until I woke up this morning and found several bottles laying on my desk and floor that I realized I might have to slow down on the stuff. I'm just glad it is a dairy product, and has no alcohol content what so ever.

Here is a photo of some of my empties:

When I asked a friend what the name of this yogurt like drink was and I was told it is called Yogurt. When pressed, I was told it is also called Yakult.

In other funny Korean experiences, last night on television they broadcast Alarm für Cobra 11 - Einsatz für Team 2: Countdown auf der Todesbrücke. The kicker was that it was tranlated from German into English and then subtitled. And the lead male's dubbed voice was that stereotypical low English voice usually used to dub Asian films with.

BTW, if anyone is looking to contact me in an online way, I'm now hooked up with YM (rycordell), MSM (rycordell@yahoo) and Skype.

Currently reading:

Watch Out William

Last night I was invited to spend some time at the local noribong. This is a place where you rent a small room equipped with some monitors, a couple microphones, and a list of songs from the 70s, 80s, 90s, and today. Oh, did I mention there is even a bubble machine for added effect. For an hour or so, the room is yours to sing to your heart's content.

Just like a little kid who watched Evil Kenievel death defying jumps, and then mimicked them, I've been influenced by American Idol. So, I took a page out of the William Hung's guide to popularity in a foreign country, and grabbed the mike.

Now I'll admit, I'm not the best singer in the world, but you gotta give it a shot. And a shot I gave it. And I've found the song that will become my signature noribong song. It will become the song that I will rock the mike with, the song that I'll try to work in on every visit, the song that soon the Koreans will start referring to as Cordell's Song, instead of the original title of Jump.

Currently listening to:

Why Blog?

This week at Blogger Idol the them is "Why ((Insert Occupation)) Should Blog...." Well, I've decided to join in and present:

Why Missionaries Should Blog:
1. It is a great way to stay in touch with supporters, with out the boring slide shows.
2. It helps dispell the idea that missionaries are technologically challenged, hence the slide shows.
3. It broadens your potential sphere of influence to spread the Gospel. (Although it is hard to get photos of any e-converts into your slide shows.)
4. It can give people a better idea that missionaries are normal people (what ever normal is) who just happen to be living in a different location. That and we make killer slide shows.

Well that is all I could come up with. I really need to get back to making a slide show. Or even better a cool flannelgraph presentaion.

Check out other's lists of occupations and why they should blog, and even add your own at:

Also be sure to check out as Darren, the creator of Blogger Idol, blogs for 24 hours straight to raise some money for charity.

Currently watching:

Leggo My Eggo

On my first full day here in Korea, I went downtown with Drew and Virginia in search of food. On the way to the restaurant we spotted a pirate statue. As Drew is a avid web searcher, he knows of the whole debate over pirates and ninjas. And while some might consider him a digital pirate, he quickly pulled out his ninja suit so he could pose for this picture. He wants to prove to the world that pirates and ninjas can live in harmony.



Now, not too far from this spot I was approached by a one armed Korean man looking for a hand out. Due to my lack of command over their language and lack of any currency in my pocket, I tried to ignore the man. Well, this tactic didn't work, as he walked a few steps along side of me, and then grabbed a donut right out of my hand and sped off. You would think that having a pirate loving ninja by your side would protect you, but no, I was now donutless in this strange foreign land. And if the whole thing wasn't so freakin' funny, I might have done something. That and the donut was free anyway.

Yesterday I watched this on Korea television:
(I'll say it's not Spielberg's greatest)