Tuesday July 17, 2001
Day off today. Only two hours to put in, then the rest to play with.
later
I understand now why people smoke, drink beer and such, and watch TV. All these things are addictive. Why? People just don’t have enough time to develop what they really enjoy – drawing, swimming, gardening, going to singing rooms, having barbecues, doing jigsaw puzzles, doing water sports, dancing, going to the cinema, even keeping a diary. It’s easier, drawing from Hanmee’s habits, to lay down on the couch for a rest than to pull the kitchen table up to the window and start sketching something. She really enjoys it and has oodles of talent, but she just doesn’t because she’s tired from work. Not all people are like that here, i think, but most are. Most people in my culture set aside some time at least to do their thing, whatever their thing may be. Mine were cycling, morning coffees with friends, and movies. I have morning coffee now and cycle every now and then, but that’s about it.
So i wonder what today will bring.
Hanmee spent the night on the couch last night. She listed off some reasons – wanted to brush her teeth but couldn’t wake up, depressed, couldn’t sleep in the bed – but the long and short of it is that she’s not too crazy about the setup here.
Jen, a Canadian friend of mine whom i met here in Seoul, like Starbucks coffee as much as i do. Or rather, real coffee (rather than instant coffee, Korean style flavoured coffees, or cheap brands like Rogers & Nabob).