Saturday August 18, 2001

Hmm.  The old allaninkorea site is still here.  Like a ghost haunting us from afar.  Well, <tch>, can’t be helped.  It’s a gradual process.

My DVD / CD Writer / Rewriter is here again.  Fixed.  For how long?  Can’t be sure.  <Knock on wood.>  Anyway, it works.  But i still don’t have any DVDs to play, so i can’t be a hundred percent sure.  

Friday August 17, 2001

Today is the last day for the name “allaninkorea.net”.  From now on, as you’ve probably figured out by now, “allansplace.ca” is the name to use.

Sunny day today.  We went to the fish market a couple days ago for a raw fish lunch.  Pretty good, but i think the best way to eat raw fish is to go to a regular restaurant and have someone serve you.  That way you get quick service (you don’t have to wait for the fish to be killed, cleaned cut up, and presented on a plate), a big variety (not like our experience where we bought two fish and ate only that), and good surroundings (not a smelly, wet market).  Anyway, it was enjoyable enough for me, but not for Hanmee.  Oh – another bonus of restaurant eating – much friendlier service.  Oh – and another – no drunk people with their drunk extramarital lovers next to you.  Ha ha!  I paint a rosy picture, eh?  I tell it as i see it.  I don’t think i’ll be working for a tour company here in South Korea.

Wednesday August 15, 2001

Well, I’m back.  New OS (Windows 2000 Pro) on my computer, dual-boot system on Hanmee’s (Win98 & Win2000Pro), and virus-free hard drives.  Caught a virus called Code Red II a week ago or more that shut me down.  Apparently it spread to thousands and thousands of Microsoft NT & 2000 servers in South Korea, bringing government offices, large companies, banks, everything to a grinding halt – or at least dropping them into slow-mo – something that still hasn’t been fixed yet.

We went to Noe-ryang-jin, a fish market about 30 minutes’ scooter drive from here.  Hanmee didn’t have fun at all.  I was wondering what crawled up her butt because she was down the whole time.  Turns out that shop-keeps there are really aggressive and not open to people who want to inquire about prices.  Really pushy people at this market.  I see now why no one wants to shop at traditional markets anymore.  Read on.

Hyundai Department Store, Galleria, Lotte Department Store, E-Mart, and lots of other medium- to high-end chain stores were ordered by the government to stop their free shuttle-bus service to & from their stores because of pressure from traditional market & small store owners.  What?  Yes.  True.  Department stores are more expensive, yet people are shopping there instead.  How come?  It’s all about service.  Kind sales people that don’t give you dirty looks for asking prices of many different styles or models of something.  You get to try stuff on.  You aren’t charged more if the salesperson hasn’t made much money that day, if you’re not old & wrinkly, if you look stupid, if you’re wealthy, or if you’re a woman.  You can get a refund or exchange your stuff for something else.  You don’t have to stand in the rain.  You don’t have to – and certainly aren’t obliged to – barter and argue about pricing.  And, if you walk away from their shop, you aren’t called a bitch or anything else.  Some people say, “It’s a shame that traditional markets are hurting.  It’s sad they can’t make money.  It’s too bad they’re coming close to extinction.  This longstanding traditional Korean shopping … way of life … blah blah blah.”  No.  It’s not like this.  It’s survival of the fittest, man.  Yes, department stores are more expensive.  But there must be a reason people are going there instead of smaller shops & marketplaces.  It’s called:

service

And there you have it, in a nutshell.  Don’t get me wrong.  Not all shops are like this.  Our plant lady (so we call her) is very kind.  The shop-keeps near here in Apkujong-dong are really friendly.  The guy we buy all our plastic tubs, storage boxes, kitchenware, etc. is friendly.  There are nice people out there in the big, ugly world we’ve made for ourselves, but it’s just easier, as many people will testify, to avoid unpleasant shopping experiences.

On to other things.

Still no CD writer / DVD player.  Still broken.  Or at least, it’s not inside my computer working, as it should be.  The guy is supposed to call tomorrow with some news.  I thought it’d be taken care of yesterday, but apparently not.  We shall see.  We shall see tomorrow.  Perhaps.

Friday August 10, 2001

The CD-ROM / Writer / Rewriter / DVD Player i bought from Youngsan is no good.  Gotta take it back.

later

There’s a guy from Samsung coming by to take a look at it tomorrow afternoon.  Weird – customer service.  Not used to that.  (No need to be snide, though.)  I know i probably won’t get it from the shop at Youngsan i bought it at.  Everyone asks me, “How come you went to Youngsan?  It’s terrible there.  Better to go TechnoMart or shop online.”

Gone rollerblading.  See you later.

Monday August 6, 2001

The power shut off this evening, for about a couple hours.  All was in darkness; hot, stuffy, still darkness.  Needless to say it’s back on now.

Sunday August 5, 2001

And so the saga goes on.

We – Hanmee, Hanyoung, and i – went to Dongdaemoon market today.  We went looking for an inflatable mattress and exercise equipment for Hanyoung and a few things for Hanmee & me.  As it turns out, we bought

rollerblades!

We really didn’t plan on buying them, but we came home with them anyway.

Friday August 3, 2001

We saw a movie last night.  Cats and Dog.  It’s a mix of real and animated effects.  Talking dogs & cats fighting; cats wanting to take over the world and rid it of dogs, and dogs wanting to defend all humans against cats and take their rightful place as “man’s best friend”.  Funny, good movie, a little childish, a little lacking if you pay attention to details.  But it was fun.  Good chance to laugh.

It’s still blazingly hot outside.  It didn’t seem to cool down much overnight.  But a couple days ago we had a rain storm that created more little flash floods here and there.  Take a look outside the balcony.

rain storm - during 001.wmv

rain strom - after 001.wmv

Thursday August 2, 2001

Boy, was it hot today.  Hanmee & i were going to head out for a bike ride today, but after pumping up the tyres and getting ready to go, i decided it was too damn hot.  Heat stroke was beginning to take it’s effect.  Anyway, i’m sitting in the comfort of air conditioning now.

Hanmee’s parents were over last night.  They bought a condo for their son, Hanyoung (my brother-in-law), who just came back from training in Florida, US.  But as of yet it’s lacking furniture, a bed & bedding, screens on the windows (hence a mosquito problem), and general homeyness.  So they bunked here last night.  For the first time, her dad had something nice to say about me, us, our lifestyle, the cats, our plants, food, etc.  He’d been a real sourpuss on previous visits, but after Hanmee’s reaming out for it a month ago or so, things have been a little different.

Read more

Saturday July 28, 2001

Headache today.  Don’t talk to me.

Friday July 27, 2001

There seems to be a sink-hole under our apartment, probably due to the heavy rains.  Some guys came over today to fill it all in again, but who knows just how long it’ll last that way.  Maybe this sort of thing has happened in the past, and filling it in with more dirt is all they can do.  Not sure.  If i go offline and never come back, you’ll know that my apartment has sunk into the earth and i’m buried in a pile of concrete.

Today’s quote:  “I know i am not seeing things as they are.  I am seeing things as i am.” – unknown