only in Korea

So I was doing so well not being sick for at least the past two months...until this week hit and I got yet another cold. Suffice it to say I am not happy, especially since I had planned on doing lots of different things this weekend. Unfortunately it looks like I may have to cancel or at least postpone those for the time being. Ah well...c'est la vie.

Last weekend (before I came down with whatever it is that I have now) was fun though; I had all of the usual people over for the impromptu anti-Valentine's Day party, though the only thing we did that was even remotely "anti" was to take a teddy bear holding a heart with the word love on it, pack it with enough firecrackers to blow it sky-high and then proceed to light it on fire in a way that one might consider very riot-esque. The guys who brought the infamous bear did not light it anywhere near my school building, but instead took it down to some inconspicuous spot near the river where no other unfortunate souls might catch sight of our poor hapless victim. Needless to say I didn't go with them. When they brought it back there were only the charred remains of something that might have once been fluffy and white... Aside from that pyromaniacal fun, we watched a zombie move (perfectly appropriate for our "anti" theme) and ate lots of chocolate. A good time was had by all.

Sunday I met up with some of the anime group for early afternoon Oylmpic hockey watching at the Rocky Mountain Tavern down in Itaewon. After that we headed over to Abbey's Book Nook nearby and had coffee & treats while we perused their selection. The owner was playing the part of match-maker that afternoon and purposefully seated a table of three guys next to us. I suppose she got a little perturbed when we continued to carry on our own conversation without them, because soon after she was forcibly pushing our two tables together and then proceeded to sit down and mediate the conversation between the six of us. After we left the bookstore we actually ended up joining them at a nearby bar where we spent the rest of the night playing darts and pool. They invited us all to this going-away party tonight...though I'm not sure I'll be going since I still don't feel all that well.

Tomorrow's anime meeting has been cancelled since a lot of the group won't be able to make it, and I think I may just spend the day laying low and recovering from this nasty cold. Sunday I'm hosting this Phantom phan get-together at my place with Danya and this other guy she met at the bookstore. We're going to be watching Phantom movies and listening to Phantom music...all that sorta fun geeky stuff. Yes, I know I'm a nerd...I think I mentioned that before, right?

Hope everyone's week is going well...
:)

well being

So as of right now it's about 3am on this cold Sunday morning in Seoul. The anime gang left my place not too long ago, and even though I am somewhat tired at the moment, I feel my best course of action would be to simply stay up and forgo my sleep for the night. After all, I do have all of tomorrow evening to nap if need be. And besides, if I did choose to fall asleep at this moment I would probably only end up being more tired in the long run and in fact miss the sunrise that I have sought to experience these past few weeks. There's really not that long to wait till morning and I can always keep myself busy writing, reading or listening to la musique.

I can't believe how much different my life here has become during these past few months. When I first got to Korea I was so very much on my own all the time, but now...now it seems like there's always something going on, something to partake in, something to fill the unending void of hours that stretch out before me like an empty blank canvas. I'd even go so far to say that my life here has become more socially adept than it ever was back home. Here I seem to have taken on this strange new role as one who plans things instead of just following along in the background like I was always more apt to do before. Has coming here and putting myself in such a foreign situation changed me so drastically? Was it really that I once again placed myself in this sink or swim position? It seems like whenever my life starts to get too dull or unbearable I always try to solve my problems by picking up and just running away. But maybe there's more to it than that. Maybe I'm only just trying to prove my own courage, my own ability to stand against the wind and fly unhindered by anything that might have come before. And maybe this was the ultimate test of my strength, because by simply coming here I proved that anything is possible if I only put my mind to it. And in doing so, I have opened up the future so much wider than it ever was before. It seems the possibilities are endless...

From here I can do anything. From here I can jump off this precipice and soar higher than I've ever dared before. I don't think I've had so many opportunities available to me...it's really a refreshing change.

So anyway, perhaps I am a bit more contemplative tonight than I otherwise would be. Maybe it's the lateness of the hour, or the lingering glow of spending an evening with good friends...or maybe it's a combination of everything rolled into one. In any case, I feel different tonight. For once, I feel well.