Archive for June, 2008
A Daegu man has been quite pissed that his girlfriend still moonlights at an escort agency known to send on-call girls to room salons, noraebangs, love motels, etc…So pissed he was, that they had a big argument where he threatened to burn the agency down, if she went to work. Well, she obviously didn’t think much of it, went about her ‘business’ and turned her cellphone off, so she didn’t have to listen to his protests. This apparently didn’t sit well with the BF, as he went out and purchased 8 liters of gas and went to the agency. He walked in, sprayed gas around the offices, and lit the place on fire. The man, along with everyone else in the office bolted, but not before one office worker suffered 3rd degree burns. Fire trucks arrived soon after and put the blaze out, which ended up hospitalizing the burn victim along with 6 others for smoke inhalation. Police investigators soon tracked down the bitter culprit and now have him behind bars.
Perhaps an old Korean onlooker might mistake the lack of attire due to possible fabric conservation to withstand the city’s recession. But any set of legs in front of this store on Dongseongno simply knows that hot pants and mini-skirts are in fashion, this summer.
A former teacher in Korea who endured the confusion and hardship of learning the customs of marrying a Korean woman, wrote a comedy script of his marriage tales in Korea, which was recently greenlit by Lions Gate. The film will be shot on location and be not unlike Meet The Parents, but with a Korean twist.
In other films about the Korean expat experience, we’re still waiting to hear of the exact release date of ‘Expats’, an offbeat comedy about expats living in Busan, starring Chris Klein of ‘American Pie’ fame. The plot is said to be ‘A unique caper in the vein of Ocean’s 11 meets Lost in Translation‘.
And I’m also very pleased (albeit, cautiously) to hear that there’s going to be a US-remake of the fab Korean supernatural thriller, 장화, 홍련 (A Tale of Two Sisters), which was the big breakthrough performance of a young Moon Geun Young, not to mention a sinister, yet totally fucking sexy performance by Yeom Jeong-ah. I’m glad that Hollywood is taking note of Korea’s totally underrated spooky thriller genre, even though the US versions are likely to totally suck ass compared to their Korean counterparts. Anyways, if you haven’t seen this Korean thriller yet, make a beeline straight to your nearest DVD bang and watch it in the dark. If this was an M. Night Shyamalan film, critics would probably rank it his 3rd best, right after Signs (his #1, IMO) and 6th Sense.
Just noticed this at Brian’s. Make sure you read the full account. Especially the part where the attacker barges into the foreign teacher’s house and threatens him to keep his mouth shut.
The Itaewon fine dining culture is truly eclectic. Although the area near the U.S. military base has been attracting foreigners and tourists for decades, the recent explosion of exquisite eateries offering unique international fare has allowed Itaewon to shed its reputation as merely a place where foreigners can drink and buy counterfeit goods.
Now renowned as the veritable heart of Korea’s intercultural activity, Itaewon is the go-to place for anyone looking to get a taste of another country without leaving the confines of the Seoul metro system. And if that country happens to be a land of towering pyramids, immortal pharaohs, and deadly rivers, then a visit to Egyptian restaurant Ali Baba may be just what you need.
While a little too small to house Egypt’s most prized attractions, Ali Baba does claim to be the single truly authentic Egyptian restaurant in Seoul. Established nine years ago by former diplomat Khalid Ali, the restaurant is nestled on the third floor of a commercial building on the eastern side of Itaewon’s main strip.
Upon entering the eatery, a sudden gust of air-conditioned relief mixed with the aroma of exotic spices is enough to awaken an appetite left dormant during these hot summer months. The restaurant’s interior manages to provide a genuine Egyptian feel while avoiding overly ornate decorations that are often observed in Middle-Eastern eateries. At the back of the restaurant, behind a red curtain embroidered with sequins and beads, is a cushioned and more private dining area. With dim lighting and soothing background music, we didn’t think the restaurant could have provided a more intimate dining experience - that is until our eyes feasted on the long row of hookahs, large Middle-Eastern water pipes used for social smoking.
But first things first. After choosing where to sit we focused on the surprisingly straightforward menu. Unfamiliar dishes were coupled with concise explanations, with prices not exceeding 10,000 won.
To start we ordered the hummus (4,500 won) with a side of pita (2,000 won). Hummus is a Mediterranean dip made primarily from chickpeas. Egyptian-style hummus is traditionally garnished with cumin, a red seasoning typically found in chili powder, and true to its roots this hummus had just that. The pita bread was soft and warm and the perfect dipping tool.
For the main dish we chose the acclaimed falafel (8,000 won). A popular form of fast food in the Middle East, falafel is a fried vegetable patty usually eaten in pita as a sandwich. Adorned with sesame seeds and served with an array of vegetables and sauces, the falafel was wonderfully crispy on the outside and delectable on the inside. The perfect mixture of Egypt’s characteristic spices, we now understood why a long queue outside Ali Baba is not a rare sight.
To top off your meal is a dessert of the day, as well as Egyptian coffee and tea. More attractive, however, is ending a hearty Egyptian feast in the traditional way: over a relaxing hookah. According to Ali, the restaurant offers “every kind of tobacco flavor you would ever need,” imported straight from Egypt. To meet growing demand, Ali has recently opened a sister restaurant, Alexandria. With an all-Egyptian cooking staff, dishes that are impossible to pronounce, and exotic smoking contraptions, this restaurant must be the closest thing to Egypt in all of Korea.
To get to Ali Baba, take subway line 6 to Itaewon station, and take exit 2. Walk straight for about 150 meters. The restaurant is on your left.
The Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education is seeking to to recruit approximately 600 university students from English-speaking countries as paid interns this year. Those selected for the program will teach students in cooperation with Korean teachers at elementary and secondary schools in the province.
It will be the first-ever program for foreign college students to teach English in regular classes. So far, only graduates were eligible for the positions.
“Some foreign students have to give up their university studies due to financial difficulties. We will invite those young English-speaking foreigners to our schools for the program,” Hwang Ik-jung, an official at the education office, told The Korea Times. “It is very helpful for our country as those students can be emissaries for Korea in the future.”
The Gyeonggi education office’s program is different from the central government’s recruitment of native speakers who have completed more than two years of their college course for English teacher assistant jobs.
Participants in the internship will receive benefits such as round-trip airfare and allowances of about 1.6 million won ($1,548) per month, as well as a monthly accommodation allowance. The office has set aside roughly 8.4 billion won for the internship project.
Gyeonggi education office overseas the nation’s largest number of schools. It runs some 2,000 elementary and secondary schools accommodating more than 1.87 million students and 83,786 teachers.
Currently, a total of 1,113 native English-speaking teachers have been placed at schools in the province. The education authority plans to place at least one foreign teacher in each school by 2010.
Gyeonggi is aggressively inviting more foreigners to build up an English-friendly environment at schools. Apart from the internship project, it will employ English-speaking workers from India and the Philippines in school cafeterias and libraries as part of an “English Zone.” The education office aims to hire some 75 workers this year.
Additionally, it will employ foreigners from countries where English is used as the official language when the government eases immigration regulations at the end of the year.
I like the warm and fuzzy look that the Korean government looks at university students who are wanting to have a ‘gap year’ in between their students. Face it. Anyone coming here without a degree but some university experience has dropped out.
Just wait till these guys see how little 1.6 is in this industry and how much they can make in privates or moonlighting at local hagwons and the govt realizes that they’ve created 600 teachers working illegally.
With a 3-4 year development plan and an expected finish date of 2012, the city plans to create a ‘Safari’ in southeast Daegu, near Daegu Grand Park. This effectively would become the 2nd largest zoo in Korea, after the big one in Daejeon (and if you exclude the one in Everland). The city would be merging its current half-assed one at Dalseong Park, with the new, bigger one. In addition to the 300+ animals being moved over, would be an additional 200+ new animals for the zoo, plus a mock safari ride running through a park of lions, tigers, giraffes, etc…, not unlike the safari ride at the zoo in Daejeon. With the big waterpark also being discussed for the same area, the Daegu Grand Park vicinity is really starting to become hot.
Stay indoors this wet weekend and go to the Art Daegu event at EXCO! The festival runs from now until the 29th, but you can tag along with other foreigners and Koreans, through the Facebook event.
Daegu police busted a peeping tom lingering around Banwoldang Station and the Metro underground mall, last week. The perv had been taking upskirt pictures of women while standing behind them on escalators. He even went so far as to sneak into the women’s washroom and take pics of women in occupied stalls. He admitted to have taken pictures of as many as 30 women and has been up to these hijinks since late March. The police have decided against charging him and instead are seeking for him to receive professional counseling.
Another new addition to the growing north end of Rodeo has emerged. Cafe Kori features a cozy environment for wine, coffee, and long conversation on lazy afternoons.
