Top 10 Korean Mafia Movies

A side of Korean culture I prefer to learn about only from movies, Korean gangsters. This film genre is just as popular in 대한민국 as it is in the USA. I liked 'Friend' the best, it is well directed and deals not only with gangsters themselves but regular people who are effected by the actions of 깡패. It is not as off the wall or cheesy as some Korean movies tend to be. 'The City of Violence', on the other hand, is kind of cheesy but is still action packed and moves along quickly. Which one do you like the most? Check out this list of 10 Best Korean Gangster Movies.

Best Bars in Seoul

As some of you may well know, the drinking culture is huge in Korea. I've always enjoyed going to the cheaper traditional Korean places to drink, as opposed to Gangnam / Itaewon / Hongdae ad nauseam. But there are plenty of cool bars all over to try out, with lots of character. Try this list of best bars in Seoul. I'd recommend Bar Da in Hongdae and The Timber House at the Park Hyatt. Tired of the Itaewon scene? Just looking for a reason to wander around the city? Check out the list! :)

TuneIn iPhone app

I've been listening to more and more Korean radio. My 듣기실력 really need some improvement! I was using MBC mini and SBS 고릴라 apps but the TuneIn app is much better in my opinion. Much more reliable, loads up quickly, and a good variety of stations to listen to. 한국 라디오 고고씽! My favorite station is TBS 95.1 FM.

Ridin Solo

When I first moved to Seoul, I had a hard time finding a place to live. There are so many 부동산 / real estate offices everywhere. Some years I would visit 10 different offices just to see about 20 places in the area I wanted to live. 부동산s share lots of information with each other, and share the commission. But it is important to note that often they keep the best apartments to themselves. For this reason, it is important to check around.

If you need to study Korean more and don't feel comfortable going to a 부동산 on your own, there are a couple sites you can check out. nearsubway.com is good for places all over Seoul, especially the Gangnam area. He is expensive but extremely friendly and helpful.

If you are looking around Itaewon, edenrealty.co.kr is a good site to check. Plenty of cheap places with low deposits. Call him up, his office is by Noksapyeong Station.

If you can read Korean well I would recommend a Naver cafe like Peter Pan. It would be easier to pay the same rents the Koreans pay using this site, and sometimes you can get a contract for less than a year.

Happy apartment hunting!

My All Time Favorite Shoes

Check these out. The Nike Air Max 2003 SS. The best shoes I've ever bought. Really light, comfortable, and I think they look cool too.

So I want another pair. Looks like they are really tough to find. Champs Sports in the US doesn't have them in their whole system, I got an employee to look on their company computer. When he was checking them out he told me how nice they were.

You can get them in Asia, at least. I got mine in Itaewon, in one of the shoe stores on the Hamilton Hotel side out exit one.

I have the black ones with red. Those seem readily available online now. I have size US12, CM 30 which, needless to say, are harder to find in Asia. If anyone knows where to find US12 (many sites list this as size 300) 에어 멕스 2003 SS shoes in different colors, please leave a comment!

A product ID : 314977-100. I hope to get my hands on another pair of these!

Oh, Na-na

Anyone got their iPhone working in a 현대 Genesis to play mp3s? I thought it would be simple, just plugged it in but it said it was invalid.

I lost my short 아이폰 usb cable that I bought in 용산 for under $2USD! Doh! I go to apple.com and how much do they want for a replacement cable? $20! 얘라이

If you come to Japan, everything will be fine.

That is the subject of the most recent email I got from Japanesepod101.com. I bet everything would be fine, I've been over to Japan 4 or 5 times and thought it was quite fine indeed.

I loved the sushi there of course. 2nd for quality sushi would be Korea then a distant 3rd, the US. It is fresher as expected. I've been told they put maybe a bit of vinegar in the rice and somehow get it fluffier. Whatever they do, it's good!

내가 쓰는 아이폰 어플

I got my iPhone 4 in the US, and much to my chagrin I had to wait 90 days before I could use it in South Korea. It is AT&T policy.

For messaging, I use KakaoTalk 카카오톡. It is so simple and easy to use, and plenty of Koreans with iPhones have it so they should be able to add you easily.

The msn app for messaging is horrible. 네이트온 UC is ok.

Don't pay for your 문자!!!

추운 겨울에도 스타일 위너!

My buddy is exporting laptops from Korea to Argentina. Check out the MSI CR 720 he is offering.

Yongsan is a great place to get your electronics in Korea. Now you can take advantage of their prices even if you don't live in Seoul!

(What's the Story)

I signed a contract for an LG phone years ago, with a deposit of W40,000. My SKY phone was great.
Because I was on an E2 visa, they wouldn't like me sign up unless a Korean co-signed.

I signed a new contract with SK and I could do it myself, but they took W200k for the deposit. They just required my ARC. I've been really pleased with their 서비스 (service). Free phone too.

Airplanes, Part II

The view from my place by Gangnam Station where I stayed when I visited. The building is really currrrrrrrrrvy.

So I couldn't pass the FSOT ( Foreign Service Officer Test ). And I've moved back to the USA but have been back to Seoul to visit already. Immigration took my ARC ( Alien Resident Card ) when I left but they let me back in to visit with no problems.

Let it be

I had to request my medical records for my right knee and have them sent to the US. The hospital couldn't figure out who I was at first because my name is entered in Korean for my insurance there. It cost W70k.

Call Me When You're Sober

I was wondering if the Facecreeper app on Facebook is real. It is supposed to tell you who checks out your profile the most on FB... i.e. e-stalking. Anyone know if Facecreeper really works?

Hi, Korea.

Extending Your E2 Visa in Korea.

Please note everyone's situation is different and regulations are changing all the time. Just thought I'd put this stuff up here because there's confusion about it amongst my coworkers and friends that teach here. Hope this can help out a bit.

I got my visa for another year here. Seoul Immigration required a photocopy of my contract with my school, a health check, criminal background check, my passport, W80,000, two types of academy business registration, a reference letter, and my Alien Residence card.

I got the health check done at Saint Mary's. Lots of running around all over the place there but it was much cheaper than the other places I looked into.

I got a state criminal background check but had to go to the US Embassy and have them vouch for me about having no criminal record.

W50,000 was for multiple entry and W30,000 was for the new visa itself. You'll have to go downstairs to buy stamps for it.

Your school should help you along a bit but it's a bit complicated.

Make an appointment at the Seoul Immigration website if you're short for time.

Here's Your Future

English Spectrum and WorknPlay are the best sites I've found for finding part and full time jobs teaching in Korea. Worknplay used to have a ton more but then the economy got worse and they started charging a bunch for employers to post ads on there.

Anyways I've spent some time on these sites cuz I'm now officially back on the trading block ie lookin for a new job.

아이온

아이온 is fun if you're into that kind of thing... mmorpg. The 위치 찾기 option makes it easy to figure out what you should do next.

Throwed

I've met more than a few people here who have downtime between classes/shifts, and use that time to lift. Protein powder and other supplements aren't too easy to find around here, and GNC is wildly overpriced in Korea. Try these:

SpeedNS

Mass119

MaxPowerShop

I used Mass119 with no problems.

If you can't navigate those sites in Firefox, use IE. If you can't navigate those sites because it's in Korean, please... learn some.^^

Waiting Room

Lost my wallet last weekend so I had to go in to Immigration to reissue my Alien Registration Card (ARC). No sweat, cuz I made a reservation. Just register and click on Reserve Visit. That place can get packed sometimes and it's not really centrally located so make sure you don't waste time goin out there only to find that you need to wait in line behind half of your fellow expats. I was in and out of there in 15 minutes.

Oh ya and when I extended my E2 visa for a second year I lost my multiple reentry so I got a new one there, W50,000. Bring cash and you'll be directed to go downstairs to buy stamps for however much you need.

I was reminded last night that goin to a club and 80s music aren't really my things, but Fugazi's Waiting Room rocks. Better than the waiting room at immigration, even.

NBA International League Pass

It's tough to keep up with sports back home here, espn.com can only take me so far...
I got the NBA International League Pass and got to see the Knicks put up 82 in one half. Quality is almost like TV and there's no buffering or lag problems that I've had so far. The exchange rate to the dollar is a bit hard to swallow though.

Like This

Still can't run but been biking alot and gotten my quad a lot stronger. So it's feeling good and so far the surgery is lookin like a success. I'm surprised it's taking so long for the nerves around the surgery site to recover full feeling though.

I think I was having so much pain before because my leg muscles wasted away so much while I was on crutches, so the joint was put under too much pressure. More than four months have passed now, and I can bike at a moderate speed with no pain. As the doc's instructions I've been doing leg extensions, light squats only 45 degrees deep and balance work. Along with theraband work to work up the muscles in my ankle and toes.

If you came here after searching about knee surgeries in Korea and have more questions, feel free to email me. People have been asking about it...