From Left to Right: Jane, Sandra and Jerry

Me and Jane

Korean Lady with those hats I was telling you about

Me playing Miss. Santa

Louise as Santa in Seomyeon

Somyeon Crowds on Christmas

Me and Louise trying on those silly hats at the store

Bartender and us Friday night

Christmas Eve Day -- December 24, 2006

Me and Louise did our usual Sunday routine -- slept in, cooked up a storming breakfast of scrambled eggs with cheese, toast and bacon and three cups of home brewed coffee to wash it all down. Then we got our lazy asses moving and walked around Somyeon for four and a half hours. It was really busy, it being Christmas Eve day and all. All the streets and shops were packed, but it was super mild out. Around 10 Celcius was our guess and sunny too.

We saw a guy selling Santa Hats and so I said, "c'mon Louise let's buy some". She said, "Yeah, alright it's Christmas." And so we donned the silly hats in celebration of the season and sported them around the town getting strange, disaproving looks from old people and shouts of "hello!" and "Santa!" from the youngings. Guess it's our own damn fault for wearing those hats...

Other highlights include a squid attack -- Louise has the video footage to back me up (I'm not lying) along with photographic evidence of Koreans actually wearing stranger hats than ours -- animal ones with little ears that velcrod up around the chin. I swear. We'd seen them a day earlier at Carefore and tried them on, laughed our guts out. WTF?? Who wears these??? Now we know.

Friday night, Sandra, Jerry, Jane and me went bar hopping and ate Sum gyup sum (pork stuff that you barbeque). We ended up at O'briens and had a fantastic time as usual. I got a little pissed and spent the night intermittenly flirting with the bartender and setting Sandra up with Chris. Wonder if he called her? Will find out Tuesday I guess.

Just thought I'd throw this one in here...Louise the morning after her birthday bash

Woman serving dried squid at Nampodong

Louise at the lookout, looking out.

The look out tower on a cold overcast day

Me at the base of the lookout tower

Dragon statue

The woman who makes brown sugar pancakes

Just a quick post here to tell you about the weekend...

Sunday (today) me and Louise went down to Nampodong for a walk and to do some shopping. It was pretty cold, snow flakes and everything; I put on a few layers. I bought Quaker Oats, two skirts (one of which the sales lady talked me into and I already regret), some makeup, a turtle neck, a USB connector for my phone (which I just realized is no good without the driver to download the photos....grrr...) and an eelskin walet (the lady told me you can only get eelskin here in Korea and that it's supposed to bring good luck -- financially speaking).

Louise bought some makeup and perfume. So our day went, walking along the streets, shopping. Of course as soon as we got there I was hungry so I dragged (said: "do you wanna?") Louise to WooJung's Bibimbab restaurant and tucked in good. Afterward, we also stopped at a stand where this lady fries a kind of pancake with brown sugar inside -- delicious.

Louise wanted to check out the view from the top of this tower so we went up there, paid three fifty and took the elevator to the lookout tower. It's been a while since I've been in one of those places, it was 100 meters high and as soon as we got off the elevators we both felt light headed a little sick so we just snapped off a few photo's and took off.

Louise and Glen -- how co-workers should be.

Louise and more of her men.

some of the boys playing pool when we first arrived.

Louise's Birthday Bash

Yesterday was Louises' birthday so naturally we stepped out for a night on the town. Louise invited three of her coworkers and they were there at the pub when we arrived; playing pool and settling into their drafts.
Jason, Jay and Glen. All young virile men...I knew right then and there it was going to be a fabulous night. They started off by buying us shots of Jaigermeister (liquor mixed with a tad of deers blood -- what can I say, it's a German drink). And for every 5 shots of Jaigermeisters you bought they gave you a free jacket. By the end of the night almost everyone had a jacket...
The boys played a couple games of pool while Louise and I started on our cocktails. I drank sex on the beaches and louise had gin and tonic. I kept up with her for exactly one drink and then it was all over -- I was left in the dust. Louise kept turning to me and saying: "C'mon Amanda, drink up." And I'd look over and there'd be nothing in her glass but lonely ice cubes.
It was funny too cause every time the bartender went to make her another drink, Louise would put up her hand and shout: "hold it! Less ice, more gin." And the bartender girl would smile and we'd all laugh. "Go on," She'd say, "we won't tell anyone."
And so it went, with every drink she ordered.
Fast forward an hour and Louise and me are sitting across from each other in the booth, each of us with two men snuggling up beside us, big, stupid grins on our faces. I even saw Dave again, he came over and Louise made some comment about her boyfriend being in India and her being lonely, Dave takes one look at her all cozy between two hot guys and says: "yeah, you look real lonely."
This other guy that Louise and me both think is really cute was there last night too (we'll call him "Fred"). Fred comes and sits in our booth right next to me and Louise's face drops. "Hey Amanda!" She says, "Switch places with me."
I shook my head and smiled "Nope".
"C'mon it's my birfday."
I Grin and shrug my shoulders, lean back against Fred and rub his arms: "have you been working out?" I say.
Louise goes all quiet and then a minuite later interupts another conversation: "Hey Amanda! Switch places with me."
About the fourth time she asked I finally gave in. No sooner do I say "ok" than she bolts up and says to glen: "out of my way."
So all in all we had a good night until, inevitably, I came back from the washroom to find Louise with her chin tucked into her chest, hair hanging over her face and eyes closed. The boys helped me get her in the taxi and I took her home. Helped her into bed and then I was out the door again -- met back up with the guys then headed to a different pub in Somyeon. We ended up at a Karaoke place, sang a few songs. Got home at five thirty this morning.
Ah, but it was a much needed good night out.
Happy Birthday Weeeeza!