Rubber Soul

Hey there, I hope everyone is doing well. It's cold in Seoul and colder on the British Isles so chances are that if you're reading this blog, you've probably been doing a fair bit of shivering over the past few days. Tough it out, it's December! If, on the other hand, you're visiting from Australia then I hate you and you should feel bad about yourself. Jealous? Me?

I've been having a busy following a predictably packed weekend. Rehearsal was good on Saturday but we had an eerie few minutes towards the end when we realised we were the only people in the whole studio. They wouldn't leave for a bomb shelter without telling the waegooks, would they? Funny how paranoia starts seeping through at times like these... It was Cheon's birthday so we headed to 'El Bliss' right next to FF for a fancypants (thanks for getting that stuck in my head Annie) dinner. It's strange that somewhere so swish and upmarket is right next door to FF, which is... whatever the opposite of swish and upmarket is. The gig that night at Woodstock was, "just a gig" as Jeff put it. We were fairly tight and played well enough without the night being really noteworthy for any reason. The place was pretty much empty when we got there (they'd been having a punk night since 8pm) but a good few of our brilliant friends came along and ensured there was a good atmosphere throughout the gig. I can say without doubt that it's the first time I've been asked to sing 'Gangster's Paradise', repeatedly. I'm from Donegal. We don't have rappers, we have Daniel. Maybe I could do a Daniel rap, or... maybe not.



This weekend we're playing as part of the Rubber Soul event taking place in several venues around Hongdae, as well as in a couple of North American cities. We'll be playing at 11.15pm at Ting Tings in Hongdae, which is just a few doors down from Club FF. I'm looking forward to taking part in such a big night for a good cause. Of course it's always good to play at a new venue too. We were in having a look last week and it looks as though it's going to be pretty nuts if there is a good crowd in. We'll be finishing the live part of the night off following on from Sotto Gamba, who are one of the best band's I've heard in my time in Korea. They have two great vocalists, a 'funky groove', play great original tracks and are great to watch live. Check out their videos on their facebook page here. If you're in Hongdae that night, you could do worse...

Monday was NOT just the same old Monday. I'm not really sure why, but I was full of beans (a word that is making me slightly ill after that video...) all day. The morning classes were great, I did a bit of prep for my Lit Review, got my classes ready and they went really well. No Monday blues, no weekend hangover, no energy dip. I'm sad to say, I can't tell you why. I think it was just a fluke. I even got to catch up with family on skype later in the night. Only a week-and-a-half until I'm back on Irish soil for a couple of weeks. I'm really, really looking forward to it.

Yesterday I spent the whole day writing my draft Literature Review. I made the usual mistake of reading for too long and starting the writing too late, but it is just draft so it doesn't matter too much on this occasion. Now that I'm writing my dissertation, I'm paying much greater attention to small details than I have ever done in the past. Also, reading 'Succeeding with your Master's Dissertation' by John Biggam is really helping to focus my work. Aside from prepping and teaching my two DDE classes last night, writing the review took up my entire day. In saying that, I actually enjoyed it, which is a good sign if I decide to opt for further study once I get this MA out of the way. I know some of you are also working on your dissertation these days. I've said it before, but that Biggam book is a must-read.

And then it was Wednesday. It's another full day of classes, conferences, 'volunteer' supervision and study. The big global event today is, of course, the first leg of the K-League Championship final between Jeju United and FC Seoul on the southern island. There's a nice preview as part of this week's The Outside View podcast here. The good news for us is that Ku Ja Cheol is out injured for Jeju, having been so influential from midfield all season and for Korea U-23s at the Asian Games last month. The bad news for FC Seoul is that I'm going to miss the first half because I have to 'volunteer' to supervise a TOEIC study session. The loss of my support is going to be a big blow (I know), but I'm hopeful they can come away with a draw at least and set things up for a big finish at Sangam World Cup Stadium on Sunday. It's going to be cold, but it's going to be worth it... I'm already dreading three straight hours of oral exams with my General English girls on Monday morning. I know what you're thinking. Shame on you!

If you found the first video offensive, best not click on this one... Have a good day everyone. A special welcome to those visiting from the Korean blog list.