Every Day Should Be A Holiday

Since I last posted, I have been taking advantage of a bit of a lull in our summer teaching schedule by taking trips to Busan (midweek) and Gangneung (weekend) to take in FC Seoul's victories over Busan Kyotong and Gangwon FC. The midweek trip was probably a bit nuts because I was teaching on Tuesday and Thursday so didn't really have a lot of time to take in what was only a FA Cup last-16 encounter with a little-known team from the N-League. Still, I'm really glad I decided to head down, even if I was a teeny tiny bit late for my first kids' class on Thursday... Bad Brian!

I stayed in a pretty nice motel in Chinatown, right near the KTX station, knowing that I'd need to be up and out pretty promptly the next morning. It was only a few subway stops away

from Jagalchi fish market, so I decided to go for a nosey. The place is immense and it's great being able to see the process of catch, sort, sell and eat all within a feet of each other! I felt a bit funny about doing the old point-to-my-dinner routine, but I forced myself and was pretty happy with the result!

Busan Sport's Complex was only a few more stations along the same line, and I was sure to get there in plenty of time to catch the build-up. I wound up talking to a guy who works for the PR Department of the club, and I had a great chat with him about the team. He's really keen to get more foreigners coming along because he thinks that if we're popular with foreigners, the general public at large will follow. I'm not quite sure where he's got that from, but I enjoyed telling him some of the things we find different from football back home, and I think he got what I was saying. I'm really happy to have a good contact at the club who I can get team news from because, as I was telling him, a lot of the time you're pretty much in the dark unless you understand Korean well.

The match was a big disappointment. We started with a strong team, but Busan were lively, and we just couldn't get it together. They were denied what turned out to be a stone-wall penalty and, later in the first half, Djeparov curled home a great free-kick, which turned out to be the winner. The problem was that it should never have been a free in the first place. I was hoping that we would go on to maul them in the second half but, if anything, we were lucky not to concede. The players were pretty disgruntled after the match and didn't appear to have as much time for the fans as usual. When you consider the trek those 40-50 fans made, that's pretty unacceptable.

On Saturday, I headed east to Gangneung. We got in kind of late on Friday night (express bus from Express Bus Terminal took around 3 hours and cost W20,000), and took a taxi to Gyeongpodae beach, where we shacked up at a motel right on the beach for W40,000. Next day we had a bit of quality beach time, rented bikes to cycle round Gyeongpodea Lake, and got a taxi to Gangneung Sport's Complex in plenty of time for the 'big match'. There was a much bigger turn out of Seoul fans (maybe 300?), and Gangwon had a decent crowd as well. Seoul started with what I consider to be their strongest eleven with Kim Yong Dae - Lee Gyo Ro - Park Yong Ho - Adi - Hyun Young Min - Ko Yo Han - Ko Myung Jin - Ha Dae Sung - Djeparov - Molina - Dejan. We started out well (Molina probably should have scored after about 20 seconds) and deservedly went ahead through a wondrous Ha Dae Sung volley following a cleared corner. It really is one of the best goals I've ever seen, certainly live. Somehow we started making Gangwon look like a decent side after that, but Molina finished well on the stroke of half-time to put us 2-0 up, and the second half was a procession. That puts us up to ninth, and a win at home against Incheon this weekend could elevate us into the play-off positions!

Having sampled Gangneung's night-life (Warehouse - token foreign bar full of pissed up waegooks) and watched the sun rise over Gyeongpodea, we took the bus 40 minutes out of town to Unification Park, on Sunday. This place is NOT designed for visitors who don't have their own transport! When we finally got there, it was pretty impressive. There's a huge South Korean decommissioned warship, which was used in World War Two and up to as recently as 1999. You could go on deck and wander around the rooms inside. They also had some military displays, including one of the recent North Korean shelling of Yeonpyeong Island. It's easy to forget how current the threat really is. They also had a simple wooden boat on display that was built and used by 11 North Korean defectors only last year. Last but not least was a captured North Korean submarine. Apparently, 26 North Korean spies tried to infiltrate the country just off the coast from where the park now stands. We were able to walk through, and how they managed to get 26 people in there, I'll never know. It's a well put together (although very one-sided) display, and worth a look if you find yourself on the beautiful east coast of Korea!

I'm going to stick around Seoul this weekend. Saturday will (or should) involve some dissertation writing, FC Seoul V Incheon United, and probably a night out with the boys. The rest of the week will be pretty busy because we are teaching an intensive DDE course, but I much prefer teaching during the day than at night, so you won't hear me complaining for once!

I was catching up with Gary Pot last night and realised it has been a while since I spoke to some of my best old buddy old pals. If that's you, drop me a line! I booked my flight to Barcelona on August 5th and to Dublin on the 10th. I'm hoping to catch a Derry match that weekend and will be in Sligo for Roisin's wedding on Saturday, 13th. I don't fly to Nanjing until the 19th, so fingers crossed I'll get to see most of you. Hope everyone is doing well!

Lads On Tour

I'm writing this, as I should be finishing up the research methods section of the old dissertation. The power of procrastination has pushed me to clean my bathroom, download this and that on my computer (whoever heard of cloud files? What an idea...), upload photos, start getting stuff sorted for my Chinese 'foreign expert' visa, check flights for my epic Seoul > Barcelona > Ireland > Nanjing August foray, and write up set-lists for the couple of drummers who are interested in jumping into Jimbo's seat when he hits the road at the end of the month. In spite of the fact that I have only a week-and-a-half left until my final exam, there's no sign of the fear. I kind of need it at this stage.

Still, there's always time for a bit of 'lads on tour' action. Tomorrow, a half-dozen of us are heading down to Daejeon for a bit of craic before Jim's last weekend. The last time the six of us went out together... well... I can't really say what happened. It's not that I'm holding back, I just honestly can't really say. My personal rule for this trip is a self-imposed ban on soju (for me: the lads can do whatever they want!), so hopefully that'll keep things under control to some extent at least.

I'm not 100% happy about missing FC Seoul V Daejeon at Seoul World Cup Stadium tomorrow night, but I'll be watching it on the box. Wednesday past was another good night for the boys. Despite fielding an under-strength side, we hammered National League side, Yongin City, 4-0. Caretaker boss Choi Young Soo seems fairly adept at rotating the squad during a very busy May for the club. Dejan came off the bench to fire home a couple, Adi scored a bit of a jammy dodger, and the other was from a debutant, Choi something-or-other. A win against lowly Daegu could put us into the top-six (play-off positions). Surely they'll give Choi Young Soo the nod to carry on - at least until the end of the season... Since taking over from the shambolic Hwangbo Kwan, it has been six matches, five victories, and just the one draw (away from home in the Champion's League, falling victim to a last-minute equaliser). With Derry City defying the odds and pushing Shamrock Rovers at the top of the league, and Man Utd stuttering their way to a record 19th top flight league crown, my football supporter star is on the rise again.

There were a couple of other things I was going to mention but a few of the girls from the office at work just walked in to the coffee shop, so I should probably look busy and get back to my chapter. Have a good weekend!

Last Weekend

Figuratively speaking, I have had my head up my backside all week so I'm only getting around to ranting about all the shoddy football and other events from last weekend. Honestly, I think any team I even thought about liking lost. Derry City went down to an 88th minute sucker punch at home against Sligo Rovers, having missed a penalty (and easy rebound) through new-signing Eamon Zayed in the first half. FC Seoul looked a shadow of the side that looked so great at home last season as they lost their opener 2-0. Unforgivably, it was against arch-rivals Suwon Bluewings. They looked great. Please, no... There aren't many positives to take from that one: Molina was anonymous; the tactics were shot; team selection nonsensical... I can only hope and pray (but to whom?) that we come out with something more positive from our travels to Daejeon Citizen this Saturday. To rub salt in the wounds, Liverpool trounced Man Utd 3-1 at Anfield late on Sunday night. In the eternal words of Peter Cunnah, "things can only get better."

Lots of crap has been going on behind the scenes in life these days but nothing that I can really talk about on here. What I will say is that it may be time to rethink our faith in Seoul as a 'safe' city. A friend got into a taxi in Itaewon on Saturday night only to be robbed at knife-point by someone who had stolen a taxi and later withdrew a significant chunk of cash from her account. She'll get it back, but that's hardly the point. Of course people should be vigilant wherever we live, but I know that we Seoulites often take our personal safety for granted, and maybe lower our guard more than we should. Needless to say, take care...

In the ensuing days, I somehow lost my FC Seoul season ticket (after one use - although I can get it reissued though) and had a big scare when my hotmail account blocked my access. Where do you think all my MA research data is? You got it. Thankfully, I got it sorted and have learned my lesson. The result being is that I no longer think the universe is conspiring against me this week (month and year) so I'm going to quit whining and get on with living.

I'm going to wrap it up here but not before I add another chunk from my old Bebo blog. In a poignant example of the cyclical nature of life, this one is around the time of a break-up about a month after I moved to Seoul. It also really pissed off an ex, as I recall, but I'll post it again - what the hell!? This entry DEFINITELY sounds at least a little gay but, hey, I did write it.

New Year Seoul Blues!!	1/3/07
	Well the New Year hasn't really started as I'd hoped as things have come to a pretty sad conclusion with Becs. I never knew it was such a popular season for it! But I'll be trying to take positives from it like every other shit thing that ever happens. Part of me has been thinking about calling it a day here but having just talked to Rob (expected back here end Feb) I'll prob rough it out. I can see myself having great craic here given time. The events of the last few days came as a massive shock but we're all still friends, etc. I'm also getting a taste of my own medicine and understand a lot of things about the past much better now. Why can't we still be friends Louise? Oh, this is why. Yeah I see it now. Better late than never. No one has died though and I get her reasons. So the story now is that I'm 24, outgoing, hot (hehe) and single in Seoul. Although it isn't really what I want right this sec, it doesn't sound so bad on paper does it? New Years Eve was shit enough because of the timing but also fun in ways. It was random. I preferred last New Years much more (take note tootsythumbs, lol). I'm not back in work til next Monday but rather than mope around I'm trying my very best to explore, socialise, feel good again. I hope all is well with you lot. Do stay in touch, it's always great to hear from you. Someone tell Furey I'll make him listen to SCLUB7 if he doesn't at least email. Tell Jay to join this thing too the postman Pat wannabe. Hope your New Years was...better than mines, lol. All the best, Brian (still smiling)

Turn Turn Turn

Spring is in the air: blue skies; signs of life; new school term; St. Paddy's Day around the corner; and football leagues kicking off in Ireland and Korea (Ireland because we can't compete with the EPL, Korea because we can't compete with the deep freeze). It's a time of year when people start looking happier, take the opportunity for yet another 'fresh start', and start thinking about the promise of the upcoming summer. Gigs? Holidays? Outside beers at some roof-top bar? It all sounds so good.

Although I love the weather, the fact that it's not quite as Baltic as it was a few weeks ago, the colour threatening to break through all around, my new students and their bright enthusiasm, March 17th edging ever closer... it's all good... but... what's really getting me is the thought of the football coming back. FC Seoul got their competitive season back underway last night with what could turn out to be a vital 1-0 win away against UAE side, Al Ain. You can watch the goal here. Dejan got the winner but we had Kim Yong Dae to thank for a late penalty save. It looked like a very attacking line-up with Adi, Molina, Dejan, Djeparov and Lee Seung Ryeol all starting. Apparently it was a 4-2-3-1 formation? It's too early to make predictions, but we should have a better idea of what to expect from new manager, Kwan Hwangbo, following the K-League opener at home against Suwon. I actually cannot wait...

Derry City get their return to the top flight of Irish football underway with a really tough opener at home against Sligo Rovers, who will be very near the top of the league come the end of the season, many believe. An 18-man squad, average age under 23, not a whole lot of top-flight experience and missing our talisman and top scorer, Mark Farren; it's going to be a very tough season. Luckily for us, the division is expanding to 12 teams next season, so only the bottom team will have to face the prospect of relegation. Even then, they have a 'get-out-of-jail-free' card with a play-off. New Libya international striker, Eamon Zayed, is keeping a blog here, which will be a good read for footie fans throughout the season. Personally, I think we can surprise a few people this season and that a mid-table finish is possible. Come on the Candystripes!

It's Coming..

It's been ages since I blogged about football so I'm going to rectify that situation today and you can like it or lump it. I got up at stupid o' clock this morning for the Ireland V Wales Nations Cup opener at Aviva Stadium, Dublin. Trapps can be a bit frustrating with his insistence on always sticking with the same conservative line-up even when younger, more exciting players are coming through. Last night, there were three new caps for Marc Wilson, Seamus Coleman and Ciaran Clark; all very encouraging. The match and the result were more than encouraging. 3-0, all good goals, not much bother at the back, and plenty of players staking their claims for future participation.

The one glitch was the news that James McCarthy may have withdrawn from the squad because he's considering switching allegiance to Scotland, the land of his birth. This guy is a real talent, a claim his goals last weekend against Blackburn only provided extra strength to. He has played for Ireland before, but not in a competitive match, so we haven't actually nailed him down to representing us. Although it would be unfair to complain about the results we've achieved under Trappatoni, it's questionable whether or not he has our long-term welfare at the centre of his thoughts. Surely, making sure McCarthy comes on for a couple of minutes at the end of a competitive fixture that's more or less in the bag, is just smart thinking. Considering the fact that we're already without Premiership-level creative midfielders the likes of Andy Reid and Stephen Ireland, we don't need to be losing another that could well feature under our next, (hopefully) more adventurous manager.

Today, the FC Seoul website have presented our fixtures for the 2011 K-League season. First up, we will be welcoming arch-rivals, Suwon Bluewings, to Sangam on Sunday, March 6th. It's obviously a tough start to the season but, given that they have signed a lot of new players and will probably be very competitive this term, I'm glad we're playing them before they'll have had enough time to gel. We have signed a few ourselves (most notably Molina and Kim Dong Jin) but, with Djeparov signing on a permanent basis, it's much the same squad that won the K-League so impressively last season. It'll be my first match as a season-ticket holder, beeping myself through our own gate: no more queuing for tickets for meeeee!!!

The following weekend I'm hoping a few of us will head down to Daejeon for the match against Citizen. We have a good friend working down there so I'm trying to arrange a gig that night and make a real day and night of it; it'll actually be his birthday then too. The weather is getting warmer, our lad's night out is rapidly approaching, K-League around the corner, Derry City starting off our first season back where we belong in early March, already talk of World DJ Festival: it's coming...

Well done, well done

Oh yeah Halloween rocks. I'm still wrecked from the weekend but that can only be a good sign, as well as a sign of my old age... We managed to fit in everything we wanted to do, and I even threw together a lazy outfit (see left) at RMT - how last- minute is that! What made the night so good was the company. We were just laughing non-stop all night. With so much going on Monday-Friday (and assignments even to do on the odd Saturday) it's good to have weekends with good people to look forward to. People keep leaving, but I'm lucky to still have a good store of funny friends here.

After a lot of procrastinating, I got my assignment in on Saturday, although I wouldn't say it was the highest standard. I just couldn't switch on properly but it's still very early days and it's probably best to be making my errors now.

No rest for the wicked, even on a Sunday. We were up (relatively) bright and breezy to get over to World Cup Stadium for FC Seoul V Busan. We were missing a few influential players (a busy fixture list these days) so it was a bit more disjointed than it has been of late but we still ran out comfortable 3-1 winners. Goals this week from Jeong Jo Gook, Dejan and Choi Tae Wook. You can watch the highlights here. Wednesday's trip to Seongnam is crucial for us. A win and we are well on course to top the league and go straight into the play-off final (with the second leg at home). Defeat, and we might just have to settle for second and would have to face a semi-final. With Derry City FC returning to the top flight of Irish football on Saturday, I'm hoping for a clean sweep of league victories this season. Maybe that's asking a bit too much.

We had another busy band practice later on Sunday in Haebangcheon. With only days left until our first full gig at Rocky Mountain Tavern (Saturday, November 6th), we're still working at getting songs together and tightening other bits and bobs up. It's tough, but getting there. We're going to need two more rehearsals (so no trip to Seongnam for me on Wednesday) and I'm sure there'll still be some dodgy moments, but hopefully we can pull it off and have a fun night. If you haven't seen it already, our facebook page is here. All support is greatly appreciated!

Another Monday almost done, and not as horrific as they have been in the past. So glad to have nice classes that make work more of a pleasure than a pain. Hope your week is getting off to a good start, wherever in the world you are. I'll leave you with a couple of pictures of our Halloween party at work last Friday.

Same Sport, Different World

What is it that makes us care about one particular sports team over another? When you consider that some people will resort to violence, abuse and even murder to defend the honour of their beloved football club, how likely is it that that self same person could have ended up with a different allegiance if something in his/her past had just gone that little bit differently?

When we were in primary school in Ireland, lunchtime games would soon turn into 'Man Utd V Liverpool' and the race would be on to claim the identity of your favourite players for the duration of our precious free-time. At the time, it didn't occur to us that we were slagging off the British in one breath, before claiming allegiance to a British team from a city most of us had never even been to with the next. The 'Irish links' would be talked-up (legends such as George Best, and lesser greats like Irwin, Houghton, Aldridge, etc.) but none of us ever seemed to be too interested in the clubs we had right on our doorsteps, such as Finn Harps or Derry City.

My connection to Man Utd stemmed, very simply, from my uncle Peter supporting them. I have no idea why he liked them, in particular, and we have no geographical ties to Manchester or anything like that. Still, they were the team I defended to the hilt during corridor football talk. I wanted to be Lee Sharpe, Ryan Giggs, Eric Cantona - Barnes, Clough and Rush were dirty words. Over the years that built up to the point where Man Utd were the only club I cared about really, even though I couldn't explain rationally why...

My earliest experiences of football were at Derry City matches with my Dad, his friend, and his son who was around my age. I guess I was there during our glory days, without even realising it. At the time, I wouldn't say that I paid much attention. I remember the stands being pretty packed, and the kids just wandering about the place probably getting into trouble (which I'm sure I simply watched from a safe distance...). It was only as I matured and became more critical and socially aware that I questioned my loyalty to a foreign team I had no physical link to, and started to identify with the local team, a place I could actually go to and witness my club in action regularly. So started my real relationship with Derry City FC, still going strong today.

Then, just to complicate things, I move to Seoul. Early in my time here I went to K-League games with friends more as something to do (and an excuse to hang out with mates and beers under the pretense of doing something 'different') rather than something I was actually interested in. Yes, the stadium was amazing. Yes, the fans were colourful. Still, I didn't feel anything for this club. If they won, we cheered. If they lost, we didn't exactly need counseling. The quality of football at the time probably didn't help. In that first year, we only ever seemed to see 0-0 draws! And not even the exciting type, at that.

Somewhere, at some undefined point in time, something changed in me. I started to get to know the players, the style, the history (albeit VERY short) and the passion of the fans. I felt myself REALLY looking forward to games and being hungry for information regarding transfers, injuries, gossip, and so on. The real clincher was meeting Adi and Dejan at COEX (mentioned in an earlier blog) and then Dejan giving me his sweat-soaked shirt after a game. NOW THIS IS A FEELING! This season has been incredible. It helps that we're playing good football and being exciting, but the real link comes simply from the fact that, wherever I have lived in Korea, FC Seoul has been my 'local' team. It took time, but now I really feel a part of what they're doing. Perhaps as indicative, I have started to really dislike our traditional rivals, Suwon Bluewings. When they won the FA Cup on Sunday, I found myself cursing the competition as a backdoor to Champion's League football. I'm never ever going to get to the point where I hate the club (just as I don't hate Finn Harps or Liverpool), but I'll certainly always be clear about where my loyalties lie.

So, when I look at the world of football these days I see it from three distinct and varied perspectives. Whilst I might roll my eyes at Rooney's latest antics and grumble about the role of money and agents in the game, I know that that is part of the attraction. We love the Premiership precisely because the stakes are so high and if they weren't, stories like that simply wouldn't occur. Whereas the star striker at Man Utd is a millionaire with his private life sprawled across the world press, his equivalent at Derry City went to school with me. He lives down the road from my family home. He kissed my ex-girlfriend around the back of their school when they went to primary school together for crying out loud! Their counterpart at FC Seoul is a Montenegran international who has somehow wound up playing on the other side of the planet in a stadium and in front of capacities he could probably never have hoped to have achieved had he stayed playing in Europe, never mind being adored by some wee Irish teacher he, no doubt, can't even remember having met.

With Derry City on the verge of promotion back to the top-flight of Irish football, FC Seoul vying to win their first championship since 2000 and Man Utd recovering from a stuttering start to the season over-shadowed by off-field antics, each teams' fortunes will affect me in varying ways. I don't think I have to justify or prioritise my attachments. I'd never get to the point where I did something for any of the three that I would regret. No matter how many mindless quotes are repeated and celebrated, it is just a game. In saying that, it really is the beautiful game. I will enjoy the highs and suffer the lows, still reminding myself that under different circumstances, I might well have been cheering the opposition.

Fastest Week Everrrr

Wow the days are just flying by these days, it's crazy. I honestly feel as though I just posted something on here yesterday or the day before but I guess it has been a week or so. Not that anyone will have been too distraught, I'm sure! My most time-consuming class finished on Monday night past and I completed all the marking and so on for it today, so things will be much more relaxed for me for the next week-and-a-half or so. Ji is always reminding me how I hate being idle (when I whine about being too busy), but I looooooove having a bit of free time after a busy period. Cycling about in the nice autumn weather, catching up with friends and emails, actually cleaning my room and sorting out my desk at work so I might actually be able to find things when I'm looking for them! The small pleasures...

The reason it has been so busy is that when I'm not busy working, I'm busy playing! Last Friday night we took our homeroom students out for a couple of drinks to mark the end of our session teaching them. I have to say, I was VERY uncomfortable with the idea of taking them out to a bar. The image of one foreign guy in his late-twenties (eugh...) walking in with fourteen female students in their early twenties (or even one of them in her late teens!) just didn't sit well with me. In the end, I decided it would be counter-productive for me to be the only teacher not to take my class out. And, in fairness, it was a pretty civilized night with my lovely homeroom that ended at a sensible time and never got out of hand or uncomfortable in any way. Unlike one or two of the other teachers that stayed out until the wee hours.... Playing with fire... I'll miss that class. I got them all little thank-you cards with notes about their progress and they wrote me a nice little letter full of compliments. A damn sight different to teaching back in England...

We had an epic, monster, triumph of a band practice for four hours on Saturday. In fact, it was a big day all round for us on the band front. Songs are coming together, sounding great, gig dates are being discussed, new members are starting to understand us and each other, and we got a lot out of Cheon and how he sees things over drinks later that night. The fact that Jeff is in about a million other bands is still going to be a problem (we had to go back on plans for a gig penciled in for Friday night because he's already playing twice), but at least Jim and I can see the end (or beginning) in sight. We even have a couple of possible band names in mind. We had 75% agreement on 'For Our Souls' last Saturday, but Jeff was not impressed, to say the least. A blessing in disguise I'm beginning to think.

Football has also been taking up a fair bit of my time. I got up in the wee hours last Friday and again on Tuesday to watch Ireland's European Championship qualifiers at home to Russia (3-2 defeat) and away at Slovakia (1-1). We aren't looking great and will probably now have to set our sights on making the play-off (second place in our group) but at least we're still in it. I still always love the buzz of watching the games live, sometimes even on RTE (Irish TV), even though I'm living so far away. Someday I might even be able to do the same with Derry City FC, who got their title charge back on track last Saturday with a 3-0 home win against old rivals Shelbourne.

We were also at Sangam World Cup Stadium twice in the past week. First for FC Seoul's brilliant, battling 3-2 victory over Gyeongnam FC (highlights here) and again on Tuesday night for the international friendly match between South Korea and Japan, if such a fixture can ever be considered 'friendly'. It was a fairly scrappy 0-0 draw but an amazing atmosphere and the biggest crowd I've seen in my many visits there; I'd guess maybe 65,000. Incredibly, a lot of the seats in our zone appeared to have been sold twice, causing a lot of confusion and aggro, as you'd expect. I also had some dude in front of me telling me to "sssshhhh!" a couple of times, which is fairly incredible when you consider the amount of noise throughout the game. I believe my crime was reading through the squad list with Jimbo, trying to put names to the players on show who we didn't know. We did get a bit of pleasure from shushing him anytime he made a noise, which was usually just booing a Japanese corner-kick or something equally constructive. As Jim noted at the time, I guess he was just a grumpy old git. Being singled out for being foreign (let's face it) does get a bit annoying. Seeing some drunk guy have his head stomped on three times by another old drunk guy last night, and the ignoring/avoiding by passers-by which then ensued (aside from Ji, who called an ambulance, as the guy was flat out and not moving) are all adding to my excitement at getting home for a couple of weeks at Christmas and away from it all. Just for a bit.

Yet again, another day of life has slipped away (not to sound glum or anything...) and it's time to go meet Ji in Suyu for dinner. I don't have a terribly busy day tomorrow so I'll try to catch up on the rest of the week and some other things. Hope everyone's week has been going well. Get your weekly K-League update from "The Outside View" here and I'll chat to you all tomorrow, in the form of a blog...

Na Na Na Na N Na Na Na Na

Holy crap the weather is insane here today. I don't normally get bothered by thunderstorms but this one is unnerving me a little. I watched a huge bolt of lightning strike the building just opposite mine about half an hour ago and I'm sat on the top floor of mine in a room walled by mostly glass on one side... Safe...

More importantly than the precarious nature of my life, I had plans today! I was supposed to go cycling with Stephanie or, depending on the weather, hang out at least. We had to give up on that one. I'm also meant to go meet the boys after they finish playing screen golf (not quite up to that yet) for dinner but I'm not sure if that's going to happen either. The rain here is just like a blanket of water so, umbrella or no umbrella, you wind up getting drenched anyhow. The next time a Korean accuses Ireland of having bad weather I'm going to be less diplomatic than I usually am. Six more weeks and we'll be freezing our arses off for winter before an all-to-brief spring leads us back into a summer of sweltering heat. At least in Ireland, we know not to expect much...

Really fun weekend just passed. Friday night I somehow forced myself through the fatigue to head out with Thomas, Gerry (aka Tom and Gerry from Derry) and Jonny, another Ulsterman - nice to travel and meet new people, eh? Few drinks, pool, good music, bit of dancing on the wonky knee, lots of laughs - it was just what the doctor ordered -well, maybe not the dancing part. Someone actually told me I'm the WORST dancer they've ever seen, but I had my knee as an excuse. I'll show 'em! Saturday was productive (by my standards) because I met up with Ji, bought a second-hand bike and spent a couple of hours cycling the paths near where we both live. So, so nice and relaxing. We headed down to Hongdae for galbi with John, back visiting on a visa run for his new job in Mongolia. It was good to see him. His new adventures certainly fueled my growing desire to move on to pastures new...

Nice Sunday hanging out with John, bit of cycling (removing the tension built up by our 160 km/h on average taxi ride home last night...), bit of getting caught in the rain, bit of Man Utd V Liverpool. I'm not going to go on about football in this post (apparently I do so too much...) but it's amazing how easy it is getting to watch so much live sport live on your computer. Sites such as myp2p.eu show football, motorsport, cricket, rugby... nearly anything you'd like to watch is on there! It hasn't quite got to the point where I can watch Derry City FC in the comfort of my own home in South Korea yet, although I'm not sure that's a bad thing considering the results they've been having recently...

Working on Monday wasn't so bad. A lot more students showed up than I had expected but it was a pretty laid-back atmosphere with the holidays coming up. It was actually nice to have the opportunity to work with a smaller group of students and get to know them all a little better. I only see my General English girls once a week and I have nearly a hundred of them in total so that's not easy. I also got a W200,000 Chuseok bonus from my Uni, so I'm les inclined to moan about them than usual... What can I say, I'm cheap! After classes I met Ji and we cycled out of the city into a surrounding hiking trail and it was beautiful. I love living where I live. All the convenience of the city but the fresh air and ease on the eye of the countryside just a short cycle away. I love my bike... It's like being a teenager again!

After some confusion, we finally managed to arrange a rehearsal for late last night. It wasn't all plain sailing but we made a bit more progress and have another session booked for Saturday afternoon. It's all about building up some momentum at the minute. We might even arrange a short gig (maybe just one set) for Saturday October 2nd in Itaewon or Hongdae. Musically, it's all sounding good, but we're still a long way from the energy and atmosphere of U R Seoul. Maybe my best night with them (although Jim was out of the country so we had Craig covering on drums) was for the Seoul V The Beatles benefit in Freebird, Hongdae, the year before last I think it was. I'll leave you with a video taken from that night. Aaaah memories... Will I ever be in a band that fun again?...



Wow my hair was long....

Distinctly Average

Bit of a dangerous title for a blog entry but I'm referring not to myself or my wares, but to the first weekend of the English Premiership. I might be being a bit unfair but over the weekend none of the games really grabbed me and the more I have watched highlights and so on, the more underwhelmed I have become. I know there were some big wins (Blackpool catch the eye) but the games I was really looking forward to all ended as stalemates. I was hoping that Spurs could start off with a win against Man City (and they deserved to) because the constant splashing of the cash is becoming tiresome and I don't want to see that approach continually vindicated. I also can't understand what Shay Given has done to lose his place in the team, although I admit I'm biased towards my fellow Donegal native. And Joe Hart had a stormer, in fairness to him. On top of all that, my fantasy team were average and I'm already languishing in mid-table in most of my leagues. Obviously it's very, very early days, but it's never good to lose too much ground early on. I think I'll have to choose reason over gut and drop Rooney as my captain. It seems as though his World Cup form has carried over into the new season. Maybe my feeling that the weekend's football was average has as much to do with my own fantasy team and another home defeat for Derry City against Cork City Foras Co-op. Thankfully, Monaghan lost too, so we got away with it to an extent. Still, we need to get back to winning ways or risk squandering what was, at one stage, a 12-point lead at the top of the First Division. Oh please next weekend give me better news. A win for FC Seoul at home to Gangwon FC on Saturday would do the trick just nicely.

That'll be the last FC Seoul game I'll be at with my best mate, Robert (for the foreseeable future anyhow), as he leaves for England next week. I have mentioned before in the blog how people are always coming and going in Korea and that your friendship group is ever-changing. I have to say that this week will be different. It goes without saying that I have been close friends with Rob since we were about 13 (and known him since play-school) so it's going to be tough when he leaves. It's hard to put a value on having someone around in this environment who you know and trust completely and don't generally have to worry about how you are around them. I'm glad for him that he's moving onwards and upwards but of course I'll be sad to see him go. The very same week Jessica, a former co-worker, also leaves for England and she's someone I have also been very close to. The following week Kev (my long-time guitarist) and his girlfriend Joanna leave for Barcelona so it's shaping up to be a grim enough time. Thankfully I still have a lot of people here who I would consider to be friends, but the loss of those four is significant.

Saturday is shaping up to be such a busy night of goodbyes that I decided to pull out of the Red Hot Chili Peppers gig I was due to sing at. I feel really bad to let Cheon down at this late stage but there was no way I could miss any part of a night this important. I'm hoping I'll get the chance to do something some other time with Cheon's band. Jim (our drummer) gets back from England on Saturday so we'll hopefully be back rehearsing soon and might play a short show on Friday 27th somewhere. I'll write it here if we do. At the minute, my main focus is on the acoustic night at Rocky Mountain Tavern on Friday (20th). I'll be singing about ten songs with Kevin after sets by him, Zee (The Pines), and Patricia Chamless (Sour Mash). They are all really good singers so I hope I'm not shown up but we rehearsed last Saturday and it was sounding good so hopefully we can emulate that. I'm looking forward to singing at an acoustic gig because, fun and all as the 'rock' band thing is, this is much more complimentary to my voice. If you happen to be around Seoul on Friday night, try to make it along. I think it's going to be a nice chilled-out night with a lot of good music. I'm certainly looking forward to hearing Kev, Zee and Patricia again.

I can't really think what else I wanted to say today. This week I've been doing a fair bit of reading, studying Korean and trying to strengthen my quad in anticipation of maybe being able to walk properly again sometime soon. I've started doing a bit of preparation for my next semester again and I feel fairly sure of what I'll be doing for the first couple of weeks at least. Today, the girls in the office tried to give me money for the lessons that I taught them a while back. Basically, there were crossed-wires between my boss and her boss which led to me teaching the girls in the office as part of my summer schedule, only to find out I wouldn't be getting paid for it. The girls got the money together themselves but I definitely can't accept that because it wasn't their fault at all. The fact is that they probably get paid a little over half of what I do for a lot more work and much less vacation time so I think I can take the hit better than they can. In saying that, I'm going to be so skint next month I barely want to think about it (always the best way to handle your financial concerns...).

Overcast

That's the word that sums up both the weather and my mood today. All week really. I'm doing my best not to feel sorry for myself with the knee situation but I'm not always as successful as I'd like. The official word remains the same. I have my next appointment on July 29th at which I'll find out if I can take off the splint and start physio or if I need to start preparing myself for surgery. I can tell you in no uncertain terms that surgery will be a pain, financially as well as physically and mentally. I am trying to be upbeat about it though. I was grumbling to myself whilst in Suyu last night running a few errands only to be passed by a group of cheery adults with much more severe physical disabilities than my silly little dodgy knee. The point wasn't lost on me.

I haven't blogged since Monday. I haven't been particularly busy or anything. I just think it's not the best idea to write too much when I'm not at my brightest. It has also been a very samey week in a lot of ways. My classes are going well and I'm enjoying them but there's nothing too noteworthy in that. I did stumble upon something interesting in my new class with the girls who work in the office here. That's a nice class because it allows me to get to know the Korean staff much better. I actually love teaching them. Anyway, the topic was 'friends or lovers?' based around the story of two friends (a male and a female) and the question arose as to whether or not men and women can really just be friends. Maybe it's not surprising among a group of six women in their early twenties, but they were insistent that men are incapable of being friends with women without other thoughts coming into it. I guess, if I'm honest, the number of my female friends who there has never been anything physical with (in mind or matter) is very, very small. It did surprise me a little that the girls in the class agreed with each other so vehemently. They mentioned at one point that maybe foreign men are capable of it, but not Korean men. That's probably a different debate altogether.

I mentioned that I had been reading 'Life of Pi' by Yann Martel. Well, it has been great company for me in an otherwise fairly empty week (by my standards at least). I finished it last night. Although it dipped in terms of quality in the final section and took about 100 pages to really get going, it was still a very enjoyable and, at times, enthralling book. At one point I was so wrapped up in the narrative that when a mosquito buzzed past my ear I nearly jumped the height of myself. I really thought, for a moment, that I was in that lifeboat with a Bengal tiger snarling by the bow. Of course, it's an allegory, but the story stands up by itself and is well-written and thought-provoking. My edition has some 'reading group questions' that I'm mulling over at the minute. I would definitely recommend you read it. 'Believers' might enjoy it even more than I did.

Religion is a major theme throughout the book. For me, this often spoils a work because I feel as though there is an essential leap that I simply cannot take and so my appreciation will be lacking. As early as the seventh chapter, the central character, Pi Patel, chastises agnostics: "To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation". While I can't agree fully with that, agnosticism does strike me as a bit of a cop-out that I have been clinging to for a while now. It's a kind of covering of bases just in case one side isn't right, while still protecting yourself from the barbs associated with belief/non-belief. I am ready to admit that I am an atheist. I simply don't believe in the notion of a God or that there is any point to what we are doing as we mill around in our daily lives. In saying that, I would consider myself to be a humanist. It's still something I'm thinking about. I don't feel, at 28, that I'm ready to draw a line under the biggest of questions just yet.

Well that got a bit heavy didn't it? Thankfully I have music and sport to distract me from becoming too sullen. We had rehearsal on Wednesday night and again later on today. Some of the songs came almost effortlessly and sound really, really good. Others will take more time but I'm enjoying trying tougher things and working at it. They'll really feel like an achievement when they come. And they will come. As a group we're starting to build some momentum and we're getting on well as people which is probably even more important than how well we are playing the songs. Cheon is a top bloke and brilliant bassist. I feel as though I have known Jeff for ages already and I don't really need to say anything about my relationship with Jim. Ok I will anyway. He is one of my favourite people on the planet. I really honestly always feel privileged to be able to play with such talented musicians. I'm gagging for a gig... Jim leaves on Saturday for four weeks but it seems as though I'll be singing in a Red Hot Chili Peppers cover band with Cheon and some of his friends. That'll give me my music fix for the month.

FC Seoul crashed out of the FA Cup in mid-week with a 2-1 defeat away at Busan. Judging from the highlights, it was a game that was there for the taking had we been able to defend a couple of basic crosses in the air at the back. The ever-impressive Choi Hyo Jin scored the opener for Seoul. However, Busan clinched it with two headers late in the second half. Frustrating. I am thinking of going to watch them away on Saturday night. In Korea, all men (with some exceptions) must serve in the military (usually for 26 months). If you are a professional footballer, you do this by playing for Gwangju Sangmu FC. They aren't the most competitive team in the league, hardly surprising given that their panel is constantly changing from year to year. Unfortunately, in true Korean style, they aren't playing at home in Gwangju this weekend but in nearby Younggwang, which makes the trip down that bit less convenient. We'll see how the knee is in the morning and what Ji thinks on the matter.

I only have 40 minutes before my language exchange so I better get cracking. I probably won't write anything over the weekend so have a good one everyone. Make the most of it! If you feel like a giggle check this out. I've been meaning to post it since my friend Jessica showed it to me. I think it'll resonate for anyone who has ever been in a relationship!

A lot of balls!

27 to be exact! Above is Lee Chung Young, a former FC Seoul winger now plying his trade for Bolton Wanderers FC in the English Premiership. Even though he is just back from a fairly successful World Cup for South Korea, he still had time to come back to World Cup stadium on Saturday and kick/throw 27 signed balls (his old shirt number at FC Seoul) into the crowd in the pouring rain at half-time. What a nice bloke...

The FC Seoul game at home to Chunnam Dragons was probably the highlight of my weekend. I sat in with Ji on Friday night with pizza and we just chilled out. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was out socialising as soon as I could after work every week with the Friday feeling coursing through my veins! Now staying in seems to be the norm. Most of Saturday was spent pottering about, doing my usual bits and bobs. The monsoon rain was quite the spectacle, although it threatened to ruin my plans to go watch the match at 7pm.

I called 1330 (unbelievably handy number you can call up for information on virtually anything - they even settle bets on drunken nights out, although I'm certain they're not happy about it) and they informed me that the game was still on (in spite of torrential rain for two days...) so I headed over. Ji met me in Seokye and we got the subway over together. The pitch was in perfect condition even though the rain continued to pour throughout proceedings. Seoul were good without being great and, although they ran out 1-0 winners, it was a nervy performance. The goal came when Hyun Yong Min crossed for Dejan to lay it off for Ko Yo Han who fired home accurately with a left foot finish. It was his first ever FC Seoul goal... You can check out the highlights here. Chunnam had a free-kick strike the crossbar and possibly bounce over the line in the first-half. I've seen it a few times and I'm still not sure if it was a goal. Goal-line technology anyone?

Our seats for K-League All-Stars V FC Barcelona have been booked so that's something to look forward to on August 4th. I read that no World Cup winners will be here but Messi will. Not overly confident that we'll see much of him but I'm looking forward to seeing the K-League players anyway. Incidentally, I stumbled upon quite an informative English-language website dedicated to Korean football here. I'll certainly be frequenting that from time to time. It's not always easy to keep up with what's going on here with the language barrier.

Derry City beat Shelbourne 2-1 away from home last Friday night to stay 10-points clear so, with FC Seoul currently in 3rd position in the K-League, it's a great football season for me so far! Aside from my own football-related injury, of course. I'm hoping to travel down south next weekend for FC Seoul's away K-League encounter with Gwangju. They are quite an interesting team because they are made up of footballers completing their military service. Annoyingly, it looks as though the game is taking place in Younggwang, not Gwangju, although it might be a good chance to have a sight-seeing trip somewhere new. Be nice to get the camera into action properly for the first time...

Ummmmmm

I really don't have all that much to say today. I had a nice but terribly grown-up Friday night in last night with Ji. We ate, she beat me at Scrabble and we read and had an early night. That's life when you're nearly 28 folks, watch out! In fairness I doubt I'd be staying in if I didn't have this God forsaken splint on but we still had a nice time.

Another nice win for Derry City FC last night and the march goes on. I'm looking forward to watching the British F1 Grand Prix this weekend and, of course, the small matter of the FIFA World Cup Final between Holland and Spain. I just noticed that the mouthy know-it-all I work with drew Holland in the sweep. I'll be rooting for Spain solely on that basis. An Irish co-worker drew them so it's time for a bit of national solidarity I think.

It looks as though I will be having a language exchange with a former student who teaches Korean here starting this week perhaps. She is a really nice woman and, I suspect, a very good teacher so I'm looking forward to it. She is also very pleasant to teach so I'll be doing my best to help her as much as I can.

I finished 'Foe' last night. It's one of those very symbolic books that, although wonderfully clever, fail to excite. It was about the power of words and the authority of those who rule over them. It was a good read, but I doubt that it'll live long in my memory. I found Yann Martel's 'Life of Pi' in the teacher's office, which has been recommended to me countless times. I'm hopeful.

Having ruled out our proposed new band name on the grounds that it just split opinion too much, I thought of the idea of stealing a band name from 'The Hitch hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' because Jim and I both love the series. So, what do you think of 'Disaster Area'? It has already been done (by a Metallica tribute band, I believe) but I can't see that bothering anyone on the music circuit in Korea. Cheon text last night to say that he can't rehearse on Tuesday due to the illness of a family member. Jim, Jeff and I are going to meet up anyhow. I hope we aren't losing Cheon. If we do, it'll be 100% my fault... I also hope his family member is ok. I hope that goes without saying...

I can't explain how much I'd love to have a drink tonight. It's my birthday weekend for crying out loud! Rob and Thomas are in Suyu right now having Family Mart beers (cans outside a convenience store, yet another great aspect of living in Korea) and I'm going to join them with Ji soon. I meant to mention that our delivery food last night was 11,000 Won (about €7) for two main dishes, some mandu, side dishes, two portions of rice and delivery. Then they come and pick up the dirty dishes next morning! I took a few pictures to put up here but it'll have to wait. What could I buy for €7 in Ireland these days? Not very much, I'd say.

Anyway, it's the 3rd/4th place play-off tonight. Well, who cares...? I'll probably watch it anyway. I hope you're all having a nice weekend. Thank you, as always, for your comments both private and public.