Random things on the way to work . . . and random things from my evening . . .

On the way to work this morning . . .

I then saw this . . . they look like french fries but I know they're not . . . I'll have to ask around and see what they actually are . . .

I was sooo not in the mood to teach today and then I saw these guys working,

Amazing how watching someone with a tough job working can re-frame how you think about your own job . . .

Six hours later (WHY OH WHY doesn't Korea have Daylight Savings Time?) I was taking a taxi home when I noticed this,

Yes, I had some 'issues' with my camera. I didn't change the ISO (genius!) before snapping the pic so I gave up after the time delay got ridiculous with handshake in a bouncing taxi . . . but the effect is still kind of neat.

I tried again (all the while worried that the driver was going to get annoyed hearing the zzz of my camera and tell me to stop). The pic didn't turn out the way I wanted it to but the whole point of my taking this picture was to illustrate how you'll find mirrors in Korea in places you'd never find them in North America.

This mirror is mounted above the front passenger seat belt bracket. It is meant for the passenger sitting in the back seat . . . wow.

Julianne and I had dinner and then went to our favorite dessert place in Chuncheon: Creme.

Now to steal a little of Roboseyo's blogging panache . . . here's some music to play while you view the following pictures . . .




I've posted about Creme before here (you'll find directions on how to get there), and I highly recommend that anyone visiting Chuncheon not miss visiting this fantastic place. If you go to the chicken dokgalbi street it's a short trip afterwards to Creme which is about two blocks away.

Sooo beautiful . . .

And now a shot of the textures and flavors inside . . .

It was a Tuesday night so there weren't many people . . .

The master chef at work in his insanely clean kitchen . . .

I keep forgetting to get his name. He speaks English and is very friendly and gracious.

After leaving Creme we dropped by the "Pharm." Julianne has been coughing (she has the cold bug that is making the rounds in the schools) and I suggested we pick up some more 'witches brew' aka Chinese herbal cough medicine.

Chinese herbal cough medicine.

Sitting at my computer blogging I mentioned to Julianne that I wonder which is worse, Buckley's or the Chinese herbal cough medicine . . . and she said, "What's Buckley's?" Ah, yet another Canadianism I get to blog about . . . woohoo.

From wikipedia.com, "Buckley's Mixture is a cough syrup invented in 1919 in Sydney, Nova Scotia, and still produced today. Noted for its strongly unpleasant taste, its ingredients include Ammonium Carbonate, Potassium Bicarbonate^[2], camphor, menthol, Canada balsam (Abies balsamea), pine needle oil, and a tincture of capsicum^[3]. It is indicated for relief for up to six hours of coughs and sore throats."

And as a good teacher I will provide the following visual aid . . .



Every time we go by the pharmacy that is across from Dunkin Donuts in Myeongdong, Chuncheon, we see this little guy . . .

I think he's getting used to me. When I held out my hand to let him sniff me tonight he didn't run away (the pharmacist told us he used to be a stray).

So later when we were leaving, I squatted down to take a pic. The dog wasn't looking at me so I said in Korean, "Yogiboseyo, yogiboseyo." ("Look here, please.")

I think I freaked the dog out . . .

(The foreigner is speaking Korean!!!)

(I can't believe it! He's speaking Korean to me!)

(I can't handle this . . . I'm outa here.)

J