This band are good friends of mine, so check out their first official music video. They are a great band and totally deserve the attention. Their first album is out and they are working on their second one. The song is "Gotta A Chance" and my favorite song. It just cheers me up. ^_^ I'm working on a profile so look out for it soon!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Rock bands are the most fun a rock concerts
So, I had the most awesome opportunity yesterday to go to the Jisan Valley Rock Festival. I was suppose to go on Friday, but an unexpected schedule change put a kink in my plans and I didn't think I could go.
But then I found out that my friends in Phonebooth were going on Sunday, so in a last minute decision, I decided that I would go to Jisan, even though I wasn't one hundred percent sure about public transportation on the way back.
I got down there, met up with my friends just in time for the Asian Kung Fu Generation. I was so excited because I've wanted to see them play for a really long time. I pull out my camera, and discover that the battery is dead. I was soo upset. But it turned out okay. My friends brought their cameras, so I asked them to email pictures if they could.
Anyway, Asian Kung Fu Generation was awesome. They played "Reraito" and "After Dark". I got a little clip on my phone, but I can't figure out how to get it onto my computer. I can send pictures to my email, but it won't let me send video clips. Bleh...
After AKFG, we hung out on the picnic mats. There was a big group of people there, and I sat with Kwang Sun and Hye Won. They had some how managed to sneak in a bunch of drinks and food, so we had a fairly good party going on. Pattie Smith was on next and was a lot of fun, though a bit too much politics. It was cool that she was calling out for peace and saying we need to treat the environment better, but then she went on and on about nuclear weapons, etc. But still it was a good time and everyone sang along with "Because the Night" and "Gloria".
After Pattie Smith, we got some food and drinks and headed back in time to catch Jet. Tae Woo was super excited...and Hye Won was already a bit drunk, but we all danced around like crazy. Tae Woo had this idea that he wanted to put me up on his shoulders, so I said okay. Unfortunately, he didn't wait until I was completely on before he went up and ended up dropping me in front of everyone, which was super embarrassing. He wanted to try again and I said no, but I finally gave in again and we were more successful this time. Though he did say that I was a bit heavier than I looked...har har har...
After Jet, we had about an hour until Oasis, the headliner, came on. So we went and hung out by the drink tents and had some cocktails and just talked. Tae Woo wandered over with one of his friends, who was really cute. We talked for a bit and then headed back to go watch Oasis. Oasis rocked my socks off. They were awesome live. Everyone is singing along and dancing and yea, it's hard to explain, but you just had to have been there. Jae Ho already has a little video clip up of all of us singing to "Wonderwall". It was...yea...with the mountains and the music and the friends...Wow. And then they had a giant firework display afterwards. All in all...an awesome show and a night to remember...
Next year, we've decided that we're getting a room at the resort for all three days and spending the whole weekend down there. Oh Jisan Rock Festival...you were great...
But then I found out that my friends in Phonebooth were going on Sunday, so in a last minute decision, I decided that I would go to Jisan, even though I wasn't one hundred percent sure about public transportation on the way back.
I got down there, met up with my friends just in time for the Asian Kung Fu Generation. I was so excited because I've wanted to see them play for a really long time. I pull out my camera, and discover that the battery is dead. I was soo upset. But it turned out okay. My friends brought their cameras, so I asked them to email pictures if they could.
Anyway, Asian Kung Fu Generation was awesome. They played "Reraito" and "After Dark". I got a little clip on my phone, but I can't figure out how to get it onto my computer. I can send pictures to my email, but it won't let me send video clips. Bleh...
After AKFG, we hung out on the picnic mats. There was a big group of people there, and I sat with Kwang Sun and Hye Won. They had some how managed to sneak in a bunch of drinks and food, so we had a fairly good party going on. Pattie Smith was on next and was a lot of fun, though a bit too much politics. It was cool that she was calling out for peace and saying we need to treat the environment better, but then she went on and on about nuclear weapons, etc. But still it was a good time and everyone sang along with "Because the Night" and "Gloria".
After Pattie Smith, we got some food and drinks and headed back in time to catch Jet. Tae Woo was super excited...and Hye Won was already a bit drunk, but we all danced around like crazy. Tae Woo had this idea that he wanted to put me up on his shoulders, so I said okay. Unfortunately, he didn't wait until I was completely on before he went up and ended up dropping me in front of everyone, which was super embarrassing. He wanted to try again and I said no, but I finally gave in again and we were more successful this time. Though he did say that I was a bit heavier than I looked...har har har...
After Jet, we had about an hour until Oasis, the headliner, came on. So we went and hung out by the drink tents and had some cocktails and just talked. Tae Woo wandered over with one of his friends, who was really cute. We talked for a bit and then headed back to go watch Oasis. Oasis rocked my socks off. They were awesome live. Everyone is singing along and dancing and yea, it's hard to explain, but you just had to have been there. Jae Ho already has a little video clip up of all of us singing to "Wonderwall". It was...yea...with the mountains and the music and the friends...Wow. And then they had a giant firework display afterwards. All in all...an awesome show and a night to remember...
Next year, we've decided that we're getting a room at the resort for all three days and spending the whole weekend down there. Oh Jisan Rock Festival...you were great...
Monday, July 20, 2009
First Day at Arirang...and I Feel 5 Years Older
Today was my first at work at Arirang... and I feel 5 years older. It's not a bad thing, though.
Arirang has a really high standard for their work, so gone are the days of just editing and sending it off. I'm not use to broadcast, so I've got to really work to catch up and get myself up to Arirang's standards. It's more than just making it sound good or checking for spelling or grammar mistakes. It's making sure that every sentence has punch and really goes through with meaning. It's reading every sentence a thousand times and going over each paragraph to make sure nothing is repetitive. It's a completely different atmosphere from anywhere that I've ever worked.
So, in short, I'm really excited and I think I made a really good decision and I'm going to gain a lot of good experience. The anchor I'm working has been in the business for 15 years and is a good resource. She's been helping me out and really encouraging me to do my best work. I think this is going to be an amazing opportunity.
And everyone at the office is so professional. I felt a little bit like the college intern today, but I know it'll get better. It's just time to bring in my A game...everyday...for eight hours... But I can do it. Arirang is going to be awesome.
Arirang has a really high standard for their work, so gone are the days of just editing and sending it off. I'm not use to broadcast, so I've got to really work to catch up and get myself up to Arirang's standards. It's more than just making it sound good or checking for spelling or grammar mistakes. It's making sure that every sentence has punch and really goes through with meaning. It's reading every sentence a thousand times and going over each paragraph to make sure nothing is repetitive. It's a completely different atmosphere from anywhere that I've ever worked.
So, in short, I'm really excited and I think I made a really good decision and I'm going to gain a lot of good experience. The anchor I'm working has been in the business for 15 years and is a good resource. She's been helping me out and really encouraging me to do my best work. I think this is going to be an amazing opportunity.
And everyone at the office is so professional. I felt a little bit like the college intern today, but I know it'll get better. It's just time to bring in my A game...everyday...for eight hours... But I can do it. Arirang is going to be awesome.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Fukuoka, The Weekend of Lost, Rain and Butts...
So, I got back yesterday from Japan without too many mishaps, other than getting stuck in the Busan Airport and getting a bit sick, but I'll get into that more later.
I've been back for a day and I'm still ridiculously tired. I chalk it up to the little sleep I got Saturday night (out of fear I wouldn't hear my alarm clock) and the fact that I have a cold. Bleh. Anyway, I guess I'll give a day-by-day break down of my trip...
Day One:
Nothing too special. I took a non-stop flight from Seoul to Fukuoka and landed about 3:40 pm. A really sweet, little old Japanese couple sat next to me on the bus to the domestic terminal and offered to help me to Hakata Station, since they were heading in the same direction. We talked about English and why I was in Japan. They told me about their trip to Western Europe that they were returning from. Once we got to the station, they pointed me in the direction of my hotel and wished me a wonderful trip.
When I got to the hotel, I was quite tired so I slept for a couple hours. Mostly because it was heavenly to be sleeping in air conditioning. The room was small, but clean and nice. And it had a...wait for it...BATHTUB! I haven't had access to a bathtub in about three years, so I definitely took advantage of it.
Anyway, it was raining that night, so I didn't do anything Friday night, other than venturing out for a light dinner, then coming back and taking a nice warm bath before turning in for the night.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF FUKUOKA:
A nice, clean city. Lots of bicycles, no smoking on the streets, lots of trees. Other than the incredibly muggy, weather, it was nice. It didn't look that much different than Hong Kong or even Kangnam (except for more trees). And it's easy to get around. The people were really nice, and seemed to understand when I kept accidentally speaking in Korean. Oh, and there really are vending machines everywhere.
Day Two:
The day of adventure....
I got up and was greeted by unexpected sunny weather, which I took as a good sign on my way out the door. I planned to look for a shrine and a couple of temples that were suppose to be near my hotel. I ended up not finding any of them, but I did find a fun little market with a bunch of restaurants and little shops. They also had a lot of floats around the market and the city. I lucked out and happened to be in Fukuoka during the biggest festival of the year, Yamakasa.
After wandering around the market for a bit (and nearly buying a yukata...twice) I decided to head towards a huge entertainment center called Canal City, which had a cute little canal running through it. On the way, I ended up finding Kushida Shrine and walked around it for a bit. On the way to Canal City, I ended up on at first glance what appeared to be a cute little street. It ended up being what we call an "ahjussi street" in Korea. Meaning, lots of advertisements for girly clubs. I did find Canal City and did a little shopping for some friends, then headed back to the market for some yummy lunch. I don't know what it was called, but it was good.
After lunch, I went back to the hotel to freshen up a bit, since I was covered in sweat. I really think that Japanese people don't sweat because everyone else looked great while I looked horrible. So, after cleaning up I headed out to a park where there were some castle ruins. I wandered around for a bit, wondering where the ruins were, not realizing until the last minute that I was actually standing on top of them. The castle was never finished and basically was just the wall bit. I took some pictures and then decided to head back towards the hotel to find something to eat, especially since it was starting to rain.
After coming down from the castle, I quickly realized that I didn't know how I got up there or how to get out. I pretty much wandered around for about an hour trying to find the entrance. (See Facebook for related pictures and videos.) There was no one, and I mean NO ONE, in the park and it was dark and kind of spooky. There were huge magpie/crow/ravens everywhere cawing, which made it seem like something right out of a horror flick. I did eventually find my way out though...
I then headed back towards the market area. By this time it was really raining. All I really wanted to do was get to a restaurant, eat and get back to the hotel. I was tired and sweaty (AGAIN). As I'm walking down the street, I noticed an increasing amount of men standing around in kimono tops with sumo wrestler bottoms on. Not a pleasant sight for the most part. As I get farther down, I look down a side street and see a few hundred men and boys dressed this way, so I walk down to see what's going on.
Apparently a big part of the festival is a contest where a group of men run through a course carrying one of the floats, weighting several thousand pounds. So, I stuck around in the rain and watched them practice running up and down the street. It was pretty exciting, and I was happy to see a cultural event. Afterwards, I got some yummy curry udon retired back to the hotel.
Day Three:
Home sweet home...
I got up around 6 a.m. and got ready, then headed to the airport. I got there too early and had to wait about 30 minutes to check in for my flight. Instead of non-stop, I had a connecting flight in Busan. I waited a couple hours and got on the flight. It was only about 30 minutes, but it was kind of bumpy. The wind was bad coming into Busan and we had to unexpectedly go back up when we were landing.
I landed and rushed off to immigrations. I only had about an hour to make my connecting flight. I got caught up a little bit at the quarantine station. They detected a fever, but instead of being quarantined, they sent me on to immigration with a little brochure to read. Then I spent about 10 minutes talking to immigration about my visa and then rushed off to catch my flight.
Which ended up being canceled because of weather, as were the three following flights to Seoul. I sat around waiting for about an hour and a half to find out if there were going to be any flights going out. I got lucky and they got me on a flight for 3:30 pm. It was a short, but bumpy flight. I got in safely and by 5:30 pm I was back in my part of town.
So, all in all, a fun trip. I wish I had someone with me. When I head out in a month for my visa, hopefully I can get someone to go with me.
Facebook Pictures are Here.
I've been back for a day and I'm still ridiculously tired. I chalk it up to the little sleep I got Saturday night (out of fear I wouldn't hear my alarm clock) and the fact that I have a cold. Bleh. Anyway, I guess I'll give a day-by-day break down of my trip...
Day One:
Nothing too special. I took a non-stop flight from Seoul to Fukuoka and landed about 3:40 pm. A really sweet, little old Japanese couple sat next to me on the bus to the domestic terminal and offered to help me to Hakata Station, since they were heading in the same direction. We talked about English and why I was in Japan. They told me about their trip to Western Europe that they were returning from. Once we got to the station, they pointed me in the direction of my hotel and wished me a wonderful trip.
When I got to the hotel, I was quite tired so I slept for a couple hours. Mostly because it was heavenly to be sleeping in air conditioning. The room was small, but clean and nice. And it had a...wait for it...BATHTUB! I haven't had access to a bathtub in about three years, so I definitely took advantage of it.
Anyway, it was raining that night, so I didn't do anything Friday night, other than venturing out for a light dinner, then coming back and taking a nice warm bath before turning in for the night.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF FUKUOKA:
A nice, clean city. Lots of bicycles, no smoking on the streets, lots of trees. Other than the incredibly muggy, weather, it was nice. It didn't look that much different than Hong Kong or even Kangnam (except for more trees). And it's easy to get around. The people were really nice, and seemed to understand when I kept accidentally speaking in Korean. Oh, and there really are vending machines everywhere.
Day Two:
The day of adventure....
I got up and was greeted by unexpected sunny weather, which I took as a good sign on my way out the door. I planned to look for a shrine and a couple of temples that were suppose to be near my hotel. I ended up not finding any of them, but I did find a fun little market with a bunch of restaurants and little shops. They also had a lot of floats around the market and the city. I lucked out and happened to be in Fukuoka during the biggest festival of the year, Yamakasa.
After wandering around the market for a bit (and nearly buying a yukata...twice) I decided to head towards a huge entertainment center called Canal City, which had a cute little canal running through it. On the way, I ended up finding Kushida Shrine and walked around it for a bit. On the way to Canal City, I ended up on at first glance what appeared to be a cute little street. It ended up being what we call an "ahjussi street" in Korea. Meaning, lots of advertisements for girly clubs. I did find Canal City and did a little shopping for some friends, then headed back to the market for some yummy lunch. I don't know what it was called, but it was good.
After lunch, I went back to the hotel to freshen up a bit, since I was covered in sweat. I really think that Japanese people don't sweat because everyone else looked great while I looked horrible. So, after cleaning up I headed out to a park where there were some castle ruins. I wandered around for a bit, wondering where the ruins were, not realizing until the last minute that I was actually standing on top of them. The castle was never finished and basically was just the wall bit. I took some pictures and then decided to head back towards the hotel to find something to eat, especially since it was starting to rain.
After coming down from the castle, I quickly realized that I didn't know how I got up there or how to get out. I pretty much wandered around for about an hour trying to find the entrance. (See Facebook for related pictures and videos.) There was no one, and I mean NO ONE, in the park and it was dark and kind of spooky. There were huge magpie/crow/ravens everywhere cawing, which made it seem like something right out of a horror flick. I did eventually find my way out though...
I then headed back towards the market area. By this time it was really raining. All I really wanted to do was get to a restaurant, eat and get back to the hotel. I was tired and sweaty (AGAIN). As I'm walking down the street, I noticed an increasing amount of men standing around in kimono tops with sumo wrestler bottoms on. Not a pleasant sight for the most part. As I get farther down, I look down a side street and see a few hundred men and boys dressed this way, so I walk down to see what's going on.
Apparently a big part of the festival is a contest where a group of men run through a course carrying one of the floats, weighting several thousand pounds. So, I stuck around in the rain and watched them practice running up and down the street. It was pretty exciting, and I was happy to see a cultural event. Afterwards, I got some yummy curry udon retired back to the hotel.
Day Three:Home sweet home...
I got up around 6 a.m. and got ready, then headed to the airport. I got there too early and had to wait about 30 minutes to check in for my flight. Instead of non-stop, I had a connecting flight in Busan. I waited a couple hours and got on the flight. It was only about 30 minutes, but it was kind of bumpy. The wind was bad coming into Busan and we had to unexpectedly go back up when we were landing.
I landed and rushed off to immigrations. I only had about an hour to make my connecting flight. I got caught up a little bit at the quarantine station. They detected a fever, but instead of being quarantined, they sent me on to immigration with a little brochure to read. Then I spent about 10 minutes talking to immigration about my visa and then rushed off to catch my flight.
Which ended up being canceled because of weather, as were the three following flights to Seoul. I sat around waiting for about an hour and a half to find out if there were going to be any flights going out. I got lucky and they got me on a flight for 3:30 pm. It was a short, but bumpy flight. I got in safely and by 5:30 pm I was back in my part of town.
So, all in all, a fun trip. I wish I had someone with me. When I head out in a month for my visa, hopefully I can get someone to go with me.
Facebook Pictures are Here.
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