Amazing Things # 12 - Uncomfortable bean bag sofa

Amazing Things # 12

Just because the model makes it look so uncomfortable...

Bean bag sofa

Amazing things... returns FRIDAY 27th September 2013

Pleased to announce the return of amazing things on Friday 27th.

Catch up on previous posts by clicking here

Would my 'Reader' like to comment on the blog? - LOL!

People are STRANGErs!

On Saturday I took a walk along the Tancheon  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tancheon with my family and passed a young woman who was meditating, she suddenly turned around and looked at me then exclaimed "oh you are waygookin (a foreigner)" I replied, "well, yes"  she seemed very confused and surprised, which was pretty much how I felt at this strange interaction...

I asked her what I had done and she told me how she was meditating and felt my 'Chi' , I resisted the urge to say 'you felt my what...'  she kept saying that she was surprised about the fact that I was a foreigner...  I sensed that she wanted to say more, but my kids and wife had caught up by that point and she looked at my daughter and said, 'Oh, you have a daughter...' I replied 'yes, and a son... and a wife' 

This was more weird than the 'Are you brushing your teeth?, I'm brushing my hair'  conversation at the subway station, (while I was brushing my teeth and he was brushing his hair)

<Tancheon Photo>

These small interactions amuse me quite a lot!

'There's nought so queer as folk...'

Chuseok holiday!

It is Chuseok (추석)  this week, which means 3 days off work (5 including the weekend) and as  I now work for a Korean company a healthy (hopefully) chunk of a profit share bonus!

Traditionally Koreans visit their families at Chuseok which is the biggest public holiday of the year, we visited my mother in law during the summer vacation and my parents have visited us, from the UK. We will visit Pyeongchang  a ski resort area that will host the 2018 winter Olympics.

While there will be no skiing this time of year, it will be nice to get into the mountains and enjoy some BBQ and beer and hopefully have a relaxing time.

Family!

Well, my parents have arrived, along with 5 cases filled with presents for the kids, us and various other people they may meet during their stay, and some in reserve, so it seems.

It seems their journey was good, but a little turbulent and ended with a Taxi ride, complete with a comical driver who Ji Gong contacted by phone;

Ji Gong: Where are you now?

Taxi driver: In the Taxi!

The kids were in the taxi jumping on Grandma and Granddad as soon as the doors were open, must of been quite a sight... I was at work so missed the fun, but joined them along the Tancheon and we went for chicken and beer.

Last night I had a couple of private classes, and ended up having chicken and beer again, for my students mum's birthday.

That is 3 nights of chicken and beer in a row... guess what we are doing tonight, weather permitting...  Yep! Cafe street, more chicken and beer!

Anyway, it is great to have my parents here - the kids are really excited and next week is Korea's largest public holiday, Chuseok - so we will get a couple of days away together as a family.  It is a shame that Ji Gong's mum can't join us but she is still recovering from her double knee operation and not up for travel.

Ji Gong's mum rang while we were out last nigh and spoke to my father, both parties enjoyed a conversation and thought they understood each other, but I am not sure they did...  but it was nice to have the communication and both were happy.

Glad it is the weekend, after being out so much this week I am feeling my age!

Office gossip

No matter where you work, the office is an interesting place. The dynamics are always off kilter, which kind of makes sense a group of people with different personalities placed in a office, rather than a group of people with similar interests as you normally get with friends... and this provides a lot of quirky behaviour and general fun  Of course you get people who feel they have found soul mates and it is always nice to extend the opportunity to make friends.  And there is always office gossip.  As a foreigner with limited skills in the local language it is difficult to catch the gossip of my current work place... that is of course I am the centre of it, and especially if someone wants to try to source more information.  Don't get me wrong - I love a bit of office gossip!

The story goes like this, I had to attend some company presentations yesterday and I popped outside after lunch, just to kill time... As I came back in the building I was thinking about coffee to get me through the afternoon sessions and thought that I should get some for my colleague who was with me, the problem was I didn't have ~ number and our office is on the 7th floor.  I have another colleague's number because she asked me for it so she could send me the photo of our team at the corporate event, the previous day.

My message went like this; ~씨 , sorry I don't have ~'s number.  Can you ask ~ if he wants coffee ... you too!

You too! -  I was being polite - imagine the other scenario. Can I have ~ number I am going to buy him coffee, thanks for giving me his number, you get nothing... (funny, right)

So they came and I bought coffee...

Today my other colleague followed me on the stairs so I ended up buying coffee, (again) then the interrogation started... 

A: oh I heard you invited ~ and ~ for coffee yesterday!!!!

ME: Er,,, kind of (invited, hmm) well I was in presentations with ~ so I thought ~ might need coffee. I don't have ~ number, but as you know I have ~ number because blah blah blah... tuesday.

A: yeah I thought so

ME: (smile)

A: yeah well ~ is very pretty, don't you think... and cute and blah and blah... and young

ME: er, yes... (?)

A: Everyone thought it was weird, how can you guys communicate?
ME: huh (?)

Blah blah blah...

A: Men don't like older women, do they?

ME: (?)

LOL, so funny... So I guess everyone is talking about this small insignificant offer of coffee.. and that my friend is how office gossip starts...

You know you are getting old when...

I have come to the conclusion that Korean people are a bit odd in regards to their relationsbip to work... we know they work the longest hours and are not the most productive, they stay late and come to work when they are sick just to show how dedicated they are...  but recently I have been told that I am very fast at my job... today I was told that "I have never seen any proof reader work that fast, I think you can take your time a bit" as I passed the speakers desk she was reading some korean gossip website... this is why I work faster....

But the funniest think today was being told "In my eyes you are the perfect father, what do you think about that... will you adopt me?"

I know what your thinking... ah sweet... but what makes this more funny is that we must be similar ages... I guess I am a few years older but no more that 5...
... to be honest I had no answer to her question... especially when she added "actually there are 2 of us"...

You know you are getting old when people look at you as a father figure...