Barbecue...................AGAIN

We cross the country and of course go straight for barbecue because that's how we roll.

We got a recommendation from our hostel and headed out in search of dinner.

It was differently from the place we go in Songdo. The grill had additional segments for one thing.
One side had oil poured in for extra cooking, which we promptly dumped things into. I can't remember but I think it was garlic.

The other side, they poured a mixture of egg and vegetables and left them there to go to perfection.

 The meat was also in much thicker slices. It took a good deal longer to cook. Still tasty. :)

The rice was very funny though. I twas like something I'd cook myself the way they simply bunged a fried egg on top of it.  Also tasty!!

Officially the biggest

We visited Shinsegae department store immediately after getting off the train because shut up.

It is offically the largest department store in the entire world. So sayeth Guiness.

Busan- bound

For the new year, I went to Busan with three of my co-workers.
A girls weekend I suppose so it could be considered a bit like this.

Even though we mostly dozed the way there and back.

We travelled by KTX (Trains, trains guys) and it was fairly comfortable. Three hours from Seoul to Busan isn't bad at all.
Have some random travelling montage photos.

We arrived in Busan station, which is quite nice, that has lots of fancy architecture going on about the place, and steps. Can't forget those lethally steep stairs.

I liked the convenient stock display. Clearly so you knew whether or not to throw yourself down the aforementioned steps in the style of Wall Street finacial despair.

Possibly not a good place for lunch....

Thank you, Busan. Now there is only one way I can respond.

Getting far too used to this sort of strange...

On the subway in Seoul. Sometimes you just don't even.

Eviction, sort of.

For reasons which I shall sensibly not discuss here, we had to leave out staffroom for a new one.

Here is the old room looking quite desolate as the desks have been moved downstairs to our new room. Farewell, mildly draughty but roomy retreat.

Behold downstairs. (Karen, you look quite smug an comfortable there) Mine is the desk with the pink basket and red blanket on it.  Sure, it looks tidy and is a lot warmer but it is a great deal smaller.

The problem there is that there isn't room for everyone so a lot of the Korean teachers have been given desks in their homerooms. It's dreadfully unsociable and sometimes we hardly see some of the others. Boo.

On the bright side, it's a lot warmer which is pretty damn significant at this time of the year.

Ramen

Hakoya Ramen is a chain all over Seoul and the surrounding area (at the very least)

The Hobbit was preceded by Second Breakfast.

I had the Hakata style set meal.  Tasty but they went heavy on the sesame.

That Most Hated Of Seasonal Duties

I thought I'd be safe enough from being roped into it this year but, nay.

We were provided with company cards and I had to write them for my homerooms.

I'd like to point out that we only get Christmas Day off from work so this card thing seems just cruel.

Sake

So, we went to a Japanese bar to try some Sake (Japanese rice wine). Unfortunately, it was not the famous variety that comes hot but a type that was best chilled.

Either way, colour me unimpressed. It's far, far too sweet for my liking.

I did, however, like the decanter. Fancy stuff there.

Thank You Gifts

These were distributed by Alex as thank yous and what-nots for attending her wedding.
I'll admit that I (and some others) had a fearful moment where we weren't sure if it was a yet un-encountered variety of rice cake.

It's a soap. Thank you very much indeed. :)

Millinery

We do some strange things in Arts & Crafts but the hats were remarkably tame aside from one Jamiroquai style piece.

Ye Olde Rotiboy

We got a box of these at work the other day. Fresh out of the oven. Buttery, sugary, crunchy goodness. Dangerously delicious.

New Year, New Calendar

Jealous?

I get a sweet Cartoon Network calendar from my employers. A cheerful way to remember tests, reports and bills.

Butterfly on a Flower

No, really.

Why is this on my timetable? This can't be encouraging their artistic sides. (Not with me in charge at any rate.)

I think I'll pass...

It could be artificial. It could be genuine. All I know is I don't want a smoothie.

Let the Lawyers out of the kennels...

Welcome to Lotte World!! The happiest place on, on...................oh dear.

This seems like something that won't end well.

Buena Vista's gonna sue somebody.

Lotte World. Where copyright goes to die..................and be flogged afterwards.

Unhallowed book of summoning...

Beneath a glass case in the depths of the unhallowed castle of copyright theft there lies a book of mysterious powers.

The mysterious satanic powers can only be sought by those who can interpret the language of the sixth circle and can enunciate it in the most peculiar piercing accent.....oh wait, this is why the others had me stop reading it.

Yes, it's accurate sizing.

I think this is a Japanese brand. Either way, the English is hilarious.

An Unexpected Invitation

I had the opportunity to attend the wedding of a co-worker. It was..... an experience, to say the least.  Mostly, a slightly confusing one.

It was, definitely, the shortest wedding I'd ever known of. It was interesting to see how different it was from 'western style' ceremonies. Alex did wear a white dress (later exchanged for another flashy ballgown) and her husband a full tux (gloves and all.)
Their Fathers wore suits but their Mothers wore traditional hanboks (and looked great.)

There was no priest, but there was an announcer. We were surprised when a friend of theirs got up to sing a Whitney Houston-style number during the ceremony. He could certainly sing but we were slightly bemused. We had no idea what was going and since it seems that it was a mixture of traditional and non-denominational with four tenors in the balcony in Korean.  

Look, everyone looked fabulous and the music was great. The ceremony was short, the photos were longer and the reception was brief.  

Very brief indeed for the newly-weds. They had time for a costume change, a visit to every table and then they were gone. (Not even a dance, shame that. Wait, there was absolutely no dancing whatsoever.)

The meal is the end of the wedding, for us at least. 

The only problem was that this took less than four hours to go and come back. All dressed up and no where to go. what a shame.