Thursday, November 29, 2012

More of the transience of fame thingie..

For those who just can't get enough (of my double-chin!), here I am on the front of the Uni's web-site





And, for a slightly less appalling look, I have a 25 minute video interview on KBS online:




Sunday, November 11, 2012

Tonight just after 7, join me and lovely host Adrien on Arirang's Catch the Wave, where we will interview author Sang Pak.

http://www.arirang.co.kr/Radio/Radio_Home.asp?PROG_CODE=RADR0145&MENU_CODE=101530&sys_lang=Eng
For all of you who miss my nasal but scratchy voice, I'm on that show once a week, Sunday night at 7 (Korea time) and I'm told it is also available of AOD on iTunes, but haven't figured that out yet.

Here we are, pre-회-식!

Monday, November 05, 2012

"He Ain't No Human Being!"

Exactly one week ago I was given my exciting honorary citizenship in this here town. Unfortunately the event was on my standard day off, so I didn't get to cancel any classes, but other than that it was a swell event.

My buddy the Czech Ambassador was there, so we swapped small talk and talked inspecifically about some kind of project in the future.

Then it was time to take the stage, where we all lined up, and the Mayor came by and awarded us in St. Valentines' Day Massacre style.

Sit down again and listen to some surprisingly good entertainment. Normally they just trot out the drums and gayageum, but this time they had a kind of fusion band that was really quite good and did songs I could see as quite useful for background music while studying or writing. Because I have yet to receive any of the promised photos of this event, you will have to settle for this picture of me bedecked in my finery.


The lunch was good, and then a very few of us took off on a tour of a hanok in Bukcheon, and the new City Hall and Library. Again, surprisingly good events and the planners of the whole day deserve a raise for not going for the safe and traditional stuff at most banquets.

Here we are at an inexplicable craft:





And then it was off to tea (the worst beverage on this side of a Masai toff). So I stared out the window at the awesome falliage (patent pending!):




 Finally it was off to City Hall, which sports this killer 7-story greenery facade:




Also worth noting is that at the top of City Hall there is an awesome Cafe with some of the cheapest drinks in Seoul, normally about ₩2,000.

Two days after all this, the lovely folks at LTI Korea sent me this awesome orchid, which will now slowly begin to dehydrate to death under my uncertain care:

 



 And, last but not least, on the Sunday Arirang radio-show it was time to celebrate with Adrien, and lay out my goodies (a proclamation, a rapstar medallion, and a card that gets me free entrance to any Seoul City facilities.