gmtPLUS09 |

I got a orange-colored 1615 from the Manhattan Portage Token store. The sheer brightness of the color should help me survive as a pedestrian in Seoul’s unruly streets.

The heavy duty construction and vinyl lining was the main draw. While I’ve been considering this purchase for the past couple of weeks I disregarded a possible shortcoming. There is a serious design flaw worth mentioning. The top flap doesn’t entirely cover the bag; there are coverage voids – either side of the flap - which could allow rain into the main compartment. Which theoretically proves moot to the waterproof feature. In the worst case, not only does it fail to keep water out but could create a reservoir effect. The gaps themselves aren’t the Grand Canyon but slight enough for me to turn to the Tumi when inclement weather is forecasted.

Hands down I’ve found my daily bag even with the shortcoming. Its an honest, simple design that focuses on durability.

I wonder why the Korean online store doesn’t carry the true messenger-style bags which often are larger in size than what they’re offering. I can’t say I agree with the justification for the price markups just because they’re ‘imports’. As they’re the sole authorized retailer, they can basically charge whatever floats their boat. Now, if they made available its full product line, then I wouldn’t be fussy about the pricing scheme. The limited product selection basically forced me to go to the source instead.

Went hiking with Jelly earlier today. The experience wouldn’t be just without the Sony-Ericsson W810 loaded with Dave’s new Live Trax. ((Volume 9; 3.23 – 3.24 2007)) Such a shame that this country doesn’t support GSM or SE isn’t here yet with HSDPA/WCDMA offerings. Anyway, the classic jammin’ Dancing Nancies hit a sweet spot. All 10 minutes 29 seconds of it. And so my introspection began, what I’ve accomplished and what I am today is unfamiliarly different to what I was supposed to become after post grad. Sigh. But that would have been a boring, predictable life ((a house with white picket fences on a 1/2 acre lot somewhere in suburbia)). The next song, Where Are You Going topped the vibrant mood flow. Awesome.

Let’s go.

It would had been a rather uneventful weekend if it wasn’t for seeing the back of Warren Buffett’s head at the main Kyobo bookstore.

I splurged a cool thousand plus on a Samsung Hauzen washing machine with Air Wash ((a feature that ‘washes’ with air jetted into the cabin for ridding dust/mites, hair, dander, etc.)) and a new fridge. I have to give Samsung and LG credit for offering more value to products that seemed innovation-less: white appliances. I mean, could you ever expect GE to feature pro-hygiene Silver Nano, Steam or Air Wash into its products? Next month I should be in the market for a microwave/convection oven combo.

I went from living in a ultra-modern, claustrophobic studio with built-in appliances in the city center to a thrice larger abode in the burbs. My rationale: to give the dog more room to run around in (i.e., wreak havoc). My parents would have me bound and returned home on the next flight if they heard the real reason for moving… I’ve decided to stay put at the current place for a while as I only have one address space remaining on my Korea foreign resident ID card. Guess I could get a new card when the time warrants itself but I’m not looking forward to the hassle. I sure don’t.

The previous episode at immigration, I had this argument: “I was born in Atlanta, so how does that make me a Korean citizen?” It seems the Korean government claims the offspring of its citizens ((i.e., my dad; my mom had already taken the oath to US citizenship)) as Korean nationals no matter where they were born. Thus a major situation can occur when these unknowing men in their 20s and 30s come to visit/work in Korea only to find themselves drafted for mandatory military service. The shock and confusion they must feel to realize they’re protecting a nation yet don’t share any commonalities beyond their Korean citizen parents.

I was one of the lucky ones, I had at least one parent who denounced Korean membership citizenship early on. Thanks mom!

Add the Chosun Ilbo to the list of Korean media lacking any sense of journalistic integrity.

Read more here and here.