Tick tock on the clock, but the party don't stop

Not really a big fan of Ke$ha but the lyrics above kind of suit my situation, so I thought I'd put it as the blog title.


Yeah, so....just over a month left. A month tomorrow will be my last day of work. I find myself filled with a mixture of excitement, fear, sadness and happiness all at once. Excitement at my forthcoming trip to SE Asia and going home, fear at the prospect of not having a steady income for at least a few months and at going home to a UK that has changed since I left in 2007. Sadness at being apart from Lisa for the summer, and leaving behind the things about Korea I have grown to enjoy and take for granted. And finally, happiness. Happiness about finishing work, and happiness about the future.

The last month or so since I blogged has been pretty busy, both with starting to get things ready for leaving, and also doing some things in Korea that I wanted to do before I left.

Towards the end of March, Lisa and I went to an event with a difference, the Mr.World final! Mr.World is similar in style to the Miss World competition (the two events are run by the same company) and contrary to popular belief, the guys are not Arnie-style bodybuilders (that is Mr.Universe!) rather more all-rounders. The competition was done over two weeks in various locations around Korea, but the final was held at Songdo Convensia, pretty close to Yeonsu-Dong. I phoned the organisers on a whim a few days before the event, and they put some free tickets aside. Nice.

As well as the 74 contestants from around the world (no Scotland sadly, but England,Wales, N.Ireland and Ireland were represented), there were also performances from Alisha Dixon (ex-Mystique), Paul Potts (opera singer) and Girls Generation (wildly popular Korean girl-group). I was most impressed with Paul Potts, his voice was amazing. As the show was being recorded for TV, we were all being directed when to clap and cheer, quite weird I found. The eventual winner was surprisingly Mr. Ireland, we thought Mr. Czech Republic was a sure thing but Ireland took it! It was a fun evening, and great value considering we got to see two semi-famous folk from the UK and one of the top acts in Korea for free. Here's the FB link for photos and a video of the results.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=405069&id=777495416&l=b250d47fc6

Into April, and 2 weekends ago I went to Seoul with Lisa to do some shopping. We stopped off at Yongsan where she bought a big external Hard Drive, and I got a little one. Then it was over to Myeong-Dong where I bought some new glasses. My old ones were getting pretty worn, and glasses are so cheap out here that I thought it made sense to get a new pair. Then it was back to Incheon to join a few other folk and head to a Uzbekistani/Russian restaurant in DongIncheon. Having never tried Russian food before, I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was absolutely delicious. Lots of lamb (a meat not widely eaten in Korea), solid bread and lots of other tasty things. Maybe I can squeeze in another visit before I leave. I hope so!

The weekend just past was another busy one. Lisa and I went to nearby Songdo Park on the Saturday. I go past it 3 times a week on my way to work but had never been in. The park was very quiet but we had a ride on the big Ferris wheel

and also went for a wee row on the pond. It was nice to be on the water again.

That night I headed up to Bucheon to see Neil, Scott and Craig. It was especially good to catch up with Scott, I hadn't seen him since his return to Korea.

Yesterday (Sunday) Lisa and I headed into Seoul again. I have been selling off quite a lot of my stuff as I prepare to vacate my apartment so yesterday I met a couple of people and got rid of my Playstation 3 and some camping gear. Then we headed to Itaweon for lunch at Gecko's and I got a new pair of sunglasses. From there, we headed over to Yeouido.

As it is spring time here, the cherry blossom is starting to bloom, and so the riverside Hangang Park was packed with people out enjoying the flowering trees and milder weather. We wandered down to the boat dock and bought tickets for a river cruise, something I've been wanting to do for ages. The previous times it had always been rained off but thankfully it stayed dry. Our cruise took us upriver from Yeouido to Jamsil. It was a nice cruise, however there is no denying that the Han River and its banks are not the prettiest. We passed by apartment block after apartment block, and under various different road and rail bridges, none of which were particularly attractive. Still, I'm glad I did the trip, and it gave another perspective to Seoul that I hadn't seen before.

FB link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=415614&id=777495416&l=c50cfe724e

Leaving Yeouido. 63 Building and swan pedalos.

Self-timer shot on the boat.

So, that's been the last few weeks. I have 4 full weekends left until I head off on the trip to SE Asia. I booked the last flight for my trip (from Siem Reap in Cambodia to Luang Prabang in Laos) and have also booked a couple of other bits and pieces, including a deposit on a tour of Halong Bay in Vietnam. I have my Vietnam visa sorted, but still have to arrange visas for Cambodia and Laos.

Before I go, Lisa and I are heading away with a group of other folk for a weekend on an island a bit further south in 2 weekends time, and the weekend after is my 'leaving party', basically a meal out in Seoul and then going to watch Incheon vs Seoul at football the next day. Next weekend I am having an open house to try and sell the remaining items I want to get rid of. That leaves one free weekend. Maybe I will try and do something with it, or maybe I'll just buy loads of kimchi and try and cram as much of it down my throat as I can. Hey......time is running out!