Where have I been lately?  I wish I knew and I wish I could find myself a place to finally stay.  I wonder if my muse will ever come back, but until then I will just stay here, and not worry about it. 

Our Love is Timeless

I will eventually reorganize this blog to something a little bit more akin to what I have a purpose for, but for now I will continue posting the randomness of my time here in Korea.  And today, I must say, I have much randomness to add to the list.

So, as I have previously states, October 28th I will be seeing Dong Bang Shin Ki (Tohoshinki/TVXQ) in concert.  Happiness, right?  Tickets came in last week, so I am getting more excited.  But a few interesting things happened since last week to just add to both my monetary debt and also my excitement.  Let's work in a logical order, shall we?

This Sunday: Apparently, from random walking away around City Hall I saw a flag waving in the wind (there were actually a few of them) informing me of a Hanryu Fashion Concert this Sunday.  I was quite excited, because it said FT Island would be performing, along with SeeYa.  When a few more people I knew (my concert entourage) expressed interest, I looked up the information and found out it will take place this Sunday at 6pm in front of the Seoul Grand Hotel, for free.  The chick from Winter Sonata will be there, along with Sung Si Kyung, Brian from Fly to the Sky, Andy from Shinhwa, and others, all modeling, followed by performances from FT Island and SeeYa.  Apparently there will also be a 'greeting session,' whatever that may connote.  So this Sunday, instead of studying, I will be there.

Next Week: Midterms are a bitch, no matter where one is, but for some odd reason, I am either extremely confident or just passive, because I am not studying, nor am I worrying over them.  So let's skip all those pointless details and get to the more interesting things.

Next Saturday: I had heard this someplace before, this past week in fact, that Fly to the Sky would be performing someplace at Yonsei University, literally right where I was living.  I became rather excited, but was told that tickets went on sale last month, so I became sad again.  But today, I mentioned that to a friend and he said that not only was Fly to the Sky performing, but Lena Park and Sung Si Kyung as well.  He also said that they were playing at the outside Ampitheater, a rather large space here at Yonsei.  He searched for it online, and to make a long story short, I will be in the crowd next Saturday, 7pm, to see Fly to the Sky, Lena Park, and Sung Si Kyung performing. 

Next Sunday: The inevitable, the along awaited concert comes to the front as I travel to Seoul Olympic Park to see Dong Bang Shin Ki (Tohoshinki for us Japanese lovers) live in concert.  It is apparently their Seoul Encore performance, whatever that may imply, but they will be performing two Japanese songs and a new Korean song as well, so I am looking forward to that, among the other things.  I am beyond excited to see this concert, especially since Changmin finally cut his hair.  I mean, I respect the Jesus hair as much as the next person, but it really isn't concert friendly.  If my experience at  Asia Song Festival is any indication, there is definitely a Beast that should never be unleashed in that hair at performances. 

This brings me to the end of the happiness that is my upcoming concert schedule.  It is a rather nice reward to a stressful week that I know, regardless of what I may think, next week will be. 

I rule!

About Life

I am amazed as to how fast time seems to pass these days, especially this past week.  It is already Saturday and I have no idea where this week has gone to, perhaps someplace off the shore of Guam.  I hear that's where time is stored for when the American Government needs to start a war or bring social unrest against us they go there to get some ideas from the past. 

This past Monday, though, I took a chance and skipped a class for a concert.  It, of course, paid off as I sat there, rather close to the stage, as Wheesung performed song after song for a good hour and a half.  It goes without saying that the boy can sing, but he can sing just as good live.  I went with what I will now term my 'concert entourage,' comprised entirely of girls.  To be honest, though, they are the only ones that I have found that have similar tastes in music, besides the random guy who lives next door that likes to dance to Dong Bang Shin Ki music.  It still amazes me that when I went to Karaoke (I say Karaoke, not Noraebang because I learned Japanese first) with him, as I sang the Japanese lyrics to DBSK's "O"-正.反.合, he was able to do the entire dance.  But this is beyond the point, whatever point I was making before. 

Wheesung's encore song was a rock song, and being the white-washed American that we all know I am, I was flashing the ever-popular sign of 'rock.'  For those who are unfamiliar with such a sign, take your right hand, extend all five fingers, and then put your middle finger and ring finger down, leaving three fingers still extending in the air.  If you do it correctly, you have created the classic rock sign for concerts.  The entire song, while others simply threw their fist in the air, I threw my rock sign, whereby others began to mimic my doings.  As Wheesung exists the stage, and this is where I become excited about the story, he looks our way and I grin at him and, with both hands, throw rock signs into the air.  He returns the grin and throws two rock signs back at me, making the entire night that much better.  It also helped that his fan club was directly behind us the entire concert.

Tuesday I bought my friends cake because it was their birthday.  We then went to Karaoke, but of course we should never let the youngest Korean do the leading, especially when he has more money than us, because he picks an expensive place that gives us little time.  Everyone insists on following him, and yeah, he lives right across the hall and is a friend as well, but last time I checked, I was the oldest of the group, and by classic Asian boy band standards, I am the leader.  Yes, I know there are some exceptions, but in all fairness, we all know that Kim Jae Joong could not lead a pack of hungry wolves to a dead deer all of twenty feet away. 

Move a couple more days down the line, a fruitless expedition to find the SM Entertainment main building in Apgujeong, productive bag-buying adventure in Dongdaemoon, and a much needed nap, Thursday arrives.  Classes, yet another birthday party, and then worked was all that consumed this day of a day, but it was a day. 

Friday arrives, but with Friday comes the dreaded six hour straight of one class because the professor thought it best to schedule two classes back to back due to his lack of attendance to the last two weeks of class.  He gave us free pizza, and potatoes should not be a staple for all pizza, but it was still rather tiring.  By the time that ended I had to head, yet again, to another class only an hour later.  I was close to just sleeping, but thought I had to go to work afterwards so I sucked it up and pressed forward.  Of course, luck have it, work was canceled as I was walking out the door for class.  I went though, and it was a good class, especially seeing how when I arrived I had received a package from a special person living in Japan.

It contained the following items: white pig plush, black pig strap, Masaki Aiba-chan fan, Arashi tour pictures, Tsubasa tour pictures, random JE postcards, random Japanese 'Having fun?' postcards, Hanshin tiger pen, Hanshin tiger bracelet, Osaka strap, funny stickers, food related 'The Rose of Versailles' stickers, Tohoshinki Five in the Black Japan Concert DVD, a random used Japanese single, and funny Japanese comedian Band-Aids.  Something tells me I left something out, but it all makes me really happy.

And so here I sit today, Saturday morning, attempting to have school pride.  I wonder if it will work.

Midterms: three weeks.
DBSK concert: right after midterms :)

Alright, so all of you know I went to Asia Song Festival this past Saturday night and had a massive adventure with it, so let me go through it with you.

Some of us left at 10am to go get our tickets and then we were going to walk around the mall that was near the World Cup Stadium.

Mistake number one.

We assumed that we could just pick up reserved seats and leave. Little did we know that the concept of 'the line' would be our new friend, and then some. We arrive off the station, after being packed in the train and watching some diehard girls run from the train with cops yelling at them. Once we arrived outside of the station and made our way up to the actual stadium, there they sat, a sea of middle school and high school girls waiting to get tickets.

To say I felt scared is certainly an understatement, to say the least. I was scared about dying, but most of all I was scared of getting crappy seats. Luckily we found the foreigner tent with a really small line, and stood in that until around 1pm when we could get our tickets. It was a relatively easy process, and I got a hyung out of it who spoke English.

Also, while waiting in line, I met some rather cool DBSK fans, like myself, and surprised them with my knowledge (I surprise myself most the time, anyways). So we decided to just get seats together, or so we thought, but after being pulled in every which way by different people telling me different things, we realized that it is first come first serve once we get in there, even though we have section numbers on our tickets. Luckily, though, we were sitting in the VIP section which was on the floor, rather than all the way in the stands where the fans were sitting.

But I was not having this whole telling me different things, so after some complaining, I managed to get our group to bypass the massively long line of people and went in first, finding some amazing seats. I was scared for the second time when we got into a little fight with some DBSK ajjumas in front of us; they seriously acted like children. But whatever, we got in and got amazing seats.

Two of my guy friends showed up and sat next to me, but there was this massive camera in our way so I came up with this plan to move closer, into the special reserved section. We waited for the staffers to move and I sent one of the guys up to save three seats. He stayed there for a good hour until the show started and then I simply told the staffer that my friend was already up there and if I could go sit with him. She smiled and let me in, probably because she didn't understand my English (Whiteness prevails again!).

Therefore, our final seats for Asia Song Festival were literally no more than 50 yards from the stage.

I totally forget the line up, but I do remember Lee Hyori performing first, Super Junior someplace in the middle, and Dong Bang Shin Ki last (of course). The concert was very good, very entertaining, and saw some of the biggest stars there. I was excited, to say the least.

But we all know why I was there, why the majority of the people were there.

DBSK fans are scary, very very scary, and feared for my life the minute the concert started. They were very good, DBSK that is, and even though they only sang one song live, they did it very well.

So now, sitting here tonight writing this up, I realize there is good news to convey, and bad news.

The bad news is that my seats are crap.

But the good news...

I get to see DBSK's Seoul Encore Performance on Sunday, October 28, 2007 at 4pm.

I'll save the adventure that was obtaining those tickets for another day :)

I will have a full update tomorrow or the next, but I just got home from Asia Song Festival and am riding a high.  As expected, Dong Bang Shin Ki performed last and did the stage justice. 

For those of you who have been to any type of concert: you think you know, but you have no idea.  DBSK Korean fans are about as crazy and scary as they get, seriously.  But I survived the Backstreet Boys and Nsync clash, so I am always ready!

Expect pictures too :D

They Shine

School started last week and is actually not half bad. The content courses I am taking are alright, sometimes good, sometimes boring as hell. I dread my Tuesday and Thursday Confucianism class because it takes every ounce of energy to simply stay awake in the class. I don't even bother paying attention anymore; that is beyond any type of lost cause, for sure. Korean, though, is pretty good, not hard at all, except for the pronunciation; once I accomplish that I think I will rule the Korean language :)

So I saw Lee Soo Young live tonight. I found out she was having her comeback showcase at the Yonsei Severance Hospital, all of a five minute walk from my room, and thought... why not. So me and my friend went, not really knowing if we could get in or not, and low and behold, we did and were there. Lee Hyori, Lee Ki Chan and Jang Nara all made appearances, and of course Lee Soo Young sang a few songs and blew me away. I always did love her, but she sings so well live that I love her even more now. It truly was an experience, and my friend, who really was not a fan before, is now a fan of her.

But the big news of the week is my ticket to Asia Song Festival. I acquired one, and found out yesterday after Korean class that I had done so. So on September 22nd, at the World Cup Stadium, I shall be present to hear some of the top singers/ bands in all of Asia, including, but of course not limited to, Dong Bang Shin Ki (Tohoshinki), Kuraki Mai, SG Wanabee, Lee Hyori, Golf and Mike, F4, and Super Junior. I truly am beyond excited about this concert, especially because the ticket was free.

From tonight's success and the success of getting the Asia Song Festival ticket, I am enthusiastic and optimistic to apply for more tickets to different programs. I figure, why not? There is another music festival the next day after the Asia Song Festival that I am going to just go to with a few friends and hope to get in, because Kangta, Shin Hyesung and M (Lee Minwoo) will all be present to sing.

It's a good day, a good week, and I am finally feeling more and more comfortable.

the first time that you felt alive?

Really, the only reason I am writing anything is because of the song I am listening to. The current song I am listening to is amazing; it is from Clazziquai's third album, and is a mixture of techno, pop, and 80s American music.

Brilliance.

School starts on Monday. It rained all day today and I did pretty much nothing. I slept in. Ate. Took a nap. And just got back from dinner.

I got a cell phone yesterday; it is really nice and cost only 30 bucks. I owe my friend so much already, and if she gets me a job, I may just worship her.

It's funny how I have to play a role here among the people; if they only knew some of the things I hide.

-T

Passing me by...

I wonder sometimes just how possible the things I want to do truly are. Granted, I have had this thought time and time again, but where do I even begin?

I find myself thinking very more methodologically about almost everything, especially with people I meet. I think about how can I use them, or work with them, to push myself further in line with my goals. For example, I met this guy who dances really well and does a lot of K-POP dancing. So the first thing I think of after a minute is 'perhaps he can be an in for me someplace.' Then I start learning about guys on the hall who are musically talented, and think of ways to organize them in such a way that their skills will be best used, but of course not for their benefit, but for mine.

This is no different from anyone else's mind set, especially when considering how most human relationships are predicated on this very fact: how can he/she benefit me? Brash, of course, but it is true.

Today I had absolutely no energy, but I am going out tonight regardless. I need a job, badly.

Today's song is Promises by The Cranberries; I love this song. I have been reshuffling what I listen to, and The Cranberries are totally in that new mix of things. Also, if you can, check out this duo called Rising Appalachia. It is a female duo who sing Appalachian folk music; they are sisters that are around my age and are amazing.

-T

I work best alone

I think it was when I was walking yesterday, but I realized, rather suddenly, how comfortable I am with certain people, and then how I am not so much around others.

I have had tons of down time, alone time mostly, of just sitting in my room, sleeping, watching movies, and writing. At first I thought it was sad, or at the very least a bit pathetic, but then I realized the other day that I prefer it that way. It could very well be the fact that I have had no real vacation in a long time, no time to really just sleep and rest. Usually if I have such time, there is something looming there, like a paper, studying, or whatnot that I should be doing, even during breaks. But this time there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that I should be doing. It was scary at first, but now very refreshing. I don't feel guilty not going out, not 'exploring,' and just sitting in my room watching various James Bond films.

I do leave the confines of my room from time to time, mostly for meals, and venture into Shinchon station for such said occasions. And I also do not venture out alone, but now I realized I would be much more comfortable if I did. The two I go out with are nice guys, really, but I guess it's true: I either like someone or am just apathetic to them. Maybe it is because they don't speak English as a first language, and are not Korean, but who knows.

Or it could be that I have yet to really warm up to them, because I can go meet my Korean friend here that I have known for years and I am 100% comfortable around her.

It's hot here, and even Koreans say it is unusual weather. But hopefully, they say, in the next few weeks it is going to cool down. Maybe that's why I hate going out: I always come back drenched in sweat.

I hope to get a job soon, and a phone even sooner.

The dorms are terrible, very small, and just plain bad. My roommate has yet to arrive, but who knows how this is going to go down when he gets here. I have a feeling I won't be doing a lot of work in my room, if any. But that's okay.

Random leg in the sky is used for this type of situation.

-T

It's Now

I use my random guy in a field icon for this entry.

Some say I waited forever for this moment, for this trip, and they may just be right. I can't really remember being so set on a path, though I question it, I want nothing more than to take this path, and I realized I take it alone. Sure, I have friends to guide me along the way, but I walk it alone, and I am fine with that.

It will surely be a new adventure, no doubt, but the exhilarating facade that I will inevitably have to construct will be my greatest task to date. I take well to challenges, very well, and that is what this entire trip, this new life, will be about. And I am fine with that. It has not been an easy trip to get here, but it was worth it.

To those who believed: like I always said, it was not a matter of if I could do it or not, but a matter of having to do it. I made it, and it was hard, but here I stand, ready for part two. Let's hope it turns out like 花より男子 2 and I end up with something good at the end, just not Matsu Jun. Maybe 山P.

It will be an adventure, and I look forward to sharing it with all of you.

Beck, I'll be in your time zone soon enough!

Here we go...Tim takes on Korea

-T

It hit me one day

Three days. Wow.

I was reading some things I wrote, in a story some may know of, and was intrigued by something I wrote. It was an internal thought of a character, the main character, and something about it just made me think. So I thought I would post that snippet up for you all to read.

If you are in the middle of reading A Song for XX, I suggest you don't read it. If you already finished the entire story, then you may remember this part.

( Read more... )

I wondered just how much of that I believed, and how much was simply made up at the time. Then again, I remember distinctly writing this one night after work, tired from everything, including my honors thesis.

Go figure.

-T

Fed Up

Wow, in one weeks time I will be physically in Seoul. It kind of scares me that it is so soon, and that I will be there for so long. I suppose I should not be too surprised; this is what i signed up for after all, isn't it? But why does it still seem to keep me up when I try and sleep?

I still have to pack, but I have to wait and do laundry first. I am having a rather difficult time thinking of what I really need to bring. I mean, there are the obvious things. But then I think about the other things, like my books and things I would need for academic work. I have all these articles printed up that I used for my thesis and other papers that I wonder if I should bring. Then there are all these other books, some novels, some not, that I want to bring. There are the necessary Japanese texts that I need, to keep practicing, and some others, but I wonder if I should pack them or just have them sent with some of my other clothes.

I got my visa last Friday and that kind of put things in perspective. It is for two years and has multiple entry, so I can go visit Beck and everyone else in Japan. The people at the Consulate, though, were really blah to me. They didn't seem to have a positive attitude towards me or my entering their country. I think it is because I paid with a check instead of cash.

I am getting a haircut tomorrow, and getting it dyed. She already knows my style without me asking. It really is the best style I have had done in the States. The first time in I showed her a picture and simply said 'this, but not blond.' Now she knows :) I am thinking reddish brown again.

I had curry for dinner, it was Japanese style, and it was good times.

I am using my new random guy in cool field icon for this post.

Tomorrow is a special friend's birthday; I hope I remember to call her. Thank god for Facebook.

I started listening to 'Be My Last' by 宇多田ヒカル again today. I forgot just how good it is.

I think I have wasted enough time for one night.

Will I ever forget?

-T

In the back of my mind...

I have been worried lately, as some of you may already know. I leave, interestingly enough, two weeks from this very day to Seoul. I have been saying all along how excited it is going to be, but it never set in until the other day that I was actually leaving. Sure, I bought my ticket and have been making arrangements all along, but as compared to when I went to study in Japan a few years back, it seems like I am not even going.

That all changed a few days ago.

Like a ton of bricks, a semi in the face, and airplane in my stomach, I realized just how real all this is. And rather than get excited, I freak out. Why? It is not the new country, school thing, or learning a new language that worries me, but all those other things. Most of you know me to worry, and this just amplifies that aspect of me. I am sure many of you know that as much as I love academia, I want to get a practical job after my masters program at Yonsei. And in addition, you all know that I want to work in the music industry, especially in terms of musical broadcasting and concert production. I have been wanting to this for a while now, and if my honors thesis is any indication in my dedication to this field, then I have a feeling this is not a 'fleeting feeling' like some may think. However, how does one really prepare to do something like this? School seems as though it does not really cover these topics. This is not to say that school is useless, but I feel that I may be going in two separate directions, while at the same time heading towards the same place. For instance, it would make sense to me that I may take a business class or two, to learn about Korean industry from a different perspective. It makes sense. But at the same time, my program is more about culture than business, and so I am left wondering what to do. However, at the end of it all, everything I learn helps me do what I want to do, either in terms of practical job as I mentioned before, or academia. It all revolves around the same topic, but there seems to be different aspects to it that require different types of expertise.

So I thought, what the hell do I do? One insightful person mentioned that a job like this is all about connections: make the right connections to get the right in. That also makes sense. But knowing very little of the language and new to this whole 'making connections' in terms of jobs, that is, I am a bit scared. Working hard has never scared me, and neither has a challenge, but this may just be the biggest challenge I have faced.

But like I said, rather recently, if I can survive this summer camp I just worked, I can do anything.

My song selection is a rather playful, yet interesting, song about, surprise, the city.

It's scary, I turn 22 in two days. Where the hell did all that time go?

I watched the Tohoshinki (DBSK/TVXQ) Five in the Black tour (thanks Tony), and was actually quite surprised at the contents. It was enjoyable (of course), and realized a few things that should make for come interesting commentary later on. But what stood out, above all (except for Yoochun's complete emo-ness), is that they actually sang a verse from two Korean songs. I have never seen that happen before, at least not in this type of setting. Not even BoA did that, and she is so much more well established than THSK. They certainly are taking liberties, but then again, they did perform two sold out shows at Bukoden in Tokyo, so I guess then can be.

As for today's clips, I debated and decided on two. If you are in the mood for happy, cuteness overload, and complete and utter hilarity, then try clip one:

DBSK- Balloons

If you are feeling 'luck,' like I know Beck is, then try clip two:

Arashi- Lucky Man

That's all.

-T

Just waiting...

I had this strange bit of happy time the other day coming back from DC (the first time), sitting at some rest stop outside, under the shade, listening to my ipod for about five minutes. I still don’t know why it made me so happy, but perhaps it was the simplicity of the moment that did it. I often have those types of moments, usually happening in the oddest locations and for the oddest reasons, but most often they are caused by a complete and utter realization of the simplicity of the situation surrounding me, and I am at ease.

Those are the moments I live for, I realized.

That statement, though, implies that there is nothing else I live for. I wonder if being in love feels like, feels so overwhelmingly simple that one cannot help but smile. I am trying to think of other moments of strong happiness, and the feelings are different. Usually when I become happy it is a result of something that would usually have an effect in me, therefore concluding that it is related to me. For instance, if I receive a good grade in a class I feel happy, the situation directly referring to me and connected to me; the outcome of the grade alters my state of emotion, either for the best or worst. In contract, though, are these moments of utter happiness not caused by my own doing, or my own connections, but more akin to something completely outside of one’s control. For example, if seeing a majestic mountain range in Northeastern North Carolina elicits this happiness, then we become conditioned to feel the same way when we see, or experience, a similar situation. Take rain for a minute. When it rains outside I am inexplicitly overcome with some sort of joy. The feeling increases based on the intensity of the situation. While it may not always be a happiness per se, it acts as a way to feel almost the fullest range of the emotional spectrum possible. Therefore, if I just happen to walk in the rain, on purpose, the feeling may be at a pivotal peak, as it would be if I were to experience this same moment with someone significant to me. I cannot control the rain, and hence cannot control the moment, completely at least. We all make choices, whether it be mine to sit under that particular park bench and turn to a specific song, or when I choose to walk outside in the rain. But the initial situation is outside of us. Our varying degree of influence as a result of choice will alter the situation in different ways, but there is always that initial spark of ‘pure’ emotion caused by the part of the situation that is out of our control, or so I hope.

I feel tomorrow...

Now that the hellish job is over, my rather long and strange vacation in DC has come to a comfortable end, I am reminded as to how little time I have left here in Atlanta. Three weeks from yesterday (Sunday), I will be on a plane to Seoul to start a new chapter in this unfinished novel. But I still have some work to do, some things that I have promised, and some people I need to spend prolonged periods of time with. I just hope that whether I leave with a smile or with a frown, I leave knowing that I did everything I could to be that person to those people that matter most to me.

Lists are pointless.

I am jealous of Beck; I want to see the Tsubasa Chan in concert.

I got bored and altered some pictures from D.C.









Oddly, I am rather calm this evening, not angsty and not depressed. I don't think I am happy, per se, but I feel at ease.

Let's hope it lasts.

-T

I start someplace...

There is a reason for starting this, a reason to beginning yet again another concept I had not completely thought through. I always manage to open books in my life and yet never find time to close them. Perhaps that's the nature of this overused term we call 'life,' or maybe I just procrastinate.

I think too much.

For now, I will be happy with simplicity.

FYI, YUI's 'Life' made me smile again today. How odd.

Spider pig.

-T