I'll take pot-pourri for $500, Alex.

I've been reading a lot lately...got a few things to update you on (as well as my entertaining commentary).

#1: According to researchers (article, another one) kimchi has some sort of health-enhancing/protecting qualities. When SARS was making the rounds in Asia and the world Koreans were very proud to say that not one confirmed case was found within its borders (although I think that was disputed)--the main reason: kimchi fought off the virus. Crazy as it sounds, that it common knowledge here. Well, maybe they were right. Seems scientists at the prestigious Seoul National University (Korea's Harvard) have isolated a chemical in kimchi that is safe and can ward of food poisoning. (This is a good thing, cuz I've had a bout of it while I was here...and man did it knock me out!)

#2: Sony has pushed the envelope again; they developed a SEVEN megapixel camera and it likely won't be long before we can get 7mp phonecams here.

#3: Credit card firms are looking for ways to back-fill their incredible losses from the loose credit binge of a couple of years ago, so they are going after their clients (the stores, specifically discounters like E-mart, a part of the Samsung/Shinsegae empire) for additional fees. The stores are hopping-mad. You may know, credit cards make money off of interest charges and foreign exchange trading (when you buy something in Korea with a USD card they charge you a rate above the going rate for won when they bill your card in USD) and also from the retailers. Usually it's about 1-2% (American Express had a reputation for having the highest fees, at about 2.5%) and that's where the local cards (BC Card and KB Card) decided to make some extra dough.

#4: Korea has been advised by The Economist magazine to revalue its currency. It appears that 10,000 won per 8.70USD is not a good idea in the global economy. Also, Shinhan Bank is starting a pilot project to allow ATMs to print/spit out 1,000,000 won (870USD) checks for those who want to walk around with one or two pieces of paper instead of 10-20.

#5: It's official: money wins out over love. Looks like the (Korean) kids of today think that wealth is more important than love. Go figure.

#6: Everything in Korea is extreme...including golf. Check this out: North Jeolla provincial government has just announced plans to build a 540 (yes, five hundred forty) hole golf course! That's 30 set of 18 links in one massive parcel! (I'm usually not prone to exclamation points, but this is too much!!!)

#7: Minaz is getting used to this place. We had dinner with my firm's CEO and then Minaz and I made our way to Itaewon where he did his sleuthing (he calls it networking). Basically he asks everyone where the party is. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't (such as in the picture below when these gals walked away in mid-sentence...haha!).


Minaz chatting up the girls in Itaewon.

In Helios we met a funny guy named Jay. He was like 6'4" and a Taekwondo dude. He had some severe ebonics goin' on...but he figured he knew me so I was safe from his ball-breaking...Minaz was not (haha!). Minaz made the mistake of asking what he does in Korea and his reply was, "Now you see that? You just opened yourself up for one. If my boys from [New] Jersey were here they woulda pumped you fulla lead, stolen your shoes and screwed ya." (He didn't say 'screwed', but you get the idea.) A pretty funny guy.

Stay tuned for more exciting info.