Gingerbread House and Another Early Christmas

The job search continues. Tomorrow I'll have a piece on headhunters (recruiting firms) that might interest you. Today, though, it's all about the family. We went to my Uncle Bob's yesterday to make/decorate a gingerbread house. The gingerbread was even made by Aunt Kristina; like Kate, she's in import too (but from Sweden).

Bob showed me the article below from the Swedish Press. I guess I'd have a hard time getting a position in Stockholm.

Last Fart at the Riksbank

There is to be no more farting at Rikesbanken, the Bank of Sweden.

"We do not have a specific fart ban, but we have ethical guidelines and naturally, farting is simply not done here, "says Steffan Folke at the bank's work environment office.

It all started with complaints about a colleague's farting from computer technician Goran Andervass. The incident accelerated into a serious workplace conflict. Andervass was fired, took legal action and finally received a monetary compensation from the bank. According to Andervass he was "provoked by a disgusting fart - a right stinker - at 7:30AM in my office". The farting colleague is not keen to talk about this.

Krister Skoglund in the human resource department warns staff about farting too obviously near others: "If it happens on numerous occasions it will be perceived as a violation.", he said.

Yes, that is an actual news story...what a place.

As you enter Bob and Kristina's place you see this gal looking strernly at you as if to say, "Take off them boots!" I think it was at my mom's (Bob's her brother) parent's place but not sure who she is.


Someone's great-grandmother, but no idea who...


...maybe Kristina's? Naaahhhhh!

Bob...well, Bob collects things. Lots of things. Keys, for instance. And pipes. And CD, DVD, VHS players; camcorders; records, reel-to-reels, nick-nacks, paddy-whacks, dog-bones...just lots and lots of stuff.


Just a few of Bob's keys and keychains.

Before dinner the boys did some bonding as boys do...play with blocks and technology. What? You thought they'd play house or something?


Here's Anders and Spencer playing with Lego...


...as Lars and Winston explore the house.


Anders shows Winston his Powerbook.

In the backyard Spencer takes a look at the garden.


Bob says this ladder was just 3 feet high when he planted it in the garden in the spring....what kind of fertilizer is that?!!?


Bob has a bumper crop of ladders. Can you have too many? (Um, maybe.)

Then came dinner. Authentic Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, Caesar salad, gravy (...mmmmmm gravy...) and some veggies. All things I could hardly find in great supply in Korea.


Bob gets his mug in the shot.


"Some Swedish meatballs made by a Swedish meatballer," as Bob said.

After dinner we gave them their presents: the boys got 100% polyester ties (mayeb their first) handpicked by a master clotheshorse...me. Their parents got chocolates.


Lars and Anders model their flashy new ties sans collared shirts (which, I guess, is the style nowadays).

Then came ( I know you've been waiting for this with bated breath) the decorating of the gingerbread house. As mentioned, Kristina made the bread and assembled it with sugar glue of some sort (sounds yummy).


This is how it started. (Winston almost ended it right there.)


On your marks, get set......go!


A view from our eye-in-the-sky heli-cam.


Here is Kristina putting more icing on the roof. She'll get great big Popeye-esque forearms from all that squeezing!


Everyone has a hand in the construction.

After that we hti the road for the >1 hour drive home (at least when I'm at the wheel). I've driven so much in Vancouver that even after being gone for 2 years I still could get there without a map (well, I did look at it once...I'm not that good).


Everyone (except me, of course) is sacked out after a long day.

Maybe this is what put them to sleep...driving home isn't exactly like cruising the Vegas Strip.


Take a look at this scene...this is just outside Vancouver. Hundreds (thousands?) of acres of farmland.

As you have read, we've been opening Christmas presents every once in a while. The first time was with my Mom and Dad. That was because we didn't figure I'd be here over Christmas so we did it early. When we got home from Bob's Spencer was so wired about opening presents (ah, to be last year when he didn't know what they were...) that we figured might as well let him open one. My Mom and Dad always said that it was kind of a rollercoaster for us kids to get everything in one day and then have a weird feeling when it was all done. I kinda like opening a few every once in a while too (hey, why wait?).


Spencer gets ready to tear into his present of the night.


Jessie gets her gift from the Bob + Kristina...coffee...mmmmmmmm.


Winston models with the new Santa Claus plate...ya, we didn't have him hold it up.

After that it was time to workout. I took a fwe pics of the clubhouse we have here. It's ok, and mostly deserted. The pool is empty a lot (should get some of those pics up as well...I have them here somewhere I think). In the fooseball/gameroom is a big TV and DVD player and such which seems a little redundant given the large units they have here.


We have fooseball if anyone's up for a game.


Here's the gym. Brutal lighting, but you can see it's pretty a universal, a few free weights (only up to 35 lbs/15 kgs)...


...a Stairmaster, a treadmill and a TV...what more could you want? (How about some aerobics instructors?)

Then it was time to make dinner for the boys. I made some omlette and fried ham then added 김/gim (seaweed) and 밥/bap (rice) for the Korean crowd. That stuff in the glass isn't just water, it's 보리차/bo-rli-cha (barley tea). Koreans just call it water most of the time. If you want water-water in a Korean restaurant (or in Korea) you'll need to ask for 냉물/naeng mool (cold/ice water).


Dinner for the Two Princes.


Now, the next day, it's time to eat the house.

Couldn't resist this shot this morning on my errand-run.


Take a look at the neon sign...what the heck is a Vietnamese sub?

Later.

Each Year is Better Than the Last?

Working on a big post with lots of pics...kid duties are keeping me from the PC, though. Here's a couple of items from today's paper to tide you over:


Let's see...he's been married ONE year and says every year is better than the last...why not just say, "Dear, it better get better than this!"?


And here you can see that this person is so special she deserves a personalized birthday wish from nine of her closest friends and family...or maybe not.

More Views

Just a quick one this morning...got to get in the car to my uncle Bob's (yes, Bob's my uncle) to make gingerbread houses with our boys and his boys (Lars visited me in Seoul last May, as you may remember).


Here is that view again in a little more light. Now you can see that gigantic building in the core of town easier. Isn't it massive? (hehe)


Here's another one...how serene (except for all that traffic!)


One more...that's it.

Spencer's First Audioblog

Click to play (may need to save then play from your PC).

Spencer Takes to Golf and Minaz Gets a Korean Groove!

Today was like many others lately...devoid of drinking and clubbing (waaaaaaaaa!). At this time last week I was out-and-about...but not now. The closest I get to Seoul is (i) my family and (ii) watching the multicultural channel to see Korea (KBS and YTN) news.

But, it's not without its fun times. After lunch Spencer tried his hand at livingroom golf (he calls it hockey, a la Happy Gilmore)--but he used my Outsider soccer ball as a golf ball...good imagination, eh?


Here is Winston eating lunch.


Spencer comes down for a swing.


Spencer's backswing. Fore!

Before dinner I spent some time with Spencer as Kate and Winston had a nap. Don't tell her, but I gave him some strawberry ice cream with strawberry sauce and banana in it. What?!!? You are Kate? Well, don't read that last line or look at this picture, k?


Ice cream and strawberry sauce...mmmmm.


A litte dessert after dinner (shared with Kate too...).

Right now Minaz (he kinda reminds me of Lex Luthor of Smallville in this pic; read the name of this group "Al Gore-ism???") is off to Las Vegas for a few days of debauchery (much like he had in Seoul, I imagine...links here and here and here, among others). Before he left he broke some news...he met a Korean gal last weekend. She moved here when she was 19--I'm assuming she's over 19 now, as Minaz is like 30 or something--so she should be more like a Korean gal than a Western one. 아가씨!/aga-sshi! (girl!) This is a guy who said (before and during his visit to Seoul) that he's not all that interested in Asian gals...more into Latinas. Well, rules are meant to be broken, I guess. You da man, Minaz! (Just make sure you know what you're getting yourself into...Korean gals appear 'submissive' but, especially after marriage, you're the one in a skirt/apron/dishgloves!)


The end of the day (finally), reading to the boys.

Life in the 'Big City'

It kinda cracks me up when my Mom describes Coquitlam (part of Vancouver) as a big city. C'mon! Sure there are quite a few more people living here than 'sleepy hollow' (as I call where they live; actually they live in farmland outside of sleepy hollow!) but it's not exactly the metropolis that Seoul is...not by a long shot.


Early-morning view off our deck...you can get a glimpse of the 'high-rises' downtown between the trees.


Another look....but very similar. Yup, this is in 'the big city' according to my Mom!


Even in the middle of town there are vacant lots!

For those of us who have lived in both kinds of populaces--I was born and raised in small towns of under 10,000 before moving to Vancouver (1.5 million) and Seoul (12 million)--I think we can agree that both have their pluses and minuses. Delivery and other services is a big bonus in Seoul that is rarer in Vancouver and almost extinct in smaller towns (at least in Canada). I really, really miss having my gym uniform, towels and toiletries (as well as a locker for my shoes) provided in Seoul (nowhere in Canada have I found that yet). But from our place here we can take a 10 minute walk down to a massive park (not Yeouido Park that is full of people, either, but also without the many ice cream and other sellers that make Seoul a lively place).

Uh-oh, better get back to these kids. Both of them have colds now...joy.

A Trip to the Doctor's and Peter's Hilarious Blog!

Please, try to keep from getting too excited. Not much to do here in the way of drinking and such like there is in Seoul. I now know why so many Korean youths who come here end up making their way back to Korea for a little nightlife. Life here is so different (and not only because I'm not working at the moment).

Take my Yeouido schedule, for example: up at 7AM or 8AM, in the office about 30 minutes thereafter (really close); call wife; lunch at noon with Jo and the guys; send/receive about 30 textmessages and emails during the day; work out from 2PM or so for 1.5 hours; head out at 6PM; have dinner with friends then hit the bars or watch TV or whatever until 10PM; read a bit or something then bed at midnight. On the weekends just substitute inline skating, sleeping, shopping or other assorted crap for working.

Here in Canada: kids wake me up with their battery-operated toys (or jumping on me) at about 8AM (after trying unsuccessfully at 5AM, 6AM and 7AM); get them fed; play; work out from 9:30 or something for 1.5 hours (have to do this) then lunchtime and head out somewhere in the afternoon and then dinner and try to settle them for bed. On 4 days Spencer goes to pre-school for a few hours (yay!) but it's a false economy as my wife usually has lists of tasks to fill my time. Blog all night and then sleep at 2AM or so. Sounds, grand, don't it?

On a sidenote, my Mom is now a member of Virtual Tourist (her page is here, mine is here). Way to go Ma!

On to today's 'adventure'...Spencer has a cold so we went to the doctor's. She (Dr. Angela, now a reader of my blog!) has 2 young kids of her own and her husband is a doctor as well (how she does it I have no idea).


Everyone in the car!



Spencer and Winston chillin' in the examination room.

Ya, unlike Korean hospitals where you go right into the doctor's actual office (and I never wait on account of I'm a foreigner), here we waited a bit in the exam room (and arrived 20 minutes late thanks to Kate calling the office and finding them behind, again; we were right on time). Had to entertain the kids (and myself), so...


Keeping the boys happy with glove balloons.


Dr. Angela checks out Spencer.

Got home and drugged up the boys on Tylenol Cold for Infants. They love the taste and Spencer even asks for medicine when he feels sick!


Spencer gets some medicine. He likes it! He likes it!


Winston gets a dose too.

I have to say: thank you, thank you Peter for starting your blog. It was incredibly hilarious today. So much so that I would like all readers to go and take a look. It's right........here.

Here's an excerpt that was especially insightful:

Korean bus drivers, I have a theory about how they are selected. They get to do a minimum 10 years as prison truck drivers, do special training on how to torment the prisoners, pull away full blast, stand on the breaks, like a fighter pilot stencil their victims on the side of the bus. Then, when the victim count reaches the required level they are promoted to Seoul City Bus Drivers. This is a job they tackle with a relish. They must have a speed rating for how fast they can get a passenger standing in the back of the bus to hit the front windscreen and then splatter him all over the rear window and this gets discussed at their meals afterwards over plenty of bottles of Soju (add that to the dictionary) and much mirth. I like to sit in the middle seat at the back facing down the aisle as there’s sufficient legroom for me (every thing in Korea is designed for a 4 foot 6 ajuma size person). Today I moved to the window as the aisle was wet and I had no break traction, did not want one of my bus driver’s stories tonight to be about this tall Westerner who reached the front of the bus on his rear end in 2 milliseconds and you should have seen what a mess his new pants were and he actually tried to impale me on his umbrella, dunno why.

Finally, after all this working out my wife and sis-in-law had the unmitigated gaul to flaunt ice cream in front of me tonight. They know I need to lose weight so I can get into my best suits comfortably and get a good job; but did that stop them? Noooooo. I had some anyways....hehe.


Oh ya...strawberry ice cream with strawberry sauce on top...oh, it's just a coffee, 여보/yeobo (dear)!

Busy day with the kids.

I feel a little guilty about that last posting...there were no pictures for you! What kind of a nut writes hundreds of words for you dedicated readers? This one, I guess. Well, here I'll make it up to you (as long as you like pure Canadian pics).

Today we went to the local track. It's about 5 minutes from home (as most things are) and I thought it would be a good place for Spencer to get some air. He's been sick lately and although Korean way is to stay home the ol' Canadian way is sometimes to get out in the fresh air (bundled up, mind you) and get things moving again. Well, I have no idea what I'm doing, obviously, because Spencer ended up puking 6-8 times at the track, in the car, in the Korean restaurant where we tried to have lunch and at home...seems a lot of phlem made it down to his stomach and wanted to see the light again. Until then it was a nice, day, though...the first break in the rain since I got here FIVE DAYS AGO!


Spencer! Come back! 빨리와!


Here he comes!


Winston is here too. (Note bluish sky.)


Winston found some worms.


View at the track.


More view from the track.

Afterward I got the usual list of things to do/buy/cook. One of which was banking. I was sick and tired of driving around (was trying to find gas cheaper than 0.849 CAD, but couldn't) but still managed to make it to this drive-thru banking thingy. This is the second time I've used one. I'm not really impressed, but it beat walking the 5 metres to the branch or using a teller.


One of the conveniences of Canada/U.S.: drive-thru banking. Had to get out to use the thing, though.

This is one thing that struck me about Korea: they love to give gifts and stuff but there are hardly any greeting card stores. (Is it just me? Or are there some tucked away somewhere?) This pic is from an aisle in Shopper's Drug Mart...look at all these cards!


So many cards here...and it's not even a Hallmark store!

Also little seen in Korea are duelies (trucks with 4 wheels on the back axle) and these Toyota 'Yee-ha' trucks, as I call them.


Something you just don't see in Korea: A yee-ha truck lifted with big mudders and no rear bumper (everything but the gun-rack).

When I stopped for gas this store freaked me out a bit. It's a Nevada Bob's golf shop but there is this guy...


Is that a guy over there?

...painted on the wall. With him behind the car you can't see that his image ends at his torso. I thought some Santa dude was watching me from across the parking lot until I focused on it.


Here if you want to see animals you have to go to a pet store...in Korea you can just as well go to a restaurant.


Kate's favourite view...the mountains as we near home.

Ah, almost home...


Our little complex's road...quaint, ain't it?

Back home Spencer got some spring back in his step. I roll the hula-hoop to him with some major back-spin on it so it comes back to me...then he runs after it. Pretty fun and involves little effort on my part (I like that).


Spencer finally gets the hula-hoop.


Winston and my hard-won Suwon Samsung F.C. ball from The Outsider.


Winston strikes a pose for the camera.

Tonight I made it to the gym again (one in our complex....it's not super, but it'll do). Got to watch The Apprentice, that was nice. Got to get this weight off that I accumulated while laid up with this bum foot I had a while back and from getting here (food on the plane isn't too good, I think, and jetlag screws with my appetite a fair bit). Walking home I noticed the stars in the sky and thought that I rarely saw them in Seoul...but then with all the rain we've had here I haven't exactly seen them nightly here either.

What time is it? 2AM! Holy crap, better get to bed. Kids will wake up at 7AM so got to rest up for that. First though, let me explain the opening of presents a few days ago. Those were Christmas presents, but on account of they were on a cruise my Ma and Pa didn't know that I'm back from Seoul for good...and we planned on having Christmas with them that night rather than later or separately on the actual day. So, we saved some of them for another opening nearer the Big Day. Man, these boys get all the breaks!


Last shot of the day...fitting, isn't it?