Busan, in a 16-day-old nutshell

Since the 6th of this month was a holiday, a few friends and I decided to spend some time in Busan. There were two main things on my Busan agenda: Thai food and gay bars. (Yeosu has neither.)

Thai food was first. Accompanied by my friends Kaylyn, Carly, and Tessa, together we hunted down the restaurant that was, according to the internet, supposed to be great. It wasn't. I could go into how the tiny, expensive food took an hour and forty-five minutes to deliver, or how it was delivered in confusing phases, or how we talked people out of eating there as we were walking out, but I won't...

To console ourselves, we walked the four blocks to the beach, picking up beers along the way, and took in the SAND CASTLE FESTIVAL (!!!!!) that was going on. And, of course, got a little buzz on.

After the beach, we decided a second, fulfilling meal was called for, and there just HAPPENED to be a Mexican joint nearby. We all ate burritos, and shared a big pitcher of Margaritas. It was amazeballs.

We then retired to the hostel for a at nap before we headed out to the gay area - which we got lost trying to find. Luckily, during the search we passed another group of westerners who, judging from the V-neck shirts and cuffed pants, were looking for the same place. They too were just in Busan for the weekend, having come down from Incheon. We teamed up and together found the seedy little alley where a couple doors with rainbow flags could be found. We grabbed a drink at Banana Bar, and I began to flirt with a cute Canadian fellow we'd just met. Numbers were exchanged, drinks were bought. Eventually we wound up on a beach where an old woman sold us fireworks which we shot off into the night sky over the water. Oh, and Rich and I made out in the sand. (Fireworks = aphradesiac.)

The next morning was an American-style brunch (french toast!) and more beach time before BARELY making it to the station in time to catch our bus back to the 'Su. (It should be mentioned that Tessa pulled a Breakfast Club type of skid-stop in the midst of our hurrying.) We returned to Yeosu without incident, and I began counting down the days until the promise of awesomeness that the next weekend held. Stay tuned for another hastily written, poorly composed catch-up blog!

Haeundae Beach, Busan

Untitled a photo by faublehead on Flickr.

The other weekend I went to Busan and snapped a few pictures on the beach. I'm finally getting around to posting them now, while I sit at school waiting for the clock to turn five.

It's a 35 minute bus ride downtown.

I spend a lot of time on buses here. That amounts to a lot of time with my mind wandering while I shut out the world with my iPod. When I think of something that amuses me, I type it into my phone to write about later. Here's the current list.

Every trip downtown, I see tons of "bus runs." The bus run: That awkward, self-conscious run people do in public when they're rushing, but not actually exerting themselves. I made up the name to describe the pace of people who are still 20 yards from the bus stop as their bus is approaching. It's also commonly seen while crossing the street after the light turns red. I love spotting a good, half-hearted bus run.

If I ever visit the leaning tower of Pisa, I want to take a picture of tourists doing the 'prop it up' pose and be in the foreground with a sign that says "Douche."

I invented a little game for myself. It's really stupid, but basically I try to take any movie and, through selective details, think of a descriptions that sound like bizarre drug experiences. Take It's a Wonderful LIfe, for example: You can literally hear the stars in the sky talking to each other. A guy wants to throw a rope around the moon and pull it down. The floor splits apart and people start swimming in it. A guy freaks out and starts thinking he was never born. Whoa, man...

Sharper Image should start selling sound machines with a Bob Ross setting.

I yearn to respond to "You use chopsticks very well!" with the equivalent compliment "You buttoned your shirt very well!" and watch Koreans wonder why they are being praised for the unremarkable accomplishment of having developed motor skills.

Sometimes I'll be staring out the bus window I'll think to myself 'Julia Roberts, I bet if you stopped pursuing Dermot Mulroney he'd dump Cameron Diaz and start chasing your tail. Then you'd finally have what you *think* you want... But you've got to consider this: There's absolutely no way he didn't realize you have feelings for him, which means he knew this and yet did nothing while you suffered. He's obviously just playing dumb so his ego can grow while you try harder and harder to win him over. He doesn't actually care about you. He doesn't see you as a person, just as a way of making himself feel better. What kind of deep-seeded emotional issues drives a person to compulsively pit jealous women against each other in an effort to win his ultimately unattainable affection? Isn't that a bit sociopathic?? How many more lives will he ruin?? Julia, do you really want to be with a guy like that?!?!?' Then I'll realize I'm analyzing My Best Friends Wedding, and I'll want to shoot myself in the face.

Drop the Y and suddenly you've got Charlie and the Chocolate Factor. I like this title a lot more for it's hilarious conceptual potential.

I get this dark-humored, creative writing tourette's when I write lesson plans. Typing about an activity will go something like this: Students will look at pictures of objects, identify them, and then cut off their arms and beat each other with them while using the phrase "All your base are belong to us!" The last one standing wins a piece of candy. Then I have to delete everything and write the real activity. *sigh*