Jingle Bells

Christmas time is looming, it has been in the air for the past couple of weeks for me. The difficult part for me is that I will be spending Christmas day and New Years day with the absence of my family. So I decided to buy a ticket for warmer climates. I will be spending some time in the Philippines with family. It has been a very long time since I spent Christmas and New Years in the Philippines, and that really makes me super excited. It will also be my first time going to the Philippines alone. As much as I like being with my parents and what not, I will be getting some good time alone in the Philippines.

I also cannot fight the urge to really get into the mood of it all as well. It has been snowing for the past few days, and I like it to be a white Christmas. Sitting in my room drinking hot coco and watching he snow fall; it makes me feel like a kid again. So I think this will be the last post before I fly out. I will be going on Wednesday and I have many things to do and prepare before I leave. I hope that this vacation will also clear some cob webs away from my head. I have been fighting some writers block for some time and has stopped my progress with my book.


___


The End


Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.


-Cezar-

Jingle Bells

Bitter sweet

Last night it started to snow. I was extremely excited. It had been a very long time since I have seen some good fresh powder. I decided to go a little old school and make myself some hot coco. I sat on my floor with my window open and watched the snow come. For some reason I started to have a couple flash backs of my childhood. I started to laugh and giggle to myself. After a good amount of time I went to bed satisfied.


the mountain outside my appartment


my street

The next morning I woke up and looked outside my window to see the aftermath, it was great. It had snowed all night and it didn't stop. The snowflakes were huge and it really made my town look like a winter wonderland. So I prepared for the day with excitement of being able to play in the snow for a while. I also was heading out the door somewhat sad. It was my last day with my favorite school. I realized, as I made some childlike markings in the snow, that I would really never see these kids again. Over the months I have become fond with them. They are a funny and spirited group of kids.

I step into my school. I had decided to buy some chocolates for my co-teachers as a going away present. So I gave it out to them saying thank you and good-bye. I waited for my first class to begin. My last classes with my kids, I decided to just have fun with them. One of my co-teachers suggested for me to get the kids to write Christmas cards to me. I instantly thought that it was a great idea. It would give me something to do to kill some time and they would like the activity. I didn't expect it to be so touching. They spent so much time and effort creating some thoughtful cards. They also said many great things. I fancy myself as a tough guy kinda hard to keep my emotions down. I found that in Korea emotions are not shown too much on the outside. The kids, even the boys, were all very sad and many of them hugged me good-bye. I found it very touching.


Some of my boys


Some of my girls

One of the nicest things that really put the topping on the situation; was the scenery. The snow really did a number on the surrounding mountains. the snow covered trees actually glistened in the sun. There were little pockets of trees that didn't have snow in the mountains that brought out the color of the snow. As the snow was falling and I stared out the window, I could not help myself but sing songs.


My view from one of the classrooms

During lunch time several of my children came up to me and asked if I wanted to play in the snow with them. I said yes. I quickly ran to my office put my gloves on and played. I really haven't had that much fun in Korea in a while. Throwing snowballs, laughing, and playing with my kids. They seemed to have fun and they were actually practicing their English while we played.

All together it was a great day. As I left the school, I could hear most to all of my kids yelling my name and saying goodbye. A few of them actually started walking with me and talking while I left. I could tell that they really didn't want me to leave. I told them good bye one last time and gave each one of them a hug.


___


The End


Parting is such sweet sorrow.


-Cezar-

Bitter sweet

Curveball

I didn't plan on writing today, but life has given me a little bit of a pick me up. By all means it was a normal day; I taught my classes and I went through my day. I enjoyed hot coco that I made to counter the cold day. I sat and played my video games on my computer while I was in my classes. On all accounts, I had a very boring day.

I came home thinking to myself that I did not want to cook dinner. I cook about 85% of the time for my dinners. Tonight I felt really lazy to do anything. So I strolled into the local Chinese Restaurant. I go there so often that they know what I like to order. So I walk into the place and the owner greets me with a smile and a small laugh. He says the food item that I usually order and I say yes. He sits down with me at my table and in broken English we have a conversation. He and I spoke about where I was from and how long I have been in South Korea. I ask him in tern about his history. He serves me a cup of green tea. While I waited for the food, he walks up and hands me a bottle of soda and says it's free. He pours me a cup and I return the favor. The food is served very quickly and I eat it just as fast. He then walks over again and hands me a cup of coffee. I thank him over and over again.

I walked over to the counter to pay for the meal. His wife discounts my meal from the regular price. She says in Korean "because you are a teacher in Gyeokpo." I thank her abundantly. I felt humbled by the show of care and friendship they showed. So I ran back into my room and grab a couple bars of Hersey's Chocolate. I walk into the place again and give her a small token of my appreciation. She smiles from ear to ear and says "thank you very much."

I have been back in my room ever since then. I have not stopped smiling. I had forgotten the simple pleasure of giving. I liked the fact that they gave me some free stuff, but something about giving them something as small as that kinda blew my mind. This all comes at a time where Christmas is just around the corner. I have been teaching my children Christmas Carols. I have been singing all my favorite song with them. This night almost just puts a bow on top of it all.

The weekend is coming and I will be spending it with some very close friends. I think it will really put me in the mood for Christmas. If I had the real verbal capacity to express my feelings right now I would, but sadly I cannot. I think one word can really express it all. Joy.


___


The End


Tis better to give than receive.


-Cezar-

Curveball

Lost in Transportation

The weekend was pretty interesting. I went down to Mokpo for another trail. The whole week I had been feeling a little down because of the recent departure of my friend, so going away seemed like a good idea. My friends in Mokpo invited the hashers to come and do a trail so I decided to go. The event wasn't going to happen until Saturday; so I decided to stay home on Friday and go in the morning. I had forgotten how boring it was in my town on a Friday night. I have been so used to going to Jeonju or Iksan on a Friday nights. So I sat around waiting until I was tired enough to go to sleep.

Saturday morning I had to wake up extremely early so that I could catch the morning bus down to Mokpo. It was easy enough, I had no real problems with it at all. I arrived in Mokpo about 2 hours later. I helped finish laying trail with my friends and what not. We grabbed a little lunch and waited for other people to show up. I thought that Gyeokpo was cold, but let me tell you Mokpo was freezing. It was actually snowing during trail. So I was happy that I had the smarts to wear several layers at a time, but that didn't stop me from being cold. So we finish up the trail. Then we proceed to go out into the town for some fun. It was nice being in a new town and just getting away from it all.

Sunday morning rolls around. I decided to sleep in. I knew that my trip shouldn't take too long so I had the luxury to sleep in that day. I started to move around and travel around 11am. So I take one bus to the big city Gwangju and into the terminal. I buy my ticket for Buan. I was told that the bus wasn't coming until 2pm; it was 1pm at the time. So I grabbed some lunch and waited for the bus. I see the bus pull in. As per my usual routine I ask the ticket receiver if the bus was going to Buan. She replies yes. I then proceed to ask the bus driver if the bus was going to Buan. He says yes. So I sit down and wait until I get to go home. I knew the ride was supposed to be an hour and a half. So I wasn't too worried. As we drove along, I started not to recognize anything. It had been already an hour into the bus ride, and there was nothing that I recognized. I thought to myself that he might be taking a different route. So I lay back and waited. As it approached the 2 hour mark; I knew that something was wrong. So I waited til the next stop. I walked up to the driver and asked the driver where he was going in Koren. He replied MUAN. I kindly tried to explain to him what had happened. He laughed a little bit and told the ticket officer what happened at the town he dropped me off at. So I had to get on another bus to go back to Gwangju. The bus driver and I had a conversation about what happened and he laughed too. So there I was in a town where I had no idea where it was. I had to wait. Then another 2 hour bus ride back to Gwangju. As I got off the bus, the bus driver was kind enough to help me get the right ticket. He literally held my hand the whole way. It was 5:45pm at the time. The very last bus to Buan didn't leave til 6:25. So I had some time to kill. So I waited some more. Then my bus finally came. I asked the ticket officer, the bus driver and several of the passengers if the bus was going to Buan. They all answered yes. So I lied back and waited some more.

I also had the issue of trying to make it to Buan in time. I live about 45min away from Buan. The last bus to my town leaves at 8pm sharp every night. Leaving Gwangju at 6:25 with a hour and forty minute ride; I feared the worse. I did not want to have to take a taxi home. So all I could do is sit patiently and wait. Luckily the bus pulled into the terminal at 7:45 leaving me with plenty of time to get on the bus. So again I waited. The bus pulls in at 7:59 and I jump in. I sit and relax cause I was on my way home. I got home and I was so relieved. All I did was go to my room and get into bed. I had been traveling for 9 hours for that one day. That was no fun at all.

I just wanted to touch on the feeling of being lost. It wasn't cool at all. That was the first time EVER in South Korea that I felt not only alone but lonely. I had no one to call or talk too. I had no one that spoke my language to tell me it was going to be alright. I found it to be a very weird experience all together. Once I realized that I was lost; I got that sinking feeling. I really wanted to panic and what not. I'm usually okay with not being in control, but that wasn't cool at all. Getting lost in that area really made me feel, for a lack of a better word, lost. I'm glad that I had the patience to get back and do what I needed to do. I contacted a couple of my friends. They were nice enough to laugh at me and help me through the situation. That made me feel a little better.


___


The End


Patience is a virtue.


-Cezar-

Lost in Transportation

Thanks?

So today is thanksgiving. It has been a while since I have actually appreciated things enough to be thankful for them. I am though. I am thankful for all the big and small things in my life.

I have been thinking about what my friends say to me all the time. They tell me that I have a lot of strength for staying in such an isolated area. I think that anyone could do the same. At some point in everyone's life they feel alone or lonely. I know my case is in the extreme, but is it that too hard to imagine being where I am. I understand it takes a certain type to deal with being alone, but it's also not too difficult. One would be able to first cope with it; then after manage it. The hardest part I think is finding motivation. I find it hard to dig deep now a days to do the simple things. My book is again fallen to the side because I lack focus and strength to pick it up. My supposed studies of Korean or even reading one of my several books has put aside. I keep trying to dig deep, but I find nothing.

On a happier note. I will be finished with work soon and vacation is around the corner. After vacation, I will work for a short time then wait to go home.


____


The End


We learn more in loss than in victory.


-Cezar-

Thanks?

We must endure

I have been writing one of my books for the past couple of days. I have really picked up where I left off from a couple months ago, but it seems like I have hit a little bit of writers block. So I decided to do some free writing here to start the cogs again and maybe stumble onto where the story should go.

I have been dealing with a couple different things the past weeks. One of my closest friends here in South Korea is leaving to go back home. He is one of the bigger reasons why I stayed in Korea. Now that he is leaving; I feel at a loss. I know that it will not be the last time I will be seeing my good friend, yet I am sad to see him leave. We shared many good laughs and some good times together. His departure makes me long for my own. I keep on thinking about when I get to go home. I keep on picturing my family and friends being there. Being away for so long has really taught me the value of being home.

There are so many things that I tend to take for granted when I was home. I think I will have a new appreciation when I get back. On the other side of the coin; I will really miss the freedom I have here. Seriously, the things that I get away with and have done here in South Korea is refreshing. The societal norms here let me have a type of freedom that I was not afforded back in America. I feel that I am more bound by society back in America, and in South Korea I am able to do what I please (to a certain extent).

Anyways; back to my book. As far as a writer goes, I don't think I am one. I was talking to a good friend of mine and she suggested that I am more of a story teller, it seemed to fit what I had in mind. It also seems to be the case with my book, as I write them it seems more like I am speaking then writing. I will finish the book soon and see what happens.

I actually had forgotten that I had started writing the story on paper. I pulled up the document on my computer and found it to be shorter than what I had remembered. I also realized that I lost the particular book in which I kept all my notes. So I literally had to back track on all my characters and stories. Where I am supposed to be at page 9 or so; I am now only on page 5. It has proven very frustrating having to try to recreate the story and characters. I am making progress but it's slow and difficult. I set a high goal of getting to page 20 by the end of the week, but it seems like I will only be able to get to page 10. The story itself is taking on a new life and path then what I had anticipated.

I also wanted to share a piece that I recently wrote. As most of you know I have been active with hiking and what not. They made me an officer for the group and put me in charge of doing some write ups. This was one of my most recent ones. I was actually surprised on how it came out. I think it is one of my better write ups.

A naming and a goodbye
It seems to me when a group of people congregate there is a high chance of bonding. That is what the house harriers is all about; we try to create a sense of connection with other people. When you are in a place where you have no one else but each other; joining a group like ours is easy to do. The hashers hold a long line of tradition near its heart and it welcomes you to join into it. We had a typical run last weekend. A few virgins joined the group and an old friend left it.
The trail was simple; it was an A to B this time. We decided to keep it light and short because of time restrictions. I proceeded to start all the festivities around 4:30ish; so that we don’t lose trail in the dark. It was all medium hills with no real obstacles in our way to finding the beer. The FRBs (front running bastards) helped make trail easier to follow with laying more chalk lines. The trail lasted about an hour, walking.
We ended at a local restaurant. We ate and drank for a couple of minutes and started the ceremonies. The virgins were put through their paces and I was not disappointed. They were more than willing to bear themselves to us and the world. It does me very well when I see virgins willing to disgrace themselves to entertain the pack.
We sang song and went through ceremonies. We said goodbye to a fellow hasher. He has been a big part of the hash both in Seoul and in Jeonju. His name was Dirty. He was the epitome of a hasher. He had one of the biggest hearts and kindest personalities that I knew. His presence was always welcome and enjoyed by all; truly a hasher through and through. On a more personal note, I will miss him very much. He was a great man and a fantastic hasher.
Once we dispatched with those pleasantries, we went onto a naming. NN Nancy had been hashing with us a couple of times. She hashed enough to earn her name in Jeonju. We had given her a questionnaire to help us in her naming. After much talking and reviewing and storytelling, we came upon a name only befitting a fellow hasher. NN Nancy was baptized under some beer; when she emerged she was to be known as Back Alley Cabby (BAC). She was welcomed into the fold. We finished with that and moved to close the hash. We continued to drink and eat into the night.
That was our trail and my tail of it. We shed a tear for the hasher that left but in rejoice for the new hashers gained and for the newly named. For our fellow brother and sister hashers; the trail will never end. The trail will always find a way to bring us together. It is our way of bonding and our way to form a brotherhood. So if you have time; come find us on trail and join us in song and drink. You will enjoy yourself.



___


The End


Have faith.


-Cezar-

We must endure

end game

So yeah. I have been away from this blog for a while and I have missed it. It seems, even though I have nothing where I am; that I have no time for anything. I have been so consumed with trying to do some work for school and looking forward to the weekends that I have no time to really do anything. I have made some real connections with some new people in Buan. I have eaten with them several times already and they seem to be good people. Last Sunday I was passing through Buan I sent a text message to them and they invited me to have brunch with them.

I have decided to try to make this a column that you would read in a newspaper. So I will try to write in this at least twice a week. I would like suggestions on what to write about.


___


The End


The shortest distance between two objects is a straight line.


-Cezar-

end game

Parents

On a side note. It was my parents anniversary yesterday. I called them last night to wish them happy anniversary. I just wanted to wish them a happy anniversary again. I love you both so very much. Words cannot express my gratitude and appreciation for all of your sacrifice and work you have done for me over the years. I couldn't of asked for better parents. I know we have our ups and downs, but at the end of the day I will always love you guys with all of my heart.

Parents

And the survey says

Okay. I know it has been a couple of days since I have last updated. So here I go.


Nothing really new has been happening. Hashing is hashing. Trails have been getting better and more interesting. Weekends have been going fast and weekdays even faster. I am counting the days until I am done with work and I go to the Philippines for vacation. Then I am counting the days until I go home. Until then I will be just going around doing the same thing everyday.

As far as new things going on. New friends in Buan have been more then accommodating to me. They have come to my town and broke bread with me. I have gone to their town and done the same. I will be going up there again this week for dinner.

I haven't made any head way with any one of my books. I don't know if its writer's block lack of motivations, it may be both.


That is it for now.


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The End


Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get. -Forrest Gump


-Cezar-

And the survey says

Rabble

I know it has been a couple of days since I have written in this thing. I have found myself less and less inclined to write in it. Even though I still find it a very nice outlet for me to voice my thoughts and actually practice my writing skills; I have grown tired of it. I am focusing on several things at the moment. I found out that my friend Stand is leaving South Korea early because he does not like his situation. He went to talk to his boss and they ended up agreeing to let him go early. He plans to leave December 1st. I am naturally not too happy about it, but he needs to do what makes him happy.

On a side note I have met a handful of foreigners in the town about 45 min away from me. I met them on my way up to Seoul. They were nice enough to invite me out to dinner one night. I enjoyed their company. They are a good group of kids; from what I learned there are about 9 of them in the town. It's a good thing I found them, but I will be leaving in a couple of months and I don't think I will be able to meet up with them much.

As far as the hash over the past weekend; it went extremely well. The GM left for japan for a vacation and put me in charge of the hash. So I made trail with another person. I also had to go through making sure accommodations, food, travel and drinks were together. I thought it would be an easy job, but it isn't. I was getting stressed over people, places, trail and everything that involved a hash. Honestly I didn't even do that great of a job. There were many aspects that I ignored or forgot about. Otherwise it was a great time; the people that came down and up from where they live had a great time. We had a large group of people, more than usual, about 17 people that did trail with us. I sang song with them and I had a great time making them act like fools.

As far as my week, it was relatively slow and boring. One of my co-workers decided to ask me to go and hangout with him and another co-teacher. Their English isn't too bad, so the night was pretty good conversation and what not. It was also nice to get out of my room and do something.


That has been the story for the past couple of days/weeks. I know that my posts have been getting less and less every time, but it takes a lot to try to find something out of nothing. I am making good use of my time I am reading more and starting to write my books.


___


The End


Idol hands are the Devil's playground.


-Cezar-

Rabble

Time well spent

The weekend jumped off in the same manner it usually does. I decided to jump into a bus heading to Seoul. It was Friday night once again and I wanted to see my friends. I take the bus headed up to Seoul like usual. The nice part about the ride was that I met some foreigners in Buan, the neighboring city to me. We chatted a bit and they told me that there were 9 foreigners in the city. We chatted and exchanged information with each other. It was a nice surprise to meet some foreigners in the area.

I eventually arrive in Seoul. I transit in between subways like usual. I end up going to a local bar that all the hashers we hanging out at. The week leading to the weekend was special. It was a hash-marathon in Seoul. All through out the week there was trail at least once a day. I was only able to catch the tail end because I live about 4 hours away. My friends were happy to see me anyways. Once I arrived in the bar, I hear the happy greetings. I go around making my hellos and introductions. I met Hashers that had came in from out of country just for the weekend events. It was a nice sight and experience all together.

Saturday rolls around. I had 2 trails that I wanted to take part of; so I did. Trail was regular. Up hills and down slopes; climbing up and jumping down obstacles. I had the Yeongsan Kimchi H3* trail first. Their trails are usually something that I look forward too. This time I had company as I walked the trail, which is a nice change of pace. Trail started at 11am ended at 1pm. I had another trail that started at 1; so I literally had no time to waste. It was a special event for the Seoul H3, it was their 2000th run. We took a bus to the start location, about an hour away. The trail was amazing. I took a trail that took me up a mountain. I saw beautiful landscape. I was also accompanied by another walker for the trail. We chatted for a while. The trail ended around 6pm. We ended the trail in their traditional way. We started a fire and ate and drank around it. This pack was consisted on only men. So we were just that. Men around a fire sharing stories and laughter. Later on that night we head back into Itaewon. We go to a couple bars meeting up with other hashers. We go onto the night until about 3 am. We have our fun.

At one of the bars, a stranger approaches us. He started asking questions about who we were. I kindly explain what the hash is about and who these people were. We talk about it for about an hour. I started pulling in other hashers to sell the case. We talk about brotherhood and the trail. One of the hashers got a little philosophical. I explained to him that the hash wasn't about getting drunk, finding girls or debauchery. The hash is about the people and the relationship that we build. One of the hashers chimed in and made a comparison to the band of brothers. I cannot fully recall it, but I knew what he said was true.

Sunday rolls around. I grab breakfast with the hashers. I have some great conversations and laughs. They leave for another trail that I can't take part of because of time restrictions. I walk around Itaewon and pick up a couple of things that I need for myself and head back home.



___


The End


Brotherhood isn't given it is earned.


-Cezar-

Time well spent

Clarity

I have been reading a book that my parents gave to me when they visited me. Basically this book is trying to help me become a better writer. It has given me some real insight into the mind of a writer. It has actually given me better ideas on how to write which I really like.

So yesterday I had the whole day off so I really started reading the book. I didn't get a chance to finish it, but I got many good tips. The biggest and most important tip I received was that it's a conversation. A conversation between me as a writer and you as a reader. I need to visualize you as a reader. I need to make sure that I am clear as if we are having a dialog.

It's really something when you realize something as significant as that. I always had the reader in mind when I write, but never considered it to that level. I really had one of those "AH HA!" moments. I am excited to read more into this book because it seems to have golden nuggets of information for me.


___


The End


Limitation is where you find your imagination.


-Cezar-

Clarity

New path Same road

The weekend was interesting to say the least. I spent it with a group of new friends. They are in a neighboring town called Iksan. I have known them for quite some time now, but rarely spent much time with them. I had focused my energies into hashing and Seoul and Jeonju that I let them slip through my fingers. This past weekend I decided to spend the weekend with them. It turned out to be a good idea all together. They were a good group of kids that I could really connect with and have fun with. We spent most of friday night and saturday night going around doing some shenanigans. I haven't laughed or connected with a group of kids like that in a very long time. Which made me sad because I know what is going to happen. The more time I spend with them; the more time I will really connect with them. That will make it extremely hard for me to leave. I have grown attached to many of the people here and that is causing me some problems. I know that I will be leaving in a short amount of time and that will make things harder for me. I am really torn between states of mind. I want company so that I don't get too lonely, but I also don't want to get too attached. I know how I get. I am an emotional man. I have an open heart. This will prove to be more difficult when time comes for me to say goodbye.


Just to mention. I had duties for the hash on saturday. I had to lead the group in ceremonies. The trail was decent, but I got lost of trail for a while. I was lucky to run into another hasher, she helped me by calling and getting directions for me. I often complain about shiggy, trails with rough terrain, but I saw the non-shiggy trail and I didn't like it too much. After taking part in trails with a lot of shiggy and interesting obstacles, I kind of long for hurdles. I complain about climbing hills and mountains and going through rough terrain, but in the long run, it just more interesting that way. I would like a happy medium of a trail, that would be the best solution.

I digress, the weekend was great. It was a real chance for me to connect with people that I am starting to care for. It was also a nice change of pace; it felt slower. It was wholesome fun; I actually spent some time playing jenga at a bar and it was amazing.




___


The End

New path Same road

Lack thereof

Ok. So Monday rolls around. I had another day off so I decided to take Manny on a tour of my town. We went to a local temple that I always show the visitors. He enjoyed seeing the history and oldness of the temple. I enjoy that area for its peacefulness. It is situated in a huge piece of land. There are trees and greenery everywhere. It is a peaceful 1km walk towards the temple itself. When you walk around the temple you will see the local mountains surrounding it. It is one of those sights that is best savored sitting on a bench taking in the scenery. There is chanting playing all through out the area which gives it more of a relaxing feeling.

After the temple I take him on a walking tour of my whole town. We share a couple of good laughs. Then we eat the local Chinese food in the area, which Manny instantly fell in love with. Then I try to take him to the top of a small look out point to watch the sunset, but we missed it. We just ended up having a beer and talking about life.

Manny had fell in love with Korea the instant that he arrived. I would like to think that I helped because I already knew the area and knew where to go. I also think that taking him to a Hash was a great idea. I made him a hasher, and I couldn't be happier.

Tuesday and Wednesday passed by rather quickly. Manny was still in town but he had to leave Wednesday morning. He planned to go back to Seoul to meet up with my friends and do some stuff. He really wanted to visit Harley again to acquire his shirt. My friends up there were kind enough to give him a place to crash and show him around town.


___


The End


The road split in two, right and left. I decided to go straight.


-Cezar-

Lack thereof

3 days

So I recently had a 4 day weekend. One of my closest friends came to South Korea to visit me. He needed an excuse to visit South Korea and I gave him one. These are the events that transpired.

Friday:

It was a Korean national holiday, it was their thanksgiving. I went to Seoul the night before because there was a special hash one of my friends asked me to go to. He was holding an event. The hash was going to happen on the 38th parallel. So for those who don't know, that means near the DMZ. There is a hashing group that does runs near the DMZ and it was his turn to make the run. So I gladly participated. I mean how many times can someone say that they hiked near North Korea. It was an interesting experience all together. I had a good time running it. I had a chance to laugh and share stories with my friends again. The run was around 1 ish and ended around 4ish. My friend Manny landed at 6pm, so I had decided to leave around 6 for the airport. I thought that security would take much longer then usual because there is a scare of Swine Flu and the Koreans are being super careful. So I jumped into a bus around 7ish and arrived around 8ish. I find Manny already sitting and waiting for me. Apparently it took him only about 30 minutes to clear security.

So I picked him up from the airport and I thought I could just take him to one of my favorite spots in South Korea. I assumed that we would be able to get a Hotel room in the area, but I was wrong. We walked around for 2 hours looking for a room. We found no open rooms at all. So I place a phone call to a Hashing buddy of mine and she made some calls for me. She found us a place to sleep with at one of the hasher's house. He was on his way in to throw some darts for the night. We head into the bar ahead of him. I find a handful of Hashers already there. I make introductions and start having some laughs. We head to his place to sleep around 12ish.

Saturday:

Manny and I wake up early. I promised him a great breakfast. We head back into town to get some food. We take a bit of a walk to the restaurant. We find out that it is closed because of the holiday. I was really pissed. This was one of my favorite spots to eat at and they were closed. So we had to settle for Mcdonald's. So we relaxed and ate the breakfast. We waited for one of the hashers to pick us up from eating and take us to the beginning spot for the hash. Manny got introduced to the pack. He goes through his paces as a virgin. The trail was nicely set up. We had to do some crawling under fences and climbing over fences and scaling high walls. I complained the whole way through the trail, but honestly that was one of the most entertaining trails I have been on. Manny got to see how a trail was set. He caught on to the lingo and how to spot trail quickly. He enjoyed it very much. One of the most surprising moments was when he got unofficially named. The pack liked him so much that they gave him a name. He was referred to as "Exit 164", because they asked him were in Jersey he was from he answered Exit 164. They all laughed and started referring to him as such.

Later on that day around 2ish. Manny and I and some hashers jump into a train heading to Osan. One of my friends was leaving Korea forever, so we all wanted to say good bye. As a hasher saying good-bye meant going on trail and having a nice party after wards. I am not going to bore you with the details, but fun was had by all. A lot of the trail actually involved garbage. The hashers thought it would be funny to turn me into the garbage man. So any chance they had they gave me garbage and we all laughed about it.

Then we went off to have fun in town.

Sunday:

There was another hash to be had, but Manny and I had enough for the weekend. I decided to show him around Seoul. Manny had hopes of getting to visit and see the Harley Davidson of South Korea. So we walked and walked for about 2 hours asking directions and we eventually find the store. Manny's eyes were filled with joy. Then we get closer only to see the gates shut and the lights off. Then I quickly saw a vein grow in Manny's head. It was funny and scary at the same time. I felt bad for the kid. It was one of his major things to do while in South Korea. So after cooling off a little we walked around town more. We stumble onto a couple of gems, but that didn't make him feel better. So we hop a train then a bus and then another bus to my town.


___


The End


Friends are just really good enemies.


-Cezar-

3 days

On on

So the weekend was interesting as usual. Instead of going to Jeonju on friday night, I ended up going to Iksan. I had a couple of friends that wanted to see me cause they haven't seen me in a while and sorely missed me, and I them. It was very interesting to say the least. Iksan is a smaller town then Jeonju and it has less foreigners in the area. They all pretty much know each other. Unlike jeonju, where the town is so big that foreigners don't really see or hangout with each other. When I was sitting down to drink some beer with my friends every person that passed by was greeted and they greeted back. It's one of those small towns that I could really picture myself working in.

Saturday:

There was the Hash event that my kennel was holding, it was called "the baboon circus". The event consisted of a couple main rules. First real rule was you come dressed an animal or at least some crazy socks. Surprisingly a good amount of people did dress up in at least some crazy socks. Since this was a relatively large event that we were holding, many people from Seoul came down to support us. Many of the hashers were from YKH3, SH3, and OBH3. They were nice enough to come down and make things interesting. We also had a couple of "virgins" take the run with us.

The trail was simple, it went up and down a mountain. The view at the top was simply spectacular. This also gave me an opportunity to talk with people and get to know them as usual. The trail was only a small part of the event. It was a scavenger hunt as well. We were formed into groups of 5 people, 4 walkers and 1 runner. That was the plan, but plans and people usually don't mix too well. We had some late comers and the runners out numbered the walkers. We did some impromptu moving around and it was set. The basic rule was run until you find a card with a monk sitting on a banana. On the back of these cards are questions. The teams were to collect said cards and try to solve them once they came back. This was the original plan, but it didn't work out as planned. By the time we got back to the end site, it was already dark-ish. The light was fading quickly and we still had to wait for many of the virgins to come back. Trying to organize and set the tone for a bunch of drunkards was difficult. The ceremonies had to be cut short and many things had to be ignored. It pained me, as acting GM, to do so, but I had to work with what I had. We finished circle and proceeded to head back to our relative motels.

on-after:
The on after was held at a local restaurant called Nasa. It was a relatively nice place to eat. It sat high above the ground, about 5 floors high. We ate enough food to satisfy anyone. An incident happened with paying for the bill, but it was all worked out. Then most of us headed to the local Karaoke place. We had reserved a room for all of us. We had enough beer to satisfy any thirst. It was an interesting night out. Even though we knew each other on many personal levels, we were still shy about singing in front of each other. It wasn't until someone, me, picked Bohemian rhapsody by Queen, then everyone started to really get into it. We started to pick songs that we all knew and would sing too in our cars. We all started to really let loose and have fun with it. When the beer ended some of us went to a local bar. At that little event we only had about 7 people, we originally stated with about 15 or 16. This is where we really just sat down and had some real fun. We talked and joked for most of the night. G.I. Hoe the all American zero, in his drunken stooper made us laugh through the night with his jokes. We all took turns making jokes and telling stories. We were all at this until about 3 am.


Sunday:

11 am trail with Southside Hash House Harriers. They ran a trail that started and ended in front of the motel. It was a relatively short trail, that not many people ran. I personally did not do the trail, I was too tired. From what I was told and heard at the circle it was a good trail. It was confusing, as any hash trail will be, but it was good. Some of us had a late lunch with each other when the hash was over.

This was just another prime example of how the hash has helped me expand my mind and circle of friends. I did truly enjoy the trail and everything that surrounded it. The hash gives you a great chance to really get to know yourself and people. I would highly recommend doing a trail in your local area if you can find one.




That was my weekend.



____


The End


"I'm too old for this shit." Danny Glover


-Cezar-

On on

The wheels on the bus

okay. So I was informed a couple of days ago that I will have a showcase of my teaching the children. This is naturally something I am worried about because I don't do much of anything in these classes. I basically come in and play games or sing songs with my children. I am the clown that comes in once a week to entertain my kids. Now for one or two days I have to actually try to teach them something. I have to come up with lesson plans and objectives like every other teacher. I am worried about what to do. The past months I have done nothing with these kids and now everyone will know it.


As far as my writing goes, I think I have narrowed it down to screenplays, short stories, and informational books. I had planned to write a short story here, but the story took a life on its own and I have to work on it. Now I am in the process of writing 4 different types of books. I am in the process of writing 2 short stories and 2 self help/informational books. I am jumping in between all 4 right now. It is not as difficult as it seems, my mind is always all over the place already. When I am writing one and get bored; I jump into the other books and start writing there. The funny thing is my mind is always working on all 4 things at one time, so I keep all 4 stories up and jump to the one that needs to be written. I would literally be writing one and suddenly I would have a eureka moment about the plot or events happening on another story. I think 4 will be good enough right now. I haven't really touched them in a while, but a sudden burst of energy and what not has inspired me to write. I think the flood gates have opened and I want to take advantage before the water runs out. I will have a couple snips of each one here. I would like your input on how it reads and what you think about it.

On a side note. I am also starting to read more. I am reading a novel and a informational book. I think that seeing the commonalities and differences will help me write better. I also guess that I am still looking for my "voice" so stay with me on this little journey of mine.

On a side side note. I know I started to write about "The Lost Boy" I have put that into one of my short stories. Like I said before, the story started to take on a life on it's own. So I wanted to finish it on my own.


___


The End


There is always room for improvement.


-Cezar-

The wheels on the bus

Waiting for you

OK. This was a little bit of a twist of fate. The past couple of weeks I have really been thinking about my past relationships and who is to come in my near future. I guess that is always on my mind. I have been doing what I have been doing for a while and I have really been considering my future. I was considering my future while taking into account of my past. I think we all do that at one point or another. The reason why I talk about this now is because life has a way to kind of remind you and focus you on what you want. So there I was at one of my schools. I was reading a book that my parents gave to me. It was a book on how to improve my writing style and what not. I guess while I was in class the vice principal saw my book. I was informed a couple of weeks ago that he was a well known and published writer. He wrote for children and poems. At the end of the day I get back to my desk. He had left me a signed copy of a book of his poems. So I opened it up. I start going through the poems and I wasn't surprised to see that it was all mostly in Korean. I stumble upon a poem in English titled "Waiting for you".

Waiting for you

I'm waiting for you.
Every day I'm waiting for you like a tree.
Every night I'm waiting for you like a flower.
Waiting for you.
Waiting for you.
If the sun won't rise.
I'll be waiting for you.
If the moon won't shine.
I'll be waiting for you.
Forever I'll be waiting for you.
Waiting for you.
Waiting for you.

-Namgu Baek

That was the poem that I read. It really hit close to home when I read it. I was actually almost distract the whole day about that topic and this found me. Like I said life has a funny way of reminding you about things. So I will take the advise and wait for her.


___


The End


I'll be waiting for you.



-Cezar

Waiting for you

A Taste of Home

OK. I know that I was supposed to update you guys on what has been happening the past couple of weeks. I have been so swamped with doing work and trying to relax that I really haven't had a chance to write anything down. I kinda feel bad about it, but here I am again. To the best of my abilities I will try to do a short update.

Within the past 3 weeks that I have been back, many things have happened that changed how I do things here in South Korea. First thing that was really a swift kick to the pants was that I lost all of my private students. As you may remember I took on some children to teach them English. Once I got back from America I was informed that I no longer was needed. The Koreans have become phobic of the Swine Flu. They assumed that I have it because I left Korea to go to America. I was pretty disappointed that I no longer had my students. That is a lot of money out of my pockets.

Changing the subject to the fear of Swine Flu here in Korea. I find it ridiculous how the media and everyone else here has made this swine flu out to be the next plague. The Koreans have such a fear of this flu it is almost funny in a sad way. I spoke to many of my students and my co-teachers, they feel that staying inside and away from everybody is a good way to prevent the spread of it. The swine flu is just that, a new flu. Yes, people died from this flu, but many more people die from the common cold then the Swine flu, especially here in Korea. They refuse to look at the bigger picture when it came down to it all. They only see what the media hypes it up to be. Apparently the Koreans believe everything the media says, which is a problem. I recently read a report that suicide takes about over 1000 South Koreans a year. These deaths are PREVENTABLE because many of them call out for help before they do it. Yet, they don't focus on something that is preventable and make a mountain out of a mole hill. Sometimes I sit back and chuckle a little bit on the oxymoron that is South Korea. They want to prevent the spread of the swine flu yet they still share cups, food, and still have the public bathing areas. I spoke to a couple of Koreans about that, their response was "we wash our hands." Yes, washing hands is good, but that is really not how the flu gets around. ANYWAYS, I am going to stop talking about this now and move on.


OK. The past couple of weeks have been relatively quiet. I have been traveling in and out of Seoul like 2 weeks straight. I went for a couple of Hashes and really just burnt my legs out. Basically the past 3 weeks I have been spending way too much money. Many of my friends also left the South Korea. Many of them were finishing up their contracts, it made me sad to see them go. Goodbye ToT and GYU, you were really good friends to me.


For the matter at hand, last week. My Parents decided to come and visit me for a week. They stayed in Gyeokpo for about 4 days. They toured the area and I showed them some sights. They also did a lot of nothing. They relaxed for the days they were here. I showed them the local foods, they seemed to enjoy that. We spent a lot of time together just bonding and what not. They also cleaned my room and bought me supplies. I had spent a week trying to clean my room, then my parents come in and show me what clean really meant. I quickly dispatched their work, because I am a slob. After a couple of days here, I sent them to Jeonju to enjoy that area. They visited the traditional village and then once I arrived we all went to dinner with some of my closer friends here in South Korea. I really enjoyed just sitting there watch as my parents were busting my balls with my friends. All in all it was good times had by everyone. The next day we went to Seoul together. It was really my first time going to Seoul with intentions of exploring it. My parents and I ended up catching a bus that did a city tour. We were able to hop on and off the bus, so we can just enjoy the area for a short time and hop back on. We saw a couple nice places, I discovered some really cool places that I intend to visit again. My last stop was Itaewon. I knew the area and I knew how to get to where I was going from there. So my parents and I ate lunch and a local Chinese food place, which was awesome. Then we walked around trying to find things to buy. It was generally a good time. When it came time for me to say goodbye I knew what to expect. My mom hugged me and wouldn't let go for a couple of minutes and my dad stayed silent. I said my goodbyes and as I walked down into the subway I turn around to wave and see my mom crying. It was definitely bitter sweet.



___


The End


"We love you" -Mom and Dad


-Cezar

A Taste of Home

Back on the Horse

I do apologize to those who read my blog on a semi-regular basis. I have fallen off the course because I fell into a deep rut that I could not really pull myself out of. I had some great weekends that I thought would help me find myself back. As great as those weekends were for me there was something wrong, it may have been a relapse of homesickness. Spending so much time with my family and friends effected me more then I had realized. The thing that really brought me out of my rut was unexpected. On Tuesdays I spend some teaching time on an island about an hour boat ride away. The trip there didn't seem too fruitful, it had some really rough waves. I feared that I would have to spend the night at the island again. I taught through the day. I heard some rumors that the boats were no longer sailing because of the weather. I asked my one of the teachers and they confirmed that there will be no boat back until the next day. I was instantly flustered. Then as I walked down the hall to get some air, one of the teachers runs after me and tells me that the boats are running again. I was pleased to hear the news. I finish out the day until about 3pm ish. I start leaving and saying goodbye to everyone. Then one of the teachers pops her head out and says in Korean, from what I could tell, "the boat isn't going anymore." I see my supervisor call the dock and looks at me and says that I have to spend the night. I was instantly angered. There was nothing I could do so I followed as asked. I stuck around playing on the internet and what not. I ate dinner with some of the other teachers and then went back to playing on the internet. I finished up playing about 11pm ish at night. I was walking back to the place I was sleeping and I see the teachers outside smoking. They pull me over and try very much so to communicate to me in English. They spent about 10 minutes try to ask me if I wanted to join them for a beer. Seeing that I had nothing else planned that night, I said yes. These men had very basic English skills, but through out the night they made jokes in English and tried to make conversation with me in English. This was a very heartwarming gesture. I tried to talk to hem in my very limited Korean, to help. We spent about an hour talking about the same things and laughing at the idea that we can't really talk to each other. That was what really brought me out of my funk. The being said I have much much to catch you up on.

Back in Korea
So I was officially back in Korea August 15th and I had to make my way back to my area. My flight had landed late in the afternoon and it would not be possible for me to actually get back into my town. I decided to make my way to Jeonju and spend the night at Stan's place again. I arrived into town about 12am ish because of travel time and what not. What I had feared the most was that I would have severe Jet-lag. The past 2 weeks at home I had a fight with jet-lag that lasted for about a week. I thought that would be the case once I got back in Korea, it wasn't. Once I was able to settle down at Stan's place, I was able to sleep like a baby. I also had learned that I would have an extra 2 days off from vacation. So I had a nice 4 day weekend.

Sunday I was able to get home pretty fast. I settled down and unpacked everything that I had brought with me to Korea. After a short unpacking party by myself, I headed down to the beach to relax. One of the hashers informed me that he will be stopping into my town on Tuesday and leaving Wenesday morning. So I had that to look forward too. I basically spent all of Monday preparing for their arrival and sleeping on the beach. Tuesday rolls around and they give me a call. I spend the day with them eating food and showing them my town. They were all really down to earth people. They really loved the town and what it had to offer. I was just glad to have company to talk too.

Wednesday rolls around and I had classes to teach on an island. I found out that I would have to travel to the island 3 days in a row via boat. I didn't mind because I did not want to spend the night on the island itself. Every time I spend the night there I appreciate my little town even more. The same thing happens on Thursday. Normal classes and what not but I have news that I may have Friday off because the school may close for some reason. Then later that day I find out that I do have work on Friday. Luckily the weather was getting bad and they preemptively closed school. So I was looking forward to a 3 day weekend. As things worked out my friend Stan had planned to come visit me at my place over the weekend. So he comes to my town around Saturday afternoon and we go off exploring the area and what not. I introduce him to the local foods and specialties.

Saturday rolls around. He and I had grown tired of just sitting on the beach. I told him that there was a local water wall that I wanted to visit. I had wanted to see it for a long time but never had the opportunity or the company to come with me. So we take a taxi to the base of where the waterfall is located. We get dropped off and start walking. We find a small temple with amazing art work in it.


So we continue hiking and run into a melody of great scenic quality. Here are a few just to drive the point.





So that is what we encountered on the way to the falls. I was excited to see the falls itself. I would always see pictures of the falls everywhere. It looked big and gushing and what not. We hiked to the falls about an hour from the base. We get up to where we need to see it and yeah.



That is what I got. I am not saying it wasn't beautiful. I enjoyed the sight of it and what not. I was just disappointed when I got there. Stan was amazed by it. So much that he jumped into the water and started swimming in it. After a while in the falls, we look at the map. We see that there is another temple in the area about 6 km away. I thought, OK the trail is probably the same as the rest of it. I thought it would be flat land straight to it. Again I was wrong, we had to travel up and down the local mountain to arrive at the temple. This was no easy task for me especially because I have a crippling fear of heights. So Stan had to help me through some of the rougher parts. Basically through it all, this was the best part.



That was taken at the top of the mountain. The greater the obstacle the greater the reward. We finish the mountain and the temple that was connected to the mountain. We looked around took more pictures and left. Another one of my friends had decided to come down to hang out with us. So by the time we grabbed a taxi and headed back to my town she was there. We all spent the rest of the day on the beach.

Monday rolls around. Stan and I decide to head out to a open air sculpture area in my town. We check it out and the it was pretty cool. Some of the statues were interesting and complex. It took the artist much skill and time to make all of those sculptures.


Just an example of some of the sculptures.


Well, that was a lot to talk about. There are a couple of weekends that I need to talk about. I will take a break for now.


____


The End




It's not the journey it's about the road that you take.


-Cezar-

Back on the Horse

In the End

OK. There is a lot to tell about my vacation. So much that I have decided not to tell it. There are way too many days and stories that I could and would tell, but I do not have the time nor the capacity to really tell it. I really enjoyed spending my time with my friends and family. Seeing some of my best friends; Tom, Brian, Olysar, Chris, Holly, Kate, Jon and Manny. Those people made my visit very special. They made me see why I should come back home in a couple of months. Lets not forget my relatives. My cousins, Aunts and Uncles; they reminded me that being with my family really is the most important thing in my life. Last, but not least, My Mother, Father, Brother and Sister-in-law to be; they are the ones that make everyday special. They make me feel like, even though we have problems sometimes, that blood ties will last forever. Everyone at home has a special place in my life and in my heart. They have made me who I am today. I always look to their examples when I need guidance in my life. If I lost all my money in the world, I would be thankful that I had my health and my family. They have taught me so much about the world and how I should be as a person.



___


The End



Home is where the heart is.



-Cezar-

In the End

Seriously?!?

OK. The past post was about my first day which was Saturday. Sunday is now the topic. My friend Holly had found out that I was home. She was sneaky enough to find out that I was coming home. She and I had conspired to surprise her husband, one of my best friends, with me being home. When I spoke to her before I left she and I agreed to 6pm on Sunday night. So I had the whole day to kinda mess around. I told my brother to help me surprise my cousins. He told them that he was going to drop off something to them around 2:30ish. So that was set into motion. My parents and I spent the morning together. We had breakfast, went to church and then went to eat lunch together. It was nice family time together. 2pm-ish rolls around and I head off to my cousins house. I pull up and prepare myself. I walk up to the door and ring the bell. I hear some commotion inside and the door slowly opens. My cousin Erika opens the door. She looks at me with a blank stare. There was a long pause and a big grin on her face. The first words out of her mouth was "no way!" She kept on repeating those words over and over, for what seemed to be 5 minutes. Everyone was in separate rooms so no one knew what was going on. Eventually everyone started to come to see what was all the fuss. Their reactions were the same as my parents. A lot of crying, hugging and disbelief. I sat down with them and had a late lunch. I told stories and accounts of my experiences in South Korea. I spent a couple of hours just talking and having fun with them. Then I was was off to Holly's house. She had called me to see where I was. I informed her of my status and she told me to rush over asap. I leave my cousin's house and drive off to my friend's house. The husband had dropped them off from the shore back to their house so that he can get some groceries. So I ring the door bell and she answered the door. Once the door opened she jumped out and hugged me and welcomed me back. I walk into the house and say hello to some of the members of family who were visiting. So I waited until the husband came home. Then she received a phone call that one of our mutual friends was coming over. I told him several times over of my fake plans, so he was also under the assumption that I was not home. He rings the bell and I answer the door. All I see is a smirk on his face and disbelieve in his eyes. The first words were "I thought you were supposed to be in the Philippines." I told him that I lied. We laugh about it for a little bit. He comes in and we all wait for Chris. Then it happened. He called to say that he was going to be home soon. I run to get a light saber that he and I have. I wait behind the door. He walks in and I jump out with the light saber. His first words were "oh, hey." Then he proceeds to bring the groceries into the house. He gives me a quick hug and laughs it off. We spend the night laughing and telling tale. My jet lag was getting the better of me so I had to leave the place a little early.


That was my Sunday, there is much more to come.



___


The End



Liar liar pants on fire.


-Cezar-

Seriously?!?

You're what now?

So where was I. The last time we saw our Filipino friend he was at the airport. Let's rewind a little bit. I had stayed at a friends place the night before. She had the same time flight I had and she lived an hour away from the airport. She offered to let me stay at her place then we head off to the airport together. I arrived at her place settled down for a couple of minutes then she and I decided to meet up with a couple of hashers for drinks. They thought it would be funny to keep me up until about 3am. When I eventually got to sleep at 3am-ish I needed to get back up in 3 hours for my flight at 11 am. I planned to wake up at 6am. That didn't happen at all, I woke up at 7 am. My friend and I had to rush out of the door and catch the correct bus to the airport. I was able to check in and get everything together by around 9am-ish. The first flight I had to take was to China and from there was a direct flight to America. My flight leaves promptly at 11 am and I arrive in China 2 hours after my flight departed from South Korea. I was informed that I had to go through customs and pick up my baggage then check into my flight for America. I had only 3 hours to do so. Once I got off the plane I started running. If I was to make my flight to America in Time I had to clear many obstacles; which included immigration into China, baggage claim, running to the correct terminal for my flight, checking into the flight, and finally passing through security. I had no problems at immigration and baggage claim. I found out that the terminal that I had to be at was at least 1 km away from where I was. So walking was out of the question. I had 2 check in baggage, one with rollers and a box. Trying to manage that with semi-running across an airport terminal was not fun. After my short 1 km sprint I make it to the correct terminal and find my way to the check-in for my flight. As I approached the check-in sweaty and out of breath, my first words to a random stranger was "is this the line for Continental?" The woman, who I had asked, looks me up and down and says yes it is. I breath a sigh of relief. Then I peer over to look at the line, it had wrapped around quite a bit with a large amount of people. Then I sighed in disbelief and frustration. At that moment I only had 2 and a half hours to get check-in and get passed security. I was pacing up and down in my area the whole time I was in line. The woman in front of me kept on looking back at me, or trying to make excuses to look at me. I was too distracted at the time to start a conversation and my flirting. After I check-in and get passed security, I run into her again. I had about an hour until my flight and she was on the same flight as me. She and I started walking together. I start talking to her and make conversation. I start flirting with her a little bit. The first round of questions went like this. Where are you going? She answered Boston. I replied with a few stories of Boston I had. I told her my destination. I asked her what she was doing in China. I told her I was a teacher in Korea and tell her some stories about that. I asked her what she does in America. She responded "I am a student." I thought to myself, oh she looks older then a student but oh well. I asked her what school she goes too. Then there was a long pause. She looks around a little bit and responds "yeah, I am in high school." She goes further into it and says "I just turned 16 last month." The first words out of my mouth was "no way." She proceeded to prove it to me and our conversation went to a dead stop. I tried to recover and pass it off as if I wasn't hitting on her for the past couple of minutes. She apologized to me several times for some reason. I told her that there was no need and I was just talking to her for entertainment. Then I pretended to get hungry, she pretended to have people to meet up with and we went our separate ways. The flight was normal, nothing out of the ordinary. I land right on time in America around 6pm. My brother had set up a dinner with my parents around 9ish. I get out of the security and immigration around 8ish. I call my brother and tell him I am here. He tells me he is a couple of minutes away. So there I was in Newark waiting for my brother. I couldn't believe I was home again. I was back in America, it seemed like Mars at the moment. I was in shock that I was in shock. Then I see my brother pull up in his car. I was wearing sunglasses and regular clothes. I see my brother and his fiance in the car. They are looking around in confusion. They were looking at me and I was looking straight at them. They could hardly disbelieve that I looked the way I looked. We all hugged it out for a couple of moments. Then we drive off for home. My brother and his fiance we super happy and still in disbelief. We were all excited to see the reaction from my parents. So we get to my area and my brother drops me off down the block so that no one suspects me being home. The plan was I hold on to my brother's cell phone and his fiance sends me a text message to come in. So there I was waiting and waiting and waiting until I get it. A couple of minutes later my brother comes running down my street. He informs me that his fiance forgot her cellphone at home. We have a quick laugh and he grabs the phone from me and tells me the new plan. He told my parents that he left his cellphone in the car. So he runs back into the house he told me to count to 60 before I come in. He walks into the house and I start counting. Once the 60 was over I started opening the door. I hear my parents talking in the background. My father was the first to see me and then my mother saw me a moment after. I said nothing to them. I quickly sit down and start eating food from the table. I wait for a few moments and I say "hey." My parents faces were just in shock. My father was half smiling and shock same as my mother. Everyone was in silence which seemed to last forever. Then my mother started crying. She cried for a while. She cried so much that we had to make sure that she was OK. After the initial shock we all start laughing and tell them what happened. Then I proceeded to yell at my parents for not listening to me about waiting to buy the tickets to see me. The night proceeded as normal. My parents were still in shock and I was just glad to be home. I ate some good home cooked food that I missed very much. We had a good night of laughs and happiness.

If I had a thousand words to describe the look on my parents faces I would. I do not have the capacity to write about it. I wish I had a camera at the time to show you all, but I did not. You have to take my word for it. I blew their minds and melted their faces.


___


The End



You can't pay for a good surprise.


-Cezar-

You're what now?

Lies and Propaganda!

Hello all I am back from vacation. I need to confess something to all of you. I was not honest about my plans for vacation. I went back to America for 2 weeks to surprise my friends and family. I had to make a complete alibi about my whereabouts. I really wanted to keep my parents in the dark as much as possible. I lied to everyone that knew them and to people that didn't know them at all. The only people that knew were my brother and his fiance. So this is how the story unfolded.

Around June I had to make a decision on where I wanted to go to for vacation. I had several options. There was Japan, China or the Philippines. I had options and plans for any one of those places. I was on the fence on all three. I started to talk to my parents and my brother on where I could possibly go to for vacation. They of course pushed for me to come home. I was not completely sold on coming back so soon just for a quick visit. I was concerned that I was going to stay home rather then come back to South Korea. I think that is what my family wanted to happen too secretly. So I discussed the idea with my brother over an over. My parents kept on pushing and offering bribes for me to come home. Eventually I decided to come home. I wanted to make it a surprise to everyone. The issue was that my parents kept track of my bills, so I did not want them to be alerted with a ticket purchase for America. I asked my brother to pay for me so that I can pretend I had other plans for my parents. I bought my tickets and that is when the lies began. My parents initially thought I was going to the Philippines. I would have used that lie to sell the idea, but I have too much family there and my parents would have used all their contacts to help me find a place to sleep. So I told them I was going to spend 2 weeks in Japan. I thought that just telling them that would be enough of a cover story, I was wrong. Once I I sold them the idea, they wanted an itinerary for my trip. I did not know how or to show them a fake itinerary. So for a couple of weeks I played the card of I want to be independent. I booked my flight for August 1, so my I thought I could keep it up for a little while. I kept the lie alive for 2 or 3 weeks. They kept on insisting on the itinerary. I kept on insisting on not telling them at all. I got into a couple of verbal discussions with my parents about it. As August came closer my parents started not to believe the lies I told them. They started to suspect I was coming home.

It was nearly a week before I had planned to come home. My father had jokingly said that he knew what I had planning. I asked him what. He told me that he knew I was coming home. I told him that it was not true. This is the part where I knew my cover was blown. So I decided to make a new lie on top of the old lie. I asked my father if he wanted to know the truth, he said yes. This is the part where I had to make up a bigger harder lie. I told him that I met a girl. I told them that she and I will travel South Korea together. I had to make up her name, where she was teaching, where she was from, how we met and where we plan to go. I had to create this lie very early in the morning to my father. Once I set that lie, he lectured me about having a "special" friend. Then he went off to work. I was not surprised to get a call from my mother. She started asking me about my plans in Japan, as if she didn't speak to my father about my new "special" friend. I played along with her, then she started to ask about this new friend. I told her what I told my father about the girl. Since it was early morning all of my head was not in the game. I mixed up the state that she was from, but they both bought the lie. Then I received an email from the both of them. They bought tickets to visit me in South Korea in September. I kept the lie going for almost 2 months. I told my father not to buy tickets until November. Then they go and buy tickets 2 days before I come home. My brother instantly called me. He and I spoke about various options. We decided that nothing could be done and that they could try to cancel when I get home. So I wait until my flight to home.

I will take a break for now. There are many stories ahead starting at the airport.


___


The End (for now)



The tangled webs we weave when we first deceive.


-Cezar-

Lies and Propaganda!

To the Grind

Ah the weekdays. This is payment for a fun weekend. The hard weekdays make me appreciate the weekends so much more. I really enjoy my time with my friends, being with my friends reminds me of being home. The time I spend with my friends also lets me be me, I don't get much time for that now a days. It is a welcome relief and really lets me break out of my rut from that week. That is about all what I have for the past week. I have been focused on my upcoming vacation. By the way, for all of my readers and what not, I will be away for two weeks. These two weeks I plan to take a break from everything. That means I will not be writing in my blogs. I do want to take the time to thank those who actually read my blogs on a semi-regular basis. I will miss writing, but I will keep a pen an pad handy. I will log into that once in a while. The logs that I choose will make it into my blogs. For today's exercise I will do something that I do best, talk about food.

Fried Chicken
It seems to be lightly fried. The coloring of the chicken is a light brown almost golden color. The skin looks light and crispy. I could feel the heat still rising off of the chicken itself, almost as if it was just taken out of the fryer. There is an aroma that emanates from the chicken itself. The smell seems to speak as if welcoming you to devour it in one smooth motion. I am tempted to eat it, but how it looks and smells, it almost seems to be a shame to eat it at all. I take a step back from the chicken and take a deep breath it. This breath takes me into memories of childhood and eating chicken with my family. I eventually take a bite into the meat. The first thing bitten into is a combination of meat and skin. The skin crackles sounds like a melody of random sounds that keeps on inviting you to eat more. Then the taste of the meat hits my tongue. Just like the skin, instead of sound it is flavor. The combination of sauce and meat create a sensation of hot, sweet, sour and several other flavors that enhance the experience. The meat tastes of a musical symphony, it is a delicate balance that seems to have been done almost on purpose. In an instant I am consumed by an urge to eat this tender morsel of meat. Then in that same instance I have eaten it all. It was an experience, almost religious in nature.



___


The End



The best food is usually eaten fast for your soul.



-Cezar-

To the Grind

What's in a name?

Ok. The past week has been kind of nutty. Summer sessions have started for me. I have been teaching the kids by myself in the English room. This is really the first time that I have the opportunity to teach the kids all by myself. It has been a fun experience. I really need to find ways to make the class more interesting and fun for the kids. The best part of the days is when it's over. My day ends at or around 12:10 everyday. That gives me a lot of time for and to myself. I have taken the opportunity to connect with my inner beach bum. I have been sleeping and swimming at the beach for nearly a week. The only issue that has come to my attention is the various sea life that shares the waters. It has become very clear to me that there are jellyfish in the water. I have come close on several occasions to making contact. I have no desire whatsoever to touch one. So recently my desire to jump into the water has been defeated by my fear of being stung. This phobia has become quite a problem for me. I truly enjoy the water, but now I do not enjoy it as much. When I am in the water I try to keep aware of my surroundings and that takes away from my relaxing time. I need to find an alternative to the beach now.

Now for my weekend recap.


Friday:

I get out of work around 12:10. I decided to go to the beach for a couple of hours before I go into Jeonju. I stayed on the beach until around 4pm ish. The bus ride was nothing special, it was a regular 2 hour ride into town. I get into Stan's place pretty early, he left me his keys so I can get into his apartment. He eventually gets in and we wind down and relax a bit. We head out to a spa to meet up with a couple of friends. Ruveena and Kevin had already made it to the spa. We go and grab some time at the saunas and grab some food. We were out until about 12am ish. The only problem was I was feeling a little sick. My throat was killing me and I had a viscous cough that really wasn't going away at all.

Saturday:

My sickness still hadn't gone away. There was going to be a hash this day and I wasn't up for it. I had found out the night before that this would be my 5th hash and I was to be named this day IF I were to hash. I was determined to do this hash in order to acquire my name. The day started off ok. There were a couple of clouds in the sky, it felt somewhat ominous. I shrug it off because my concerns were for conquering my sickness. My throat was so much in pain that I could not drink or eat. I spent most to all of the morning drinking tea or trying to sooth my aches. I had high hopes for that day because a group of Hashers from Seoul were coming down for the day for this particular hash. These hopes of the hash quickly got dashed because the rain had come in and it was angry. The Hammer had planned to set a dead trail, but the rain had other plans. In true hasher spirit we decided to go on with the hash itself. We all lucked out because the rain gave way for us to have trail. One of the hashers from jeonju volunteered to set trail while we follow 20 min behind. His name is Flash Me Nicely. So Flash ran the trail, but it was his first real trail that he set. We all followed trail and got lost. We got so lost, that at mid point we decided to get off trail and go to the end point directly. There were a couple of people that made it through the hash fully. By the time they made it to the bar most of us were already half into the tank. They eventually catch up to us. We all start talking and laughing. Sharing stories and jokes about each other. Start bonding as all hashers do. Some catch wind about my naming ceremony so they start probing me about my life and what not. I answer all questions honestly. Eventually the hash circle forms. All the traditions are taken place, but the management asked us to pick up the pace. The Virgins are dispatched quickly and what not. The main event was my naming. More questions about me were asked, mostly embarrassing ones. One girl was telling a story how she constantly drank a drink called "ceasar" in Canada and how good it was. In reply to make it funny, I said I go down easy. All laugh out loud. We continue with throwing names out. Eventually we finish and review all the names and then vote. At the end it came down to only one name "Goes Down Easy". I couldn't of asked for a better name. We all continue the night with more debauchery. There was a live show with a rock bands from different areas. Some hashers stay and others leave for more. We all end up going to clubs and parting for most of the night. We end up out until about 4am.

Sunday:

Southside wanted to do a hash. They started trail around the express bus terminal in Jeonju. Some go and some stay. I came to say my farethewells to the hashers. It was a nice treat for me to see them in the area and for me to hash with them. I just planned to say hi and bye, but got pulled into some bsing and what not. I spent about and hour or so just talking and having a good time with them. I eventually depart from their company. Good times were to be had by all.


___


The End


Slow and steady wins the race.


-Cezar-

What's in a name?

Slow down

Ok. I do apologize. I am making an effort to post on a daily basis. This is my new challenge to me in to trying to describe things better. I had a conversation last weekend with another tormented writer. I told her about my feelings about writing and all the insecurities that I go through. She re-assured me that she goes through the same things, which really gave me hope that I was not alone. So this is me on my efforts in improving my skills. I also want to comment on my last blog. I feel that I could have done better. I am really just trying to find my voice. I think my style right now is organic. I feel more comfortable trying to bring life into simple words. My last blog felt too cold. I guess that is one of the challenges in front of me. I will try to find a middle ground right now, until I figure it out. In the next couple of blogs, I will try to describe things that are cold and try to bring warmth to it. I will also try to bring more life into something that has meaning to it as well. I do hope you hang in there on my journey of finding my voice and style. I would love to hear from anyone reading it. I would like any suggestions. I will also make more of an effort to read more. I think if I read more I would be able to find myself. The only issue I find with that line of thought is that I might take on someone's voice and not develop my own. I don't want to be a carbon copy of a great writer. I just want to write well enough so that I don't seem like too much of a fool. On a last note. I find it deeply ironic that I am not a reader, nor do I really comprehend all the rules of writing well, but I find myself drawn to the stage of writing.


The Caress

It is a hovering sensation. A simple touch. An exchange of sensations between two parties. You feel it as if it is there and not there at the same time. It is a hand or a finger that gives a gesture of there and not there. Moved in patterns and directions that give a sense of air. The air that can only be felt like a breeze coming in from the beach or silk cloth on the skin. This feeling is shared, as if the moment were to never really end. It is the presence of the touch that is not really there. It is gentle so gentle in fact that one could not be really be sure that it is there.



____


The End


"Do or do not. There is no try." - Yoda


-Cezar-

Slow down

The Simple Things

Here we are again. I think I will try to stay on this path of developing my ability to describe things. I have been reflecting on what it means for me as a writer. I believe at the end of the day this tool will help get you, as the reader, more involved in the story. If I were to just state that the object was a leaf or something like that, you will not be as engaged. The stories that I weave need to have details. I think I have to tell you about the object or situations as if you have never seen or heard of them before. I believe these exercises in description will lead me to a new path in my writing. I hope all of you enjoy reading it as much as I write it. On a side note. Something interesting occurred to me when I was reflecting on my style of writing and how to develop it. I realized that when I write I am on the same journey as you. I write as the stories develop. I have no forethought about what is going to happen in a particular story. I have a general idea on where the story will end, but how it progresses is a mystery to me. That is why I believe being as descriptive as possible will help in the stories I tell.


Breath
The diaphragm expands. Air is funneled into tubes into the lungs. The Lungs expand and exchange what is necessary. The waste is funneled back into the same tubes and out. All of this in a matter of seconds, it is simple as A and B. We breath in and out. An exchange of particles of molecules and atoms so minute that no human eye can perceive it. This exchange has been dealt many times in our lives. The true events of this "simple" exchange cannot be so easily described by words as small as the very molecules themselves. We think it as only an exchange. This event happens because it needs to happen. It is more of an age old bargain that was negotiated many Millennia ago. This act of breathing just as complex to comprehend as well as explain. We all enjoy this act of breathing from moment to moment. The systems that support the lungs can only really be described as a complex highway intertwined and interdependent. The nerves that shoot impulses to the muscles and the veins and arteries that give them blood. Each has a roll; and each cannot exist without the other. The breath that we take for granted is really seems like a purposeful miracle. This simple act of a breath is not so simple indeed. It is more simply taken for granted, much like anything else in the world. The breath is a gift that, for some, is easily taken.



___


The End



The past has happened. The future is unknown. Today is a gift, that is why we call it the present.


-Cezar-

The Simple Things