Aussie In Seoul

Well here is the deal. I am Australian and just moved to Seoul with my wife to work in a 5 star hotel. I hope to share some of my thoughts and comments over the Years I am here!

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

About me!

Have you done this before? How much have you done in your life? If it is in BOLD I did it!

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
07. Walked through Pompeii
06. Held a tarantula
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Naked in a public sauna
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gone without food for 5 days
76. Earned a university degree
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a dog as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Ate Dog meat in Korea
144. Ate the worm from a bottle of tequila
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a Bouncer
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

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Monday, November 27, 2006

I saved a man's life

Yes really! It was all so surreal!

Late last week I went on a trip with our housekeeping team and we ended up after a great day at a large Sauna / Spa House. It is like a gym without the fitness stuff and just lots on sauna's, and spa baths (jacuzzis).

So after an hour into our relaxing time I was walking past this jacuzzi and noticed this old Korean man about 75 half submerged in the water with bubbles coming out of his mouth.. Or nose!? What the f***! I took a double take, then looked at the two old men only two meters away from him who were in the same jacuzzi and kind of looked at them like do you see that guy? Is he relaxing or drowning?? They looked at me, then looked at the submerged guy, then looked at me again and said nothing, just gave me this look like oh yeah maybe something is wrong.

So I lean down into the jacuzzi, grab the lifeless man, and with the help of these other two guys pulled his naked body out of the jacuzzi. We placed him on his back, he was convulsing, so I pulled him onto his side and gave him a few slaps on his back and a few litres of water and vomit came out of his nose and mouth. Ok .. he is breathing I thought! Thank god, cause his faced had puke all over it and mouth top mouth was not going to be fun! I checked his pulse and it was high, but he was still unconscious.

By then there was about 20 people standing over this guy and me.... all naked, and just watching. Thankfully a few people had figured out it was a good idea to call an ambulance. So for the next 15 minutes I barked orders at a few guys like get me some cold towels as he was very hot and kept checking his pulse.

Finally the ambulance arrived, and the ambulance guys took him away on a stretcher. I stood up, and I was shaking and dry reaching because of the vomit everywhere. I took a shower, changed, sat in a massage chair and relaxed. A few old men came over and thanked me and that was it. We all got back in our bus, nothing more was said, and I still have no idea even today if the guy was ok.

Surreal right!

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Saturday, November 04, 2006

Vacation Florence Part 1

So after a few days in Rome we did a very long day trip to Florence. We wished we could have actually stayed in the city, but the schedule did not allow time for that. In any case below is quiet a few shots of the city.


Florence or "Firenze" is really a picturesque city. The photo taken above we on a small hill above the city looking onto the River Arno and the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge. This bridge was built a few times, but last built in 1345.

Looking from the same hill top onto the famous Duomo Battistero. Sadly a bit of construction around it, but still almighty in its presence.

One of the many lovely piazzas around Florence. The building had so much character and colours.

Not sure of the name of these buildings but just thought it was a nice shot.

This is the Santa Croce, a great Gothic Church in the middle of Florence. Construction begun in the mid-1200's but was not consecrated until 1443. What happened in between??

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