What a show

After seeing Alphaba do her thing and defy gravity, it was time to move on to a concert of a different kind.  A few weeks ago I managed to secure some very sought after concert tickets from a ticketing site.  A local (extremely popular) Seoulite kicked her summer tour off at Olympic park, here in Seoul.  Her name, Lena Park to you or me, but more commonly known as 박정현 to her fellow Koreans. 

Catapulted into stardom by the reality hit show 나는가수다 (I am a singer), Lena Park made a name for herself by outlasting the elimination process so long that she finally "graduated" from the show.  She managed to become a favourite among the audience members (the voters) every week, partly due to her charmingly adorable personality and partly because of her phenomenal voice!  Having watched the TV show I had to have the concert tickets.

Dubbed the "Fairy" of the singing reality show, Lena park captivates her audience.

MW and I ventured out of our respective air-conditioned little hideouts, and met up at Olympic Park.  It was 'unbearably scorching', decidedly so. ;)  After resorting to eating ice and some zealous fanning we made it into the concert hall. PACKED!She came out (a few minutes late) and blew us away.  She was raised in the states so her Korean although fluent comes across as very 'cute' at times. (I should be working that angle soon, haha!).  The crowd lapped it up and were stunned by her singing.  I am going to attempt to add a videoclip to this post.  On the TV show she covered every imaginable genre but her latest album is mainly a collection of love songs and ballads.  

At the (seated) concert.

The show was sold as a 2 and a half our event, and lasted 3 and a half hours.  Each song was followed by a little informal story telling and sometimes an explanation of the meaning of the song.  Two costume changes, two guess appearances, some fireworks and an incredible display of vocals ensured that the tickets were worth their hefty price tags. 

I'm a FAN! 

"So much happened before Dorothy dropped in"

"Double, double toil and trouble.  


Fire burn, and caldron bubble." 

Many of you will recognise the above quote from 
Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'.  These are the words uttered,
almost as a chorus, by the three heinous witches as they 
prepare a potent potion.  The whole of last week I had those 
lines stuck in my head, alongside the lyrics to 'Defying 
gravity'...spot the connection yet?  Yes, the witch themed 
thoughts were thanks to my subconscious getting worked 
up and excited about watching the musical 'Wicked'.


On Saturday MW and I braved the rain and ventured out to 
the theater to watch the Australian cast in their rendition of 
the Broadway musical, Wicked.  This story is based on the 
life and times of the wicked witch of the West, who you 
might remember as the green-skinned, flying-monkey-
commanding, terror from the Wizard of Oz.  And it is through 
Wicked that one learns that Alphaba was in actual fact not 
all that bad, merely misunderstood...some might say ;) 


We arrived with just enough time to grab a bite to eat and 
make our way to our seats.  We found ourselves in the 
gallery, front row, with a stench that can only be described 
as putrid.  Well I suppose that is not the ONLY word that 
may describe it, but the bottom line is that there was a foul 
smell that made my gag reflexes kick in every couple of 
seconds.  Luckily we were not the only ones who could 
smell it, and after listening to other people complain we 
jumped on the metaphorical bandwagon. The result, 
AWESOME seats (in the wheelchair section)!! 


You know how when you are so consumed in something 
that when you glimpse at your watch you realise that you 
have been absorbed in it for ages more than the few minutes 
you thought you were??  Well, that is what this show was 
like.  I got sucked into an emerald coloured land in which 
time seemed to slow to a snail's pace.  The singing, acting, 
props and set, the costumes and the story were all perfect! 
Absolutely worth every penny.  So if you have the required 
number of pennies, and the time, I would HIGHLY 
recommend seeing this spectacular show. 

At the entrance to the theater. ^^

(And for my Korean friends who are worried about not 
understanding everything, FRET NOT!  There are screens 
with Korean subtitles all over the theater.)

confession time!

I am horribly ashamed.  After YEARS of teasing and making fun of  stereotypical geeks others, I have stooped to the very bottom of the nerd barrel.  Yes, I am addicted to very much enjoying playing Diablo III, the latest computer game hit, from Blizzard Entertainment.  

This, in my defense, is pretty much the first computer game that I have ever tried playing.  It has the inexplicable ability to absorb time.  After playing for what I think has been an hour I realise that not only have I blacked out for 5 hours but I also ate a meal and drank 3 small bottles of banana milk.  Previously I thought of computer games as a mere waste of time or a warped form of procrastination, but now I know that these poor gamers cannot help themselves.  
Some, lucky enough to be so good at playing games are able to turn it into a profession, and a very lucrative one at that (more than US $400 000 annually at the top).  And speaking of being good at playing computer games, South Korea is where you might find the best.  Blizzard spent 12 years making Diablo 3, and it was cracked (look at me and my geek speak; cracked = completed) in no more than 5 and a bit HOURS after being made available here in Seoul. 
If, like me however, you are not good enough to become a programer, Diablo III can again help you make a buck or two.  You are able to sell your virtual loot, to other gamers for REAL MONEY.  The better or more magical the items are the more you can get for them.  You can even exchange the gold that you have collected for actual cash.  3 400 000 pieces of gold should earn you about 1 US dollar.
A quick internet search will tell you that 1US dollar is worth   4672 634 610 Zimbabwean dollars....makes you think! 


I would like to wrap this post up with a quick apology for all the verbal abuse I have dished out to the little 'Nigel-no-friends', who stare at PC screens in stead of meeting real people. NOW I understand....I am one of you!! ;)  The apology would have been longer but I have to get back to my Wizard.

beach at the bar

After a long week of slogging away in front of computers and students the weekend finally made an appearance, albeit only a brief one.  Some unwinding was definitely in order, and for this MW and I headed into Seoul for a drink or 6.


We arrived here...

, the Bungalow in Itaewon.

When we got there it was pretty full, and we had to take a seat at the bar while we waited.  Service was not all that great but by the bottom of our first cocktail a few seats opened up.  We moved to the more comfortable seating area, with a twist. 

Obeying the sign we entered the "beach".  

(After loading this picture I now realise that it looks like I hang out in sex dungeons...i DON'T!

All the seats are suspended from the ceiling.  Some of them are like the swings from my childhood and some of them more comfortable - kind of egg shaped, like the ones in the first 'Men in black' movie....but i digress ).  The floor is covered in about 4 inches of soft, white, beach sand.  Digging my toes into the sand, while sipping cocktails and having hilarious conversations really did let me escape from the work week, and almost in a sense from the city itself.   

Go check it out!!