Dentist Rendezvous

I don't know about you, but a trip to the dentist conjures childhood memories of claustrophobic waiting rooms,wide grinned dental assistants, and funky lounge chairs with alieneque technology attached. All while an anemic looking old guy clutching shiny sharp things waited to rooting about my mouth.

Scary stuff. So, needless to say I dread going to the dentist. This fear most likely stems from the experience of being strapped down, as a ten year old, by my aforementioned dentist and having his assistant shove a mechanical doohickey designed to keep my mouth from closing while he whistled away merrily working on my cavities. No wonder I didn't want to open my mouth with things like that laying about.

After that trauma you probably understand why its been years since I've been to a dentist. Well, the streak is over because the other week I ventured into gangnam and faced my fear head on. It didn't hurt that my fear turned out to be distingushed and good looking. With a face like that I see bring on the fear.

WY Dentistry is inviting and warm and feels like you stepped into your grandma's parlor for tea and cookies. I guess those would be sugar free cookies at WY. Dr. Wonhi Yoo is the man in charge and he and his staff all speak English. If someone is going to be all up in my mouth I'd at least like to be able to have a conversation first.

My exam and cleaning went without a hitch and overall I give the experience an A. So, fear not fellow dental refugees, because there is hope and a soft touch out there.

WY Dentistry is at 234-8 Nonhyun-dong, Gangnam-Gu, Seoul 02-514-5575

Italian Plate

I have to preface this post by saying that the Italian Diner is CHEAP. Not rice and noodle cheap, but cheap for an Italian restaurant. Of course after dining there I understood why the prices looked so good, because you can dream about the prices to give you some satisfaction while shoveling the "food" into your mouth.
We started off with the bruschetta which turned out to be tomato on toasted white bread. Now if you've had brushetta then you know its so much more than that.

That got followed up with the risotto for me and pasta linguine for Rebecca. It was adequate. It nourished us. Well, it was filling. Yeah, filling. Might I suggest bringing spices along to help the dishes out. Oh, and there wasn't even garlic bread. How can you have an Italian restaurant without garlic bread? Travesty.
If you're still inclined to pop into Italian Plate then wander over to the Mcdonalds in gangnam it's on the second floor of that building next to the movie theater. My fingers are crossed for you.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

So, last week my friend Rebecca sidled up next to me at work with the good news that she intended to take the plunge and get bangs. She's been growing her hair since coming to Korea and has been debating on going down the bang route. With the decision firmly decided she asked our Korean co teacher to go with her to the appointment, just to be sure no tomfoolery would arise.

Well, the next day, she came into the teacher's lounge in a whirlwind of anger tinged with sadness for the hairstylist in question had butchered her hair in the great name of "styling" only then to inform her that she couldn't have proper bangs because of a cowlick. Beforehand our co teacher had informed the stylists what Rebecca wanted and he had assured them that he could deliver. He failed.

He even had the nerve to insist on payment. I certainly emphathized since I've finally been in a position of having to deal with hair. Before the fro, and now once again, I simply moisturized by shaved scalp and Ta Daa, I was ready for the day. Luckily, however things turned for the better when our co teacher's mother heard about the incident, dialed up the saloon, and unleashed a dose of unsatisfied korean customer.

Needless to say after such a firestorm the stylist eagerly invited Rebecca back for free extensions. After the deed was done we met for lunch. She's happy with having longer hair again even if it was actual human hair from someone in China. Now I just can imagine some poor Chinese person walking innocently down the street when she's suddenly accosted with her head yanked back and her long luxurious black hair hacked from her scalp only to be sold to the black market salons of Seoul and sewn into Rebecca's head. Sort of like a hair version of black market organs.

Hopefully she doesn't have said woman scouring the streets of Seoul in search of her missing locks.

It's Baa-aack!

Afraid you missed it? Thought it went by without your noticing. Well, fear not Pepero Day is back again and right in your face. Wherever you go there are stands and boxes of pepero in a variety of flavors and combinations. Chocolate? Check? Nut Crunch? Check. Honey coated sugar almond orange sensation? Well, not sure, but I bet it's out there waiting to be devoured.

I myself got Pepero'ed out after last year. I mean how much mileage can you get out of a manufactured company holiday? They may as well stamp Pepero on all our heads and send us on our merry way.

If you're back in the States to truly understand the pepero madness just imagine everyone in the US getting excited and jumping for joy over Snikers bars. You'd wear Snicker bar Tshirts, and buy your sweety a Snickers bar gift basket with matching Snicker bars bathrobe and slippers. Yeah, its that extreme.

However, if you truly love your Snickers, or rather Pepero, then I guess this would be an occasion to revel in the festivities unashamedly.

Seoul Forest

With the autumn season already upon us and barelling full steam toward winter, I thought it would be a good time to take in the array of colors on display.
Thanks to Roboseyo I learned of the perfect spot for my fall field trip: Seoul Forest.
Tucked away near Ttukseom Station on line 2 Seoul Forest offers a green sanctuary among the towering steel towers of Seoul.
My friend Rebvecca and I started off at a spry hour of Elvenish, but after lunch at COEX and a quick trip to Itaewon to retrieve my lost phone we didn't arrive at Seoul Forest until well after 3pm. Undaunted by the slowly setting sun we forged ahead.


Now the name Seoul Forest may be a bit of a minsnomer to some. When I hear the word forest I think of densely packed trees piercing the sky. Thats not happening so much at Seoul Forest since the trees don't seem more than 10 or 15 years old. Still these baby birches boast the most dazzling array of greens, golds, reds and oranges this side of Namsan mountain.



As an added surprise we discovered an art exhibit being featured in the park. I'm not sure if its seasonal or there year round, but see it while you can. And since it was there and I firmly believe public art should be interacted with to be understood we froliced among the stuary like little kids or grown ups who should know better.






After that bit of fun we explored the forest, taking in the sights and sounds of a lovely afternoon. Couples strolled arm in arm. Families picniced. Children played badminton. Friends chatted away while sipping cups of coffee.














The sun soon set, but it didn't damper our Seoul Forest high. Check it out before winter sets in and the colors long gone.

Life Water

In the niche market of bottled water there remains a plethora of options to choose from in the Korean corner store. However, I have recently taken to the aptly named Life Water. Yeah, it sort of hits you over the head with the name, but I've come to accept the blunt in your face nature of Korean advertising.

Nothing too subtle about Life Water. Even better is the description on the label which reads as follows:

If you are like me and didn't enjoy high school biology classes, you are probably not aware of oxygen free radicals. These oxygen free radicals damage body cells and tissues and may contribute to aging. Is there any way to reduce these oxygen free radicals? Of course there is! We now have vitamein E which can help reduce oxygen free radicals. PROTECT YOUR LIFE

Now there is all kinds of wrong going on in that little bit of advertising. First, way to assume your consumer base is a bunch of ignorant high school biology class drop outs. And they get no points for trying to empathize with the 'if you are like me' piece of malarkey. Second, they get way too much mileage out of the Oxygen Free Radicals line. Those three little word are repeated more than the name of the drink. Third, did they invent Vitamin E? It sure seems as if they're taking credit for it. Fourth, PROTECT YOUR LIFE comes across as a tad dramatic, yes? I was waiting for the Protect Your Life or Die From Oxygen Free Radicals bouncing around your cells and killing you from the inside!!!!

Maybe they're waiting to add that for the diet version. Anyway, Life Water is alright if you must quench your thirst and nothing else is nearby. It beats a coke, I guess.

Remember: PROTECT YOUR LIFE

Touch My...Ipod!

So, I've done the deed and crossed a line that mortals should never cross. Yes, I went to the dreaded apple store, drooled over the merchandise, broke down and purchased the Apple Ipod Touch. Please don't hate me. I know my Dell Laptop was spinning on the desk back home as soon as I touched one, but I could not stop myself.

To buy this overpriced piece of technology I sold my PSP. Yeah, Sony is hurting right now and I'm sorry to kick them while their down, but I barely touched that sucker. It sat there in the box for days and then weeks with nary a look from me.

I lost a bit on the sale, but it gave me enough to put me over the edge for my 8gig Ipod Touch. And let me tell you 8 gigs is not nearly enough, but I rejected any notion of become a true apple tech whore and limited myself to the 8. Really, I just couldn't afford to go higher, but I console myself with that thought.

I love my Ipod Touch. It's sleek and sexy and does what I tell it to. Which is more than I can say for my love life. I have yet to name my Ipod Touch, but soon I'll find the perfect nom de guerre for my baby.

I think Bud, sounds good, right?