The Internet Ramblings of the QiRanger

Nectar from the gods.

… for me to enjoy. For the past week, I’ve been coming down with a summer cold. The way the aircons work, and the fact that most Koreans children do not cover their mouths when they cough, has finally caught up with me. I think last weekend’s outings may have had something to do wiht it as well. But no worries. I’m enjoying a special treat this morning… true nectar of the gods.

I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy the Komodo Dragon blend for a few years, and I love its rich flavor and mixture of citrus tastes from the region. It makes the morning feel right, and one of the reasons why I’m looking forward to a long day of working here at home. But before I do that, please allow me the opportunity to recount my weekend to this point, sans cold.

Friday after work, we all climbed into the school van and drove to the movie theater to see Batman. One of the nice things about Korean Cinema, or at least the CGV chain, is that when you purchase your tickets, you obtain reserved seating. I scored big time in the fact that I got a center seat that happened to be in the center aisle of the theater… meaning no one was in front of me. Pure bliss. I thought the film was fantastic and the best Batman movie to date. Heath Leger was fantastic as the Joker, which will make the next film so much harder to watch.

Yesterday, Fatima, Mark, and I went out to Hwaseong Fortress again. I’d been wanting to go back there again because I’d not seen some of the fortress or had the opportunity to walk inside the Palace Grounds. The bus from in front of the one-rooms goes right to the archery range and at 10am, we did our best to hit various targets. The bows were a bit odd and it took me a few pulls to get holding it down right. I did manage to hit three targets and almost get an arrow to the far third row. It was a blast, and I’d like to do it again one day… perhaps soon.

Kwan Dao

We then walked to Hwaseong Haenggung, the palace inside the Fortress. We managed to get there about 15 minutes before the Exhibition of 24 Classical Martial Arts began and enjoyed some cool rest. The program was 45 minutes long and the participants demonstrated 9 of the classical forms. My personal favorite was the Kwan Dao. When I finally have time to go though my pictures and video, I’ll throw up a picture of me with the big knife as well. The three of us, then went into the Palace and toured around. Fatima decided to dress in period garments and pose with some swords. It was a riot. After the Palace, we went to the South Gate and walked around a bit before returning to the Palace to watch the cultural demonstrations. There was some great dancing and musical performances. But, the highlight was the comedic entertainer on the high wire. Several times he’d jump up and land with the rope between his legs… and then bounce back up. That really was some impressive skill he had at capturing the rope before the goods were lost.

Our afternoon concluded with a walk to the East Gate and associated outlooks. Being so high over the fortress wall, allowed us to enjoy a great summer breeze. It was really something worth enjoying. I decided I wanted to enjoy a cup of tea before we left, so we went to a traditional tea house for some chilled pine tea. It was great. The rain came, so we enjoyed the air con a bit more before jumping on the bus home. The rest of the day was spent at home recovering from my cold and starting laundry.

Today will be spent at the computer terminal writing and listening to music. Have a great Sunday folks!