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, January 31, 2006

Fly Fishing Anyone

Since I seem to be posting a few videos these days, I thought I would post this ne which was sent by Mum! Thanks Mum. You would think she is trying to give me a lesson on fishing!

http://media.putfile.com/Incredible-Fishing-Video

I believe this is taken in Brazil. Wish it was everywhere I fished! I tried to fish again over Christmas Day at my brothers places, and the only thing I caught was a sunburn!

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Improve your workplace!


http://www.adviserworks.com.au/binaries?img=310&stypen=html

Click on the link for a great short movie on work discipline! Now this is how to get those efficiencies going. See even when I am at work I am looking for ways to improve! Do you think it is unconventional?
By the way it takes a little while to download, but promise it is funny! And you will need Windows Media Player.

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Monday, January 30, 2006

Happy New Year

Kong Hei Fat Choy

Year of the Dog!

1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006

People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other people's confidence because they know how to keep secrets. But Dog People are somewhat selfish, terribly stubborn, and eccentric. They care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. They can find fault with many things and are noted for their sharp tongues. Dog people make good leaders.

Clariza and I are born in 1971, so we are the year of the pig, or boar.. whatever you want to call it. We celebrated this long weekend, by just really relaxing. Today we never left the house until 6pm, then had a lovely Japanese dinner in the Hakone Restaurant in the Hotel. So sad.... back to work tommorow! Can't I win the lottery!

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Sunday, January 29, 2006

Love Long Weekends in Seoul

Well the long weekend has hit us and we are having a wonderful relaxing time. The weather is a little warmer, hovering above zero, but that made little differance through the day yesterday as we just lazed around the house watching the last 4 episodes of LOST, on the box set for the first season. We are loving it, and now we would do almost anything to be able to start watching Season 2. Where not holding our breath though, as it seems it is not showing in Korea.

Anyway, last night with met up with some friends, and hoaxed them into coming to one of our favourite downtown restaurants that we had mentioned before i think in September post. Dintaifung is an awesome modern Chinese dumpling restaurant with open kitchen, modern design, and pretty good service. We had a fantastic meal as expected, only 75,000 won for four big eaters, and our friends were very impressed. And he is the Executive Chef at the hotel! So glad that he and his lovely wife enjoyed it.
http://www.dintaifung.co.kr/

We then decided to chance a 15 minute walk to the Downtown Lotte Department store, where hiding in the basement is a huge Krispy Kreme. http://www.krispykreme.com/
The reason we were not sure if it would be open is it is the largest holidays in Korea, but thankfully as we peered around the last corner, lights were still on, and as always with a KrispyKreme, it was busy! So we devoured a few donuts, had a coffee, then decided to walk around the streets in this area where there were hundreds of the night street vendors selling everything from fake DVD's, fake Gucci watches, to little puppies for sale (they were real!) I think this particular area is called Myondong. (Sorry for the spelling) We then caught a taxi home and had a humurous 20 minutes with out taxi driving, trying to practice our Korean on directions. He was having a great time, I think, but then again, when you have a 6foot 10 inch chef sitting next to you, you should laugh at anything he says!

Well its Sunday, time to go to the Gym, have lunch at the hotel, then heading to a function in the afternoon. Speak soon!

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Friday, January 27, 2006

Really Funny Movie on Sushi

Hi there,

The attached movies is via a blog I read sometimes, http://laowai.blogspot.com/, who actually got it from another blog - http://chaxiubao.typepad.com/chaxiubao/

Anyway it is quiet long, but very funny, and one guys to me is the Japanese version of Mr. Bean!
http://blogfiles.wfmu.org/BK/05/1211/japanese_tradition_sushi.mov


Its a long weekend, and Clariza and I are trying to watch the entire First Season of Lost, on a box set given by Dad for Christmas! Thanks! We are so far loving it, and forced ourselves to stop tonight or we would watch till the sun rises!

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Thursday, January 26, 2006

Australia Day!


God bless Australia!
WE ARE ONE!
We are the people of a free nation of blokes, sheilas and the occasional wanker.
We come from many lands (although a few too many of us come from New Zealand), and although we live in the best
country in the world, we reserve the right to bitch and moan about it whenever we bloody like.
We are One Nation but divided into many States.

First, there's Victoria, named after a queen who didn't believe in lesbians.
Victoria is the realm of Mossimo turtlenecks, cafe latte, grand final day, and big horse races.
Its capital is Melbourne, whose chief marketing pitch is that "it's livable". At least that's what they think.
The rest of us think it is too bloody cold and wet.

Next, there's NSW, the realm of pastel shorts, macchiato with sugar, thin books read quickly and millions of dancing queens.
Its capital Sydney has more queens than any other city in the world and is proud of it.
Its mascots are Bondi lifesavers who pull their Speedos up their cracks to keep the left and right sides of their brains separate.

Down south we have Tasmania, a State based on the notion that the family that bonks together stays together. In Tassie, everyone gets an extra chromosome at conception.
Maps of the State bring smiles to the
sternest faces.
It holds the world record for a single mass shooting, which the Yanks can't seem to beat no matter how often they try.

South Australia is the province of half-decent reds, a festival of foreigners and bizarre axe murders.
SA is the state of innovation. Where else can you so effectively reuse country bank vaults and barrels as in Snowtown, just out of Adelaide (also named after a queen).
They had the Grand Prix, but lost it when the views of Adelaide sent the Formula One drivers to sleep at the wheel.

Western Australia is too far from anywhere to be relevant.
It's main claim to fame is that it doesn't have daylight saving because if it did,
all the men would get erections on the bus on the way to work.
WA was the last state to stop importing convicts and many of them still work there in the government and business.

The Northern Territory is the red heart of our land: Outback plains, sheep stations the size of Europe, Kangaroos, Jackaroos, Emus, Uluru, and dusty kids with big smiles.
It also has the highest beer consumption of anywhere on the planet and its creek beds have the highest aluminium content of anywhere too.
Although the Territory is the centrepiece of our national culture, few of us live there and the rest prefer to fly over it on our way to Bali.

And there's Queensland.
While any mention of God seems silly in a document defining a nation of half arsed sceptics, it is worth noting that God probably made Queensland, as its beautiful one day and perfect the next.
Why he filled it with dickheads remains a mystery.

Oh yes and there's Canberra.
The less said the better.

We want to make “No worries mate" our national phrase, “She'll be right mate" our national attitude and "Waltzing Matilda“ our national anthem (so what if it's about a
sheep-stealing crim who commits suicide).

We love sport so much our newsreaders can read the death toll from a sailing race and still tell us who's winning.
And we're the best in the world at all the sports that count, like cricket, netball, rugby league and union, AFL, roo shooting, two up and horse racing.

Stand proud Aussies - we shoot, we root, we vote.
We are girt by sea and pissed by lunchtime.
I am, you are, we are Australian!

PS. We also shoot and eat the two animals that are on our National Crest!!!!
No other country has this distinction!

Happy
Australia
Day

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Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Its cold!

So few words over the past weeks, but happy to report that we are both back in Korea, and trying to survive the back end of the winter season. This weekend is the Chinese Lunar New Year, so a three day weekend. What does that mean for us?.. well we are just going to hang out in Seoul, eat some good food, hang out with friends, but just spend lots of time relaxing... oh yeah, and maybe go to the gym a couple of times! Hey dont laugh, I am trying to keep the weight in double digits! What to do?

At the end of this month we hit the 8 month barrier in Korea. It really is going fast, and actually we are so excited about this year. We have set some big goals, so at the end of the year we will let you know if we achieved them!

Tommorow is Australia Day. I think I will have a nice lunch with the chefs in the hotel, then in the evening Clariza has promised me she will eat a juicy aussie steak in the Australian Grill with me! Ahh, the sacrifices she has to make married to an Aussie! Aussie, aussie, aussie! Of course we will have a nice bottle of Aussie wine, (this will win her over!) and I will beg the pastry chef to make a Pavlova or even a Lamington! (In my dreams)

Still need to download our photos from the Christmas trip, so when that is done we will have a few more pics for the site.

And a big -kai- to my Beta Brothers. There seems to be a bit of momentum going amongst a lot of the brothers catching up, and sharing emails, and laughs. We even have a nice blog beginning. http://epsilonrhorongo.blogspot.com/
For those that do know, or dont, in 1990, my first semester in college in Hawaii, I was dragged along to a cocktail party that ended up being a recruitment drive for the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Somehow, I made the decision to be a pledge for the Betas, and then from that day, my adult life has been shaped in part, or significantly by my days in the fraternity. I would have to say, one of the best decisions I ever made. To this day, my fraternity, and my brothers are still very much part of my life, even with the great distances that seperate us. There is almost nothing I wouldn't do for my brothers, even today, over 15 years since I joined. Enough of that stuff... but in any case great to be able to share my life with them too.

Well thats all for now. Its getting late, and I got to work early tommorow. Words and photos soon!

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Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Some Funny Photos for the day

I really would pay money to bestanding behind this nun! What is she looking at????

New hotel toilet design? What do you think? I hope you dont get a complex?


Very smart mouse! What do you think his chances are?

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Sunday, January 22, 2006

Night out with the Front Office Team




I used to consider myself a bit of the party type, but I tell you the Koreans love to party, no how to party, and always have the greatest time. Nobody gets punchy, just happy, and really enjoys themselves. This is some shots early in the evening at a Korean BBQ house. I cant show the photos from later in the night, cause boy, did those faces change. Enjoy. Posted by Picasa


















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Hotel Industry

Ok, So I need to get my focus back on my blog. Work has been a killer since I began 2006, but all good though. Here are so thoughts about my wonderful industry. Some will get, some ..well.. maybe not.. I love the first one.. it is so damm true..

What Is A Hotel Manager?
A Hotel Manager must be a diplomat, a democrat, an autocrat, an acrobat anda doormat. He must have the facility to entertain prime ministers, princesof industry, pickpockets, gamblers, bookmakers, pirates, philanthropists,popsies and prudes. He must be on both sides of the "political fence" andmust be able to jump or sit on that fence.He should be, or have been a footballer, golfer, bowler, tennis player,cricketer, dart player, sailor, pigeon fancier, motor racer and linguist aswell as have a good knowledge of any other sport involving dice, cards,horse racing and billiards.It is also most useful, as he has sometimes to settle arguments andsquabbles, that he should be a qualified boxer, wrestler, weight lifter,sprinter and peacemaker.He must always look immaculate-when drinking with ladies and gentlemanlisted in the first paragraph, as well as bankers, wankers, theatricals,commercial travelers and company representatives even though he has justmade peace between any of the two, four, six or more of the aforementionedpatrons.

To be successful he must keep the bar full, the rooms full, the store roomfull, the wine cellar full, the customers full and not get full of himself.He must have a staff who is clean, honest, quick workers, quick thinkers,non-drinkers, mathematicians, technicians and at times be on the boss'sside, the customers side and stay on the outside of the bar.To sum up: He must be outside, inside, offside, glorified, sanctified,crucified, stupefied, cross eyed and if he's not the strong silent typethere's always suicide....

You might be in the hotel industry if…………..

You may sit at the same desk for 4 years and worked for 8 different managers, sit at 4 differant desks in 4 differant hotels in 4 years.


Going for cocktails and dinner is” NOT your idea of a nice evening.


When someone asks your exact job profile, you never know how to exactly answer.


You really get excited about 2% pay increase.


You sit in a cubical smaller than your bedroom closet.


It’s dark on your drive to work and when you leave from work.


Communication is something your “Group” is having problem with.


You see a good looking person and you know it’s a visitor/guest.


Food left over from banquets or meeting is your main staple diet.


You forget what you look like in anything but a “suit”.


All the work you where hired to do gets done before 9 and after 5.


You are already late on an assignment you just received.


Your boss’s favorite lines are:
“When you get a minute………...”
“In your spare time…………..….”
“I have an opportunity for you….”


Vacation in something you roll over to next year, if you are allowed.


Change is norm.


Nepotism is encouraged.


Six month is considered to be substantial longevity.


You dial “9” before the number no matter where you are calling from.


When you are walking in public, you have to fight the urge to pick up little scraps of paper and rubbish on the floor.


Your toilet paper at home is folded in triangle on the first sheet.


Your answer on the phone at home “Hello this is…... how may I help you?”


Eating in hotel restaurants are no fun anynore, rather it is more exciting to eat in fast food retaurants.


You inspect your hotel room when traveling.


Most of all, You read this entire list and understand it!

Well thats it for the moment. I wont promise anymore to update, just will do it when I can! Take care everyone.. Happy 2006!

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