Celebrations

above: My birthday party, February 17 2007 - Moalboal, Philippines
below: my birthay party, February 17 1997 - Chicago, U.S.A.

Places I've been, places i'm going.....

Here is a link I posted to the Google Earth community (272 downloads so far!) listing some places I've visited, a partial list anyways:

view in Google Earth or Google Maps.

More to come.....

Sonny goes home (video)

Goodbye Sonny (photo)

Teachers at Friends School say goodbye to Sonny.

Sonny gives flowers and a present to MaryNhovy.

One last pose before Sonny flies back to Korea.

School pictures (photo)

Fireworks (video)

A fireworks display at a party last night for the owner of HR Hotel in Lapu-Lapu.

same spot, 15 years later

Rick on board M/V Doulos;

• top - Kagoshima, Japan, September 1992
• bottom - Cebu, Philippines, January 2007.

Fave restaurants in Cebu

1. Gerry's Grill, Ayala Center (Filipino)
2. Yellow Cab, Banilad Town Center (pizza)
3. Shanghai Bay, SM Mall(Chinese)
4. Lemon Grass, Ayala Center (Thai/Vietnamese)
5. Flame It! Grill, Ayala Center (American-style hamburgers)
   
6. Rasa Marina, Marina Mall (Singaporean)
7. Cafe de France, Marina Mall (French/ bakery)
8. Magellan's Landing, Marina Mall (pub/ seafood)
   
9. Korean BBQ, Gaisano Country Mall (Korean)
10. Majestic Restaurant, Marina Mall (Chinese/ seafood)

more listings and reviews to come soon....

New CD available

I have a new CD available, it's available as a free download. You can get it by clicking on the picture below or by going to http://www.aaughrecords.net.



...by the way, I'm not sure if that technically makes it a CD, since there's no hard copy involved, especially if you just download it and import it into your iTunes or other media library. Oh well, whatever...

new places

I've moved to Manila, and now that I have internet access & a wireless card I will try to update this thing more often than I was doing in Seoul, Chicago or Shenyang.

One of my new projects here will be to try and record dreams I have when I remember them. Hope I'll remember to actually do this....

Later,
Rick

Life, the universe, and nothing....

Had a new job offer in Ansan, one hour outside Seoul on the Blue Line subway (line #4). So that's where I am, living in a studio apartment (in Chicago, it'd be called an "efficiency") just a few blocks from work and a short walk from the subway station, my bank, and my phone company. I have cable & internet in my apt., and a fridge & stove & washing machine. Pretty nice setup. On the first floor of the building I work in is a bakery, a small restaurant, and a 7-11. And there's another bakery right across the street! Also across the street is a bar (known as a "hof" in Korea) where I had some pretty excellent BBQ ribs after work tonight. I also just found out a really good friend of mine from Singapore is living in Ansan, so she and I will meet up on Thursday.

Later,
Rick

currently on my iPod: Modern Times, by Bob Dylan

Updates from Seoul

A month in Korea

Wow, time flies... seems like just the other day I was getting dropped off at O'Hare. I remember being really nervous about my flight for no reason, like was my ticket actually there at the Korean Air counter? etc. Stupid stuff like that. Some guy sat next to me on the plane because there was a seat open, no other reason, even though he had his own assigned seat and I kept wishing he would go back to his seat. Never happened. At least some of the food was OK - they served bibimbap, kind of a Korean vegetable salad (cucumbers, radish, cabbage, carrots, and sometimes wild mountain greens) mixed with rice and a spicy sauce. Very delicious and authentic, especially for an airplane meal. The dinner was horrible, frozen ravioli drowned in tomato paste and topped with an American frozen mixed veggie assortment, made in Chicago and completely inedible. But served with an amazing tiramisu, I still don't know how they pulled that off.

I did get to watch a lot of movies on the seat-back movie screen in front of me - Weatherman, Fun With Dick & Jane, Narnia, etc. I also watched a really good Korean movie called "Typhoon" -the first half concerned this guy who sees his family die during the Korean war and he grows up to hate South Korea and the US. In the second half it degenerates into a Bond-style action film where he escapes from North Korea and threatens to unleash a million ballons filled with some pretty dangerous stuff over Seoul during a major storm. It's up to, like, one guy, to stop him, a recently graduated lieutenant in the South's army.

When I got to Seoul I had to go through immigration, customs, etc. and then change dollars to won and find my bus, since there was no-one from the school there to meet me. Then it was an hour and a half by bus to where the school was, through terrible traffic backed up along the Han River. Tons of extremely modern apartments, cars, houses, shopping complexes, government buildings - Seoul is the world's 5th largest city and the sheer size of it just boggles the mind. There are over 10 million people in the city, where as Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea only has 2 million. Everyone here is pretty well dressed and they all have really fancy cell phones. Keep in mind that 2 of the world's largest cell phone manufacturers, Samsung and LG, are based here. There are tons of small restaurants, stores, street vendors, open-air markets, and the largest number of bars, nightclubs and internet cafes I've ever seen. The subway is really clean, fast and efficient and so are the taxis and buses. Seoul is also really safe - women walk down dark alleys here at 3 in the morning with no problem at all.

My school is all right, I'm just learning all the ropes. There really is a lot to take in at first, but I'm getting the hang of it all. I know as soon as I have the whole system memorized, it'll all change! So I shouldn't get too comfortable. I teach all age levels, from my first class at 3 p.m. of Kindergarten age children to my last one at 9 pm of high school age. I have some great coworkers: Kim (from Toronto), Lyle (North Dakota), Scott (UK), Les (Seattle), Mike, Charlie, Will (still not sure where they're from), plus my Korean coworkers Marty, Rose, Sienna, Sally, Lucy, Esther, Michelle, Anna, Monica, and a few more.

On the weekends I like to check out some areas of the city I haven't seen yet - like Apgujeong, kind of Seoul's answer to Rodeo Drive or Michigan Avenue, with posh boutiques (Chanel, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton) and some totally bizarre pet stores, where your dog can get a manicure/pedicure, shop for designer doggie clothes and get specially baked doggie treats for the discerning pooch. This weekend I'm going to an arts festival near Hongik Univerity, with some modern and traditional art and music presented entirely from the perspective of women. Should be interesting.

I really enjoy Seoul, today I spent about 4 hours in this really cool coffee shop talking with a friend and drinking jasmine tea. Afterwards we went and had some really good Vietnamese noodles. Both the coffee shop and the Vietnamese place I discovered completely by accident, and that's a cool thing about Seoul - little surprises around every corner. There are also some cool record cafes, where you can sit and have a drink and request music off the owner's large collection of vinyl records.

When I first got here, everything seemed so modern and bleak and sterile, but today it was raining and the air and light of the city had a different feel - dark, mysterious, romantic. Today on the subway going home, I was riding in the front car when suddenly there was a commotion and lots of people started running and screaming away from someone or something. I heard some guy yelling and realized this guy was crazy and was just being loud but he certainly scared everyone. He had kind of a disheveled appearance, was really thin and had long hair and was wearing black clothes. When the train pulled into the station, he jumped up and kicked the door really hard. Then an older Korean man yelled at him, something like, "Hey, what are you? Crazy? Look at how you've scared all these people! You should be ashamed of yourself!" or some words to that effect. He got off at that station and no one else wanted to get off, they were pretty shaken. I'm just glad he didn't have a weapon and that no one was hurt.

Then when I was walking from the subway station I saw three young guys tumble don the stairs of a second floor bar, where they had obviously had waaaay too much to drink, and they immediately started fighting in the street - kicking, punching, etc. A crowd of spectators gathered at a safe distance, oddly enough the police never showed up. Weird....

I'm now officially a Seoul resident, as I recieved my resident alien card the other day. Whoop-dee-doo, this calls for a party. No, really I am excited, just that it's been a long week and I came down with a cold over the last few days. I hope to get a little rest over the weekend and I've found some really good orange juice (not conventrated, with the pulp still in it - yum!) and am trying to get back to my regular health. I had a massive sinus headache the other day at work - ugh. But my back problems have cleared up......

More later,
Rick

mailing address: Rick Vaughn c/o YBM-ECC Language Institute Mia 3-dong 202-2 Joong-Ang Bldg. 2/F Kangbuk-gu, Seoul Republic Of Korea cell phone: (82)10-3980-1559 home phone: (82)10-983-6693

My life story

Here's a project I've been thinking of for about 10 years, the film version of my life experiences, and it will feature well known actors in very short cameos. Some of them won't even know they're in the movie, like Steve Martin did to Eddie Murphy in Bowfinger. Anyways, here are the latest casting additions:

Lucy Liu as Rainbow

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Fred Armisen as Hector

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Mike Myers as Joyce

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Christina Ricci as Rossanne

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...and of course, I'll be played by:

Anthony Edwards as Rick

stay tuned...... :-)

Eric Idle at Borders

I was in line at 7:55, at Borders on State, even though the signing started at 12:30. There were a couple people ahead of me, including one Creepy Lady who was standing in front of the door, waiting to get in. As soon as the doors opened we made a beeline for the top floor, where the line started. Creepy Lady only kind of stood in line for like 2 seconds then went downstairs and sat in the cafe for a couple of hours. I guess she expected the rest of us to keep her place, because when she came back up demanded to take her rightful place at the front of the line. We pretty much managed to ignore her demands, and block her from cutting in front! Creepy Lady wanted her book personalized the following way: "Dear ____________ (i forget her name), I'm sorry that Robin Williams had to spoil your Buddy Hackett moment. Sincerely, Eric Idle." Whatever that meant. Lori, the event manager, told her there was not much chance of that happening at all.

Oddly enough, the Borders staff insisted on playing Madonna ("Cherish" sticks in my head, even as I write this) but switched it to the Spamalot cast recording seconds before Eric Idle and John Du Prez made their entrance. Eric came in wearing a white suit with no tie, a light blue shirt, and sunglasses - very Hollywood, and quite appropriate for the nice sunny warm weather Chicago is suddenly having. He said one or two words, posed for a couple of photos ("Look, you're on the web!" he said to John, pointing to the number of cell phone cameras snapping shots from the audience) then proceeded to launch into a rousing version of "Sit On My Face", leading the audience in the final chorus. Funny, I had just commented a few minutes earlier on how they probably were't playing "Eric Idle Sings Monty Python" or even "Spamalot" because this was a "family" bookstore... and now this!

Just when I got to the signing table, and was placing in front of Eric the items mentioned in my last post, someone from either Borders or the publicity people announced they were only signing the "Spamalot" CD and the book, "The Greedy Bastard Diary : A Comic Tour of America" so I was left holding a pile of stuff. Guess what? Eric took one look at it, gave me a kind of "give it here, lad" look, and signed all the swag anyways. I've always said he was all right! I got a free pair of coconuts too, imported by real African swallows (but I always thought those were non-migratory....)

A side note: what's up with the armed police escorts at Borders events? Are Borders management that suspicious and distrustful of their customers? I recall this at the Margaret Cho event on Michigan Avenue, and found it a little inappropriate. But then again, there were people like Creepy Lady, who made me and my friend Jamie a little more pleased to have them around (just in case).

First 100 get a free pair of coconuts.....

Eric Idle will be at Borders on State Street tomorrow, signing copies of the cast recording of Spamalot. I'll be there in line (8:00 a.m.!) and bringing the following for him to sign:

1) A can of SPAM Golden Honey Grail;

2) The lid from a carton of Ben & Jerry's Vermonty Python Ice Cream;

3) DVD slip covers from The Rutles, The Holy Grail, and Baron Munchausen;

4) and, just to make it especially difficult on the man, a photo of he and I at the Chicago Theater across the street, Thanksgiving weekend, 1999.

If he refuses to sign all of these items (a refusal is highly unlikely), I shall have no choice but to say, "Ni!" to him....

Too bad I won't be able to afford tickets to the actual show, but I'll be flying out of the country on the 23rd anyways, but I sure would enjoy it if Spamalot plays in Seoul.

Your Japanese Name Is...

Takumi Tokudaiji

What's your Japanese Name?

Beijing will use artificial rain to clear air

Beijing will use artificial rainmaking to clear the air after a choking dust storm coated China's capital and beyond with yellow grit, prompting a health warning to keep children indoors, state media said Tuesday.

The huge storm blew dust far beyond China's borders, blanketing South Korea and reaching Tokyo.

The storm, reportedly the worst in at least five years, hit Beijing overnight Sunday, turning the sky yellow and forcing residents to dust off and hose down cars and buildings.

Hospitals reported a jump in cases of breathing problems, state television said.

The government was preparing to seed clouds to make rain to clear the air, state TV said, citing the Central Meteorological Bureau. It did not elaborate, and the bureau refused to release more information.

Storms carrying chalky dust from the north China plain hit Beijing every spring, but newspapers said this week's was the heaviest since at least 2001. The Beijing Daily Messenger said 300,000 tonnes of sand and dust were dumped on the city Monday.

That was "definitely one of the most serious pollution days in Beijing," weather forecaster Yang Keming said, according to the China Daily newspaper. "Small children had better stay at home during such days."

The dust reached Tokyo on Tuesday, the first time that has happened in six years, said Naoko Takashina of Japan's Meteorological Agency. Dust from China was found in more than 50 locations throughout the country, she said.

The Japanese agency warned of reduced visibility but did not say any health dangers were expected.

In South Korea, a light layer of dust blanketed the country, but no ill effects were reported. Rain was forecast overnight Tuesday, and the weather bureau said it should clear the air.

The dust storms are expected to last through at least Wednesday in Beijing, neighbouring Tianjin and a swath of north China stretching from Jilin province in the northeast through Inner Mongolia to Xinjiang in the desert northwest, the China Daily and other media said.

That region is home to hundreds of millions of people.

More storms were expected later in the week in Xinjiang and other parts of the northwest, according to news reports.

China's government has been replanting green belts of trees throughout the north in an effort to trap the dust after decades when the storms worsened amid heavy tree-cutting.

Last week, the western Xinjiang region was hit by its worst sand storm in decades, which killed one person and left thousands stranded after sand covered railways and high winds smashed train and car windows.

Image courtesy the SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE

KFA online shopping mall

Here is the official online souvenir store operated by agents of the North Korean government. I thought you may want to take a look at this, it's hilarious. Apart from ridiculously high prices, it seems the comments and customer reviews are completely unmoderated! Check it out now while you can.

Also, from an official North Korean website, here's an article promoting a restaurant in Pyongyang where dog meat is the house specialty: The Pyongyang Tangogi Restaurant

Updates

I'll be leaving on Sunday, April 23rd, 12:55 p.m., Korean Air KE0038 direct from Chicago-O'Hare to Seoul-Incheon (17 hours I think). I'll probably go to the airport early so I have time to go through TSA and all their reactionary no-shoes dance (hopefully no probes of any sort!). I will arrive in Seoul at 4:30 p.m. the next day, April 24th since I have to cross the International Date Line. Somehow that's preferable, so I can go to my apartment and crash and have a few hours to sleep and adjust. Hopefully this will ward off some of the effects of jet lag. But then again, maybe not.

From ESLCafe.com: Does the word "waeguk" bother you?

My answer: No. My ancestors were from Ireland, and were definitely discriminated against on moving to America. What did they do? Learned to live with it, and eventually overcame it. Watch "Gangs Of New York" if you really want to know what happened. I used to get upset in the Philippines when people would call out "hey Joe!" (traditionally used when referring to US soldiers, after WW2) as I walked down the street, but what can you do? Nothing. So I just learned to ignore it. One of my Chinese co-teachers in Liaoning province never could remember my name, so she just always called me, "Chicago". Which I found rather cute, actually. Now the people on the street yelling, "laowai!" (Mandarin equivalent of Cantonese "gweilo") on the other hand... definitely annoying. Once again, what can you do? There's a billion of 'em. Ignore it.

I used to hear "haole" all the time in Saipan, a US territory in the Pacific, this being a loan word from the Hawaiians (Polynesians) as the Chamorros (who are Micronesians) don't really have their own word for "outsiders" ("haole", meaning "ghost" - literally, "without breath" was used in Hawaii since time immemorial to refer to "Western" missionaries). And, more frequently, I'd hear "American" in reference to white people, which was ridiculous since Saipan residents claim US citizenship, so are by definition, "Americans" themselves (and even claim "Native American" status when aplying for college scholarships or admission). But what could I do? Get involved in a verbal debate or, God forbid, a fight, with some 350-lb. Chamorro guy juiced up on betel nut, Budweiser and soju? I think not.

I know non-whites in parts of America get called a lot worse. One of my African-American friends told me a few years ago he was considering starting a class for white people living overseas, since we're only just going through now what they've gone through their whole lives, at home. This is why minorities from Westen countries do much better... they've already experienced the staring, name calling, discrimination and much worse in their home countries, and are used to it already. At least the locals are only calling you "wayguk", or saying "hello" and giggling/running away, and leaving it at that. It's not as if they were burning crosses outside your apartment or lynching ESL teachers. Grow up.