Caveat: Happy Birthday, School

So it turns out that today is my school’s birthday. And, since this is Korea, that means I don’t have to work today. Hmm.

Actually, I’m not really into NOT working, these days. I’ve been really enjoying my job, and not really enjoying my “life-at-home” – because of the frustration and lack of control around my apartment situation. Hopefully, they won’t move me again. But… I’m still trying to come to terms with the latest round of disappointments and frustrations.  But… without complaining to anyone at work, which is hard. I just carry it around bottled up, and vent on this blog. I’m sure everyone is really tired of hearing about it. OK, OK. Change the subject.

I still have no internet, either. And I went to a PC방 last night in Yeonggwang only to find my blog site was blocked there, too. What’s with that, anway?  At this rate, I’m going to have to invest in one of those VPN accounts that Chinese disidents use when they want to surf the firewalled internet. And it’s just because I want to work on my blog? The thing that’s funny is that the blog itself isn’t blocked … anyone at my school or at that PC방 can view the content of it (and presumeably all the other blogs that are out there hosted by typepad) – I just can’t get at the administration website.  What’s the rationale between allowing people to view content but not make updates?  What, exactly, do they think they’re blocking? Is it a mistake?

Hmm.. probably: “Never attribute to malice that which can be more simply explained by stupidity.”

So I came to Gwangju, today, because I know where there’s a cafe with free wi-fi that doesn’t appear to have any annoying IP blocks on it. I’m sitting drinking iced coffee and downloading some episodes of dramas – because on top of everything else, my cable TV in my new apartment appears to work only sporadically. Yet another problem to try to ask for help on without seeming to be complaining about it. Not that cable TV is good for me. I lived just fine for 2 years in Ilsan without it, and never missed it. But given the lack of internet in my apartment, the cable TV was providing some distraction, anyway.

I’m not doing very well at NOT talking about my issues with my living situation, am I? I would go off and travel somewhere, but I’m really a bit burned out on that, too.

Well, back when my cable TV was working, guess what I saw? They were televising a “go-stop” tournament. I blogged about this game a few months ago. Seeing this on TV was almost more bizarre than the 24-hour baduk channel (바둑 is the Korean name for the game we call by the japanese name: “go”). Though it’s maybe not quite as bizarre as the fact that Korean cable TV has two channels devoted to televising Starcraft tournaments (Starcraft is a multiplayer video game).

Here’s a picture of the go-stop game on TV: