These guys are supposed to be intimidating, but I thought they were adorable.

 

 

Big News

Well folks I haven't written in a while.

And I'd like to say it's because I was having SO MANY wacky adventures that there was just no time.

It's been the opposite.

I've been working a few after school programs and am pretty busy these days with mundane teaching stuff.

Other than that it's been the usual stuff going out to dinner at that one Korean restaurant and general day to day living.

But alas, the big news.

I'm getting married.

I asked Marrisa and she said yes. Well, at first she said "maybe," and then she said, "OK". I would have
rather she used the word, "yes," but marriage is one of those things that requires men to constantly settle for
OK when you want a yes. So I figure I'm already on top of things.

I'm also getting really good at just nodding my head and replying with grunts, indicating I'm listening.
I think I'm going to be an excellent husband.

We've been engaged for a month now and so far so good.

I want to get married Dick Cheney post 9/11 style in a secure undisclosed location. But we'll see about that.





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http://loughriedoeskorea.blogspot.com

Cockfights ...

This video shows just how much fun Filipino cockfights are.

It's not graphic, anyone can watch.

This was taken about a minutes or two before the fight, when the place goes nuts with bets being made.

The man sitting to my right was my handler who made all my bets for me.

Cockfights in the Philippines.

Admission: $1.50
Profits Made: $10
Cockfights: Priceless

St. Patrick's Day

One wouldn't think Seoul to be a hotspot of St. Paddy's Day activities. But there is actually a parade (which lasts about ten minutes) and then a cool festival with Irish music afterward. The festival is a neat mix of expats and Koreans themselves who get into putting on green and wearing stupid hats.


So here's a few pictures from the day.

Me and the Guinness man.


Koreans marching in the parade.


It's not St. Patrick's Day without the Korean chapter of Hell's Angels.


Very few countries would let foreigners use their military for a prop. Fortunately they let us use them for a picture with our friend Matt.



OK. This is really wrong. Marissa, our friend MinJong and I standing outside a bar called Texas on St. Patrick's Day in Korea.

The picture you've all been waiting for ....

From the Hobbit House Bar in Manila.

That was the best beer I ever tasted ...

and what made this beer so good?

It was brought to me by a midget. Yes, a midget.

For my last night in Manila I patronized an institution called the
Hobbit House.

The wait staff and servers are all midgets or dwarves. (They have a
normal size bartender, but I think that's just for logistics like
reaching.)

It was incredible. Words cannot describe the joy one gets in a
restaurant full of midgets. They're walking around everywhere with
their little hands and legs, bringing drinks. It was AWESOME.

It's been almost 24 hours now and I'm still feeling high.

The Hobbit House itself was pretty cool. It's a large hall-style room,
with wood fixtures and furnishings. Scenes from Tolkien, one of the
most prolific authors in the fields of Midget Fantasy, adorn the wall.

Wait til you see the picture of me and all the wait staff. They all
come up to my waist. I've never felt so tall.

And if any of you think this is exploitive, walk through the streets
of Manila and see the poverty that exists. These midgets have it good.

Right now I'm on Mindoro Island, at Sabang Beach. There was just a
power outage, but fortunately, most of the bars have generators.

More to come.

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http://loughriedoeskorea.blogspot.com