Human Atrocities

check out this from the Onion. . . make sure you go to yakov's website and look at the paintings. . . holy shit. . . i would've posted the 2 jesus pics here, but couldn't copy and paste them for some reason. . .

Donky Chicken anyone?

aahhh Korea, what's not to love. . .

flailing at the inevitable

The Industry of *my* Ordinary

a few pics from the hasukjip where i'm staying. . . . ordinary objects transcending the ordinary. . . .

RIP Charles Rocket

while the way he died is fairly disconcerting, i wasn't aware of the otherwise amazing life this former SNL'er had. . . check it. (thanks to CSTB for the scoop)

they gave dude a phone

this weekend as my thoughts began to coalesce around the idea of returning to S.E. Asia, another variable was thrown into the mix. . . i was simultaneously offered two employment opportunities: 1) working for a short time for a small yet significant amount of money and 2)working for a longer period of time for a respectable pile of won, and as the ten thousand won note (roughly ten bucks u.s.) is the largest denomination, it will be a pile of cash. i managed to land the job of a longer duration and will thusly be with-job for the last sixteen days of october. everything went down this weekend in typical last minute korean fashion, god bless 'em. this serendipitous event has provided a financial foundation upon which my travels can rest unabated. [i began my employment on monday, something that has prevented this post from coming later rather than sooner, but i'm sure you're loving it nevertheless.] on saturday i met with the people from of the school, signed a contract, got my books, and they even gave dude a phone. the only downside is that i have to commute about forty to sixty minutes each way, but that's not too bad. so my money matters have been temporarily alleviated. . . that is until i squander all my cash on whores in bangkok. . .

here i go again. . . thinkin' of you

i'm not gonna let the immigration fiasco get me down, it just came at a fucked up time. i thought i would have a chance at working another camp (for $3,500) through the month of October but after speaking with the guy he informed me he hadn't received enough applications for counsellors so the camp was cancelled. that was last friday. i went to immigration early this week and was informed that i'd gone over my stay and would have to leave the country. i asked the seoul immigration employee what i actions i should take as today (then oct. 4) was the last day i could legally be in the country. korea charges you like a hundred bucks a day for overstay and of course there are the usual penal implications as well. she informed me that as long as i purchased a ticket out of the country and brought it back to immigration she would give me a final extension, but the flight has to take place before nov. 3rd as that's the maximum extension i can get. so i was in the middle of a quandary as to what to do. . . . to give up the ghost and head for the states or. . . .?? (i'm extremely low on cash now and could just make it home, of course then i would be flat broke.) . . . or to lean on my friends here, borrow some money and head back to SE Asia (the place i've loved the most so far) and kick it for a month or so before returning to Seoul in an effort to find work yet again. it was a tough decision for me as i don't like being in debt to anyone and having received some help from mr. bedell thus far i didn't want to take further advantage of my position. also i'd really like to be able to travel with him early next year and the more money i spend now will only put me further behind as far as that goal is concerned. however, there is nothing for me in the states. i could shack up with funke for a bit in chi-town but with the amount of people living there and having no job/money it would be a tight situation, although not something i'm ruling out for the future, and fuck going back to springdale, that isn't even an option. so all i would be left with (which is fantastic and i'm sure will happen sometime for the reasons i've just alluded to) would be to take advantage of my good friends nate and chelsea in st.louis and spend some quality time on their futon while i figure out what i'm gonna do next. since i'm not one who likes to be put in such conditions as being back in the states and looking for work and having my parents go "what are you gonna do now?", i made the only decision i could. . . . . i'm getting a fucking plane to bangkok baby and am saying goodbye to any rational that could possibly make sense. and as these are the decisions i tend to make, i figure, why not. as if moving to chicago in the middle of my wait shift with someone i barely knew was a good idea. . . that ended up working out. as if running up some debt while i'm traveling is going to kill me. i may regret it later (the bills, what not) but i'm firmly entrenched in the idea that i'd regret it more, being this close to thailand and cambodia if i didn't go back. so there you have it. i'm looking at a ticket to bangkok around Nov. 1st and have yet to decide whether a trek to northern thailand (monkeys, elephants and hill tribe peoples) or cambodia (phenom phen insanity, rural craziness, no infrastructure) will take place. all i know right now is that i want to dedicate myself to a month in either place and get a huge piece as most of my traveling thusfar, while fantastic for allowing me to visit a myriad of locales, has thrust me from place to place and i want to marinate somewhere for awhile. that said, i love you all and wish we could meet up sooner rather than later. but time waits for no man. funke: the time is now. believe me, when i do make it back to chicago we will fuck shit up.

more random music:

Beastie Boys - Brass Monkey
Nirvana - Milk It
Nirvana - School (live)
Pavement - Summer Babe
GBV - Motor Away
Blur - Tender
Latryx - Say That
Manu Chao - Mr. Bobby
Anti Pop Consortium - Rinseflow
Nirvana - In Bloom
GBV - I Am a Tree
Destroyer - The Sublimation Hour
Belle and Sebastian - She's Losing It
Stephen Malkmus - Mama
GBV - Watch Me Jumpstart
Preston School Of Industry - Doping For Gold
The New Pornographers - Letter From An Occupant

at your request; slav update

We tried calling on your birthday, but the line was busy.

i'm an englishman in new york

today is my first day living as an illegal alien in south korea. i guess i technically became an illegal alien yesterday when i went down to immigration and they told me they would not stamp my passport again. so now i've got to figure out what, exactly, it is that i'm gonna do with myself. . .


songs: Saul Williams - List of Demands (Reparations)
Eminem - Till I Collapse
GBV - Watch Me Jumpstart
Pulp - This Is Hardcore

music

first 11 random songs in window player:

Lyrics Born - Asia's Verse
Cat Power - He War
Pavement - Here
Leaders Of The New School - Transformers
GBV - Sometimes I Cry
Stephen Malkmus - It Kills
Pavement - Drunks with Guns
GBV - Teenage FBI
The Kinks - Destroyer
Leaders Of The New School - Zone Coaster
Ted Leo/RX - Little Dawn