Breaking it Down:

I got paid on Friday! So, it was a pretty big weekend. On Saturday I spent yet another Valentine's Day wandering throughout a massive city, meandering through stores, pondering how to spend money on... me.

This black Saturday was extra special in that I shared a few precious hours with a couple friends who helped direct me to a couple long awaited necessities: a Korean cell phone with charger and headset (used: 70,000 won), plus pay-as-you-go service (30,000 won), and two more plug adapters (4,000 each, 8,000 won). When Si and "Si's friend" left to go back to their mountain dwelling (I'm looking forward to visiting next weekend) I continued my spree. Next stop: The gym!
There's a gym right at the subway stop which happens to be a five minute walk from my building. It's called Jamaica Fitness and is located on the thirteenth floor (yep, it's actually "13" on the button!) of a multi-use commercial high-rise. I purchased a one year membership (the most economical at 390,000 won) in hopes that all works out, put there is a portion of that which is refundable if it doesn't.
My last stop was an electronics store where I picked up the three remaining appliances that should last me the rest of the year: a blender, an electric kettle, and a toaster-oven (for a combined cost of 100,000 won).
I feel a little more settled now, and considerably more secure. I'll be able to send my first check home home in a few days once I budget my monthly living expenses (I'm estimating 500,000 won should be plenty).

On Sunday I made a point to go venture to find a church that advertised on Facebook, which I assumed was English-speaking, and so I set an alarm and awoke at 9, 9:05, ok 9:15, got ready, and was out the door by 10. An hour and a half later I'm wandering around Suwon, a totally foreign neighborhood, if not a satellite city of Seoul (I'm still not sure where Seoul begins and ends), getting increasingly frustrated. When I realized how fruitless this endeavor was becoming, I decided that instead of wandering around getting frustrated looking for a church (if that's not counter-intuitive I'm not sure what else could be) I decided to find my way back to the bus and train and enjoy the hour-long ride back, and take blissful advantage of the recently purchased gym membership after a nice big meal.

Now if a meal was made to kill a man, it would be the one I made myself yesterday morning. l was given a pound of bacon my a newly-met "cousin" living here in Seoul about two weeks ago. I've been whittling it down since, but I still had a good portion left, seven pieces to be precise. Now the best ratio I can figure is two strips of bacon per egg. I know my eating habits so I played it safe (ha!) with three eggs to my seven strips. I cooked the bacon. I emptied the grease into the can I've been using and cooked the eggs in what was left in the pan. I topped it all off with a pan-seared sweet-muffin and ate like a king!

A few hours later it was time for the gym. I realize now that my problem has not been that air-drying my clothes has been causing them to stretch, not at all; I've shrunk. The first trip back to the gym after a year plus of abstaining from any rigorous workout is a humbling experience indeed. However, truth be told, I was just looking forward to the hurt today. Unfortunately, I don't think I was able to sustain enough work to illicit the desired lactic-acid build-up, and the resulting "that's-right-,-I-worked-out-yesterday hurt".

So at least I have a bit of a plan now: Teach, Work-out, wander aimlessly around Suwon until I find said [English-speaking?] Church, Eat and repeat. I should see most in eleven months (give or take) pretty much as you remember (priceless).

All my best to all!

- Foster

Define "Random"...

So this is my response to the thing flying around Facebook about random facts and whatnot. I'm not tagging anyone in it because I try and stay away from that stuff, however I'll humor those who've tagged me thus far and any after can find my response right here where I'll leave it.

i. I have two predominant preoccupying thoughts at any given time and they are in constant conflict. The first is that I will always be bound by certain ideals, the second is that I'll become bound in breaking them.

ii. I think the above conflict is why I'm not as smiley as I once was.

iii. I like music more than most people would think.

iv. I don't go to many concerts because I think they often promote an unhealthy atmosphere for the artist and the fans.

v. I think the above (iv) is because I think all music is worship, and as such is directing praise towards someone or something.

vi. Consequently the songs I like are those that direct my thoughts to subjects greater than myself, such as love, God, or relatable truth [in story telling]. The exceptions often have great lines that I can isolate and direct in such a manner.

vii. I believe in cause and effect and choice and consequence.

viii. I think assessments can only be properly made at the end of something. Hence I'm still struggling through "Absalom, Absalom!" and could end up praising it once I'm finished reading.

ix. I believe that words are as much a part of a person as Jesus is a part of God.

x. I think there is a separation that takes place in art (be it writing, acting, music, dance, visual or any other I'm missing) that permits relative exploration and a cathartic release of the human experiences we can conceive of but would never commit.

xi. Thus, you'll know far more of the depths of a person (me) in reading what s/he (I) creates.

xii. I think the desire to create is part of the fingerprint of God placed upon the pinnacle of creation, which I believe human beings are. All of them.

xiii. I think the other part of God's fingerprint on our lives is the will.

xiv. I would like to be more disciplined than I am.

xv. I'm not a fan of "religion"; I'm a big fan of faith and belief... and that specifically focused to a particular end... namely God.

xvi. I would like to be less argumentative.

xvii. I enjoy knowing more than learning.

xviii. I've never anticipated living a long natural life.

xix. I prefer immortality to celebrity, wealth to riches, and peace to power, but I think celebrity, riches and power would assist in achieving the others.

xx. I'm a romantic stuck somewhere in between hopeful and hopeless.

xxi. I abolished taste of food for other tastes. I think of food as calorie consumption and don't get nearly as excited as what I'm going to eat as who I'm eating with. I believe this to be the natural maturity of a picky eater who wishes to be polite: eat what you're offered, clean your plate, and don't complain.

xxii. I prefer Roman numerals when listing. I don't know why.

xxiii. My goal is to cultivate an attitude of grace in relationships. I think I've been far too judgmental in my past.

xxiv. Obviously, I feel that thoughts are facts too... if not the only facts that I can commit to share with a few exceptions, and unlike many streams of consciousness exercises, mine tend to run linear. I'm not sure if that's a facade, an anomaly, or my not being as in touch with myself as I should be.

xxv. I told you so. I can't be content with rushed work, whereas I prefer to complete things quickly, albeit well, so hopefully this will suffice.

- Foster