I Needed 4 Smartphone Apps in South Korea
Traveling to South Korea and teaching English as a second language (ESL) was a great experience. When I wasn't working, I wanted to explore. I'm not recommending any specific apps, so it doesn't matter if you're using Android, iOS, or even BlackBerry for some odd reason. Here are the few smartphone applications I needed to get around the home of "Gangnam Style," which might help some aspiring "passport kings" or "passport bros."
Ami-Chan
First published on May 16, 2015
Watching Ami-Chan and Berthier on Sailor Moon Crystal: Episode 16 reminds me how they spiked my interest in chess as a Kindergartener in the original. Wanna go at it? Download Chesstime on your smartphone and hit me up for my username. I’m ready.
DateinAsia.com
First published on June 8, 2015
Since I left Korea, I’ve had a bigger craving for Asian culture than ever before. Of course, that includes learning about the women. But the problem is that Asia is too general, and each Asian country differs in many ways. . . Oh well.
I decided to look for a online dating site that wasn’t filled with fakes, scammers, and fees. DateInAsia was the result. It’s simple and easy to use. It takes barely five minutes to complete your profile – what you like, who you are, zodiac sign, what you’re looking for and other basic info. You see who views your profile. You can “show interest” (same as FB poking), send messages, and add people as favorites.
Audition (1999)
First published on June 15, 2015
Audition is a Japanese film about an old lonely man creating an audition for a non-existant movie to find a new beau. When he makes a decision, everyone is telling him in many ways that he’s thinking with the wrong head. Everyone felt a bad vibe about her. She says things that send a bad vibe, even as a viewer. He ignores it all. Then there’s more red flags and a horrible dream. . .meh.
China Has An Annual Dog (and Cat) Eating Festival
First published on June 22, 2015
I’ll start by saying I can respect or at least understand opposing views of people and different cultures. An atheist that has a solid foundation of information to support his belief will likely have an understanding of opposing views of those who believe in God. The KKK (Ku Klux Klan) believes in white supremacy, a mindset preserved from hundreds of years ago. I understand it, but I don’t respect it.
The Bedroom (1992)
First published on August 3, 2015
“The Bedroom” is a lot of things. I’ll simply say it’s a Japanese film (with English subtitles) that follows a woman when she joins a fetish club where she takes a pill to sleep while others do as they wish. Imagine a weirder version of “Sleeping Beauty” (2011) starring Emily Browning.
Though it’s only a hour long, the confusing plot twists and constant vanilla sex scenes negate from the small story line presented.
Hashima Island
First published on September 28, 2015
Would you like to see Japan’s abandoned Hashima Island up close? Google Maps
AsianDating
First published on May 21, 2017
My $70 Platinum 3 month long subscription to AsianDating.com has finally expired. It wasn’t a complete waste of money, though. I met plenty of real women with real intent to get to know each other. Although the issues I had with DateInAsia were present in AsianDating, customer service was great about handling reported potential scammers. I found AsianDating while reading into Online Dating Safety Tips. They’re ran by the same organization, Cupid Media.
Death Tube (2010)
First published on April 11, 2016
Okay. After watching this, I am seriously taking a break from Japanese SAW movies. It’s just under two hours long, but I wanted this to end at approximately 30 minutes in. By the 30 minute mark, I understood enough of what was going on, what was going to happen, why, and the acting was bad enough that I didn’t care much to see what happened. But I continued to watch . . . for you. Yep.
Grotesque (2009)
First published on June 13, 2016
Grotesque, a Japanese movie made in 2009, is a simplified version of the SAW movie. If you don’t know anything about the Japanese, here are a few things you should look up be aware of:
Urbandub-A Call to Arms
First published on January 14, 2017
Urbandub is a Filipino rock band from the Philippines who have been around since 2000. Their Wikipedia page looks aged once you see their years active – 2000-15 (on hiatus) – and their MySpace listed as their official website. I don’t remember how I came across this band, but I do remember hearing Hover (2013) and immediately adding it to my workout playlist. 🏋
Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to Korean Children
First published on August 12, 2015
During my military TIS, I had the chance to serve a year in South Korea. I was assigned to Air Defense Artillery (ADA). Within that one year, I did many things during my downtime that I felt a Leader should do. I furthered my education via online college courses. I explored the country. I learned some of the Korean language through Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) computer-based training (CBT). During this time, the Army had already replaced Rosetta Stone with HeadStart, which I preferred over Joint Language University (JLU). Duolingo didn’t include the language. I also did many other things that I’ll explain another day.
