We're Late.. and We're Sorry!

Hello people, Eugene here. It's been a long while since we have come out with the podcast since our Pyongyang Style episode. We've all been very busy, so unfortunately we weren't able to make this week's podcast on time.  We really apologize.  In the meantime, here's an old clip of myself doing what I do best with Sam and Annabelle from back when we did Drive Time.





Sam and Annabelle were great to work with, and I have to say they inspired me to organize this podcast to begin with. We had originally hoped that we'd all be part of an expat podcast community, but it seems that their Podcast of Destiny and Cafe Seoul are the only things that have come to fruition, whereas we all were hoping there would be multiple new podcasts together. That said, I'd still like to promote their podcast... it's not bad, and it's more a free talking style podcast, and Sam and Annabelle are funny funny people. I do have to add a disclaimer that says they didn't ask me to do this, and there's no agreement by which they will promote Cafe Seoul (though it would be nice if they did), and I am not affiliated with either of them in any way other than being their ex-co worker and not-so-close friend (but I'd say more than an acquaintance). So, if you would like to check it out, here is a link to their podcast.

#8. Cafe Seoul, Pyeongyang Style!

Sorry this post has taken so long to go up! But... I've been having a serious case of writer's block in light of today's topic. About two weeks ago, every headline on each major broadcast station was about North Korea threatening to declare war on the South and American islands... But now, the news have died down and once a while there are blips on the radar regarding this topic, but nothing to worry about now! The value of the Korean won is improving, so those who are travelling to South Korea soon, quick go change your currency!

Anyway, it makes me sick writing about North Korea because of the horrible amount of unbelievable things that go on within the hermit kingdom. In that place, people are starving that reports of cannibalism happen, malnutrition, torture and public executions are considered normal and well apparently, Kim Jong Un(stable) is regarded like a god. Despite it being called the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), democracy does not exist in that place. It's cold, dark and sad.

North Koreans must abide by one of 28 approved haircuts. Unmarried women must have short hair, but married woman have many more options. The hair of young men should be less than 2 inches long, older men can go as long as 2¾ , according to a Taiwanese website WantChinaTimes. Don't know how accurate that information is, but I wouldn't be surprised. I remember once watching on E! Entertainment that one of the biggest spenders on Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy products is actually North Korea. It was mostly on alcohol. Also, the presidential family had a penchant for Rolls Royce.

If in any way you are offended by the jokes made in this episode, it is totally understandable. More people should be more aware of the repulsive situation in North Korea, and even though very little can be done about it, things can still be done. A quick search on Google will bring up organizations that you can join to help people who want to escape the horrible regime. Also, it makes me very thankful to be born in a country where it is quite safe, that I know that I wouldn't have someone hiding in the stair well with a syringe and demanding me to give him all my money. (Hell, I had that experience in Melbourne and it was NOT COOL.)

Anyhow, I didn't quite like this episode... it wasn't really very funny and the topic was just... ugh. But what I really did like was... The Boy's Talk segment that comes right after Girls' Talk. HAHAHA, it cracked me up. And I do have to commend one of the guys, Eugene for his French accent. I thought his French accent was funnier than the entire podcast so... Good job Eugene! Till the next episode of Cafe Seoul, I'm signing out!


Also don't forget to tune in to Cafe Seoul here every bi-weekly Thursday for your latest instalment of Cafe Seoul coming out 2 May at 6pm (KST)!

Behind the Scenes!

Here's Christine, Michael and Eugene of the Cafe Seoul crew working on their new episode to be released on the podcast website, next Thursday at 6pm (KST!) Remember to tune in and also Like us on our Facebook page!

#7. Night on the Town

PUTCHYUR HANDS UP, PUTCHYUR HANDS UP!

PU-PU-PU-PU-PU PUTCHYUR HANDS UP AND GETCHUR DRINKS UP!

Holla up all ma party people in da house y'all! This episode of Cafe Seoul takes us on a night out in Seoul; after all it is the Land of the Morning Calm and night not calm at all. But before you head out for a crazy night, girls - please be aware of the new (and stupid) "overexposure law" that came about 22 March 2013. People deemed "overexposed" in public will be slapped with a KRW 50,000 fine. Honestly, how stupid is that? I question the train of thought behind approving this law. My first thought was to reduce the amount of sexual harrassment cases in clubs and watering holes in Seoul but seriously, if you want to do that, you should be educating the general public instead of dictating how long a girl's skirt should be. A gentleman will be a gentleman no matter the length of a woman's skirt. Yeah, he's a guy, he has needs, I'm sure his head would make a straight dive for the gutter but at least he keeps it contained and that is fair enough.

Also, in recent times, social stigma dictates that for a girl to be considered pretty or attractive, she NEEDS to be skinny. Revealing long legs are also recommended. I'm all for it that if you've got the body, FLAUNT IT but people need to remember that not everyone looks like a Girls Generation member. How many girl groups are covered up these days? Erm... I can't think of any.


Girl band S.E.S in 1998

Girls Generation, almost 10 years later in 2009
or a more recent one would be Sistar.


If this is how you are going to be deemed attractive, what's the point of imposing a short skirt fine when most, if not all girls want to be attractive?

Okay that aside, this episode of Kimchi Kim being confronted by his friends for ditching his friends for his girl. What happens to the Spicy Trinity now? Tune in to find out! This episode, talks about Itaewon again, after all it is a place of clubs and bars and where all the foreigners always hang out. Yes, I did have some horrible experiences but I don't think that would deter me from going back to want to go back and check out the other stuff. Another place to check out for a night out would be Hongdae; clubs also dot the area which many youngsters flock to. Personally, I've had the first experience at a club called V-Hall in Hongdae and it was... okay I guess. However, the music could have been a lot better, after a while it got monotonous and it became a dull thumping drone in the background. Also, what caught my eye was the girls on the poles at the podium. Only in Korea do you see a girl, grinding a pole AND texting AT THE SAME TIME. I was quite amused at that. Apart from that, we took shots in the SUPER SQUEEZY VIP room and... everything else was pretty much the same to other clubs I've been to in Malaysia and Singapore. My best night out with drinks so far is undoubtedly, in Hong Kong. Super view, set atop 118 floors, looking over Victoria Harbour. I'm sure Seoul has super spots that I haven't discovered yet... Which I hope I will in July!

This episode, there is a little segment right at the end where the Cafe Seoul crew chat a little about their best nights in Seoul. I think this is a good addition to the podcast! Before that it was a little inclusion of recording bloopers, but this raw and unedited segment is good! I feel that it lets listeners get to know the crew in a less formal way as compared to when they are on the 1x1 interview. Yay! If you're a listener in Seoul, or anywhere else around the world, describe to us your best night out, we would definitely like to hear from you and get to know our listeners better! You can leave a comment below to share with us your good memories! Or if you have feedback you can email us at cafeseoulpodcast@gmail.com! Thank you for the support thus far!


Also don't forget to tune in to Cafe Seoul here every bi-weekly Thursday for your latest instalment of Cafe Seoul coming out 18 April at 6pm (KST)!

#6. Happy Holidaze with Cafe Seoul!

Cafe Seoul Episode #6: Holidaze

3 months since the first episode of Cafe Seoul and this time they tackle the many unique holidays in Korea. By the way, when I say many, I literally mean many. 100th day of everything... Valentine's Day... Black Day... White Day... (insert occasion) Day. When I was in high school, I used to have a Korean classmate who was more excited than I was when it was the 100th day between my then boyfriend and I. I didn't get it then (and still don't now) but I'm sure there are Singaporean events that she doesn't get either. Remember in my previous post about Cafe Seoul, I mentioned that they tell you about the cultures and stuff... So... SEEEEE!! Case in point! You don't need to want to go the Korea to tune in too. Let's just say you date a beautiful, radiant young Korean lady and you forget the 200th day since the first time you kissed her - she might rear her furious ugly head at you. By the way I just went to google a few holidays that are unique to Korea and found some rather... amusingly interesting ones.

August 14th - Green Day South Korean couples dress in green and take time to visit Mother Nature on Green Day. They go hiking, take a leisurely walk in a park or engage in other activities related to nature. For those who do not have a significant other, this is the day when partner-less single men and women drown their sorrows at being loveless by drinking soju, a drink that comes in a green bottle. That just sounds like an excuse to drink more than usual.

Confession Day - 17 September So guys use this day to confess to girls and vice versa and if you two actually get together, your 100th day would be Christmas which instantly makes it more romantic. Well, to begin with, Christmas is romantic anyway.

Movie Day – November 14 Couples are encouraged to go out and see a movie together on this day. But since there are no rules to this celebration, catching a flick at home is probably acceptable, too. In my life, probably every day is movie day. I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT MOVIES AND TV SHOWS. Woop!!

Cafe Seoul tells us more about the other days that are rather um... (for the lack of a better word) bizarre. Like Samgyeopsal Day, Pepero Day, Yellow Day, Kiss Day, Silver Day, Peaches Day and.... Left Shoe Day...? Tune in to find out more!


Ok, but anyway it's alot more fun to join in and celebrate such occasions (if you're invited to celebrate it) than trying to understand it. So... if you're in Seoul, just go ahead and enjoy yourself! Of course, not leaving out the rest of the Cafe Seoul crew featured in this episode; Over-thinking Jeff, Babara Oh, the staff of the Korean Board of Tourism (BOKT), the teachers from the hagwon and Idea Man makes an appearance in place he's not supposed to at! You can listen to them from the iBlug website here and also subscribe to their podcast on iTunes here!

We've got the Californian Surfer and the Georgia Peach

We're from all over and we're here to teach

We've got the Aussie from the Down Under and the Happy Canuck

But the job sometimes makes you wanna say f............

#5. Back to School!

WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL!!!


That's right! Winter break is over people - time to get back to school and study, study, study! This episode of Cafe Seoul has its cup runneth over with enthusiasm of studying and getting as many lessons at the hagwon as possible. After, no parent wants to lose out and have their kid rank first.... from the bottom. Someone also gets hot for teacher at the hagwon, ahem. Some words come with dual meanings, so check it before you use it!

Also this week! Kimchi Kim and The Spicy Trinity continue on their journey to save the curvy Mandu Mandy from evil Sushi Suzuki. What will become of this chivalrous piece of goodness? Tune in to find out!

Okay one thing about this episode, is about the "removal" of multi-racial Koreans, into a school.

(Disclaimer: this is no way to offend anyone, it's just what I think and you're welcome to disagree.)

Some Koreans are really quite racist, just because I'm not Korean, it means that I am lesser. And it's pretty obvious that I'm being treated as a lesser being. I remember last August, I was in a chicken and beer shop in Anam and the ajjuma that served us at the chicken shop was a total meanie! When she served us food, she was sliding stuff across the table to us - well, that I can live with. And because we ordered A LOT of chicken (it was really quite good, plus the cheese sticks were dope) so we stayed on for quite some time. Once it hit 11pm, she chased us out, saying that she wanted to close despite us not done with our food! So okay, fine, we paid up and left. Went back to the KU dorm, did last minute packing, hung around by the time we left it was pushing 2am. Walked to the main road AND WHUT THE CHICKEN SHOP STILL OPEN DUDE. AND IT WAS ALL FILLED WITH KOREANS. Like what the heck, we wanted to stay and eat our chicken! I experienced such different treatment in a few other eateries and shops around Seoul and it was just clear how much I was frowned upon because I'm a foreigner. I was also denied from buying a dress I liked. But okay ajjuma, whatever that floats yo' boat.

Confused + puzzled = Confuzzled

It's a whole mix of factors to why it is the way it is. Proud of your heritage and wanting to keep it pure - yeah sure but I just wish that they would be more open to other cultures and stuff. Being open and receptive to other cultures DOES NOT mean you have to lose your own. Don't get me wrong, I'm Asian too but I'm not too big on the "listen to me if not shut up because I'm your boss and I'm always right" thing. I hate it. But I guess that is just essentially Asian and it's not gonna change anytime soon, even though society is (somewhat, kinda, I hope) opening up a little.

This episode struck some chords with me when hagwon classes were discussed. Trust me, it's probably an Asian parent thing. It's so competitive in Korea, and the same in Singapore where I'm from. When I was younger, getting the top three in class just wasn't gonna cut it. Either you top your class, or you top your class. I had tuition classes every weekend, and when it was nearing exam period, I spent a good part of my day doing endless past year papers from other schools. Like a kid of a typical Asian parent, they wanted me to grow up to be a lawyer or a doctor - neither of which I am now, unfortunately. I would have very much liked to pursue a career in radio or journalism but it was just not my parents' plan for me. IT'S TOUGH BEING AN ASIAN KID. If you have faced the same situation, or think otherwise, feel free to email us at cafeseoulpodcast@gmail.com and share with us your experience and/or thoughts! If not, feedback for our betterment is always welcome! ^^

THIS is wut I'm talkin' bout y'all

P.S.: I think the Cafe Seoul crew are really getting better at this aren't they! Delivery is smoother now, topics have more bite... However, I still feel that it's kinda rushed in the arrangement of segments. It's a little overwhelming sometimes, feels like too much talking going on. There needs to be like a pause in between segments so I have some time to digest what I just heard. Apart from that, I think we're going down the right path! :)

#4: Happy Valentine's Day!

LOOOOOOOVE IS IN THE AIR! (Note to self: the next time I put in pictures for occasions... I should totally get the Cafe Seoul crew to do it.)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!! Sending lots of love to all our listeners all around the world from Seoul, the heart of Korea!

 

This instalment of Cafe Seoul sees some of our characters finding a love interest... Oooooh! Someone catches the eye of our super hero Kimchi Kim. Love Adventures sees a chivalrous young man saving June from a lorry. Who is this man? Will June find true love with her mysterious hero? Kekeke. In the hagwon, we have a bossy girl Sora who um... shall I say collects boyfriends because she wants to consider her options. Evidently girls are smarter than boys HAHA! We also find out about a new candy called Cinnamon Blurts, of which will make you speak the truth and nothing but the truth! It'll be interesting if it were real - I wonder how many couples will stay together after eating that candy... hiak hiak hiak.... ;)

This episode has to be my favouritest yet! It's hilarious and cute who which girl wouldn't like to hear an episode about lurrrrrrrrve. This episode is a little naughty, so... I guess how funny this episode it is to you is how deep your head is in the gutter - BWAHAHA. Yeah, I've got a gutterbrain, but... who doesn't?! Heh heh. Those that deny would probably have their heads down in the gutter a lot further than you think.

One thing about Valentine's Day in Korea is that it's celebrated very differently. 14 February is a day whereby girls give nice chocolates to the boy they like, while every other boy gets cheapo chocolate as a sign of friendship. And then a month later on 14 March, there is White Day where boys give the girls chocolate in return. And a month later, on 14 April, single unhappy people who got no love on Valentine’s Day dress in black to wallow in their self pity and enjoy each others’ miserable company. Awww, sad.

Unfortunately, I have never received flowers or chocolate in all my 25 years. Sigh, extremely sad. I think I just dated the wrong people. Well, I was young and foolish back then... Lol. However, I did have memories of high school when my group of girlfriends would make presents for each other for Valentine's Day. So, well I guess I can say I've received something for Valentine's before. :) What is your most memorable Valentine's Day experience? Share it with us! You can email it to us at cafeseoulpodcast@gmail.com and I'll post the most interesting ones! :)