29 June 2008

Sunday Stuff

Last night Perry and I hopped a bus down to the subway station. I was able to get a transit card from a vending machine. This will allow me to make free transfers from bus to bus and from bus to subway. We went down to Seomyeon which is a huge underground and aboveground shopping complex. We went directly out of the subway up into the Lotte Department Store, a huge upscale shopping center. On the top floor is a movie theater and the one beneath it is full of restaurants. We ate at a Sushi place. The sushi was going by on a conveyor belt and you simply pick the one you want and are charged according to the color of the plate. I thought I was going to die. It was so good. I caused quite a stir when I asked for sugar for my green tea. The entire wait staff went to look for it and came back about ten minutes later with a tiny porcelain bowl with a tiny silver spoon. Inside of it was a small quantity of sugar. I think they sent someone to the coffee shop down the way and got a couple of packets and poured them in the bowl. We walked around in the shopping center for a while, saw 75,000,000 won Rolex watches, and a 59,000,000 won TV. The biggest section by far on the men's floor was the shoe section. This is a country obsessed with footwear. Women wear high heels with any outfit for any occasion. I have seen some showstoppers on the men, too. Patent leather side-zip boots with gen-u-wine imitation zebra fur uppers. Stylin'. After this we went to see a movie. "Wanted" with Angelina Jolie, an action film with a premise that is better not to think about too deeply. Some of the action sequences defied the most willful suspension of disbelief, but that's ok. It is what it is. It doesn't invite or deserve thoughtful criticism. I nearly fell asleep in the show. I forgot my camera (really I just hate carrying it around. I already get stared at openly by nearly everyone). If I had taken it you would be seeing the wonderful street vendors selling all manner of fried and sauteed foods in the streets around there. This morning I went in search of kitty litter and found none. I need to find some quick as the situation around here is critical. I went for a walk today and found some interesting things I am going to tell you about after I go again with my camera. I just ordered a Bulgogi pizza and it came in a box tied up with a red ribbon. In the little bag of goodies that came with it was two packets of hot sauce, two packets of Parmesan cheese, and a little tub of sliced sweet pickles.

Listening to: "I Loves You Porgy" by Gerschwin via Dave Grusin.
Weather: Cloudy. No rain.
Mood: Fair to crappy. Maybe its the music.

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