Seoul at a Glance

When I lived in Yongin two years back, Seoul was the place to be.  Now, it's the place I am.  I reside in a quieter corner on the south side of the Han River, away from the lights and noise of the main drag.  I live in an office-tel apartment building above a fitness club, the subway system, and a couple dozen Korean cafes that all serve the same dishes.  There are parks and recreation areas on every side of me.

To me, Seoul is a city of amusing contrasts.  There are mountains that rise above forests of drab high-rise apartments, and Buddhist temples tucked between Dunkin' Donuts shops.  Seoul has much to offer foreigners in the ways of food, drink and merriment, but less in the ways of cultural and historical immersion.  Seoul is obscured by the much better known metropolises of Beijing and Tokyo, and for good reasons.  Seoul lacks the amazing spectacles of Beijing, and its technological efficiency lags behind Tokyo.

The first thing anyone will tell you about Seoul is that it's huge.  Hovering somewhere between ten and fifteen million, Seoul rivals Beijing and is about half the size of Tokyo.  But Korea is a tiny country, about the geographic size of Michigan.  Just imagine Michigan with forty-five million.  Seoul comprises around a quarter of that, and its sprawl accounts for considerably more.  My former town of Yongin is at the fringes of the city and is showing signs of assimilation.  One might say that within a hundred years, Seoul and South Korea will be one of the same.  

It's difficult to give a general account of Seoul, or any city really, so for the next twelve months I'll be examining more precise aspects.  Hope to have you along.  Welcome back to Korea, everybody. 한국 아서세요.

Once you go Mac, you never go back, except when you do

So, for the last month I've been toiling with the great technological debate: PC or Mac?  This question is as hotly argued as liberal or conservative, pro-life or choice, taco or burrito.   There is little I can contribute to the table of pros and cons.  It's said that PCs are cheaper, more compatible with software, and have more memory, while Macs are better for graphic editing, are sleeker and have much haughtier clientele.  It's difficult to get an honest assessment since most folks are biased one side or the other, and they typically articulate their preference by pointing out the flaws of the other side.   What a confused purchaser needs is someone who has experience with both platforms, which as of last week, is what I've become.  I'm a Mac user.

So, why?  Well, those Apple commercials were convincing.  The last thing I want is to suddenly become obese and forgetful.   But really, the kicker for me was Apple's college promo, where college students (and their brothers?) can get a free Ipod Touch and fifty bucks off a Macbook.  I opted for the aluminum Macbook because it's shinier.  Plus, Apple first sent me a defective Macbook that I had to return for a new one.  They deducted another hundred bucks off the total.  

There is little to distinguish my Macky from my old HP lappy.  Both are solid devices, but that was before the arrival of Vista, Windows most terrifying operating system.  So, in the end, I chose one side to avoid certain pitfalls of the other, that and promos.  Delicious promos.