Merv at the Movies

The Saturday Sketch: "Family Flix"

2010-01-30T05:22:00.000-06:00

What are you talking about, I post Saturday Sketches every Saturday. Houston, we have a dog, and possibly...the funniest comedy sketch...of all time.

More Unsubstantiated Rumours About Korea

2010-01-10T05:07:00.001-06:00

No One Knows I'm an American as long as I extraneously add the letter 'U' to words. I have never actually looked at Cyworld, but from what I've been told, it's Korea's Facebook, but with a much higher cultural penetration. And apparently a lot of the girls' profile pics feature them flashing the Victory sign and puffing out their cheeks. I'm not even going to connect the rest of those dots,

Rooftop View

2010-01-03T23:24:00.000-06:00

of a bunch of snow After a 10-day vacation, my first day back at work has been canceled due to snow. There's no reliable internet weather forecast for Korea, but reports have Seoul receiving more than 30cm. The roads around Ilsan are pretty-well cleared and the buses are running, but judging by the snowfall on my roof, I'd say we got near to 40cm or more here. The first time I thought to

My Trip to Nami Island*

2010-01-01T02:46:00.004-06:00

*A Report Told Through Interpretative Award-Giving Well, we did it. We made it through an entire year, and here we stand on the precipice of a new decade, depending on who you ask. I don't even care if it's a new decade or not, which is funny considering how much I cared about whether it was the new millennium or not 10 years ago. I made that point last night, too (when I was celebrating the New

A Respectful Trip to the DMZ

2009-12-20T06:58:00.004-06:00

Went to the North Korean/South Korean border at Imjingak today, and I started climbing all over statues and making faces and just generally being sassy in front of a bunch of war memorial stuff.Actually, I guess that was a fairly respectful trip. What choice did I have, though? My hangover was so bad that most of my Power of Now was busy just trying to keep it puke-free since '93. Ah, well. I'll

Flare Bar

2009-12-19T23:00:00.003-06:00

The first Flaming Dr. Pepper I had in Korea, I set my hand on fire, and that's the least awful consequence I've ever experienced with that beverage. I wish people just knew not to let me drink them under any circumstances.

The Korean Kylie Minogue

2009-12-12T07:28:00.004-06:00

A lot of K-Pop (or Kah-Yo) isn't very good, but there are a couple of stand-out tracks, like Lee Hyori's "10 Minutes" (sounds like Mary J. Blige's "Family Affair") or Ivy's "Temptation of Sonata" (Fur Elise meets Final Fantasy). So far, my favorite is D.I.S.C.O., a track from the Republic of Korea's answer to Kylie Minogue, Uhm Jung Hwa:This version of the video is nice, too, as it has the lyrics

Dragon Beard Candy

2009-12-06T05:42:00.003-06:00

Here's some guys in Insa-Dong with a great sales pitch: I mean, honestly, how are you not going to buy some traditionally-spun-sugar-candy from these dudes?

A Respectful Trip to a Buddhist Temple

2009-11-21T23:52:00.002-06:00

AR in the KR

2009-11-21T23:45:00.002-06:00

When living overseas, it is important to hang out with as many people from your hometown as possible. It really freaks out other foreigners to see so many people from Arkansas in one place.

Noraebang: FEEL THE EDGE

2009-11-15T00:15:00.002-06:00

It takes about 40 minutes to an hour to ride the subway from Ilsan to Seoul, depending on where you want to go. However, the subway does close down in the middle of the night and opens after five in the morning. Therefore, the most effective thing to do is just stay out until the trains start running again.Mansion, a spacious club near Hapjeong Station, specializes in chandeliers and classy times

Service

2009-11-13T23:11:00.004-06:00

Zan Bar, one floor above the Frog & Toad in La Festa, Ilsan, is a really attractive place to have two drinks, especially if you are a fan of blue lighting and music ranging from hard house to yacht rock. Service is likely to be a free drink in a bag (like a Capri Sun) when you leave. Maybe. Sometimes.Bar Boom, pretty easy to find in the heart of La Festa on the opposite side from Rosenbrau, is a

Instant Food Blog

2009-11-12T21:06:00.002-06:00

Here are some of the more questionable food items that I have in my apartment, laid out on top of the most questionable piece of furniture I have in my apartment, a pink couch that I found in the parking garage of my building. On the left, we have a bag of Seasoned Dried Fishmeat, which are fried crackers that taste like fish. They are so bad that after eating half a bag, I woke up in the middle

Bird-Watching in Ilsan

2009-11-11T21:23:00.003-06:00

When a Korean child is born, they are immediately one year old. And while most Koreans still celebrate their own individual birthdays, legally everyone becomes one year older each January 1st.Also, the drinking age in Korea is 20.

Over Here, They Just Call It 'BBQ'

2009-11-02T04:38:00.002-06:00

Good Morning President

2009-10-31T20:27:00.004-05:00

I walked around Seoul for a little bit this morning, taking pictures of buildings in good tourist fashion. Here's one now!I like the billboard for the film Good Morning President, which, based on the trailer, is clearly a film about how an entire family gets elected President of Korea, and then the dad wins the lottery, and then the son finds true love with the presidential aide/secretly an

Soju? I hardly know you!

2009-10-31T03:34:00.005-05:00

And now, presenting my first photo direct from Seoul:Annnnnnd it's a picture of some liquid yogurt and soju on my hotel room counter-top (not pictured, the cord-attached electric kettle labeled "cordless electric kettle"). Just to let you know how much I am absolutely KILLING it socially over here. But while this isn't the first time I've tried soju+yogurt drink, I guess it should count for

Commuting to Work

2009-10-30T14:28:00.004-05:00

Here are a list of things I liked about flying Korean Air:Watching Terminator: Salvation, Whatever Works, Back to the Future, and a weird German (?) documentary about Michael Jackson's wax statue collection, all on the back of the chair in front of me.Tricking my body into not getting jet lag by randomly winding my wristwatch and sleeping in strange chunks of time.Flying into a sunrise, which is

The VIP Treatment

2009-08-30T16:44:00.005-05:00

Depeche Mode played in Dallas last night, and of course I went to see them, because I know three of their songs.We had really good seats. Fourth Row good. But every time I go somewhere, I forget one thing. Last time I took a trip I forgot my belt. This time I forgot my earplugs, and today everything sounds like it's coming from a tunnel.The light show was amazing. Tanner said it was the best he

She's Having a Baby

2008-12-04T12:08:00.004-06:00

So I was watching She's Having a Baby on the Lifetime Movie Network yesterday, and I'm thinking, "I could have sworn there was a synchronized lawnmowing scene in here somewhere," and sure enough, there is (starts at 3:16):Why would LMN cut that out? That sequence is rich! But LMN trimmed the hell out of the whole film, and just used the time for more commercials about selling your gold. Also, on

You need to think about your drinking.

2008-11-29T17:36:00.005-06:00

Tanner doing his best impression of Chun-Li: However, binge drinking isn't all fun and games. Consider the lobster:Blackout Gambit: Drink 'til something happens. All-American Classic.Interest Gambit: See how quickly you can get somebody interested in you, then don't be interested in them.Fallback Gambit: There's no shame in going with something familiar but awful. Well, maybe a little

Webquips.com

2008-11-25T17:00:00.001-06:00

That Eurotrash DJ knows what he's talkin' about, true believers! Webquips.com is the newest and greatest way to catch up on all your favorite arachknight adventures! So don't be late to the party! Take Tanner's advice, and swing on over to Webquips.com!

Both Sides of the Issue

2008-09-23T16:46:00.005-05:00

Kirk Cameron on acting, kissing, and kissing while acting:In Kirk Cameron’s new movie, “Fireproof,” he has to kiss the actress playing his wife. That was a problem. Cameron will not kiss any woman who is not his wife.“I have a commitment not to kiss any other woman,” the former child star of “Growing Pains” told Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford Monday on TODAY in New York. "Even in acting, you're

The Perfect Crime

2008-09-21T09:20:00.004-05:00

Can you see this coming from three miles away? Because John could not.

Frisrakey Championships 2008

2008-09-01T09:50:00.003-05:00

Nick is the best at frisrakey. Music by Galleon, all "Freedom to Move."