A video I made for a contest.  Do like and share please!

Click read more to see the movie!

I underestimated how busy I would be this month.  At least winter is just about over though, despite that Koreans have been calling it spring since the beginning of march yet it was snowing up to a week ago. Korea is the only place I know where you need a ‘spring jacket.’ If it’s spring, you really shouldn’t need one and yet I find myself having to sleep with the ondol on.

Click Read More! To watch the vid:

Its back to school! Has been that way for a few weeks now, and there is alot to do.  This semester I am teaching the third year students and really enjoying it.    I am going full  TBL this semester, and I am dumping the presentation segment (it is beyong their capabilities).  Instead I’ll do a series of tasks followed by language focus after each.

New ROK On! Video. Click Read More to watch!

Don’t like it, but I got one.

I won’t post serious writing or anything of importance, but its an alright place to build up a small library of my favorite movie scenes and camera work.

ROK On! The Tumblr Edition

Posts coming soon here, it has been a busy busy month.

I haven’t spoken out much on the greyness that is Korean winter, there are hardly any adjectives to describe it really.

It is draining. Ever since winter started, there really haven’t been many opportunities to go out because it is just too damn cold. All I want to do is cuddle in bed. Seriously, it is March already. When is it going to get warm again? Disregard the “four seasons” Koreans seem so proud of; I stand corrected, there are four seasons –  summer, rain, winter, and mini-skirt season which is open year round.

Click read more to watch the vid!

It has been a while since I became interested in Korea. Now I am living in Seoul and its everything I had wanted – my life is good, my job is providing, I have a wonderful girlfriend, plus I have a growing number of friends and connections.

There is also a growing  awareness over how much have changed in terms of my beliefs and how I compose myself. Looking back to the first posts in this blog and  about myself, I see a disparity in maturity. I am not trying to compare myself to other people, but I notice the line between ‘those’ expats, and the kind of people who maintain  respect for themselves and those around them.

Likewise, my writing and videos have grown alongside me. I still concentrate on the strange and different, but I no longer rely solely on other expats  for input. Now I experience things on my own. It is no longer a matter of recycling information already in circulation; now I have a basis for contributing new information and experiences for others. There exists a bias when your only sources are online, and people who tend to speak out against the majority views  are open to bashing.  Living outside Korea, it was not always easy to distinguish what should be taken lightly; sometimes it was much easier to have a negative impression of Korea than positive.  Coming here I was actually prepared for the worst, especially after reading so many tales of being ripped off and discrimination. But although I have had plenty of those experiences myself now, they are not enough to deter me from enjoying Seoul.  One thing is for sure though – I am here for the long run.

Three years ago my goal was to obtain an MA in Linguistics, one year after my it was to move to and live in Seoul, South Korea. Another year after, I had both. Somewhere along the line, I managed to make my mark in the expat  community as as a blogger and vlogger.  As such, I have new goals in mind – they are mainly to grow in cinematography and obtain a university teaching position.

However, things are no longer about myself anymore; once there is a community of  people who come to you for help and information, you feel a sense of responsibility.  It is a welcoming sight and I am always willing to help anyone in need unless it’s a Korean couple fighting.  My views and opinions matter now – it is not something that should be taken lightly.  I feel that what I may write or film will impact peoples perceptions about Korea and their decisions to come or not.  The things I film or write about, although they are ‘Korea unedited’, should maintain an objective stance or an open mind. So far the responses have been welcoming and it is a relief that people accept my videos or writing regardless of the content. “A breath of fresh air,” I have been told.

Cinematography peaks my interest, something I study on my spare time. The only thing that keeps me from doing  more planned videos is the lack of manpower and lack of time. It is hard to make a video alone…if I am the camera director. Angles, lighting, camera movement, composition, mise en scene, audio, post production – all need to be considered. As for the lack of time,  focusing on every detail per shot wouldn’t coincide with my schedule.  Asking people to help me is much more of a burden as they are busy themselves. And don’t get me started on post production…I spend at least five hours on each video I make, and I do not color grading each shot individually – I would if I could, but do not have the time.  Yet all the small details make a difference and I am not using my full potential, nor am I satisfied about that. Equipment-wise, I never considered the lack of as a reason for holding back;  considering that the average phone camera has better quality than what was used in the early film days.

These days I spudy photography. I am not interested in photography, its an overly trendy hipster fad that I wish to avoid being grouped with, but some of the same principles apply.  The time I have spent making videos and editing has taught me enough now that the concepts of good photography are no longer intimidating.  I intend to make the jump to DSLR video; although it seems massively inconvenient since DSLRs are made for photography and not video,  but if I am able to master light, the rewards will be fulfilling.  Aperture, shutter speed, ISO, lenses, and filters…the change will be gradual.  I also intend on purchasing a DSLR rig and rails.  It is the next step for me.

Career wise, as it remains my priority, I plan to stay with SMOE for at least one more year and then apply to teach at the university level. I do have an Masters degree after all. Many people have told me that I should have gone straight into university teaching here in Seoul, but I much prefer experience and preparation. I consider myself a professional and I do not want to cheat people of their college level education.  I do have university teaching experience alongside a well endowed resume and portfolio, and something that I feel distinguishes me from most is my ability to teach college level writing alongside conversation. A dime a dozen for conversation teachers, but how many have a linguistics MA with experience and ability to teach both conversation and college  writing?

This is where I stand now and the direction I will take.  I want to spend more time to become both a better educator and establish myself in film.  My writings will remain supplementary to my videos, my video quality will be ramped up, and I intend on obtaining a position at a university teaching writing if possible.