SPAM Gift Set

Well, I've been waiting for some inspiration to make a post since I arrived in Korea. I have done a few interesting things, but no good photos. Finally, when shopping yesterday afternoon, I discovered the perfect item for my inspiration. I should explain that this weekend is the Lunar New Year, which is celebrated over a 4 day or so period here in Korea. On this occassion, people buy gifts for friends and family, and the stores make it easy by selling ready-to-go gift sets (sometimes they are already gift-wrapped even). At the grocery store, I was walking down the aisle when I ran into the SPAM Gift Set display. I was stopped dead in my tracks. I just couldn't believe it. As I later told CH, in America, if I bought someone a SPAM gift set, they would probably think I was angry at them. This was such an incredible display - I wish I had my camera with me to photograph it. To make it even more unreal, all the store display ladies these days are dressed in traditional Korean Hanbok clothing. It was so unusual to see a lady dressed in tradional clothing talking on her radio, or selling SPAM Gift Sets. Anyway, I could not pass this up, so I am now the proud owner of a SPAM set:

Handsome SPAM Carrying Case 

Maybe I Can Play Tic-Tac-Toe with SPAM? 

What am I going to do with all this SPAM? The only use I have seen for it, which would be acceptable for me to eat, was in fried rice. All the flavors of the fried rice seasonings I think would hide the SPAM taste. Problem is, I don't know how to make fried rice - I think I'll search the internet for a recipe. But, in any event, even if I throw away the SPAM, I will forever have an attractive SPAM briefcase to take to meetings and on trips.

Sunday night, my friend JI and his girlfriend SY2 took me to the Hongdae area for dinner and to see some live bands perform. At the restaurant, I saw that the last Sansachun poster missing from my collection, of Han Ga In (한가인), was on display. As it turned out, JI was friends with the owner. After we finished eating, he asked the owner if I could have that poster for my collection, and he happily agreed. Of course, I had to carry around a poster with me the rest of the evening. At the club listening to the bands, JI and SY2 decided to decorate my poster as you can see:

Last Missing Sansachun Poster 

Let me end up this post my admitting finally that Mrs. Stumbler was right - I am going bald. All my life, I have told my friends and myself that I would never go bald. My hair has always been extremely thick. It has turned very gray over the years, but I have never started going bald (or so I thought). Recently, Mrs. Stumbler said that the light from the window was showing a bald spot on the top of my head! It couldn't be - "my hair is always too thick". Both my hair cut ladies, in USA and Korea, noticed it to. But I refused to believe it. Finally, I took this photo of my head, and am forced to admit it - I am going bald. Interestingly, the Korean haircut lady told me to hit my bald spot with my fingers, it would make the hair grow more !!!! What's with that?

Going Bald 

Well, I have a few more posts in my mind, and need to collect a couple more photos before writing them. In the meantime, I'll be busy hitting my head as I work.