Okay.

Okay.

Hello everyone. Let me introduce myself.

I've tried to type this sentence 25 times and keep failing so I'm just going to go with it now. Everyone who'll read this knows who I am in some way or another, so there's no actual need to introduce myself. Good to have you on board.

I'm starting this blog kind of late, about 18 months late as it happens. It was meant to chronicle my life and times in Korea, where I've been living and working for said amount of time. Oh how the time flies! Anyway I'll try to keep this updated as regularly as possible from now on.

You may be wondering about the title of my blog. Well, it all stemmed from several experiences while my mum was visiting me in Korea recently. So incensed was I at times with certain situations (which I'll get into later) that I actually felt the impulsion to punch the face (either my own or someone else's). I've calmed down quite a lot since then, and I can't quite muster the strength to be angry right now (also I've just got back from the gym after my longest day of teaching and I'm sore and tired).

So, first order of business is to reveal my latest obsession. Actually I have two latest obsessions. I say 'latest' because I'm a bit flighty when it comes to certain things in my life. I'll get interested in something and then go at it with all my heart until it gets boring and I lose interest and find another thing. Anyway, number one is my Yo-yo. Yep, that's right, I'm addicted to yo-yoing. A friend of mine recently posted a video of the 2010 Yo-yo World Championship winner and it got me hooked. I spent $110 and got the latest String-Theory Remnant with the concave bearing and I've not regretted it at all. I've learnt all sorts of advanced tricks with it, the Brain Twister, the Matrix, the White Buddha, the Zipper, McBrides Rollercoaster and the Boingy-boing just to name a few. It's driving my girlfriend nuts.

My second obsession is working out. I've never, ever, been a fit or fitness-focused individual. But realising that I'm at the dodgy end of my twenties and I've been drinking and smoking for ten years, I've made it a central part of my routine for about the past 8 months. So I figured I'd make hay while the sun is shining and I've got the motivation to keep at it. I've lost 9 kgs since March and packed a bit of meat on the artillery.

So that's what's been keeping me busy for the past while. That and teaching, which I still love doing. And drinking too much (or not enough?) soju on the weekends. It never gets old.

Now let me briefly bring you up to speed. This won't take a moment, so here it is: In 2008 my life was going downhill fast. I had depression, a dead-end job and a drinking problem. Add to that a horrible girlfriend who everyone hated. When we finally broke up I decided to move to Korea because I had a couple of friends already working there. A few months and a few bureaucratical headaches later, I was stepping off the plane at Incheon Airport into a new life. That sounds so utterly cheesy, but cheese is really yummy and I want some now. So I ended up with a great job through a great recruiter, I met a great Irish girl (we now live and work together) and had such a great time in my first year that I didn't end up saving a cent (I did pay off my credit card though). I saw a whole lot of the Korean peninsula and managed a trip to China too. I decided to come back for another contract to save save save. I don't plan on working for several months when I'm done here.

I'm loving life. I can't understand why everybody isn't doing what I'm doing. 

Okay.

I need some cheese.