I might as well just not save any money.

On a whim, I ended up buying a battery grip, the Canon BG-E5, for my camera. I bought it from the camera guys I usually do business with down at Bupyeong. They're nice dudes and they get my broken Korean and I can usually understand their broken English. I know I spent more than I would have back home for it, but I did check out a few places in Incheon and I got it for a decent deal. I haven't really used my camera lately, so I haven't been able to make any real use of the extended battery life. One of the things that I first noticed with the battery grip attached is that my camera is a lot easier to hold. I didn't really think it was a problem before, but the camera's extra size gives a significant amount space for my hand. The grip also makes it easier to hold my camera when taking portraits and the extra shutter button helps too. I'm not sure how this post ended up being a shitty product review on something that no one really cares about, but there are two things that you should walk away from this with:

1. I spend way too much money.
2. If you see me spending unnecessary money then stop me, unless it's on booze because that's okay.

You get 'em, cowboy.

The Top 10 Reasons Why I Love The Jersey Shore

Last night I was put in charge of creating ten questions for a pub quiz. After debating a few different categories, I finally settled on creating ten questions on The Jersey Shore. However, after seeing the results of answers I received, it became apparent that some people are totally unfamiliar with the show. I can understand that you might not just like reality television and think the show's absolute garbage, which it is, but I still love the show though and here are my top ten reasons why (listed in no particular order).

1. It's reality television at it's finest (or worst depending on how you look at it). I enjoy most reality television and probably for the same exact reason other people enjoy it, THAT IT'S JUST SO ENTERTAINING TO SEE REAL PEOPLE AT THEIR TRASHIEST ON TELEVISION. The Jersey Shore takes this to a new level, setting it apart from other reality television series. I mean with cast member drama, fist fights, and hooking up left and right, is there anything more we can ask for from this show?
2. There's just so much hype that goes on outside the show. After every episode there'd be a new wave of articles and blog posts that you could spend more time reading than watching the actual episode.
3. Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino. If you're familiar with the show, then you know exactly what the fuck I'm talking about. It's as if I could quote that guy for days. There's so much that self-absorbed guy has to offer. Seriously, without him on the show, then we'd just be watching Snooki's train wreck relationships for the entire hour, but that brings me to my next reason.
4. Snooki. From the moment she walked into the house you knew that she was going to be trouble. I've said it before, but it wouldn't be entirely bad thing if Snooki had her own show. I can imagine it being a lot like The Simple Life but a lot trashier and definitely more entertaining. She also probably holds the world record for "Most times having a crotch censored on television."
5. Just looking at the people on the show is worth it. It's not just the cast members either, but everyone who's on the show. It's as if your screen turns into some strange window into an alternate reality where normal people just don't exist.
6. The dumb facebook groups and fanpages that my friends join are absolutely hilarious. Personally, I don't really join any facebook groups, but these are a little tempting. Here are three of my favorite ones: the grenade from the jersey shore, Fist Pumping Like Champs, and my personal favorite, The noise Snooki makes when she's upset, "Waaaaaaahaaahaaaaaa!"
7. The fights are seriously worth watching. Can you really think of a more satisfying moment in reality television than when J-Woww punches Mike? Or a moment more shocking than when Snooki is punched in the face? Or a more brutal beat down than when Ronni beats the shit out of that bald dude on the boardwalk? Didn't think so.
8. There's so much slang to learn off the show. I can probably say "fistpumping" or "GTL" to a third of my friends and they'd understand what the fuck I meant by it. Also, I always understood "creeping" as a pejorative term for approaching girls, but the guys on the show seem to embrace it. The next I hear a girl saying that a dude in the bar is creeping I should go over there and give him a high five.
9. Watching the cast members dance is probably one of the subtly entertaining aspects of the show, but it's great. I'm not sure if I'm the only one who enjoys this, but I seriously have had to go back a few times on my video stream just to watch these precious moments over again.
10. I know that I mentioned fighting already and I've probably beaten it to death, but seriously, the scene where Snooki is punched has to be one of the craziest moments on MTV. If you haven't watched the series at all, you should at least watch the first few episodes to see what leads up to this scene.

Star Wars // Adidas

I guess I'm late about hearing this, but I'm not sure if a lot of people have heard either. Adidas has teamed up with Star Wars to release a set of shoes. This is probably the greatest shoe collaboration concept ever. You can scope the shoes out at hypebeast if you were really interested. I personally don't think I'd buy any of them except for Skywalkers. I also wished they used another shoe for the Yoda model, but I guess I can't have everything I want. Anyway, this photo was taken down in Itaewon at the Adidas store.

This one's for Anish.

American Apparel in Seoul at Myeong Dong.

My Korean mother

I do complain about my apartment here in Korea pretty often. I mean, my TV's still broken, I fixed my bed frame myself, and there's no one to help me set up the sliding doors to my kitchen, and the water is unbearably cold in the mornings, but I know that it's really not that bad. In fact, it could be a lot worse. However, I'll never complain about one thing, and that's my landlady. She doesn't speak any English and my minimal Korean isn't enough to really talk to her about anything, but we get along great.

I mention all this because I ran into her yesterday while smoking a cigarette outside my apartment wearing a hoodie, a vest, and my a pair of jeans (low like usual, since it ain't no thang but a g-thang) and it's about -2 Celcius. She came out the door and I bowed and said hello like I usually do. She then proceeded to come up to me and tell me that it's cold in Korean and then zips up my jacket. She then reaches behind me and pull up my pants. This whole time I'm standing there with my hands in the air like I'm being frisked and she's the LAPD meeting quotas. She then looks up and smiles at me and says, "Good-bye," in English and walks off like it was the most normal thing in the world.

This isn't the only run-in I've had with her, actually. A few days after I got back from vacation, I ended up locking myself out of my apartment while I made a quick run outside for a pack of cigarettes. After managing to get her to unlock my door with broken Korean and an unprecedented amount of handwaving, she looks into my room. In general, I'm a messy guy, I would have to say that it's not too unbearable. However, since it was only a few days after I got back from Tokyo, all my shit was still on the ground. Also, since my bed was still broken, my mattress was laying on the floor as well. She starts scolding me in Korean and then proceeds to fold all my clothes laying on the floor. I'm tried hard to tell her that it was okay and that she didn't have to, but she just slapped my hands away and told me to stop it. After folding all my clothes she then does all the dishes I have laying around in my sink. With the help of Alex translating over the phone, I learned that while I'm in Korea, I should consider her my mother and that I should ask her when I need help.

So landlady (I don't even know your name), I know you'll never read this, but I'd just like to say thank you.

The last episode of The Jersey Shore and the reunion

Well, the series is over and I actually watched the last episode and the reunion a few days ago, but I just never got around to it. I guess I needed time to just accept that it was over.

• The reunion episode was fucking ridiculous. There hasn't been a reunion episode this exciting since The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 3. The last real episode though, was just whatever.
• It was weird that they had Angelina there on the reunion episode. I actually think it's weirder that they didn't replace her the day after she left the house.
• Snooki is bat-shit. If anyone started dancing on the boardwalk, long enough for multiple people come up and dance with them, seriously. The freakout she had right after seeing her ex was funny too.
• I don't think it's fair that everyone wasn't able to take hot seat.
• Snooki and Mike making out in the hot tub!?!?!?!
• Not going to lie, but the whole Ronnie and Sammi break-up on stage was fucking hilarious. I seriously couldn't stop laughing.
• I also like when Ronnie seriously let Sammi have it, the crowd started applauding.
• I feel a little bad for Paully D's stalker. She's never really going to live that down.
• The series wrapped up nicely I think. I say that as if there was a script and that it was actually supposed to come to a real conclusion.