RANTING/VENTING MEGATHREAD 3.0

I've been having these weird and unpleasant dreams for the past week or so. I wouldn't call them nightmares, but they've been oddly specific, and they kind of poke me where it hurts. I'm not really sure where they're coming from all of a sudden. I haven't been anxious about anything, as far as I can tell. :/

But I did recently get roped into making a bunch of pies for a thing that I don't really want to participate in, and while that isn't a big deal at all it wouldn't surprise me if my subconscious is throwing a hissy over it, lol.

a little update on the street cats i feed

well, my wife went out the other night to feed them. she bumped into another woman who lives in our building who, it turns out, also feeds them (and who left the bowl out in my last update). in fact, she has been since the spring -- a bit before i noticed the cats hanging about.

anyway, turns out she wanted to tell me this (but was shy of approaching a foreigner) but she wanted to say that she usually goes out late at night and picks the bowl up after they've eaten, as some bitch old lady keeps complaining about her feeding the cats. i'm not sure what the problem is -- the cats don't do anything but eat and go somewhere warm. no cat poop, meowing, nothing. anyway, she sounds like a right jobsworth and i would have just told her to fck off and mind her own business, but this other woman seems scared of her / worried about her

the woman said she has even named the two cats. ha. although she said the smaller one was pregnant in the spring, but hasn't seen the kitten since :( poor little things. but at least they've got two households looking out for them now!

Talking of jobsworths, my kid l(5) likes to have a go in those massage chairs they have outside our local emart. He runs ahead sits in one for a few seconds, if there are any without old people in  them, then gets out of it when called.Last night he'd been in one for literally seconds when some guy comes up and starts telling me in English to get him off because it was'dangerous'. WTF? Short of some Mr Bean type scenario when a chair short circuits or something and starts moving up and down like a bucking bronco, i couldn't work out what he was on about. Guess in fact. He just didn't want the upholstery to get dirty. At the risk of raising the hackles of a certain poster, they do tend to overplay the safety angle here.
 

At the risk of raising the hackles of a certain poster, they do tend to overplay the safety angle here.
 

well, if it's not in regards to

construction
crossing roads
children bringing box cutters to school
fire hazards
fire doors
fire alarms
drink driving
speeding
going through red lights
driving on pavements
driving in the dark without headlights on
seatbelts in taxis
gritting pavements in winter
contractual law
black mould
going to work when sick

hmm. hope i haven't triggered anyone

well, if it's not in regards to

construction
crossing roads
children bringing box cutters to school
fire hazards
fire doors
fire alarms
drink driving
speeding
going through red lights
driving on pavements
driving in the dark without headlights on
seatbelts in taxis
gritting pavements in winter
contractual law
black mould
going to work when sick

hmm. hope i haven't triggered anyone

Meh. Nothing too bad with that list.

Only one that really jumps out is box cutters. Like I understand the big Mohammed Atta ones, but the smaller ones I think are fine. Freaking out over them is safety paranoia gone too far. Its not like there's an epidemic of box cutter stabbings.

well, if it's not in regards to

construction
crossing roads
children bringing box cutters to school
fire hazards
fire doors
fire alarms
drink driving
speeding
going through red lights
driving on pavements
driving in the dark without headlights on
seatbelts in taxis
gritting pavements in winter
contractual law
black mould
going to work when sick

hmm. hope i haven't triggered anyone

Yeah, I guess they're too nannyish in some areas, ocean bathing, walking on escalators  rough play in kids' cafes, massage chairs, and not enough in others, like you say. Different cultures and all part of the unentitled expat experience!

Meh. Nothing too bad with that list.

Only one that really jumps out is box cutters. Like I understand the big Mohammed Atta ones, but the smaller ones I think are fine. Freaking out over them is safety paranoia gone too far. Its not like there's an epidemic of box cutter stabbings.

yeah and i haven't seen any kid with them for many a moon anyway. although i wish they would bring their own pencil sharpeners...

Everyday gym f*ckery:

- Politely tell ajjushi, who is working out near me, to wear his mask properly (it's covering his chin). He tries to ignore me so I get into his face and sternly tell him. Other people are now looking and he does so after giving me the death stare.

- Like a pissed of schoolgirl, he tries to get his pathetic, passive aggressive revenge by walking in front of me, instead of going around me, while I'm racking my weights. Guess you sure showed me. Keep puffing that little chest out and standing on your toes as you walk past.

- FYI, said ajjushi was doing doing bench presses on the smith machine with the smallest ROM I've ever seen (probably moved the bar about 5cm per rep)... He did do about 50 reps a set though, lol!

- Had to stop multiple people from trying to take the weights off the squat rack, while I was using it.

- Guy was doing deadlifts, but loaded the bar with only 5kg plates! He was taking the 5kg plates off every piece of equipment in sight despite the fact that he had 10kg and 20kg plates at his rack. Obviously, he was trying to give the impression that
  he was lifting a really heavy weight by having the barbell loaded with 8 X 5kg plates as opposed to just 2 X 20kgs and 2 X 10kgs.

- Lady was hogging the leg press and had it loaded with.... 2 X 2.5kg plates. I know everyone has to start somewhere, but lady, if you're going to occupy a a leg press machine, loaded with no more than 5kg, you might as well stay home, save your money and just
  sit on a chair and stand up. You look like you're in ok shape, there are 90yr old grandmothers with arthritis who could push more than that. 

- Another ajjushi tires to steal the plates off my machine, in the middle of my set. I had a pair of 10kg plates and some 20s. I couldn't see properly (in the middle of a rep) and I thought he was taking the 20s, so I told him "No".
  After I was done, I saw that he was trying to take one of the 10s. Still a dick move, but I wasn't planning on using the 10s and since I'm not trying to make enemies, I try to call him over and offer the 10s to him. You know, just trying to bury the hatchet.
  He sees me and just ignores me in the same way as the other old guy and I just know he's pouting behind that mask. I just laughed, it was amusing to witness the immediate transformations of 50yr old men into sulking, 6th grade schoolgirls.

Anyway, session done and feel great.

weird innit. do older men in other countries act like overgrown children quite so much? i've yet to see it. barely a day goes by when i don't mutter "what the **** are you doing...." under my breathe in regards to an old man in korea

Everyday gym f*ckery:

- Politely tell ajjushi, who is working out near me, to wear his mask properly (it's covering his chin). He tries to ignore me so I get into his face and sternly tell him. Other people are now looking and he does so after giving me the death stare.

- Like a pissed of schoolgirl, he tries to get his pathetic, passive aggressive revenge by walking in front of me, instead of going around me, while I'm racking my weights. Guess you sure showed me. Keep puffing that little chest out and standing on your toes as you walk past.

- FYI, said ajjushi was doing doing bench presses on the smith machine with the smallest ROM I've ever seen (probably moved the bar about 5cm per rep)... He did do about 50 reps a set though, lol!

- Had to stop multiple people from trying to take the weights off the squat rack, while I was using it.

- Guy was doing deadlifts, but loaded the bar with only 5kg plates! He was taking the 5kg plates off every piece of equipment in sight despite the fact that he had 10kg and 20kg plates at his rack. Obviously, he was trying to give the impression that
  he was lifting a really heavy weight by having the barbell loaded with 8 X 5kg plates as opposed to just 2 X 20kgs and 2 X 10kgs.

- Lady was hogging the leg press and had it loaded with.... 2 X 2.5kg plates. I know everyone has to start somewhere, but lady, if you're going to occupy a a leg press machine, loaded with no more than 5kg, you might as well stay home, save your money and just
  sit on a chair and stand up. You look like you're in ok shape, there are 90yr old grandmothers with arthritis who could push more than that. 

- Another ajjushi tires to steal the plates off my machine, in the middle of my set. I had a pair of 10kg plates and some 20s. I couldn't see properly (in the middle of a rep) and I thought he was taking the 20s, so I told him "No".
  After I was done, I saw that he was trying to take one of the 10s. Still a dick move, but I wasn't planning on using the 10s and since I'm not trying to make enemies, I try to call him over and offer the 10s to him. You know, just trying to bury the hatchet.
  He sees me and just ignores me in the same way as the other old guy and I just know he's pouting behind that mask. I just laughed, it was amusing to witness the immediate transformations of 50yr old men into sulking, 6th grade schoolgirls.

Anyway, session done and feel great.

The gym I tried out a month or 2 ago, was good but 2 small. The problem was: it was a pain for me to go there and back. My town doesn't have a gym, so I had to go to the town over, and because of the corona, the bus timetable has been neutered. That means, there was only a 2 hour window for me to go and exercise mon - fri. A group of guys would always beat me to the gym by 5 minutes and would hog the machines. I saw a guy do 90 minutes of nothing but bench presses, cause the group of guys weren't friends, just a big influx of random people that would arrive at the same time. Once they got equipment, my guess is they didn't want to do part of their workout and wait for the next thing they need, so all of them would just use the same thing for 90+ minutes.
The only things I could ever get on were: treadmills, exercycles, leg press machine, and one I forget the name of - some kind of back exercise machine;

I've slowly been buying my own gym equipment to exercise at home. This payday, I'm planning to buy a bit more weight for my bar/dum-bells, and a 2nd exercise bike. I bought an exercise bike about 2 weeks ago, but the seat is like, a pro cyclist style, and it's very, very uncomfortable for me, and it only has 1 difficulty which isn't challenging at all.

The gym I tried out a month or 2 ago, was good but 2 small. The problem was: it was a pain for me to go there and back. My town doesn't have a gym, so I had to go to the town over, and because of the corona, the bus timetable has been neutered. That means, there was only a 2 hour window for me to go and exercise mon - fri. A group of guys would always beat me to the gym by 5 minutes and would hog the machines. I saw a guy do 90 minutes of nothing but bench presses, cause the group of guys weren't friends, just a big influx of random people that would arrive at the same time. Once they got equipment, my guess is they didn't want to do part of their workout and wait for the next thing they need, so all of them would just use the same thing for 90+ minutes.
The only things I could ever get on were: treadmills, exercycles, leg press machine, and one I forget the name of - some kind of back exercise machine;

I've slowly been buying my own gym equipment to exercise at home. This payday, I'm planning to buy a bit more weight for my bar/dum-bells, and a 2nd exercise bike. I bought an exercise bike about 2 weeks ago, but the seat is like, a pro cyclist style, and it's very, very uncomfortable for me, and it only has 1 difficulty which isn't challenging at all.

Really sucks, I've seen what you're describing countless times. The only solution is that you've got to be a bit aggressive otherwise they'll be on the benchpress till next Chuseok. I don't like having to start drama at the gym, but I'm going to finish my workout in a reasonable timeframe so I'm going to tell people to bugger off or do their curls away from the squat rack etc.
Worst case, you'll have to endure someone sulking as they walk away.

Still, I'm incredibly lucky. My gym is 30 steps from my apartment. Gotta love how close everything is in Korea.

Check out http://frogfitness.co.kr/.
I bought all my plates, barbell and a decent enough squat rack from them. Prices are pretty reasonable.

Really sucks, I've seen what you're describing countless times. The only solution is that you've got to be a bit aggressive otherwise they'll be on the benchpress till next Chuseok. I don't like having to start drama at the gym, but I'm going to finish my workout in a reasonable timeframe so I'm going to tell people to bugger off or do their curls away from the squat rack etc.
Worst case, you'll have to endure someone sulking as they walk away.

Still, I'm incredibly lucky. My gym is 30 steps from my apartment. Gotta love how close everything is in Korea.

Check out http://frogfitness.co.kr/.
I bought all my plates, barbell and a decent enough squat rack from them. Prices are pretty reasonable.

Cheers for that link. So far, I've just gotten everything on Gmarket. My squat rack, bench, dumbells, and 1 of the 2 barbells (got a free one with the squat rack) have been pretty good.
However, the weight amount I have is not challenging enough. I do double the reps amount to make it more challenging and actually feel the burn. Which is why I'll be looking to upgrade next week. :D

As for the gym, I live in a rural area and the gym goers, as well as the workers, don't speak English. Some of the Korean ladies that workout there were nice and would let me do my thing while I went there, the guys wouldn't budge no matter what though. :\ However, I have a nice little set up in my apartment now, I just want more weights and something to do cardio with and then I'll be golden.

Ordered a new exercise bike, only the seat arrived, and they marked it as delivered. D:
Working on contacting them to see if the rest will arrive later or what. :o

Ordered a new exercise bike, only the seat arrived, and they marked it as delivered. D:
Working on contacting them to see if the rest will arrive later or what. :o

Kayos: Where is my bike? What is going on? 

Company Rep: Sir, please calm down. We have---

Kayos: I want an explanation!

CR: Sir, we have an explanation, please, just............... ........ take a seat.

Kayos: Where is my bike? What is going on? 

Company Rep: Sir, please calm down. We have---

Kayos: I want an explanation!

CR: Sir, we have an explanation, please, just............... ........ take a seat.

Haha nice, that was great.

The rest of the bike ended up arriving yesterday, and the seat that arrived first was like a free gift, so a spare seat, or can change to it for more comfort or whatever.
The new exercise bike is really comfortable :D so can start using it today

Nice.

I hope you get a lot of use out of it. I bought one a while ago because I wanted to be able to do cardio in my apartment without disturbing my lower neighbors, but I ended up selling it off later because I didn't like how much space it took up in my little one-room, haha.

Took me over an hour to get the pedals attached, too. I should probably start looking for a bigger place. But moving in Korea is such a chore.

The rest of the bike ended up arriving yesterday, and the seat that arrived first was like a free gift, so a spare seat, or can change to it for more comfort or whatever.
The new exercise bike is really comfortable :D so can start using it today

Lucky! Now you can have your bike and seat it too!

Nice.

I hope you get a lot of use out of it. I bought one a while ago because I wanted to be able to do cardio in my apartment without disturbing my lower neighbors, but I ended up selling it off later because I didn't like how much space it took up in my little one-room, haha.

Took me over an hour to get the pedals attached, too. I should probably start looking for a bigger place. But moving in Korea is such a chore.

Oh damn. I first bought one 3 weeks ago, but the seat was too uncomfortable and never used it. So, I donated it to my school, as a couple of the teachers were interested in using it, and then got this new one. It's much more comfy.
I live out in the wops and have a small 3 bedroom apartment, so, I have the space for a mini home gym set up. My bench and squat rack takes the bulk of my gym space, but I can store the bike next to the bench and have enough room to walk around :D

Lucky! Now you can have your bike and seat it too!

Sure can! :D