Nine things I don't miss

Following on from the last post, Hair, here's a list (off the top of my head before I go out this Friday evening) of things I've not missed since leaving the Vaterland. There may be a corresponding list to follow.

1. The aforementioned hairdressers

2. Public transport. You can cross Seoul for a few thousand won, and generally subway journeys are less than a pound. The base rate for taxis is W1900, about £1, which makes it practically cheaper than walking. Plus buses, despite the fact that the drivers accelerate and brake at such intense velocities that I've lost all sense of balance a few times, are every couple of minutes, clean and quick, and all night too.

3. Weather. Self explanatory. I still get home every night and sit in my pants with the AC on. I understand my parents have had the central heating on since July 15th.

4. 1471. It hadn't occurred to me until a friend happened to mention it, circumstances forgotten, but he was right. I don't miss it. Um. Next one.

5. The general pacificy of life here, even on a weekend night is really nice. Even in Woodbridge, my hometown, walking home from the pub on a Friday night was a dice with death. Or at least a dice with a drunk chav pushing you uncoordinatedly in the shoulder. In Seoul, you could walk home at 2am from one side of the city to the other wearing a Korea is Gay thirt and you'd be fine. Probably:
I'm yet to test this.

5. Saturday night TV. No idea what's going on on Saturday night TV here, but at least John Barrowman's nowhere to be seen.

6. British football pundits. Though a year without Lawro was always going to be tough, I'm enjoying the lack of Gray, Pleat, Townsend, Shearer, that BBC woman and Garth fucking Crooks. Here commentary consists mainly of shouting whenever a team gets in the penalty area, which is fine by me.

7. In pubs, you don't have to wait at bars, you sit down and press a button to call the beer providing Korean person. When they arrive with your beverage, they also lavish you with complimentary crisps and, maybe, nuts, because it's bad form to drink without edible accompaniment. Friday night at the King's Head is a distant memory.

8. Living with my parents. Not that I don't miss my parents, I just don't miss living with them.

9. Microsoft Excel.