Saturday Night Fun-Times

So on Saturday night, The Hub Of Sparkle's first Sparkledown was held near Hansung University, and it was hella fun.  Cheesy McCheesington was there, and her happy, shiny review of the night is more joyful and excited than anything I could write, so I'm just gonna quote from it, as a pretty good reminder of why it's important to expand one's circle of friends and connections while living in Korea, and how much being connected and putting oneself out there (for more than just drinking binges in Hongdae, if possible) enhances one's experience here:

Last night was probably one of my best nights in Seoul. For the past nine months, I've been lugging this sense of isolation and loneliness and un-bliss around inside The Belly. And last night, I feel like the ol' uterus of my soul gave it up and I birthed friends. A community, really. A community of like-minded and beautiful people who drink good beer and have deep, authentic conversation and at the same time have ridiculous non-conversations and laugh really hard at each other because we are happy and not alone. Well, at least, I was happy and not alone.

You should read the rest, too.  In fact, the post before that, where DreamoMcDreamington decides to attend the Sparkledown in the first place, is quite the read as well (skip to the second half).  Wanderchomp Korea, another new K-blog, also attended, and has a similarly great time.  His post was titled, "A Night of Awesome" and it kind of goes from there.  Here's his closing:

Home isn't about a building or a location, it's about the people in your life. I've got my family, and now I have friends. I'd like to think that the Night of Awesome is the start of something special, perhaps a new home for all of us to build together. I hope so.

So, between Danielle's birthing uterus of joy, and Wanderchomp's sense of home and connection, I'd say the night was a success just on that alone.  FatManSeoul took pictures of the whole thing, and I'm looking forward to her finding some new wireless internet to steal in her building, so that she can upload the pics at the Hub Of Sparkle or something.  Until then, here are the pictures I took, which probably won't be as good as hers.  These are also available at the Hub of Sparkle's facebook page.  There were some good conversations, some great laughs, some tasty drinks and side dishes, and then some more great laughs, and some smart people really worth talking to and listening to.

[Update: Kimchi For Breakfast also attended, and finally blogged about it.  You can read here.]

Enough bloggers attended that there was occasional confusion about whether to introduce or address each other by our handles or our real names, exacerbated by the fact Roboseyo really IS my nickname.

So to everyone who came out, Thanks for coming out!  It was really nice to see/meet/hang out with/talk to you (again, where applicable); to everyone who didn't come: whatsamattayou?  Ya missed out, but we'll see you next time, when we choose a larger venue, right?

-rob

Update: FatManSeoul has photos and incriminating evidence up on Flickr and at the Hub of Sparkle.  The flickr album has a handful of good ones, so go see it, and visit FatManSeoul, Korea's best new food blog which updates regularly and actually talks about food.