Noraebang: Your Own Private Karaoke
Sunday, November 28, 2004; Page M03
excerpt from the Washingtonpost.com


For people who love to sing in the shower but find the public exposure of barroom karaoke absolutely terrifying, there's a middle ground. It's a Korean pastime called noraebang -- essentially karaoke in private rooms. At a noraebang (which translates to "singing room"), there's still a good chance of embarrassing yourself, but only among friends. Generally, noraebangs are located in areas with large Asian populations and serve a predominantly Asian clientele. They're usually set up like recording studios, with a series of soundproof rooms on either side of a long hallway. Once a group checks in, the wannabe warblers are given a large binder of songs (in English and many other languages, such as Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Tagalog) and a quick tutorial on how to use the equipment (typically a microphone, remote control and TV monitor). You'll sit on couches and sing along to the lyrics on the screen (usually in front of incongruent scenic backdrops), proceeding without interruption for as long as you'd like. And that can be a long time. Noraebangs are open late -- as late as 5 a.m. weekends, 2 a.m. weeknights. Thankfully, they serve food and beer to fuel you through those long hours of mimicking Britney and Elvis.

Here is our first attempt at Noraebang. We had tv monitors, microphones, drum machines, tamborines and a whole lot of fun!

Jack breaks his first board in Taekwondo!

Ben and Leafa in Australia

We left the kids at home for a whirl wind 7 day trip to Melbourne and Sydney. We went on an organized tour with the Navy Club here on base. They discount trips for Marine and Navy personnel which makes them such a good deal. Grandma Linda stayed home with Katie, Jack and Jenna. I am pleased to say that they were very good while we were away.

We started in Melbourne. Ben and I enjoyed a good Saturday night out on the town.







We saw kangaroos in the wild.

We saw beautiful coastline as we drove up the Great Ocean Road.

Can you see the koala in the tree?

We stopped to see the 12 Apostles. The scenery was breathtaking!







After arriving in Sydney, we went to see the Blue Mountains. These mountains and forest have been here since the dinosaurs roamed the earth. We went down into the canyon and walked through the rainforest before taking a gondola back up to the top.

















We went to a wildlife santuary and were able to see the animals close up. Our bus got there very late and the park was closing. Our group was left behind as the workers just locked up and left us by ourselves in the park. We found our way out through the employee only exit.

We made it to Sydney Harbour!

We had a pint to celebrate!
.....at a bar that Ben felt comfortable in....

We took a harbour cruise. We both really enjoyed it. It was a little cooler on the water, however, and we found ourselves chasing the sun. We traveled back and forth across the boat always trying to be in the sun. The harbour is beautiful and we were lucky to have the perfect day. Here are a few pictures:







The famous beaches of Sydney!

Halloween in Korea

We had a super Halloween this year! Once again it was nice to celebrate it with Ben. He has missed all the hoopla for the past two years!

We had a Halloween party with our friends from work. The kids ran around always enjoying the excitement. Here are a few pictures from the party:




As you can clearly see, I was a cheerleader! Ben was himself, of course!









We played the mummy game. It was U.S.A. vs R.O.K.

To be honest, it was no contest......the Asians are the leading experts on gift wrapping. Team USA did put forth a good effort, however. I don't know how that Arab fits into all of this.

We went trick-or-treating in our building and in the neighborhood behind us. It was a mild evening and so we were able to enjoy ourselves without big heavy coats.