Jeju Life Blog: Going on Indefinite Hiatus

This last week has been pretty crazy and something had to give: well, it’s this blog.

I’ve decided to put it on hiatus to concentrate on updating the Jeju Life web site.

The time it took to formulate a post here would be better spent doing that.

Maybe when I’m not just the EiC, the layout/design guy, web master and PR officer can this blog reopen.

But for now I bid you adieu and ask that you head on over the jejulife.net where I’ve started to upload content from the March issue.

(In brief) The weekend that was

A long weekend draws to a close and with it a chance to take it all down.

JL kicked off Saturday afternoon with a highly appreciated meet with an ex-pat who has extensive layout / design skills. After an invaluable hour and a half later, I came out of the meeting with a number of great ways to improve the look of the magazine.

Sunday morning was spent touring the Jeju Stone Park, a vast, sprawling place in the interior of the island. Covered last month by Joanna Burgess, we were invited out there by Mr Kang, editor of Jeju-Si magazine.

Aided by some absolutely glorious spring-time weather the trip induced a buoyant mood.

Modern, minimal and well done.

Finally a “congratulations” is in order for Brian Miller, who spent time at the European PGA Tour on a media pass. There are some fantastic photographs and we hope to have some words about it soon.

There’s much more to write but for now, the pillow really does call.

My Interview with the JoongAng Ilbo and California Calling(!)

I didn’t quite realize the importance or effect of my interview with the JoongAng Ilbo (JAI) newspaper being printed, as it was yesterday.

JAI is one of the ‘big three’ daily newspapers in Korea. In the UK is could be likened to the Guardian, Independent and Times newspapers.

Therefore when I appeared on page twenty seven (with accompanying photograph) I didn’t expect that it would be read not just in Korea, but as far away as California.

As a result I’ve had some emails drop into the inbox. Here are the excerpts:

I found out an article about you and a website, jejulife, surfing the internet and I was so happy to hear my hometown. It is so fantastic and pleasing that I can read Jeju’s stories which are written by foreigners who stay in Jeju.

I’m grateful for informing many people in the world of Jeju.
Please give my appreciation to your colleagues, too.

I hope that you will enjoy the life of Jeju and I’m also looking forward to good and fun information about Jeju.

And:

This is Kwan Choi.
I am living at San Jose, CA USA.
Cheju (Jeju) is the home island of my wife.
Some of people asked me the information of Cheju island, because they want to visit Cheju, in this summer.
I searched for the internet and I found Cheju life.
It is wonderful.
It has essential information for foreigners.
Thanks a lot.

One Californian ex-pat even took it upon himself to call me and we ended up chatting about Jeju for a little while.

These emails serve to remind me how far we’ve come in a short time and so even as I have a moment to take a breath it’s time to put my head back down and get on with work.

We’re still on a long, hard road to a professional, respected publication that is the leading online /mobile destination for all foreign traffic coming through and living on Jeju.

Tonight I’ve been back out on the trail – delivering business cards to staff writers and organizing an excursion to the stone park.

I’m rubbing my eyes and looking at my pillow for sleep. But now is not the time to stop – but seize the situation and kick on.

More on that Sarah Lacy interview with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

If you want to watch it for yourself do so here. Particularly interesting spots have been flagged.

And there is a post interview piece with Sarah Lacy too.

It’s had me thinking about ‘rough interviews’ that I’ve had since starting Jeju Life.

Plan to make it the subject of a forthcoming post.