It was Seoul Gay Pride this past weekend, and I was so happy to go check out the festivities.

When I got off the subway at the City Hall stop, I wasn't sure what to expect. I was elated to see people within the station with pride flags painted on their faces and other visible signs of support for the cause. But I have to be honest in saying that I was also surprised by the number of protesters I saw as soon as I surfaced above ground.

There was a large counter demonstration across the street from where the festival was being held. They also had a huge screen set up to broadcast whoever was speaking on the stage, and that made it both pretty visible and audible from the side where I was standing. At that moment I arrived, there was such anger and vitriol in that specific speaker's voice. I was truly taken aback by it. He was an older gentleman, angrily screaming at the top of his lungs as it echoed everywhere. I could hear the graininess that seemed to come from losing his voice as a result of yelling so loudly. Then on the side of the street where the festival was being held, all I saw was a wall of police officers standing on the sidewalk to keep other protestors from getting too close to passersby as they made their way towards the entrance. I could feel my blood boiling as I had to walk by them and listen to their furious shrieks and protests. They waved their big signs in the air and howled with passion while preaching about how LGBTQ people are less than. They showed so much rage, but everyone who had to endure their hatred did not. Most people simply ignored them or walked by with smiles and excitement for what the day meant.

When I finally made my way into the festival, the vibe was completely different from what was going on outside. There was nothing but love, happiness, and celebration. There were so many people, with a large presence of foreigners as well. Being within the space instantly made me forgot about all the mess that was happening outside, and I happily walked around alone to soak it all in.

The actual parade took place outside of the festival area on a main street of Seoul. And I was fortunate to have perfect timing to witness the entire thing. I can't tell you how moved I was in seeing the thousands of people marching. Young. Old. Straight. LGBT. Korean. Non-Koreans. The diversity in everyone amazed me. All I thought was, where are all these people living and going out to? I didn't realize there was such diversity here, especially among the LGBTQ community. There were way more people actually marching in the parade than watching it as a spectator, which only made me think that people didn't just want to watch it, but they instead wanted to be a part of the movement. Seeing it all almost moved me to tears. It was very emotional and heart-warming. It was parade float after parade float that was filled with swarms of joyful people in between.

Towards the end of the day, the feelings I had from seeing all of the protestors were overcome by the warmth and love I felt from all of the supporters. I have to say that the Seoul Police Department did an excellent job in maintaining order and keeping angry protestors from getting too close to festival goers. I was extremely grateful for that. Overall, it was a memorable Pride. Korean society still has a ways to go in regards to accepting LGBTQ people, but they're definitely on their way there. And the amount of love, support, and LGBTQ allies from the weekend truly did show that.

"But I was, honestly, stunned when you yelled at us from down the block, 'Go back to China!'

I hesitated for a second and then sprinted to confront you. That must have startled you. You pulled out your iPhone in front of the Equinox and threatened to call the cops. It was comical, in retrospect. You might have been charged instead, especially after I walked away and you screamed, 'Go back to your fucking country.'

'I was born in this country!' I yelled back.

It felt silly. But how else to prove I belonged?'"

From the October 9, 2016, New York Times story: An Open Letter to the Woman Who Told My Family to Go Back to China. By Michael Luo.

Of course this sort of shit happened here in New York. As diverse as this city this, these types of ignorant people definitely exist. And growing up here, I've had my fair share of these encounters.

This even just recently happened to my sister and brother-in-law, who live right across the George Washington Bridge in Bergen County, New Jersey. They have a neighbor who harasses people of color in their area. She often screams "Go back to your country!" not only to my brother-in-law, but to neighborhood children who are minorities as well. It's absolutely deplorable.

With different races, ethnicities, religions, and Americans gaining more legal and societal rights in our current times, there will inevitably be those racists who think their own happiness is being negatively affected by it. But another person's growth does not equate to something being stolen from you and your life. There's nothing American about blaming others for your unhappiness.

I've really come to learn that the types of crazy people on NYC buses are quite different than the types of crazy people on the NYC subway.

"A pizza shop at Ninth Avenue and 41st Street, about a block from the shelter, she said, is a popular target area. On West 41st Street, between the pizza shop and the shelter, there is a block of scaffolding that the Covenant House staff tells children to avoid, because it is another hot spot for pimps on the prowl for new recruits."

From the September 16, 2013 New York Times article, Stubborn Cycle of Runaways Becoming Prostitutes, by E. C. Gogolak.

It's funny when you first meet someone and think they're totally normal, but then you realize they're really weird.

If I had a dollar for every nose job that I've seen here in Korea, I would be a very rich man.

This past Saturday, Thailand began to enforce a new law that states that if a taxi driver in Bangkok refuses to go to your destination, they are liable to be arrested or subjected to steep fines.

I first read about this in The Bangkok Post just a few days before Saturday, and while I think it has good intentions, the reality of enforcing this law seems a bit unrealistic. 

While there are many taxi drivers here who are great and take you to your destination without any problems, I've definitely had my fair share of issues because of a few bad apples as well. 

In Bangkok, the city's norm really seems to be that if a driver doesn't feel like going to where you tell them, they just refuse and drive on. And since this practice is so widely accepted, I don't think many Thai people will try to change the driver's mind because they most likely want to avoid any sort of altercation with them. There are so many other logistical aspects of this new change that seems like it would be pretty hard to implement. Perhaps the law could possibly take a while in showing a difference in the accepted behavioral standards related to this, but I guess we'll have to say.

A police official in The Bangkok Post suggested that people call the city's traffic police hotline to submit their complaints. He also suggested always trying to record the initial conversation with the taxi driver to use as possible evidence, but of course it should be done "discreetly" so the driver doesn't react angrily or start threatening violence (which actually wouldn't be out of the question here).

Yeah, I don't know---it doesn't really sound like anything I'd want to do. Next time, if a driver refuses to take me to my destination, I have no problem whatsoever trying to flag down another passing one who would. Compared to yellow cabs in NYC, the taxi riding experience in Bangkok can sometimes get a bit more intense, and these are particular situations that I am just much happier not having anything to do with.

Through my time living here, I've come to learn that corruption is a huge problem in Thailand, but this was my first time stumbling onto a rally to stop it. 

When the bartender casually asks if I want a prostitute for the night, I know it's time to return to my room. Ahhh, the wonders of traveling alone.

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it's official, i'm no longer going to dispute or argue with bangkok taxi drivers anymore.

my friend was telling me the other day that her uncle---a staunch man who from the many stories i've heard about him doesn't seem to take shit from anybody---recently got into a screaming match with the driver of a taxi he was riding. i'm not sure what they were fighting over, but at a certain point, the taxi driver brandished a knife and my friend's uncle immediately apologized and exited the cab.

wow. seriously.