March 9

I just published my third book of collected drawings done during the pandemic. This is probably my last, since I can’t keep on churning the same type of collection every year. The idea for Pseudologia Fantastica was almost a whim, and carrying on that whim for over three years is a little long. That’s not to say that I’m going to stop drawing using my current style, busy drawings that fill the full page, but I’m not going to do them anymore with the purpose of publishing. There are still many ideas that I feel like I need to push, so I’m still going to continue with it.

Also, the pandemic, which was the catalyst to my busy drawing style, hasn’t really affected me much recently in regards to my art. In fact, I’ve been much busier now and I’m finding less time to make art.

I encourage artists to make prints and make books of collections of their art. Not only are they an alternative way of selling your work, they are also an alternative way of showing your work, free from the confines of a traditional gallery. I kinda wish I sold prints much earlier in my career. I always thought that my works were cheap enough as it is, and a Glico print wouldn’t make sense as an alternative purchase. But now I find that prints are just as good a way of driving revenue as much as the original. It’s also a way of meeting your audiences halfway, especially if they don’t necessarily have the resources to purchase an original. The same goes for books of collected works.

Anyway, I hope the people who get my third book enjoy my collection. They’re basically the same images found on my Instagram and featured on this website, but it also includes explanations as well as a list of things found on the page, much like an I Spy book. 

★  

March 24

I will be moving into a new apartment in a month. I’m kinda excited to move to a new place even though it’s only a block away. My current place is small, and truthfully, I’ve never been in a “big” place in Korea, even when I was living outside of Seoul. So yeah, moving into a relatively spacious two-bedroom apartment is kind of a big deal, in my opinion, especially right in the middle of Seoul.

And it comes with quite a few perks, too. A lobby with security that makes it look like a hotel, a sunny view of the Namsan Tower, access to a gym, a driving range, and study room within the building, a sauna in the bathroom, a spacious kitchen, and again, the building is conveniently located minutes from many of Seoul’s landmarks. I’ll still be taking the subway to work, of course, but that’s an inescapable part of life in the city.

Unfortunately, I’m not buying my place. I’m not renting it either. There’s a weird in-between system in Korea where people deposit a huge amount of money in the landlord’s account, and they don’t have to pay rent during the lease agreement. Much like many people in the country, I’m too poor to afford buying my own place within the city, especially with apartment prices skyrocketing after the previous administrations market policies. Seriously, the housing market here has become much like Hong Kong. You’re either extremely rich to be able to afford living within the city or just extremely lucky. I happen to be the latter.

One of the things that works against me is that most people when they get married, they get a huge amount of money from the groom’s parents in order to purchase a house. Being a foreigner, I never got that luxury. Heck, I didn’t get any help with anything from my father regarding my housing. I feel guilty that with regards to my wife’s family, and how generous they are with us; the relationship is just off kilter. My Korean in-laws just give and give, while my side of the family is nothing but dead silence.

So what do I do? What is there to do but to just work my ass off. Take every opportunity to earn money and just say yes. Luckily, Korea has been generous to me. As a foreigner, there is always opportunity to earn money as long as you hustle. So yeah, I’m hustling, hustling for that that two-bedroom apartment right in the middle of Seoul. 

Joseph Reyes

Artist

★  

February 9

The corona virus has come to my doorstep. My wife caught the virus. She had a cold starting on Monday, then come Tuesday, she went to the doctor and they did a test on her. Postive. It finally got her. It sucks because it will affect us financially since she gets paid by the class she teaches and not in a salaried position. It also sucks because she’s in the middle of a yoga certification course which requires a hundred hours of lessons. This puts her behind on her classes and puts us behind financially. And to complicate matters more, we are in the process of moving apartments and we need to get rid of our current apartment. We already turned down three prospective visitors/tenants who could take over the apartment for us due to it being a covid quarantine area at the moment.

What about me? Well, I caught a cold, and it’s not so bad. It’s just that my throat hurts a little.. I’ve had four shots of the vaccine, so I’m hoping that whatever my wife has, I’m already immune to it. See, she only had the two mandatory shots. I kinda resent her for not getting the extra two boosters. Maybe she would still be covid-free if she wasn’t “too busy” to take them. Now she has too much time on her hands. And since we live in a small apartment, I have to get really serious about cleanliness and try not to catch the virus from her. I’ve been doging this thing for about three years now. And I think if I could just get through a couple more days or so, she wouldn’t be contagious anymore and I would still be a covid virgin.

Living with a covid patient in a small apartment is tricky since there’s really no way to isolate her. Our food has been meticulously separated and I sleep on the couch while she sleeps on the bed, but other than that, there’s no serious separation. My wife sprays surfaces with disinfectants constantly however, which I guess would help prevent me from catching it on surfaces that she touches. We also have an air disinfectant running to keep the air clean, fingers crossed.

My friend suggested that my current cold is actually the covid virus. Well, perhaps, but I’m not suffering from fever, chills, muscles aches, or headaches. I also take a test every day before going to work, and so far each time I tested negative. So I’m thinking it’s not covid, but a something that a bit of Tylenol Cold could easily knock out.

And yes, despite my wife catching covid, I still go to work. It’s probably the safest place for me right now, not being in close proximity with what I know is a certified covid case. I also have no excuse not to go to work since I’m perfectly healthy (despite the cold). There’s jobs and side jobs to do and money to be earned. I guess the biggest test for me will be the weekend where I will be at home trying to avoid catching covid for two days. I figure if I still test negative come Monday morning, I’ll be scot free.

So yeah, here’s hoping I don’t catch the virus. I know it would be a miracle, but hey, I don’t really ask God for much. I just hope that my wife gets better soon and I don’t catch it and prolong our collective suffering. Will be updating this after a couple more days. 

...

Covid got me. No symptoms, but got tested at a clinic and they say I'm positive. Damn it. 

December 29

I’m taking it a bit slow with the art. I’ve been burnt out after the last triptych, and I’ve been really struggling coming up with a new concepts/themes. I have enough work to print my last book in the series of books I started in the beginning of the pandemic almost three years ago, so that’s a good thing, at least. I should have it ready by February.

2022 has been a good year. I got back to taking Korean classes with mixed results. I wish my progress was a bit more evident, but I really am lagging when it comes to practicing. I’ve made peace with not ever fully understanding the news in Korean, but I would at least like to keep up with Korean conversations or maybe understand most of what’s being discussed.

Work has been a bit surreal. Compared to last year around this season, I’ve been incredibly busy. Busy is good. Busy means money. Busy means job security. Along with being busy, there’s been a couple of reshuffling around the office, and my bosses have been re-assigned to different departments. What does that mean for me? I don’t know. I’ve been effectively working as my own department with no direct supervisor for years now, so yeah, I continue to be grateful for the privilege of not only being employed, but comfortably employed for now.

Therapy has been good. It’s really a blessing to have a doctor to listen to all of my problems and prescribe me meds that help me get through the day. I haven’t had much panic attacks this year, but when depression hits, it’s good to have an outlet and a “friend” that could help. If you are reading this and could afford it, get yourself a psychiatrist. You probably need one. Most of us do.

My relationship with father has been tepid this year. Once again, I’m disappointed that he hasn’t made any decisions regarding his long term plans as he ages. I’m also not interested in hearing or reading generic responses from him whenever I call him or on group chat settings. It’s almost like he’s an AI delivering the blandest of happy birthdays and get well soons. I think I’ve been good with the rest of my family though. It was great that my youngest sister and my nephew were able to visit me this year. I think this has brought her closer to my wife as well.

This year was the year I was able to go back to the gym. Thank goodness. It’s been two years since I hit the gym and it’s good to finally go to the gym regularly. I wouldn’t consider myself a healthnut or a gym rat, I certainly don’t look like it, but just being able to exercise does wonders for my mental health.

The most significant thing this year is understandably Elden Ring. God, what a great timesink masterpiece of a game! Both my wife and I finished it and it occupied most of our year’s gaming life. What did I play this year? Yakuza Legends dragged and made me sleepy. Wordle was great but I’ve lost my motivation. Duolingo revamped their whole interface and demotivated me, making me care less about keeping up with the app even though I still maintain my streak. Bayonetta 3 was decent, but it was a very forgettable experience, to be honest. Cult of the Lamb was a novel experience and the battles and micromanaging mixed together makes for both an interesting and patience-testing game. I finally played Cyberpunk 2077, which was good, but the side missions were far more engaging and interesting than the short main story. Now, I’m playing Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which so far has been good, but I kinda wish I played it before Christmas. Overall, Elden Ring is the best game I played this year. After finishing Spide-Man, if they haven’t come up with any DLC for Elden Ring, maybe I’ll get Demon’s Souls. I already platinumed it on the PS3, but I’m thinkng it will help me get my From Software Soulsbourne fix.

Didn’t think this was going to be a game review entry, did you?