This is one of my favourite Psy songs. The video starts off slow but then it leads into the main song. Hope you enjoy. Side note here.... yes, we all here in Korea admit that Psy is so ugly but he's notoriously known for his awesome tunes and "interesting" costumes.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Thursday, November 30
1. Held a mini quiz game for my level 3 classes. Class 3-1 didn’t care too much about it but class 3-2 got so excited and were jumping up and down! Wow! It was boys against girls. It was a close match but the boys won.
2. In class 3-2 there’s one girl who never speaks English, nor does she listen to me either. I had told her to be quiet. I told her in Korean and in English but she still continued. I made a smart remark and said, “Oh, maybe she’s Chinese”. Apparently all were listening to me and so they busted out laughing. Well, much to everyone’s surprise, she happened to be the most active player in our game. She almost won the game for her team too! So when she answered the first question I was so shocked. I yelled out “Hurray for the Chinese student!” Well… the nickname stuck and I think she really likes it too. ㅋㅋㅋ
3. Like always, my class games always get complaints from fellow teachers. I know my class always tends to get loud but we’re having fun. Shouldn’t learning be fun?! Well, that’s exactly what we’re doing. We laughed so much that by the time the bell rang, my tummy hurt from giggling. ㅋㅋㅋ
4. What started off as a little problem turned into a HUGE scene in my class 2-1. Tony (the school clown) was giving me a really hard time and so I finally had enough. I told him to leave but he refused, so, I gave him two options: option A, walk out of the classroom, option B, I’ll carry him out of the classroom. Either way he has to leave. He wasn’t listening but picked option B.
5. Emptied my pockets, took off my shoes, rolled up my sleeves, and then picked him up. I wasn’t expecting him to be so squirmy and so I ended up kind of dragging him out of the classroom with his classmates hollering and laughing. He struggled to get back into the class and so I locked both doors, the windows and even closed the blinds. After the whole ordeal, I asked them, “Who’s next?”. They didn’t know whether to laugh or not but it sure set the record straight… I will not accept disruptive students in my class.
6. For my after school F.S. Talents club (drama club), I taught them a game called “Mofia”. It’s a cool game based on body language. I think I kind of scared them though with my loud “I’ve been shot” death scene in which I fell off the chair and yelled way too loud... it was alittle too dramatic...ㅋㅋㅋ.
7. Kim Tae made a visit out to the sticks to my school and got to see some of my co-workers. He met the notorious Mr. Jo who, when Kim Tae arrived, was making fun of me (like always)..ㅋㅋㅋ. Bonus points for the 첨치 김밥.
8. Made a visit out to Sue’s house where he father has returned. Last week he was rushed into surgery for his neck. He’ll be off work for the next month but Sue’s loving the fact that it means her hero is home 24/7 for a month.
9. Sue, Sue, Sue… I love Sue! This mini-Korean is my pride and joy of Cheonan! Today I tested out her English. It was out of 215 and I had expected her to get 210… she got perfect! I was excited and so I was all about the high-fives and hugs galore!
10. Day two of my vow and I feel awful. I’m convinced he doesn’t care.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Shouldn't learning be fun?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
In every person who comes near you look for what is good and strong; honor that; try to imitate it, and your faults will drop off like dead leaves when their time comes.
-- John Ruskin
2. In class 3-2 there’s one girl who never speaks English, nor does she listen to me either. I had told her to be quiet. I told her in Korean and in English but she still continued. I made a smart remark and said, “Oh, maybe she’s Chinese”. Apparently all were listening to me and so they busted out laughing. Well, much to everyone’s surprise, she happened to be the most active player in our game. She almost won the game for her team too! So when she answered the first question I was so shocked. I yelled out “Hurray for the Chinese student!” Well… the nickname stuck and I think she really likes it too. ㅋㅋㅋ
3. Like always, my class games always get complaints from fellow teachers. I know my class always tends to get loud but we’re having fun. Shouldn’t learning be fun?! Well, that’s exactly what we’re doing. We laughed so much that by the time the bell rang, my tummy hurt from giggling. ㅋㅋㅋ
4. What started off as a little problem turned into a HUGE scene in my class 2-1. Tony (the school clown) was giving me a really hard time and so I finally had enough. I told him to leave but he refused, so, I gave him two options: option A, walk out of the classroom, option B, I’ll carry him out of the classroom. Either way he has to leave. He wasn’t listening but picked option B.
5. Emptied my pockets, took off my shoes, rolled up my sleeves, and then picked him up. I wasn’t expecting him to be so squirmy and so I ended up kind of dragging him out of the classroom with his classmates hollering and laughing. He struggled to get back into the class and so I locked both doors, the windows and even closed the blinds. After the whole ordeal, I asked them, “Who’s next?”. They didn’t know whether to laugh or not but it sure set the record straight… I will not accept disruptive students in my class.
6. For my after school F.S. Talents club (drama club), I taught them a game called “Mofia”. It’s a cool game based on body language. I think I kind of scared them though with my loud “I’ve been shot” death scene in which I fell off the chair and yelled way too loud... it was alittle too dramatic...ㅋㅋㅋ.
7. Kim Tae made a visit out to the sticks to my school and got to see some of my co-workers. He met the notorious Mr. Jo who, when Kim Tae arrived, was making fun of me (like always)..ㅋㅋㅋ. Bonus points for the 첨치 김밥.
8. Made a visit out to Sue’s house where he father has returned. Last week he was rushed into surgery for his neck. He’ll be off work for the next month but Sue’s loving the fact that it means her hero is home 24/7 for a month.
9. Sue, Sue, Sue… I love Sue! This mini-Korean is my pride and joy of Cheonan! Today I tested out her English. It was out of 215 and I had expected her to get 210… she got perfect! I was excited and so I was all about the high-fives and hugs galore!
10. Day two of my vow and I feel awful. I’m convinced he doesn’t care.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Shouldn't learning be fun?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
In every person who comes near you look for what is good and strong; honor that; try to imitate it, and your faults will drop off like dead leaves when their time comes.
-- John Ruskin
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Wednesday, November 29
1. Ahhh… my favourite group of mini Koreans: my super-hyper, totally energetic, majorly smiley, and super fun Wollang elementary students! ㅋㅋㅋ Yahhh… happy day! I love you Wollang! Today’s classes were all about playing silly English games, team competition activities and singing songs. I introduced them to my much loved Raffi and now they too are addicted to him like I was when I was a kid… ok, ok, so I’ll admit it. I still sing “Banana Phone” and “Baby Beluga” in the shower…ㅋㅋㅋ
2. Wollang students are insanely competitive and so what was planned as a simple test turned into quite the competition, like it always does. Competition is healthy but these kids are all about it… wow! So my 10 question test turned into a 30 question test.
3. So much for doing my hair today. By the time lunch came around, my elementary kids had braided my whole head about 20 times, curled my hair with their fingers and puffed it up. The girls love playing with my bone-straight hair during free-time but when they’re done, it’s left so frizzy, greasy and tangled. ㅋㅋㅋ
4. At lunchtime I always seem to be a celebrity in the lunchroom. I only have 55 students at Wollang but at lunchtime all students are eager to say hi to me and test out their English. Then there’s of course that one boy who continually teases me in Korean. Today he shouted out 할머니 (harmony = grandmother) at me and so I raced over and pretended to eat him.
5. Turns out my joking around and playing with the students wasn’t appreciated by the principle who, if looks could kill, would have killed me right there and then. Of course I’m no fool… nor am I a bore, so I waited till he left and then started up a five student tickle-fest! ㅋㅋㅋ
6. Very funny boys… apparently some student thought it’d be funny to spit on the stairway railing. Well, guess who discovered the wade of spit… yup, me!
7. As always, us female teachers at Wollang parted from the crowd and headed to the nurse’s room for coffee after lunch. Today they were all curious about my weekend events. Turns out these women don’t get out much and so they love my “adventurous” and “exciting” life (… or so that’s what they think of my life, I beg to differ though). So I told them about my frustrations about being beat by Byung Hyuk and Kim Tae at bowling. Next thing I know it, we’re exchanging numbers and supposedly we’re going to have this huge bowling match. Cool!
8. Holy text message marathon!!! At one point I was receiving and sending text messages from Byung Hyuk, Kim Tae, and Colin. I can’t complain though; I am incrediably blessed with the close knit group of friends I’ve acquired here in Korea.
9. The rest of my night consisted of lying in bed. This is the first official day of my vow of silence and so after work I came home and waited… nothing. No sorry, no hi, nothing, nodda, zilch. Who knew two little words ("I'm sorry") would change everything. Tonight I didn't hear them.
10. Someone once told me that what you don’t see someone else will and well, someone else has taken notice. He's not the first, he's not the only, and he won't be the last.... So my advice to you is to either hold on tight or let go, a or b. Just don't leave me hanging or I will learn to hate you. I know you may not understand the details... but... you know.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Love makes the time pass. Time makes love pass... are we there yet?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Love is always patient and kind; it is never jealous; love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take offense, and it is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people's sins but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes. Love does not come to an end.
-- 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Tuesday, November 28
1. Due to last night’s drama, by the morning my eyes still hadn’t returned to normal and so I walked into school with puffy, swollen eyes. Students curiously tried to guess what was wrong. I lied. I told them I had watched a horror movie the night before and had nightmares. They bought my story and left me alone.
2. There I sat in class, on the corner of my desk, giving my class 3-1 a serious talk when all of a sudden I was interrupted by a loud beeping sound. We all thought it was Joe at the back of the room. He’s notorious for pranks. Then it happened again.
3. Finally, I stood up and told Joe to stop. That’s when the beeping stopped too. Talk about my embarrassment when I realized it was me. I had apparently sat on the tape recorder button. Joke for the rest of the day was “Ms. B has a nosey bum”…ㅋㅋㅋ
4. Was pleasantly surprised when one of my students surprised me with 첨치 김밥 (tuna kimbab).
5. Oh the things I so wish I could say, but, due to the fact that people actually do read my homepage (and I know who some of you are) I’ve got specific censorship rules I’ve set for myself. So on that note, I’ll refrain from giving my colourful commentary and say that tonight was too much, too bad, too loud,... too far.
6. Well I guess we both won… Ryan won “Jerk of the Day” by a landslide and I won the award for the “Most broken hearted”. Why we let it get to this level is beyond me. It's like an addiction.... you know it's harmful but you stay for more.
7. “Koreans gone wild” on the next Jerry Springer, starring... pass.
8. Vowed to never speak to Ryan again until he apologizes. I was sorry for my part and I wanted to tell him this, but, he went too far.
9. Kim Tae to the rescue. He took me on a mystery car trip. It got me reminiscing of Sunday car rides with my family, Elim Lodge's country road with us three kids bouncing around in dad’s old trailer, and that ice cream shop out beside that smelly barn. I amused Kim Tae with my numerous stories but it made me really miss my family. I do think of you guys everyday!
10. We drove and drove… and drove… then finally arrived. I stepped out of the car. There I stood, beside the sea. It was beautiful, peaceful,.. perfect. Despite the chilly night temperatures, we stood talking. It was nice. I scanned the area and already spotted a bench I’ll be claiming in the summer as mine…ㅋㅋㅋ.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Since when did love become so painful?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
If we lose love, we lose it for a reason,that reason maybe hard to understand,but whatever it is,we just have to believe that, God takes away when,he has something better to give..
-- Kee-cee De Guzman
2. There I sat in class, on the corner of my desk, giving my class 3-1 a serious talk when all of a sudden I was interrupted by a loud beeping sound. We all thought it was Joe at the back of the room. He’s notorious for pranks. Then it happened again.
3. Finally, I stood up and told Joe to stop. That’s when the beeping stopped too. Talk about my embarrassment when I realized it was me. I had apparently sat on the tape recorder button. Joke for the rest of the day was “Ms. B has a nosey bum”…ㅋㅋㅋ
4. Was pleasantly surprised when one of my students surprised me with 첨치 김밥 (tuna kimbab).
5. Oh the things I so wish I could say, but, due to the fact that people actually do read my homepage (and I know who some of you are) I’ve got specific censorship rules I’ve set for myself. So on that note, I’ll refrain from giving my colourful commentary and say that tonight was too much, too bad, too loud,... too far.
6. Well I guess we both won… Ryan won “Jerk of the Day” by a landslide and I won the award for the “Most broken hearted”. Why we let it get to this level is beyond me. It's like an addiction.... you know it's harmful but you stay for more.
7. “Koreans gone wild” on the next Jerry Springer, starring... pass.
8. Vowed to never speak to Ryan again until he apologizes. I was sorry for my part and I wanted to tell him this, but, he went too far.
9. Kim Tae to the rescue. He took me on a mystery car trip. It got me reminiscing of Sunday car rides with my family, Elim Lodge's country road with us three kids bouncing around in dad’s old trailer, and that ice cream shop out beside that smelly barn. I amused Kim Tae with my numerous stories but it made me really miss my family. I do think of you guys everyday!
10. We drove and drove… and drove… then finally arrived. I stepped out of the car. There I stood, beside the sea. It was beautiful, peaceful,.. perfect. Despite the chilly night temperatures, we stood talking. It was nice. I scanned the area and already spotted a bench I’ll be claiming in the summer as mine…ㅋㅋㅋ.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Since when did love become so painful?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
If we lose love, we lose it for a reason,that reason maybe hard to understand,but whatever it is,we just have to believe that, God takes away when,he has something better to give..
-- Kee-cee De Guzman
Monday, November 27, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Monday, November 27
1. Woke up to PE Teacher calling my cell. Needless to say I had to take a taxi. I arrived with plenty of time till my class but Monday mornings always start with a staff meeting.
2. Cautiously strolled into work and was surprised to find that I wasn’t the only one late. Others came in shortly after me and the staff meeting started late.
3. Last Thursday I had asked my level 3 students to write a letter to me. I was curious about their English levels. There was no designated topic but most choose to write about their future dreams. Today I sat down and read them.
4. Have to admit I was highly amused at what they wrote! Michelle aimed high with her future dreams. She wants to become an art teacher, minister and a history teacher…wow! Shine ditched his dream of becoming a PE teacher and now claims he wants to become a cell phone designer. Where as Conner, he just dreams of having a girlfriend and a new guitar…ㅋㅋㅋ
5. Last Thursday the mother’s of my boy band students took me out for lunch. Well, between Thursday and today, the parents have been talking apparently and so today it was the talk of my level 3 class. I had told one mother that I will get married one day. Well “one day” turned into “soon” and so I was bombarded with students asking if they’ll be invited to my wedding…ㅋㅋㅋ.
6. My planned lesson was totally scrapped and instead, we discussed my supposed “wedding” all period. It was quite humorous and left me crying with tears of laughter afterward! Me get married?... to who?! ㅋㅋㅋ.
7. All the teachers loved my new jacket but Mr. Jo had a field day on it, claiming the fur was raccoon! He’s always jokes but that’s exactly why I like him so much! ㅋㅋㅋ
8. Sometime ago I connected with a lady named Aimee via my homepage. We instantly connected because we’re both Western gals who came to Korea, fell in love with the food, the culture, and the men! However, she now lives in the States with her Korean man (whom she married). I got an email from her today and am happy to say that she’ll be coming back to Korea in 2008. Cool! Louis from my old school (SLP) is also visiting Korea. He’ll be here December 6th. Very cool.
9. Although I didn’t have my first steady boyfriend until I was 18, I’ve dated my share of guys but I feel like I know less about relationships now than when I first started! And being in Korea is just complicating things, or so I think. I use to think that because love is universal, than the do’s and don’ts in relationships would be the same too. Wrong… I couldn’t have been more wrong than I was today.
10. January, January, January, January, January… it’s the one golden word that’s been keeping me sane lately… January, January, January, January, January!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
How many days until it's January?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
My goal is to understand a little corner of God's plan.
-- Henry Schaefer
2. Cautiously strolled into work and was surprised to find that I wasn’t the only one late. Others came in shortly after me and the staff meeting started late.
3. Last Thursday I had asked my level 3 students to write a letter to me. I was curious about their English levels. There was no designated topic but most choose to write about their future dreams. Today I sat down and read them.
4. Have to admit I was highly amused at what they wrote! Michelle aimed high with her future dreams. She wants to become an art teacher, minister and a history teacher…wow! Shine ditched his dream of becoming a PE teacher and now claims he wants to become a cell phone designer. Where as Conner, he just dreams of having a girlfriend and a new guitar…ㅋㅋㅋ
5. Last Thursday the mother’s of my boy band students took me out for lunch. Well, between Thursday and today, the parents have been talking apparently and so today it was the talk of my level 3 class. I had told one mother that I will get married one day. Well “one day” turned into “soon” and so I was bombarded with students asking if they’ll be invited to my wedding…ㅋㅋㅋ.
6. My planned lesson was totally scrapped and instead, we discussed my supposed “wedding” all period. It was quite humorous and left me crying with tears of laughter afterward! Me get married?... to who?! ㅋㅋㅋ.
7. All the teachers loved my new jacket but Mr. Jo had a field day on it, claiming the fur was raccoon! He’s always jokes but that’s exactly why I like him so much! ㅋㅋㅋ
8. Sometime ago I connected with a lady named Aimee via my homepage. We instantly connected because we’re both Western gals who came to Korea, fell in love with the food, the culture, and the men! However, she now lives in the States with her Korean man (whom she married). I got an email from her today and am happy to say that she’ll be coming back to Korea in 2008. Cool! Louis from my old school (SLP) is also visiting Korea. He’ll be here December 6th. Very cool.
9. Although I didn’t have my first steady boyfriend until I was 18, I’ve dated my share of guys but I feel like I know less about relationships now than when I first started! And being in Korea is just complicating things, or so I think. I use to think that because love is universal, than the do’s and don’ts in relationships would be the same too. Wrong… I couldn’t have been more wrong than I was today.
10. January, January, January, January, January… it’s the one golden word that’s been keeping me sane lately… January, January, January, January, January!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
How many days until it's January?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
My goal is to understand a little corner of God's plan.
-- Henry Schaefer
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Sunday, November 26
1. She Ann called me up today and so we went to see a movie at Yawoori. We watched “Step Up”. It was a typical movie where the bad boy meets a good girl, turns into a good boy and wins the girl. Nonetheless, it was a fun movie.
2. I think She Ann giggles more than me… is that possible? Hmm… maybe it’s a tie. ㅋㅋㅋ.
3. It’s official, as of today, She Ann’s English name is Felicia. I picked it for her. It means “happy”. One minor problem though, due to Korean pronunciation and the fact that there’s no “f” in their alphabet, she can’t exactly pronounce her name.ㅋㅋㅋ. “Felicia” turned into “Pelicia” when she tried to say it. ㅋㅋㅋ. So cute!
4. Headed out for a friendly game of bowling with Byung Hyuk and Kim Tae. I remember the first time we bowled, that’s when I first started talking to Kim Tae. I had originally thought Byung Hyuk had brought Kim Tae, thinking that Kim Tae was a bad bowler and thus would get stuck paying. However, out of the three of us, Kim Tae is the best. ㅋㅋㅋ
5. Watching Byung Hyuk and Kim Tae… too funny. I argued that they weren’t allowed to help each other but someone should tell them to stop dropping the ball from like 4 feet from the alley…ㅋㅋㅋ
5. I can’t believe I lost to two boys!!! Got my butt kicked at bowling tonight. Mind ya, I lost the second game by one point. It all came down to the last frame but I broke under pressure. ㅋㅋㅋ.
7. Loser had to pay for the game. I was the loser… but I was a cute loser.ㅋㅋㅋ
8. Just great… all the light bulbs on my family room chandlier are all out now. Now I know changing the bulbs isn’t rocket science but getting the chandlier is a bit tricky. The wall is over 12 feet high. And, if that wasn’t bad enough, the light bulb in my bathroom blew too and I don’t know how to take the light about to get to the bulbs.
9. With over half of my house being stuck in darkness, I resorted to candles. How romantic… ㅋㅋㅋ. Late night candle light dish washing and even laundry by candle light. Not too sure how I’ll look tomorrow seeing as I’ll be getting ready for work by candle light…ㅋㅋㅋ
10. Thanks to all who have responded to my poll questions. I noticed that no one really answers or understands my question of the day and so today I thought I’d make a new addition to my homepage…. Not too sure on how long I'll keep up with this but here's the first poll question of the day.. enjoy.
2. I think She Ann giggles more than me… is that possible? Hmm… maybe it’s a tie. ㅋㅋㅋ.
3. It’s official, as of today, She Ann’s English name is Felicia. I picked it for her. It means “happy”. One minor problem though, due to Korean pronunciation and the fact that there’s no “f” in their alphabet, she can’t exactly pronounce her name.ㅋㅋㅋ. “Felicia” turned into “Pelicia” when she tried to say it. ㅋㅋㅋ. So cute!
4. Headed out for a friendly game of bowling with Byung Hyuk and Kim Tae. I remember the first time we bowled, that’s when I first started talking to Kim Tae. I had originally thought Byung Hyuk had brought Kim Tae, thinking that Kim Tae was a bad bowler and thus would get stuck paying. However, out of the three of us, Kim Tae is the best. ㅋㅋㅋ
5. Watching Byung Hyuk and Kim Tae… too funny. I argued that they weren’t allowed to help each other but someone should tell them to stop dropping the ball from like 4 feet from the alley…ㅋㅋㅋ
5. I can’t believe I lost to two boys!!! Got my butt kicked at bowling tonight. Mind ya, I lost the second game by one point. It all came down to the last frame but I broke under pressure. ㅋㅋㅋ.
7. Loser had to pay for the game. I was the loser… but I was a cute loser.ㅋㅋㅋ
8. Just great… all the light bulbs on my family room chandlier are all out now. Now I know changing the bulbs isn’t rocket science but getting the chandlier is a bit tricky. The wall is over 12 feet high. And, if that wasn’t bad enough, the light bulb in my bathroom blew too and I don’t know how to take the light about to get to the bulbs.
9. With over half of my house being stuck in darkness, I resorted to candles. How romantic… ㅋㅋㅋ. Late night candle light dish washing and even laundry by candle light. Not too sure how I’ll look tomorrow seeing as I’ll be getting ready for work by candle light…ㅋㅋㅋ
10. Thanks to all who have responded to my poll questions. I noticed that no one really answers or understands my question of the day and so today I thought I’d make a new addition to my homepage…. Not too sure on how long I'll keep up with this but here's the first poll question of the day.. enjoy.
POLL QUESTION OF THE DAY...
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Friends are relatives you make for yourself.
-- Eustache Deschamps
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Saturday, November 25
1. The pain of last night continues!!! Woke up only to discover that last night I had apparently lost my favourite lip gloss! Must…have… lip…gloss! I’m an addict…ㅋㅋㅋ.
2. Had lunch at TGIF where I’m always amused at how the waitresses make me feel like a local celebrity…ㅋㅋㅋ.
3. My newest addiction (besides lipgloss… which has been a long time addiction for me) are rice ball donuts. It’s a deep fried ball of rice that’s soft and filled with red bean paste. Yummy!
4. Despite my unlikely ness towards Itaewon, I found myself venturing out there again today to go see a jacket I spotted last night.
5. Itaewon is always an “interesting” place to visit. I only come here twice a year max and so today was my second and last visit for the year. Itaewon is definitely not real Korea though but instead is a totally Americanized city filled with your local rap star wannabe’s, houchie mamas, and random geeky Western men coupling off with beautiful Korean women.
6. Opted out for the original jacket I saw and instead, fell in love with this fox-fur, lamb-skin leather jacket. It was beautiful but way too pricy for me.
7. Between the storekeeper bombarding me with flattery and Ryan bargaining for a discount, I didn’t know what was going on. I stood there, smiled, gave it my best effort at using my Korean shopping dialogue and added the occasional comment here and there. Ended up buying the jacket for 2/3rds the original price. Cool!
8. Despite now feeling desperately poor (ㅋㅋㅋ) I felt so incredibly beautiful in my new coat, which I should mention here, was the envy of many passer-byers.ㅋㅋㅋ
8. Got convinced (partly nagged, actually) to go for supper with Shin Woo, his fiancée, Woon Gyu, and Ryan. Dinner consisted of deep-fried fish, sushi, and sautéed fish… it was too fishy for me and so they offered me chicken salad… that had fish in it. I ate one fish head and that was enough for me!
9. Well, what do you know?! Ryan and I took the bus back to Cheonan and this time we took it together (as oppose to last time… we won’t go there!!!)
10. Ryan’s turned into quite the studious student. I feel asleep on the couch and woke up around 3am to find him still studying English. Impressive. I hope my Korean will be as good as his English one day!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do you want to touch it?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
I will not eat oysters. I want my food dead - not sick, not wounded - dead.
-- Woody Allen
2. Had lunch at TGIF where I’m always amused at how the waitresses make me feel like a local celebrity…ㅋㅋㅋ.
3. My newest addiction (besides lipgloss… which has been a long time addiction for me) are rice ball donuts. It’s a deep fried ball of rice that’s soft and filled with red bean paste. Yummy!
4. Despite my unlikely ness towards Itaewon, I found myself venturing out there again today to go see a jacket I spotted last night.
5. Itaewon is always an “interesting” place to visit. I only come here twice a year max and so today was my second and last visit for the year. Itaewon is definitely not real Korea though but instead is a totally Americanized city filled with your local rap star wannabe’s, houchie mamas, and random geeky Western men coupling off with beautiful Korean women.
6. Opted out for the original jacket I saw and instead, fell in love with this fox-fur, lamb-skin leather jacket. It was beautiful but way too pricy for me.
7. Between the storekeeper bombarding me with flattery and Ryan bargaining for a discount, I didn’t know what was going on. I stood there, smiled, gave it my best effort at using my Korean shopping dialogue and added the occasional comment here and there. Ended up buying the jacket for 2/3rds the original price. Cool!
8. Despite now feeling desperately poor (ㅋㅋㅋ) I felt so incredibly beautiful in my new coat, which I should mention here, was the envy of many passer-byers.ㅋㅋㅋ
8. Got convinced (partly nagged, actually) to go for supper with Shin Woo, his fiancée, Woon Gyu, and Ryan. Dinner consisted of deep-fried fish, sushi, and sautéed fish… it was too fishy for me and so they offered me chicken salad… that had fish in it. I ate one fish head and that was enough for me!
9. Well, what do you know?! Ryan and I took the bus back to Cheonan and this time we took it together (as oppose to last time… we won’t go there!!!)
10. Ryan’s turned into quite the studious student. I feel asleep on the couch and woke up around 3am to find him still studying English. Impressive. I hope my Korean will be as good as his English one day!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do you want to touch it?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
I will not eat oysters. I want my food dead - not sick, not wounded - dead.
-- Woody Allen
Friday, November 24, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Friday, November 24
1. Only in Korea would a straight man be proudly selling make-up and no one assumes he’s gay! I love it.
2. Wonder Woman always rants and raves about the exciting “adventurous” parties she has and so tonight I went out to experience it for myself. Today was her birthday and so I headed out to Itaewon, Seoul to celebrate with her despite knowing full well I’d be bombarded by foreigners and American soldiers.
3. My 1 hour bus ride turned into a 2 & 1/2 ride due to traffic. Finally showed up in Seoul, met up with B, and headed to Wonder Woman’s party where it was obvious I didn’t fit in. It was cool to hang out with B but once he left, oh gosh… I was left to endure it on my own! Wonder Woman, I like you a lot but please never invite me out to any more parties! This was my first and last.
4. Wonder Woman, like always, was all about hugging and kissing my face (no, not the lips). She’s so proud to tell everyone that I’m her good friend. So much for wearing make-up though, by the end of the night she had kissed off all my blush and foundation…ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. Funniest part of the whole night was when we went to this one club. It was totally empty. They had offered us complimentary oranges (which I took full advantage of) and well, in my attempts to bring life to this desperately dying party, I threw a piece of orange across the room and nailed Henry (Wonder Woman’s friend) right in the head. I did that twice. His attempts weren’t as successful as mine though. His first piece ended up hitting this Star Trek geek, who looked like he was going to kill Henry. His second piece than hit the bartender!!! ㅋㅋㅋ
6. Am pretty sure I was voted “Party-pooper of the Night” for refusing to flirt with random foreigner guys, not acting like an alcoholic and drowning in liquor like others, and for not being loud and obnoxious like the main crowd.
7. For the most part, I kept quite, observed and chatted with Ann’s husband… the Richard Gere of Korean men… WOW!!!
8. My hero of the night was this super sweet Korean waiter at the last bar we went to. He knew I wasn’t exactly having fun and so he occasionally came over and talked to me.
9. The best part of my whole night was when the party actually ended and we went our separate ways. As I stood there waiting for a taxi, the waiter from the bar came out and invited me back in. By then the bar was empty. He cooked us some ramyun so we sat in the plush luxurious-looking sofa eating it. His English wasn’t the greatest but “A” for effort. He was incredibly sweet but I felt rather awkward being there with him considering the totally romantic atmosphere of the bar and given the fact that we were the only two there.
10. Decided that I better get going and so I head out to Seoul Station. My train was scheduled for 5:25am and so, with two hours to wait, I headed to a PC room and chatted to Davey-Boy on msn. Until it’s official… your secret is safe with me!!! Well, that’s not exactly true… I did tell Ryan. So exciting!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Hey ladies, have you ever heard of the word "alcholic"?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Gee, what a terrific party. Later on we'll get some fluid and embalm each other.
-- Neil Simon
2. Wonder Woman always rants and raves about the exciting “adventurous” parties she has and so tonight I went out to experience it for myself. Today was her birthday and so I headed out to Itaewon, Seoul to celebrate with her despite knowing full well I’d be bombarded by foreigners and American soldiers.
3. My 1 hour bus ride turned into a 2 & 1/2 ride due to traffic. Finally showed up in Seoul, met up with B, and headed to Wonder Woman’s party where it was obvious I didn’t fit in. It was cool to hang out with B but once he left, oh gosh… I was left to endure it on my own! Wonder Woman, I like you a lot but please never invite me out to any more parties! This was my first and last.
4. Wonder Woman, like always, was all about hugging and kissing my face (no, not the lips). She’s so proud to tell everyone that I’m her good friend. So much for wearing make-up though, by the end of the night she had kissed off all my blush and foundation…ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. Funniest part of the whole night was when we went to this one club. It was totally empty. They had offered us complimentary oranges (which I took full advantage of) and well, in my attempts to bring life to this desperately dying party, I threw a piece of orange across the room and nailed Henry (Wonder Woman’s friend) right in the head. I did that twice. His attempts weren’t as successful as mine though. His first piece ended up hitting this Star Trek geek, who looked like he was going to kill Henry. His second piece than hit the bartender!!! ㅋㅋㅋ
6. Am pretty sure I was voted “Party-pooper of the Night” for refusing to flirt with random foreigner guys, not acting like an alcoholic and drowning in liquor like others, and for not being loud and obnoxious like the main crowd.
7. For the most part, I kept quite, observed and chatted with Ann’s husband… the Richard Gere of Korean men… WOW!!!
8. My hero of the night was this super sweet Korean waiter at the last bar we went to. He knew I wasn’t exactly having fun and so he occasionally came over and talked to me.
9. The best part of my whole night was when the party actually ended and we went our separate ways. As I stood there waiting for a taxi, the waiter from the bar came out and invited me back in. By then the bar was empty. He cooked us some ramyun so we sat in the plush luxurious-looking sofa eating it. His English wasn’t the greatest but “A” for effort. He was incredibly sweet but I felt rather awkward being there with him considering the totally romantic atmosphere of the bar and given the fact that we were the only two there.
10. Decided that I better get going and so I head out to Seoul Station. My train was scheduled for 5:25am and so, with two hours to wait, I headed to a PC room and chatted to Davey-Boy on msn. Until it’s official… your secret is safe with me!!! Well, that’s not exactly true… I did tell Ryan. So exciting!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Hey ladies, have you ever heard of the word "alcholic"?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Gee, what a terrific party. Later on we'll get some fluid and embalm each other.
-- Neil Simon
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Highlights of the Day... Thursday, November 23
1. Pre-Christmas bonus… I got tomorrow morning off! Sweet! Apparently my elementary school will be busy tomorrow with some kind of ceremony and so all morning classes have been cancelled! Cool.
2. Well, technically even though my Friday morning will be free, I’m suppose to go into work at the middle school. But I never have Friday afternoon classes and so Mrs. Chung and I put our heads together and thought of an excuse why I won’t be at work tomorrow afternoon… I have a “physical check-up”. I wasn’t exactly lying. I am having a physical check-up… physically checking-up on my friends though! ㅋㅋㅋ. Mrs. Chung thought that was so hilarious.
3. After spending way too much time on this butt-kicking power point presentation/lesson for my level 3 classes, my computer in the English classroom had a melt-down!!! Oh my gosh!
4. Still struggling with a sore throat and a brutal husky voice…ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. Yesterday’s phrase of the day for some of my level 3 girls (“diahrea of the mouth”) has been flying around the school apparently. Today one of my favourite students, Ryan, approached me and asked, “Ms. B, do I have diahrea of the mouth?” I instantly bursted out in laughter… definitely the funniest thing I heard all day! ㅋㅋㅋ
6. The school clown, Tony, gave quite the exaggerated and dramatic reaction when I called him 바보 (dumb) in class as a joke. He knew I was purely joking but insisted that if I was sorry than I’d hug him… no way! This is the same kid that yells out “I love Ms.B” in the halls, always tries to kiss my hand, and stands way too close to me. Pure troublemaker!!! ㅋㅋㅋ
7. Got news that Sue’s father had some kind of accident. He’s been rushed to a hospital in Seoul where he’s undergoing surgery on his neck. Word has it that he’ll be there for at least a week.
8. With Sue’s mom in Seoul with her husband, today I got to meet Sue’s grandmother who’s staying over for the time being. She’s about 5 feet tall, super smiley, super cute, and greeted me wearing this super-ultra retro orange psychedelic long dress that I’m pretty sure was a nightgown. She was so sweet too!
9. Sue’s always super curious about learning how to box and so tonight I taught her how to jab. In my efforts, I ended up getting punched in the bum. Sue’s grandma had quite a good laugh over it but it hurt!
10. Coffee time with Kim Tae.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do you know what a "monkeyphant" is?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
-- Robert Heinlein
2. Well, technically even though my Friday morning will be free, I’m suppose to go into work at the middle school. But I never have Friday afternoon classes and so Mrs. Chung and I put our heads together and thought of an excuse why I won’t be at work tomorrow afternoon… I have a “physical check-up”. I wasn’t exactly lying. I am having a physical check-up… physically checking-up on my friends though! ㅋㅋㅋ. Mrs. Chung thought that was so hilarious.
3. After spending way too much time on this butt-kicking power point presentation/lesson for my level 3 classes, my computer in the English classroom had a melt-down!!! Oh my gosh!
4. Still struggling with a sore throat and a brutal husky voice…ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. Yesterday’s phrase of the day for some of my level 3 girls (“diahrea of the mouth”) has been flying around the school apparently. Today one of my favourite students, Ryan, approached me and asked, “Ms. B, do I have diahrea of the mouth?” I instantly bursted out in laughter… definitely the funniest thing I heard all day! ㅋㅋㅋ
6. The school clown, Tony, gave quite the exaggerated and dramatic reaction when I called him 바보 (dumb) in class as a joke. He knew I was purely joking but insisted that if I was sorry than I’d hug him… no way! This is the same kid that yells out “I love Ms.B” in the halls, always tries to kiss my hand, and stands way too close to me. Pure troublemaker!!! ㅋㅋㅋ
7. Got news that Sue’s father had some kind of accident. He’s been rushed to a hospital in Seoul where he’s undergoing surgery on his neck. Word has it that he’ll be there for at least a week.
8. With Sue’s mom in Seoul with her husband, today I got to meet Sue’s grandmother who’s staying over for the time being. She’s about 5 feet tall, super smiley, super cute, and greeted me wearing this super-ultra retro orange psychedelic long dress that I’m pretty sure was a nightgown. She was so sweet too!
9. Sue’s always super curious about learning how to box and so tonight I taught her how to jab. In my efforts, I ended up getting punched in the bum. Sue’s grandma had quite a good laugh over it but it hurt!
10. Coffee time with Kim Tae.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do you know what a "monkeyphant" is?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
-- Robert Heinlein
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Wednesday, November 22
1. Was incredibly entertained by my level 5 elementary class today. I had taught them a hip, jazzy version of the classic children’s song, “Five little Monkeys Jumping on a Bed”. Five students acted as the monkeys and so they had to dance and act out the song. The others then had to pick their favourite monkey. Joe won as “best monkey” with his outrageous monkey sounds and super silly monkey dance moves. Joe… you’re an awesome kid!!!
2. Am convinced I’m going to have my own mini Korean one day! After hearing the heartbreaking stories of my very own students and how so many of them have been abandoned by their mother, or both parents, I can’t help but want to give them some kind of family and show them what love really is. Today another student of mine was ditched by their parent. His mother took off and left him with his father. I’m shocked. In Canada, it’s the fathers that usually leave but here in Korea, it’s the mothers. I don’t understand how you can carry this child in your body for 9 months, give birth and then just leave them?! I’ve always believed a mother has a special extra bond with her child but, apparently, that means nothing to some people.
3. Highlight of my day today was riding the school bus back to Eumbong. As all the Wollang elementary kids filed off the bus, the little girl who always fights to sit with me turned, gave me a kiss on my cheek and called me “older sister”. I was so shocked but so flattered!
4. I got dropped off at the bottom of Eumbong Middle School’s driveway. Now every Wednesday both I and one of my middle school student’s sisters get dropped off here after lunch. Usually the little girl is super shy and hurries home but today she reached out and held my hand.
5. I was graced with the presence of our school’s young Mr. Computer Doctor. He’s like a little Korean doll with his name brand clothes, sleek eye glasses and perma hair…ㅋㅋㅋ.
6. My level 3 students will be picking their high school soon and so the school once again is flooding with parents. I studied Korean for almost 2 hours today and so it was great to have all the parents wondering in and out of the school. It gave me plenty of opportunity to practice my Korean and they loved it! ㅋㅋㅋ.
7. Decided to go for a change in hair style and so I strolled over to She Ann’s hair salon. She was all giggles and smiles to see me but I was kind of nervous about getting my hair cut. She Ann’s an awesome stylist though and it’s obvious that she knows a lot about style. She cut about 3-4 inches off in various areas and I love it! Thanks She Ann!
8. Made an addition to my elite circle of friends. His English name is Colin and he’s She Ann’s close friend. I met him while I was getting my hair cut. His English is really impressive but I was most impressed with his comment about She Ann. He said that they use to date and that he believes he’s her soul mate… wow! What a sweetheart!
9. Turns out She Ann has a stripper’s English name… Coco! Oh my gosh. When she told me this I bursted out in laughter. A beautiful woman like She Ann should never be called Coco!!! So now I’m on a mission to find the perfect English name for her.
10. Koreans are all about “service”! Whether I’m at LotteMart, EMart, or even the local gas station, Koreans always offer free things and say it’s “service”. Tonight She Ann gave me huge “service” by surprising me with a free hair cut. Cool!!!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's a good English name appropriate for a woman like She Ann?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Friends QuotesFor it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.
-- Judy Garland
2. Am convinced I’m going to have my own mini Korean one day! After hearing the heartbreaking stories of my very own students and how so many of them have been abandoned by their mother, or both parents, I can’t help but want to give them some kind of family and show them what love really is. Today another student of mine was ditched by their parent. His mother took off and left him with his father. I’m shocked. In Canada, it’s the fathers that usually leave but here in Korea, it’s the mothers. I don’t understand how you can carry this child in your body for 9 months, give birth and then just leave them?! I’ve always believed a mother has a special extra bond with her child but, apparently, that means nothing to some people.
3. Highlight of my day today was riding the school bus back to Eumbong. As all the Wollang elementary kids filed off the bus, the little girl who always fights to sit with me turned, gave me a kiss on my cheek and called me “older sister”. I was so shocked but so flattered!
4. I got dropped off at the bottom of Eumbong Middle School’s driveway. Now every Wednesday both I and one of my middle school student’s sisters get dropped off here after lunch. Usually the little girl is super shy and hurries home but today she reached out and held my hand.
5. I was graced with the presence of our school’s young Mr. Computer Doctor. He’s like a little Korean doll with his name brand clothes, sleek eye glasses and perma hair…ㅋㅋㅋ.
6. My level 3 students will be picking their high school soon and so the school once again is flooding with parents. I studied Korean for almost 2 hours today and so it was great to have all the parents wondering in and out of the school. It gave me plenty of opportunity to practice my Korean and they loved it! ㅋㅋㅋ.
7. Decided to go for a change in hair style and so I strolled over to She Ann’s hair salon. She was all giggles and smiles to see me but I was kind of nervous about getting my hair cut. She Ann’s an awesome stylist though and it’s obvious that she knows a lot about style. She cut about 3-4 inches off in various areas and I love it! Thanks She Ann!
8. Made an addition to my elite circle of friends. His English name is Colin and he’s She Ann’s close friend. I met him while I was getting my hair cut. His English is really impressive but I was most impressed with his comment about She Ann. He said that they use to date and that he believes he’s her soul mate… wow! What a sweetheart!
9. Turns out She Ann has a stripper’s English name… Coco! Oh my gosh. When she told me this I bursted out in laughter. A beautiful woman like She Ann should never be called Coco!!! So now I’m on a mission to find the perfect English name for her.
10. Koreans are all about “service”! Whether I’m at LotteMart, EMart, or even the local gas station, Koreans always offer free things and say it’s “service”. Tonight She Ann gave me huge “service” by surprising me with a free hair cut. Cool!!!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's a good English name appropriate for a woman like She Ann?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Friends QuotesFor it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.
-- Judy Garland
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Tuesday, November 21
1. After falling asleep in Mr. PE Teacher’s truck on the way to school, I accidentally banged my head on the window. Mr. PE Teacher was highly amused but I’m sure a bruise will soon form.
2. Because of the fact that last night was super busy and I didn’t get to really sit down and relax till about 11pm, by second period today I was past my personal limit of only 2 cups of coffee and was venturing onto my 3rd cup.
3. With my throat still hurting and my voice hanging on by a thread, I got frustrated with my 1-1 class and threatened to throw a shoe at a kid. It was soooo funny! They screamed out, “Ahhh… No, not the smelly shoe!” Hey, that’s not true. My shoes smell like flowers….ㅋㅋㅋ.
4. Perfect hair day…ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. I had written a radio show presentation for my level 2 classes, it was called “Good Morning Korea” (a total run-off on “Good morning Vietnam”). Today they had their presentations. After I gave out voting ballets and allowed the students pick the winning group.
6. Little Ms. Bully and her group clearly kicked butt with their presentation but it’s clear that students want nothing to do with her still because of her nasty bullying of the new student. Consequently, her group only got one vote!
7. I personally felt bad for Little Ms. Bully’s group members but, on the same note, I was proud of the class for making such an obvious statement. What she did was totally wrong and as a result, she’s changed everything. They’ll never forget.
8. Decided to take the night of training and instead, kicked back, got take-out for dinner, and watched soccer.
9. Apparently someone’s been teaching Ryan bad English words, bad in the sense that they’re swear words and I don’t quite think he knows what he’s saying. He practiced such words during the soccer game and I was shocked. The result… us arguing and throwing pickles at each other…ㅋㅋㅋ.
10. Oh the horror… ran out of milk. Those who know me well know that I’m a notorious milk monster…ㅋㅋㅋ. I was devastated…ㅋㅋㅋ.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Got milk?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Milk does a body good.
-- Milk Advertising slogan
2. Because of the fact that last night was super busy and I didn’t get to really sit down and relax till about 11pm, by second period today I was past my personal limit of only 2 cups of coffee and was venturing onto my 3rd cup.
3. With my throat still hurting and my voice hanging on by a thread, I got frustrated with my 1-1 class and threatened to throw a shoe at a kid. It was soooo funny! They screamed out, “Ahhh… No, not the smelly shoe!” Hey, that’s not true. My shoes smell like flowers….ㅋㅋㅋ.
4. Perfect hair day…ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. I had written a radio show presentation for my level 2 classes, it was called “Good Morning Korea” (a total run-off on “Good morning Vietnam”). Today they had their presentations. After I gave out voting ballets and allowed the students pick the winning group.
6. Little Ms. Bully and her group clearly kicked butt with their presentation but it’s clear that students want nothing to do with her still because of her nasty bullying of the new student. Consequently, her group only got one vote!
7. I personally felt bad for Little Ms. Bully’s group members but, on the same note, I was proud of the class for making such an obvious statement. What she did was totally wrong and as a result, she’s changed everything. They’ll never forget.
8. Decided to take the night of training and instead, kicked back, got take-out for dinner, and watched soccer.
9. Apparently someone’s been teaching Ryan bad English words, bad in the sense that they’re swear words and I don’t quite think he knows what he’s saying. He practiced such words during the soccer game and I was shocked. The result… us arguing and throwing pickles at each other…ㅋㅋㅋ.
10. Oh the horror… ran out of milk. Those who know me well know that I’m a notorious milk monster…ㅋㅋㅋ. I was devastated…ㅋㅋㅋ.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Got milk?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Milk does a body good.
-- Milk Advertising slogan
Monday, November 20, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Monday, November 20
1. English phrase of the day for my middle school level 3 girls “diahrea of the mouth”. I think it’s pretty self-explanatory but if you need an explanation, someone who has “diahrea of the mouth” is someone who talks non-stop and talks about anything and everything. By lunchtime my level 3 girls had diagnosed half the students with “diahrea of the mouth”…ㅋㅋㅋ.
2. Mrs. Chung’s husband returned from China this past weekend and he had brought with him a gift for her… how romantic. He gave her pearl earrings and a beautiful pearl necklace. However, by 3rd period she had lost an earring and so a school-wide search started up when she offered a 20,000 won reward for the missing earring. No one found the earring.
3. Both my vice-principle and a co-worker wrote a hugely competitive 6 hour English test yesterday. It’s the first of three tests but it was the most important one. So, today us women on staff took my co-worker out for lunch.
4. My co-worker/ friend, Ms. Lai (she’s only a year older than me but I call her Ms. Lai) came into work today with perma hair! Now I’m officially the last woman at work that doesn’t have permed hair. Pressure is on…ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. The deal was if Ryan surprised me by picking me up at school, I’d go home. But, if he didn’t come than I’d join the rest of the staff for dinner at a local restaurant. I had so many things to do tonight and so I was hoping he’d show up. He never came.
6. Staff outings always turn into interesting events…ㅋㅋㅋ. There’s always way too much food, so much chatting, lots of laughter, and the men always drink too much. My attempt to sneak out was noticed but I played it off as if I was going to the bathroom with my bag and notebook computer…ㅋㅋㅋ. Mr. P.E. Teacher came after me and tried to stop me. He’s so cute with his big head…ㅋㅋㅋ.
7. Gave Byung Hyuk relationship advice 1-0-1 in regards to romance after he told me that his girlfriend cried over her birthday gift. I thought he gave her a great gift but then again, I’m a tom-boy and she’s a girly-girl. So, I advised him that all girls love candles and sweet things.
8. In doing Byunk Hyuk’s English reading homework, I came across some strange findings. There was the confusing love triangle, the questioning of who poisoned who, and then the idea that the main character had sexual relations with the man she loved after he was murdered (the evidence being one strand of hair found on his corpse). Needless to say, this was rather awkward explaining this to Byung Hyuk. He was so confused but it turned into a rather amusing debate.
9. Lots of new faces at the gym. I was particularly curious about this older man who had probably one of the best bodies at the gym.. second to Byung Hyuk that is. ㅋㅋㅋ I think it’s awesome that he’s maintained such good health despite his years. I’m sure he could out-beat any guy half his age!
10. After getting laughed at by three young punks at the gym who obviously found it funny that I spoke to them in Korean, I then turned to them and told them off. It was actually quite amusing to see their reaction but I was more amused by the fact that I could bench more than them…ㅋㅋㅋ! Thanks to Byung Hyuk, I now have more creative and useful phrases to say to them next time. 쪼개냐... ㅋㅋㅋ
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What are you laughing at?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
That's impossible. It can't stand!
-- Byung Hyuk
2. Mrs. Chung’s husband returned from China this past weekend and he had brought with him a gift for her… how romantic. He gave her pearl earrings and a beautiful pearl necklace. However, by 3rd period she had lost an earring and so a school-wide search started up when she offered a 20,000 won reward for the missing earring. No one found the earring.
3. Both my vice-principle and a co-worker wrote a hugely competitive 6 hour English test yesterday. It’s the first of three tests but it was the most important one. So, today us women on staff took my co-worker out for lunch.
4. My co-worker/ friend, Ms. Lai (she’s only a year older than me but I call her Ms. Lai) came into work today with perma hair! Now I’m officially the last woman at work that doesn’t have permed hair. Pressure is on…ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. The deal was if Ryan surprised me by picking me up at school, I’d go home. But, if he didn’t come than I’d join the rest of the staff for dinner at a local restaurant. I had so many things to do tonight and so I was hoping he’d show up. He never came.
6. Staff outings always turn into interesting events…ㅋㅋㅋ. There’s always way too much food, so much chatting, lots of laughter, and the men always drink too much. My attempt to sneak out was noticed but I played it off as if I was going to the bathroom with my bag and notebook computer…ㅋㅋㅋ. Mr. P.E. Teacher came after me and tried to stop me. He’s so cute with his big head…ㅋㅋㅋ.
7. Gave Byung Hyuk relationship advice 1-0-1 in regards to romance after he told me that his girlfriend cried over her birthday gift. I thought he gave her a great gift but then again, I’m a tom-boy and she’s a girly-girl. So, I advised him that all girls love candles and sweet things.
8. In doing Byunk Hyuk’s English reading homework, I came across some strange findings. There was the confusing love triangle, the questioning of who poisoned who, and then the idea that the main character had sexual relations with the man she loved after he was murdered (the evidence being one strand of hair found on his corpse). Needless to say, this was rather awkward explaining this to Byung Hyuk. He was so confused but it turned into a rather amusing debate.
9. Lots of new faces at the gym. I was particularly curious about this older man who had probably one of the best bodies at the gym.. second to Byung Hyuk that is. ㅋㅋㅋ I think it’s awesome that he’s maintained such good health despite his years. I’m sure he could out-beat any guy half his age!
10. After getting laughed at by three young punks at the gym who obviously found it funny that I spoke to them in Korean, I then turned to them and told them off. It was actually quite amusing to see their reaction but I was more amused by the fact that I could bench more than them…ㅋㅋㅋ! Thanks to Byung Hyuk, I now have more creative and useful phrases to say to them next time. 쪼개냐... ㅋㅋㅋ
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What are you laughing at?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
That's impossible. It can't stand!
-- Byung Hyuk
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Sunday, November 19
1. Gave into my craving of apples and cinnamon. I ate about 4 apples and pretty much a jar of cinnamon. It tasted so delicious!
2. Had intended on going to my principle’s son’s wedding. I called various co-workers and finally one returned my call. Mind you, they only gave me a 20 minute heads-up and so I wasn’t able to go.
3. Ryan flexed his Western cooking skills today with the massive meals he made for us. Lunch consisted of awesome spaghetti and juicy pickles and for supper we had grilled cheese sandwiches that oozed with cheddar cheese… yummy! ㅋㅋㅋ
4. Happy birthday to Jin Young (Byung Hyuk’s girlfriend). I looked out my window today and sent you a super ultra big smile and a matching hug… did you get them? Best wishes.
5. Can’t really remember what all I did today. Between random gazing out the window like a old woman, being a lazy mofo, letting Ryan do the cooking, and taking random cat naps, I pretty much did nothing. It was great! ㅋㅋㅋ.
6. Soap bubble fight! ㅋㅋㅋ… unfortunately it wasn’t so funny at the time and was started in the heat of an argument but after I had a good giggle over it.
7. I have officially fired Ryan from picking out any future movies. I sent him out to pick some movies and he returned with “Moulin Rouge”. “13 going on 30” and “40 year old Virgin”. “Moulin Rouge” lasted only 30 minutes but we watched “13 going on 30”
8. As for “40 year old Virgin”.. well that was incredibly awkward watching that with Ryan. Every second word seemed to be “sex” and so I was rather disgusted with it. I watched about 10 minutes before I couldn’t handle it any more. I don’t see the humour in a movie that was obviously written by a bunch of sex-freaks with nothing better to do than create an overly dirty and offensive movie with their pathetic thoughts. Get a hobby boys!!!
9. Kim Tae and I pinky-swore we’d be friends until we’re 100 years old…ㅋㅋㅋ
10. Ryan and I pinky-swore we wouldn’t kill each other…ㅋㅋㅋ Just joking.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
How romantic are you?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
In a world darkened by ethnic conflicts that tear nations apart, Canada stands as a model of how people of different cultures can live and work together in peace, prosperity, and mutual respect.
-- U.S. President Bill Clinton
2. Had intended on going to my principle’s son’s wedding. I called various co-workers and finally one returned my call. Mind you, they only gave me a 20 minute heads-up and so I wasn’t able to go.
3. Ryan flexed his Western cooking skills today with the massive meals he made for us. Lunch consisted of awesome spaghetti and juicy pickles and for supper we had grilled cheese sandwiches that oozed with cheddar cheese… yummy! ㅋㅋㅋ
4. Happy birthday to Jin Young (Byung Hyuk’s girlfriend). I looked out my window today and sent you a super ultra big smile and a matching hug… did you get them? Best wishes.
5. Can’t really remember what all I did today. Between random gazing out the window like a old woman, being a lazy mofo, letting Ryan do the cooking, and taking random cat naps, I pretty much did nothing. It was great! ㅋㅋㅋ.
6. Soap bubble fight! ㅋㅋㅋ… unfortunately it wasn’t so funny at the time and was started in the heat of an argument but after I had a good giggle over it.
7. I have officially fired Ryan from picking out any future movies. I sent him out to pick some movies and he returned with “Moulin Rouge”. “13 going on 30” and “40 year old Virgin”. “Moulin Rouge” lasted only 30 minutes but we watched “13 going on 30”
8. As for “40 year old Virgin”.. well that was incredibly awkward watching that with Ryan. Every second word seemed to be “sex” and so I was rather disgusted with it. I watched about 10 minutes before I couldn’t handle it any more. I don’t see the humour in a movie that was obviously written by a bunch of sex-freaks with nothing better to do than create an overly dirty and offensive movie with their pathetic thoughts. Get a hobby boys!!!
9. Kim Tae and I pinky-swore we’d be friends until we’re 100 years old…ㅋㅋㅋ
10. Ryan and I pinky-swore we wouldn’t kill each other…ㅋㅋㅋ Just joking.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
How romantic are you?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
In a world darkened by ethnic conflicts that tear nations apart, Canada stands as a model of how people of different cultures can live and work together in peace, prosperity, and mutual respect.
-- U.S. President Bill Clinton
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Saturday, November 18
1. I had promised She-An that I’d come visit her at her hair salon. I skipped off to Starbucks, loaded up on two highly-caffeinated, totally sugary cups of coffee and strolled over to her hair shop. She wasn’t there. Turns out she was sick and so she went home early.
2. Got lots of smiles from the neighbouring fruit market man when I handed over my two coffees. I wasn’t about to sit in the park alone and drink coffee so I treated him and his wife to them.
3. Well my long overdue wait for my Victoria Secret pants ended today but ended badly. As I raced to open the package I was kind of confused as to why the package was so small. Turns out Ryan was only able to get them to send 1 out of the 3 pants I had requested.
4. To make matters worse, I’m definitely not satisfied with the one pair they did send me. Apparently I spent 150,000 won for a pair of pants that look like the local ajumas (old women) wear. Great. Someone in America is definitely going to get an earful from me on Monday, I guarantee that!!!
5. Dragged Ryan out to do some shopping with me and that was a huge success… sarcastically speaking. We ended up parting our separate ways and me yelling out “control freak”. I’m sure the locals were amused.
6. As I walked down the street all frustrated and annoyed, I seriously questioned whether or not I really want to live here next year. I’ve been here two years and yet I still feel like “that white girl” still. Would people notice me gone if I were to leave?
7. Saw probably the most romantic thing all year!!! As Ryan and I walked back from buying apples, we passed by the park and noticed candles. We stopped to take a look. There in the park was over a hundred candles. They lined the park walkway and then lead to this huge outline of a heart. In the middle of the heart were more candles outlining a girl’s name. It was absolutely beautiful!!!
8. I quickly went home, grabbed my camera and then headed back out to the park where I then talked to two girls. Their English was pretty impressive. They told me that their close friend had arranged them to create this romantic scene because he was going to lead his girlfriend there and propose to her.
9. Spent the rest of the night occasionally gazing out my window and down unto the candles in the park. By 10pm the candles were gone and I was convinced they were engaged. With a proposal like that, I’m sure any girl’s heart would melt and say “yes”! Wow!
10. It’s a Saturday night and yet I found myself doing homework… homework that’s not even mine. I had run into Byung Hyuk on Friday and meet his girlfriend for the first time. It was nice to finally meet her but I ended up walking away having agreed to do his English homework. That’s ok, I don’t mind. If anything, it’s not like I had much to do anyways. So I spent the rest of my evening writing up notes on his reading.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do fairy tales really come true?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.
-- Helen Keller
2. Got lots of smiles from the neighbouring fruit market man when I handed over my two coffees. I wasn’t about to sit in the park alone and drink coffee so I treated him and his wife to them.
3. Well my long overdue wait for my Victoria Secret pants ended today but ended badly. As I raced to open the package I was kind of confused as to why the package was so small. Turns out Ryan was only able to get them to send 1 out of the 3 pants I had requested.
4. To make matters worse, I’m definitely not satisfied with the one pair they did send me. Apparently I spent 150,000 won for a pair of pants that look like the local ajumas (old women) wear. Great. Someone in America is definitely going to get an earful from me on Monday, I guarantee that!!!
5. Dragged Ryan out to do some shopping with me and that was a huge success… sarcastically speaking. We ended up parting our separate ways and me yelling out “control freak”. I’m sure the locals were amused.
6. As I walked down the street all frustrated and annoyed, I seriously questioned whether or not I really want to live here next year. I’ve been here two years and yet I still feel like “that white girl” still. Would people notice me gone if I were to leave?
7. Saw probably the most romantic thing all year!!! As Ryan and I walked back from buying apples, we passed by the park and noticed candles. We stopped to take a look. There in the park was over a hundred candles. They lined the park walkway and then lead to this huge outline of a heart. In the middle of the heart were more candles outlining a girl’s name. It was absolutely beautiful!!!
8. I quickly went home, grabbed my camera and then headed back out to the park where I then talked to two girls. Their English was pretty impressive. They told me that their close friend had arranged them to create this romantic scene because he was going to lead his girlfriend there and propose to her.
9. Spent the rest of the night occasionally gazing out my window and down unto the candles in the park. By 10pm the candles were gone and I was convinced they were engaged. With a proposal like that, I’m sure any girl’s heart would melt and say “yes”! Wow!
10. It’s a Saturday night and yet I found myself doing homework… homework that’s not even mine. I had run into Byung Hyuk on Friday and meet his girlfriend for the first time. It was nice to finally meet her but I ended up walking away having agreed to do his English homework. That’s ok, I don’t mind. If anything, it’s not like I had much to do anyways. So I spent the rest of my evening writing up notes on his reading.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do fairy tales really come true?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.
-- Helen Keller
Friday, November 17, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Friday, November 17
1. Today I taught elementary classes and, like always, because my English classroom in the two elementary schools basically only gets used by me once a week, the room is always so cold. I came prepared today though. I had worn two pairs of pants, tights, two long-sleeve shirts, and a thick hooded sweater. Murphy’s law… today they decided to turn on the heat in my classroom and so by third period I was dying.
2. Shocked my grade 5 boys with my knowledge of Korean swear words. I had told my student Brett to sit and so denying him free time. He turned and muttered some words and I was shocked at what came out of his mouth. Actually I was more shocked at myself for understanding what he said. You should have seen the look on his face when I acknowledged his comment.
3. I’m sure I’ve now convinced my students that I understand Korean more than I really do. I understand Korean a fair bit but I get the impression that today’s situation with Brett has changed their impression of me.
3. By lunchtime Mrs. Violent Teacher had heard the news that I caught one of my students swearing. She confronted me at the lunch table. My class was sitting behind me and Brett was to the right of me. I played dumb, looked to my left, and said I couldn’t see the student who had swore. I agree what he did was wrong but he wasn’t deserving of the public beating she’d so love to give him!
4. With four hours of free time in the afternoon, I amused myself with studying the Korean pop song I’ve been trying to learn, practicing Korean on random students in the halls, and chatting with my co-teachers.
5. Turns out I’m not the only teacher with too much time on their hands. Mr. Jo amused me by teaching me how to play a Korean game called “뿅망치” We played and it was actually quite violent. You start off by doing “rock-paper-scissors”. The loser then has to put the designated object (we used a baseball hat) on their head before the winner hits them with the plastic toy hammer.
6. Apparently I hit Mr.Jo too hard, missed his head and almost took off his ear..ㅋㅋㅋ He almost got me back though when I lost at “rock-paper-scissors” and so it was his turn to hit me on the head. The fear of being hit by a full-grown 40-some man was enough to send me flying across the staffroom and jumping over chairs!!! It was so hilarious! ㅋㅋㅋ
7. Jokes with Mr.Jo and I reached an all-time high. He keeps on calling me a pumpkin, which I found out is not a compliment (means ugly) and so today he dragged in this big pumpkin, slapped it and said “Amy… this you!” Of course I thought it was funny and laughed hard but my comeback was awesome and left everyone in tears. I turned around and said, “How old are you?.. 10”
8. Talk about last minute plans. Today I got invited to my principle’s son’s wedding which, I should note, is this Sunday. I told my co-workers that I couldn’t go and then they asked me how much money I wanted them to give on my behalf. WHAT?! Mrs. Chung advised me to give money cause it looks good. Looks good? First of all, being invited last minute looks brutal and suggests I was the back-up guest. Then there’s the fact that I’m not even going and yet I have to dish out the cash! Hmm… that’s not cool.
9. Ryan advised me that being invited last minute is a Korean thing but I’m still not impressed. I’m rather insulted actually. But we both agreed that because I’m obligated to dish out the cash, that we’re both going to go to this wedding and have a feast. I’m not a cheap mofo but I’m also not a stupid mofo.
10. Went for dinner at this restaurant Ryan claimed served the best 돈까스 (pork cutlet) but I wasn’t impressed. I love Kimbab Nala’s 돈까스 better though and so Ryan was quite amused at my cheap taste in food. Kimbab Nala is like the fastfood of Korean food and he thinks it’s a cheesy, cheap restaurant chain (which it is but it’s sooo good!) ㅋㅋㅋ
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
How do you explain a nonsense language?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
English is the language of confusion. There is neither egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren’t invented in England.
-- Author Unknown
2. Shocked my grade 5 boys with my knowledge of Korean swear words. I had told my student Brett to sit and so denying him free time. He turned and muttered some words and I was shocked at what came out of his mouth. Actually I was more shocked at myself for understanding what he said. You should have seen the look on his face when I acknowledged his comment.
3. I’m sure I’ve now convinced my students that I understand Korean more than I really do. I understand Korean a fair bit but I get the impression that today’s situation with Brett has changed their impression of me.
3. By lunchtime Mrs. Violent Teacher had heard the news that I caught one of my students swearing. She confronted me at the lunch table. My class was sitting behind me and Brett was to the right of me. I played dumb, looked to my left, and said I couldn’t see the student who had swore. I agree what he did was wrong but he wasn’t deserving of the public beating she’d so love to give him!
4. With four hours of free time in the afternoon, I amused myself with studying the Korean pop song I’ve been trying to learn, practicing Korean on random students in the halls, and chatting with my co-teachers.
5. Turns out I’m not the only teacher with too much time on their hands. Mr. Jo amused me by teaching me how to play a Korean game called “뿅망치” We played and it was actually quite violent. You start off by doing “rock-paper-scissors”. The loser then has to put the designated object (we used a baseball hat) on their head before the winner hits them with the plastic toy hammer.
6. Apparently I hit Mr.Jo too hard, missed his head and almost took off his ear..ㅋㅋㅋ He almost got me back though when I lost at “rock-paper-scissors” and so it was his turn to hit me on the head. The fear of being hit by a full-grown 40-some man was enough to send me flying across the staffroom and jumping over chairs!!! It was so hilarious! ㅋㅋㅋ
7. Jokes with Mr.Jo and I reached an all-time high. He keeps on calling me a pumpkin, which I found out is not a compliment (means ugly) and so today he dragged in this big pumpkin, slapped it and said “Amy… this you!” Of course I thought it was funny and laughed hard but my comeback was awesome and left everyone in tears. I turned around and said, “How old are you?.. 10”
8. Talk about last minute plans. Today I got invited to my principle’s son’s wedding which, I should note, is this Sunday. I told my co-workers that I couldn’t go and then they asked me how much money I wanted them to give on my behalf. WHAT?! Mrs. Chung advised me to give money cause it looks good. Looks good? First of all, being invited last minute looks brutal and suggests I was the back-up guest. Then there’s the fact that I’m not even going and yet I have to dish out the cash! Hmm… that’s not cool.
9. Ryan advised me that being invited last minute is a Korean thing but I’m still not impressed. I’m rather insulted actually. But we both agreed that because I’m obligated to dish out the cash, that we’re both going to go to this wedding and have a feast. I’m not a cheap mofo but I’m also not a stupid mofo.
10. Went for dinner at this restaurant Ryan claimed served the best 돈까스 (pork cutlet) but I wasn’t impressed. I love Kimbab Nala’s 돈까스 better though and so Ryan was quite amused at my cheap taste in food. Kimbab Nala is like the fastfood of Korean food and he thinks it’s a cheesy, cheap restaurant chain (which it is but it’s sooo good!) ㅋㅋㅋ
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
How do you explain a nonsense language?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
English is the language of confusion. There is neither egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren’t invented in England.
-- Author Unknown
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Thursday, November 16
1. When I was younger my mom and I once watched this cheap, low-production movie about “double gangers”. The plot of the movie stemmed on the idea that everyone has a double in life but if you see your double, you’re to turn and run! Apparently seeing your double ganger means death is coming for you. Well, today I dreamed that I was on a mission to seek out my “double ganger” only to discover that I was the double ganger and not the original Amy!!! ㅋㅋㅋ
2. My voice was a bit better today but it was still so painful to talk. I found it rather frustrating and insulting that all but two of my co-workers seemed concerned about my situation. The one co-worker, Ms. Lai, works in the office. Her and I are the youngest on staff. My other concerned co-worker was my assistant who assists me with the level 2 classes. She insisted I sit, relax, and drink some tea.
3. I couldn’t do it… I couldn’t talk. By period 2 I was struggling to talk; it was too painful and I was nervous I’d really damage my voice box. I couldn’t get out of teaching my classes today and so for 3 out of the 5 classes I let them watch taped episodes of “Friends”.
4. My brutal voice was a big hit among my students. They all found it so funny and apparently they thought I was joking around. They kept on saying, “Ms. B volume up”.
5. I had promised my two level 3 classes that we’d have a snack party today and well, it turned into more of a feast! It was disgusting actually! I’m talking about mounds and mounds of chips, cookies and any kind of junk food found under the sun! ㅋㅋㅋ.
6. Class 2-1’s couple, Login and Joel (yes, she picked an boy’s name for herself) broke up yesterday and so getting them to perform their “Good Morning Korea” English TV Show for the class was like pulling teeth. Joel is quite the actress though and so she threw a fit, flipped over her chair, and then stormed out of the classroom crying.
7. My assistant continued on with the class while I rushed off to go search out Joel. I found her sitting on the floor in the bathroom. There we were, sitting on the floor. I tried to cheer her up and so I blurted out, “You want a good boyfriend, buy a dog!” She laughed and then we went back to class.
8. Lately I’ve been working-out in my building’s courtyard. Tonight while I was skipping I noticed some random Korean man looking at me. At first I thought nothing of it but when I finished my training I started talking to my friend B on the phone and that’s when I took a walk around and spotted him crouched in a corner peering up at me. Freak!
9. I found it rather ironic how prior to coming to Korea, I couldn’t tell the difference between Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, etc. in regards to physical appearance but now I can and yet now it’s Western people I can’t differentiate. Tonight I watched an American movie, “Departed”, and it starred two leading American actors, Leonard DiCaprio and Matt Damon, along with many other American men who I just thought all looked the same. So I struggled with the storyline cause I couldn’t tell who was who.
10. By 11pm I was struggling to stay awake. Ryan says I should go see a doctor but visiting the doctor’s here means getting a shot in the butt and I’m not cool with that nor do I see how that’ll help my throat. ㅋㅋㅋ
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do they have NeoCitron in Korea?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
I love to like.
-- Big B
2. My voice was a bit better today but it was still so painful to talk. I found it rather frustrating and insulting that all but two of my co-workers seemed concerned about my situation. The one co-worker, Ms. Lai, works in the office. Her and I are the youngest on staff. My other concerned co-worker was my assistant who assists me with the level 2 classes. She insisted I sit, relax, and drink some tea.
3. I couldn’t do it… I couldn’t talk. By period 2 I was struggling to talk; it was too painful and I was nervous I’d really damage my voice box. I couldn’t get out of teaching my classes today and so for 3 out of the 5 classes I let them watch taped episodes of “Friends”.
4. My brutal voice was a big hit among my students. They all found it so funny and apparently they thought I was joking around. They kept on saying, “Ms. B volume up”.
5. I had promised my two level 3 classes that we’d have a snack party today and well, it turned into more of a feast! It was disgusting actually! I’m talking about mounds and mounds of chips, cookies and any kind of junk food found under the sun! ㅋㅋㅋ.
6. Class 2-1’s couple, Login and Joel (yes, she picked an boy’s name for herself) broke up yesterday and so getting them to perform their “Good Morning Korea” English TV Show for the class was like pulling teeth. Joel is quite the actress though and so she threw a fit, flipped over her chair, and then stormed out of the classroom crying.
7. My assistant continued on with the class while I rushed off to go search out Joel. I found her sitting on the floor in the bathroom. There we were, sitting on the floor. I tried to cheer her up and so I blurted out, “You want a good boyfriend, buy a dog!” She laughed and then we went back to class.
8. Lately I’ve been working-out in my building’s courtyard. Tonight while I was skipping I noticed some random Korean man looking at me. At first I thought nothing of it but when I finished my training I started talking to my friend B on the phone and that’s when I took a walk around and spotted him crouched in a corner peering up at me. Freak!
9. I found it rather ironic how prior to coming to Korea, I couldn’t tell the difference between Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, etc. in regards to physical appearance but now I can and yet now it’s Western people I can’t differentiate. Tonight I watched an American movie, “Departed”, and it starred two leading American actors, Leonard DiCaprio and Matt Damon, along with many other American men who I just thought all looked the same. So I struggled with the storyline cause I couldn’t tell who was who.
10. By 11pm I was struggling to stay awake. Ryan says I should go see a doctor but visiting the doctor’s here means getting a shot in the butt and I’m not cool with that nor do I see how that’ll help my throat. ㅋㅋㅋ
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Do they have NeoCitron in Korea?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
I love to like.
-- Big B
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Wednesday, November 15
1. Woke up today super pumped about my big job interview. I left the house having a great hair day and all hyper!
2. Holy freakish weather! One minute it was sunny, the next minute it was raining and then it’d change to windy and cloudy. Please, God make up your mind!
3. I’m convinced my elementary school’s motto is “more work, less heat”! As I walked into my elementary classroom it felt like it was below zero and I was sure I’d be able to see my breath when I talked. Had my poor little students not worked as hard as they did I’m sure they would have froze to death. Their working brains were the only thing that saved them…ㅋㅋㅋ
4. Maybe they’re trying to simulate Canada for me within my classroom…ㅋㅋㅋ
5. I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather lately but today confirmed it. After my first class in the freezing classroom, I could notice my voice changing. I was quickly loosing my voice. The kids all thought it was funny though and I’m sure they thought I was joking around but I obviously wasn’t. It was painful trying to talk.
6. In attempt to help my students warm up, we played lots of indoor English games and then us girls gave each other group hugs during free time…ㅋㅋㅋ.
7. Today was the day of the big university interview (or so it was suppose to be) and so I left school right after my fourth class. Some of my elementary kids waited with me for the taxi and wished me good luck.
8. I won’t get into the details of today’s fall-out but the interview never happened as planned (all due to an arguement... let's just leave it at that) and so I was put into the awkward position of having to explain this to Wonder Woman who had set me up with the interview. I was completely crushed. It was suppose to be such an important day but turned into quite an emotional day instead.
9. You’re right Ryan… I am crazy. I must be crazy if I’m still hanging with you! Thank you. A word of the wise though, think before you speak. Your words are more powerful than you realize.
10. Today was such a disappointment and to make matters worse, by 5pm I had totally lost my voice. I’m glad you were amused though Kim Tae by my squiky monster voice. ㅋㅋㅋ I, on the other hand, was in pure pain every time I tried to utter out a word.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's next?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.
-- Thomas Jefferson
2. Holy freakish weather! One minute it was sunny, the next minute it was raining and then it’d change to windy and cloudy. Please, God make up your mind!
3. I’m convinced my elementary school’s motto is “more work, less heat”! As I walked into my elementary classroom it felt like it was below zero and I was sure I’d be able to see my breath when I talked. Had my poor little students not worked as hard as they did I’m sure they would have froze to death. Their working brains were the only thing that saved them…ㅋㅋㅋ
4. Maybe they’re trying to simulate Canada for me within my classroom…ㅋㅋㅋ
5. I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather lately but today confirmed it. After my first class in the freezing classroom, I could notice my voice changing. I was quickly loosing my voice. The kids all thought it was funny though and I’m sure they thought I was joking around but I obviously wasn’t. It was painful trying to talk.
6. In attempt to help my students warm up, we played lots of indoor English games and then us girls gave each other group hugs during free time…ㅋㅋㅋ.
7. Today was the day of the big university interview (or so it was suppose to be) and so I left school right after my fourth class. Some of my elementary kids waited with me for the taxi and wished me good luck.
8. I won’t get into the details of today’s fall-out but the interview never happened as planned (all due to an arguement... let's just leave it at that) and so I was put into the awkward position of having to explain this to Wonder Woman who had set me up with the interview. I was completely crushed. It was suppose to be such an important day but turned into quite an emotional day instead.
9. You’re right Ryan… I am crazy. I must be crazy if I’m still hanging with you! Thank you. A word of the wise though, think before you speak. Your words are more powerful than you realize.
10. Today was such a disappointment and to make matters worse, by 5pm I had totally lost my voice. I’m glad you were amused though Kim Tae by my squiky monster voice. ㅋㅋㅋ I, on the other hand, was in pure pain every time I tried to utter out a word.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's next?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.
-- Thomas Jefferson
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Tuesday, November 14
1. Today was the day of the big Asan English Festival at the Asan City Hall and so Mrs. Chung, me and our English boy band went to join about 130 other students who are also performing today.
2. Spent the morning chilling out with the other Asan English foreign teachers and so I got to see Nerio, Edil, Andrew, Patrick, and Ariel again. Always a lot of laughs!
2. Unfortunately, seeing all the foreign teachers also meant I had the discomfort of running into Mr. Pig Head. I first met Mr. Pig Head about 9 months ago and no sooner had we meet than we were at each other’s throat fighting. He totally punked me off at my own house-warming party and so today was the first day we’ve seen each other since. I was rather mature about seeing him today and even said hi to him but he once again tried hard to punk me off. Karma baby… that’s all I have to say on that subject!
3. Turns out I’m not the only one who had a fight with him. Unlike me, this other foreign teacher backed down from fighting him cause he was intimidated by Mr. Pig Head’s size. WHAT??? Mr. Pig Head may be big but there’s a HUGE difference between 270lbs of fat and 270lbs of muscle. I may be less than half his size but I’ve got more than double the muscle!!!
4. All us foreign teachers had assigned roles and so I was a greeter at the auditorium doors. Nerio and I competed to see who’d get rid of their festival programs the fastest, I won. Most of the schools attending were all-boy schools and so I was bombarded by pre-pubescent boys…ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. Really enjoyed greeting the various visitors, guests and big names that strolled in. Among the many people I met, I was most fascinated by this grade 4 boy who’s been studying English on his own (no, he doesn’t go to a hagwon either). He won’t start learning English in school until next year but his English is awesome and he reads Shakespeare!!! I loved Shakespeare in university and so we chatted about Twelfth Night.. WOW!!!
6. Apparently I’ve got groupies…ㅋㅋㅋ. I was constantly bombarded today by students I taught at the English camps, my current students and other random students who were surprisingly very interested in me.
7. I’d like to personally thank that one group of boys who yelled out “I love you Ms. B” during my stage performance (quiz show). I’d also like to note here that I don’t even know who you are…ㅋㅋㅋ.
8. My boy band was super nervous to perform and I’m sure Supervisor Lee yelling at them definitely didn’t help the situation. I gave them a quick prep talk and reassured them even if they forgot all their words, that I still thought they’re amazing.
9. The festival was a huge success, despite whatever the picky parents and stingy education people want to say. It was awesome to see all the kids come out and show off their English! They did plays, songs, dances, dramas, and it was so much fun. They ended the show with an incrediably talented group of elementary kids playing some traditional Korean drums... wicked!
10. My dear friend B was a no show for tonight’s plans. He ditched me for a guy… well I suppose that if I’m going to be ditched for a guy then who better to be ditched for than a man of God… his pastor. ㅋㅋㅋ.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
You want a piece of this?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
-- Author Unknown.
2. Spent the morning chilling out with the other Asan English foreign teachers and so I got to see Nerio, Edil, Andrew, Patrick, and Ariel again. Always a lot of laughs!
2. Unfortunately, seeing all the foreign teachers also meant I had the discomfort of running into Mr. Pig Head. I first met Mr. Pig Head about 9 months ago and no sooner had we meet than we were at each other’s throat fighting. He totally punked me off at my own house-warming party and so today was the first day we’ve seen each other since. I was rather mature about seeing him today and even said hi to him but he once again tried hard to punk me off. Karma baby… that’s all I have to say on that subject!
3. Turns out I’m not the only one who had a fight with him. Unlike me, this other foreign teacher backed down from fighting him cause he was intimidated by Mr. Pig Head’s size. WHAT??? Mr. Pig Head may be big but there’s a HUGE difference between 270lbs of fat and 270lbs of muscle. I may be less than half his size but I’ve got more than double the muscle!!!
4. All us foreign teachers had assigned roles and so I was a greeter at the auditorium doors. Nerio and I competed to see who’d get rid of their festival programs the fastest, I won. Most of the schools attending were all-boy schools and so I was bombarded by pre-pubescent boys…ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. Really enjoyed greeting the various visitors, guests and big names that strolled in. Among the many people I met, I was most fascinated by this grade 4 boy who’s been studying English on his own (no, he doesn’t go to a hagwon either). He won’t start learning English in school until next year but his English is awesome and he reads Shakespeare!!! I loved Shakespeare in university and so we chatted about Twelfth Night.. WOW!!!
6. Apparently I’ve got groupies…ㅋㅋㅋ. I was constantly bombarded today by students I taught at the English camps, my current students and other random students who were surprisingly very interested in me.
7. I’d like to personally thank that one group of boys who yelled out “I love you Ms. B” during my stage performance (quiz show). I’d also like to note here that I don’t even know who you are…ㅋㅋㅋ.
8. My boy band was super nervous to perform and I’m sure Supervisor Lee yelling at them definitely didn’t help the situation. I gave them a quick prep talk and reassured them even if they forgot all their words, that I still thought they’re amazing.
9. The festival was a huge success, despite whatever the picky parents and stingy education people want to say. It was awesome to see all the kids come out and show off their English! They did plays, songs, dances, dramas, and it was so much fun. They ended the show with an incrediably talented group of elementary kids playing some traditional Korean drums... wicked!
10. My dear friend B was a no show for tonight’s plans. He ditched me for a guy… well I suppose that if I’m going to be ditched for a guy then who better to be ditched for than a man of God… his pastor. ㅋㅋㅋ.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
You want a piece of this?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
-- Author Unknown.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Monday, November 13
1. Woke up with mad bed-head…ㅋㅋㅋ. Wow! I must have had an intense dream.
2. I’m not too familiar with those who live in my building. Let’s see, there’s Mrs. Friendly Neighbour who insists on hitting me, the sweet Mr. Security Guard and his two sidekicks (Mr. Smirks and Mr. Big Grin), Mr. Bad Attitude and then this other guy, Mr. Morning. Mr. Morning and I almost always end up taking the elevator down together in the morning. It’s too coincidental though… some thing up is up with this dude. Anyway, we only say hi to each other but today he was so chatty with me. Turns out he witnessed the whole late night bus situation in Seoul last night! Oh my gosh…ㅋㅋㅋ.
2. Well, today was rather awkward. Let’s see… where do I begin. Because of the fact that tomorrow I have to attend the Asan English Festival, I don’t have classes tomorrow. So, someone thought it a great idea to stack my schedule today. It meant I had no time to prepare for classes or for Wednesday’s classes; I wasn’t impressed.
3. Mondays I have my parent/teachers’ after school English class and well, they gave me no time to prepare for it. I taught straight today with only a break for lunch. I desperately needed prep time to prepare for Wednesday’s elementary classes and so after regular classes I hid away in my classroom. No one found me and so my after school class was automatically cancelled.
4. It’s official… I will pursue the university position. I’m hesitant as to whether or not I want it but was persuaded into considering it due to what it’d do to my resume. Mind ya, the four month vacation definitely played a role in persuading me…ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. Announced to my co-teacher that I need Wednesday afternoon off. I only teach in the mornings on Wednesday but this Wednesday afternoon I have a job interview for a university position out of town. However, I blurted this out as we argued about today’s packed schedule and so I really put my foot in my mouth!!!
5. An hour later she came up to my classroom. I thought she was going to cry. My decision to give the university position thought is new news to her and so she was quite upset. I felt so bad that I had made her sad and let her down but she doesn’t understand. I need to think more long term and in regards to my future as oppose to just today.
6. The schedule was all flipped upside down today and so I ended up having class 3-1 twice today. With no time to plan stuff and a lack of motivation to wing it, I humoured them with my weekend adventure in Seoul and chatted it up with them about boyfriends and girlfriends…ㅋㅋㅋ.
9. My Eumbong boy band practiced in front of their peers today and so the girls screamed while the other boys sat there wishing they too were in the boy band. It was so cute. They’ve got groupies!!! ㅋㅋㅋ.
10. My planned work… Kim Tae quit smoking today and the promise is back on… if he stays clean, so do I. Please Kim Tae, I’m begging you… please don’t smoke again! I don’t think I can spare the second lung…ㅋㅋㅋ.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Don't you think I smell like a flower?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Boys are cute but not so smart.
-- Me
2. I’m not too familiar with those who live in my building. Let’s see, there’s Mrs. Friendly Neighbour who insists on hitting me, the sweet Mr. Security Guard and his two sidekicks (Mr. Smirks and Mr. Big Grin), Mr. Bad Attitude and then this other guy, Mr. Morning. Mr. Morning and I almost always end up taking the elevator down together in the morning. It’s too coincidental though… some thing up is up with this dude. Anyway, we only say hi to each other but today he was so chatty with me. Turns out he witnessed the whole late night bus situation in Seoul last night! Oh my gosh…ㅋㅋㅋ.
2. Well, today was rather awkward. Let’s see… where do I begin. Because of the fact that tomorrow I have to attend the Asan English Festival, I don’t have classes tomorrow. So, someone thought it a great idea to stack my schedule today. It meant I had no time to prepare for classes or for Wednesday’s classes; I wasn’t impressed.
3. Mondays I have my parent/teachers’ after school English class and well, they gave me no time to prepare for it. I taught straight today with only a break for lunch. I desperately needed prep time to prepare for Wednesday’s elementary classes and so after regular classes I hid away in my classroom. No one found me and so my after school class was automatically cancelled.
4. It’s official… I will pursue the university position. I’m hesitant as to whether or not I want it but was persuaded into considering it due to what it’d do to my resume. Mind ya, the four month vacation definitely played a role in persuading me…ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. Announced to my co-teacher that I need Wednesday afternoon off. I only teach in the mornings on Wednesday but this Wednesday afternoon I have a job interview for a university position out of town. However, I blurted this out as we argued about today’s packed schedule and so I really put my foot in my mouth!!!
5. An hour later she came up to my classroom. I thought she was going to cry. My decision to give the university position thought is new news to her and so she was quite upset. I felt so bad that I had made her sad and let her down but she doesn’t understand. I need to think more long term and in regards to my future as oppose to just today.
6. The schedule was all flipped upside down today and so I ended up having class 3-1 twice today. With no time to plan stuff and a lack of motivation to wing it, I humoured them with my weekend adventure in Seoul and chatted it up with them about boyfriends and girlfriends…ㅋㅋㅋ.
9. My Eumbong boy band practiced in front of their peers today and so the girls screamed while the other boys sat there wishing they too were in the boy band. It was so cute. They’ve got groupies!!! ㅋㅋㅋ.
10. My planned work… Kim Tae quit smoking today and the promise is back on… if he stays clean, so do I. Please Kim Tae, I’m begging you… please don’t smoke again! I don’t think I can spare the second lung…ㅋㅋㅋ.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Don't you think I smell like a flower?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Boys are cute but not so smart.
-- Me
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Sunday, November 12
1. Came to the realization that this year I don’t want to celebrate Christmas. Last year I was able to surprise my family and travel to Canada but this year I’m not able to. I have to work the day after Christmas and so this will be my first year without my family. My intentions were to go Christmas shopping today but that was a flop. It’s going to be impossible to get into the Christmas mood this year.
2. So my trip out to Seoul, which was intended for Christmas shopping, turned into a field day of window shopping and testing out numerous street vendor goodies. I waited about 15 minutes in line to taste the original hyukdock (it’s like a deep fried pancake with brown sugar in the middle) but then decided to go to it’s second-rated competition.
3. Found total amusement and fascination in watching this one Korean man make noodles in the restaurant front window. What a workout!..ㅋㅋㅋ.
4. After testing out various street vendor foods and drinking an ultra sugary Starbucks coffee, I got sick. My stomach hurt so much. I wasn’t amused. Ryan tried to cheer me up buy taking (and when I say “taking” here I really mean “stealing”) the world’s smallest Korean Starbucks cup. I guess when you pay an arm and a leg for a coffee you at least deserve to keep the cup, or so he argued… ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. After spending the whole day in Insadong, I am convinced that Americans and Canadians are the biggest of humans! Wow… I guess that’s what fast food, milk and lots of meat does to you! I’ve never been a fan of fast food but I’m a milk-a-holic!!! Thankfully I’m Polish/Austrian and have the body of a typical Polish girl; short and small. Mind ya, Byung Hyuk and Kim Tae would probably beg to differ or would probably add “smelly feet” to that…ㅋㅋㅋ.
6. Seems like every time I come to Seoul I end up getting hugged by some random stranger… ㅋㅋㅋ. Today it was a big pretty teddy bear who hugged me. She gave me one of her best bear hugs… so cute… ㅋㅋㅋ.
7. I sense a pattern another pattern evolving with regards to my trips to Seoul… a very bad pattern actually. Last time I came to Seoul with Ryan I ended up getting stuck here, well, guess what happened tonight?! We had got into a little spat regarding my friends (silly spat actually) and he ended up walking away with the bus tickets. The bus was to leave at 9:15pm and so at 9:10pm I walked over to the bus.
8. As I approached the bus, the driver asked me for my ticket. I didn’t have it, Ryan had it. Of course, had I been able to tell him this in Korean there wouldn’t have been a problem. Mind ya, had Ryan had spoken up to the driver or had waited for me, it’d be a different story too. So there I stood and there the bus went. It drove off without me but with Ryan sitting comfortably in his seat. As you can guess, I wasn’t impressed! Oh my gosh!
9. There was NO way I was going to get stuck in Seoul again and so I thought fast, headed over to Seoul Station and got myself a KTX ticket. I ended up getting stuck sitting beside Mr. Drunk Soju Man who must have said hi to me like a million times. I tried to be polite and ignore him but ended up flicking him in the forehead when he didn’t listen to me in Korean.
10. Arrived in Cheonan and was surprisingly quite amused at my situation. Got picked up at the train station by one of my favourite Koreans (guess who…ㅋㅋㅋ), had a nice chat with him and then went home to bed.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Who's reading this?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Men should be like Kleenex, soft, strong and disposable.
-- Cher
2. So my trip out to Seoul, which was intended for Christmas shopping, turned into a field day of window shopping and testing out numerous street vendor goodies. I waited about 15 minutes in line to taste the original hyukdock (it’s like a deep fried pancake with brown sugar in the middle) but then decided to go to it’s second-rated competition.
3. Found total amusement and fascination in watching this one Korean man make noodles in the restaurant front window. What a workout!..ㅋㅋㅋ.
4. After testing out various street vendor foods and drinking an ultra sugary Starbucks coffee, I got sick. My stomach hurt so much. I wasn’t amused. Ryan tried to cheer me up buy taking (and when I say “taking” here I really mean “stealing”) the world’s smallest Korean Starbucks cup. I guess when you pay an arm and a leg for a coffee you at least deserve to keep the cup, or so he argued… ㅋㅋㅋ.
5. After spending the whole day in Insadong, I am convinced that Americans and Canadians are the biggest of humans! Wow… I guess that’s what fast food, milk and lots of meat does to you! I’ve never been a fan of fast food but I’m a milk-a-holic!!! Thankfully I’m Polish/Austrian and have the body of a typical Polish girl; short and small. Mind ya, Byung Hyuk and Kim Tae would probably beg to differ or would probably add “smelly feet” to that…ㅋㅋㅋ.
6. Seems like every time I come to Seoul I end up getting hugged by some random stranger… ㅋㅋㅋ. Today it was a big pretty teddy bear who hugged me. She gave me one of her best bear hugs… so cute… ㅋㅋㅋ.
7. I sense a pattern another pattern evolving with regards to my trips to Seoul… a very bad pattern actually. Last time I came to Seoul with Ryan I ended up getting stuck here, well, guess what happened tonight?! We had got into a little spat regarding my friends (silly spat actually) and he ended up walking away with the bus tickets. The bus was to leave at 9:15pm and so at 9:10pm I walked over to the bus.
8. As I approached the bus, the driver asked me for my ticket. I didn’t have it, Ryan had it. Of course, had I been able to tell him this in Korean there wouldn’t have been a problem. Mind ya, had Ryan had spoken up to the driver or had waited for me, it’d be a different story too. So there I stood and there the bus went. It drove off without me but with Ryan sitting comfortably in his seat. As you can guess, I wasn’t impressed! Oh my gosh!
9. There was NO way I was going to get stuck in Seoul again and so I thought fast, headed over to Seoul Station and got myself a KTX ticket. I ended up getting stuck sitting beside Mr. Drunk Soju Man who must have said hi to me like a million times. I tried to be polite and ignore him but ended up flicking him in the forehead when he didn’t listen to me in Korean.
10. Arrived in Cheonan and was surprisingly quite amused at my situation. Got picked up at the train station by one of my favourite Koreans (guess who…ㅋㅋㅋ), had a nice chat with him and then went home to bed.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Who's reading this?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Men should be like Kleenex, soft, strong and disposable.
-- Cher
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Saturday, November 11
1. Dreamt that I met Keanu Reeves at a restaurant. He had recognized me from “Matchmaker” (a popular dating show I starred on) and then he asked me for my autograph. Seems like even in my dreams I can’t escape the notorious sausage-making, chocolate-licking episode…ㅋㅋㅋ
2. Bought Dr. Na a box of pepero and ventured over to his office for my one month eye appointment. He wasn’t there and so I had to deal with the other doctor. The doctor said my eyes had healed perfectly and so I was so happy. I celebrated by giving my eyes a little rub, it felt so good to be able to itch my eyes now cause I haven’t touched my eyes for a month!
3. Bought a box of pepero for my security guard. He told Ryan he was so honoured to receive them and appreciated me for always being sweet to him. Ahh… it’s my pleasure.
4. Went out with Kim Tae tonight and after watching him smoke way too many cigarettes I finally reached frustration. He says he smokes because of me and so I reached across the table and snatched up his cigarettes and lighter. I tried to light up a cigarette but Kim Tae wrestled me and won.
5. Was rather frustrated and confused by the staff at the bar. As Kim Tae physically wrestled me for the smokes, we were quite loud and yet no staff member was concerned. So, as we left the place I gave the girl at the bar an evil eye. I thought it rather rude that they’d let a full grown man force himself on me and they not at least approach me to see if I was ok.
6. Well I did…. I smoked my first cigarette. I was clueless as to which pack to buy and I’m sure the GS 25 store attendant was quite amused by this fact. I bought the prettiest box, a lighter and then headed up to the 14th floor balcony to try it.
7. I’ve never touched a drug and have never smoked but out of all the various things I’ve never experienced, I’m most curious about cigarettes. My first attempt resulted in me practically coughing up half a lung! It was awful but I had promised Kim Tae and Byung Hyuk that if they didn’t stop smoking that I’d start.
8. Coincidently no sooner had I taken a few puffs, but then Mr. Security Guard came and interrupted me. I was shocked to see him on the 14th floor balcony and I ended up burning a hole in my sweater as I tried to hide the lit cigarette.
9. Smelly Amy!!! Now I smell like you Byung Hyuk and Kim Tae... smoky!
10. Ended my night by watching “Pride and Prejudice” with Ryan… he picked the movie… ㅋㅋㅋ I don’t think he knew it was such a chick-flick…ㅋㅋㅋ. He fell asleep a hour into it. Turns out the “Coles Notes” I used to study this in university were WAY off…ㅋㅋㅋ.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Why would anyone want to smoke these nasty smelling sticks?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Monkey see, monkey do.
-- Author Unknown
2. Bought Dr. Na a box of pepero and ventured over to his office for my one month eye appointment. He wasn’t there and so I had to deal with the other doctor. The doctor said my eyes had healed perfectly and so I was so happy. I celebrated by giving my eyes a little rub, it felt so good to be able to itch my eyes now cause I haven’t touched my eyes for a month!
3. Bought a box of pepero for my security guard. He told Ryan he was so honoured to receive them and appreciated me for always being sweet to him. Ahh… it’s my pleasure.
4. Went out with Kim Tae tonight and after watching him smoke way too many cigarettes I finally reached frustration. He says he smokes because of me and so I reached across the table and snatched up his cigarettes and lighter. I tried to light up a cigarette but Kim Tae wrestled me and won.
5. Was rather frustrated and confused by the staff at the bar. As Kim Tae physically wrestled me for the smokes, we were quite loud and yet no staff member was concerned. So, as we left the place I gave the girl at the bar an evil eye. I thought it rather rude that they’d let a full grown man force himself on me and they not at least approach me to see if I was ok.
6. Well I did…. I smoked my first cigarette. I was clueless as to which pack to buy and I’m sure the GS 25 store attendant was quite amused by this fact. I bought the prettiest box, a lighter and then headed up to the 14th floor balcony to try it.
7. I’ve never touched a drug and have never smoked but out of all the various things I’ve never experienced, I’m most curious about cigarettes. My first attempt resulted in me practically coughing up half a lung! It was awful but I had promised Kim Tae and Byung Hyuk that if they didn’t stop smoking that I’d start.
8. Coincidently no sooner had I taken a few puffs, but then Mr. Security Guard came and interrupted me. I was shocked to see him on the 14th floor balcony and I ended up burning a hole in my sweater as I tried to hide the lit cigarette.
9. Smelly Amy!!! Now I smell like you Byung Hyuk and Kim Tae... smoky!
10. Ended my night by watching “Pride and Prejudice” with Ryan… he picked the movie… ㅋㅋㅋ I don’t think he knew it was such a chick-flick…ㅋㅋㅋ. He fell asleep a hour into it. Turns out the “Coles Notes” I used to study this in university were WAY off…ㅋㅋㅋ.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Why would anyone want to smoke these nasty smelling sticks?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Monkey see, monkey do.
-- Author Unknown
Friday, November 10, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Friday, November 10
1. Walked into school and was rather confused as to why all my students were walking around with peperos (chocolate dipped stick cookies). Apparently it was Pepedro Day and I totally forgot. Pepero Day is basically a commercially created holiday based on these silly stick cookies but the kids love it. If you like someone, then you give them a pepero.
2. Was bombarded at my elementary school with pepero!!! I earned a garbage bag worth of pepedro and so it was incredibly flattering. Even my bad boys in grade 5 brought me pepero! I tried to share them with the classes but still went home with a big bag’s worth.
3. I felt bad that I hadn’t remembered this silly made-up holiday and so I decided to thank them and treat them to a “Harry Potter” movie. So we sat back and relaxed together. The school is very lenient with what I teach and so I figured it was ok.
4. I laid on the floor with my students. Some of the girls snuggled up to me and so we laid there chatting through the movie. It was good.
5. I was the envy of the other teachers at the staff lunch table because I had apparently received the most peperos. Went back to my middle school and was bombarded by more students. The cutest was Conner who had cornered me and, in secret, passed me a box of pepero. Ahh… Mr. Conner!
6. Today marks the one year anniversary of Ryan and my first kiss. I had dated him for over a month before he kissed me and so I was convinced he would never kiss me. When he finally did though, it was magic. The next day I went into school eager to tell everyone my news. I was so hyper I could have exploded. I treated everyone to banana milk and had my head in the clouds for the rest of the week.
7. Ryan and I acknowledge the day by eating out at one of our favourite restaurants, this little pasta house run by Mr. Perma Man…ㅋㅋㅋ.
8. Apparently when Ryan was away in Seoul, he had been on the search of this pretty hot pink Louis Vuitton wallet I had seen over a month ago. When I finally decided to venture back to Seoul and go buy it, it was gone! Well, Ryan went back and searched some more. After three days he finally found it and so today he surprised me with it. Great!
9. Ryan capped our night off with a romantic candlelit movie night. We shared cheesecake and watched “The De Vinci Code”.
10. After the movie we sat and talked…and apparently fell asleep too. Woke up sometime later and we both were incredibly dizzy, had a headache, and my throat was so agitated. Turns out we forgot all about the candles and so within a matter of a few hours my apartment was now full of carbon monoxide. Oh my gosh... today almost became my death date!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Did you buy me a pepero?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Assumptions are the termites of relationships.
-- Henry Winkler
2. Was bombarded at my elementary school with pepero!!! I earned a garbage bag worth of pepedro and so it was incredibly flattering. Even my bad boys in grade 5 brought me pepero! I tried to share them with the classes but still went home with a big bag’s worth.
3. I felt bad that I hadn’t remembered this silly made-up holiday and so I decided to thank them and treat them to a “Harry Potter” movie. So we sat back and relaxed together. The school is very lenient with what I teach and so I figured it was ok.
4. I laid on the floor with my students. Some of the girls snuggled up to me and so we laid there chatting through the movie. It was good.
5. I was the envy of the other teachers at the staff lunch table because I had apparently received the most peperos. Went back to my middle school and was bombarded by more students. The cutest was Conner who had cornered me and, in secret, passed me a box of pepero. Ahh… Mr. Conner!
6. Today marks the one year anniversary of Ryan and my first kiss. I had dated him for over a month before he kissed me and so I was convinced he would never kiss me. When he finally did though, it was magic. The next day I went into school eager to tell everyone my news. I was so hyper I could have exploded. I treated everyone to banana milk and had my head in the clouds for the rest of the week.
7. Ryan and I acknowledge the day by eating out at one of our favourite restaurants, this little pasta house run by Mr. Perma Man…ㅋㅋㅋ.
8. Apparently when Ryan was away in Seoul, he had been on the search of this pretty hot pink Louis Vuitton wallet I had seen over a month ago. When I finally decided to venture back to Seoul and go buy it, it was gone! Well, Ryan went back and searched some more. After three days he finally found it and so today he surprised me with it. Great!
9. Ryan capped our night off with a romantic candlelit movie night. We shared cheesecake and watched “The De Vinci Code”.
10. After the movie we sat and talked…and apparently fell asleep too. Woke up sometime later and we both were incredibly dizzy, had a headache, and my throat was so agitated. Turns out we forgot all about the candles and so within a matter of a few hours my apartment was now full of carbon monoxide. Oh my gosh... today almost became my death date!
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Did you buy me a pepero?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Assumptions are the termites of relationships.
-- Henry Winkler
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Thursday, November 9
1. Woke up to realize that someone had been slipped through my window and crept into bed with me. I didn’t see him, I didn’t hear him, but I woke up and discovered traces of him… one bite on my shoulder, two on my wrist and two on my right hip. He was a crazy Korean mosquito and so I’m sure to be itching for days!
2. I’m sure my students must have thought I was a pervert cause I itched all day. All it took was one scratch on my right hip and then I was hooked. I just couldn’t stop…ㅋㅋㅋ.
3. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME!!! Today marks the one month anniversary of my new eyes! It was on this day one month ago I took the plunge, forked over way too much cash, and got lasik eye surgery! It was the scariest day of my life and I still have nightmares from the surgery but I have no regrets!
4. Today was the last day of level 3 class testing and so today I only had two classes to teach. As much as I thought I liked the free time, it’s too much. By lunch I was desperately looking for something to amuse myself with.
5. Amused my after school English drama club (F.S. Talents) with a silly game I use to play when I was in school (mind ya I changed it a bit). The game is called “M.A.S.H.” and it’s a childish way of predicting your future. It's total nonsense but fun. You pick random things based on categories that your partner has designated.
6. According to M.A.S.H, I am destined to have no children, have my own jet, move to Togo, live in an apartment, change my name to “Banana”, become a doctor, and marry Kim Tae who’s destined to be a gangster. Oh my gosh!!!...ㅋㅋㅋ
7. Thankfully my supposedly predicted future isn’t as bad as some of my students…ㅋㅋㅋ. Robert is destined to have 13 children, Jack is marrying the very classmate he can’t stand, Joshua is moving to North Korea, Linda is going to live in a shack, and Crystal is going to become a police officer but will marry a professional killer. ㅋㅋㅋ
8. Tomorrow’s the one year anniversary of my first kiss with Ryan and so I had asked Sue’s mom for advice. She told me to “exchange underwear”. I was somewhat confused but thought she meant buy each other underwear. Turns out she literally meant what she said and that we should wear them too! Oh my gosh… isn’t that perverted?!!! …ㅋㅋㅋ. I'm not into that!
9. Am convinced the best invention ever, that’s still yet to be invented, is a way of blocking a person from calling you. I know you can block phone numbers but nothing’s stopping that person from calling from a random pay phone…. Hint, hint, Yong Chan! I’d like o call him annoying but what he is is definitely way beyond that!
10. Korea fighting!!! Korea played Japan today in soccer and as Ryan sat there totally stressed out over the sudden death shoot-out, I couldn’t help but be amused. He was watching so intensely and so I didn’t dare tell him it’s only a game. Korea lost.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
I never think of the future, it comes soon enough.
-- Albert Einstein
2. I’m sure my students must have thought I was a pervert cause I itched all day. All it took was one scratch on my right hip and then I was hooked. I just couldn’t stop…ㅋㅋㅋ.
3. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME!!! Today marks the one month anniversary of my new eyes! It was on this day one month ago I took the plunge, forked over way too much cash, and got lasik eye surgery! It was the scariest day of my life and I still have nightmares from the surgery but I have no regrets!
4. Today was the last day of level 3 class testing and so today I only had two classes to teach. As much as I thought I liked the free time, it’s too much. By lunch I was desperately looking for something to amuse myself with.
5. Amused my after school English drama club (F.S. Talents) with a silly game I use to play when I was in school (mind ya I changed it a bit). The game is called “M.A.S.H.” and it’s a childish way of predicting your future. It's total nonsense but fun. You pick random things based on categories that your partner has designated.
6. According to M.A.S.H, I am destined to have no children, have my own jet, move to Togo, live in an apartment, change my name to “Banana”, become a doctor, and marry Kim Tae who’s destined to be a gangster. Oh my gosh!!!...ㅋㅋㅋ
7. Thankfully my supposedly predicted future isn’t as bad as some of my students…ㅋㅋㅋ. Robert is destined to have 13 children, Jack is marrying the very classmate he can’t stand, Joshua is moving to North Korea, Linda is going to live in a shack, and Crystal is going to become a police officer but will marry a professional killer. ㅋㅋㅋ
8. Tomorrow’s the one year anniversary of my first kiss with Ryan and so I had asked Sue’s mom for advice. She told me to “exchange underwear”. I was somewhat confused but thought she meant buy each other underwear. Turns out she literally meant what she said and that we should wear them too! Oh my gosh… isn’t that perverted?!!! …ㅋㅋㅋ. I'm not into that!
9. Am convinced the best invention ever, that’s still yet to be invented, is a way of blocking a person from calling you. I know you can block phone numbers but nothing’s stopping that person from calling from a random pay phone…. Hint, hint, Yong Chan! I’d like o call him annoying but what he is is definitely way beyond that!
10. Korea fighting!!! Korea played Japan today in soccer and as Ryan sat there totally stressed out over the sudden death shoot-out, I couldn’t help but be amused. He was watching so intensely and so I didn’t dare tell him it’s only a game. Korea lost.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
I never think of the future, it comes soon enough.
-- Albert Einstein
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Highlights of my Day... Wednesday, November 8
1. Taught elementary today at Wollang. I love their super pumped attitude about learning English but today’s energy level got a bit out of hand and so their homeroom teacher stormed in and freaked on some students. He grabbed my pointer stick (wooden chopstick) and hit my student so hard the stick snapped on the boy’s shoulder! Ouch… that’s got to hurt!
2. With the principle and vice principle out for the day, Mrs. Chung said I could leave early, great! Turns out there’s only one taxi driver in the Eumbong area, or so it seems cause I coincidently always get the same driver, Choi Byung Su.
3. In joking around with Mr. Choi, I apparently misunderstood him and agreed to what I thought was he asking me if I like Korean men. Next thing I knew it, we had arrived at my building and then he followed me in. I turned around totally confused and he had this huge grin on my face. Thankfully my building’s security played the role of the hero in this story and so he confronted him. I don’t know what he said but Mr. Choi then said sorry and left.
4. Joke is I can’t keep a hair style/colour for more than a month and well, it’s been a month and so I went to my regular hair salon to change things up. She wasn’t there and so I went to a neighbouring hair salon.
5. Walked into the hair salon and there stood one of Cheonan’s finest woman… a stunning 35-year-old Korean lady named 시안 (She An). She and I are very similar in stature, minus the obvious fact that she’s Korean and I’m Polish/Austrian. She’s got long wavy mermaid hair and a smile that just radiates. Turns out she loves studying English and was a very successful and well-known stylist in Seoul.
6. After chatting with She An for almost 3 hours, I decided I had to go. She tried to convince me to stay by offering me tea but it was getting late. We exchanged numbers and promised each other we’d be good friends.
7. Spent too much time and money at the hair shop only to realize that I’ll probably be the only one that will notice the difference.
8. Apparently many of you have been very entertained with the drama I’ve found myself in… but, these are the days of MY life and so unfortunately I don’t find it quite as entertaining. I’m glad you’re amused by some advice would be much appreciated. I will say this though, my mom once told me, “You can chose who you date but you can’t chose who you love” and apparently I’m coming to the realization that she was right on the money with that comment.
9. The more I try and try to convince myself, I just can’t get comfortable with the situation I’ve found myself in. Maybe my heart isn’t as broken as I thought it to be. It’s just confused. Kim Tae eagerly trying to distract me is definitely not helping, I’m sorry but it’s true. I wish I could just switch love off and on but I think it’s stuck… I’m stuck and there’s only one person who can honestly help me…. Ryan.
10. He’s back… Ryan strolled into Cheonan today and so the plot line thickened as he sat inside my house and Kim Tae sat outside, both waiting for me. On his way over, Ryan got into a scooter accident today. God was definitely looking after him though. He had misjudged a turn and ended up colliding into the side of the road wall while in full speed, then slide across the road on his side. Miraculously he got up and walked away with only a few scratches on his scooter, a few bruises and one interesting story.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's your advice?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Love sucks.
-- Author Unknown
2. With the principle and vice principle out for the day, Mrs. Chung said I could leave early, great! Turns out there’s only one taxi driver in the Eumbong area, or so it seems cause I coincidently always get the same driver, Choi Byung Su.
3. In joking around with Mr. Choi, I apparently misunderstood him and agreed to what I thought was he asking me if I like Korean men. Next thing I knew it, we had arrived at my building and then he followed me in. I turned around totally confused and he had this huge grin on my face. Thankfully my building’s security played the role of the hero in this story and so he confronted him. I don’t know what he said but Mr. Choi then said sorry and left.
4. Joke is I can’t keep a hair style/colour for more than a month and well, it’s been a month and so I went to my regular hair salon to change things up. She wasn’t there and so I went to a neighbouring hair salon.
5. Walked into the hair salon and there stood one of Cheonan’s finest woman… a stunning 35-year-old Korean lady named 시안 (She An). She and I are very similar in stature, minus the obvious fact that she’s Korean and I’m Polish/Austrian. She’s got long wavy mermaid hair and a smile that just radiates. Turns out she loves studying English and was a very successful and well-known stylist in Seoul.
6. After chatting with She An for almost 3 hours, I decided I had to go. She tried to convince me to stay by offering me tea but it was getting late. We exchanged numbers and promised each other we’d be good friends.
7. Spent too much time and money at the hair shop only to realize that I’ll probably be the only one that will notice the difference.
8. Apparently many of you have been very entertained with the drama I’ve found myself in… but, these are the days of MY life and so unfortunately I don’t find it quite as entertaining. I’m glad you’re amused by some advice would be much appreciated. I will say this though, my mom once told me, “You can chose who you date but you can’t chose who you love” and apparently I’m coming to the realization that she was right on the money with that comment.
9. The more I try and try to convince myself, I just can’t get comfortable with the situation I’ve found myself in. Maybe my heart isn’t as broken as I thought it to be. It’s just confused. Kim Tae eagerly trying to distract me is definitely not helping, I’m sorry but it’s true. I wish I could just switch love off and on but I think it’s stuck… I’m stuck and there’s only one person who can honestly help me…. Ryan.
10. He’s back… Ryan strolled into Cheonan today and so the plot line thickened as he sat inside my house and Kim Tae sat outside, both waiting for me. On his way over, Ryan got into a scooter accident today. God was definitely looking after him though. He had misjudged a turn and ended up colliding into the side of the road wall while in full speed, then slide across the road on his side. Miraculously he got up and walked away with only a few scratches on his scooter, a few bruises and one interesting story.
QUESTION OF THE DAY...
What's your advice?
QUOTE OF THE DAY...
Love sucks.
-- Author Unknown
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