the world burns but still we breathe...

My IQ....not too bad...Einstein is 160

2008-09-23T21:35:00.000+09:30

Free-IQTest.net - Quick, Accurate IQ Test

"Chasing the only meaningful memory you thought you had left."

2008-09-17T21:52:00.004+09:30

Long time between posts i know, and i guess a lot to update. So here goes....

JOB:

I HAVE FINISHED!!! One year done at my old academy and i am very very happy to be done!! There was some tension there that i am happy to be done with, also the curriculum i was teaching was insanely boring and repetitive! I will miss my co-workers and SOME of the kids but overall happy to be out and starting my new job.

The new job: I work 12-5:30 teaching from 1-5:30. It is in a public elementary school but i work for a private organization who run an after school program there. So i have small classes of between 5-13 students. It is relaxed, fun and even though i have only completed a few days i am excited about ENJOYING the year i have ahead of me teaching again in korea.

Health:

Some of you might know, but if not i have been kind of sick for the last 3 months now. It all started with a round of food poisoning. Since then my stomach and intestines have been very tender...official verdict was traumatized, which meant for the last 3 months i have been medicated and couldnt eat: spicy food, greasy food, cold food or drink.....a tough few months. I am now of the meds and slowly getting back to full health, i think i am about 75-80% im staying away from the spicy food, greasy food and cold food still as much as i can, but drinking again. It is hard not to in this country hehe. But to be honest i have had my fill of ham sandwiches, pumpkin soup and chicken soup to last me a good few years, as this was pretty much my diet for 3 months. Not to mention the ribbing you get when you go out with the boys and order a salad and juice while they destroy steaks and beers!?!? hahha

House:

I have a spanking new (for me anyway) apartment. It is a loft, which basically means i have a downstairs area for living with a kitchen and bathroom and a small upstairs area for sleeping. It is very very nice. I am very happy and should thank Moon for helping me out with finding a real estate agent.
I have also had to buy my own furniture for the place and have managed to do so for pretty cheaply and for that i should thank YeJin who used her 'clumsy' korean skills to order me some sweet furniture of the internet and also accompanied me on several shopping trips ^^

Football

After the personal successes of last season, football is back and Bundang FC so far have turned things around. With a stronger squad and a season under our belt we have started well with 2 wins from 2. Scoring 19 and conceding 1. A 16-0 win over 7 players was nice but not as nice as a 3-1 win away against a strong side. This weekend another tough test follows and if BFC are to push for the promotion as they wish too, this is a game we must win.
I love playing for this team and love all the boys and the banter we create, on a sadish note though the man who took BFC to where they are now has decided to ship off to another team to help them get moving in the right direction. So another thanks here for Kevin, without whom BFC wouldnt be the club they are today.
As a result of this Carl the Captain has taken on the managers role and i got picked as assistant manager and vice captain, which is an honor and i hope to help this club move up the league into the 1st division.

Life in General:

I am enjoying my time here still, but had be getting really down with sickness and not enjoying my old job. But i do feel this is a new beginning for me and it is time for my luck to change. So i am optimistic about the future, but remembering what i learnt in the hard times from the past i will try and take better care of myself.
I will also be planning on coming home for chirstmas. Probably about 3 weeks from the 21st but this isnt confirmed yet. About 90% though.

Enough from me this time, hope someone is reading this, i know im not regular but from now on i think i will try and get on here and update a bit more regularly...no promises though!

And finally the title, doesnt mean a lot really, just hoping when im done with my time in korea i have more then one meaningful memory to chase!! It is from the Neutral Milk Hotel song Oh Comely, from the Album In the Aeroplane over the Sea. It's an older disc but one i have only discovered recently through another band citing it as a great influence and after giving it a listen or 50 it is quality. Track it down.

Is it ever solid???

2008-06-29T20:00:00.001+09:30

Oh yeah i forgot to add, also the 'solid plans' i made for september and travel are probably almost certainly not gonna happen now....so watch this space for some sort of update on that....

End of the season

2008-06-29T12:27:00.003+09:30

So the first season ended for Bundang FC and while we didnt win the league, we did beat the previously undefeated champions in our final game of the season and were the only team to do so all season. Finishing second from bottom on the table, after beating Persian Storm and St Pats for a total of 9 points. Conceding a bag of goals over the season yours truly still managed to win MoTM on 3 occasions, which was enough to secure Player of the Season for BFC, a proud moment for me and a trophy which i will proudly display for years to come.

To cap off the season in style BFC had a gala awards night and drinks which was delightful. The wags dressed up nicely as did the boys, not a poorly dressed one amongst them. Overall a great night, drinks, speeches and laughs.

Finally the award season ended with the annual SSFL league banquet at the Wolfhound pub in itaewon. The awards were handed out for best player, top goalscorer, best defender and best goalkeeper for both division one and two. And in a true surprise i somehow managed to pull top goalkeeper in div 2. Again a proud moment for me and one that capped off one of my best season in football, from a social, sporting and awards point of view.
So thanks to everyone involved in BFC for an awesome season of football, and with a little luck i will be here for season two, who knows right!?
Also check out the ssfl website here: http://ssflkorea.com/news.php

I'm Making plans, not to make plans while i'm here

2008-05-12T00:57:00.002+09:30

Firstly, new photos up, check out the picasa page, link on the right!
Secondly title, is from Jack's Mannequin, the song Lights and Buzz, an amazing song, and well i really am trying to just live life without to much of a plan, or without getting to wrapped up in the small things, it is easier said then done. Anyway an awesome song, on high rotation right now.

I dont really have much to say, im working and playing as ever. Nothing new to report really. Wish there was something new to say, or something exciting to report but at the moment there isnt. As of next week i have 4 months left on my contract at school, time has truly flown and i am looking forward to my travel and the next great adventure, which could be next week, or next year, but whenever it is im ready.

And endless crowds of people, they walk upon this stone

2008-04-18T10:20:00.004+09:30

So whats been cracking for all the people out there, back home i guess, who may be reading this?? let me know, havent heard much from many people, so updates would be nice. Thanks to those people who have sent photos, emails and such. It's nice to have stuff from home to keep me going and get me through any slight cases of home sickness i may get.

First i should update the Bundang FC results, since the first post we have played another 4 games and well, in three we were totally out classes and went down, 8-0, 5-0 and 6-2. Not pleasant reading at all. The only consolation, all be it a small and egotistical one is that i did manage to get man of the match in the first 2 of those....scores could have been worse i guess. Then the day finally game, the boys and I were at our wits end, i was done with losing. Especially by such tragic numbers. We played the Persian Storm, who were sitting just above us in the table, i wont relive the whole match, but lets just say from 1-1 at half time, we pulled away to win 5-2. A victory has never felt sweeter to myself, not since under 10's had i played for a team that shipped so many goals and went into each game on damage control (that is no reflection on any individual, just a sad fact). So the first epic win for the newly formed Bundang FC and im proud to say i was part of it, anyone on facebook should check out the fan site (i know hilarious right???) anyway, search groups and "I'm a Fan of Bundang FC". Join and become one of the orangutan army!! It is specially set up for friends and family of the team who live overseas but want a window into the lives and games of the club....or so i heard from its creator and our captain.

Enough of football, what have i been doing lately i hear you ask? Well, not much other then work, football and drinking i guess. I did manage to check out the aquarium the other weekend, pictures will follow on one or other wedsite....im not sure yet and i havent the time to upload now, but when i do i will post links here. here is a teaser:

The aquarium was pretty cool, and i took ALOT of photos, here is my favorite....it doesnt have me in it though!!

While there i also checked out the kimchi museum, which was pretty cool....oh right most of your probably dont know what kimchi is....well it is basically korean saurekraut (spelling?!!) fermented cabbage (or many other vegetables, there are hundreds of variations) pepper powder, a few other mystical ingredients then stuck in a warm place for weeks or months and boom, you have koreas favorite dish! It grows on you, and well now, honestly i love the stuff!! In case you want to research it further:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi

I guess the other news is i got a new puter, i joined the mac revolution and I havent looked back. My old computer died so i needed a new one. My mac is sleek, white and powerful, we will announce the engagement soon!!! hahaha

I have also made some solid plans for after my contract and beyond, this is the plan as we speak...September, contract ends, so i will head to: Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China and maybe India with two of my good friends here, Elicia and Kyle. This will take around 3 months and i aim to be back in Oz for christmas....mum will murder me or disown me or both if i dont!? After that my current thinking is to return to Korea for a second year, i honestly havent finished with this country and i think one more year should be enough, and also it will allow me to save some more money. After that year who knows, asia, europe, the americas, africa, australia, im not thinking that far ahead just yet!!

Blog title, is nothing special really, just been listening to The Sounds of Animals Fighting a lot lately so i choose one of there lines, it is apt to some extent i guess, the world is a stone with an ever increasing number of people walking upon it, i just hope they all have some idea where they are walking too. Anyway The Sounds of Animals Fighting are a 'super group' if you will made up of people from bands i love, check them out, this line is from the song 'The golden boy that was swallowed by the sea' from there second album, Lover the Lord has left us.

Enough from me this time, as i said i will update you all once i have posted my photos somewhere!!

sweating to these lyrics

2008-03-13T14:58:00.003+10:30

Hey everybody, or nobody, i have no idea who actually reads this stuff, and i post so sporadically that i don't blame anyone for not checking in here but if you do occasionally you will find little pearls of nonsense spewed from my incoherent brain, all spoken in poor english as the longer i spend away from Aus, the worse my english appears to be getting!!! Anyway, im good same old same old here, but the football season has just begun so i thought i would break down the games week by week as they happen, just to keep the blog moving and to allow me to actually write something other then: Excellent work, please watch your grammar or please write more next time which all seem to be the extent of my english writing these days.

So here it is the first game of the Seoul Sunday Football League or SSFL, my team is the mighty BFC, Bundang Football Club, also known as the Orangutans, which i can personally claim credit for coining. Simply put, we where orange, we are hairy and drip with animal magnetism so it just seemed to fit. Here is a pic of the boys so you can see for yourself:

Anyway, the game. We start our season against the Han River Harriers, as we had a forfeit against osan last week, so we were sitting pretty with 3 points and 3 goals after the first round, but now our first test.

Han River started brightly and had the best of the opening exchanges but really without threat until about midway through the first half an Innocent looking cross/shot is fired towards goal and yours truly makes an absolute hash of it, spills it into the path of the on rushing striker for HRH and bam 1-0. Pain, disappointment, anger, frustration and a massive deflating of ego follows, the life of the GK is always like this, on mistake and punished in the worst way. The game goes on HRH have a second goal disallowed for clear offside, but BFC realize its time to step up.

The boys then rally and take control of the game, until a late but non-malicious challenge is placed on a BFC player, Charlie, a free kick is given but Charlie stays down. There is talk of hearing cracks and he is in some pain. He is helped from the pitch, in pain but keeping it together not like the drama queens that are ruining the beautiful game by rolling around after the slightest tap. Anyway thats the end of the game for Charlie, and after x-rays it is revealed he has multiple fractures in his leg and requires surgery. Haven't heard how this has gone yet, but thoughts are with Charlie at this time and a speedy recovery is hoped for.

The game continues, BFC in control, and the Crouch like Pat up top, laying of intelligent passes and bringing people into the game, then the breakthrough. Pat plays in Dae Hee, on the right wing, he is clean though on goal, and he delicately chips the ball into the far left corner, the game is in a state of flux, Han are calling offside, BFC are confused, the ref points to the centre circle BFC are level 1-1. First goal for BFC is scored and its game on.

Half time, team talk and oranges, a few tantrums and hissy fits, mostly from myself, due to the clear let down i feel i have committed on the boys. I get myself together and prepare for the second half.

The second half is even, no clear cut chances, a long range shot from Ross of BFC causes alarm, and a last ditch block from Mohammed saves BFC's skin but nothing major. The game is heading towards a draw, BFC is in a slight state of disarray due to injury and mass substitutions messing with the formation and Han take control but still no clear chances. BFC get themselves together and formation and order is restored when disaster strikes. Three BFC players are vying to clear a bouncing ball away from inside the box against two han players, when a BFC player (who for prides sake will remain nameless) gets his toe to the ball and in an attempt to clear he screws the ball off his foot and it floats delicately into the far left corner past a stranded GK.

BFC push until the last but to no avail, undone by luck in the end. Final score BFC 1 - HRH 2

A solid start to the season, no shame in an even match, especially against a team who finished 3rd last year. The season looks promising if we can sort a few small issues out and i can recover some of my pre-season form.

The title is from the band Cute is what we aim for, and the song is Curse of Curves, i choose it because it said sweating, that's all really.

The world will now learn of change to come

2008-01-20T23:21:00.000+10:30

So firstly the title:
"The world will now learn of change to come"
Its from the Coheed and Cambria song The Reaping from their latest cd. I choose this line as i now have just had a window into the change to come, thats right i visited a Korean fortune teller!! I now know many things about myself and the future, so i will share with you all that i have learned. Before i begin i would just like to thank the young lady who did me a great service by translating my future for me...so thanks Jee Young ^^

So here is what i learned, I asked about relationships as the other options were, work (I don't care much about that), study (not currently an issue) and money (again I'm not to bothered with that) so relationships it was!!
The fortune teller began by telling me a little about me based on my birthday.
I AM A TREE: This means i am intelligent and wise. I have chosen a good job as a teacher as it give me the opportunity to pass this onto others.

I NEED FIRE: As i am a tree and also i was born in January which in Korea is winter, i need the women in my life to be fire. This is firstly to provide me with warmth so i can grow as a tree and also because i was born in January I started life cold so as my life goes on i need warmth.

WATER: She said over the next 5-6 months i will meet alot of women, and they will come and go like water, so i should not be disheartened by this and should enjoy myself and also focus on work.

JUNE: In june i will met the perfect women for me! Apparently i have very high standards and i am looking for perfection, but in June of this year i will meet the perfect person.

1982: Women of 1982 are bad for me and i need to avoid them, interesting!

2010: In 2010 i will get married.

35: When i turn 35 i will have an amazing year.

MY WIFE: This one is difficult to explain, but in Korea they have a saying or phrase, i am not sure what it is but the meaning is: a women who travels and spends a lot of time away from her home. Apparently my wife will be like this for a period of time when we first marry, we will be married and be together but at the same time we will spend a lot of time in different countries, places or simply not together. This will pass eventually and i should embrace it and use the time to focus on my career and other aspects of my life.

Thats about it, i think. If i remember more i will update again later, but it was an interesting evening and to be honest i don't believe a word of it but i thought i would share the experience. everything i wrote was as i was told, i haven't interpreted it at all, simply the facts.

On a different note i would like to end by thanking everyone who offered me well wishes for my birthday, gave me a card, gave me a gift or simple thought of me! I received some special gifts and cards this year from friends, family and my students which i will treasure not merely as material possessions but as symbols of the love and friendship we all share.

Thanks

My hopes are so high

2008-01-18T14:04:00.000+10:30

Well it has been too long since my last post, put it down to laziness and also a dash of extreme busy-ness, so i will update on what i have been up to, what im thinking and any other random thought that pops into my head in the 10-15 minutes i have to right this...

Firstly the title, my hopes are so high, its a line from the dashboard confessional song hands down, for me one of his best songs. Simple poetic and the images it creates are vivid real and leave you dreaming of a night like this. Anyway as this is the new year and just yesterday i hit the quater century age wise, i am pretty optimistic and doing alot of thinking about what the future has in store for me, and as im an optimist, which may drive some people insane i see a bright future full of wonder, surprise, adventure, new people, old people, fun and of course drama, hence: "my hopes are so high"

Ok, so thats out of the way, the festive season has just passed by so im sure some people are wondering what i did and who i did it with...

Christmas:

Christmas eve i was out drinking, and partying with friends in seoul.

Christmas day: I recovered enough to go to a friends place in Bundang for christmas festivities, including, food, drinking, games and gifts. Christmas in korea is odd, everything is the same excpet you dont work, all the shops are open, the streets are busy, there is no real christmas feeling in the street...not that there is in australia either but all the shops are closed so life is bloody incovenient!! Anyway i did find the christmas spirit in korea, it was with my friends. Talking, drinking and eating togther gave a real homely feeling, i am hesitant to use the word blessed due to my lack of religious belief and the strong religious images and conotations that abound with such a word, but on theis christmas day i did feel blessed to be 15 hours from home but still managed to have found a place that felt homely and was alive with christmas cheer and festivities. So thanks to the people i shared the day with, i wont name names but you all know who you are (if you ever read this that is) you made christmas in korea one to remember.

a side note here is that after talking to family back home i realized that you all sound so damn aussie....did make me miss home talking with you guys, but i did have a chuckle at the accent im sure im losing!! hahah

New Years: So new years, hmmm....i spent the time with my Korean friend JM, and friends girlfriend and a few other lovely ladies. The night began with eating and drinking korean bbq, then we progressed to a korean watering hole. The korean drinking experince is one i enjoy, you sit with the people you came in with, eat drink and talk. You dont mix outside your group much and i like this as it gives a real chance to get to know the people you are with. So this night passed with drinks, a K1 fight which the korean guy lost in under 2 minutes which is so funny considering all the hype and build up it was given, a call from home, a countdown, a drunk friend arriving late and sleeping and a taxi ride home. It was a nice way to ring in the new year and say good bye to 2007.

My birthday:
Well it was only yesterday but last night i shared drinks with my close friends in Bundang, drinking talking and such. Not a late night as everyone is working but fun none the less.

This weekend i will have a shindig one night, inviting some of my friends to join me in drinking and talking purely to drink and talk, my birthday is neither here nor there but it is a small excuse!!

So thats the festive season.

Now i am 25 i have started to think. im now offically in my mid-twenties, people i know have kids, wives, houses, mortages and steady jobs which to some extent i envy.....but i on the other hand have freedom, independance and the world at my feet....which maybe they envy. I guess this is a case of the grass is always greener???? anyway I am happy with my place in this world right now, i enjoy my life and am happy with where it is heading, time is on my side and im working towards everything i have ever wanted. as i said my hopes are so high.

So my life in korea, i am enjoying it but i think once the year is over barring some amazing event in the next 8 months i will ship out to greener pastures, i made my decision to come here from a financial point of view, next place i go will be from the heart, the options are, china, japan, europe, australia, england or....anywhere else on gods green planet...except the states hahahah anyway i have class now and must go, so i will leave you with the song that is driving me insane and has captured koreas hearts: It is tell me by the wonder girls...the wonder girls are all between 13 and 17 or something like i cant say tell me the answer in class anymore without the whole class singing: tell me, tell me, t.t.t.t tell me!!!! Im going insane!!!

Just Watch it!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQTIsi0IlZc

No fancy title

2007-11-14T13:55:00.000+10:30

Hello, no fancy title today with a song title or lyric time is short, just want to say i am doing well, have been having an amazing time here work is work but after work and weekends im having a blast, this weekend i head to Busan to meet some old friends, so it should be a good time. BUT i have named my first child the other day, she is a new student at my school and she had no English name, so i got the honor of naming her, she is really cute and i would like to introduce to you:

HAYLEY

Her korean name starts with H, and i just think she looks like a Hayley.

Until next time.

The Receiving End of Sirens

2007-10-09T13:47:00.000+09:30

OK, I have been planning on writing this blog since last Wednesday as i had the most crazy day i have had since arriving in this country (on any occasion!!), this is what happened:

The day begins at around Nine when i arrive at work to take a couple of kids to an English Essay contest (it is a public holiday so i dont have work as usual). So me, 2 kids from my classes, the principal and the owner head off to the contest. The contest is good, pictures to follow on picasa. My two students score amazing in the speaking and pronunciation categories but not so good in gesture. This is my falut to some extent as i thought it was an 'ESSAY" contest not a dance around like a performing monkey contest so we had minimal gestures planned whereas the children that won would have been laughing stocks in a native English speaking country. They wanted overexagerated gesture. I know this for next time and will expect to bring in the awards!!!

Anway so this is finished by around 12, we decide as a group (with the children being the most powerful voices hahah) that we will get some pizza for lunch. Now i am thinking a nice little pizzeria somewhere instead, we are heading to a 6 star hotel restaraunt for pizza. I was shocked but excited (no i must point out here that my stupid camera had run out of battery at this point...a fact i am still annoyed at!!!). We arrive at the hotel:

I am more than impressed as you can imagine, but we slowly wind our way up the hill to where we are going to eat. A place known as Pizza Hill, the place is stunning it sits ontop of the highest hill possible and looks out over the Han river and Seoul. As i said no camera!!! but here is the hotel website have a look and there should be some pics on there outlining the view: http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=735

So we order our food, i have a nice pasta dish a salad and a slice of pizza. The food was pretty good, but overall i think you pay for the view and service. I will not paste the bill all over my blog, suffice to say it wasnt cheap. I was told after that the owner wanted to create a memory for me and boy did he succeed. I was truly blown away by the location, food, service and most amazingly the view. I am very thankful for this experience and the kindness behind it.

The next part of our day is to return to school get into seperate cars, the owner and I in one to go to his place and prepare the sofa he is giving me for my house and the principal in her car to return the kids home and then meet us (as she has a bigger car and we need this to move the sofa). The owner and I are heading to his place but only get about 2 minutes from school when the principal calls to tell us she has had a crash!! Now my mind is racing as is his. We go to meet them to make sure all is well and help out. What had happened was the principal was waiting to turn a corner so she was sitting on the bend when a bus came and wanted to turn the corner to, but he did not see her car and took the corner on the outside of her car, but as he turned he started to push into her har, she beeped and whatnot until he stopped. No injuries just shock and the car body dented along one side. We arrive to see this and the owner and the bus driver begin 'discussing' events, although we didnt see it he has a fairly strong idea of what happened and let me tell you, i want him on my side if anything every happens to me here he is a fighter, verbally of course!!! Anway we had to wait around an hour and a half in total for the police (we were on: the receiving end of sirens!!!) and the insurance people to arrive. So by now it is around 3. I thought due to the accident we would leave the couch for another day, but now we moved it. This took until about 4:30.

We drop the sofa off at my place and while we are there the owner sees my bedding (which isnt in the best shape and i was intending to buy more once the money came) but anyway he sees it and insists on buying me some more. There is a small shopping mall below my apartment so we look there, buy some, take them back to my room and they are too small so we head to another shopping mall. We spend around 20 minutes driving there and 45 minutes looking for the right stuff, the owner is very kind and offers to buy me anything i need, including groceries. I decline as it simple would have been too much as he spent alot on lunch and my bedding. We leave the shop (which i am very grateful to have found as i didnt know a department store like this one was so close, maybe a 15-20 minute walk) but the traffic is at a stand still and we spend around 45 minutes on a 10 minute drive!! Finally home again around 6, i am truly buggered. A day full of surprises, events, gifts, meals, police, sirens and all in all a crazy day.

It may not seem like too much of a crazy day, i dont know how it reads, but too be in another country and have a day like this is truly crazy, especially when you had in your mind at the days begining: English contest, home by 1 and out to meet Xavi play some playstation and have some dinner. Anyway that was my crazy day....thats how it felt to me anyway!!!

The receiving end of sirens: awesome rock band, latest cd: The earth sings mi-fa-mi. check em out!!!

Tie me Kangaroo Down Sport!!

2007-09-24T16:18:00.000+09:30

I was finished but i had to put this on too...

This is what happens when you tell Korean kids you are from Australia (which for your information is know as hoju here, which sounds remarkably like soju which is Korean rice wine or vodka is this mere coincidence? i doubt it!)
I said: I am from Australia.
They Said: Australia? Ohhhh KANGAROO!!!!

It isn't processed as i write but hopefully it will be soon.

Enjoy

'Time to get the seeds into the cold ground...

2007-09-24T14:49:00.000+09:30

... It takes a while to grow anything.'

So week one at work is done, i have uploaded photos and I am currently enjoying Chu Sok, which is a Korean holiday whereby they honor deceased family members and ancestors with food and celebration. The actual day for this is Tuesday i believe but both Monday and Wednesday are public holidays as a result, so I have a well earned 5 day holiday after a solid week of work.

How has the first week at work, is a question i am being asked alot so here it goes:

The week began with my only adult class. The class consists of 2 women one a grandma in here 60's and the other a mother maybe in here 30's. They both have a decent level of English i know now but before this class i was insanely nervous as i am only really used to teaching kids and working with adults is a whole new ball game. In the end it worked out fine they are both really nice people and i think they spend most of the time in class laughing at my accent, how fast i talk and telling me about there lives. It is a nice class i do enjoy it which is important as i have them 2 times a week until i finish.

The rest of the day is with kids and went really well, i went through pages to quickly in the text books but have now got some good strategies in place to make 2 pages of text last for 45 minutes. It is important for 2 reasons 1) if you go to fast they don't learn anything and 2) I have to go through the books at a certain pace to keep at the same level as the local teachers who have them 4 times a week whereas i only have them 1 or 2.

My schedule is pretty much live this I have 2 or 3 classes a break for dinner and another 2 or 3 classes. These are all with pretty young kids overall most age from 6-10 and i have 3 classes a week with older kids bout 12-13. The older kids are a nice change of pace as they have more English skills and ask more questions (not always about the books we are working through but i still encourage this conversation as i think it is important too).

The dinner break has been ok so far, they provide dinner for us and it has only been fish once and that was sushi rolls. Although i have never had sushi before i got stuck in and had some salmon, crab and i think some fish eggs!! It was alright and bloody good for me so at least i know i can stomach raw fish. Really the week went well, most of the students are really really good and easy to control and any behavior stuff i'm pretty confident i can handle, I got my stripes in behavior management back home!!!

Although here if a kid is just way outta line i can hit them!!! I haven't yet and i WONT, it goes against everything i believe. There are two forms of punishment i can try out if i feel the need. The first (which i have used once now) is to get the kid to stand facing the corner with their arms up in the air and get them to hold them up for however long i like. It sounds pretty easy but it sucks after a while (give it a try). I was pretty soft though and only made him stand there for a minute. It was more of a 'don't start with me' sort of punishment and the rest of the lesson he was great. The second one is a bit more harsh (i really don't know if i will every try it out). It is also a bit more difficult to explain so i will use steps:

Step 1) The Student kneels on the floor.

Step 2) The student places their forehead on the floor.

Step 3) The student raises their bum in the air and places their hands behind their back, so they now look like an upsidedown V.

Step 4) Get them to stay like that for as long as you like.

I tried finding a picture but i couldnt so this explanation will have to do. I hope by the explanation you can see it is pretty harsh and would be pretty painful and difficult to hold, which is why i dont think i would every use it. I have used it as a threat once so know the students know i know another of the local punishments but now everytime i tell someone off they say 'Head! Head!' They really want me to make someone do it. Crazy.

As i said work was great, the students are fine, the other teachers are nice and friendly and the curriculum is all taken straight from different books depending on what level of English the class has (all classes are ability based).

Random student Photo.

After a tough week at work (joke) saturday rolled around and it was time to catch up with an old friend and hope to make a few more. I met Xavi at his work which is only about 40 minutes from where i live, maybe an hour by subway. We had a beer with one of his co-workers who is from the Canary Islands and is teaching Spanish. I didnt speak to her too much as Xavi and I had much catching up to do. We stayed there for a short time had some nachos then moved on, we parted with his teacher friend and another friend of there's also from the Canary Islands.

We headed over to one of his korean friends party. He and his girlfriend were celebrating 100 days together which in Korean society is a huge deal. It means parties, presents and most importantly 100 roses!! Which although elaborate are available for only 20 dollars. The group we were drinking, i mean celebrating with consisted of several Americans, an Egyptian, 2 Catalans, 1 Chinese, 1 Japanese and several Koreans. It was a good mix of locals and internationals and a good time was had. Although due to the nature of the holiday approaching most of the other people out were foreigners as most Koreans go back to there family homes to celebrate, so next week may be much bigger. We worked our way through several different establishments even one selling coopers and unfortunately VB (see photos). The night came to an end around 5:30 when we went our separate ways.

It was good to talk with Xavi again and also to meet some new people and stretch the vocal chords which had been speaking not quite fluent English for close to a week to ensure understanding! Sunday was recovery and today is update day, tomorrow or Wednesday i may head out to meet Xavi again and fire up some playstation.

That is all for today except to explain the post title, it comes for the song Sowing Season (yeah) by Brand New: www.fightoffyourdemons.com off the album 'The devil and god are raging inside me' the full quote is: 'Time to get the seeds into the cold ground. It takes a while to grow anything' Which i picked simply because that is where my life here is at the moment, planting seeds and helping them grow to ensure my time here is awesome.

Sowing Season (yeah) by Brand New off the album 'The devil and god are raging inside me'

A photograph of my traveling friend...

2007-09-24T14:26:00.000+09:30

Hey, well i have internet and i also have my photos on my computer but now there are some up on the web!!!!

I have uploaded 40 pictures of the 200 or so i have taken thus far onto my new photo site so check them out, there are pictures on there of my awesome apartment, some of my students, the area around my place, some local delicacies, the family before i left and one or two of some new and old friends.

Also the link to the website is on the left side of the page under picasa.

Enjoy the pictures and comment on my blog about them.

Here's a little teaser:

Post title: The album: Here to Infirmary; The Song: You're Dead; The band: Alkaline Trio

Alone in the Crowd

2007-09-16T17:12:00.000+09:30

Hey everybody, so this is my first post since arriving in Korea. Bundang is really nice, i live on the main street in my particular part of Bundang on the 6th floor, within about 5 minutes of here there are parks, rivers, playgrounds and little back streets full of authentic Korea. I was hoping to be able to add a whole bunch of photos but my computer is being stupid so that will have to wait. For now i will just run through the last couple of days. Also the title of this blog is from the Catch 22 album of that name, I chose it simply because thats how it feels at the moment when i head out into Bundang, so many people but a slight feeling of isolation due to the language barrier, which i intend to overcome by learning Korean!

Getting Here: It took 2 hours longer then it should have because I had to change plans in KL due to the one that was supposed to fly me into Korea wasnt fit to fly. So arriving 2 hours late on about 3 hours sleep wasnt the best start. I then leave my terminal getting through customs no worries to have no one there waiting for me. After 10-15 minutes of waiting (basically i was just stuffed and wanted to sit down) I started checking other terminals and finally found my new principal 'Amy'.

Amy drove me to Bundang where we met up with the teacher i was replacing to have lunch at.... outback steakhouse . Which is an "Aussie" themed restaurant (dig the music on the website!!). It was actually ok compared to my memories of it last time but still nothing like food from back home!!

After that we dropped off my stuff at my apartment and i have to say i was blown away with how nice it is. Really not that big but also no shoebox on the side of the road!! (I will post pics once my camera and such is back in action properly)

Even though i was completely and totally buggered I decided to spend the arvo watching Nate the teacher i was replacing teach. After seeing this i am supremely confident in my ability to be able to do this job quite comfortably The difficult part will be getting started and finding a routine. I will try and post some pictures after my first day of work of some kids and the school etc.

So that was friday and i was completely buggered as i said and went to bed as soon as i could, saturday i slept in spent the morning organizing my things and getting some grub, there will also be pictures of that too.

Sunday rolled around and i needed a few things so i decided to get up early and do it them before too many people were out and about,it was still busy but most people where making there way to church, seriously there are about a dozen of them in the local area! Around 10is i got a call from my principal Amy letting me know the owner wanted to take me out to lunch, so of course i accepted. It was a very nice lunch and he seems like a very nice, rich bloke although his english isnt to good (but neither is my korean) he has already offered to take me to a K-League soccer game, skiing and for a round of golf all at his expense (a round of golf in Korea runs around 200 bucks!!).

Thats about it for now, i am slowly settling in but work is the real test.

I will post a whole mess of pictures once my memory card issue is resolved!!

Hey to everyone and comment ya bastards so i know i'm not wasting my breathe...or fingers or whatever!!!

The album: Alone in the Crowd by Catch 22

Life Wont Wait

2007-08-06T19:53:00.000+09:30

Possible the greatest album title every, three simple words but with everlasting meaning.

Life Wont Wait

Brilliant in its simplicity but eternal in its meaning. Life simply will not wait for you, every day you procrastinate, every hour you delay, every minute you stall and every second you waste is bringing you closer to the end at a never halting rate of knots.

So the decision is yours and yours alone, sit on the fence, in the stands or on the sidelines, simply letting life pass you by as you cheer on (or to hide your shame and fear ridicule) those living life as it was intended.

One of the greatest shame's in this world is a life un-lived, a life full of regret and life full of missed opportunity.

Simply do not fear mistakes or hide from chances take them and make them in whatever fashion your heart desires and you will live without regret for regret is a plague, a scar, an irremovable and permanently embedded shard of lost opportunity and broken dreams, cleft deep into the eye of those only looking at what has already passed....

Only look forward a mistake is not a mistake if you learn from it and move on, then it becomes a lesson and no longer something to regret...never regret...never wait...you only live once...make the most of it...

thats what i think anyway...

life wont wait.

The Album: Life Wont Wait - Rancid

War Sucks Lets Party

2007-07-31T19:32:00.000+09:30

A heartfelt and honest congratulations goes out to the players and staff of the Iraq Football team for their truly inspirational win in the 2007 Asian Cup. A win that truly defies all the odds. The challanges and obstacles this exceptional group of people overcame to win an international standard football tournament by playing THE BEST FOOTBALL is amazing, the team had to deal with:

- War tearing their homeland apart, both from internal factions who hate, despise and kill one another as well as coalition forces raping their country in an unjust invasion, which i am ashamed to say my country is part of.

- Not having been home to Iraq for many years, many of the players haven't been back to Iraq for several years due to the danger it would bring themselves and their families.

- Playing a football tournament while mourning the recent deaths of family members and friends.

- Overcoming the very same bias and hatred that is rife and almost innate within the Iraqi people to form a cohesive and stable team unit working towards a common dream.

- Having a coach who only took over the job 2 months before the tournament and also having almost no footballing infrastructure to support the team and players.

- Defeating teams who are more experienced, better prepared and higher paid.

These are but some of the issues that the Iraqi team faced and despite of all this they emerged victorious, they are truly an inspiration not only to the people of Iraq but the world as a whole.

Rarely does a sporting event surpass the world of sport a become a truly universal and monumental event, one can only hope that the country of Iraq can succeed in overcoming all the odds as their sporting team did to become successful in the quest to become a vibrant, stable and thriving country in years to come.

War Sucks Lets Party from the Album For Blood and Empire by Anti-Flag

Blood of the Rose

2007-07-06T22:18:00.000+09:30

Well, here it is the first post.

I have set this blog up for when i finally begin to travel again so that friends, family and random strangers can read about whats happening in my life.

At the present time I have little to say, I am living in my home town of Adelaide and have recently started a 7 week teaching contract, my first in fact since i finished university.

I am also currently looking for work in South Korea as an English teacher to begin when i finish my contract in Adelaide. After around 2 - 3 weeks of searching I may have found the right job after knocking several back. I am excited about this but also cautious so am taking every measure i can to ensure i don't end up having a bad time due to rushing into the wrong job.

The title of my blog is a lyric taken from the song "Blood of the Rose" by The Dear Hunter from the album "Act II: The Meaning of, and All Things Regarding Ms. Leading". This is an unbelievable album, the finest one that I have heard this year. TDH fuse together so many different musical styles to create a masterpiece, the band also work a story through their albums in a similar fashion to Coheed and Cambria another of my favorite bands. To learn more or listen to either check out their myspace pages:

The Dear Hunter

Coheed and Cambria

Most of my blog titles will come from either song lyrics/titles or other random quotes from books or movies.

I will post again once i have something to say or write, but mostly this blog will become highly active when I outta this country