Finally on vacation. Test is over. Sitting near/on beach all day long. I dove today for the first time in over a year. Was great. I find myself getting bored/antsy after about 25 minutes and ready to head up. Luckily that was about the time we saw some huge needlefish that held my attention again. The water was warm and there wasn't too much current. We had to swim at the surface to find a place to walk up on the beach--wasn't too excited about that. I'll take a boat any day!
The food is fabulous. We can eat Indonesia food cooked by locals for super cheap--under $3 for the two of us--or eat western food for a little more expensive--between 5-6 bucks. beer is between 1.50 and 1.80 for a big bottle. we're saving money on water (which we both drink a ton of) by refilling our old bottles for 25-30cents. Our bunglow (including breakfast) is 8bucks a night. We have 2 big beds, a ceiling fan, a porch, and our own bathroom--sans hot water.
So far neither of us have had many bug bites, thankfully. and we're supposed to be taking malaria meds but keep forgetting. chickens, ducks, and cats roam freely here but everyone seems to be healthy expect hte cat that pesters us at breakfast. we've named him plague ball.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Thursday, November 01, 2007
i can't believe
I'm intentionally returning to a country where this happens. (the people picketing, notice in the picture the young child, not the settlement)
christian values--love your neighbor always gets thrown out the window.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071101/ap_on_re_us/funeral_protests_11;_ylt=Aq5RbhBxU0TUK2ulFgXqINME1vAI
christian values--love your neighbor always gets thrown out the window.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071101/ap_on_re_us/funeral_protests_11;_ylt=Aq5RbhBxU0TUK2ulFgXqINME1vAI
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
YES
if beard and i ever tie the knot--this is going to be useful!
http://www.byebyeblender.com/
a bridal registry that lets guests give money towards a honeymoon or luxury gifts. PERFECT for people who have been living together for a while and have all the household stuff.
http://www.byebyeblender.com/
a bridal registry that lets guests give money towards a honeymoon or luxury gifts. PERFECT for people who have been living together for a while and have all the household stuff.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
damn, i make good soup
it kind of looked like this. i don't have the fancy bowl.
today for lunch (during the drill) i made a great pot of soup. i've had the cold that won't go away forever now and i decided to hot it out. i started some water boiling and put in the rice pillows. then i added a generous helping of kimchi followed by mushrooms (the big ones htat are stuck together), odang, 2 spicy green peppers, 2 big cloves of garlic, one med large onion, corn, and a little carrot while this was all simmering i added in 2 forkfuls of spicy red paste. YUMMY Yum yum. It was a 9 tissue lunch.
are we being attacked?
what the frick is going on around here. we were just finishing up lunch and what i would call a storm siren went off for a long long time and fighter planes were flying over head--a lot. and then the siren stopped and there were announcements for quite sometime. then the announcements stopped and the siren went again. no planes and no announcements this time...
most likely its a test. i remember something like this happening last year but no announcements and only one siren and places and EG said it was to test the army.
off to work. we'll see what they say.
most likely its a test. i remember something like this happening last year but no announcements and only one siren and places and EG said it was to test the army.
off to work. we'll see what they say.
Friday, October 12, 2007
korea
One thing I'll miss about Korea--the cabbies. Well, some of them.
I know I'll miss the harmonica cabbie. I've had him twice. I get in for the long ride to Gupyoung Dong (about 25-30 mins). He says nothing for a while until we are deep in rush hour traffic. Then he brings out the "where are you from?" i say america. He says OH AMERICA! Number ONE! i say, thanks. Then he calls me Miss America. I say, yes, it's true. how did you know? Then silence for about 5 minutes as I go back to eating my fruits and veggies.
Then, we're at a red light. He takes out a harmonica and waves it at me. I say, harmonica. He says, america!. So that means either he got it IN america, someone brought it for him from america, it was made in america, or he thinks my name is america. He then proceeds to play home on the range, during which the light turns green, we're in a lot of traffic with a lot going on, but this doesn't deter him from playing. He finishes, I smile and say good! I'm hoping he'll put it away, we have a tricky intersection coming up. But NO! He says, America number one song and plays the star spangled banner--complete with a hendrix-esque riff in the middle. nnniiiiccceee. we arrive safely to dunkin donuts. phew.
The first time this happened I was on a shorter ride and he played 3 songs. Number one korea song and numbers one and two america songs. I remember home on the range but i can't remember the other one. I might have encouraged him this time b/c the traffic was lighter and i wasn't so pressed for time.
On a side note. The other day as I was walking I saw a kid on a bike playing a harmonica--and there was a kid on the back of his bike! This kid is either the cabbie's son or his protege.
I know I'll miss the harmonica cabbie. I've had him twice. I get in for the long ride to Gupyoung Dong (about 25-30 mins). He says nothing for a while until we are deep in rush hour traffic. Then he brings out the "where are you from?" i say america. He says OH AMERICA! Number ONE! i say, thanks. Then he calls me Miss America. I say, yes, it's true. how did you know? Then silence for about 5 minutes as I go back to eating my fruits and veggies.
Then, we're at a red light. He takes out a harmonica and waves it at me. I say, harmonica. He says, america!. So that means either he got it IN america, someone brought it for him from america, it was made in america, or he thinks my name is america. He then proceeds to play home on the range, during which the light turns green, we're in a lot of traffic with a lot going on, but this doesn't deter him from playing. He finishes, I smile and say good! I'm hoping he'll put it away, we have a tricky intersection coming up. But NO! He says, America number one song and plays the star spangled banner--complete with a hendrix-esque riff in the middle. nnniiiiccceee. we arrive safely to dunkin donuts. phew.
The first time this happened I was on a shorter ride and he played 3 songs. Number one korea song and numbers one and two america songs. I remember home on the range but i can't remember the other one. I might have encouraged him this time b/c the traffic was lighter and i wasn't so pressed for time.
On a side note. The other day as I was walking I saw a kid on a bike playing a harmonica--and there was a kid on the back of his bike! This kid is either the cabbie's son or his protege.
Monday, October 08, 2007
wowza
just spent a HUGE amount of money on plane tickets. doing things slightly different. beard found a cheap flight out of kuala lampur, malaysia to moline. SO we're leaving Jakarta dec 15th, flying to malaysia. I'm hanging out a day and a half and then leaving on the 18th for moline. that is if our reservations go through. we'll see about that soon enough.
and now that my tummy's in knots, i'm going to try to go to bed.
and now that my tummy's in knots, i'm going to try to go to bed.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
long time no blog
first let me just say i have the "death hurt" this means that my right gland in my neck is swollen and hurts REALLY REALLY bad. it means i'm doomed for sickness. DOOMED. ive been stocking up on vitamin C but we all know where this is going. sick city.
second something funny: tuesday i had my picture taken for a newspaper ad, again. This will be the 2nd time i've been in the newspaper for DDD. yes, i'm that hot. or something. anyway, i wore a nice shirt instead of a regular tee-shirt and as i was leaving for lunch my boss pats her stomach, points to mine and says, Traci, you're not fat! i say, um...thanks. I want to reply by patting my stomach and saying You, too! but decide to just get in the elevator. i think it was a complement.
and now--we returned from china sunday. had a minor issue that could have been major with customs trying to come back in, and tuesday was my birthday. beards birthday was today (wednesday) which is also a national holiday. i'm not sure why and i don't really care. i'm just really happy to have the day after my birthday off work. as is beard,too b/c as with most years, he starts out his birthday hungover b/c i was born a few hours ahead of him. tuesday i went ot WA bar with CH and had a pilsner urquell and then we went to bisan for red chicken, aka yum yum chicken. then we went to jenny's and then back to my apt. eungyung, ken and his gf yubi, sandy and his gf tidha, and keith all helped us celebrate the bdays. eg brought a delicous chocolate with chocolate mousse cake and then ordered this great chicken dish.
this AM, i woke up fine and ate pizza, sat, showered and met jenny and CH at homeplus. stocked up on some goodies, taught for a bit, saw CH's apt and then went out for dinner with beard. pork galbi.
and now i'm at home. going ot get off the computer and read a decent amount of the book i just started. tomorrow--back to work and studying. this weekend--jinju and lantern festival and mini gumi reunion.
second something funny: tuesday i had my picture taken for a newspaper ad, again. This will be the 2nd time i've been in the newspaper for DDD. yes, i'm that hot. or something. anyway, i wore a nice shirt instead of a regular tee-shirt and as i was leaving for lunch my boss pats her stomach, points to mine and says, Traci, you're not fat! i say, um...thanks. I want to reply by patting my stomach and saying You, too! but decide to just get in the elevator. i think it was a complement.
and now--we returned from china sunday. had a minor issue that could have been major with customs trying to come back in, and tuesday was my birthday. beards birthday was today (wednesday) which is also a national holiday. i'm not sure why and i don't really care. i'm just really happy to have the day after my birthday off work. as is beard,too b/c as with most years, he starts out his birthday hungover b/c i was born a few hours ahead of him. tuesday i went ot WA bar with CH and had a pilsner urquell and then we went to bisan for red chicken, aka yum yum chicken. then we went to jenny's and then back to my apt. eungyung, ken and his gf yubi, sandy and his gf tidha, and keith all helped us celebrate the bdays. eg brought a delicous chocolate with chocolate mousse cake and then ordered this great chicken dish.
this AM, i woke up fine and ate pizza, sat, showered and met jenny and CH at homeplus. stocked up on some goodies, taught for a bit, saw CH's apt and then went out for dinner with beard. pork galbi.
and now i'm at home. going ot get off the computer and read a decent amount of the book i just started. tomorrow--back to work and studying. this weekend--jinju and lantern festival and mini gumi reunion.
Saturday, September 08, 2007
come on
i hate going to funerals. in fact, i think most people hate going to funerals. so WHY must we air them on TV. LIVE. why? someone famous dies. sad. have a nice memorial program. but really, the funeral on CNN, come on! THERE IS SHIT GOING ON IN THE WORLD! WARS! FAMINE! lots of stuff we need to know about. don't spend all evening on an opera singer's funeral. sure, great guy. well known. will be missed. but his funeral on tv? not needed.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
frick yeah, IOWA
in the Jordan, Jesse go keep it up or hang it up game... i give this a KEEP IT UP!
SUMMARY: A minister marries two men outside his Des Moines home Friday morning; then the judge who threw out Iowa's gay marriage ban stays his ruling.
Two men sealed Iowa's first legal same-sex marriage with a kiss Friday morning in Des Moines, less than 24 hours after a judge threw out Iowa's ban on gay marriage and about two hours before he put that ruling on hold.
It was a narrow window of opportunity.
Polk County Judge Robert Hanson temporarily cleared the way for same-sex couples across the state to apply for marriage licenses in the county when he ruled Thursday that Iowa's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act, which allowed marriage only between a man and a woman, violated the constitutional rights of due process and equal protection of six gay couples who had sued.
County attorney John Sarcone promised a quick appeal and asked Hanson to stay his ruling until that appeal was resolved.
A dozen gay and lesbian couples were waiting at the county recorder's office when it opened at 7:30 Friday morning.
"This might be our only chance," said Katy Farlow, who waited in a lawn chair with fellow Iowa State University student Larissa Boeck.
Just after 11 a.m., about 20 gay couples had finished applying for marriage licenses when Recorder Julie Haggerty announced she could no longer accept applications. Hanson told The Associated Press about an hour and half later that he had formally stayed his ruling.
The stay meant the recorder's office was not permitted to accept any more marriage applications from gay couples until the Iowa Supreme Court rules on the county's appeal.
Sean Fritz and Tim McQuillan were among the lucky few to get their application through.
The marriage license approval process normally takes three business days, but Fritz and McQuillan took advantage of a loophole that allows couples to skip the waiting period if they pay a $5 fee and get a judge to sign a waiver.
Friday morning, the Rev. Mark Stringer declared the two legally married in a wedding on the Unitarian minister's front lawn in Des Moines.
"This is it. We're married. I love you," Fritz told McQuillan after the ceremony.
Fritz explained their hurry: "We're both in our undergrad programs and we thought maybe we'd put it off until applying at graduate school, but when this opportunity came up, we thought maybe we wouldn't get the opportunity again."
Republican House Minority Leader Christopher Rants, said the ruling illustrates the need for a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
"I can't believe this is happening in Iowa," Rants said. "I guarantee you there will be a vote on this issue come January," when the Legislature convenes.
Gov. Chet Culver left open the possibility of state action.
"While some Iowans may disagree on this issue, I personally believe marriage is between a man and a woman," the governor said.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts, and nine other states have approved spousal rights in some form for same-sex couples. Nearly all states have defined marriage as being solely between a man and a woman, and 27 states have such wording in their constitutions, according the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Dennis Johnson, a lawyer for the six gay couples who sued after being denied marriage licenses in 2005, said Iowa has a long history of aggressively protecting civil rights in cases of race and gender. The Defense of Marriage Act contradicts previous rulings regarding civil rights and is simply "mean-spirited," he said.
Roger J. Kuhle, an assistant Polk County attorney, argued that the issue was not for a judge to decide.
Hanson ruled that the state law banning same-sex marriage must be nullified, severed and stricken from the books, and the marriage laws "must be read and applied in a gender neutral manner so as to permit same-sex couples to enter into a civil marriage . . ."
"This is kind of the American Dream," said plaintiff Jen BarbouRoske of Iowa City. "I'm still feeling kind of shaky. It's pure elation. I just cannot believe it."
Kate Varnum of Cedar Rapids, another plaintiff, said she was elated but expected more legal battles: "I don't expect this to be the last one." (Henry C. Jackson, AP)
Unfortunately, this is going to be an issue for some time. HANG IT UP, PEOPLE. if people want to get married, let them. why NOT?! Love, baby, LOVE.
SUMMARY: A minister marries two men outside his Des Moines home Friday morning; then the judge who threw out Iowa's gay marriage ban stays his ruling.
Two men sealed Iowa's first legal same-sex marriage with a kiss Friday morning in Des Moines, less than 24 hours after a judge threw out Iowa's ban on gay marriage and about two hours before he put that ruling on hold.
It was a narrow window of opportunity.
Polk County Judge Robert Hanson temporarily cleared the way for same-sex couples across the state to apply for marriage licenses in the county when he ruled Thursday that Iowa's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act, which allowed marriage only between a man and a woman, violated the constitutional rights of due process and equal protection of six gay couples who had sued.
County attorney John Sarcone promised a quick appeal and asked Hanson to stay his ruling until that appeal was resolved.
A dozen gay and lesbian couples were waiting at the county recorder's office when it opened at 7:30 Friday morning.
"This might be our only chance," said Katy Farlow, who waited in a lawn chair with fellow Iowa State University student Larissa Boeck.
Just after 11 a.m., about 20 gay couples had finished applying for marriage licenses when Recorder Julie Haggerty announced she could no longer accept applications. Hanson told The Associated Press about an hour and half later that he had formally stayed his ruling.
The stay meant the recorder's office was not permitted to accept any more marriage applications from gay couples until the Iowa Supreme Court rules on the county's appeal.
Sean Fritz and Tim McQuillan were among the lucky few to get their application through.
The marriage license approval process normally takes three business days, but Fritz and McQuillan took advantage of a loophole that allows couples to skip the waiting period if they pay a $5 fee and get a judge to sign a waiver.
Friday morning, the Rev. Mark Stringer declared the two legally married in a wedding on the Unitarian minister's front lawn in Des Moines.
"This is it. We're married. I love you," Fritz told McQuillan after the ceremony.
Fritz explained their hurry: "We're both in our undergrad programs and we thought maybe we'd put it off until applying at graduate school, but when this opportunity came up, we thought maybe we wouldn't get the opportunity again."
Republican House Minority Leader Christopher Rants, said the ruling illustrates the need for a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
"I can't believe this is happening in Iowa," Rants said. "I guarantee you there will be a vote on this issue come January," when the Legislature convenes.
Gov. Chet Culver left open the possibility of state action.
"While some Iowans may disagree on this issue, I personally believe marriage is between a man and a woman," the governor said.
Same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts, and nine other states have approved spousal rights in some form for same-sex couples. Nearly all states have defined marriage as being solely between a man and a woman, and 27 states have such wording in their constitutions, according the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Dennis Johnson, a lawyer for the six gay couples who sued after being denied marriage licenses in 2005, said Iowa has a long history of aggressively protecting civil rights in cases of race and gender. The Defense of Marriage Act contradicts previous rulings regarding civil rights and is simply "mean-spirited," he said.
Roger J. Kuhle, an assistant Polk County attorney, argued that the issue was not for a judge to decide.
Hanson ruled that the state law banning same-sex marriage must be nullified, severed and stricken from the books, and the marriage laws "must be read and applied in a gender neutral manner so as to permit same-sex couples to enter into a civil marriage . . ."
"This is kind of the American Dream," said plaintiff Jen BarbouRoske of Iowa City. "I'm still feeling kind of shaky. It's pure elation. I just cannot believe it."
Kate Varnum of Cedar Rapids, another plaintiff, said she was elated but expected more legal battles: "I don't expect this to be the last one." (Henry C. Jackson, AP)
Unfortunately, this is going to be an issue for some time. HANG IT UP, PEOPLE. if people want to get married, let them. why NOT?! Love, baby, LOVE.
Saturday, September 01, 2007
free!
I am free of one student loan as of today. I paid off stupidass wells fargo. YEAH!!!! it feels good, friends. it feels good. it's the smaller of my two loans but the one with the highest interest and biggest monthly payment. i won't be able to pay the bigger one completely off this year but i will be able to pay off enough so that beard and i are equal in our debt and still put some away towards some sort of retirement. coming back to korea for a second year was definitely a good idea financially.
i've been wanting to put a few thousand towards retirement for a few years now but it seems things keep coming up. i was going to put money for this loan into an IRA but i really really really wanted to get rid of it. but now, by my not-at-all strict calculations, i'll be able to get even with beard and still have enough to invest and travel in november/december and move back to Bellingham.
recently i was in a funk and wanting to move back/quit my job/change everything. a big funk. i felt like i was working my ass off and was unappreciated and tired. but then a couple of days ago, i got over it. paying off this loan helped. it made me realize WHY i'm working my ass off. And really, I like working. True I get SUPER sick of teaching at my hogwan. But the kids in general are still really cute and continually surprise me.
on a different note: today is mine and beard's 8 year anniversary. Eight years is a LONG time. I can't believe i'm not sick of him yet. OK, not really. We work well together. Rosaleen bought us each a choco muffin and put a candle in it at work on Friday. She put a note underneath that said to write 7 things we liked about each other. At first I scoffed at it, joked (i can maybe think of three) but really it was nice. (i just asked beard and he said he though it was cool but if asked again later he would scoff at it). It was nice to take a minute and think about why we like each other. And really, it was a minute, Rosaleen was waiting.
i've been wanting to put a few thousand towards retirement for a few years now but it seems things keep coming up. i was going to put money for this loan into an IRA but i really really really wanted to get rid of it. but now, by my not-at-all strict calculations, i'll be able to get even with beard and still have enough to invest and travel in november/december and move back to Bellingham.
recently i was in a funk and wanting to move back/quit my job/change everything. a big funk. i felt like i was working my ass off and was unappreciated and tired. but then a couple of days ago, i got over it. paying off this loan helped. it made me realize WHY i'm working my ass off. And really, I like working. True I get SUPER sick of teaching at my hogwan. But the kids in general are still really cute and continually surprise me.
on a different note: today is mine and beard's 8 year anniversary. Eight years is a LONG time. I can't believe i'm not sick of him yet. OK, not really. We work well together. Rosaleen bought us each a choco muffin and put a candle in it at work on Friday. She put a note underneath that said to write 7 things we liked about each other. At first I scoffed at it, joked (i can maybe think of three) but really it was nice. (i just asked beard and he said he though it was cool but if asked again later he would scoff at it). It was nice to take a minute and think about why we like each other. And really, it was a minute, Rosaleen was waiting.
Monday, August 27, 2007
games i play
here are a few of the games i play with my kids along with the lessons in their books. they are very simple but they love them.
1. erase the number game. (mostly with the littles/beginners) i write a series of numbers on the board, say 20-40, then i have one of them erase a number. if he/she erases the correct one, he/she gets to roll the dice. the number rolled is the amt of points he/she gets. the wee ones LOVE it b/c they get to use the board eraser AND the die. and of course there is standing up and running after the die.
2. sticky ball tic-tac-toe. i draw a tic-tac-toe board on the board and divide the class into 2 teams, X's and O's. X's read the question, O's answer and then the rock paper scissors to see who gets to throw first. If an O lands on a square with an X in it, he/she rock paper scissors to see if they can change the X to an O. We play till we run through the questions or a team wins.
3. dice/number game. this one i pulled directly from my nether regions when my kids were sick of basketball game. i drew 2 smaller tic-tac-toe boards and wrote numbers 1-6 in them, with doubles of some numbers. 1-6 b/c of the numbers on the die. they are divided into 2 teams, one for each board. they ask and answer a question, rock paper scissors and throw the sticky ball. the game ends when finished with the lesson and we count to see who has the fewest numbers left. winners get one point more than losers.
4. basketball game. i put X's on the floor and assign points to them. sometiems the kids are in teams, sometimes they get points themselves for making the basket. i make them bounce it a certain number of times or no bouncing. they have to read the dialogue or the question and answer and if they get it correct, they try to make a basket. 2 chances.
5. snake game/tree game/race game. i draw random things on the board with lines thru them. the kids read the lesson and if correct, roll the die and erase the number of lines, fruit on the tree, dots to get to the finish line.
6. jump game. there are 2 versions. one is joan's. i write 2 categories on the board and have half the class line up in front of me. i say a word, they jump to the side the correct category is listed. after 4-5 words, the kids still in line get some points. will's game. the kids read whatever they have to correctly or answer a question correctly and then have to jump as far as the can. the one who jumps the furthest, gets the most points. i change it up without telling them and the second time have the one who jumps the closest getting the most points. they LOVE that. (ha)
7. writing game. this can be done with anything. 2 kids run up, grab the marker and write whatever you tell them. spelling words, numbers, answers to questions, questions to answers, lines of the reading book, the next line in a dialogue. it's great. and it takes a while. markers on the other hand, tend to wear out quickly.
8. bounce game. again for those sick of basket ball game. i make up a random bounce combination. ex. once on the floor, then the palm of the hand, then the ceiling, then the board. they do it as many times as they can in a row after reading from the book, answering a question, spelling, etc, and get that many points.
9. switch game. best in small classes of kids all about the same size/demeanor. i can only play this in one class so far. i put hte desks like musical chairs, one less than the kids. then i do a rhyme to pick a kid to start. i have he/she write a number, answer a question, give a word with a certain letter sound, etc. then i yell SWITCH and they all try to get in a desk. the one who doesn't has to answer a question or whatever.
10. sticky ball game. i draw some random shape on the board, draw a bunch of lines thru it and write in numbers, positive and negative. i put the kids in 2 teams and have them try to wind by throwing the sticky ball at the numbers after doing the exercize in the book.
i have a few more games but i can't remember them right now. these games are really fun at first and then boring. first for the teacher and then the kids. it takes a while for the younger ones to get bored. then i have to think of alternatives. it usually happens on the spot.
1. erase the number game. (mostly with the littles/beginners) i write a series of numbers on the board, say 20-40, then i have one of them erase a number. if he/she erases the correct one, he/she gets to roll the dice. the number rolled is the amt of points he/she gets. the wee ones LOVE it b/c they get to use the board eraser AND the die. and of course there is standing up and running after the die.
2. sticky ball tic-tac-toe. i draw a tic-tac-toe board on the board and divide the class into 2 teams, X's and O's. X's read the question, O's answer and then the rock paper scissors to see who gets to throw first. If an O lands on a square with an X in it, he/she rock paper scissors to see if they can change the X to an O. We play till we run through the questions or a team wins.
3. dice/number game. this one i pulled directly from my nether regions when my kids were sick of basketball game. i drew 2 smaller tic-tac-toe boards and wrote numbers 1-6 in them, with doubles of some numbers. 1-6 b/c of the numbers on the die. they are divided into 2 teams, one for each board. they ask and answer a question, rock paper scissors and throw the sticky ball. the game ends when finished with the lesson and we count to see who has the fewest numbers left. winners get one point more than losers.
4. basketball game. i put X's on the floor and assign points to them. sometiems the kids are in teams, sometimes they get points themselves for making the basket. i make them bounce it a certain number of times or no bouncing. they have to read the dialogue or the question and answer and if they get it correct, they try to make a basket. 2 chances.
5. snake game/tree game/race game. i draw random things on the board with lines thru them. the kids read the lesson and if correct, roll the die and erase the number of lines, fruit on the tree, dots to get to the finish line.
6. jump game. there are 2 versions. one is joan's. i write 2 categories on the board and have half the class line up in front of me. i say a word, they jump to the side the correct category is listed. after 4-5 words, the kids still in line get some points. will's game. the kids read whatever they have to correctly or answer a question correctly and then have to jump as far as the can. the one who jumps the furthest, gets the most points. i change it up without telling them and the second time have the one who jumps the closest getting the most points. they LOVE that. (ha)
7. writing game. this can be done with anything. 2 kids run up, grab the marker and write whatever you tell them. spelling words, numbers, answers to questions, questions to answers, lines of the reading book, the next line in a dialogue. it's great. and it takes a while. markers on the other hand, tend to wear out quickly.
8. bounce game. again for those sick of basket ball game. i make up a random bounce combination. ex. once on the floor, then the palm of the hand, then the ceiling, then the board. they do it as many times as they can in a row after reading from the book, answering a question, spelling, etc, and get that many points.
9. switch game. best in small classes of kids all about the same size/demeanor. i can only play this in one class so far. i put hte desks like musical chairs, one less than the kids. then i do a rhyme to pick a kid to start. i have he/she write a number, answer a question, give a word with a certain letter sound, etc. then i yell SWITCH and they all try to get in a desk. the one who doesn't has to answer a question or whatever.
10. sticky ball game. i draw some random shape on the board, draw a bunch of lines thru it and write in numbers, positive and negative. i put the kids in 2 teams and have them try to wind by throwing the sticky ball at the numbers after doing the exercize in the book.
i have a few more games but i can't remember them right now. these games are really fun at first and then boring. first for the teacher and then the kids. it takes a while for the younger ones to get bored. then i have to think of alternatives. it usually happens on the spot.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
somebody's going to china!
that would be me. or i should say us. !
i just booked tickets today. we leave sept 23 from daegu and return from beijing on the 30th. happy happy happy. sept 23rd thru the 26 is a huge korean holiday--chuseok. we'll have those days off for sure and we're going to ask for the 27th and 28th. we have 3 more sick days and won't take any more until then so we'll still have one more to use before november. they SHOULD let us and if not, well our flight doesn't come back until the 30th...we'll just have to call in sick. it's ballsy but we havent done it yet.
we'll be seeing this:
and this:
and this
and MORE.
i just booked tickets today. we leave sept 23 from daegu and return from beijing on the 30th. happy happy happy. sept 23rd thru the 26 is a huge korean holiday--chuseok. we'll have those days off for sure and we're going to ask for the 27th and 28th. we have 3 more sick days and won't take any more until then so we'll still have one more to use before november. they SHOULD let us and if not, well our flight doesn't come back until the 30th...we'll just have to call in sick. it's ballsy but we havent done it yet.
we'll be seeing this:
and this:
and this
and MORE.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
hate is a strong word
but i'm going to use it in this instance. i hate the construction workers outside my bedroom window. i'm sure they're nice people but one can only be woken up at 7 for so many consecutive mornings before one is filled with rage. and it's not like they wake me up and then dont make any more noise. the noise is continuous until around 5 or 6. stone cutting, slamming shit around. dropping what sounds like boulders from the roof into a metal container below over and over again. pounding pounding pounding. one morning as i was coming IN from a night out, they started right as my head hit the pillow. i yelled at them. i know it didn't make any difference (it probably only made them want to make even more noise) but i'm fed up. they took a break for a week and i thought maybe it was over. but no. it will never end.
by the way, it's SUNDAY. no rest for the wicked.
by the way, it's SUNDAY. no rest for the wicked.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Friday again
Yesterday flew by and it's Friday again! On Fridays I have 8 classes, but then I'm free for 2 days. No waking up early, no frickin ding dong. No Korean teachers talking through me while I'm sitting at my desk, no points.
This weekend I need to get a new pair of sunglasses. The one's I got when I moved to Bellingham are shot. I can still wear them but the lenses are so scratched it's not even funny. Luckily, glasses are cheap here.
Tuesday we had a day off, national holiday, celebrating what I'm not sure. Jenny, Ken, and I went to Daegu to eat and get haircuts. I finally found someone who would give me the haircut I want without sucking teeth and saying, No, no, too short. Or, the famous, I don't think so. We found a place called The Classy of Hair. Nice. When I sat down, Eric (korean name?) asked what I thought of the place, I said it was comfortable and he said, classy? I said, oh yeah. He gave me the exact cut I've been trying to get for a few months. I even bought shampoo from him.
After this, I came home b/c I had an "appointment."
This weekend I need to get a new pair of sunglasses. The one's I got when I moved to Bellingham are shot. I can still wear them but the lenses are so scratched it's not even funny. Luckily, glasses are cheap here.
Tuesday we had a day off, national holiday, celebrating what I'm not sure. Jenny, Ken, and I went to Daegu to eat and get haircuts. I finally found someone who would give me the haircut I want without sucking teeth and saying, No, no, too short. Or, the famous, I don't think so. We found a place called The Classy of Hair. Nice. When I sat down, Eric (korean name?) asked what I thought of the place, I said it was comfortable and he said, classy? I said, oh yeah. He gave me the exact cut I've been trying to get for a few months. I even bought shampoo from him.
After this, I came home b/c I had an "appointment."
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
mud
we went to the mud festival this past weekend. we had a great time, as expected.
we planned on meeting jenny at the taxi stop at 815 and arriving at waegook cook at 830 for the bus. we had bought snacks, drinks, and much needed accessories during the previous 2 days. we get down stairs--and it's raining. fine by me. rain=not so frickin hot. keith on the other hand, detests rain. we put most of our belongings into the cab's trunk--which must have doubled as a kiddie pool. when we took the 6 packs out, keith was the first to lose a beer, shattered on the street. while waiting to board the bus, 2 of ours fell thru the bottom, bomb style. crash! crash! green glass everywhere. jenny was the only one injured, a slight cut on her foot. it's amazing beard didn't get hurt, the glass was all over his feet.
finally everyone's on the bus and we take off close to 9.
ken and jason on the bus
we took many pee/smoke/get more beer breaks. at first i was annoyed, but then i started drinking at rate of my fellow travelers and came to like the breaks.
at break number 28 on a 3 hour tour. and look! i'm happy!
the bus ride was pretty fun, but it had it's awkward moments.
and "funny hats" moments.
next blog--the actual festival.
we planned on meeting jenny at the taxi stop at 815 and arriving at waegook cook at 830 for the bus. we had bought snacks, drinks, and much needed accessories during the previous 2 days. we get down stairs--and it's raining. fine by me. rain=not so frickin hot. keith on the other hand, detests rain. we put most of our belongings into the cab's trunk--which must have doubled as a kiddie pool. when we took the 6 packs out, keith was the first to lose a beer, shattered on the street. while waiting to board the bus, 2 of ours fell thru the bottom, bomb style. crash! crash! green glass everywhere. jenny was the only one injured, a slight cut on her foot. it's amazing beard didn't get hurt, the glass was all over his feet.
finally everyone's on the bus and we take off close to 9.
ken and jason on the bus
we took many pee/smoke/get more beer breaks. at first i was annoyed, but then i started drinking at rate of my fellow travelers and came to like the breaks.
at break number 28 on a 3 hour tour. and look! i'm happy!
the bus ride was pretty fun, but it had it's awkward moments.
and "funny hats" moments.
next blog--the actual festival.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
the 4th
is now the 5th. i explain to each of my classes (or at least TRIED) why july 4th was important to americans. i'd day 90% of them understood. the older ones might have learned about it in school. bright kids.
a few days before our independence day is canada day. i have no idea why this day is important to canadians besides the fact that it has the name of their country in it. i asked my canadian roommate and he said it was like our 4th of july. and i said but we're celebrating our independence you all weren't made independent that day so what's all the hype? he just kind of laughed but never really gave me an answer. maybe he doesn't know. i bet wikipedia does.
bycracky--wikipedia DOES know.
Canada Day (French: Fête du Canada) is Canada's national holiday, marking the establishment of Canada as a self-governing country on July 1, 1867. It is a federal holiday generally celebrated on July 1, annually by all provincial governments and most businesses across the country.
A day off from work for most citizens and residents, Canada Day is Canada's main patriotic holiday, often a time for outdoor activities in the early Canadian summer. Frequently referred to as "Canada's birthday," particularly in the popular press,[1] the holiday does not commemorate a clear-cut date of "independence" or "founding", recognizing instead the confederation of three British North American colonies into a Dominion, a kingdom in its own right within the British Empire,[2] known as Canada, through the 1867 British North America Act, after which the British Parliament still retained several political controls over the country, and many of Canada's modern provinces were yet to be created. July 1, 1867, saw the beginning of a new phase of Canadian self-sovereignty, initiating a gradual march towards full independence from Britain that was completed with the proclamation of the Constitution Act by Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, on April 17, 1982.
so canada day marks the date it was made self-governing of what the British Empire didn't want to govern. check.
and now we know.
last night we went out for friend chicken and beer with daeyoung and nick. we found black beer on tap, folks. ON TAP. and it's fairly tasty. and it's in hyeongguk dong which is close to wear we live and within 2 blocks of daeyoung's school.
TOMORROW'S FRIDAY!
a few days before our independence day is canada day. i have no idea why this day is important to canadians besides the fact that it has the name of their country in it. i asked my canadian roommate and he said it was like our 4th of july. and i said but we're celebrating our independence you all weren't made independent that day so what's all the hype? he just kind of laughed but never really gave me an answer. maybe he doesn't know. i bet wikipedia does.
bycracky--wikipedia DOES know.
Canada Day (French: Fête du Canada) is Canada's national holiday, marking the establishment of Canada as a self-governing country on July 1, 1867. It is a federal holiday generally celebrated on July 1, annually by all provincial governments and most businesses across the country.
A day off from work for most citizens and residents, Canada Day is Canada's main patriotic holiday, often a time for outdoor activities in the early Canadian summer. Frequently referred to as "Canada's birthday," particularly in the popular press,[1] the holiday does not commemorate a clear-cut date of "independence" or "founding", recognizing instead the confederation of three British North American colonies into a Dominion, a kingdom in its own right within the British Empire,[2] known as Canada, through the 1867 British North America Act, after which the British Parliament still retained several political controls over the country, and many of Canada's modern provinces were yet to be created. July 1, 1867, saw the beginning of a new phase of Canadian self-sovereignty, initiating a gradual march towards full independence from Britain that was completed with the proclamation of the Constitution Act by Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, on April 17, 1982.
so canada day marks the date it was made self-governing of what the British Empire didn't want to govern. check.
and now we know.
last night we went out for friend chicken and beer with daeyoung and nick. we found black beer on tap, folks. ON TAP. and it's fairly tasty. and it's in hyeongguk dong which is close to wear we live and within 2 blocks of daeyoung's school.
TOMORROW'S FRIDAY!
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
so it IS true. i knew it.
Leif Parsons
Related
Green Potatoes: The Problem and the Solution (PDF)
It sounds like a joke, or perhaps just an urban legend that grew out of Dr. Seuss’s “Green Eggs and Ham.” But food scientists say this one is no myth. The reality is that green potatoes contain high levels of a toxin, solanine, which can cause nausea, headaches and neurological problems.
Potatoes naturally produce small amounts of solanine as a defense against insects, but the levels increase with prolonged exposure to light and warm temperatures.
The green color is actually caused by high levels of chlorophyll, which by itself is harmless. But it is also a sign that levels of solanine, which is produced at the same time as chlorophyll, have increased as well.
According to a recent report by Alexander Pavlista, a professor of agronomy and horticulture at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, a 100-pound person would have to eat about 16 ounces of a fully green potato to get sick. That is the weight of a large baked potato.
The report noted that most green potatoes never reach the market. Still, to avoid the development of solanine, it is best to store potatoes in cool, dimly lit areas, and to cut away green areas before eating.
Another good rule: if it tastes bitter, don’t eat it. Unlike Dr. Seuss’s entree, this green meal would not have a happy ending.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Green potatoes contain a chemical that can cause sickness.
scitimes@nytimes.com
Friday, June 29, 2007
some stuff
works been worky lately. had to bring in the contract to show that we should have 5 days vacation in the summer instead of the 4 sally recently changed it to. now the korean teachers are being a bit cold towards us. They'll still have to work.
I think we're going to ride the bike up the west coast. However, beard was saying something about checking out the phillipines. we'll have to see about that money wise. we want to go to china during our next vacation and i'm not sure we can swing both.
i'm still really excited to come home, but it's going to be weird leaving here.
I think we're going to ride the bike up the west coast. However, beard was saying something about checking out the phillipines. we'll have to see about that money wise. we want to go to china during our next vacation and i'm not sure we can swing both.
i'm still really excited to come home, but it's going to be weird leaving here.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
lately
i am currently on keith's computer (thank you, keith) because my computer refuses to turn on and is in the shop. as of thursday, they didnt know how to turn in on either. so the waiting begins.
i found out tuesday that our friend ciaran passed away. he had a form a cancer that attacks the lymph nodes and had gone back to ireland for treatment. his girfriend, dajeon, had gotten a visa and was on her way to see him. he died of an asthma attack on the way to the airport to pick her up. ciaran was a wonderful person and will be deeply missed. i want to put a picture of him here but keith doesnt have one on his computer...
ill post again later.
i found out tuesday that our friend ciaran passed away. he had a form a cancer that attacks the lymph nodes and had gone back to ireland for treatment. his girfriend, dajeon, had gotten a visa and was on her way to see him. he died of an asthma attack on the way to the airport to pick her up. ciaran was a wonderful person and will be deeply missed. i want to put a picture of him here but keith doesnt have one on his computer...
ill post again later.
Monday, June 11, 2007
interesting
i know i've mentioned several times about korea having a drinking culutre. here's a related article i read today.
Women gain status in South Korea
Court ruling against drinking linked to job reflects changing society
By NORIMITSU ONISHI, New York Times
First published: Sunday, June 10, 2007
SEOUL, South Korea -- In a time-honored practice in South Korea's corporate culture, the 38-year-old manager at an online game company took his 10-person team on after-work drinking bouts twice a week. He exhorted his subordinates to drink, including a 29-year-old graphic designer who protested that her limit was two glasses of beer.
"Either you drink or you get it from me tomorrow," the boss told her one evening.
She drank, fearing that refusing to do so would hurt her career. But eventually, unable to take the drinking, she quit and sued.
In May, in the first ruling of its kind, the Seoul High Court said that forcing a subordinate to drink alcohol was illegal, and it pronounced the manager guilty of a "violation of human dignity." The court awarded the woman $32,000 in damages for the incidents, which occurred in 2004.
The ruling was as much a testament to women's growing presence in corporate life here as a confirmation of changes already under way. As an increasing number of women have joined companies as professionals in the past half-decade, corporate South Korea has struggled to change the country's thoroughly male-centered corporate culture, starting with alcohol.
An evening out with colleagues here follows a predictable, alcohol-centered pattern: dinner, usually some grilled pork, washed down with soju, Korea's national vodka-like drink; then a second round at a beer hall; then whiskey and singing at a "norae bang," a Korean karaoke club. Exhorted by their bosses to drink, the corporate warriors bond, literally, so that the sight of dark-suited men holding hands, leaning on one another, staggering toward taxis, is part of this city's nighttime streetscape. The next morning, back at the office, they are ready to fight, with reaffirmed unity, for more markets at home and abroad.
Many professional women manage to avoid much of the drinking by adopting well-known strategies. They slip away while their male colleagues indulge in a second or third round of drinking. They pour the drinks into potted plants. They rely on male colleagues, called "knights in shining armor," to take their turns in drinking games.
Companies, too, have begun to respond. Since 2005, Posco, the steel manufacturer, has limited company outings to two hours at its mill in South Korea's southwest. Employees can raise a red card if they do not want to drink or a yellow card if they want to go home early. At Woori Bank, one of South Korea's largest, an alarm rings at 10 p.m. to encourage workers to stop drinking and go home using public transportation, which stops running before midnight.
Still, at least 90 percent of company outings -- called "hoishik," or coming together to eat -- still center on alcohol, according to the Korean Alcohol Research Foundation. The percentage of women who drink has increased as they have joined companies.
South Koreans consume less alcohol than most Europeans, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a research group.
But Cho Sung-gie, the alcohol foundation's research director, estimates that South Koreans rank first in binge drinking: The goal is to drink as much as possible, as quickly as possible, so that co-workers loosen up.
Women gain status in South Korea
Court ruling against drinking linked to job reflects changing society
By NORIMITSU ONISHI, New York Times
First published: Sunday, June 10, 2007
SEOUL, South Korea -- In a time-honored practice in South Korea's corporate culture, the 38-year-old manager at an online game company took his 10-person team on after-work drinking bouts twice a week. He exhorted his subordinates to drink, including a 29-year-old graphic designer who protested that her limit was two glasses of beer.
"Either you drink or you get it from me tomorrow," the boss told her one evening.
She drank, fearing that refusing to do so would hurt her career. But eventually, unable to take the drinking, she quit and sued.
In May, in the first ruling of its kind, the Seoul High Court said that forcing a subordinate to drink alcohol was illegal, and it pronounced the manager guilty of a "violation of human dignity." The court awarded the woman $32,000 in damages for the incidents, which occurred in 2004.
The ruling was as much a testament to women's growing presence in corporate life here as a confirmation of changes already under way. As an increasing number of women have joined companies as professionals in the past half-decade, corporate South Korea has struggled to change the country's thoroughly male-centered corporate culture, starting with alcohol.
An evening out with colleagues here follows a predictable, alcohol-centered pattern: dinner, usually some grilled pork, washed down with soju, Korea's national vodka-like drink; then a second round at a beer hall; then whiskey and singing at a "norae bang," a Korean karaoke club. Exhorted by their bosses to drink, the corporate warriors bond, literally, so that the sight of dark-suited men holding hands, leaning on one another, staggering toward taxis, is part of this city's nighttime streetscape. The next morning, back at the office, they are ready to fight, with reaffirmed unity, for more markets at home and abroad.
Many professional women manage to avoid much of the drinking by adopting well-known strategies. They slip away while their male colleagues indulge in a second or third round of drinking. They pour the drinks into potted plants. They rely on male colleagues, called "knights in shining armor," to take their turns in drinking games.
Companies, too, have begun to respond. Since 2005, Posco, the steel manufacturer, has limited company outings to two hours at its mill in South Korea's southwest. Employees can raise a red card if they do not want to drink or a yellow card if they want to go home early. At Woori Bank, one of South Korea's largest, an alarm rings at 10 p.m. to encourage workers to stop drinking and go home using public transportation, which stops running before midnight.
Still, at least 90 percent of company outings -- called "hoishik," or coming together to eat -- still center on alcohol, according to the Korean Alcohol Research Foundation. The percentage of women who drink has increased as they have joined companies.
South Koreans consume less alcohol than most Europeans, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a research group.
But Cho Sung-gie, the alcohol foundation's research director, estimates that South Koreans rank first in binge drinking: The goal is to drink as much as possible, as quickly as possible, so that co-workers loosen up.
Friday, June 08, 2007
fan death
it seems we have the first reported case of fan death here in the ROK. "a drunken man fell asleep in a motel with the fan on all night without the window open and died of suffocated" is what KBS news reported. you know, because the fan takes the oxygen out of the air. duh.
a couple hypotheses as to what the real story might be: a drunken man fell asleep in a motel with the fan on all night and died of alcohol poisoning. a drunken man died of a heart attack in a motel while having sex with a woman other than his wife. a drunken man committed suicide in a motel room.
all of these tarnish his reputation--fan death it is!
i'll try to keep a running tally. it'll probably be hard to keep up.
a couple hypotheses as to what the real story might be: a drunken man fell asleep in a motel with the fan on all night and died of alcohol poisoning. a drunken man died of a heart attack in a motel while having sex with a woman other than his wife. a drunken man committed suicide in a motel room.
all of these tarnish his reputation--fan death it is!
i'll try to keep a running tally. it'll probably be hard to keep up.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
happy birthday, will!
will came to gumi for his 25th birthday. he was meant to buy a bike near here saturday but it had some problems. supposedly "perfect fix" on tuesday. we went out for pizza in gupyeong and then to a bar and then psycho. fun fun.
at the pizza place. jenny, jihye, beard, will, me hanna
uh huh
after a horrible run-in with jenny, will is hiding is nose. understandably.
counting the cash. however, bike upsa.
huge ass pitcher
kids sing happy birthday to will teacher.
will teacher is...
at the pizza place. jenny, jihye, beard, will, me hanna
uh huh
after a horrible run-in with jenny, will is hiding is nose. understandably.
counting the cash. however, bike upsa.
huge ass pitcher
kids sing happy birthday to will teacher.
will teacher is...
Saturday, June 02, 2007
a few pictures
just below diamond cave
lamps
view from inside diamond cave. on the ceiling are paper lamps
i'm a good driver...
the buggy beef place
saturday afternoon
so, some stuff's happened since i've last blogged.
beard and i registered to take the GRE in Jakarta on November 20th. Our last day at DDD is Nov. 16 so that gives us a couple days to finish packing, travel, rest and take the damn thing. so excited...
second, we finally went to seoraksan--a beautiful national park way up north, near the border. we had the thursday off for buddhas birthday and took friday off so we'd have a long weekend. wednesday we went out for fish with daeyoung and after ended up walking to waegook and from there walking to the bus station to see when buses left and didn't get to bed til 4...these things happen. beard was a little more hungover than planned so we chilled at home til 3 and then took the bus to daegu to catch the express bus to sokcho (town near the park). we had enough time to eat and make the last bus at 6. bus ride was ok. not sickening like the ride to the snow fest in taebaek, thankfully. and on the bus were me, beard and one other chick. nice and quiet. the ride was supposed to take 5.5 hrs and only took 4.5 hours. woohoo. (an aside--i just typed yippee instead of woohoo and then i thought, wait, i never say yippee. does anyone say yippee? i guess i do say it but only sarcastically as in yippee we have an unplanned meeting after work. so i changed ti to woo hoo b/c i DO say woo hoo and i wasn't trying ot be sarcastic at all). we stayed at a cheap yeogwan near the bus station that the driver pointed to. as in most yeogwons the ajumma was sleeping behind the window and we had to wake her up to take us to a room. the door to the room opened directly into the bathroom. not even the traditional area for shoes. we had to take off our shoes in the bathroom. weird. and it wasnt a big bathroom either. the room itself was small but it looked clean and there was an air con if needed and it was only 20,000. deal. we immediatly went back out in the rain to get something to eat. found a pelicana chicken place that said welcome to sokcho in russian. the chicken was pretty good. bought a beer to drink while watching discovery channel. the only decent channel on tv and we don't have it here. we watched mythbusters about shooting a gun into the air but i cant remember the exact myth and something on engineering that was interesting but i can't remember what we learned...
we assumed it would be raining friday, too so we slept in. when we woke up around 11 it was a bright sunshiney day. perfect. we took a taxi to the park--beard thought, wrongly, that it would only cost 5-6K to get there. unfortunately he was mistakend and it was almost 15. we got caught in traffic and every red light. but 15 isn't bad. he took us to the crystal motel which reminded me of my days of crystal meth. you just can't get any good crystal meth these days. mmmmm, meth. i've never felt so dirty yet had my apartment so clean since.
we walked in--no one. no noise. we were looking around to see how much a room would cost, usually it's posted. i leaned over to see if it was on hte wall behind hte counter and BAM the ajumma sat up from her reclining position scaring the shit out of me and beard. she laughed and told us it was 30,000. good deal we thought considering hte location. we checked out the room--screens on windows, big tv w/ discovery channel, non bean-filled pillows, towels, hot water. good enough to be our home for 2 days. we paid and headed out for some much needed food. had the local bibimbop with mountain vegetables. not quite sure what hte veggies were, but they were good. decided to walk to the park and check out the waterfalls. we made it to piryeong (dragon) waterfall but couldnt find the trail to the biggest waterfall in the park. on hte way back we saw a trail with a danger sign that beard thought might be it. i said he could try it but i wasnt going ot. just a little over a week ago we were on a trail that was very steep adn slippery so we took a side trail adn wehn we got further down and looked back there was a danger sign across the trail we were tyring to go down. i wasnt going to do that again. he decided not to either. he called daeyoung when we were closer to the bottom and sure enough, that was the trail...he went on about that for a while, let me tell ya. a better thing was that as we were walking down one of hte many stairways, we saw todd and adrienne. they lived in gumi last year and are now in seoul. we exchanged numbers and arranged to meet later for dinner.
They told us the cable car was worth it so we bought tickets. the ride it self was ok, but form there we hiked up further and it was gorgeous. pretty windy. it was a bit hazy so we couldn't see very far but it was very nice. i'll add pictures in anohter post. we took the car back down and headed to the motel to clean up. met todd and adrienne and had samgypsal. just to remind you all--the last time i ate that i was puking and shitting the day after b/c i hadnt eaten red meat in 5 years. i was more than a bit leery especially since we were supposed to hike the next day. not to worry--everything was fine. it's an ok dish but i like galbi much better. less fatty, more flavor. drank a couple more beers at the mart and were in bed by 1. go us!
Saturday was beautiful. we were up at 8 (!) and ate and walked to the park. we had decided to go up ulsanbawi (ulsan rock) and then down and to biseondae and diamond cave. the walk to ulsanbawi started easy enough and then the 800 steps started. whoa. and it was very, very windy. women were laying down on hte steps at one point. we get to the top and its a huge, exposed rock face. amazing. we sat down immediately b/c i was thinking i might fly off if standing. there were guard rails, but still. i had already lost my bandanna right off my head on the way up. luckily for me a man brought it up. nice guy. we got our picure taken on top. i crawled to the picture area and remained squatting. beard stood for a couple minutes but held on with both hands. and there were kids up there. no way. the way back down was a piece of cake compared to hte way up.
we stopped to try to push over the rocking rock. i think it moved a little, beard denies it. supposedly 2 people can make it rock but 12 can't push it over. or at least that's what hte sign said. then to the river/stream/creak for some gimbop and coffee. when we were back at the crossroads to go to biseondae i was ready for beer and sitting but i'm glad beard talked me into going. the trail was really easy, even paved at the beginning. we got to biseondae viewing area--lots of people were rock climbing that day. and then we took the straight up, stairs all the way, hike to diamond cave. we got to where i thought the cave was but then beard pointed basically straight up to the actual cave--many more steps. we chilled for a while and watched the climbers and then made our way to the cave. there was a monk sitting on a platfrom thing right outside the cave, a woman monk sitting at a little table selling candles and a monk in the inner cave chanting. looking out you see other mountains. very idyllic. i made a video of the monk chanting on the sly. on our way back down the steps we ran into todd and adrienne. todd suggested we stop at the first beer place and get boozy. and we did. again and again. all the way back down. the first beer was 4000, second 3,500, and the third and rest of the beers were 3,000. we ate at a buggy beef place adn returned to our seats at the mart.
i wanted ot know what hte liquor with the penis lid was like. these bottles were everywhere. in the US they would be hidden behind something so the kiddies wouldnt see but this wasn't even a liquor store, just a regular mart. so we bought one. i think it was the bad tasting one. somewhere along hte line someone had the idea that we should each buy a bottle of different liquor to taste it. that probably wasnt the best idea...but it was interesting. we were by a noribang and these older women kept coming out in small groups and usually 2 or more of them had botttles of beer. this is very odd. women RARELY walk around in public with beer. sometimes you see them taking shots of soju in a restaurant after saying no no no. especially older women. but they kept coming. there was also these 2 poodles. one was supposed to be white haired but had lost almost all of his hair and was about 3 times the size it was supposed to be. it didn't even raise it's tail. the other one was brown and very cute. hte owner of hte mart sat with us for a while with the dog. the mart ajumma, im assuming the dudes wife had this nasty sore on the back of her neck. it was in an odd place. we couldn't figure out how she could get injured there. ew. it grosses me out just thinking about it.
Sunday we woke up and showered trying to alleviate the after effects of drinking a lot of beer and hten experimental liquor on top of it and then headed into sokcho to find a bus home. we were thinking of checking out the beach but it looked like rain and was still windy so we left. lots more people on the bus this time but still a decent ride and got home in teh same amount of time.
thirdly, my friend angie has left korea for a while. she is going to japan to see her aunt for a bit and then to victoria island in cananda for a homestay for 6 months, maybe more. victoria island is near bellingham so when i get out there i'm going to try to see her. i'm hoping she can come to hte US but right now she only has a visa for canada. the visa for the states take a lot longer. maybe she can get a visa from canada...not sure.
lastly and perhaps the most important. jen found a way for me to not be constipated. i love the internet. really, what did we do before? so yeah, i take a tablespoon of olive oil mixed wiht a tablespoon of lemon juice 2 times a day. it worked. it really really worked. i am SO happy you can't even imagine. and it's a natural remedy which makes me feel good. i didn't want to take a pill. and it beats my old natural remedy which was drink nasty beer friday night to guarantee a BM on saturday...
i think that's about it...
oh yeah, that stuff about crystal meth--lies. i've never done crystal meth or have even come CLOSE to doing crystal meth. ha.
beard and i registered to take the GRE in Jakarta on November 20th. Our last day at DDD is Nov. 16 so that gives us a couple days to finish packing, travel, rest and take the damn thing. so excited...
second, we finally went to seoraksan--a beautiful national park way up north, near the border. we had the thursday off for buddhas birthday and took friday off so we'd have a long weekend. wednesday we went out for fish with daeyoung and after ended up walking to waegook and from there walking to the bus station to see when buses left and didn't get to bed til 4...these things happen. beard was a little more hungover than planned so we chilled at home til 3 and then took the bus to daegu to catch the express bus to sokcho (town near the park). we had enough time to eat and make the last bus at 6. bus ride was ok. not sickening like the ride to the snow fest in taebaek, thankfully. and on the bus were me, beard and one other chick. nice and quiet. the ride was supposed to take 5.5 hrs and only took 4.5 hours. woohoo. (an aside--i just typed yippee instead of woohoo and then i thought, wait, i never say yippee. does anyone say yippee? i guess i do say it but only sarcastically as in yippee we have an unplanned meeting after work. so i changed ti to woo hoo b/c i DO say woo hoo and i wasn't trying ot be sarcastic at all). we stayed at a cheap yeogwan near the bus station that the driver pointed to. as in most yeogwons the ajumma was sleeping behind the window and we had to wake her up to take us to a room. the door to the room opened directly into the bathroom. not even the traditional area for shoes. we had to take off our shoes in the bathroom. weird. and it wasnt a big bathroom either. the room itself was small but it looked clean and there was an air con if needed and it was only 20,000. deal. we immediatly went back out in the rain to get something to eat. found a pelicana chicken place that said welcome to sokcho in russian. the chicken was pretty good. bought a beer to drink while watching discovery channel. the only decent channel on tv and we don't have it here. we watched mythbusters about shooting a gun into the air but i cant remember the exact myth and something on engineering that was interesting but i can't remember what we learned...
we assumed it would be raining friday, too so we slept in. when we woke up around 11 it was a bright sunshiney day. perfect. we took a taxi to the park--beard thought, wrongly, that it would only cost 5-6K to get there. unfortunately he was mistakend and it was almost 15. we got caught in traffic and every red light. but 15 isn't bad. he took us to the crystal motel which reminded me of my days of crystal meth. you just can't get any good crystal meth these days. mmmmm, meth. i've never felt so dirty yet had my apartment so clean since.
we walked in--no one. no noise. we were looking around to see how much a room would cost, usually it's posted. i leaned over to see if it was on hte wall behind hte counter and BAM the ajumma sat up from her reclining position scaring the shit out of me and beard. she laughed and told us it was 30,000. good deal we thought considering hte location. we checked out the room--screens on windows, big tv w/ discovery channel, non bean-filled pillows, towels, hot water. good enough to be our home for 2 days. we paid and headed out for some much needed food. had the local bibimbop with mountain vegetables. not quite sure what hte veggies were, but they were good. decided to walk to the park and check out the waterfalls. we made it to piryeong (dragon) waterfall but couldnt find the trail to the biggest waterfall in the park. on hte way back we saw a trail with a danger sign that beard thought might be it. i said he could try it but i wasnt going ot. just a little over a week ago we were on a trail that was very steep adn slippery so we took a side trail adn wehn we got further down and looked back there was a danger sign across the trail we were tyring to go down. i wasnt going to do that again. he decided not to either. he called daeyoung when we were closer to the bottom and sure enough, that was the trail...he went on about that for a while, let me tell ya. a better thing was that as we were walking down one of hte many stairways, we saw todd and adrienne. they lived in gumi last year and are now in seoul. we exchanged numbers and arranged to meet later for dinner.
They told us the cable car was worth it so we bought tickets. the ride it self was ok, but form there we hiked up further and it was gorgeous. pretty windy. it was a bit hazy so we couldn't see very far but it was very nice. i'll add pictures in anohter post. we took the car back down and headed to the motel to clean up. met todd and adrienne and had samgypsal. just to remind you all--the last time i ate that i was puking and shitting the day after b/c i hadnt eaten red meat in 5 years. i was more than a bit leery especially since we were supposed to hike the next day. not to worry--everything was fine. it's an ok dish but i like galbi much better. less fatty, more flavor. drank a couple more beers at the mart and were in bed by 1. go us!
Saturday was beautiful. we were up at 8 (!) and ate and walked to the park. we had decided to go up ulsanbawi (ulsan rock) and then down and to biseondae and diamond cave. the walk to ulsanbawi started easy enough and then the 800 steps started. whoa. and it was very, very windy. women were laying down on hte steps at one point. we get to the top and its a huge, exposed rock face. amazing. we sat down immediately b/c i was thinking i might fly off if standing. there were guard rails, but still. i had already lost my bandanna right off my head on the way up. luckily for me a man brought it up. nice guy. we got our picure taken on top. i crawled to the picture area and remained squatting. beard stood for a couple minutes but held on with both hands. and there were kids up there. no way. the way back down was a piece of cake compared to hte way up.
we stopped to try to push over the rocking rock. i think it moved a little, beard denies it. supposedly 2 people can make it rock but 12 can't push it over. or at least that's what hte sign said. then to the river/stream/creak for some gimbop and coffee. when we were back at the crossroads to go to biseondae i was ready for beer and sitting but i'm glad beard talked me into going. the trail was really easy, even paved at the beginning. we got to biseondae viewing area--lots of people were rock climbing that day. and then we took the straight up, stairs all the way, hike to diamond cave. we got to where i thought the cave was but then beard pointed basically straight up to the actual cave--many more steps. we chilled for a while and watched the climbers and then made our way to the cave. there was a monk sitting on a platfrom thing right outside the cave, a woman monk sitting at a little table selling candles and a monk in the inner cave chanting. looking out you see other mountains. very idyllic. i made a video of the monk chanting on the sly. on our way back down the steps we ran into todd and adrienne. todd suggested we stop at the first beer place and get boozy. and we did. again and again. all the way back down. the first beer was 4000, second 3,500, and the third and rest of the beers were 3,000. we ate at a buggy beef place adn returned to our seats at the mart.
i wanted ot know what hte liquor with the penis lid was like. these bottles were everywhere. in the US they would be hidden behind something so the kiddies wouldnt see but this wasn't even a liquor store, just a regular mart. so we bought one. i think it was the bad tasting one. somewhere along hte line someone had the idea that we should each buy a bottle of different liquor to taste it. that probably wasnt the best idea...but it was interesting. we were by a noribang and these older women kept coming out in small groups and usually 2 or more of them had botttles of beer. this is very odd. women RARELY walk around in public with beer. sometimes you see them taking shots of soju in a restaurant after saying no no no. especially older women. but they kept coming. there was also these 2 poodles. one was supposed to be white haired but had lost almost all of his hair and was about 3 times the size it was supposed to be. it didn't even raise it's tail. the other one was brown and very cute. hte owner of hte mart sat with us for a while with the dog. the mart ajumma, im assuming the dudes wife had this nasty sore on the back of her neck. it was in an odd place. we couldn't figure out how she could get injured there. ew. it grosses me out just thinking about it.
Sunday we woke up and showered trying to alleviate the after effects of drinking a lot of beer and hten experimental liquor on top of it and then headed into sokcho to find a bus home. we were thinking of checking out the beach but it looked like rain and was still windy so we left. lots more people on the bus this time but still a decent ride and got home in teh same amount of time.
thirdly, my friend angie has left korea for a while. she is going to japan to see her aunt for a bit and then to victoria island in cananda for a homestay for 6 months, maybe more. victoria island is near bellingham so when i get out there i'm going to try to see her. i'm hoping she can come to hte US but right now she only has a visa for canada. the visa for the states take a lot longer. maybe she can get a visa from canada...not sure.
lastly and perhaps the most important. jen found a way for me to not be constipated. i love the internet. really, what did we do before? so yeah, i take a tablespoon of olive oil mixed wiht a tablespoon of lemon juice 2 times a day. it worked. it really really worked. i am SO happy you can't even imagine. and it's a natural remedy which makes me feel good. i didn't want to take a pill. and it beats my old natural remedy which was drink nasty beer friday night to guarantee a BM on saturday...
i think that's about it...
oh yeah, that stuff about crystal meth--lies. i've never done crystal meth or have even come CLOSE to doing crystal meth. ha.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Friday, May 11, 2007
still here
not much to post lately. just working, studying, working and wait, what is that other thing i do? oh yeah STUDYING. and lately, actually 3 times this week, i've been watching a movie after studying and working on ainsley's (leah's baby) blanket. yes, she is a year old--or almost, but come on! it takes a while. and i'm doing these strips so i have to change color and the pink is being all dumb. but at least i'm working on it again and that's what counts. i already told leah she'd get it before she graduates high school and that's still my goal.
we're still thinking about where to go for vacation. we had chosen indonesia for sure but then realized it would be the rainy season and the diving might not be so good. Then we were thinking Philippines but found out it will have comparable weather. So, I think we're back to Indonesia.
Something I would like to go off on a bit: emails and the people who answer them. Last week I sent emails to 3 companies: DHL, ETS, and WECU. I asked DHL if they ship laptops internationally and what the process is for doing so. I asked ETS what hte best way is to sign up and pay for a test date. I told WECU the status of my travler's checks and to email me when they were received. I filled out their stupid forms before each email, I put in all information they would need. From DHL i got an email saying to go to a specific part of their website to get started. No yes or no, procedures. From ETS I got an email that said paper tests are available where computer-based tests are not and the dates for said tests. That is NO WHERE NEAR the answer to my question. I went through their whole website, i KNOW about the paper tests. And from WECU I got an email saying teh woman didn't have my account number (i had put it in the email) so she could not montior my account but that i could use online banking. NO shit?! i can use online banking?! wow, thanks! you're so helpful.
What is going on here? I ask read the FAQs looking for my answer first, I ask specific questions, I give needed information. Do people not read the whole email and just assume what I need? I tried emailing ETS again but I think I'll end up calling. I'm going to have Beard call WECU and as for DHL, i'm waiting on it. I don't need to ship anything for another 6 mos.
on a happier note--it's friday again! I am really tired of teaching little little kids and I don't know how people can do it all the time, as in more than a year. The 40 minutes drag on. They want to play the same games over and over. And the snot that just pours out of them...i don't even want to think about where it all goes.now that it's nice out, i'm going to take them outside!
tonight i'm going to drink beer with eungyung. don't know where or what time but i'm pretty sure it's still happening. i'm hoping we can cook out again on sunday. we haven''t had ireland over yet. they are always traveling when we have one.
we're still thinking about where to go for vacation. we had chosen indonesia for sure but then realized it would be the rainy season and the diving might not be so good. Then we were thinking Philippines but found out it will have comparable weather. So, I think we're back to Indonesia.
Something I would like to go off on a bit: emails and the people who answer them. Last week I sent emails to 3 companies: DHL, ETS, and WECU. I asked DHL if they ship laptops internationally and what the process is for doing so. I asked ETS what hte best way is to sign up and pay for a test date. I told WECU the status of my travler's checks and to email me when they were received. I filled out their stupid forms before each email, I put in all information they would need. From DHL i got an email saying to go to a specific part of their website to get started. No yes or no, procedures. From ETS I got an email that said paper tests are available where computer-based tests are not and the dates for said tests. That is NO WHERE NEAR the answer to my question. I went through their whole website, i KNOW about the paper tests. And from WECU I got an email saying teh woman didn't have my account number (i had put it in the email) so she could not montior my account but that i could use online banking. NO shit?! i can use online banking?! wow, thanks! you're so helpful.
What is going on here? I ask read the FAQs looking for my answer first, I ask specific questions, I give needed information. Do people not read the whole email and just assume what I need? I tried emailing ETS again but I think I'll end up calling. I'm going to have Beard call WECU and as for DHL, i'm waiting on it. I don't need to ship anything for another 6 mos.
on a happier note--it's friday again! I am really tired of teaching little little kids and I don't know how people can do it all the time, as in more than a year. The 40 minutes drag on. They want to play the same games over and over. And the snot that just pours out of them...i don't even want to think about where it all goes.now that it's nice out, i'm going to take them outside!
tonight i'm going to drink beer with eungyung. don't know where or what time but i'm pretty sure it's still happening. i'm hoping we can cook out again on sunday. we haven''t had ireland over yet. they are always traveling when we have one.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Saturday, May 05, 2007
haircut?
i'm thinking of getting a chop tomorrow. the hair's gotten quite long and it's getting quite hot. i don't like hair on my neck when it's hot. we'll see what happens tomorrow...
today was market day at school--photos on the way. tonight, waxing was done. it was a family affair.
later
today was market day at school--photos on the way. tonight, waxing was done. it was a family affair.
later
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Saturday, April 21, 2007
hidey ho!
yep, its been a while. i've been super busy. i'm studying like crazy for the GRE. sunday, tuesday and thursday i study vocab and monday, wednesday and friday it's math. i'm going to apply for the masters in school counseling program at western and hopefully get my job back at ARN. That's the ideal situation anyway. that i get the job and get into the program. i miss working at ARN. i miss working with adults and having grown-up conversations. and i'm totally ready to go back to school. having a goal is great.
today, after realizing i don't the psychology of learning pre-requisite for the program i was frantically looking for online courses i can take this summer. after a couple of frustrating hours--and help from jen--i still hadnt found one that i felt completely comfortable taking. So i gave up and went on a walk/hike with jenny to the hill behind the stadium. there was a little exercise area up there and we hula-hooped a bit but these huge ass korean hula hoops hurt! then we walked around a different way and came upon what might be a water treatment facility, then walked back down. had a beverage at a mart while a mom and her kids kept coming back around to say hi. walked back here, made stir fry and quinoa, got some ice cream and that's that. i just finished writing some definitions, going ot review them in bed, read, then sleep. im pooped.
today, after realizing i don't the psychology of learning pre-requisite for the program i was frantically looking for online courses i can take this summer. after a couple of frustrating hours--and help from jen--i still hadnt found one that i felt completely comfortable taking. So i gave up and went on a walk/hike with jenny to the hill behind the stadium. there was a little exercise area up there and we hula-hooped a bit but these huge ass korean hula hoops hurt! then we walked around a different way and came upon what might be a water treatment facility, then walked back down. had a beverage at a mart while a mom and her kids kept coming back around to say hi. walked back here, made stir fry and quinoa, got some ice cream and that's that. i just finished writing some definitions, going ot review them in bed, read, then sleep. im pooped.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
where have all the bees gone?
I've been hearing about this on my NPR podcasts lately. Bees are disappearing and no one's quite sure why. The disappearance will have a negative effect on crops this year. No one seems to be sure why they have disappeared--thousands of hives are empty and no bodies are found. One theory is that pesticides have disoriented them. I also heard something about how bee houses haven't changed since they were first built over 100 years ago. A lot has changed since then and the houses haven't kept up. Bee technology people.
This is an article I found on Newstarget.com.
The honeybee population in the United States is currently suffering a devastating collapse. Honeybees are flying off in search of pollen and nectar and simply never returning to their colonies. Have they all been kidnapped by mad beekeepers, or is something more frightening occurring with the pollinators in our ecosystem?
During the final three months of 2006, a distressing number of honeybee colonies began to diminish from the United States, and beekeepers all over the country have reported unprecedented losses. According to scientists, the domesticated honeybee population has declined by about 50% in the last 50 years.
Reports of similar losses to the honeybee population have been documented before in beekeeping literature, but are widely believed to have occurred at this scale previously only at a regional level. With outbreaks recorded as far back as 1896, this is regarded as the first national honeybee epidemic in U.S. history.
The phenomenon, referred to as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), is not yet well understood. Even the existence of the disorder remains in dispute. Nevertheless, what cannot be denied is that a shortage of honeybees in the continental U.S. has affected cropowners from California to the New England states.
"There are shortages [like this] that pop up from time to time," said Claire Kremen, a conservation biologist at Princeton University. "Whether there are more [shortages] than there were 20 years ago, one would guess yes, as there are fewer bees to go around, but it's not well documented."
Subsequent investigations suggest these outbreaks of unexplained colony collapse were experienced by beekeepers for at least the last two years. Are the honeybees dying in the fields they pollinate, or do they simply become too exhausted and disoriented to find their way back home?
Why honeybees are the invisible link to an abundant food supply
Whatever the reason, why should we care so much? Why should it matter at all to Americans?
When entire bee populations seem to disappear or die out in alarming numbers, the ramifications can be astounding. Bee pollination, which most farmers depend on, is responsible for as much as 30% of the U.S. food supply.
"Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food," said Zac Browning, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation.
A Cornell University study has estimated that honeybees annually pollinate more than $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in the United States. These include such diverse food sources as almond blossoms, pumpkins, cucumbers, raspberries, avocados, and alfalfa. Unless something is done to protect the honeybee population soon, many fruits and vegetables may disappear from the food chain.
"The sudden and unexplained loss of honeybee populations is an early warning sign for coming disruptions in modern agriculture," explained Mike Adams, executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center non-profit group (www.ConsumerWellness.org). "If we continue to lose honeybees at this rate, we may find ourselves in a dire food supply emergency that will not be easily solved," Adams said.
"During the last three months of 2006, we began to receive reports from commercial beekeepers of an alarming number of honey bee colonies dying in the eastern United States," said Maryann Frazier, a senior extension associate in the Department of Entomology at Pennsylvania State University's College of Agricultural Sciences.
"Since the beginning of the year, beekeepers from all over the country have been reporting unprecedented losses. This has become a highly significant yet poorly understood problem that threatens the pollination industry and the production of commercial honey in the United States," she said.
Honeybees are killed by synthetic chemicals
Scientists, for now, have primarily attributed the honeybee decline to diseases spread as a result of mites and other parasites as well as the spraying of crops with pesticides. It may also result from the treatment of forests, rangelands and even suburban areas to control a wide variety of pests.
"There is no question that the extremely irresponsible use of synthetic chemicals in modern farming practices is significantly contributing to this devastating drop in honeybee populations," said Mike Adams. "The more chemicals we spray on the crops, the more poisoned the pollinators become. And the fact that honeybees are now simply disappearing in huge numbers is a strong indicator that a key chemical burden threshold has been crossed. We may have unwittingly unleashed an agricultural Chernobyl."
In order to deal with this devastation, a newly formed CCD working group has been organized in hope of finding a solution to the dwindling honeybee population. According to the CCD mandate, the group will explore "the cause or causes of honeybee colony collapse and finding appropriate strategies to reduce colony loss in the future."
Comprised of university faculty researchers, state regulatory officials, cooperative extension educators and industry representatives, the working group hopes to develop management strategies and recommendations for this epidemic. Participating organizations include the USDA/ARS, the Florida Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania State University, and Bee Alert, Inc., a technology transfer company affiliated with the University of Montana.
Research involving the value of honeybees to agriculture could be beneficial to both the beekeeper and the grower. The knowledge formed from such research maximizes the likelihood of finding answers that will aid beekeepers in promoting good health for honeybees within the pollination industry. It should also keep the grower well informed about the process of pollination and the relative damage of different pesticides to honeybee populations.
A detailed, up-to-date report on Colony Collapse Disorder can be found on the Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium Web site at http://www.maarec.org
The pesticide link to honeybee populations
Pesticides, specifically neonicotinioid pesticides, including imidacloprid, clothianiden and thiamethoxam, poison the bee while it is in the process of collecting nectar and pollen. The poisoning may occur when the material is ingested, or it may be transported to the hive where it poisons other bees in the colony.
According to a recent report, "Pesticides in Relation to BeeKeeping and Crop Pollination, even organic insecticides -- the chlorinated hydrocarbons, organophosphates, and carbamates -- vary in their toxicity and are not recommended."
Pesticides can also damage wild bees, but the toxicity level of a specific insecticide to honeybees and wild bees is not always the same. Even among wild bees, some materials are more toxic to one species than to another.
According to the CCD report, "If bees are eating fresh or stored pollen contaminated with these chemicals at low levels, they may not cause mortality but may impact the bee's ability to learn or make memories. This could cause the colonies to dwindle and eventually die."
So far a few common management factors have been found, but no common environmental agents or chemicals have been identified. There is no one substance currently being branded as the culprit.
Not limited to the United States, this problem is complex and the ramifications are alarming. Such a loss to the honeybee population can occur in other countries that have highly developed agricultural infrastructures.
This only begs an even deeper question for society to answer: If we are so dependent on honeybee pollination for our food supply, what happens when the bees are wiped out? Mike Adams calls our current food production situation a "food bubble" and explains that as mankind disrupts nature and destroys sustainable ecosystems, the natural backlash will impact the food supply first. "Following a century of synthetic chemical poisoning of planet Earth, the human race is in for a rather abrupt population correction. The collapse of pollinators is merely a sign of things to come. Humans will either find a way to live in balance with the planet, or they may ultimately face the same fate as the honeybees."
This is an article I found on Newstarget.com.
The honeybee population in the United States is currently suffering a devastating collapse. Honeybees are flying off in search of pollen and nectar and simply never returning to their colonies. Have they all been kidnapped by mad beekeepers, or is something more frightening occurring with the pollinators in our ecosystem?
During the final three months of 2006, a distressing number of honeybee colonies began to diminish from the United States, and beekeepers all over the country have reported unprecedented losses. According to scientists, the domesticated honeybee population has declined by about 50% in the last 50 years.
Reports of similar losses to the honeybee population have been documented before in beekeeping literature, but are widely believed to have occurred at this scale previously only at a regional level. With outbreaks recorded as far back as 1896, this is regarded as the first national honeybee epidemic in U.S. history.
The phenomenon, referred to as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), is not yet well understood. Even the existence of the disorder remains in dispute. Nevertheless, what cannot be denied is that a shortage of honeybees in the continental U.S. has affected cropowners from California to the New England states.
"There are shortages [like this] that pop up from time to time," said Claire Kremen, a conservation biologist at Princeton University. "Whether there are more [shortages] than there were 20 years ago, one would guess yes, as there are fewer bees to go around, but it's not well documented."
Subsequent investigations suggest these outbreaks of unexplained colony collapse were experienced by beekeepers for at least the last two years. Are the honeybees dying in the fields they pollinate, or do they simply become too exhausted and disoriented to find their way back home?
Why honeybees are the invisible link to an abundant food supply
Whatever the reason, why should we care so much? Why should it matter at all to Americans?
When entire bee populations seem to disappear or die out in alarming numbers, the ramifications can be astounding. Bee pollination, which most farmers depend on, is responsible for as much as 30% of the U.S. food supply.
"Every third bite we consume in our diet is dependent on a honeybee to pollinate that food," said Zac Browning, vice president of the American Beekeeping Federation.
A Cornell University study has estimated that honeybees annually pollinate more than $14 billion worth of seeds and crops in the United States. These include such diverse food sources as almond blossoms, pumpkins, cucumbers, raspberries, avocados, and alfalfa. Unless something is done to protect the honeybee population soon, many fruits and vegetables may disappear from the food chain.
"The sudden and unexplained loss of honeybee populations is an early warning sign for coming disruptions in modern agriculture," explained Mike Adams, executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center non-profit group (www.ConsumerWellness.org). "If we continue to lose honeybees at this rate, we may find ourselves in a dire food supply emergency that will not be easily solved," Adams said.
"During the last three months of 2006, we began to receive reports from commercial beekeepers of an alarming number of honey bee colonies dying in the eastern United States," said Maryann Frazier, a senior extension associate in the Department of Entomology at Pennsylvania State University's College of Agricultural Sciences.
"Since the beginning of the year, beekeepers from all over the country have been reporting unprecedented losses. This has become a highly significant yet poorly understood problem that threatens the pollination industry and the production of commercial honey in the United States," she said.
Honeybees are killed by synthetic chemicals
Scientists, for now, have primarily attributed the honeybee decline to diseases spread as a result of mites and other parasites as well as the spraying of crops with pesticides. It may also result from the treatment of forests, rangelands and even suburban areas to control a wide variety of pests.
"There is no question that the extremely irresponsible use of synthetic chemicals in modern farming practices is significantly contributing to this devastating drop in honeybee populations," said Mike Adams. "The more chemicals we spray on the crops, the more poisoned the pollinators become. And the fact that honeybees are now simply disappearing in huge numbers is a strong indicator that a key chemical burden threshold has been crossed. We may have unwittingly unleashed an agricultural Chernobyl."
In order to deal with this devastation, a newly formed CCD working group has been organized in hope of finding a solution to the dwindling honeybee population. According to the CCD mandate, the group will explore "the cause or causes of honeybee colony collapse and finding appropriate strategies to reduce colony loss in the future."
Comprised of university faculty researchers, state regulatory officials, cooperative extension educators and industry representatives, the working group hopes to develop management strategies and recommendations for this epidemic. Participating organizations include the USDA/ARS, the Florida Department of Agriculture, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania State University, and Bee Alert, Inc., a technology transfer company affiliated with the University of Montana.
Research involving the value of honeybees to agriculture could be beneficial to both the beekeeper and the grower. The knowledge formed from such research maximizes the likelihood of finding answers that will aid beekeepers in promoting good health for honeybees within the pollination industry. It should also keep the grower well informed about the process of pollination and the relative damage of different pesticides to honeybee populations.
A detailed, up-to-date report on Colony Collapse Disorder can be found on the Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium Web site at http://www.maarec.org
The pesticide link to honeybee populations
Pesticides, specifically neonicotinioid pesticides, including imidacloprid, clothianiden and thiamethoxam, poison the bee while it is in the process of collecting nectar and pollen. The poisoning may occur when the material is ingested, or it may be transported to the hive where it poisons other bees in the colony.
According to a recent report, "Pesticides in Relation to BeeKeeping and Crop Pollination, even organic insecticides -- the chlorinated hydrocarbons, organophosphates, and carbamates -- vary in their toxicity and are not recommended."
Pesticides can also damage wild bees, but the toxicity level of a specific insecticide to honeybees and wild bees is not always the same. Even among wild bees, some materials are more toxic to one species than to another.
According to the CCD report, "If bees are eating fresh or stored pollen contaminated with these chemicals at low levels, they may not cause mortality but may impact the bee's ability to learn or make memories. This could cause the colonies to dwindle and eventually die."
So far a few common management factors have been found, but no common environmental agents or chemicals have been identified. There is no one substance currently being branded as the culprit.
Not limited to the United States, this problem is complex and the ramifications are alarming. Such a loss to the honeybee population can occur in other countries that have highly developed agricultural infrastructures.
This only begs an even deeper question for society to answer: If we are so dependent on honeybee pollination for our food supply, what happens when the bees are wiped out? Mike Adams calls our current food production situation a "food bubble" and explains that as mankind disrupts nature and destroys sustainable ecosystems, the natural backlash will impact the food supply first. "Following a century of synthetic chemical poisoning of planet Earth, the human race is in for a rather abrupt population correction. The collapse of pollinators is merely a sign of things to come. Humans will either find a way to live in balance with the planet, or they may ultimately face the same fate as the honeybees."
Hwang Sa
Hwang sa = yellow sand.
This is the wikipedia definition.
Asian Dust (also yellow dust, or yellow sand) is a seasonal meteorological phenomenon which affects much of East Asia sporadically during the springtime months. The dust originates in the deserts of Mongolia and northern China where high-speed surface winds and intense dust storms kick up dense clouds of fine, dry soil particles. These clouds are then carried eastward by prevailing winds and pass over China, North and South Korea, and Japan. Sometimes, the airborne particulates are carried much further, in significant concentrations which affect air quality as far east as the United States. Areas affected by the dust experience decreased visibility and the dust is known to cause health problems, such as sore throat and respiratory difficulties, in residents. The dust has been shown to increase the daily mortality rate in one affected region by 1.7%. The effects of the dust are not, however, strictly negative, as it is thought to enrich the soil of the regions where it is eventually deposited by contributing important trace minerals.
The dust is caused by desertification in northern China near the Gobi Desert. Although such storms have occurred from time to time throughout history, they became a pronounced problem in the latter half of the 20th century, as agricultural pressures on the Gobi region intensified.
In recent years, South Korea and the People's Republic of China have participated in reforestation efforts in the source region. However, this has not affected the problem in any significant way. In April 2006, South Korean meteorologists reported the worst yellow dust storm in four years.
http://yellow.metri.re.kr/images/adust_warning_sys.jpg
that link shows the difference between an advisory and a warning-like with tornadoes in the midwest. and, of course, there are cartoons to help you know the difference.
Supposedly this year is going to be pretty bad b/c China didn't get much snow. Just what I heard.
This is the wikipedia definition.
Asian Dust (also yellow dust, or yellow sand) is a seasonal meteorological phenomenon which affects much of East Asia sporadically during the springtime months. The dust originates in the deserts of Mongolia and northern China where high-speed surface winds and intense dust storms kick up dense clouds of fine, dry soil particles. These clouds are then carried eastward by prevailing winds and pass over China, North and South Korea, and Japan. Sometimes, the airborne particulates are carried much further, in significant concentrations which affect air quality as far east as the United States. Areas affected by the dust experience decreased visibility and the dust is known to cause health problems, such as sore throat and respiratory difficulties, in residents. The dust has been shown to increase the daily mortality rate in one affected region by 1.7%. The effects of the dust are not, however, strictly negative, as it is thought to enrich the soil of the regions where it is eventually deposited by contributing important trace minerals.
The dust is caused by desertification in northern China near the Gobi Desert. Although such storms have occurred from time to time throughout history, they became a pronounced problem in the latter half of the 20th century, as agricultural pressures on the Gobi region intensified.
In recent years, South Korea and the People's Republic of China have participated in reforestation efforts in the source region. However, this has not affected the problem in any significant way. In April 2006, South Korean meteorologists reported the worst yellow dust storm in four years.
http://yellow.metri.re.kr/images/adust_warning_sys.jpg
that link shows the difference between an advisory and a warning-like with tornadoes in the midwest. and, of course, there are cartoons to help you know the difference.
Supposedly this year is going to be pretty bad b/c China didn't get much snow. Just what I heard.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
new camera
i treated myself to a new camera this past weekend. canon IXY. it's the same as a canon ixus 850, but japanese version. i think the ixus is korean. in the states its the SD version. ANYWAY it's great and i love it. much much much faster and better than my old camera. not that anything was wrong with my old camera, i was ready for a change. here are some pictures from it.
i treated myself to a new camera this past weekend. canon IXY. it's the same as a canon ixus 850, but japanese version. i think the ixus is korean. in the states its the SD version. ANYWAY it's great and i love it. much much much faster and better than my old camera. not that anything was wrong with my old camera, i was ready for a change. here are some pictures from it.
i treated myself to a new camera this past weekend. canon IXY. it's the same as a canon ixus 850, but japanese version. i think the ixus is korean. in the states its the SD version. ANYWAY it's great and i love it. much much much faster and better than my old camera. not that anything was wrong with my old camera, i was ready for a change. here are some pictures from it.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
yellow sand
It's yellow sand season again. NASTY. Last year I liked to pretend that the concept of yellow sand was ludicrous and another thing Koreans thought that just wasn't true. Sure, I saw it on cars but I didn't think I could get sick from it...But I got a few unwanted colds SO this year--I did it.
it's so hot and will go well with my ajumma sun mask.
it's so hot and will go well with my ajumma sun mask.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Hide the FartWednesday, March 14, 2007
korea
here's something i found on krista's friend katie's blog. she stole it from someone else...
You know you're Korean When:
1) You're 12-years old and you don't go home until 10 pm, or 11, or 12
2) And yet when you're unmarried at 25, you have to be home by ten.
3) You wrap kimchi around your rice before eating it.
4) You stare like a blinded deer in headlights at anyone different.
5) You attempt to go into the subway or elevator before the people get out.
6) If you ain't chewing and slurping your food at a loud volume then you
obviously ain't enjoying it. (eating deliciously)
7) You "slightly disregard" traffic rules. Like stopping at crosswalks for
those pesky pedestrians.
8 ) You go home and everything smells bad.
9) You think having 4 seasons is really special.
10) You describe any girl over 110 pounds as "fat."
11) Your closet is full of black, brown, and grey clothes.
12) You suddenly want to go to Prague or Bali because you saw them on a
Korean drama.
13) You drive out of a blind alley at 60 km/h.
14) you're an "expert" at making ramyen noodles.
15) You try the doorknob instead of ringing the doorbell or knocking first.
16) You eat more off your friend's plate than your own.
17) You answer the phone with a loud warbling
Wieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee????????
18 ) Your favorite teacher is the one that beats you the hardest.
19) The national hero you admire most is the one who has a nuclear bomb
pointed at you.
20--i didn't like this one so i deleted it (tm)
21) You appear to be thinking you look quite dignified while drinking your
shooter of 2 cent booze after noisily slurping octopus.
22) You're dropping a log in the squatter and spit on the floor in front of
you, thus clearing two orifices at once. Korean multi-tasking.
23) You jump out of the shower at the local gym and stand naked in front of
the mirror blow drying your family jewels. (men and women do this)
24) You grab the communal toothbrush at the gym and take it into the shower
with you!
25) Even though you weigh 120 you have to try and out bench the 190 pound
guy, because he's a foreigner.
26) You think that your mom's kimchi can cure your grandma's halitosis and
your grandpa's cancer.
27) Your cell phone has more than 20 pictures stored on it...of yourself.
28 ) There's more toilet paper in your dining room than your bathroom.
29) You believe that flushing toilet paper down the toilet will clog up the
plumbing so instead, throw your *beep* paper in a bin next to the toilet.
30) You are no longer bothered by the old Korean lady (ajumma) shoving a mop
between your legs as you stand at the urinal.
31) You view the handicapped-ramped crosswalks as a perfect place to jimmy
your car into at an angle. Pedestrians and handicapped people be damned- you
need to park!.
32) You hang a plastic glove filled with water in the window because you
believe mosquitoes and flies are scared of their reflection. (so THATS why they do that)
33) You look at thin blonde women and assume they are Russian hookers. (I've been asked if I'm Russian and I'm not blonde>
34) You open all of your windows in the middle of winter and crank up the
heat.
35) You're standing in the shower at the Sauna and offer to scrub a total
stranger's back. (This happened to me)
36) You don't think it's at all weird to share a hot tub butt naked with a
grandfather and his two grandsons.
37) You open the window a crack when your fan is running, just in case
because you think running fans can kill you! (It's true, also if someone in the family commits suicide, you say they died by "fan death")
38 ) You've traveled to various places in the world and when asked about
whether you liked the food or not, you say, "I don't know." "Did you try the
food?" "No. Well, only the chicken. The only food I ate in Germany was
chicken." (Kimchi and gimbop are brought on most vacations)
39) You dial a wrong number, proceed to yell at the people on the other end
of the line for not being the people you were trying to call, hang up on
them in a huff......and then hit redial.
40) You do exactly what your boss tells you to do, no matter how stupid and
idiotic.
41) You would never dream of asking to get paid extra for the overtime
worked.
42) You feel well rewarded for the long hours and sacrifice if you get taken
out for sam-gap-sal (Pork BBQ)and a few hours in a singing room once or
twice a year.
43) You sleep under a piece of oversized gauze and call it a sheet.
44) You put sweet potato on pizza. (it's actually pretty good)
45) You think picking your teeth or nose in public isn't polite...unless you
oh so discreetly do it with one hand covering up your activity.
46) You push, claw, and elbow your way to position yourself to be the first
to exit the subway car, and then right after you exit, you walk at a snail's
pace.
47) You go on a nice beach vacation, where you sit under the beautiful shade
of your huge umbrella fully clothed, wearing a Darth Vader visor, covered in
sun tan lotion, refusing to go near the water.
48 ) You eat dog because it supposedly gives your four thrusts instead of
three. (ha)
49) After going to the washroom, you wash your hands for 1 second under ice
cold water and dry them in your hair.
50) You open up a new business with an arch of balloons and two dancing
girls.
51) You proudly adorn your new business with a sign that reads:
"SINCE 2005"
52) You close the business two years later after realizing there were
already ten nearly identical businesses on the same block.
53) You would rather park on the sidewalk than the huge parking lot 5 feet
away.
54) You drive for 5 hours to spend 30 minutes at some over crowded tourist
trap.
55) You order a side of kimchi to go with your steak.
56) You ask the foreigner next to you if he can use chopsticks, while he is
eating with chopsticks.
57) You deny that Koreans still eat dog, after the foreigner next to you has
just said, "Last night I went out for dog with some Korean friends, it was
better than I thought it would be!"
58 ) You think eating eel will give you a hard-on, but eating bean sprouts
will make you lose it, and the reasoning behind both is: "the shape".
59) You correct the pronunciation of the American in the back of your cab,
by saying: "Ahh...you meaneuh Joji Bushi..."
60) You think your foreign co-worker's fridge is full of coca-cola, burgers,
ready-made sandwiches and spaghetti.
61) You think the messages of the Buddha and Jesus are perfectly compatible
with the statement: "Koreans are a superior race."
62) You base that superiority on being a descendent of a bear that ate
garlic.
63) And you claim the above is only a myth, but you believe it. And that
makes sense to you.
64) No one in your country has AIDS, but "kimchi" can cure it.
65) You are a young man who really believes in a future Asian revolution,
after which you, as a Korean, will be administering an Asian dominated
autocracy in which Chinese labor and Japanese technology are under your
boot. But whitey is way under that, and Africa and Southeast Asia have
somehow disappeared. You perform self-love to this fantasy daily.
66) You laugh at your foreign co-worker's "Brooseuh Williseuh" shaved head,
while pressing down your comb-over with a hand covered in your own saliva.
67) Your students try to convince you that Catholics are NOT Christians.
68 ) Your students tell you that they are devout Catholics but don't know
who the Pope is.
69) You order pizza and it comes with corn and mayonnaise as well as a side
serve of pickles to put on top.
70) You think that smoking in a crowded restaurant (with a no smoking sign)
or any other place is perfectly acceptable behavior for men but women who
smoke in public are clearly prostitutes.
71) Your students are convinced that music by The Beatles is hard core
rock'n'roll.
72) You see a flashing green walking man in the distance indicating that
pedestrians may cross...and you run at full pelt, as though you were running
away from a T-Rex, to cross the road. God forbid having to wait 2 minutes
until the next one.
73) You think that the sink in the bathroom/public toilet is for fixing your
hair and appearance and NOT for washing your hands after going to the
toilet.
74) You have a terrible cold and it doesn't occur to you that coughing in
other people's faces and food will make them sick too.
75) You honestly believe foreigners care about whose island takashimi/dokdo
is!
76) You think an ambulance with a siren blazing is just another car.
Therefore, you need not make way.
77) You hear the monthly air-raid sirens you are totally unfazed and go
about your business.
78 ) You stick a needle in your thumb to relieve indigestion. (i've never heard of this)
79) You wear an undershirt with a t-shirt.
80) You own a cell phone with a built-in breathalyzer. (what? they make those?)
81) Your main purpose of going to the office everyday is to persuade your
colleague(s) into a night of drinking.
82) Low cut, v-neck, floral print, pink t-shirt, shiny jeans, and Paris
Hilton-esque sunglasses are perfectly acceptable items for a heterosexual
man to wear for a night on the prowl.
83) Your pink/lavender v-neck shirt is the manliest shirt you own.
84) You put corn on/in any kind of Western food.
85) You warn your visiting friends/family about how hot ALL Korean food
is... and check to make sure they can eat it when they're half done.
86) You understand why prior to a given date there will be no heat and after
a given date there will no longer be heat, regardless of the weather.
87) You cover your mouth when you laugh or smile but not when you cough or
sneeze.
88) In the winter (-10 degree weather), you wear short skirts, but in the
summer(in +40 weather) you cover all skin with jeans and a sweater because
that＊s the fashion.
89) You don＊t wear deodorant because Koreans don＊t sweat.＊
90) You think women who are proud of their sexuality are sluts.
91) Your idea of real "bonding session" is getting liqured up on soju until
you puke or pass out
92) Seeing a man in a funny costume hitting another man in a funny costume
over the head with a plastic hammer has you rolling in stiches.
93) You use your 7 words of English because a foreigner is within earshot.
94) You bring korean food with you when you visit another county.
95) At any given moment in your life, your favorite song is a jingle from a
TV commercial.
96) You see an adult/child take a leak in public and think nothing of it.
97) You simply walk over the guy laying on the sidewalk.
98) A Korean mispronounces serveral words and you understand them perfectly.
99) You set up a time to meet somebody and think nothing of it if you are
two hours late.
100) You plan a major event at the last minute and wonder why it didn't go
well.
101) Of course you're well travelled! You went on a package tour to see
Angkor Wat (13:00-13:15), the Grand Palace (17:00-17:20), and, of course,
Italy (an entire Tuesday afternoon!).
102) When your business is failing you dig up your great Granda and rebury
him facing in a different direction. (i don't know what this means)
103) Your son seems to be getting a lot of colds, so you change his name. (what?)
104) You think that giving money to homeless people whom you've never met is
a character flaw on the part of the giver.
105) You think scientists will soon find evidence of Korean culture on the
moon.
106) You can't remember the last time you saw your children.
107) You think the most influential person in world history is King Sejong.
108) You tell every foreigner that you meet that Koreans are kind＊.
109) You deny that Korea owes any scientific or intellectual debt to the
West.
110) You think that the American Army is occupying your country, but you
don't want them to leave.
111) The grass outside your company needs cut, so you call up your Granny
and tell her to get her knitting circle over there asap.
112) Although there are 20 other free urinals in the men＊s bathroom,
you
take the one next to the foreigner so that you can peek at his willy.
113) You convert to Christianity because your senior at work is a Christian,
and he seems like a nice guy.
114) You think badminton is a sport.
115) You aren＊t even the slightest bit moved by the plight of animals at the
local zoo.
116) You think that the only reason why Koreans have never invaded any of
their neighbors (Russia, China and Japan) is because Koreans are very
peaceful.
117) You＊re a Korean bus driver and you can＊t figure out why the old lady
who just boarded the bus is now lying face down on the floor.
118) You pick a booger on a packed subway, hold it up for inspection, roll
it into a ball, inspect it again, flick it. Then, without the slightest hint
of self-consciousness, go back for seconds.
119) Your children spend 16 hours a day memorizing things they forget the
minute they pass the exam and you think you are providing a great education.
120) You can hold entire 10-minute phone conversations using only the sounds
'eeehhhhhh' and 'yeaaahhhhh'
121) You don't care if your bratty children run ragged in restaurants with
no discipline whatsoever
122) You think ending sentences with three or four whiny-sounding tonal
fluctuations in your spoken language is chic and cute
123) Rice and kimchi....the breakfast of champions.
124) You think its fine (and actively encourage) your child to grow up
loathing Japan.
125) You think Korea really is the 'Hub of Asia'.
You know you're Korean When:
1) You're 12-years old and you don't go home until 10 pm, or 11, or 12
2) And yet when you're unmarried at 25, you have to be home by ten.
3) You wrap kimchi around your rice before eating it.
4) You stare like a blinded deer in headlights at anyone different.
5) You attempt to go into the subway or elevator before the people get out.
6) If you ain't chewing and slurping your food at a loud volume then you
obviously ain't enjoying it. (eating deliciously)
7) You "slightly disregard" traffic rules. Like stopping at crosswalks for
those pesky pedestrians.
8 ) You go home and everything smells bad.
9) You think having 4 seasons is really special.
10) You describe any girl over 110 pounds as "fat."
11) Your closet is full of black, brown, and grey clothes.
12) You suddenly want to go to Prague or Bali because you saw them on a
Korean drama.
13) You drive out of a blind alley at 60 km/h.
14) you're an "expert" at making ramyen noodles.
15) You try the doorknob instead of ringing the doorbell or knocking first.
16) You eat more off your friend's plate than your own.
17) You answer the phone with a loud warbling
Wieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee????????
18 ) Your favorite teacher is the one that beats you the hardest.
19) The national hero you admire most is the one who has a nuclear bomb
pointed at you.
20--i didn't like this one so i deleted it (tm)
21) You appear to be thinking you look quite dignified while drinking your
shooter of 2 cent booze after noisily slurping octopus.
22) You're dropping a log in the squatter and spit on the floor in front of
you, thus clearing two orifices at once. Korean multi-tasking.
23) You jump out of the shower at the local gym and stand naked in front of
the mirror blow drying your family jewels. (men and women do this)
24) You grab the communal toothbrush at the gym and take it into the shower
with you!
25) Even though you weigh 120 you have to try and out bench the 190 pound
guy, because he's a foreigner.
26) You think that your mom's kimchi can cure your grandma's halitosis and
your grandpa's cancer.
27) Your cell phone has more than 20 pictures stored on it...of yourself.
28 ) There's more toilet paper in your dining room than your bathroom.
29) You believe that flushing toilet paper down the toilet will clog up the
plumbing so instead, throw your *beep* paper in a bin next to the toilet.
30) You are no longer bothered by the old Korean lady (ajumma) shoving a mop
between your legs as you stand at the urinal.
31) You view the handicapped-ramped crosswalks as a perfect place to jimmy
your car into at an angle. Pedestrians and handicapped people be damned- you
need to park!.
32) You hang a plastic glove filled with water in the window because you
believe mosquitoes and flies are scared of their reflection. (so THATS why they do that)
33) You look at thin blonde women and assume they are Russian hookers. (I've been asked if I'm Russian and I'm not blonde>
34) You open all of your windows in the middle of winter and crank up the
heat.
35) You're standing in the shower at the Sauna and offer to scrub a total
stranger's back. (This happened to me)
36) You don't think it's at all weird to share a hot tub butt naked with a
grandfather and his two grandsons.
37) You open the window a crack when your fan is running, just in case
because you think running fans can kill you! (It's true, also if someone in the family commits suicide, you say they died by "fan death")
38 ) You've traveled to various places in the world and when asked about
whether you liked the food or not, you say, "I don't know." "Did you try the
food?" "No. Well, only the chicken. The only food I ate in Germany was
chicken." (Kimchi and gimbop are brought on most vacations)
39) You dial a wrong number, proceed to yell at the people on the other end
of the line for not being the people you were trying to call, hang up on
them in a huff......and then hit redial.
40) You do exactly what your boss tells you to do, no matter how stupid and
idiotic.
41) You would never dream of asking to get paid extra for the overtime
worked.
42) You feel well rewarded for the long hours and sacrifice if you get taken
out for sam-gap-sal (Pork BBQ)and a few hours in a singing room once or
twice a year.
43) You sleep under a piece of oversized gauze and call it a sheet.
44) You put sweet potato on pizza. (it's actually pretty good)
45) You think picking your teeth or nose in public isn't polite...unless you
oh so discreetly do it with one hand covering up your activity.
46) You push, claw, and elbow your way to position yourself to be the first
to exit the subway car, and then right after you exit, you walk at a snail's
pace.
47) You go on a nice beach vacation, where you sit under the beautiful shade
of your huge umbrella fully clothed, wearing a Darth Vader visor, covered in
sun tan lotion, refusing to go near the water.
48 ) You eat dog because it supposedly gives your four thrusts instead of
three. (ha)
49) After going to the washroom, you wash your hands for 1 second under ice
cold water and dry them in your hair.
50) You open up a new business with an arch of balloons and two dancing
girls.
51) You proudly adorn your new business with a sign that reads:
"SINCE 2005"
52) You close the business two years later after realizing there were
already ten nearly identical businesses on the same block.
53) You would rather park on the sidewalk than the huge parking lot 5 feet
away.
54) You drive for 5 hours to spend 30 minutes at some over crowded tourist
trap.
55) You order a side of kimchi to go with your steak.
56) You ask the foreigner next to you if he can use chopsticks, while he is
eating with chopsticks.
57) You deny that Koreans still eat dog, after the foreigner next to you has
just said, "Last night I went out for dog with some Korean friends, it was
better than I thought it would be!"
58 ) You think eating eel will give you a hard-on, but eating bean sprouts
will make you lose it, and the reasoning behind both is: "the shape".
59) You correct the pronunciation of the American in the back of your cab,
by saying: "Ahh...you meaneuh Joji Bushi..."
60) You think your foreign co-worker's fridge is full of coca-cola, burgers,
ready-made sandwiches and spaghetti.
61) You think the messages of the Buddha and Jesus are perfectly compatible
with the statement: "Koreans are a superior race."
62) You base that superiority on being a descendent of a bear that ate
garlic.
63) And you claim the above is only a myth, but you believe it. And that
makes sense to you.
64) No one in your country has AIDS, but "kimchi" can cure it.
65) You are a young man who really believes in a future Asian revolution,
after which you, as a Korean, will be administering an Asian dominated
autocracy in which Chinese labor and Japanese technology are under your
boot. But whitey is way under that, and Africa and Southeast Asia have
somehow disappeared. You perform self-love to this fantasy daily.
66) You laugh at your foreign co-worker's "Brooseuh Williseuh" shaved head,
while pressing down your comb-over with a hand covered in your own saliva.
67) Your students try to convince you that Catholics are NOT Christians.
68 ) Your students tell you that they are devout Catholics but don't know
who the Pope is.
69) You order pizza and it comes with corn and mayonnaise as well as a side
serve of pickles to put on top.
70) You think that smoking in a crowded restaurant (with a no smoking sign)
or any other place is perfectly acceptable behavior for men but women who
smoke in public are clearly prostitutes.
71) Your students are convinced that music by The Beatles is hard core
rock'n'roll.
72) You see a flashing green walking man in the distance indicating that
pedestrians may cross...and you run at full pelt, as though you were running
away from a T-Rex, to cross the road. God forbid having to wait 2 minutes
until the next one.
73) You think that the sink in the bathroom/public toilet is for fixing your
hair and appearance and NOT for washing your hands after going to the
toilet.
74) You have a terrible cold and it doesn't occur to you that coughing in
other people's faces and food will make them sick too.
75) You honestly believe foreigners care about whose island takashimi/dokdo
is!
76) You think an ambulance with a siren blazing is just another car.
Therefore, you need not make way.
77) You hear the monthly air-raid sirens you are totally unfazed and go
about your business.
78 ) You stick a needle in your thumb to relieve indigestion. (i've never heard of this)
79) You wear an undershirt with a t-shirt.
80) You own a cell phone with a built-in breathalyzer. (what? they make those?)
81) Your main purpose of going to the office everyday is to persuade your
colleague(s) into a night of drinking.
82) Low cut, v-neck, floral print, pink t-shirt, shiny jeans, and Paris
Hilton-esque sunglasses are perfectly acceptable items for a heterosexual
man to wear for a night on the prowl.
83) Your pink/lavender v-neck shirt is the manliest shirt you own.
84) You put corn on/in any kind of Western food.
85) You warn your visiting friends/family about how hot ALL Korean food
is... and check to make sure they can eat it when they're half done.
86) You understand why prior to a given date there will be no heat and after
a given date there will no longer be heat, regardless of the weather.
87) You cover your mouth when you laugh or smile but not when you cough or
sneeze.
88) In the winter (-10 degree weather), you wear short skirts, but in the
summer(in +40 weather) you cover all skin with jeans and a sweater because
that＊s the fashion.
89) You don＊t wear deodorant because Koreans don＊t sweat.＊
90) You think women who are proud of their sexuality are sluts.
91) Your idea of real "bonding session" is getting liqured up on soju until
you puke or pass out
92) Seeing a man in a funny costume hitting another man in a funny costume
over the head with a plastic hammer has you rolling in stiches.
93) You use your 7 words of English because a foreigner is within earshot.
94) You bring korean food with you when you visit another county.
95) At any given moment in your life, your favorite song is a jingle from a
TV commercial.
96) You see an adult/child take a leak in public and think nothing of it.
97) You simply walk over the guy laying on the sidewalk.
98) A Korean mispronounces serveral words and you understand them perfectly.
99) You set up a time to meet somebody and think nothing of it if you are
two hours late.
100) You plan a major event at the last minute and wonder why it didn't go
well.
101) Of course you're well travelled! You went on a package tour to see
Angkor Wat (13:00-13:15), the Grand Palace (17:00-17:20), and, of course,
Italy (an entire Tuesday afternoon!).
102) When your business is failing you dig up your great Granda and rebury
him facing in a different direction. (i don't know what this means)
103) Your son seems to be getting a lot of colds, so you change his name. (what?)
104) You think that giving money to homeless people whom you've never met is
a character flaw on the part of the giver.
105) You think scientists will soon find evidence of Korean culture on the
moon.
106) You can't remember the last time you saw your children.
107) You think the most influential person in world history is King Sejong.
108) You tell every foreigner that you meet that Koreans are kind＊.
109) You deny that Korea owes any scientific or intellectual debt to the
West.
110) You think that the American Army is occupying your country, but you
don't want them to leave.
111) The grass outside your company needs cut, so you call up your Granny
and tell her to get her knitting circle over there asap.
112) Although there are 20 other free urinals in the men＊s bathroom,
you
take the one next to the foreigner so that you can peek at his willy.
113) You convert to Christianity because your senior at work is a Christian,
and he seems like a nice guy.
114) You think badminton is a sport.
115) You aren＊t even the slightest bit moved by the plight of animals at the
local zoo.
116) You think that the only reason why Koreans have never invaded any of
their neighbors (Russia, China and Japan) is because Koreans are very
peaceful.
117) You＊re a Korean bus driver and you can＊t figure out why the old lady
who just boarded the bus is now lying face down on the floor.
118) You pick a booger on a packed subway, hold it up for inspection, roll
it into a ball, inspect it again, flick it. Then, without the slightest hint
of self-consciousness, go back for seconds.
119) Your children spend 16 hours a day memorizing things they forget the
minute they pass the exam and you think you are providing a great education.
120) You can hold entire 10-minute phone conversations using only the sounds
'eeehhhhhh' and 'yeaaahhhhh'
121) You don't care if your bratty children run ragged in restaurants with
no discipline whatsoever
122) You think ending sentences with three or four whiny-sounding tonal
fluctuations in your spoken language is chic and cute
123) Rice and kimchi....the breakfast of champions.
124) You think its fine (and actively encourage) your child to grow up
loathing Japan.
125) You think Korea really is the 'Hub of Asia'.
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