Epicure

O.K. today...wonky English, Korean Style.These are leading companies in Korea trying to make use of English to sell their products.

Sometimes, it's better just to leave out the English and just use Korean instead.

hermes

Sowhat's it all about?
A great line from another great British movie to be Americanised and, quite honestly, to be butchered.

Alfie. Michael Caine. Classic.
Alfie. Jude Law. Not a classic. It's alright. It's certainly watchable and Jude Law does well however, why is it set in New York? What's the point in having a British movie classic with a British actor, travelling around on a Mod-styled Vespa in New York?

Think is, it's not the 1st time that this has happened...moving the setting to America. And it seems to be Michael Caine movies. The Italian Job. Your only meant to blow the bloody doors off. or. Alright boys, I have a plan... - Transported to L.A. Not a bad movie with good use of the Mini's but not a patch on the original. But, perhaps the worst of the lot was Get Carter. A Rough, brutul depiction of urban life in Newcastle. Again, Michael Canie taking the lead. Whoosh...Americanisation leads to Sly Stallone in the lead in what can only b describe as a pile of utter kak. Admittly, I liked the direction but the script was dreadful as were the performances.
Whatelse?
High Fidelity. Not a bad effort by John Cusack. Not sure about the Chicago location but...

I'm fairly sure that Transpotting could never be americanised. And for that, we should be thankful.

Bite

Ohmygod.my gym trainer suggested that I walk for 40 minutes on the treadmill at 6kph. I thought 'sure, that can't be too difficult'. Eh, it is. Not only is it mind-numbingly boring but it's just not that much fun especially because the timer is right infront of you. I find myself glancing at it hoping that a minute has passed but being well disappointed that only 11 seconds has passed.How can you make it more interesting though. I have my mp3 player and I have a tv infront of me but even that gets dull after awhile. Perhaps it's all in the mind. If you really enjoy doing something then the time passes quicker. Conversely, if you don't, it doesn't.

connection

The wet season has arrived. Rain. Not massive amounts but enough. At least when it stops, it makes it cooler...

Anyway,the Lions got well and truly beaten on saturday by a rampant All Blacks team. No excuses can be made, they were crap. Questions have to be asked of the management and quite justifiably so. Why play Wilkinson at inside centre when the best player of the tour plays in that position yet wasn't selected. And why were there so many players with are playing poorly even selected. It's simple. Play the players that are in form...don't pick players who are playing crap. What's the point in that?

Can't see the Lions turning this one around.

People

Word of the week: 'Knobhead'

Is the name given to the student who I gave 3 days to give me a letter from his employer explaining his absence from my class for a whole semester. He didn't, so he got an F. Simple. Moral of the story - be nice, and i'll be nice back.

Phrase of the week: 'Out of sight, out of mind'

Spoken (allegedly) by one Chris Kirkland, the reserve goalkeeper at Liverpool who is said to have turned down a loan move to Celtic because he felt it would harm his England chances given that Scotland is bloody miles away from England and that Ericsson wouldn't be able to see him. You can drive from Liverpool to Glasgow in 3 hours. Plus, he had the choice of staying at Liverpool and not getting a game, moving to West Brom (relegation certs) or coming to Celtic and winning something and playing Champions League football. Idiot.

Sight of the week: 'Busted'

My Toaster is no more. I woke up and thought 'hmm...quite fancy a bit of beans on toast'. So, got the pot out, got the tin opener out, got the cooker ready, got the plate out, got the bread out of the fridge and proceeded to put 2 slices into the toaster. I pushed the lever down to find that it wouldn't got down. I tried a couple of more times. Nothing. I changed the plug. Still nothing. I took the toaster into the small room to see if it would work there. Nothing. At this point, I'm getting somewhat upset. I went to switch the kettle on but strangely that didn't work. I then tried to switch the lights on. Nothing. I'm more than alittle upset. It seemed like I had no electricity whatsoever. So, I had to go down and visit the security guard - not a pleasant experience - and ask him to help me. He did and sorted my electricity problem and then invited himself into my apartment for a nosey. The check of it. He even checked the bathroom. What's THAT about. Anyway, my toaster had blown a fuse and had short circuited my apartment. No beans on toast now.

Song of the week: no songs cos me ears don't work.

Game

Saturday the 25th of June saw the 'public' wedding of Bill and his new missus Crystal. I say the 'public' wedding because they actually got officially married in some office by virtue of signing some piece of paper in some office earlier in the year!

Anyway, well done!

It certainly takes a lot of balls to do something of that magnitude, i mean getting married is not just for christmas, it's the rest of your days. And that's the scary part...not only that but marrying someone outwith your own city or country for that matter is something else also. I think that takes even greater balls.

I think it would be fair to day that a decent day was had by all...apart from the weather which was stiffling to say the least.

Although, I am concerned because I was given a video camera and asked to film the whole ceremony - by the Groom's Parents. No pressure there then! I hope it turns out alright, after all ou don't want your sons big day blighted by some numpty who can't point the camera in the right direction.

Speaking of numpties, there was one after the evening celebrations...some pissed up middle aged 'North American' with a bag for a belly, and a Baseball cap trying to cover his, well, i don't know actually, just covering his head, i guess. Anyway, he was being a wide-o (is that still used in Scotland these days!?) and tried to pick a fight. Clearly, I was up for taking him but, I thought, no thats not right, this isn't my party, i'll just leave it. What a knobhead though...Who does he think he is. Honestly, if it gets to the stage where I'm in my 40's have a belly and am sitting minging drunk in Z-rock on a saturday night, please shoot me as it will mean I have completely wasted my life. Are you listening Miles!!

hands

____struggling today.thanks to my mate Scott. I hate him. He makes me drink this minging liquid called soju. It's kind of like Ethanol but somehow passes for legal booze. It is drunk in small shot glass, straight. The time is, I find that it doesn't really kick in...it lulls you into this false sense of security. You think that your doing fine but to everyone else you are completely pissed. I felt like a million dollars last night but I was the usual arrogant 'don't tell me i'm wrong' attitude that gets me into trouble from time to time. I was having a laugh and singing like a demon at the Singing Room.

but this morning was not pleasant. Head banging. Difficulty moving and even more difficulty in trying to get into an upright position. The dizziness and the thought 'why didn't i drink some water when i got home last night?'

And that was only the beginning of the troubles...apparantly I was a bit out of control last night but thats the thing when drinking soju- things just blur or are just simply forgotten.And then there are the meaningful chats where I unravel the meaning of everything but just end up talking complete nosense. Last night I was trying to resolve the 'we're Korean/you're foreign so you can't understand Koreans' dilema. Clearly, this topic cannot be resolve on a thursday evening in Shin Bang Dong and especially not when in a state of ignorant bliss. In the end, I just said 'I don't want to hear 'You can't...' because I can.' And went to the toilet in triumph. See what i mean, it turns me into some kind of monster.

messy.

Steady

Getting well warm...and humid. Despite this, I just want to go outside and laze in a park or something but there just isn't anything that fits the bill. In Edinburgh - take your pick - the Meadows, Princes St. Gardens, Braidburn, Arthurs Seat. But, in Cheonan, nothing. The thing is I really need to be outside because I'm alarmingly white. Usually at this time of the year I have some colour but this time, nothing, not even on my arms. I'm getting worried. If this was Scotland, I wouldn't care because there is always someone more pasty looking than me - isn't that right Neil!!! - but here, I tend to stick out somewhat.

Shine

Oh Landlords.

They are knobheads. I think they must all take 'knobhead' classes prior to becoming a Landlord. I suspect that they are the same the world over. My current one certainly fits into this category. He doesn't speak English and clearly my Korean isn't upto questioning him at length.

So, I got my friend to call about getting a mosquito net installed - At night, I need to close the windows so that I don't get a large swarm of them coming in unannounced, the problem being that my apartment gets warm when I close the windows. If I get a mosquito net, I can open the window without fear of getting eating alive - he agreed to get one installed. 3 weeks later, he still hasn't got one installed and neither has he been in contact. I noticed that today other appartments where getting their own nets installed, so we contacted him today to ask him what the story was...He then indicated that he won't be putting a net into my apartment or the other apartments he owns because 'the other tenents didn't want them'. And then he simply said that I should get one myself. I'm somewhat shocked by this given that he said 3 weeks previously, that he would install one!

My friend was RAGING AT him on the phone...so the Landlord hung up. My friend then called him back. It seems like he will come to my apartment on monday to 'look at it' whatever that means.

Total knobhead. Why say something and then retract what you said 3 weeks later. The thing that bothers me the most is that during those 3 weeks, there was a special offer on mosquito nets for people living in my building. Clearly, I thought that my Landlord would be taking care of it and that I wouldn't need to worry. So, not only has he lied to me but I missed out on buying one at a discounted price because of his knobheadness.

_______________i'm not going to give him any rent this month in protest. But, ultimately what can I do about it?

almond

The attack of the mosquitoes. Bastards that they are. It only takes one___and 1 was all it took. 4 red, itchy spots later, I got it. It was trying to be a wise guy by flying around my head. Trying to taunt me 'hahaha, i just munched on you' Whack.
And that was him. Over and out. Hope you enjoyed yourself because I didn't. AND NOW, 12 Hours later, my 4 red, itchy spots are getting even more itchy. This is an occupational hazard. Every night could be the same despite your best efforts to seal your house and windows and doors, one still manages to squeeze in. But, i'm onto you, you little f ___________.

Don't even think about munching on me.

Fixer

THere is this guy here in Cheonan who has been threatening to get himself a Weblog for months and months and months and months but when it came to the crunch, he just couldn't do it. Until now.

The beast has been released...and there is no way to put it back. You have been warned.

www.yourcodenameismiles.blogspot.com



It's quite a nice feeling, waking up and thinking 'I don't have class today'. Alas, that thought was replaced with 'my god, it's warm in here' swiftly followed by 'better get those grades sorted out'. And thats what I've been doing. 7 classes down. Not many A+ but a lot of B+/B. Not really sure how I should feel about that. Does that mean that my tests etc. were difficult or were they too easy given that many students scored 81 and 89%. No doubt someone will query them but I'll cross that bridge etc etc...

Wish

Word of the week: 'Done/Finished'

'Cos I am. Apart from the final grades, thats it. They will be done by wednesday. But, no more students until those 3 days in July when they can query them. My phone, and computer will be off on those days.

Phrase of the week: 'The English language in Scotland is different from the language in England'

Spoken by an Italian...Nevio Scala...who could perhaps be the next Hearts boss. He's very perceptive.

Sight of the week: 'Seats'

It was not a sight I wanted to see when I arrived at the Restaurant where the English Department were having the end of semester dinner. I was too early and was compelled to sit next to the Head of Department. A very nice man, however is not certainly not a funny man. Stick to the day job!

Song of the week: 'Die Doraus?'

It's a song on the '2Many DJ'S, Part 8'. It's really lo-fi with some Japanese cartoon style 'vocals'. Hard to describe but very catchy with a cracking melody.

Perform

_the EU continues to crumble. Infighting and squabbles over the amount of money each money pays into the 'pot' and the amount that each country receives both in aid and 'rebates'...needless to say the U.K. pays a hell of alot yet seems to make alot back in return. However, it appears that Germany is the single largest contributor yet doesn't get much in return. And the French. Well, the French are at it as always. Their farmers seems to be fairly minted.

Of course, every individual country is merely looking out for themselves. It has always been that way. Self-preservation. Is that Nationalistic? Perhaps. Clearly, Mr. Smith on the street isn't going to be too impressed if X amount of his tax is going towards pay off Farmers in the South of France. On the flip side, though, this money could be going towards building a School in one of the Eastern Europe countries...

But, it's all Politics. There will never be a single solution. One that will keep everyone happen. There are too many countries at stake for that to become a realistic goal. It's a balancing act that will never balance. Oh yeah and all those unelected '______________' in Brussels...

Define

Could that be it?the end of the testing season.

I'm in my office just waiting for the tap-tap at my door. Hopefully it won't.Even if it does, I will probably just ignore it anyway. Actually, the vast majority of my students have been tested. It's the ones who didn't come to class who have missed out. I have done all I can with them. They are adults. If they really were worried about missing out, then they should have visited me before today...perhaps i'll give them until 4pm to visit me and then thats it. <Holiday time.>

.So2monthsoff. What to do. Have a list of things but when push comes the shove, will I do them. I'm hoping...


Isn't it strange how rumours start and then somehow morph into monsters...one of my colleagues told me that I was alledgely spotted on my sofa with a lady. Well, my god. What a shocker. I mean, whoa. It's a 50-50 thing isn't it. If it's not a man on the sofa then it must be a lady and if it's a lady then it must be my girlfriend or at the very least, someone I want to 'do things' with. I was surprised by this especially in light of the fact that I live 13 floors up with no massive buildings to peer into my apartment from and the fact that I didn't actually get a sofa until last week!

____________________________Be careful what you say...it might actually be true.

Spirit

jUST read a report that a 4month old Korean baby died of suffocation whilst lying in bed. Certainly, a very tragic event in any circumstances, however, the parents had placed the baby in his/her bed at 4pm. They then, not only left the room but the house. Where did they go?

To the local internet cafe to play 'Warcraft' - an online game. They were engrossed in playing the game and 'forgot' about their baby at home. When they finally arrived home, they found the baby had died due to being left (or perhaps rolled) on his/her stomach hence the suffocation. It was also reported that the grandparents actually lived in the same apartment block...

Scandalous.

Some people should be banned from having children. Needless to say the Police have become involved. Perhaps they won't get charged with murder, maybe manslaughter or neglect. Certainly, something should happen...

Structure

Cheap. 1. low in price. 2. charging low prices. 3. low in price and quality. Derivatives = cheapness.

=it's fair to say that most peple are looking for this in one form or another whether it is buying a shirt or something more substantial.

There are of course, people who are constantly cheap. This maybe because they are skint or maybe just because they don't want to pay excess. This is everybodies right. But...if you are living in Korea teaching, you are unlikely to be skint unless you are out drinking everynight. I have heard some complaining now that it getting hot and humid. 'We don't have any Air-Conditioning na na nan na...My apartment doesn't nan na na...' Go out and get some. Quit yer moaning and do something about it. Get a fan even. Do you need your mother to hold your hand? Are you an adult? Well, sort it out. Don't be so cheap.

Anyway, yesterday I mentioned some words that Americans would look foolish using...I have another few / 'geezer' / 'Pete Tong' / anything from London. / anything from The Streets. / 'random' as in 'who's that random [sic] person?

Press

Aah, the English language. Don't you just love it. I mean, it's there but it is constantly changing and evolving and that is why it's exciting.

Recent additions to the Dictionary include the West of Scotland classic 'chib' which means to stab or slash with a sharp weapon or even the immortal 'a square go' which means a fight betweeen 2 people. Perhaps the best is 'ned' or it's offshoots of 'neddy' or 'neddish'. This is definitely a distinctive Scottish word meaning a young working class person who dresses in casual sports clothes. The English have 'chav' which is almost as good at 'ned'. I would love to go around calling people neds or chav but the good people of Korea will probably not encounter these words for a good few years yet...

The other noticable addition is the utterly brillant 'bouncbackibility' which refers to a teams ability to respond to a setback like being 3-0 down at half-time. This was first coined by Ian Dowie who's team where often in that position!

Anyway, moving on. I was reading a thing on the internet about words that Americans should never use because it is against the rules. Clearly, they can use them because they are part of the English language but it's not big nor is it clever. And it sounds daft.
__________________________forexample.'bloke' / 'brillant' / 'going for a pint' / 'cuppa' / 'alright?' / 'chaps' / 'bloody hell' / 'knobhead' / 'wanker' / 'chemist' / 'birds' (not that type!) / 'neds' / 'chib' / 'chav' / 'Oi' / 'You're having a laugh mate' / 'come and have a go...' /

__________________________Any more?!?

Comfort

Kimbab is a wonderful, wonderful foodstuff. It's quick, it's easy and it's actually quite good for you. Let me describe it... it's basically a roll of rice with slithers of ham, cucumber, carrot, radish and some 'fish type thing' wrapped in seaweed. I guess it's Korean sushi...there are a few variations of it. You have have the 'normal' one or the kimchi one or the beef one or my personal favourite, the tuna one.

There is no way that I could possibly make it. You need to be a women and you need to have excellent rolling ability, something that I've never really been that good at.However, there are times when I unwrap the complete roll and just as I'm about to life a piece into my mouth, it falls apart...into a mess that cannot be recovered.It is just this exact thing that does my nut. You pay your good money for it but just at the moment of impact, it falls apart.

It's so depressing particularly given the individual parts of it are not actually that nice but together, there is nothing better.

I guess its all down to the technique of the person rolling it...but women, get it right!

Crack

Word of the week: 'Belarus'

Enough said.

Phrase of the week: 'This is Kimchi'

Eh, yeah, I know. And that was it. That was 1 of my students entire 'speaking' test. How exactly can I grade that? I mean, a third of it is in Korean?!? He used some nice Powerpoint visuals but he didn't say anything. It was dreadful. He just stood there at the top of the class. In silence. apart from his sentence. The thing is, he had 2 weeks to prepare. That's 1 word per week. Clearly, he's failing...

Sight of the week: 'Dancing'

Or not as the case maybe. I'm always amazed by it. Give some people beer and some music and it happens the world over. Some are great at it. Some hopeless. Here in Cheonan, there aren't many who fall into the 'great' category. Many, however fall into the 'hopeless' category. I'm not naming names or even nationalities. Or even sex because both can be classed. I myself am too cool to be involved in something so trivial.hahaha.

Song of the week: 'Technologic' by Daft Punk

Classic Daft Punk. That French fair. Robotic, looped vocals over eery 'melody'. Why do they get knocked so often when, in reality they are head and shoulders above the opposition...and have been since 'Homework' was released.

tracks

Dayslikethese.
thE number of times that I've been in a lift is uncountable. It's an every day occurance given that i'm lazy and can't really be doing with climbing 13 floors to my apt. If I was to do that everyday, I would probably be alot fitter...it's all comfort though. I am comfortable just pressing the button and waiting for it to arrive. When it does arrive, I can wait that extra second or 2 to allow the person, or persons to get out and go on their way. It's only common courtesy, after all.However, I get the feeling that my lovely 'hosts' do not consider this to be a courtesy. It's almost as if when the doors of the lift open, it's their right to barge into it irrespective of who is also wanting to get in or even get out.
The number of times I have tried to get out 1st but had my path blocked by somebody wanting to come in 1st. Surely, they must realise that if you let something out, then there will be more space to full up instead of squeeeeeeeeing into a tiny space and then getting enough space to stand comfortably in.

It's gotten to the point where I actually don't let them in, if I want to get out. I stand there and barge past them. It's like a pre-emptive thing now. After all, when in Rome and all that...actually, come to think of it, this is not just a lift thing. It happens on the subway in Seoul, on the train and even when walking in a corridor. They must get past you 1st no matter what.
I wonder if it is a ingrained thing or if this mentality is taught at School...they may even have classes specifically designed to better aid ones strategies on being 1st.

Anyway, get used to the random mutterings. I've had complaints that I talk too much football. This means that I don't have much to say now other than just rambling about nothing inparticular.______________________nochangetherethen.

numb

As that bloke from Monty Python once said 'My brain Hurts'.

It certainly does.
The final tests have been taking it out of me. At 1 extreme I have the students who have worked their socks off to make a very good piece of work which will be reflected in their grades. However, the ones who haven't bothered their arse will not getting much. It's easy to spot who has and who hasn't. My 'Early Childhood' class did well and it showed. Good visuals, good songs and a determination to do the best they can even if they don't particularly enjoy English. But, my evening class students...hmm. I should be nice...some did try and credit goes to them but I had some groups who copied and stole and others who merely typed their presentation into a computer and got it translated into English. English, yes, but not comprehensable English. It was painful to listen too at times.

Since

Sofa has arrived!!
i did say that I lead a simple life...

Hexagonal

________________________________._Mighty strange this Korean society. 2 instances spring to mind.
1st:every Korean male must serve 2 years of military service - usually after their 1st year of University. However, if the male was born outside of Korea then they can skip it but only by 'giving up' their Korean nationality when they reach 17 years of age. This 'loop hole' has now since changed with all Korean males needing to do. Prior to the changing of the rules, long queues of families made the decision to give up their Nationality in order to skip the military service which is their given choice. This though, should have remained confidential between the person involved and the Governmental Department dealing with this situation.But NO. nOT here. The names and even addresses of the males who have given up their Korean nationality have been published in national newspapers...

2nd:Seoul has a Subway network which isn't too bad. Clean, safe and comfortable but can get really busy at times. Anyway, some dog owner took her dog on the Subway. As it turns out the dog needed to have a poo-poo - which it did. However, the dogs owner didn't clean it up and then got off the subway train. Now, people who witnessed this took multiple pictures with their phones and then posted them onto the Internet...

Both instances have sparked putrage amongst the local internet users who hide behind their P.C.'s complaining about whatever takes their fancy on any given day. Clearly, free speech is a right however when it gets to the point of becoming a witch-hunt, things change. Clearly, example 1 is a very personal choice. It doesn't necessarily make that person a traitor and to have this splashed onto National newspapers is an outrage. The 2nd example is also another example of the sensationalisation that occurs here. Ok. the dog owner is in the wrong but to be splashed all over the internet by anonymous peope is an outrage also. The dog owner is being hunted out for a 'mistake'. It doesn't mean she should outed like a criminal.

These are not the only examples of this type of sensational headline/witch-hunts that occur. Other involved a spurned lover who killed herself. The 'man' was then outed as the cause of her death.

It seems like such behaviour is becoming more socially acceptable...a sad state of affairs.

Inside

The testing season started in earnest today...I try not to go into it with too many preconceived ideas for fear of not giving my students a fair crack of the whip. The 1st class was fine. No real issues apart from the 3 students who were late. Not just alittle late but 45 minutes late. If there is one thing i dislike________________________________

The 2nd class, however, were truly awful. I'm trying to look on the bright side but they weren't good. They had all the instructions in both Korean and English so communication of what I was looking for should not have been an issue but something was lost in translation because it was at times painful listening to some of my students trying to get a sentence out. Certainly some low scores were secured by them...this is the point when I start doubting my test and the wisdom of doing this particular style. I can't judge it based on the performance of 1 class. The time to assess the validity of the test will be at the end when all 8 classes have been completed.

Check

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+Minihome has been updated. New photos...in the Album. Go to 'SUMMER05' to view..

If u can't get them, then you might need to allow 'pop-ups'...

gob

Word of the week: 'Done'

Cos it is...2weeks of testing and then it's holiday time. Thats not to say that i'm taking it easy. Far from it given that the next 2 weeks need to run smoothly. At least there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Phrase of the week: 'just give us your fuckin money'

Sorry about the language but the immortal words of Sir Bob Geldof spoken at the time of Live Aid. He is back but this time he is urging a million people to decend on Edinburgh to protest at the G8 Summit which is being held north of Edinburgh.

Sight of the week: 'Mosquitoes'

My mates are back. Actually, they are not my best mates but they seem to be very partial to a bit of Scottish blood. How they enjoy it...'cos i'm certainly not enjoying givin git to them.

Song of the week: 'YMCA' by the Village People

Korean Karoke is back after what seems like a long absence. Cue the above mentioned song swiftly followed by a bit of Britney. Cummmmmmmmme on!

1one

Small things may me happy...sorry but I lead a simple life.
After months - nay, years of footballing misery - Scotland got back to basics and won a damn game. Small steps...not a classic and not exactly a big name but a 2-0 defeat of Moldova will do. I would have settle for that before the match.

The Moldovans had come to sit in and defend which is something that they are perfectly entitled to do. The problem being that Scotland find it difficult to break teams down given the fact we do not possess the sort of player who can change a game with 1 move ORpass...in fact it took a mistake from their 'keeper to help us on our way. He flapped at the ball and allowed Dailly to tap in to make it 1-0. A relief. It doesn't matter how it crosses the line so long as it crosses it. We had to wait until the end of the match for the 2nd. Inbetween times, they looked dangerous.BUT, 3 points in the bag coupled with draws for the other teams in the group mean that we are 4 points off 2nd place in the group with a game in hand...win that game and we are back in 'contention'. However, the game in question is on wednesday against Belarus in Minsk. Not a place you want to be visiting at the end of a long hard season.

The last time we played there we won thanks to a McCallister penalty. Of course, that it is a result I would kill for given the number of injuries we have and having a couple of players suspended. Actually, this is a game which might suit us. We don't have to force the game like todays game. We could defend and plan to hit on the break. Certainly, McFadden has to play from the start. He has all the tricks and could cause damage. The question is, who do you play next to him. I think Miller looked tried. One of the Hibs boys needs to start. They have the energy and between them have bagged 40 odd this season. The midfied though could be interesting .Fletcher is a great player but is carrying an injury. Hartley is suspended, McNamara is out. It's upto Feerguson to get the job done. The defence picks itself with Pressley and Webster certain to play along with Weir.

If we get the 1st goal, then we'll win. I concerned though. They looked tired today. I wonder if the win will give them the shot they need for 1 more big effort. I tell you what though, my thursday students might be getting better than expected grades if we win...

well doneboys.

phone

That's IT.

IT=the end of the teaching until september. Nice. In many ways, I'm sad that it is this time since, on the whole, I have a decent repoire with my classes even the ones I complained about at the start of the semester. I guess that is half the battle - getting classes 'on side'. That sounds abi strange but ultimately that is what you have to do. If they are 'against you' then you are unlikely to get them to listen or do things you want them to do. However, if they are 'with you' then it makes life much easier.
Plus, it might be seen as cynical but at the end of the semester, the students get to grade you and for me that is at the back of my mind and comes to the fore at this time of the year. I'm not especially conscious of that in class or when I'm making the test or giving homework but it's certainly there in the background. I read a posting on a Teacher's Website that asked the question of whether, at University, teachers are actually educating or if we are merely entertaining the 'customers'. Interesting point given that Korean Students pay their fees themselves are, in a very general sense, customers of the University. I tend to think that I am both. Although, at a previous job I was certainly entertaining the customers. That said, I just do what I can...that's all i can do. If the students enjoy it or even get something out of it, then great.



anyway,

#

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make POVERTY History

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.get off ur arse.don'tstay athome and moan.'council tax' will go up. massivedelays. trouble...an inconvenience?shutup. i'm sure it's a inconvenience to the poverty stricken masses, not able to eateverydayMAKEADIFFERENCE..

Temp.

Witnessed my 1st big, semi-major concert here in Korea couresty of the Uni. and KMTV which was recording the concert for later broadcast on National TV.I had no idea who was playing but there were about 6 acts performing a 3or4 set mini-gig. Would like to say that it was great, alas I would be lying.
Actually, it was very bizarre in that we (the crowd) were all sitting on plastic garden style chairs. It was almost genteel compared with other concerts I've been too. In fact, I think this is the 1st one that I've sat at...I had to because 1. there wasn't much to get excited about and 2. there were 'security' men equiped with whistles ensuring that everyone was sitting down. Of course, i was scared, I mean, a whistle. You don't mess with a man with a whistle!

Highlight if the concert was not so much the songs or the perfomers but a dancer who somehow managed to fall off the stage and head first into the 'mosh' pit. Amazingly, the song or the other dancers didn't stop and continued as if nothing had happened...the crowd, though had noticed and were split into 2 groups - the ones who saw it and were concerned for the fallen dancer and the others who also saw it but where too busy killing themselves with laughter as this unfortuante mishap. I'm not saying which camp I was in...I dare say that it will be edited out when it is shown on tv. Shame really because the dive was worth at least a 9.6.