Nut

I seem to have alot of problems with monday's these days...it's not that I dislike them, on the contrary my dear Watson, it's just that I've grown to dislike them.

The traffic is infinitely worse on mondays mornings. How so? So, it takes longer to get to Uni. As a direct consequence, most of my students are late also.

Perhaps the most compelling reason for disliking monday's is the fact that it's the beginning of a new week and a new lesson plan which as not been tested on the student's. So, you never really know how the lesson will go - will the students understand it/will they be happy with it/will you get all the key points across/will I forget to mention something/will I have enough time/will I have too little time?

It's all a stress.
It is this kind of encertainly that tips the balance in favour of disliking mondays. Not really a great excuse but it's just the way things are. Next semester, I might be back to disliking tuesdays. Who can say/

Groan

Word of the week: 'Random'

Seems to be heard alot.

Phrase of the week: 'Is there anybody in the bathroom...?'

Women go to the bathroom in teams. That's understood. Men however, are single bathroom goers. They do not go to the bathroom in pairs or even in teams. Even that is understood. Not in Korea...

Sight of the week: 'Fully grown people...

....dancing away like they just don't care.' Good for them. It's exercise but it's very personal. At the gym, everyone does the same moves. On the dancefloor, it's everybody for themselves. I wonder of the people who are crap down the gym are equally crap on the dancefloor, conversely are good dancers good at the gym?

Song of the week: 'F___k forever' by Babyshambles

if u don't mind...In light of the Mr. P Doherty warble, it should come as little surprise that this is the song. I got a version of it but it's not the orginal. It's just Pete and his guitar doing 'it'. It's rough but strangly sounds better than the original. It's weird how there are times when alternative versions do sound better. That's not especially the 'rule' but there are a few gems out there.

Cape

Bonfire night/

Makes no difference to me. Korea isn't interested in making a big fire outside and placing a 'man' on top.

Hang on...didn't they do that during the summer up in Seoul?

Home

Music. It's universal. It speaks to some yet doesn't to others. It's something that has been with us forever in one guise or another. It's interesting though to note the people that are responsible for it.
Despite it's universal appeal, it appears that all sorts of people have been capable of making it. All races, all colours, both sexes irespective of age, appearance or behavioural characteristics.

Take the likes of Kate Bush. Has made her 1st album in 12 years. Hates the limelight yet produces music of sublime beauty or Yer man from Radiohead who also makes music of haunting simplicity yet is equally uncomfortable in his position as 'rock star' however you have numerous self-publicising 'artists' who record and make music which isn't as good as they would have you believe. The ones who are more famous for being in the gossip columns or in the fashion mags...yet, once in awhile there comes a person or group who seem to fill the void in the abyss. They generate column inches, headlines, are in fashion mags yet produce music which does not happen very often. Perhaps not completely original in itself - taking the best elements or x y or z and morphing it into his or her own style of music which in a perverse kind of way is highly original given that no-one had the idea before or the ability to pull it off which such simplicity and orginality.

Perhaps this generations example is a certain Mr. P. Doherty, formerly of the Libertines but latterly of Babyshambles. It is his musical innateness and the sublime poetic nature of his lyrics that should be considered and not the percepetion which has been created fact that he is, to all intent and purposes a drug fuelled fiend. Yes, such behaviour does not help, in fact it probably detracts from his musical prowess in much the same way that Sid Barret has been widely ignored as songwriter and musical 'genius' due to his drug dependency and erratic nature.

Yet, in the case of Mr. D, it is confusing. He is a highly intelligent man - academically at least yet it's as if he doesn't really know how to deal with it. In some ways he deals with it by writing some utterly fantastic music. The Libertines back catologue and even some of his most recent Babyshambles efforts are peppered with tender, poetic warblings that major poets wouldn't be ashamed of penning. His sharp observations of 'Albion' are perhaps equal of Ray whats-his-name of Kinks fame. On the flip side, the destructive or rogue side of him comes out and it is that which is highlighted in the music press and other publications and which also let to him getting kicked out of the Libertines around the same time as their 2nd album came out. It could be argued that all that was self-inflicted. Burglarising your band mates house is something but taking copious amounts of coke at al isn't the best and is perhaps not going to win many friends. Equally, missing your cue at the Live 8 concert does not go down well infront of a potential audience of hundreds of million of people.

But___it has. Every generation needs a figurehead, not a goodie, goodie but someone who is on the edge. Someone who is living the 'dream'. Sex and drugs and rock and roll baby. He is it.
The last of the true bohemians.

Lub.

Ugh.

Apparantly we're having a Thanksgiving 'Party'. Or at least, the plan is to have one. However, we have been given 3 different dates to choose from. 2 of the dates available are on saturdays and also a date on a thursday. To fair, i'm not that fussy but then I'm not that interested in Thanksgiving...obviously, it's a very American (and Canadian?) thing and something that I've have no major feelings about.
It's just a reason to get the Department together and indulge in small talk. hmm. I guess i'll get some turkey though. And kimchi, together on the same plate.
Great.

Low

It's mild. Really mild. What is going on...must be global warming.
It's definitely unseasonal, so much so that the windows are wide open and the heating off. Although, at Uni. the windows are open because the heating is on full blast. A real waste of energy but then it's not exclusively a Uni. thing or even a Korean thing. It happens everywhere. Heating on yet warm enough to not have it on but then unable to physically turn it off or even turn it down. It's a problem...'cos I hate hot rooms.

Main

I mentioned last week, that I had a student who did particularly badly in his Mid-Term test...I think he scored 4 out of 20 or something similiar. It is going to be very, very difficult to pull his score up to even getting a D but, there he was, in my class this morning. He was late and even came up to me at the end of class to check that I had ticked his name on the register. It's a sinking ship for him but I admire this perservence especially given his class is the 1st class of the day. A time when many a student can be found sleeping and at home.

Anyway___the Hearts' slagging match continues. It's a great soap-opera. The politican ex-Chariman Vs. some baby faced punk who thinks he can do both the Chairman and CEO thing. Should be interesting. What is interesting is that the Owner has appointed all his family into key Boardrooom positions. Isn't that strange...

Oh yeah and it's bloody November already.