glimmer

You know how the American V.PResident shot some other bloke...well, wouldn't the Police normally get involved. If I was to accidently shoot a student /not that i'm suggesting that the thought or means has ever crossed my mind/ then something would happen. At the very least, I would get a stern talking to.

Has he been given a 'stern' talking to by the boys in blue? Somehow, I would doubt it.

Flake

is this it

The end of the holidays. Neither happy nor sad. It's just something that happens. Monday morning will see the teacher in me try to awaken from it's slumber. It's hibernation if you like. Preparation has been ongoing since the end of last semester. In little spurts and definitely not a consistant spurt. It's always the case that with this much time off you go through patches of thinking about how to tackle next semester and periods when you are completely turned off by the thought of doing it all again.
This past week has seen 'patches'. Improvement and tweaking of things. It's evolution. Taking the best and worst of previous semesters and either keeping them on or ditching them and adding to. Of course, best laid plans are not always effective and you have the curious situation that 'in theory' ideas xyz will work well but the practical application does not always follow. And that is the thing. You need to get that happy medium. And that's the trick.

Anyway. Monday. Getting back on the case. 1ST week is a write off given that 1st years aren't in until the following week. A nice 'gentle' ease back into it. Perhaps.

Hustle

Seems like the Film Department at my University are in the news at present - well, the 'internet' netizens news anyway. It appears that some students made a 'film'. Nothing especially wrong with that given that is what they are studying. It appears that the students had filmed some 'actors' getting married on the Subway - in a carriage. They had convinced the bemused fellow passengers that they were too poor to afford a 'real' Church or Wedding Hall wedding, so they had decided to do it on the Subway. The bemused passenger fell for it hook line and sinker offering applause and best wishes during the 'wedding ceremony'.

If course, so wise guy on the train also filmed it on his mobile and posted it on the internet. Then the 'news' broke that it was in fact a stunt.
Netizens...with nothing better to do got hold of this 'story' and bombarded the Departments Website with complaints and threats about the whole thing. The fact that they were duped into believing something that actually wasn't what they thought it was. Ironic given the amount that they 'believe' from the media. /'hub' of asia' and all that jazz./

What exactly is the problem? 'cos, I'm not really seeing one. The Subway is a public place, they weren't doing anything illegal, if the 'onlookers' believe everything then that's upto them, yet these students are cast as wrong-doers by the do-gooders who hide behind there monitors. Knobheads. Feel like going onto the Department's Website and congratulating them on their efforts. Free thinking and initiative is alive and well in Hoseo University. But, that is Korea. The internet is great but it's the knobheads who abuse it.
Hope these students got a pat on the back for their efforts. As the Ramones once said 'Netizen punks, f__K off'. /ok they didn't but close enough/.

Look

Ah, the humble toilet roll/ Essential and very under rated. It's an item that is very much taken for granted. Great when you have some, somewhat depressing when you don't. In fact, 'depressing' isn't really a strong enough word. I'm not sure many words can do that feeling justice. The feeling that is garnered when, after a rather fine effort, you look over to find that the toilet roll holder is not in fact covering the last remaining remnants of the toilet paper and in actual fact, there is none left.

Alas, toilet paper I salute you. But only some toilet papers are worthly of such saluations. U.K. toilet papaer, definitely. Korean toilet paper, definitely not. The reason being that British toilet is different. It can be smooth, hard, soft, strong and can be obtained in a lot of nice colours with which you could co-ordinate with your bathroom. There is something rather comforting in watching nice cuddly Andrex puppies on the tv knowing that the toilet paper that they are advertising does the job with something to spare. It neither scratches nor leaves a 'rawness' which can be uncomfortable.
However, Korea has no such adverts with cuddly puppies. There is only 1 colour - white and there is no difference or choice to be found in the supermarkets. It's hard and doesn't have a nice feel to it. In essence, it's crap. It rips too easily, is somewhat similiar to sandpaper and is impossible to start a new roll without tearing half of it. Also, you can't just buy 2. You have to buy a bulk pack of say 12 or 24 which for a single guy who lives on his own, is a healthy amount and an even healthier amount of time on the toilet in order to use that many rolls. In fact, I've had my pack of 12 rolls for bloody ages...i was wondering if perhaps a new range had come out in the meantime something alittle less unpleasant to use but it seems that in evey shop, there remains the same type of toilet paper, so I don't even have any great incentive to use up all my 12 rolls.
I wonder if there is some big conspiracy here in Korea. If the general population don't know that they can get better comfort toilet paper overseas, then they won't complain about the stuff they use now. I might start importing some decent stuff and have one of those 'feeling' exercises on the street, kind of like the 'Pepsi' challenge but for toilet paper.

I think perhaps I've got too much time today. I really should be getting ready for next semester.

Hall

Valentinesdays -only for lovers and the fools who think they have a chance.
And those those in neither category-just another day then.
Bah humbag-or is that christmas.

Casual

Well...back in the sunny climbs of Cheonan. It's cold, dark and cloudy. In essence, Edinburgh in disguise - and a deep disguise it is too with no castle, maroon buses or natural blondes. That'll be the jet-lag then.

Having 2 weeks away from Koreans is somewhat refreshing particularly when upon reaching the gate to board the flight back to Seoul, you are suddenly annoyed by everything that they do. From having too many bags to queueing to get onto the plane when 1. the annoucement hasn't been made and 2. when their rows haven't been told to board.
Alas, this was all forgotten when it became apparant that I was getting 3 seats to myself. The thought of lying down and getting some hardcore sleep was almost overpowering until some random Korean bloke decided he didn't like his seat and chose to sit next to me. Not only was I pissed off by this rude awakening but by the fact that this bloke had great English and was prepared to use it at all times despite be having my F.H.M. 6 inches from my face. Oh yeah and for the duration of the flight he kept his artic style jacket on. Furthermore, he had indicated that he had travelled from Madrid to catch the flight from Amsterdam to Seoul but instead of going home, he would be leaving again in 5 hours and travellng back to Dubai and then onto Iran. Now, to me that is an huge waste of time...I mean, what's the point in going that far, only to turn back and go back in the same direction. Couldn't he have flown to Dubai from Amsterdam. Hell, he could have even gone Glasgow to Dubai with all the neds.

Anyway, back safe and sound with my Galaxy chocolate levels getting increasingly low. It's all downhill from here on in.

Holistic

Well...I might as well wade into the murky depths of religion and all this nonsense about cartoons and Muslims and all that jazz.
Here goes:
Isn't it alittle weird that a significant amount of Muslims response to all this is something along the lines of 'The claim that the Prophet is the head of a violent religion is insulting and wrong, and we will kill or blow up anyone who says it is'.

nuff said.