I'm a shit blogger. I know. I'm sorry. I'm on vacation. I've been making excuses since July.
But seriously. This time of year is just like this. Now I'm off to Glasgow/Italy for two weeks, and then it's back to settle in for a new school year. Back to the routine. For now, though, it's easier to just throw little things up over at tumblr. I'll leave this blog here for now, with a bit of copy and paste:
I always make the cheeseball comment that I fall in love with places, and not people. But it’s kind of true. And the other part of the truth is that I fall in love with places for the people. I mean, Glasgow? Come on now.
Either way, I’m getting sappy about two weeks away from Korea already. I’m not even on the damn plane yet. Met up with Grace to book Big Bang tickets and have one last go at the samgyeopsal and soju before I hit the road. Left one of the very lovely leather gloves my coworker gave me for Christmas in the taxi. Son of a bitch. Had a chat with an ajeosshi at the restaurant about how JFK was shot from the third floor in Dallas (sixth, actually, but you don’t correct an elder, and that’s all up for debate anyway). Watched the Korean girls re-layering all their particularly Korean winter gear on the bus as we finally pulled back in my neighborhood — wrist warmers, circle scarves and very fuzzy hats. Smiled as the kid at the pyeon-eui-jeom grinned at my ‘cute’ Korean. Paid 2,500 won for a pack of cigarettes.
Korea. Come with me, yeah? Don’t forget me while I’m away. Be back soon.
1.21.2011
1.14.2011
Housewifery and the tenderness of students.
If I never look a chocolate chip cookie in the eyeball again, it'll be too soon. Word somehow spread around about what we were doing in class today, and random kids were coming out of the woodwork. I must have baked -- I shit you not -- at least 12 batches of 9 cookies each in my tiny little oven, including two batches for the teachers in the office downstairs, who found out about the whole operation via two little traitors I sent down to nuke the butter in the microwave who don't know how to zip a lip.
They fell on the first batch like a pack of wild animals, literally ripping chunks from the foil as if they hadn't seen food for days. After that, the novelty of that approach seemed to wear off and they decided they could actually wait the five additional minutes it would take for them to cool down and solidify. That, plus I had started wielding a broom handle at that point.It was about halfway through the second session (which wasn't really a second session, as the second shift kids showed up early, and the first shift stayed late), with the boys sitting around playing their card games and watching the English movie I'd put on to keep them busy while the cookies were baking, as I was sweeping the classroom floors, wiping down desks and keeping one ear open for any nitpicky little fights that might be springing up amongst the boys, that I realized this must be what a housewife feels like. That shit is not easy, let me tell you. I was only at for about five hours and I'm fucking exhausted.
Afterward, I went down and had lunch with the other teachers and sat around catching up and shooting the shit for a bit. It's easy for me to get a bit isolated during vacation periods, because during the week the only people I really interact with face-to-face for any real duration of time are fifteen year old boys. Which is great. But maybe not all the time. I did go out with Smalltown and some of the Bupyeong crew last night, but it's not the same as having time with the other teachers at work throughout the week. It still depresses me how far behind my student Korean my adult Korean is. During camps, it's easy for me to convince myself I'm practically King Sejong for my comprehension and speaking skills. And then I'm around normal adult Korean conversation again, and it puts me right back in my place. But it is still getting better, despite literally the minimal amount of effort on my part.
There was an old-school moment of foreign idiocy during class today the likes of which I haven't suffered for a while now. It was really mostly due to the fact that I wasn't paying attention when I was doing the shopping yesterday, but some of the eggs I brought in for the recipe today were actually boiled. The students took one look at them and I heard them shift to their "Liz Teacher can understand what we're saying if she's paying attention but if we can be really subtle about it and she's distracted, she might miss it" tones of voice. Trying to figure out how to tell me my mistake without embarrassing me. Sweet boys. I just interrupted them and told them that it was alright, that there were some eggs left from last week's class in the office fridge, and to go and fetch them. Sometimes when they get too used to me, they can forget that I'm a foreigner and that I still have trouble with some things. It's humbling to see how tenderly they can treat my child-like-in-Korea moments. They spent the rest of the class carefully repeating any words I couldn't catch in Korean so that I could hear them clearly and explaining what they meant, gently and without condescension. Good, good boys. Warm heart and all of that.
And so it's finished for another year. And it's time for me to get a little rest, before a seriously busy weekend begins.
1.12.2011
Waegook namja crushin'.
Ross, annyeong. If you're reading this, and still in the ROK, INP has a crush on you. My phone number is 010....
Why I have to adopt.
This really makes me feel like a horrible person, but it's true, so I might as well admit it: Part of the reason I would want to adopt an older child if I decided to have children is that I'd be really afraid I'd have a kid like Soonhyeon. Soonhyeon is a crier. I mean, not like a sweet, overly-sensitive crier. But a whiny, bitch-ass crier. Soonhyeon continuously starts shit with the other students because they say something off the cuff and he decides it needs to be an issue. And then he won't shut the fuck up about it until the other kid yells at him to just let it go. And then he cries.
Like today, when he came in and I asked him what he did yesterday, he answered that he had studied hard. Minjae cracked a joke that he was a liar. Soonhyeon kicked off. He was not a liar. He had studied hard yesterday. How could Minjae know what he had done yesterday? He didn't even talk to Minjae yesterday.
Minjae: Yeah whatever. It was a joke. Forget it.
Soonhyeon: It's not right to call someone a liar when you don't even know if they are lying or not. I studied at hagwon all day yesterday and then I went to the library afterward. I'm not a liar. I don't tell lies. You can't say that I'm a liar. How would you even know?
Minjae: Seriously? I said it was a joke. Let it go.
Soonhyeon: But you can't just call someone a liar like that! You don't know anything about it! I AM NOT A LIAR!
Minjae: Just shut up!
Soonhyeon: [Crying.]
He's like this every day. Another pressing issue that arose today that he wouldn't shut the fuck up about was the fact that the electric kettle was on the table in front of him, and, therefore, he had slightly less space to write in than the other students. Instead of just moving the kettle forward a bit, he harrassed Minjae endlessly, endlessly to move over and give him more space, because it wasn't fair.
I have a lot of patience for a lot of different personality types in kids. I have a lot of tolerance and understanding for a lot of behavior I come across. This. This is the one thing I cannot deal with. If I had a kid that behaved like Soonhyeon, I would fucking destroy him. Not on purpose. I would tell myself over and over that, somehow, he can't help it. But it wouldn't work all of the time. It's barely been getting me through the two hours a day I've been spending with him for the last two weeks.
No. I need to adopt. Because, first of all, being pregnant and giving birth are two experiences I really don't feel the need to have. At all. But also because me and a whimpy kid would not stand a chance together. I'll just snatch one up who has a thing for fire or knives or something. That would be manageable.
Like today, when he came in and I asked him what he did yesterday, he answered that he had studied hard. Minjae cracked a joke that he was a liar. Soonhyeon kicked off. He was not a liar. He had studied hard yesterday. How could Minjae know what he had done yesterday? He didn't even talk to Minjae yesterday.
Minjae: Yeah whatever. It was a joke. Forget it.
Soonhyeon: It's not right to call someone a liar when you don't even know if they are lying or not. I studied at hagwon all day yesterday and then I went to the library afterward. I'm not a liar. I don't tell lies. You can't say that I'm a liar. How would you even know?
Minjae: Seriously? I said it was a joke. Let it go.
Soonhyeon: But you can't just call someone a liar like that! You don't know anything about it! I AM NOT A LIAR!
Minjae: Just shut up!
Soonhyeon: [Crying.]
He's like this every day. Another pressing issue that arose today that he wouldn't shut the fuck up about was the fact that the electric kettle was on the table in front of him, and, therefore, he had slightly less space to write in than the other students. Instead of just moving the kettle forward a bit, he harrassed Minjae endlessly, endlessly to move over and give him more space, because it wasn't fair.
I have a lot of patience for a lot of different personality types in kids. I have a lot of tolerance and understanding for a lot of behavior I come across. This. This is the one thing I cannot deal with. If I had a kid that behaved like Soonhyeon, I would fucking destroy him. Not on purpose. I would tell myself over and over that, somehow, he can't help it. But it wouldn't work all of the time. It's barely been getting me through the two hours a day I've been spending with him for the last two weeks.
No. I need to adopt. Because, first of all, being pregnant and giving birth are two experiences I really don't feel the need to have. At all. But also because me and a whimpy kid would not stand a chance together. I'll just snatch one up who has a thing for fire or knives or something. That would be manageable.
1.11.2011
GD & TOP: Sudden foreign woman obsession.
Yes! Someone wrote about it! Mixtapes and Liner Notes puts a bit of consideration into what I also found to be a strange development in the recent GD & TOP music videos, which I briefly mentioned before, as it can also be seen in the new "뻑이가요" video.
Re-post of the videos in question, for those who haven't seen them:
I don't know what to make of it, really, so I'm glad someone else is trying. It's definitely been a trend with this album, as there are also foreign women featured in TOP's "Turn It Up":
Now. Unlike what happened earlier with UKISS's horrific "시끄러" video, my interest with GD & TOP has been piqued. UKISS did exactly what you would expect an immature, underdeveloped group to do with the image of a foreign woman, which was place her in a position that no decent Korean woman would be seen in. The title of the song translates as, basically, one of the rudest forms of "shut up" -- it doesn't just mean 'be quiet'. Literally, it implies that you are making an annoying noise. It's also dealing with a "나쁜 여자" -- a bad girl. Her job is to stand outside in dark alleys, leaning on cars looking sexual and objectified, while kissing the band members full on the mouth seemingly at random. Nothing much new to see there. I mean, pretty faced young Korean guy rolls up to a foreign girl on the street and shouts, "Hello.... hello!" Anyone ever been to Hongdae on a Saturday night? Predictable.
Trashee:
But.... I don't know. Maybe it's because Big Bang, and in particular G-Dragon and TOP, are some of the only Kpop artists I put genuine value on. I expect them to be more global. And I don't, at the moment, have too much objection to how they've handled the foreign women in their videos thus far. The one video where the foreign female presence is overwhelmingly dominant is just girls dancing in a club and having a good time. Which is what music videos are designed to showcase. It's interesting to note that in the other two video, when it comes time for the boys to actually be feeling up on the girls, it is the foreign women who are selected for the job, however.
I dunno, I dunno. I want to have faith in these boys, and believe that they're just trying to open Kpop up to the world a bit. But I am keeping my eye on it. It's a fine line in the music industry, which is chock-full of objectification -- particularly of the female form -- as it is.
One thing I will say.... in male Korean company this weekend, the subject did come up of naivete, and Korean women, foreign men; Korean men, foreign women. When I divulged a few telling stories about foreign women who had been taken for some pretty severe rides by Korean men, the reaction was this: "Wow. I cannot imagine a naive foreign woman." It wouldn't hurt to push the boundaries on the expectations people have, based on stereotypes, a little... if you are going to go there. Ahem. Boys.
Re-post of the videos in question, for those who haven't seen them:
I don't know what to make of it, really, so I'm glad someone else is trying. It's definitely been a trend with this album, as there are also foreign women featured in TOP's "Turn It Up":
Now. Unlike what happened earlier with UKISS's horrific "시끄러" video, my interest with GD & TOP has been piqued. UKISS did exactly what you would expect an immature, underdeveloped group to do with the image of a foreign woman, which was place her in a position that no decent Korean woman would be seen in. The title of the song translates as, basically, one of the rudest forms of "shut up" -- it doesn't just mean 'be quiet'. Literally, it implies that you are making an annoying noise. It's also dealing with a "나쁜 여자" -- a bad girl. Her job is to stand outside in dark alleys, leaning on cars looking sexual and objectified, while kissing the band members full on the mouth seemingly at random. Nothing much new to see there. I mean, pretty faced young Korean guy rolls up to a foreign girl on the street and shouts, "Hello.... hello!" Anyone ever been to Hongdae on a Saturday night? Predictable.
Trashee:
But.... I don't know. Maybe it's because Big Bang, and in particular G-Dragon and TOP, are some of the only Kpop artists I put genuine value on. I expect them to be more global. And I don't, at the moment, have too much objection to how they've handled the foreign women in their videos thus far. The one video where the foreign female presence is overwhelmingly dominant is just girls dancing in a club and having a good time. Which is what music videos are designed to showcase. It's interesting to note that in the other two video, when it comes time for the boys to actually be feeling up on the girls, it is the foreign women who are selected for the job, however.
I dunno, I dunno. I want to have faith in these boys, and believe that they're just trying to open Kpop up to the world a bit. But I am keeping my eye on it. It's a fine line in the music industry, which is chock-full of objectification -- particularly of the female form -- as it is.
One thing I will say.... in male Korean company this weekend, the subject did come up of naivete, and Korean women, foreign men; Korean men, foreign women. When I divulged a few telling stories about foreign women who had been taken for some pretty severe rides by Korean men, the reaction was this: "Wow. I cannot imagine a naive foreign woman." It wouldn't hurt to push the boundaries on the expectations people have, based on stereotypes, a little... if you are going to go there. Ahem. Boys.
1.10.2011
Study center fresh start and camps.
Went in early to the study room today and met all of the cutie babies coming up into middle school. Presumably I'll start teaching them in March. All boys, of course. I have nothing else in my destiny, it seems. When I came out from my session with Taeyoung, they were sitting around on the floor using baduk stones as gambling chips to play poker with the male teacher. I shouted at them and called them gangpae, which made them fall over laughing. They passed my aviators around. Then, the female head teacher came out and shouted at the male teacher for teaching the boys bad habits -- apparently, he was responsible for it all. He also has a mouth like a sailor in front of the students. I kind of like him.
I've got Soonhyeon, the crier, in camps again. He's cried three times so far. Today he totally ruined the mood because Minjae (whose real name is Sangmin, which he doesn't like because it's too normal, so we call him Minjae) said he was going to draw Soonhyeon's face on one of the player pieces for the board game they were making. I finally got him to stop crying, but then everyone just sat there awkwardly gluing things together while he sulked and sniffled. I caught Mincheol's eye and we both, being the only two not directly involved in the altercation, snickered a bit.
Ikhee's group's game is Nazi-themed. Ikhee's obsession with Nazis is never-ending and freaks me out a bit. I would like to say that it's just a kind of general WWII fascination, but it's not. When I give him looks about it, he always makes sure to clarify that he hates the Nazis, but I'm just not so sure. He's a good kid, but it's fucking weird.
I love camps. But I'm getting restless, as vacation draws closer. Vacations always mark a kind of turning point in the Korea experience. Talking to the G Man on the phone long distance to Liverpool this weekend, I explained how leaving Korea for any amount of time is a bit akin to hitting the reset button. It has a way of clearing the decks. It might be time for that. But I am enjoying myself. I just need to get some rest soon.
I've got Soonhyeon, the crier, in camps again. He's cried three times so far. Today he totally ruined the mood because Minjae (whose real name is Sangmin, which he doesn't like because it's too normal, so we call him Minjae) said he was going to draw Soonhyeon's face on one of the player pieces for the board game they were making. I finally got him to stop crying, but then everyone just sat there awkwardly gluing things together while he sulked and sniffled. I caught Mincheol's eye and we both, being the only two not directly involved in the altercation, snickered a bit.
Ikhee's group's game is Nazi-themed. Ikhee's obsession with Nazis is never-ending and freaks me out a bit. I would like to say that it's just a kind of general WWII fascination, but it's not. When I give him looks about it, he always makes sure to clarify that he hates the Nazis, but I'm just not so sure. He's a good kid, but it's fucking weird.
I love camps. But I'm getting restless, as vacation draws closer. Vacations always mark a kind of turning point in the Korea experience. Talking to the G Man on the phone long distance to Liverpool this weekend, I explained how leaving Korea for any amount of time is a bit akin to hitting the reset button. It has a way of clearing the decks. It might be time for that. But I am enjoying myself. I just need to get some rest soon.
1.06.2011
This place is a shithole.
Hello
I am an seo consultant for http://www.bathroomboutique.eu
We would like to exchange links with your web site http://imnopicasso.blogspot.com/ as our sites are related by the topic bathroom
First of all we create a new dedicated page for your site link with a thumb image of your web site home page
Plus we also add your site link to a category page (no more than 25 sites per page) related to your site so your site is in good company
We then submit both these pages to Google for indexing using site maps each day
We also RSS feed all links to RSS aggregators for even more back links for your site
We will link to your site first, and if you accept this free reciprocal link exchange offer, please click this link
as we have already prepared your details. You will see you link on our site.
You will then automatically receive an email confirming your link details and our link details to be added to your site - also see our web site details below
If you wish to exchange 3 waylinks, or exchange links manually by email. Just reply to this email with your web site details; title, description, url
We can exchange reciprocal links, 3way links and deep links
Our site details:
Url: http://www.bathroomboutique.eu/
Title (anchor text): bathroom furniture
Description: Shop online for a great selection of bathroom furniture at low internet prices with fast home delivery service - bathroomboutique.eu
With best Regards
Bill Black
SEO Link Building Team
http://www.bathroomboutique.eu
Sorry, pretty babies. Camps and all kinds of other madness at the moment. I did warn you that was coming. But I thought this would give you a wee grin in the meantime. For the kids in the back, I'd think you'd do well not to click on any of those links. I'd take them out myself, but I'm in the process of getting my shit together to head out and meet Smalltown for what is sure to be one of our last nights as a duo, as I'm off to Europe soon, and shortly after my return, he'll be heading back there (semi)permanently. Not thinking about that, obviously. Just going for a few sneaky pints. What I would really like is my bed. But no sign of that in the near future. Take care, lovelies.
I am an seo consultant for http://www.bathroomboutique.eu
We would like to exchange links with your web site http://imnopicasso.blogspot.
First of all we create a new dedicated page for your site link with a thumb image of your web site home page
Plus we also add your site link to a category page (no more than 25 sites per page) related to your site so your site is in good company
We then submit both these pages to Google for indexing using site maps each day
We also RSS feed all links to RSS aggregators for even more back links for your site
We will link to your site first, and if you accept this free reciprocal link exchange offer, please click this link
as we have already prepared your details. You will see you link on our site.
You will then automatically receive an email confirming your link details and our link details to be added to your site - also see our web site details below
If you wish to exchange 3 waylinks, or exchange links manually by email. Just reply to this email with your web site details; title, description, url
We can exchange reciprocal links, 3way links and deep links
Our site details:
Url: http://www.bathroomboutique.
Title (anchor text): bathroom furniture
Description: Shop online for a great selection of bathroom furniture at low internet prices with fast home delivery service - bathroomboutique.eu
With best Regards
Bill Black
SEO Link Building Team
http://www.bathroomboutique.eu
Sorry, pretty babies. Camps and all kinds of other madness at the moment. I did warn you that was coming. But I thought this would give you a wee grin in the meantime. For the kids in the back, I'd think you'd do well not to click on any of those links. I'd take them out myself, but I'm in the process of getting my shit together to head out and meet Smalltown for what is sure to be one of our last nights as a duo, as I'm off to Europe soon, and shortly after my return, he'll be heading back there (semi)permanently. Not thinking about that, obviously. Just going for a few sneaky pints. What I would really like is my bed. But no sign of that in the near future. Take care, lovelies.
1.03.2011
Obsessed.
A hat-tip to fleursdelis for the link:
And props to the boys for their usage of honey thighs and apple hips of late. A little mixed up about the waegook yeoja factor, but we'll trust it's coming from a good place. Yeah?
And props to the boys for their usage of honey thighs and apple hips of late. A little mixed up about the waegook yeoja factor, but we'll trust it's coming from a good place. Yeah?
Boohoohoo. And bus humiliation.
Boohoohoo. INP is so mean. She writes a blog and posts it up in public and then doesn't whimper and snivel every time some randomer stops in to pontificate on the perspective she should have. Waaaaaaaaah. She told me to get fucked when I spouted absolute fucking nonsense.
Don't get confused about where you are, lovelies. To wit:
If you think I'm a bitch, you know where the x is. Love!
On the other hand. On the bus tonight. Approximately half of a very good looking handball team climb on. Buzz cuts. Muscles. Things of that sort. I start to think to myself, should possibly join a gym. Should possibly take up sport. Don't know much about handball. Have never seen a match. Could possibly learn. Could possibly..... be taught.
Here comes my stop. Pencil skirt, high heeled boots, snow slush, several steps and a wicked bus driver between me and the door. Not a problem. I got this. I'm smooth. I'm cool as fu-- I'm sitting in the best looking one's lap. Right now. Directly in his lap. Sitting down. There.
Can never join a gym in this neighborhood. Can never attend any handball matches in the metropolitan area. Can possibly never even ride the number 14 bus ever again.
Don't get confused about where you are, lovelies. To wit:
If you think I'm a bitch, you know where the x is. Love!
On the other hand. On the bus tonight. Approximately half of a very good looking handball team climb on. Buzz cuts. Muscles. Things of that sort. I start to think to myself, should possibly join a gym. Should possibly take up sport. Don't know much about handball. Have never seen a match. Could possibly learn. Could possibly..... be taught.
Here comes my stop. Pencil skirt, high heeled boots, snow slush, several steps and a wicked bus driver between me and the door. Not a problem. I got this. I'm smooth. I'm cool as fu-- I'm sitting in the best looking one's lap. Right now. Directly in his lap. Sitting down. There.
Can never join a gym in this neighborhood. Can never attend any handball matches in the metropolitan area. Can possibly never even ride the number 14 bus ever again.
1.02.2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
