Movie Reviews

Inglorious Basterds: Amazing. Will go see it again.

2012: A piece of Hollywood shit. Don't waste your time or money. You won't get either of them back!

Can I be a BIGGER pussy??

Every winter I seem to become less and less tolerant of the cold weather.

It was 7 degrees today, which would be balmy if I was still in Winnipeg for November, but I was freezing.
2 pairs or socks, tuque, hood, scarf and mitts.

So, I'm thinking that I am just becoming a bigger and bigger pussy each year and that I should stop talking about moving and living somewhere warm and just do it already!

Pussy.

The funniest answer today from a grade 5er when asked "What did you do yesterday" (Lesson title)
"I watched CNN".

Haha!

Are you serious!?
You're in grade 5!

Boo

Last night's Halloween party was great.

Lots of people came out and had great costumes. The money that was raised at the party is donated to the Mokpo orphanage where some waygooks volunteer. Last night, 750,000 won was raised! So great.

I rarely get drunk but I did last night. Not loser pissed though so that was good.

I tried my first gin and tonic. Not bad.

Unfortunately with the change of the month seemed to have brought a change in the weather as well.

Yesterday I wore shorts and a t-shirt on my run and came home with tan lines but today I was wearing jeans, a big sweater and shoes and socks.

I think our beautiful warm fall weather has maybe come to an end.

The countdown to Christmas now begins!

October 31st

Today is halloween and I went for a run this afternoon in shorts and a t-shirt and came home with some faint tan lines.
I love Korea.

Had the annual viewing of The Exorcist last night with some friends and that movie still scares the shit out of me. Which movie still scares you??

Happy Halloween!

You know what that means! Christmas is on its way!!

Garbage?

Yesterday I came home for lunch.

On my way back to school, I took out my garbage.
I know, very exciting.

When I came home from school, I noticed that the garbage bag I had thrown out at lunch was gone but all of the other garbage that was there before was still there.

Hmmmmm weird I thought. WHY would that specific bag that I had thrown out be gone.

And WHERE would it go? WHO would take it!? What in the world would you want with it?

So this morning on my way to school, what do I see up the path near the sidewalk, yep, my bag of garbage.

What the hell I thought!?

Where did my garbage go yesterday? What happened to it and why was it here now!??!

I took it back to my apartment garbage area.

Stay tuned to find out what happens to the garbage next!

Muay Thai

Yesterday the local Muay Thai kickboxing club held an International tournament with Japan.

It was cool.

Aphae-do

My friend Moon Sook took me and my friend Melissa to her home island, Aphae-do for the day.

The weather was amazing. Sunny and hot. Shorts and a tank top.

And we were lucky enough (insert sarcasm here) to catch the 2nd annual Octopus festival where if you want to, you can eat a live octopus. Mmmmmmmm.

Moon Sook actually really likes to eat that but she said that it's too expensive at the festival.

Darn!

Halloween is approaching and I'm excited. I will go back to my roots and dress up as an Indian this year.

Last night some friends came over and we carved pumpkins. Erin was a loser and just hollowed hers out so she could make soup. ??? I was angry.

But this was Moon Sook's first time ever carving a pumpkin from scratch. Meaning having to gut it and clean it etc.

No one lost a finger so that was good.

I brought my pumpkin to school today and the kids loved it!

Fall

So I've realized that I'm as good at blogging regularly as I am at writing in my journal.

I always mean to, but never seem to get around to it.

So year 4 in Korea. I definitely never thought that I would be starting my fourth year when I first came here.

I LOVE elementary school. The kids are great, my coworkers are great and my school loves volleyball. Awesome, awesome, awesome.

I also love my apartment. I really have the dream job right now. My apartment is close to my workplace (RIGHT across the street) so I don't have to waste money on traveling or pollute, I can sleep in later, I can come home for lunch, I'm home AT 5 etc etc.

I love my kids and everyone at my school.

Being at this school is such a different experience for me this year and I'm really enjoying it.

Fall in Korea has been amazing. Actually, some days you wouldn't even call fall at home, they would be summer. It's great and the trees are looking beautiful.

Last weekend I went to Jiri mountain which is about 2.5 hours away with my new friend Levi. It was so beautiful.

Last Tour of Duty

This is gonna be short as I thought I was motivated to write but I'm not.

I'm back in Korea. I start school this week at an elementary school. They love to play volleyball so I'm happy. I have a new apartment. I also love it.

I was in Penticton for just over 2 weeks. It was awesome but SO expensive. It made me appreciate Korea.

More to come...

July

Another school year is over. I am happy.

I enjoyed this contract for the most part but due to my laziness, I am always happy when I DON'T have to work. Especially when I get paid for it.

My next contract will be with an elementary school and I am planning for this to be my last year in Korea. For now.

I am ready for a different culture, environment, people and a different job.

The most exciting thing that has happened this month, aside from school ending, is that Darren finally completed an Ironman race.

He has trained his ass off and it definitely paid off as he had a graet race and finished the grueling 226km in 12 hours and 9 mins.

The weather was perfect for the athletes. Warm with no sun. Not so good for me as I was planning on working on my tan. haha

It was a foggy, misty, rainy ferry ride over.

Swim site: Jungmun beach.

Waves big enough to surf. It was a TOUGH swim.

New Canadian friend Teran. Her boyfriend was racing as well.

Back track

June.

June was pretty fun.

* I ran a half marathon with some friends.

* Went to a BBQ put on by some friends that volunteer at the local orphanage. The BBQ was for the kids at they organized a tug of war, super soakers, water balloons etc. for the kids.

It was a great day and the kids are awesome.

* Went to a KIA Tigers baseball game which was a lot of fun even though they got their asses kicked.

* A friend had her baby shower which was actually a lot of fun.

And the best part of June is that it's really close to July which means the end of school!

Weekend in Jeju

Mom, you will appreciate this one.

So this past weekend I joined Darren and his Korean friend Mr. Pak to cheer them on in the Ironman triathlon race.

I'll get to that later but this funny story happened on the monday after the race.
We had just come back from the beautiful beach, swimming and playing in the waves and I go to my room to find the door open.

Ok. Didn't think too much of it as yesterday the cleaning lady opened my door and was ready to come in and clean while I was taking a nap (while Darren and Mr. Pak are biking for 6 hours) not knowing that we weren't checking out until Monday.

Back to Monday. My door is open BUT, the bathroom door is closed. I'm praying that the unthinkable is NOT taking place. I say 'hello?' and then hear the bathroom door lock.

ha ha ha

The adjuma comes out. We converse for a minute and I say that we will be leaving at noon.
All of my stuff is still in the room. WHY would you come in?
Anyway. I had to quickly shower and get ready as we were going to the athletes banquet soon.
When I go into the bathroom, I notice that the adjuma had left me a nice stinky present for me to endure during my shower.

I couldn't believe it!
She took a dump in my bathroom, full knowing that someone was staying there!
She couldn't take a dump in a different room!? One that wasn't occupied!?

So I sprayed my body spray all over to somewhat cover up her shit smell so I could take a shower.

It was gross but really funny too.

2PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GxeOulHgyY

Another one I like right now

I was enjoying a lovely evening until....

I heard this outrageous screech from a woman outside of the store I was shopping inside of.

Yep, right in the middle of the road, there was a woman being hit by her husband/boyfriend/piece of shit of a man and pulling her by the hair and yelling "Stop it" to her.

It was fucking brutal.

My instinct (when seeing another human in distress and being assualted by someone they supposedly care for) is to go and help and I found myself moving toward the door to go out but then stopped.
Wait, I'm in Korea.
People don't care that this man is beating his woman. In the middle of the fucking street no less.
What the hell am I, a waygook going to do.
Nothing.

Nor are the Korean people. Nothing.

So my question is how did people come to be this way?
To have it a part of their culture, society, normal part of life that hitting another person has become OK.
It's in their schools, their home and apparently in the middle of the street.

Not just Korea. I know this kind of stuff must go on everywhere and I said to Darren as we were walking home that people must see a hell of a lot worse in other countires. Children who are taken by rebels, war, bombs, gangs, murder etc etc.

Then I thought, man what a shitty place we live in!
HOW can people treat others this way.

Fuck.

Anyway. It was sad to see and very frustrating.
This is a depressing entry but I had to blab.

If you're gonna beat each other, do it in your own home next time please!

On the positive I had a great week and am looking forward to the beautiful weather and activities of this weekend.

Wolchul Mountain

Last Saturday a friend of mine held the first ever 'King of the Mountain' race up, across and down the 809foot high Wolchul mountain.
I have only hiked this mountain once before and I remember it being VERY difficult.
I invited my friend Jocelyn and my new Korea friend from work Moon Sook.
Jocelyn impressed while poor Moon Sook had to turn back.
We had all decided NOT to race this bitch of a mountain as hiking it is hard enough!
After several hours we made it back to 'base' and then found the closet store that sold ice cream.
This mountain and the area in which it lies is absolutely beautiful.
I hope to do it again this summer but would love to have proper hiking shoes to do it in!