19.12.08

i like to laugh


so much great stuff going on here
wayne, girl being sang to's face, pregnant-crushed-velvet...

meow

17.12.08

this is what my dreams look like


only, in my dream, he doesn't walk - he floats.
and, in my dream, you can hear the tingles that the really good parts make on my skin.
they sound like a hundred tiny, laughing cymbals.
then these guys come along...

and cause a bit of a frenzy.
the cymbals turn angry, so we all use the guitars like swords, and it gets a touch medieval - bystanders in paper crowns, gnawing at huge chicken legs - but we win, and float off down the cobblestone, whistling and laughing and cymbaling.

(thanks LaBlogotheque)

27.11.08

second-home-sick

two things i love: korea and anthony bourdain.
if i would trust anyone to show korea the way i would hope to show korea, it's this guy (and in this case, his friend nari too, of course). i'm so happy i came across these videos. i can't wait to get back.

in this video they visit the noryangjin fish market - seoul's largest. i will live a few subway stops away from here when i go back!


k, the 3+ minutes of tae kwon do i could have done without - but it's cute. here, finally, an in-depth explanation of the one, the only, kimchi.

i'm hungry!!

a good dose of history.


soju, chicken feet (and ass, or "house of poo"), and noraebang - naturally.

"my brain feels like it's been penetrated by an angry, break-dancing ferret"

saunas and bbq! and more soju, family, and food.

slc punk and my brush with subconscious



last night i watched slc punk.
and i don't know why, exactly. because in this day and age of true on-demand viewing via the internet, it's not like it just came on the tv and i watched it for lack of anything better to watch. i found it, and chose it. and i didn't know why. but then i noticed steve-o, one of the characters, wearing a blue pompom toque. i have a blue pompom toque, and i wear it often. i was wearing it last weekend at a party. and i was drunk, so i don't remember every conversation. but then i started wondering if maybe someone commented on my hat, possibly in reference to steve-o, or slc punk. could that be why i found slc punk, and chose slc punk? oh, the subconscious is a warm and twisted place.



"There's nothing going on. That's what I saw when I looked out over the city: nothing. How the Mormon settlers looked upon this valley and felt that it was the promised land is beyond me. I don't know, maybe it looked different back then."

And maybe it didn't.

24.11.08

legs to stand on








the girl in the well
don't ask and don't tell
i'm starting to learn
why i did it.

18.11.08

you should not see this

...if you're currently of delicate emotional cohesion.

not sure why i've decided to dig up and watch elliot smith clips, obsessively.
because despite his genius, and quiet sense of humour, it's not doing much for my general outlook. good words here though, once you get past the "sad sac" nonesense. albeit a little eerie, considering.

an interview in sweden...


and a lovely short film by jem cohen -
lucky three

16.11.08

13.11.08

once upon a time you dressed so fine...

*
at home
on the couch
a gypsy hobo
in limbo
a vagabond
nomad
duffelbag drifter
rootless
houseless
-though never homeless
i am
moss-free.
it gets cold.
wings get soar.
it's for
the better.
(i think)

*

14.10.08

Garlic

To dream that you are eating garlic, signifies your practicality and sensibility in matters of the heart; you look for security over love.

funny...


i like the things she hates.
(with the exception of crowded trains...or crowded anything, for that matter.)

16.9.08

fish food

so the week after collin left, someone was definitely looking out for me.

i went from team 1 to team 6, and got really lucky with a good group of kids. i ended up getting more involved than usual - likely because i was unintentionally seeking distraction from the slight earthquake going on in my life.

there was a bit of a bullying issue, and i had to keep an especially close eye on one boy in particular. but rather than letting him be my nightmare, he became one of my favourites. i decided on monday that georgie (in the blue jersey) would be my own personal project for the week. bright, charming, and bloody obnoxious - he was an immediate and effortless leader. my mission: get georgie to use his powers for good, not evil.

looking back at the end of the week, who knows how much - if any - good i did. before graduation he asked me to sign his passport (as all the kids do, with all the teachers), and i told him to hold off. i wanted to send him away with a written reminder of the message i'd been trying to send him all week. all i could come up with, and what i ended up writing above my signature, was not nearly as profound as i'd hoped it might be. though i guess, profound as it might have been, it would be completely useless if he could neither read nor comprehend it.

georgie,
be a good leader.
be a kind leader.

_______________________________________

saturday i went for a massage.
it was alright.
afterwards, shanda met me at the station for really good grilled chicken galbi, and then we went out in search of Dr. Fish.
this is something i've wanted to try for quite a while. i'm not sure what i was expecting, though i did know the general idea of what i was getting myself into: skin-eating fish.

this place is a cafe. you come in, enjoy a coffee, tea, or in my case a really amazing, icy pink lemonade, and pay an extra 2,000won ($2ish) for "foot spa" (or whatever they call it) - with which you get access to the self-serve coffee, toast, and popcorn station. naturally.
so we drink, and talk, and it's about -14 degrees celsius because the AC is cranked. we have some bread with butter and jam - free with our drinks. i can't help wondering why the area by the windows, with the three little fish pools, has tumbleweeds blowing through it. the place is busy. there are plenty of people. why is no one...exfoliating?
i'm comforted - a bit - when two men and a boy go over and roll their pant legs up before having a seat. shortly after shanda and i agree:
it's time.
we wash our feet and sit on the edge of our little pool, giggling and squirming with fear. after about 5 minutes of this, the boy from next door comes over and just hops right in. "it's ok?" i ask him, looking for a little reassurance. he nods a bit, but hardly notices we're even there.
shanda puts her feet in and they swarm.
i'm talking Piranha-style swarming.
i don't want to do this.
i think it.
i say it.
i consider walking away.
i like to think i'm not a wuss. but this...this is just scary and disgusting.
but we're here. and i've wanted to do it a while. maybe just...one...toe.......


suddenly 12 shimmering little fish are nibbling my foot.
it tickles...it hurts...it's weird...i hate it.
the next day, my friend carole told us that Dr. Fish is not safe, because they're supposed to use special fish from Europe.
the fish they use here are from China.



sunday we went to ansan to look at sunflowers...









we had monday off for chuseok holiday (korean "thanksgiving"), so i went to hwaseong - the pride of suwon! - finally.











______________________________________________________

씨유친구~~~


collin's been gone just over a week.
(it feels like well over a month~)
she might read this, so i won't say too many kind things about her...
actually, i won't say any. just gonna recap her last weekend.
friday night, after ddeok samgyupsal (pork bbq - kind of) and noraebang (karaoke), we went to the crazy duck (self bar ㅋㅋ). collin went a bit early to meet with some friends. when we arrived, her friends left, only to come back a while later with what you see above - a tower of choco pies, complete with candles. a cute and very korean farewell cake from min jin, and dong hee, who will forever be known as "chocopie".


saturday we went bowling. it was fun. i got a turkey and didn't even know what turkey was. but now i know. and i'm considering a change in profession.

these pics are collin left,
and hannah right.






and collin and i had a picnic in my room.


when it came time for her to go, it didn't seem real. it was like she was going on a trip or something, and would be back.
but it's real.
and it's very different around here.
and she knows that.
anyway...
see you soon
xo

15.9.08

let's trim our hair in accordance with the socialist lifestyle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let%27s_trim_our_hair_in_accordance_with_the_socialist_lifestyle





5.9.08

greatest man that ever lived.




















last night we went to Thailand Restaurant in Songtan (known for the US air base - interesting area) for Shanda's birthday dinner. Thailand is owned by a woman who might be the kindest, most peaceful lady I have ever met. she enters the room and it's like you breathe differently. she's always smiling, always warm, always giving small gifts. she loves Collin and is always very good to us when we're there, and because it was Shanda's birthday, and because she knew Collin's leaving, she treated us especially well (ie: complimentary spring rolls, a specially prepared SPICY dish - "It's very spicy," she said, carrying it over to the table, "very spicy, let's celebrate," and bananas in warm coconut milk - a simple dessert that could honestly and truly save the world.

on our way back to the subway station we came across the dirtiest old office recliner on the side of the road. sitting pretty on its ripped vinyl seat was a dozen pairs of old sunglasses. i carried a handful home, disinfected them, and took some pics.

24.8.08

lots and lots...

so here they are:
team 3 the first week of summer camp. some of the kids i remembered from regular weeks at the village, and luckily i remembered them for good reasons. this group is how i'd like to remember summer camp.

other highlights:

swimming!

being in bathing suits in front of the kids was a bit of an issue. no one was really sure what was ok, so most of us just wore shorts and tshirts. as you can see, some of the guys took their shirts off, and got some interesting comments. for instance, one boy very innocently complimented mike: "teacher, you have very nice fur."


mini-olympics!



apparently i've never seen anything more wondrous than a descending birdie, or shuttlecock, if you prefer.



haunted house!


not really a highlight, but who doesn't love staying late to frighten unsuspecting victims, i mean children. (that is me. that mask smelled like expired milk.)



and of course, the best part of every week
graduation!

actually, the best part is the end of graduation. and this picture isn't from graduation, but "recreation" - otherwise known as four hours of drama, limbo, dancing, karaoke (to the same 3 songs), and professionally administered guilt trips, and crying.

ok, so there's camp finished.
and of course, we had a big staff piss up at the end of it all. and i won't go into detail, because what happens at these things should stay at these things.
but it was fun.

the next day, collin and shanda waited an extra half-hour while i tried to recover, and then we headed to jamsil for krazzzzeeeeeeee burger! and oh yeah, Cats.

i was too hungover to really enjoy my burger; it's hard to really taste anything when all your sense-power is going to your eyeballs, searching frantically for a bathroom, just in case the next bite doesn't go down so well.

but as everyone knows, there's no cure like men in tights. and the cure's even quicker when said men are also in the heaviest hair and makeup i have ever. seen.
to be honest, the first half hour or so of Cats made me feel even queazier. at the same time, i couldn't stop laughing.



really?
what. the. fuck.
this has got to be one of the strangest spectacles. ever. and the fact that it's so famous and long-running both boggles my mind, and sort of restores some of my faith in humanity. i mean, if the minds of the masses (or at least the theatre-going contingent) are so open that they can covet something like this, well, there's hope for us all.

k, this is enough for now.
post of this past weekend (rafting and Nanta) pending.

21.8.08

it's almost been a month...

since my last post.
how to describe the time that's passed:
ups and ups and down down downs.



let's see...there was summer camp - which we all dreaded, but actually turned out to be a couple of my most enjoyable weeks here. it was a nice change from the usual, with some new classes and the odd mid-weekday off here and there. it seems disorder suits me.



after the first week of camp, a group of us went to firebox in hongdae for the tattoos we've talked about since i got here. i wasn't sure how to prepare myself, or what to expect when i heard the first zzzzp zzzzps of the needle.

ink met skin, and for the first ten seconds or so i was like, please - not as in please. stop. but as in, i'm tough and this is nothing. then...the burning. whatever. it was bearable. once it was done i was excited, but i'd imagined this tattoo in this spot for so long, it almost felt like it should have been there all along. so instead of, yes! wow!...the finished product was just, yes, ok. next one.
anyway, here it is.

and here we are at firebox, sometime during our five hour stay.


there was a cocker spaniel in the studio. we learned its name was cola. because it's not uncommon to hear "coke" pronounced "cock", so it makes sense the name seemed fitting for a coker spaniel. he was cute, and helped keep us entertained while shanda got star arms and nick got the world on his delt.



here she (he?) is
with her (his?) new friend,
collin.

after tattoos we got mexican at dos tacos (because that's what we do when we're in hongdae), and came home, ready to start summer camp round 2. it went well. not as well as the first, but ok. and that was followed by summer camp round 3, which was even worse than the first, but still ok. mini-olympics and swimming with the kids was so much fun!

coming up:
camp pictures, end of camp staff party, hongdae all-nighter, Cats, rafting, and nanta.

22.7.08

i know, i know...

enough with the videos already.

it's just been...easy. and i've had an especially soft spot for rilo kiley the last little while.

there's not a whole lot going on around here. we started summer camp this week, and it's been interesting trying to adjust to mid-week days off and no weekend, and late mornings, then regular mornings.

but the program is fun - for the most part. we're making instruments for music class, baking soda/vinegar rockets for science, and worms and dirt for cooking. lastnight we put on a haunted house and really scared some kids. i'd say 43% of them ended up in tears.

and...

i have a tattoo appointment next tuesday. so there will be more to post about after that. plus pictures.
___________________________________________

okay, because i can't help myself...
more videos. but at least these are (a bit) more relevant to what this blog is (sort of) supposed to be about. (ie: they're korean)

The first, U Go Girl by Lee Hyo Ri

She was "it" back in the day - part of a girl group, but also kind of an outcast I believe, because she's a bit of a bad girl. She's making quite the comeback though, on tv and in music.
There's a lot going on in this video. It's nothing if not entertaining. I especially like the in-depth phone conversation she has with her male friend, Nassun.

Nassun: Hey Shorty
Hyo Ri: What's up
Nassun: What you been doing?
Hyo Ri: Why?
Nassun: Let's roll baby.
Hyo Ri: Ok.

why she would agree to roll with a guy who answers NONE of her questions is beyond me. anyway, I guess I can't nit-pick since the rest of this epic video is completely logical and life-changingly profound.



and here's a commercial i enjoy for black bean thera (thinifying) tea...
"chicken pizza cake burger - are you ok? gym then sofa gym then sofa - are you ok?"
(it doesn't really say that, but that's what i hear.)



Next, D.I.S.C.O. by Um Jung Hwa
Apparently she's in her 40s. I always say things like, "I hope I look this good when I'm 40," but the truth is I didn't look this good at 16. Quick, what's cougar in Korean?

22.6.08

haven't we all...

...felt this way.

15.6.08

june is

...slipping through my fingers.


6.6.08

klauschen.aerostrat.homina

hi.

so for anyone who looks at this sorry excuse for a blog (which i guess would mean you - thanks by the way), consider today your lucky day.

my lunch of 참지 김밥 and espressofied caramel macchiato was made even more delicious when fellow teacher lee drew my attention to the following: www.muxtape.com
if you like sifting through new (*to you) music, this is a treasure trove. and if you're a music snob - aficionado, "professional appreciator" - this is the perfect place to put your music where your mouth is.

cosbysweaterbreakcosbysweaterbreakcosbysweaterbreak
_____________________________________________________
today is memorial day in korea. there was a service in the park by my apartment this morning, and i laid in bed and listened to the bugle while deciding whether or not to shower.

if this seems a bit disrespectful, believe me, i know.
i plan on making up for it by hitting the books and writing an ode to korean history for my next qatalyst installment.

and i didn't. (shower). in case you're wondering.


today's food for thought: korean kids and oreos.

a student gave me an oreo yesterday, and i ate mine while she ate hers, and we used the same technique - top layer cookie removal + icing scrape.
was that worth writing about? maybe not. but it was a nice moment.

happy weekend.

26.5.08

where's the beef.

saturday evening after nouvelle vague - and those people who sang "still a friend of mine" - we walked through this vigil in seoul.



apparently the unrest was largely due to the korean people's disappointment/anger/disgust with their president, who has allegedly chosen economy over his citizens' health.

one of the students at the 3rd English Presentation Contest this week even adapted her speech to include this current affair, suggesting that a lot of the commotion was the result of a bad english-to-korean translation.

i don't know enough about the matter to put anything down as fact, so i'm just going to throw *allegedly* in there one more time.


i also don't feel like writing much more at the moment.
just thought i should document the far-reaching affects of a rancid meat monopoly.

sorry. allegedely rancid meat monopoly.

16.5.08

shortest long weekend of all time

one day.

that's what we get.

thankfully next week we're back to working just monday to friday, and saturday we've got plans to jazz it up with nouvelle vague at the seoul jazz festival.

but at least it's nearly lunchtime saturday, and the day's got a nice t.g.i.-feel to it under the circumstances.

this week has been trying, but i know - who wants to read about that. so as much as i feel the need to expel the gusts and storm clouds that are plaguing my insides at the moment, i'll dig for something more noteworthy...

i haven't really been keeping up with the "student of the week" idea i introduced a while ago, so a few updates are in order.

last week, the undisputed star was a boy named Duke.
that's him in blue. the first two days he wore everyday clothes, but once he was cast as david beckham in our drama "Harry Potter and Cinderella", he busted out the tracksuits daily. it was adorable. he even wore cleats as his "outdoor" shoes the day of the performance! talk about getting into character.

we saw his dad pick him up at the end of the last day, and were later pleasantly surprised to hear he was on the field with the Suwon Bluewings as one of their little pregame buddies. and i say hear and not see because, though we were at the game, i happened to be off getting a beer when the little tykes ran out.


this week, team one's English abilities might have been the most minimal i've seen. that didn't keep some of them from being the sweetest things ever though. it's a tough call, but my vote goes to jerry for student of the week May 13-17.
i'm going to go ahead and say that i don't think this picture does either of us justice, but it's the only one i've got. i look...scary, and he looks like he's on something. which is so wrong because he's eleven and so cute. any time we were in the theater he'd fold himself up in this broken chair.

he was the most helpful of the bunch (granted, team leader David's English was the best, but he got bored and ended up reading during most of our classes), and he never fought - which was a challenge for team oners this week, boys and girls.

k, this is boring. i started it saturday and it's now monday (again) so we've got a new gaggle of kids, and thus there'll be a new team one to slowly push out my memories of the last...
i could just scrap this, but i think i'll hit publish just for the sake of getting something (anything) semi-recent up.

and last but not least...
i couldn't possibly forget this face, but if ever i start to...Mong, the bruised little monkey. Not to be confused with the MC.

5.5.08

the best things in life are flea.



Sunday Collin and I went to the Hope Market in Hongdae Park.
That's the poster above.

Friday everyone was asking:
"So, Pip, you're not going camping, what will you do this weekend?"
To which I replied, numerous times:
"Oh, well there's this 'Free Market' in Hongdae by the University, I might go check that out."
No one corrected me, but it occured to me - later - that maybe this market I'd been reading about on the internet was in fact a Flea Market, and not a Free Market.

Anyway, in the end I learned it's actually called the Hope Market.


There was lots of nice stuff there.
Jewelery...

...some clothes, books and cards. From what I hear, Hongik University has a really good fine arts program, so it's not surprising Hongdae is the colourful, hip little neighbourhood it is. Art, music, fashion...all that good stuff goes hand-in-hand.

I bought this hand-bound notebook:



And had an "interactive portrait" done:


I've never seen this idea before. There were two guys working together. One was doing more traditional caricatures, while the other did more colourful, cartoonish portraits. Before he began, I filled out a quick survey of things I like and things I hate (why is it so hard to come up with these things when you need to?), and he incorporated that into the drawing. When he was finished, he asked me to draw a small picture of him. It was really fun.

The finished product:



My sister was asking what bars are like here. You can find lots of "Western" bars, that are pretty much just like home - although rather than getting pub food, you'd be served fruit plates and dried fish with your beer.
But she said she imagined "crazy karaoke" places, and yes, karaoke - or noraebang - is a favourite pass time here. The noraebang we frequent is called the Alien. Or at least that's what we call it. Here's one worth seeing in Hongdae. I guess the teachers partied here before I arrived, and I hear it's rather expensive, but they give you free ice cream.

Behold, the Luxury Noraebang


Looks just like a doll house. And it was pretty busy for a Sunday afternoon. These girls were so cute, singing and waving to us on the street.




Whoa. That was almost like an actual post.

21.4.08

i knew this would happen...

no inspiration. no drive to tend to this blog.
but i guess it's with good reason (ie: writing energy's going elsewhere).

so instead of coming up with something myself, i'll share some t.v. i've been enjoying lately.

i love this show:

1박 2일 (1 Night 2 Days)



and this show:

우리 결혼했어요 (We Got Married)




...expect another post shortly, including video from the weekend.

14.4.08

black day.

february 14th is valentine's day.
in korea, march 14th is white day.
white day is a day for guys to give gifts to girls
(valentine's is for girls to give gifts to guys)
and that would make april 14th...

Black Day!
the day for single people™

tonight i'll go out with some friends for 자 장 면 (jajang myun)
black bean noodle.

mmmmmm looks good huh?
should be fun. hannah's just asked me if you have to discuss strategies for getting a boyfriend while you eat...to which i answered...i'm sure it's bound to come up.
i'm not too bothered, but i've told the others there will be no crying.
no crying in the noodle.

i am prepared to break into song if i have to.

9.4.08

it was only a matter of time...

before i joined a girl group.


don't make fun of us because we're young...

thanks julia :)
aka photo artiste
aka little beethoven

2.4.08

pinky correspondence

Hello Pip.
I'm Pinky. Thank you for the sign. I like and love Pip and I like rose. This rose smells sweet. It's a sunny day. I like swimming. Do you like swimming? I'm from Korian. Do you from Kanada? I like Kanada. Can you skate? My brother is short we shop at the supermarket. And I like drama teacher is Pip. I have a heart. You have too heart. I will tell you a secret. This is like pip, chic cherry, okay? We swim on Saturdays. I like salad very much. And I like Pip very much. Science is interesting.
Lincoln is a respectable person.
Do you remember my name?
Can I ask you a question?
Do you like me? I am proud of Pip teacher. See you later.
Bye
-Pinky-
4/2

To: my Pip
From: you Pinky


Too cute.


Before I forget, best Team 1 name this week: Clive.
There he is!

31.3.08

"come on baby"

last week's village stars:

rex.
(team 6)
softest voice, so many "thank you teacher"s, and i hear he was a great dancer



sam 2.
(team 1 - in photo: front row, far right)
the winner this week. sweet, a bit cheeky.
i was talking to him in the hall, then went into the washroom. he stood by the door and yelled "come on baby" until i came out. hahahaaaaa "peeeep...come on baby"
funny because he didn't realize what he was saying.
at least i don't think he did.
ah, creepy.




www.myspace.com/theshoesmusik
*hold me down
*drugs in my shoes

25.3.08

politically incor...delicious.

I've decided that I should do one post a week about food. Granted, most of my posts will include food anyway, but I will dedicate one post a week absolutely and completely to Korean culinary delights.

First up is something a tad controversial; as far as frozen foods go, it really pushes the envelope.


It's the Lotte Black Crunch Bar, which the SWEV teachers (Team 9) affectionately refer to as Racist Ice Cream.

Why?

Meet Black Boy and Black Girl.


On the package it says:
Now there's a crunch bar for every craving.
Check it out everywhere.

And all I have to say is:
Finally!


Here's a commercial, featuring Racist and the rest of the Lotte frozen confection family.



Does it make you want ice cream?