One Flew Over The Gypsy's Nest!

Still Plodding Away Looking For Work!

2011-07-01T21:39:00.003+09:00

I have not blogged in such a long time, but decided that I should at least try and blog something to keep my life in perspective.

To say that my life has been challenging over the last 8 months or so is putting it lightly! I am loving being back in Canada and love the place, but filing to get my teacher's papers and trying to find work in between has been the biggest challenge of all.

I filed for my qualifications to be recognized by The Ontario College of Teachers in October 2010, a month after I arrived here. I finally got my OCT licence two weeks away. I am now officially able to teach from Grade 7 to Grade 12 French and Spanish. I also was given an FSL accreditation, which is a great thing to have!

So now I have been applying for some jobs and let me stress SOME jobs. The jobs out there are all different with the boards and each has its own application process. I have applied to the Peel Board, the Durham Board and the Toronto District School Board. I am going to apply to the Toronto Catholic School Board, too, but need to meet with a priest to get a signature from him to prove I am a Catholic.

I have worked power-washing floor on a midnight shift, worked for Cadbury's Chocolate for two weeks, unloaded some trucks for Sportschek, did some door to door sales.......all temporary crap really............lol.

I have an interview on Monday for 1-800- Get Rid of It............let's see how that goes.

Enough for now. I am going to try and blog some more, but until then the Gypsy is still in the nest!

Update Time!

2011-01-25T11:17:00.004+09:00

I have been back in Canada since September 10th and it is now fast approaching 5 months! Wow! Where did that time go? I know where..................doing lots of things and trying to hold out for the next phase of my life.

Let's just take a look at some of the things that I have done since I got back here. I have completed two medical test trials a.k.a. Guinea Pig..............lol. I have painted a couple of houses. I painted one for my sister's friend and actually painted the whole house including all the trim. The other house, I painted the bottom floor and the

upstairs hallway and landing and the baseboards and trim.

I spent the first Christmas here since 2003, which was quite enjoyable althou

gh a little quiet. It was difficult for my sister still and she mentioned that she is going to have to change it up next year as it is too upsetting having Christmas at her house like when Nuri was still alive. We all miss him like crazy and there isn't a day that goes by that we all still don't miss him.

It is a little strange for me sometimes because I feel a bit weird being in his house knowing that he will not come walking through the door! I am okay with things, but if I feel that way, I can't imagine what my sister and the kids must feel like. Anyway, we all got through Xmas and we continue to find our own ways of handling our issues and just plod along and wish for the best.

I am still waiting for my criminal check, which is in its 15th week. It is absolutely ridiculous that I applied for a check on October 4th last year and am still waiting for it to come through. It is th

e only documentation that The Ontario College of Teachers are waiting on to start processing my file and get my certification. It may even still take 3 more month for them to do that. I just have to keep telling myself to be patient and that things cannot be rushed that are out of your control. I even went and saw my MP to see if anything could be done and his representative said that they are aware of the ongoing problem with everyone's checks and that there was nothing that they could do. Typical answer when it comes to man-power that could solve the backlog, but the action never bears fruit.

I am enjoying being back in Canada, but miss the contacts of friends as I really don't have any around here that I hang out with. I am being careful with my money and trying not to go out at all. I talk to one of my friends from Korea, Rob occasionally as he has moved back here, too. I also talk to Clement who lives in Quebec and just married a Korea girl after going to Korea and doing the civil ceremony. He is going to have a proper little ceremony once she comes here and they are planning on a small party and he has asked me to be his best man, which I accepted with honor. We talk about future plans and what stress we have here adjusting back to "NORMAL" living..............lol.

The plan is to try and do another medical test and hope that my criminal check will come through soon and I can get going on my future as a teacher, which seems a little surreal at the moment. Almost as though it will never happen and it is a pipe-dream. I know things will get better, but can't wait to start the next adventure of my life, here in Canada.

I am keeping the weight off that I lost and have got the right idea about counting calories now and think I am in the best shape that I have been in, in a long time. I have been a little lax in some of the areas of my diet, but overall, I think I am doing an okay job. I still want to lose about 15 more pounds to get closer to the 205 target that I want to reach. I am at 220 at the moment and staying there consistently, but I think my body fat is getting lower all the time.

Once I move into my own place, I can eat more like the style I want and be in more of a routine. I will feel then that my life is going in the right direction then and won't be as skeptical as I am at the moment.

The weather has been very cold of late, but that doesn't bother me in the least. I like the cold and the snow and have promised myself to never knock Canada about the weather ever again............lol.

The Leafs have been disappointing and they don't look good enough to make the playoffs. I hope that they can improve after the all star break, but who knows! Liverpool are doing better under King Kenny and they look like they are happier and have more confidence. Let's hope they can finish in a European spot by the end of the season and that we sign some class players before the end of January..............god knows we need them!

I am keeping my hand in correcting English essays from one of my Korean friends who has her own business. She sends me about a dozen or so a week and I correct them all. I enjoy doing it and it keeps me in the right frame of mind and I feel like a teacher. The other thing that is hard here in Canada is not having a car and that is even to help find jobs. I will never be in this situation ever again! I will get my own place, my own car and a nice nest egg of money behind me before I decide to ever travel and live overseas again. Once bitten, twice shy..............more like dozens of times...........my fault, though and I have to learn from my mistakes!

I am studying Italian on my own now. It has been a language that I was always interested in and with me speaking Spanish already, it is much easier to learn, although it is like any new language; very challenging. I am keeping up with my French and Spanish skills and am keeping up a little with my Greek and Portuguese. I also bought a book called "Arabic for Dummies." I will have a go at learning a bit of it on my own and hopefully will advance myself a bit with Sanskrit.

Not doing much else to keep myself busy, just plodding along. Going to the gym, looking after myself and doing my best to be a good father, son, brother, uncle and friend. Paying things forward is the best way to keep yourself going and that is why sometime this week, I am going to volunteer somewhere to help out people and to keep myself busy. I had made that as one of my goals last year to volunteer in the near future and that is about to happen very, very soon.

It's Been Ages!

2010-12-30T14:06:00.002+09:00

Well, it's been a long, long time since I posted anything on my blog. Here goes!
I am back in Canada and am living with my sister and my niece. Things are going great, but I am still waiting for my criminal record check, which has taken over 11 weeks!
I need it as the last bit of criteria for my application to the Ontario College of Teachers and once they receive it, it can still take up to 120 days to assess my application and be issued an interim certificate, which will allow me to get on a s.upply list and start teaching French and hopefully Spanish sometime in the future.
The waiting is the hardest part, but all good things come to those who wait. Nothing else going on other than a great Xmas, totally chilled with the family and my sister and I are going down to London to spend New Year's Eve with our Mum and Dad. Should be fun and we have a few games that we want to play.
Jackie and I leave to get the 4.30 train on Friday afternoon and then get into London about 9pm. We return to Oshawa on Sunday, the 2nd and get in about 4pm.
I wish everyone a great new year and all the best of fortune both health wise and life wise for 2011. May all your dreams and ambitions continue to keep you dreaming about the future.

2010 A New Year And New Challenges

2010-01-10T22:21:00.004+09:00

The new year is here and it has just flown by, to tell you the truth. I can't believe what changes I have made again. I will give you just a brief synopsis of what happened personally in 2009.

Left Korea at the end of April and arrived in Liverpool at the start of May. Found a flat about a week later and moved into it almost 8 days after I had arrived here. Had the interview to get into the PGCE program and was accepted into the program to begin in September.

Found a job teaching English for the summer for all of July and spent 2 weeks in Portsmouth and then 2 weeks in Norwich. Then returned to Liverpool right at the end of July and 3 days later had to leave to go to Canada due to the shocking death of my dear brother-in-law, Nuri.

Spent all of August in Canada and returned to Liverpool at the very beginning of September. Started my PGCE at John Moores and am still in the process of completing it, which will be at the end of June this year.

There have been ups and downs for sure, the worst of which was definitely the death of family members. There was the loss of my Uncle Tony who died after having a stroke taking his luggage of the conveyor belt while in Spain. The death of my Auntie Margaret who struggled with cancer before finally reaching her own peace. Then the sudden, shocking death of my brother-in-law who was only 52 and had no previous health issues.

I have chosen to deal with their deaths by celebrating their lives and not mourning their deaths. We will all miss them so much, but we need to celebrate their lives and keep them in our hearts and minds for as long as we live so their souls carry on in this physical world.

I am looking forward to the challenges and excitement that lay ahead and will carry on with my attitude of positiveness no matter what. My main aim this year is to finish my PGCE and then start working as a full-time or part-time teacher, whichever I am able to do. Make some money and start saving a little to have a safety blanket behind me. This is going to be the last time that I intentionally choose to have no money, doing my PGCE that is!

I am not sure what the year ahead holds, but am willing to take them on head first. Whatever comes in my way, I will deal with both good and bad and I will give all the support possible to my family and friends at all times.

I want to make sure that I am in Canada every xmas from now on to be with my family. That is a short term plan and who knows, maybe go back there more often to visit, if I can.

I wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope that only health, wealth and prosperity cross your path now and in the future. All the best to your and your family and friends.

Christmas and Almost 2010!

2009-12-25T21:24:00.003+09:00

It has been a hectic last four months and I don't know where the time has gone. With school and school placement and all the studying and researching that I have been doing, I haven't found any time or had the desire to want to blog. I am writing this blog while waiting for my cousin's husband to come and pick me up on Christmas Day and to spend the day with the family.

I spoke to my Mum and Dad last night and our Jackie. They went to see The Sound of Music at the theatre. They said it was brilliant and felt like Nuri was there...........

It is going to be a tough Christmas for the family, but they will get through it as I know they can. It is the first xmas without Nuri, my dearly beloved brother-in-law. Also, Uncle Tony will not be here physically with his family in England......Nuri and Uncle Tony will always be here with us spiritually for all of our lives. That I know to be the truth!

My son is spending xmas up in Toronto with my sister's family and my Mum and Dad, which is a first! I feel quite sad that I can't be with them, but am going to try and make this the last xmas that I spend away from them. I am going to try and go to Canada every xmas from now on.

Xmas has always been a 'bah humbug' time of year for me in the past decade or so, but I am really getting past all of that now and just enjoying the time off and the special time that it is meant to be spending time with family and friends. I am little isolated here as far as friends go, but that will come with time. I have family here and try to see them as often as I can, but it is still difficult this time of year as they have their own families and their own schedules. Plus, I have been away for so long, I am kind of the prodigal cousin..........lol.

Our Gill was kind enough to invite me there for dinner and the day. I will be staying overnight and then tomorrow, we are all going to Yvonne's to spend Boxing Day. I am looking forward to just hanging out with family and having a good laugh. I have been on my own for the last 3 days, just kind of going through the motions. Watching movies, surfing the net, doing a bit of studying, sleeping, going to the gym. You get the gist of it..........lol.

I have put myself in this position, so I can't complain too much about it, can I? I have been moving around so much in the last decade. Few years in Canada, few years in Korea, back and forth to England and now living here. What can I expect, eh? Anyway, it sucks a bit being on your own this time of year, but I am well used to the alone bit, just the family times of year can be a bit harder. I don't worry too much about it, just get on with it. A new adventure as they say............every year!

I want to get my degree and teach here for at least 2 years, save some money and then off I go again. I am a gypsy and 2 years for any gypsy is a while. I don't know what the plan is, but I will have some money behind me before I decide to move again, that is one thing that I am going to make sure of. Don't want to be skint ever again and am going to do my foremost not to ever put myself in that position again. Should be well sorted with being a qualified teacher and be able to get a job anywhere in the world. Sounds so grandiose, doesn't it! I think it does or should I say, STILL think it does. I love being around the world and only at these times of year, but like I said, no matter where I am in the world, I am going to be with my family at xmas from now on, especially my son!

Enough for now. Getting off before I get too soppy. I will try and blog more in the new year, but can't promise too much. So busy with school. Half done, though. That is the good news. End of June, I will be a qualified French and Spanish high school teacher. God, that sounds so good!

Merry Xmas to all and a Happy New Year!

Happy 21st Katie!

2009-10-09T14:28:00.004+09:00

Happy 21st birthday to my niece, Katie. I wish her a fantastic birthday and a wonderful 21st year. Wish I could be there to celebrate it with her, but she will be in my thoughts, as always and I will be calling her on the weekend, of course!

I started at my first school placement on Wednesday. The school is called Knowsley Park Language School. It used to be called Prescot Language School. The students there all study a language right through to either GCSE or other vocational language courses.

It is a brand new school and has actually merged two former schools together.

That in itself raises some issues. The school is a little overcrowded and it is sometimes mad trying to get up and down stairs with so many kids. The school has an open concept look to it, with some of the classes being held in the open spaces between classrooms. The tables are mostly round, which means some of the pupils have their backs to the teacher. I don't like that! Didn't like that in Korea, either.

The students are all at different levels and are put into a class according to their overall ability in the subject. The teachers I have met up to now are very nice and very helpful. I am learning so much and am enjoying it immensely. It has only been 2 days and I am loving it!

The behaviour of the pupils is not surprising. Well, some of it is! They shout out in class, talk over the teacher, stand up and make noises all of the time. Not all of them, of course. There are some very good students, but the overall behaviour is demonstrating a lack of behaviour management. The teachers spend a lot of time correcting this aggravating, persistent, rule breaking. But the overall feel I am getting, is great and I am just loving being at a school. I know that teaching has, is and always will be the job that I have always wanted to do. I am a happy camper......lol.

It takes me about 50 mins each way to get there, but very convenient. I catch the bus right outside my door, the 61 and then get off at a bus stop on Prescot Rd and then wait at the same bus stop and get the 10a. I then get off at a bus stop close to the school and walk for about 5 minutes to get to the school.

I get up about 6.15am and have a shave and a wash. Then I eat breakfast, which is usually weetabix and crumpets. I then go on the computer and check my email and facebook and read the football on my favourite sites. Then I leave the house about 6.55am and get the 7.05am bus.

Talking about football, the England game is not being shown on t.v. this Saturday. It is being shown on the internet and the cheeky bastards are charging 10 pound. From the people that I have been talking to, they are not going to order it. I hope not! It should be so much cheaper. Again, the greed of the businesses shines through clearly!

I began to exercise yesterday with a 4km run and I must say it felt great. I am going to start working out tonight and then back to normal after that. I have started this program called 100 pushups. My friend, Stu, told me about it and I am going to start the program, which is over 5 weeks and supposedly trains you to do 100 strict pushups without stopping. I did the initial test and was only able to do 20 strict pushups. I will keep you informed of my progress.

Not much else going on except being busy with school and doing assignments and readings. I am going to visit my cousin Yvonne on Saturday afternoon and stay the night. I will be meeting her in Chester and she will pick me up at the bus station.

A Week Of Frustrations, Again!

2009-10-02T05:50:00.008+09:00

The week started quite well and I thought I was going to write a good blog about my first placement school. That was not to happen and a few other things were destined to annoy me.

The school was full of flu, so that headache and crappy Tuesday that I had, must have been down to me having a mild case of whatever was and still is going around the university. I thought it was the chocolate that I had eaten. Thank god it wasn't and I can still have my Fry's Turkish Delight. One of the rewards of life.

On Monday, we were supposed to see if the placement school had sent a fax through about what time to show up and any other items that were needed. Nothing happened, so we were instructed that if no contact had been made, we were to call the school and ask them personally.

Kate, the girl that I was supposed to go with at Ridgeway, did as asked and called them on Tuesday and left a message with someone about our situation and what we had to know. I went to the sauna after school (remember this is the afternoon before the next day that we were going to our school). When I got back there was a text on my phone from Kate saying that we had been cancelled at the school! The school had double booked and we were not able to go there! How could they be so unprofessional! I was so annoyed and wondered what they thought they were playing at. This is not the university that I am annoyed with. They had set everything up and were not aware of any problems. The school should be held responsible by someone for their actions..........grahhhhhhhhh!

Well, the situation now is that there are 4 teachers who have no school due to these moronic schools that waited 'til the last minute to tell the university. I have no idea what is going to happen other than the university has to find us all spots now. I am quite stressed out about the whole thing, and just hope that we find a school sometime soon and can get on with what the other 28 students in our class are doing: Teaching!

My back has been bothering me still and I am still unable to do any exercise other than walking. It is getting better, but slowly. Being 45 years old, things take a lot longer than they used to.

I started an Excel introduction in town, through the university and will continue for the next 3 Mondays with more Excel, then Powerpoint and then End Notes. It was really good and I learnt a lot that I didn't know. It is 2 hours per class and is included in our study support help.

My criminal background check came through and that was the good news. There was another problem that arose with a bunch of us over these checks, too. It got sorted out and I got it yesterday in the mail. I am not a criminal.

Watched the Liverpool game at The New Yorkers on Allerton Rd on Tuesday. Worst first-half I have seen Liverpool play in a long, long time. They were good in the second half, but did not do enough to win. Let's hope the game against Chelsea makes up for it this Sunday. Chelsea are without Czech, their goalkeeper, as he is suspended after that red card last week against Wigan.

Did lots of work yesterday and today and got a lot of research done for one of my big assignments in October. Got a lot of information and articles to reference, so that is a plus. Did all the catch-up stuff that I needed to do and am on track again now.

So that is the situation at the moment. Feel like I am in limbo, just like the other 3 teachers must feel. I am meeting Kate and Leyla, 2 of the schooless teachers, in town tomorrow for a coffee about noon time. We all just need to have a chat and make each other feel a little bit better. I think!

The weather is getting cooler here and autumn is in full gear. Nights are a bit chilly. I still am liking being by the park and love my flat!

I will keep you all posted on what is going on with my situation and hopefully will have good news soon. Until then, I am going to stay positive and not be to annoyed with the school or should I say schools. I harbour a little blame for both the university and the school, by the way. Not a good way to run things. Doesn't fly with me, anyway.

An Up And Down Week!

2009-09-25T03:26:00.004+09:00

I have to say that this week was a very tough week emotionally. After the loss of my brother-in-law, I have just been kind of numb. Can't seem to stop myself from going up and down like a roller-coaster. I have a picture of him right beside my computer and believe it or not, I talk to him!

I keep thinking about what happened and just can't get to grips about how sad it is. Don't get me wrong, I am far from feeling sorry for myself, but.............I don't know what to say anymore, it is just so wrong what happened and I feel his loss everyday. People will say things and I will hear a line in a song, or I will see a couple walking along, so happy, and it just crushes me..........I miss my sister so much that it hurts and for the first time in a long time, I feel very lonely.............wish I could just drop round and give her a big hug and see the kids and my son and Mum and Dad. It is what it is, I know, but it would be nice if the world was a simpler place, or have I made it that complicated? See what I mean about how messed up my mind is this week!

I have not been sleeping very well at all, actually worse than I normally do, if that is possible.....lol. I have been having the weirdest dreams, most of which I cannot remember, but I just know they are weird. I know that this is all part of my grieving and getting on with my life, but if I feel this way, how do my sister and the kids feel? I cannot begin to understand the pain they must be enduring. I will end with the hope that we all find our way and be thankful that we had Nuri for as long as we did. I know it sounds very cliche, but how else can we get our heads around this? Anyway, enough of doom and gloom........I miss you, Nuri!xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

The rest of the week has been mad busy and apart from my brain feeling like it was going to jump out of my head, it has ended up being a productive week and I feel a lot more settled about things in school. There is just so much to absorb and I felt like I was cracking up at the start, but as I said, am feeling a bit more comfortable now. The amount of work is going to increase and as long as I keep organised and with the program, I will be fine. I will do this and that is all there is to it!

I started back at the gym with full workouts on Monday and must say I am so sore! It feels good, though. I have kept up with my running except for Wednesday when I was in bed for about 12 hours (a mix of depression and a run down body, I think!) I can't feel my arms today and just finished a 4km run. Have to push myself to the limit in all areas to keep my spirits up and also to just feel better physically.

The weekend approaches and I am striving to get all my work caught up by the end of it. The show with our Emma in it has been cancelled until next month, so I will not be meeting my cousins in town. Too bad! Could have done with the company.

Hopefully, one of the fellas from my class, John, will be coming over on Saturday and watching the game, either at my place or the pub up the road, and also we will help each other with some of the work that we have to do. The ICT is the biggest challenge for me. Although I like computers, this is all new territory for me and a lot of things to remember and my experience on Excel and Office is limited. I am getting better though.

I have included some pics of my campus, IM Marsh on Bexhill Road. It is a small campus, but very quaint and picturesque. I like it as it is only a 12 minute walk from my door to the campus. That beats the hour and a half each way that it will take me to get to my first placement school over on the Wirral......oh well, Seoul prepared me well for that, with 3 hours a day minimum on the subways and buses for over 2 years straight. This will be a piece of cake........lol. Another funny picture of Nina when she came to visit me in Liverpool. She had no umbrella, so the shirt had to do. We went to Anfield and visited The Hillsborough Memorial, too.

Second Week Of School Completed

2009-09-19T01:38:00.003+09:00

The second week of school has already been completed and to be completely honest with you, it has flown by. I have learnt so much in just two weeks that it is mind boggling. It is so interesting to read all the research and theories about education, and it makes me realise how much work is going on behind the scenes to keep our national curriculum going and maintaining pace with the advent of all the new technology.

One of the things that has surprised me the most about teaching is the fact of how important computer skills have become now. It is part of the degree now, to be able to improve and achieve success in areas of ICT and to be

able to incorporate this in your lessons and overall scheme of plans for the students. I for one, am glad that I am going to be learn more about ICT each and every week. From Excel to Powerpoint, to using other software that I have never used, it is going to be a huge learning curve and I guess how big of a curve, is up to the individual.

I went on a test-run today to the school that I have been placed at. I wanted to see how long it would take me and it took me one hour from my house, to town, to Upton Station and then a 15 minute walk to the school. It is in a very nice area, so the walk, I am going to enjoy everyday. I met, Kate and Leyla, who are in my class, at Upton Station. Kate is going to be with me at the school. Then we went to Staples and got a few things for school.

I picked up a cordless keyboard and mouse, which helps a lot, as now my computer console can double up as a desk. All I do is move the keyboard and the mouse out of the way and also, there are no more cords in the way.

I start my placement on September 30th and am looking forward to it immensely. It is the start of my new career and the career that I have always dreamt of having. A secondary high-school language teacher!

Went to town last night Hannah's on Hardman St. and met a bunch of my classmates. Got a lift off John in my class (who is around the same age as me,) and a lift back. Only stayed for about an hour and a half. About 12 from the class showed up. I drank lime cordial, which cost a whopping 40 pence. I am sticking to my no-drinking policy and am determined to get healthier and healthier.

Had a look around Birkenhead Market and then back to town and Iceland shop to get some milk and salad. Then off home.

Went for a 4km run. Around the park once and then a little more around the corner from my house. Back home to have a kip and then tonight more swotting for my assignments and research for the papers.

Researching To Do A Poster!

2009-09-16T06:42:00.006+09:00

Today was a very good day. We learnt a little more about finding our way to the resources on the web and were introduced how to do a poster about a specific issue about a certain subject. This is the formative task, which means it does not get marked, but is more like a practice run for us. We have one that we have to do individually in the middle of October.

Albert Dock....Liver Building hidden by the construction.

It is very interesting doing research and I am learning so much, all of the time. It is really neat to be realising that there is so much stuff that we don't know. Although it is very time consuming, the fruits of our education will be born all throughout the course.

I am in a group of four and we met to split the research up today after class. 2 of us are doing the academic career paths and routes for 14-19 year olds in language study and 2 of us are doing the non-academic paths and routes. We have to come up with referencing for books and articles and also have to do comparisons and reflections about the subject matter and use graphs and images along with text to make it look like a proper poster.

We are meeting at school tomorrow at 11am and spending some time organising the poster and filling in all the necessary information that we will all have gathered. I spent about 3 hours tonight finding information and sites and making notes to take to our meeting tomorrow. I also found some graphs and statistics that we can use in our poster.

Listened to the Champions League games on Sky Sports News and also watched a bit of the Utd game online. The Liverpool game is ITV on Wednesday, so I will be watching that. I had a chance to buy a ticket for the match, but turned it down, as I need to watch my money and also didn't want to see Liverpool play the Hungarian team. I prefer to see one of the better teams. I am determined to watch my money, that is one of my main goals over the next 10 months.

School, school and more school!

2009-09-15T05:51:00.004+09:00

Well, my second week has started at school and there is more and more reading to do everyday. While it is very interesting, it is still a huge amount of work to digest and absorb. Oh well, no pain, no gain!

I have my first school placement. It is on the Wirral and it is called Ridgway High School. I will be there every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I have a girl, Kate, from my class, also going there, so it should be a good experience. I am looking forward to it.

My son turns 22 on Wednesday, September 16th. He was actually born on a Wednesday, too!

I miss him as always, but technology is brilliant, as I can talk to him on Facebook or on the phone or on Skype.

No worries there. I just found out that he is going to take cabinet- making at college. He has always been a hands-on type of fella and I wish him all the luck and happiness pursuing his future.

Monday is almost over and I have had a very constructive day. Did all of my reading for school and read some of my textbook that I got on the weekend. Also, messed around on the John Moores system and find out where different things were and how to use them.

Did my washing at the launderette and got a bit of shopping after I finished at the gym. I am feeling a bit sore after Saturday's workout, but today's workout was much better. Worked back and a bit of biceps. Going to run tomorrow. I am sticking to my healthy diet and am starting to lose a few pounds. Note the stress on a 'few' pounds.......lol.

Have a full day at school tomorrow and more challenges to face. Here's to having a brain that is working again.........love it!

Time to get blogging again!

2009-09-14T06:42:00.005+09:00

Picture: The lovely sunset while we were scattering Uncle Tony's ashes at New Brighton beachfront

To all of my readers, the first thing I must do is to apologize. I have not been blogging for the at least the last 6 months with any regularity. I am going to try and fix that minor lull and hope to blo
g about my new adventures in Liverpool and all the ups and downs of doing my teacher's degree at John Moores University. I will continue to rant and rave about issues close to my heart, but cannot promise to be always politically correct. That is why it is called MY blog, haha.

The last few months have been nothing short of challenging. There have been deaths in the family and I have to say that emotionally, I have been all over the place. I could compare myself to the tide of the ocean. In and out and in and out and back in and back out again and again and again.

Uncle Tony died, Auntie Margaret died, my brother-in-law Nuri died and to tell you the truth, it all seems a bit of a blur when I talk about them dying. Dying is sadly a big part of everyone's life, but it is still so difficult to grasp and understand and it always ends up consuming a large part of your psyche, good and bad. Mortality is always at the forefront, especially in my case. Sometimes, I just put all the pain in the back of my brain, but sadly it always seems to come to the front eventually. I am dealing the best way that I can, but it takes time and I wish all my family and friends the strength and

perseverance to continue with their lives and challenge them to live life to the fullest as best they can.

Picture: The owners need to sell our club. Enough is enough

Enough of doom and gloom, but in memory of my Uncle Tony and my brother-in-law, Nuri, I am putting a great picture of both of them together at last year's wedding. It personifies them both as happy men and that they were enjoying their lives. I unfortunately do not have any photos of Auntie Margaret, but will try sometime in the near future to obtain one from my cousins.

Picture: Uncle Tony and Nuri. A beautiful picture of them both.

My mobile phone has been acting up and I just found out why I was not getting any replies to my texts being sent; there is a problem with the sending of my texts. I am going to sort that out tomorrow by contacting my provider and see what can be done. Then it will be, text away, text away!

I started my PGCE course (teacher's college) on Monday and the first week was totally mind warping. So much information to absorb, but very, very interesting. I can see that I am going to enjoy the content of the course immensely, but know that it will be very challenging to keep up with all the work and to absorb everything that I need to become the best teacher that I can.

I already have my first school placement. It is at Ridgway High School on the Wirral. It will take me at least an hour or so to get there each day, but I guess the 3 hours a day in Seoul, South Korea, on the buses and subways was good practice to prepare me for anything similar. I travelled like that for 2 years straight, so this will be easy compared to that. All about perspective, as t

hey say! I will be there with another trainee from my class, so that should make things a lot easier, as we will be able to help each other with any problems either work related or school rel

ated. I am really looking forward to getting into a school and getting stuck in to teaching. I love teaching and am looking forward to the challenges that will come with teaching French and Spanish. It will be a grand challenge, but I am up f or it!

Picture: My favourite Iceland Store bag!

I have decided to quit drinking for a whole year. That is right! A whole year! It is a two-fold plan. The first is to do something to honour Nuri and the other is to see how healthy I feel with no alcohol in my system after a year. I have not been clean of booze for at least the last 5 years, so let's see. Also, an added benefit is that I will not be wasting money, which I have very little of, on senseless drinking and of course having no hangovers. Let's see how it goes, anyway. It has been 4 weeks now and I know that I can do it. I quit smoking 4 years ago, so I know that when I decide to do something, I generally stick to the task at hand.

I am enjoying my flat after having been away for all of July and all of August. In July, I was teaching English in Portsmouth and Norwich and in August, I went home to be with my sister and my family for the whole month for comfort and support. It was a great decision and although I now feel guilty being so far away, know that it is always better when things go back to somewhat normal for the family.

Picture: Some of my colleagues while I was teaching down south.

My flat really feels like home now and I am making it more comfortable all the time. I have the internet and TV here, so what more do I need really.....haha. I am enjoying living by the park and have started getting back into shape again. Due to circumstances, I was only able to run maybe half a dozen times and work out 2 times over the last 8 weeks plus. I have started running again this week and had my first workout yesterday. Once my body adapts to the small workouts, I will begin the full workouts again and will run everyday when my body conditions itself again. I figure that will take about 3 or 4 weeks and then it is full blast ahead.

I have started eating well again and have cut out all fried foods and any junk. It is just a question of eating healthier and maintaining the same healthy choices no matter what situation arises. I was inspired by my son, Tyler, who has lost about 45 pounds and looks fabulous. I use people both to feed off of and also to inspire, if able.

I have been getting up at 7am everyday, which has taken a bit of getting used to, but down south while I was teaching, had similar hours, so that helped also. I used to get up at 5am for about 8 years a long time ago, so my body is used to it, I just have to get it back into the swing again. I am at school for the next 2 weeks everyday, then once I start my placement, I am at university every Monday and Tuesday and the rest of the week at the school.

It is nice to be surrounded by football and in the country where it is almost like a religion. I love the fact of being able to watch Sky Sports News and also Match of The Day. It is awesome!

Enough for now. Hope that I have not bored my readers too much. I am finding it therapeutical to write about things right now and am going to try my best to keep blogging consistently.

Off To Teach Summer Camps

2009-06-26T05:30:00.004+09:00

Well, applied online Monday night, June 22nd for two TEFL jobs. Sent one of them my CV and cover letter about 11pm. At 9am the next morning, I got a call on my mobile from a company called Plus Ltd.

The gentleman on the phone said that he had received my resume and was interested in hiring me. He told me that there were camps all over England and if I was interested in travelling and becoming a part of the teachers' team.

He suggested that I do 2 weeks in Portsmouth and 2 weeks in Norwich, starting July 2nd. Accommodation paid for and a weekly salary. Sounded great to me, so that means the whole month of July, I will be teaching at two English camps. He also said that there should be other stuff coming up in August, so hopefully will have a chance of making some money and travelling some more then!

I am really looking forward to the challenge. All I have to do is tell my landlords that I am going away and to keep an eye on my house and mail and switch everything off barr the fridge and freezer.

I got a freezer tonight, which I am thrilled about. That means I can stock up on frozen stuff now and not worry about going back and forth all the time to the grocery store or shops. It used to belong to my Uncle Tony who passed away about a month ago. Thanks, Uncle Tony! I also got loads of other stuff from his house that was going to be either thrown away or given away, so I am pleased that I was able to use some of his stuff.

I am off to Portsmouth next Wednesday, July 1st and leave at 9 a.m. and get there about 6pm at night. I am staying on campus and the camp starts the next day. It is mostly morning work and only 15 teaching hours a week plus one or two day trips with the kids. They are aged 10-18 and all international students. Should be cool and I am really looking forward to the challenge once again and of course making some money!

Sadly, my Auntie Margaret passed away this week, on Monday. She had cancer and was suffering quite badly, so in a way, it was better that she did not have to suffer anymore. I feel sad for her family and wish them all the strength and courage to get through a most difficult time. Unfortunately, I cannot go to the funeral as it is the same day that I leave for Portsmouth and would not be able to arrive on time for my camp if I went. I will go and visit my cousins this weekend and give my condolences in person.

Not much else going on. Just watching Wimbledon and running around the park. Taught a private class again tonight and have the final one, next Monday. Too bad that I had to give the student such short notice, but with my financial situation, I had to take the job I was offered, as 2 hours a week would not suffice my monetary needs. I will try and keep the blog updated while I am doing my camp, but am not sure about internet access. I am sure I can find it somewhere, so keep watching this space!

4 Season In One Day!

2009-06-18T17:51:00.006+09:00

The weather here in Liverpool can only be described in one way; 4 seasons in a day. It is cloudy, sunny, windy and rainy usually everyday and you know what? I am not complaining at all...........

As long as you have a warm jacket or sweater, you are all sorted. You wonder why Liverpool has the greenest grass and the best trees? There you are........rain, rain, rain and more rain and cool weather.

Still job hunting as we speak, but waiting to hear about one job at Aintree Racecourse. I did start a private tutoring English job with a Brazilian man at Novartis Vaccines in Speke. It is not that far from my house and it takes about 15 mins on the bus and then a 10 min walk from the bus-stop. I did my first class on Wednesday.

The student wants to improve his report writing and needs some help with prepositions and phrasal verbs. He is eager to learn and I think he enjoyed the class. He said he wants to do 2 hours a week, starting next week. One class on a Monday and the next class on a Thursday. He wants to do about 4 or 5 weeks. I am working through a tuition company called, "Academy International." Hopefully, this will be a good start for me and I can acquire more work.

There is a camp coming up in July, in which we coach sports, but in a foreign language. It is 5 hours a day for 5 weeks, so that would be awesome. Some pocket money to help pay my bills and some good experience to add to my CV.

I am back on my good eating kick again and this time have made a really over the top goal. I want to lose 2 and a half stone, 32 pounds, 14 kilos by the end of July. I really want to slim down and get rid of this excess wait that I have been carrying for quite a few years. Last time I was at my correct weight for my height and build, was about 5 years ago, when I lived in Korea. I want to do it for my health, first and foremost, and also just to feel lighter on my feet and better in my clothes.

I am feeling great living in Liverpool and it is really starting to feel more like home, each and every day. Mind due, give me about 2 weeks anywhere and being a gypsy, it feels like home.

My friends, Jacqui and Alan have gone to Tenerife for 10 days, so they should have a good time and will come back nice and brown! They are going by themselves for a change, but have been there so many times, as Jacqui's cousin, John, lives there and has done for the last 5 years or so.

I met my cousins Yvonne and Gill at my Uncle Tony's house on Monday and cleared all the cupboards and closets out and took a lot of the stuff home to my place. I am all decked out now with everything that I needed and I feel good having things of Uncle Tony around me. It feels like he is here and all the things will be a constant reminder of my Uncle, which I am really pleased about . I still have a small freezer to come and a few stands and stuff, which Gill's husband, Albert, will help me get over here when he has the time.

Job Searchin In Liverpool.......

2009-06-15T20:14:00.003+09:00

I went to a job fair on Saturday, June 13th at Aintree Racecourse. For those of you that are not familiar with the place, it is where The Grand National is run every year. That is the probably the world's most famous steeplechase race for horses and the fences are huge.

Anyway, I attended the job fair, filled out the application and had a 3 minute interview. The woman that interviewed me told me that her company had just attained the contract for the hospitality services at Aintree. I told her that I would do any type of work and she responded by asking me to wait a week and she would find something for me, for sure. It is all weekend work and that would suit me fine. Could be doing anything from waiting on tables to security to cleaning.........don't really care. A job is a job as far as I am concerned and I need to be doing something from now until September, when school starts. It would be good also, as I will not be able to work during the week while I am at school; it will be too intense. That will leave the weekends to work, which would be fine by me.

I also have an interview at a private tutoring company, today at 3pm. I called the company and then sent off my resume, or CV, as it is called in England. I then received a phone call last Friday and the lady asked me if I could come in at 3pm on Monday for an interview. It will be to teach one of the languages that I have experience in, either English, Spanish or French. I hope to get the job as it is great experience and also pays well!

Yesterday, had a roast chicken dinner over at Alan and Jacqui's. It was awesome. Had roast chicken, yorkshire pudding, broccoli, carrot and turnip, marrowfat peas, corn and lovely roast spuds with beef gravy. Alan cooked the lot and my compliments most certainly go to the chef. Jackqui's mum came over and we all sat outside and had a chat before going in to the feast.

After the dinner, we sat outside again, as it was a lovely sunny day and really great weather. Jacqui's mum left and then about 20 minutes after, we all went to Jacqui's nan's house and had a short visit there. I met Jacqui's aunt, Pauline, also. Nice people for sure! Alan and Jacqui dropped me off at home after and must I say, was full fed and a happy man........thanks to the Griffitheses..........lol.

Alan picked me up this morning and we went to town. We parked the car at Jacqui's nan's house and then walked to town, which was only about a 10 minute walk down Park Rd to Berry St by China Town. Alan and Jacqui are going to Tenerife for 10 days, tomorrow, so Alan wanted to pick up a few t-shirts for the trip

I bought a 4 port USB adapter due to having my webcam and printer and external mouse and keyboard hooked up to my laptop and my ipod also. I had no ports left, so I had to buy an extension USB hub. It was only 12 pound and does the job perfectly. No more wires hanging around everywhere and no more unplugging and plugging back in devices.......sound as!!!!!!

The weather today is briliant and I am enjoying the sunshine flooding through my massive windows in the house. Looks like a busy week ahead, still job hunting and doing other things to get my life in order. All in all, I am quite satisfied with how much I have accomplished in the 7 weeks that I have been here now.

Next goal is to drop 20 pounds by the end of July. I have to really slim down as I am carrying way too much weight for my liking. Let's see if I can do it........game on!!!!!!

And The Beat Goes On........................

2009-06-11T19:00:00.006+09:00

I have been back in Liverpool approximately 6 weeks now and the time really has flown by. In the beginning, with all the stuff that I had to do, time was going by steadily, but now I can't believe it is the 11th of June already. I have accomplished so many things in such a short time that even I have to take a breath and wonder how!

I had to get a government work number, called a NIN (National Insurance Number) which allows you to work. Without the number, you cannot work legally. It was a bit more complicated for me as I had no history here and had to produce all kinds of documentation to prove who I was. Same with getting a phone. I have no chance of getting a contract phone or anything where money is given to you first because I have no

credit history here. Once I have paid bills and showed some kind of credit worthiness, then I can start to get things by contract. Things on contract are generally much, much cheaper, such as mobile phones and other items that are kind of rentals.

I have gotten together with some of my family members, but not all due to me being busy and also them being busy. I am getting around a lot on the bus and making the best of my Arriva bus pass. 41 pound a month and I have unlimited travel around Liverpool. 5 pound discount, just for purchasing online.

I have been making a habit of getting on buses and just riding them to see where they go. It has been great for me, as now I am really getting to know the City of Liverpool. I knew key areas before, but didn't have any knowledge of street names or areas that I had heard spoken about, but couldn't take you there if you wanted to go......lol.

I have joined the library, which is great. Gotten a bank account, joined a gym, got my TV, Internet and phone hooked up. Decked my flat out with the necessities such as microwave, kettle etc. All with a lot of help from my friends, of course who have been absolutely marvellous. Got a mobile number, got internet banking, bought cordless phones, got a TV for a great deal through my friends, attended my interview at school, filled out loads of paperwork for everything from my address to a doctor's request to become a patient. Figured out where the laudromat is and have taken my laundry there once a week and did all my washing and drying there. And the beat goes on................................

I have applied for a couple of jobs and am waiting to hear back. They are tuition jobs, teaching children and adults. Hopefully have some good news about that.

There is a special memorial night on Saturday in Huyton, to commemorate my cousin Michael Laski that died in Afghanistan while serving his country. It is with the Air Cadets that he used to belong to before becoming a soldier. All the money is going towards a cause for all the soldiers on duty and I hope there is a great turnout and also it will be a chance to celebrate Michael's life for all of us, even if some of us, like myself, didn't know him that well. He is a hero to each and everyone of us and I will remember him for as long as I live and his spirit will live on forever.

The New Style of The Premiership!

2009-06-04T06:23:00.000+09:00

Some History With Pictures!

2009-06-02T07:34:00.007+09:00

Some of you will have no idea what some of these pictures are, but suffice to say that they are all pieces of my own personal history, which includes places and people from the country and city that I was born in until I emigrated to Canada in November, 1978

The bottom picture is of the hill that I used to do a handstand on my skateboard back when I was into all that stuff. It was a lot smoother back then, but I could never do it right from the top as I was going way to fast when I finished. It was quite a challenge and I fell many times. It is called Belle Vale Shopping Hill. There used to be a bridge at the top that went across the road to the entrance to the shopping center, but the bridge was taken down many years ago.

The top picture is towards the bottom of the hill and where the off-licence (liquor store) is situated. We used to get people to go in and buy us bottles of cider if they would!!!!! Famous place for all of us and fond memories of our first drink of alcohol.

Acquiring New Information And Getting To Know Liverpool Better!

2009-05-31T05:29:00.002+09:00

The week after my observing at a school, gave me more time to get all the 'normal' stuff back on track. Like I said before, I had a number of things to accomplish; work number, bank account, learn more about what was available for school plus the biggest day of all, Friday, May 22nd, the day of my interview to get into the teacher's program at John Moores.

I have been feeling a bit up and down lately. Sometimes, I feel a little bored, but that is to be expected being on my own for a lot of the time at the moment, as I am not working and not around any of my friends or co-workers during the day. I am not complaining, but sometimes it is a little overwhelming the amount of stuff that I have had to absorb plus the stress of thinking about getting into the teacher's program and of course, sadly that death of my Uncle Tony and thinking about the family and what they are all going through. Overall though, I am feeling quite happy about everything and once I know I am into the program, I will feel like the goal will finally be put into action.

I had the interview on the Friday and I must say, it went really well. It was very low-key and I was thrilled when the lady that interviewed me sa

id, "Well, everything looks fine to me, have a good summer and see you in September."

So that goal was accomplished and the plan was now put into action. The only concern now is about the money and how I can get access to loans or whatever else is offered by the university after being accepted into the PGCE program. If I didn't mention it before, included now in the PGCE program is a third of the credits needed towards a Masters Degree. It will be a tough year, for sure, but I feel that I am up to the challenge and am looking forward to the start of the program.

Friday night, I played footy again with Alan at Mather Avenue with the same crowd of fellas. I felt a little fitter and the hamstring didn't act up this time. I still need a few more games to start getting back to normal, but you have to crawl before you walk, right!

I am hooked on Britain's Got Talent and can't stop watching it online. Saturday, May 23rd, was the day to get my internet and phone and TV installed.....wahoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Trip Continues!

2009-05-29T04:37:00.003+09:00

My first weekend in my flat was good........getting used to any new place for me usually entails about 2 or 3 good sleeps there, and then it begins to feel like home.

After the weekend, it really started to feel like my home. Got all my appliances set up and sorted out some of the furniture. Still didn't have my suitcase and box that I sent by parcel express......that is a story to be continued a little later on other blogs.....let's just say that it didn't get here on May 8th like it was supposed to and there was no contact on their behalf at all......I wrote my email on the invoices, too!!!!!!

Played football on Friday night again. 3rd week in a row. I was getting a little fitter, but still feeling a little like I was stuck-in-the-mud. Tweaked my hamstring a little and paid the price over the weekend. Tried to rest it as much as I could, but it still felt a little tight and uncomfortable. All said, not bad for a 45 year old who had not played for more than 2 years.

On the Sunday night, I made my way over to my cousin Gill's house and spent the night there talking about Uncle Tony and trying to give Gill and Emma some emotional support. I stayed up talking to Albert, our Gill's husband and we talked about life and everything pertaining to it. We ended up going to bed about 12.30am.

Emma drove me the next morning to my Job Plus Center, to get my work identification number, or as it is called in England, National Insurance Number, (NIN.) Got there about 9am and got looked at right away. Got my paperwork all done and was told that they would send me my temporary number within 2 weeks. It takes 8 to 10 weeks to get the actual card with all my information on it.

The rest of the week was involved with learning bus routes and joining the library and getting to know about what and where things were. It is all new to me although I was born here. Remember I left here when I was 14. It is great, though, as everyone speaks English........lol.

I also joined the gym and got a bank account and got an appointment to get the internet and phone and TV hooked up. Another week to get all that done. Appointment was for Saturday morning between 8am and 1pm.........was dying to get online.........would make me feel like I was back to normal.

The Move And The Adjustment To Life In Liverpool!

2009-05-27T08:36:00.004+09:00

Once I moved into the flat, I had to get all the necessities, as I did not bring anything with me from South Korea. I had a lot of stuff here when I moved in, as it came pretty well completely furnished. I had a queen size bed, wardrobe, chest of drawers, table and chairs and a two piece matching chair and sofa. The kitchen had a stove and a small fridge as well as some cutlery. Also, I had a brand new computer console with bookshelves that the landlords procured for me. The rest was up to me......kettle, toaster, iron, glasses, plates, etc........

As I said before, most of the organization was done before I even moved, thanks to Jacqui and Alan. How is this for great service: I gave Jacqui two of my travellers cheques, so that she could use the money to buy my stuff with, which she kindly cashed at her travel shop that she works in. I also had made a list of all the stuff that I needed and an estimate of how much each thing cost. There was a list of at least 15 or so things including appliances and dishes and and pillows and on and on. I was still observing at a school, so I didn't get finished until about 4pm everyday. Jacqui, who by the way has only just returned to working a few days a week as she was quite sick the last 7 months or so, finished work and proceeded to get all the things on my list and even found some stuff at better deals than I had hoped for......lol..........

I got back to Jacqui and Alan's house after school and then gave Jacqui a call to see if I could go and meet her over at the shopping center. She was already at the exit and had a shopping trolley and was wheeling it home with all the stuff in it. It was quite a funny sight to meet her coming through the little park with a trolley full of all my stuff. One of her neighbours had been nice enough to help her also get all the stuff as they had bumped into each other in the shopping center!!!!! It just doesn't get any better than that, does it!!!!!!!!!

I met her and her friend or should I say neighbour, and proceeded to wheel the cart with my microwave, kettle, dishes, pots and pans, glasses, pillows, iron and so many other things, back to the house. I cannot believe how kind and gracious Jacqui and Alan have been every step of the way since I got here. The next day I moved in and of course, stuffed all the stuff into Alan's car and the three of us moved the stuff and myself, into 2 Aigburth Vale, Flat 4. Jacqui was even nice enough to give me a brand new eiderdown and sheets and pillow cases..........unbelievable, again!

Moved in and got everything set up and had my first night's sleep on Thursday, May 7th. I had a new flat and was about to start to make it my home.

In my Liverpool home,

We speak with an accent exceedingly rare,

If you want a cathedral,

We've got two to spare,

In my Liverpool home.

Staying At Jacqui and Alan's.

2009-05-22T23:19:00.002+09:00

Jacqui and Alan have been nothing short of fabulous. Since I arrived, they have ran me around, gave me advice, helped me with every question that I had, been wondeful hosts and let me stay at their house. Then they also went shopping for me, got me a flat to look at and then I ended up moving into it with their help. They are what I consider the best friends that any human-being could ever have! They have done more than just be my friends, they have acted like my family! Thanks to both of them for being such gracious hosts, wondeful friends and great people!

I stayed at their house for about 6 days. It was great and they made me feel so welcome at all times, even though they have two grown lads, a dog and a life to live......lol. They cooked for me, shopped for me and as Jacqui said, " I am your mother now." Lol. They have looked after me every step of the way and owe them a huge debt of gratitude for going above and beyond the call of duty.

Started playing footy with Alan and his mates every Friday on artificial turf off of Mather Avenue. Full sized pitch and all the old codgers play the young lads, usually 11 vs 11 or 12 vs 12. Played in the pissing down rain last Friday. It was fabulous. Tweaked my hamstring a little due to not playing for 2 years, so it was meant to happen. Got to be a little careful now and not try to do too much until I start getting truly fit.

After moving in the flat, then I had to go about getting a bank account and a NIN (national insurance number) both of which were a little difficult as I have not lived here for 30 years, but at the end I got both and now am registered as a citizen and ready for work! Ordered the internet, landline and television and it is all coming this Saturday between 8am and 1pm. In between all of this moving and staying at Jacqui and Alan's, I was also observing at a school for 2 weeks as part of my pre-interview agreement. Usually I was out the door at 6.30am and back at 4pm or so. Didn't leave me much time to do anything, so this week on Monday, I started getting things into normal order and got a lot accomplished. I love my flat and it is mostly decked out now with all the stuff that I need from kettle to ironing board to sheets and pillows........such a difference from Korea.....real living in a normal size flat as opposed to a shoebox.......lol.

Enough for now. The rest will come once I can sit at home and do a blog instead of doing it at the library.........

Been Here Almost 3 Weeks!

2009-05-21T17:19:00.002+09:00

Where do I start? At the beginning, I suppose. Dragged my 60 kilos of baggage to the bus-stop in Seoul and then got on the bus to Incheon Airport. The date was April 30th and the time was 10.30am.

Got to the airport about 12 noon and proceeded to check in. Was told by Cathay Pacific that I was only allowed 22kilos........shit!!!!! Had to send the one suitcase by air cargo and also empty 5kgs out of it....total cost, £160! Didn't have any address to send it to, so put down my friend Sara's address in Manchester. Was told that it would be there in a week........rest of that story comes later, much later.

Flew to Hong Kong, which took about 3 hours. Good flight, but I was feeling a little sick and had a bit of a fever. Hot, hot, hot was the nature of the game. In the airport, it was roasting and I just could not get cool. Tried everything. Even paid £30 to one of these relaxation places. Had a shower, ate and relaxed at the place for 4 hours. I had a 5 hour lay-over at Hong Kong Airport before the flight to England.

Even in the 'spa' it was roasting .The manager even asked me to put a comment on the evaluation form online. Included in the price was a small, all-u-could-eat buffet and drinks, a shower, internet use and also a relaxing area to sit and read papers and magazines. I also had a 15 minute head and neck massage. Well worth the money and it did relax me, but not make me any cooler. Hot, hot, hot was the nature of the game, again!

Got on the British Airways flight and sat next to two "big" Chinese people. The seat was so uncomfortable and to add to the fever that I had, I also had a cramp in my back for the whole of the 13 hour flight! It was most possibly the worst flight that I have ever endured in all my times of travelling. The flight itself was fine and the service, but my overall health was not good and I only got out of my seat twice the whole flight and didn't eat the food until an hour before we landed, when I ate the breakfast. Had a headache the whole way, too, due to the fever and had no tablets to take.....my own fault, I reckon..........lol.

Got to Heathrow, London at 7am and then transferred onto a domestic airline to go to Manchester. Customs were fine and I entered the country on my new EU passport. Had my picture taken, which is the norm now for everyone that is entering the country and has not had it taken before. The flight from London was great and I arrived in Manchester about 8.30am......more or less. Got my luggage and then walked through the terminal for about 15 mins to get the train to Lime Street in Liverpool. Got the train and it only took about 50 mins and cost about £10. Then realized that I could get off at Wavertree Station, which is closer to where my friends that I was staying at, was. Got off there and hailed a taxi and arrived at Jackie and Alan's about 10am.

That is part one of the trip and I will add more blogs this weekend as I am getting the internet, phone and television all hooked up on Saturday morning. Oh, by the way, I have a ticket for the Liverpool vs Tottenham game. A friend of mine can't go, so he has a season ticket and said I can have his ticket.....bossssssss!!!!!!!

Back In England!

2009-05-18T23:49:00.002+09:00

I haven't blogged for the longest time ever! I have started a new adventure and now want to start writing about what I experience each and every week while I am here in Liverpool, England.

Not much time left at the internet at the library right now. Waiting to get it installed as well as my phone and television cable this Saturday. Then I will feel back to normal.....or as close as I can.

Just wanted to let everyone know that there will be lots more blogs coming your way now. Facebook is great, but doesn't capture the moments and experiences like blogging does.

Less Than 4 Months To Go.....And Dying To Leave!

2009-01-09T20:03:00.002+09:00

If I said that I was not itching to leave Korea, I would be lying significantly. I have to say the last few months have been the hardest time that I have spent in Korea.

I think that is mainly due to me, of course. I just cannot stomach the ignorance of the Korean people as a whole anymore. I try to be positive everyday, but something always happens to change that......all the time.

From being banged and barged on the buses and subways, to hearing the disgusting wind-up to the spit, to teachers talking on the telephone in my classroom while I am teaching, to the drunken Koreans asking you 'Hey, where are you from?" It is all a bit overwhelming to say the least. Time to move on, I suppose.

I will miss the free lifestyle here, but not the people and certainly not the job. You cannot teach here. It is like having handcuffs on and sometimes even worse than that. The Korean education system lacks imagination, consistency and dare I say, they care more about money than really progressing any of the students in English.

I was on the bus last week, minding my own business when I felt this 'shove' in my back. That is probably the only way I can describe it. It was not a tap, it was more like a jab or shove. Anyway, I turned around and there is this 'adeshi' (middle-aged man in Korean language) who proceeded to ask me, "Where are you from?" I immediatley replied with, "Fuck off, don't touch me, you piece of shit!" He looked at me and then said, "Sorry!"

That mentality is what drives me mad and it doesn't matter how many times you try to drum the protocol of behaviour into the Koreans, they either don't listen or don't give a shit. No wonder none of the Koreans have management positions in any other countries' businesses outside of Korea!

Anyway, enough of this for now. I am leaving either May 2nd, 3rd, or a day earlier. I have an interview at John Moores University to attend Teacher's College for September 2009. I am hoping to teach French and Spanish at high-school level. I have the interview on May 22nd, which hopefully will be the same time that we know Liverpool have wrapped up the Premier League title......lol.

I am ready to go as far as studying and preparing to leave goes. All I need now is to save as much money as I can until I leave. The exchange rate is shite at the moment. The Won has gone for a shit financially, so it makes it more challenging to have to save money.

Enough of me. How was everyone's Xmas and New Year? Hope you all had a great one and I wish you all the best for the new year and the future. Keep your eyes on this space, more to come than the last few months!

Friendship: Liverpool vs Celtic.....Awesome!

2009-01-09T20:01:00.000+09:00

For All You Piano Lovers.......Absolutely Brilliant!

2009-01-02T10:28:00.001+09:00

Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis
~에 의해 업로드됨 Hanvak

Chubby's 12 Days Of Christmas......Foul Foul Language!!!!

2008-12-10T22:42:00.001+09:00

Chubby Brown's Remake Of A Classic......Language!!!!

2008-12-10T22:40:00.002+09:00

Bit Of A Hiatus!

2008-12-10T22:15:00.002+09:00

For those of you that read my blog regularly, I have to apologize. Facebook has taken over most of my time and plus that fact that I can't blog at work due to a shitty computer, I really have not been blogging at all.

I will try and blog a couple of times a month, but I can only promise that. I have an interview in Liverpool, England in May to enter into Teacher's College in England.
I will be leaving Korea at the end of April and then living in Liverpool, England.

Until then, I will be blogging very little, but I promise once I get to England, the blogging will start up again. New challenges and new experiences. So long for now and hopefully I will have a few blogs on here after Christmas. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you and I hope that you all have a healthy holiday period.

Songs Talking Shit Just Like Hitler Did!

2008-11-11T11:20:00.001+09:00

Please Take A Moment For Rembrance Day!

2008-11-10T21:03:00.001+09:00

http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=0bf4f3ced4&view=att&th=11d7dc639d18ace0&attid=0.1&disp=attd&zw

What A Funny Video.....You Must Check This Out!

2008-11-09T15:07:00.004+09:00

One of the funniest videos that I have seen for a long time. The real 'education' for children.......lol.

AC/DC Have Never Been Anything Different For Me!

2008-10-29T05:57:00.003+09:00

Anytime when I need a real good morale booster, I always listen to any album by AC/DC......It has always been that way for me. From running on the treadmill to the "Back in Black" album or sitting on the subway listening to the album, "Highway to Hell," to flying to another country listening to "Dirty Deeds." I have and always will love this group. They have a simple formula towards writing music. Rock and Roll, man! I love this shit.
Check out this article that has just been posted on CNN. I love the new album......Black Ice......suits the economic climate right now and has some 'kick-ass' tracks on it, dude!!!!!!

http://business.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/28/economy-in-the-red-acdc-back-in-black/

Move To Canada Why Don't Yer?

2008-10-23T00:08:00.001+09:00

Funny Video About Being A Parent!

2008-10-22T23:47:00.001+09:00

Joe Strummer.....Gone But Not Forgotten....Talking About Punk Rock....

2008-10-21T03:16:00.001+09:00

Absolutely Love This Sign.....Fella Is Famous For Being Outrageous!

2008-10-21T00:27:00.003+09:00

This fella owns a restaurant in North Versailles, PA.....He changes the sign whenever he gets another idea about something he doesn't like. This one is a classic and could be used anywhere in an English speaking country where immigrants start complaining about speaking English there.......Soooooooo funny!

Mr. Bean Does It Again!

2008-10-19T17:38:00.000+09:00

Craig Griffith's Mate......He's Dead Good!

2008-10-16T20:55:00.000+09:00

Torres Advert.....Hilarious!

2008-10-11T20:07:00.001+09:00

Fernando Torres Song

2008-10-11T20:03:00.001+09:00

Posh Spice And Beckham Being Great Sports!

2008-10-03T23:18:00.000+09:00

Hurting But Persevering!

2008-09-28T20:33:00.003+09:00

Getting back into shape is much harder than staying in shape. Most people are not aware of this fact, but believe me, it is true.

I am not exactly out- of shape, but at the same moment, not completely in- shape either. I am hurting each and every day trying to get into the best shape possible. The eating is going fairly well and the exercising, too. However, it is hard work and don't let anyone out there ever tell you otherwise. NO PAIN, NO GAIN........how true!

The weather here has turned into true autumn weather and it is very welcome as far as I am concerned. It is much more comfortable to sleep and I don't have to have that damn air-conditioning on anymore. I was feeling very machine orientated when that thing was on 24/7.

Still haven't drank this week and I won't. Watched the Everton vs Liverpool derby at Hollywoods and it was absolutely brilliant. We won 2-0 and it was great fun watching Liverpool absolutely dominate Everton in all areas of the match. Sang my brains out and shouted so much during the match. Always a good bunch of LFC supporters in the place to egg on the team.

Didn't do anything today. Karina and I were supposed to go to the zoo, but we ended up staying up late and watching a movie, "Flight of the Living Dead." It was quite funny, it is like blood and guts mixed with comedy and really lame lines.........had a good time watching it........I know, me watching movies, what's up with that, eh?

Went for a run about an hour ago. Killed me once again, but I am up to 30 mins outside now without stopping. Ran up to Seoul Station and then around by Yongsan High School, around the War Memorial and Samgakji and then back home.

Meeting Gareth tonight after he completes his training seminar. They have put a 12pm curfew on him......haha! It is the training for his new public school position. Everyone has to go through it, including all the extra-curricular activities......poor sod. Should get to see him for a couple of hours tonight, anyway. Should be fun. I will be drinking mineral water or juice again......lol.

Sam left today to start university in England. A good night for him to leave with LFC winning! He has given my old phone to his girlfriend and I have to get it back. I paid about 100 dollars for the thing, so I can re-sell it back to the shop for at least some money or give it to my girlfriend and she can use it as a pay-as-u-go phone. I changed it 'cos I got a contract phone here, which is much, much cheaper. I will meet up with Yaejin soon to get it off of her.

Another weekend is almost in the books and I must say, not drinking alcohol has not been hard at all. I am bound and determined to do the month and then after just drink moderately after that.

Looking forward to Tuesday, September 30th as it will be my first pay since I got back from my trip plus Mum and Dad's 47th wedding anniversary. 3 more to go until their Golden......should be awesome, and gonna have a party for that one, for sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

22 Days Gone By Already!

2008-09-26T00:32:00.004+09:00

I can't believe that 3 weeks have passed since I arrived back from England. As you can see from the number of blogs that I have posted.........well, haven't really, have I!

It has been quite easy to get into the grind again, just like I never left really. I was quite surprised with my kids at school that they didn't forget too much of what they were taught while I was gone. I thought for sure that I would come back and they would have forgotten almost everything.......shame on me for doubting my teaching ability.....lol.....when I teach them something, it sticks.......lol.

I have been going to the gym regularly and also eating much better, but still need to fine tune my eating regimen. I have some bad habits that I must get rid of.....I am not going to elaborate too much, just those of you that have the same, know exactly what I mean.

I also have decided to get off the booze for at least a month. I am going to look at it the same way that I looked at smoking........too much and a filthy habit....well, not that bad, but fairly close. That is my decision and those of you that don't have any faith in me.....watch this space!!!!!!!!

I have been seeing a girl for about a month now. Her name is Karina and she is from Uzbekistan. I met her about a year ago. We dated briefly and kind of fell out with each other due to somethings lost in translation. Anyway, we have taken it one step further now and are living together. We have been living together since I got back from England and she actually moved in the day before I went on holiday. I am not analyzing the situation too much, I am just enjoying being with a woman and having someone to talk to when I come home and blah blah blah......... Don't read too much into it.....just accept it, okay..........lol.

She is very pretty and very funny as well. She is a great cook as well. What is it that men say? The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach....or is that his wallet....... We do get along well, even if we don't always understand each other so well.....lol. Here is the biggest news; she is 25 and I am 44.....I know what you are all thinking.....well, some of you anyway........ Don't read too much into it, just accept it, okay......lol.

I am going to get myself in the best shape of my life in the next few months, both physically and mentally, being away from the booze. I want to be as healthy as I can and have decided to take on some morning work, also. That means being in class for about 7am each morning or a little after.....only a one hour class, though. I want to do it 5 days a week, so I can save as much money as possible to take to England when I get accepted into Teacher's College. I will be going there in May, if everything goes as planned.

I am going to do my degree in French and Spanish, hopefully. I am almost done the application and will send it off the beginning of October. I also am going to renew my passport. I made sure I had all the documents that I needed when I went to Liverpool. That will be done in the middle of next month, also.

I am going to Rob's tomorrow night to let him have some of my music off my hard-drive. He is going to cook some food up that he got at the Costco here in Korea, so I am looking forward to that. He is also not drinking for a while, as he had some problems with his stomach last month and the doctor gave him some antacid tablets and suggested that he didn't drink for the next little while. So, we will be partners in crime, not drinking.

I met Sam at the Seoul Pub tonight and Rob showed up a little later. I drank two cokes and Rob didn't drink anything. Called it an early night as Karina was cooking some great dish from Uzbekistan with green peppers, rice, potatoes, onions and some kind of broth. As I am typing this, it is cooking and I can't wait to eat it......it smells so good!!!!!!!! She really is a good cook and always looks after me in that department.....can't complain now, can I!!!!!

A Nice 5 Day Holiday!

2008-09-11T20:56:00.003+09:00

After my first full week of work, I found out that this weekend is the Korean version of Thanksgiving. It is called Chusok.......5 days holiday, thank you.

As I don't work on Fridays, I began my holiday tonight after work. We get an extra day off on the Tuesday due to the holiday falling on the weekend. Isn't that a nice break after coming back from my trip!

Not much else has been going on really other than the usual going to work and back at the gym religiously. Trying to get stronger and slimmer at the same time. The eating is the hardest part of all; old habits die hard.......haha.

Watched the England game last night online at 4am. They played great and did the whole nation proud. It was the first time that Croatia had been beaten at that stadium, to add to the achievement that England have done. 4-1 is a great score and puts us in a good spot at the start of the 2010 World Cup qualifying group that we are in.

I have posted some of the pics from my trip to England on Facebook for those that are in my friend's list. I will post a few here for those of you that are not. I wish everyone a good weekend and hope that Liverpool can beat Manchester in the league game on Saturday. Come on The Reds!!!!!!!!

Almost Back To Korea

2008-08-31T18:40:00.003+09:00

My trip is almost over, sadly. But, like life in general, you just have to make new plans and get on with the daily grind of living.

I have had a fantastic time here in England. Saw pretty much everything and everyone that I wanted to. Time has flown by..... from going to London, to seeing my family and spending time with them to going to the match, which Liverpool rescued with only 2 minutes of extra-time left.....a highlight of the trip.

Haven't been able to blog at all due to lack of internet access.....drove me mad to tell you the truth. Will definitley be buying a laptop when I come to live here and have 24 hour access. I feel lost without the internet.....withdrawal symptoms and the lot!!!!!!

Had an interview at John Moore's University and it went really well. The lady that interviewed me was very nice and very frank and honest. It looks good all around......have the qualifications that I need to get in the program and will be eligible for the bursaries once I renew my EU passport. Looks like May I will be back in England and start the ball rolling on my new future......get my teacher's degree and then teach in secondary school....French and Spanish......can't wait to tell you the truth.....new plans and new horizons.

Now it is back to Korea on Wednesday and start the next ten months to save some money and bring my time there to an end. I think I will have a new appreciation for Korea once I return, as I know I will be leaving there in 10 months. Get all my stuff online sorted out for the application to university and then get all my other things in order to get ready to leave in May. Will have to go to Canada for a week or two first, then to England.

Already have a link to jobs teaching English here when I return. There are a lot of people from the Congo, the French part, who are keen to learn English and will learn at anytime and pay good money for it.......part-time work just like in Korea......more good news......loads of jobs going here to tell you the truth.

That's all for now.......keep you posted once I get back.

Some Funny Videos.......Brought To You By Youtube!

2008-08-08T21:28:00.000+09:00

New Hope For Organ Recipients!

2008-08-07T19:25:00.004+09:00

This is huge news in the medical world and I hope that it comes about sooner than later. There are a lot of people that could benefit substantially from this new discovery. I have a cousin Gill who received a kidney from her sister about 10 years ago. She is doing great, but I am sure she would prefer the method discovered by the doctors in this research.

Please read this article. Very informative and very good news for the future.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7544526.stm

Check Out Marilyn Manson Without The Make-Up!

2008-08-06T23:33:00.002+09:00

This goes to show you how make-up can really give a person a scary, kind of Alice Cooper-shock-rock look!!!!

This is so funny. The first one is when he had to appear in court.....more downplayed.....I am not sure, but does he have only one eye? It looks like both his eyes are okay in the first picture.....what a gimmick!

Koreans In Welding Masks.......Lol!!!!!

2008-08-05T18:16:00.002+09:00

It has been the trend in this country for a long time and I thought my avid readers might want a wee glimpse of what is 'cool' amongst the middle-aged women here. Hold on to your shorts and skirts and don't rush out and buy one of these babies too quickly..............

Here it is at long last. The new, funky, state of the art, stylish and oh so cool fashion sense that is all the hype here in Korea.....believe me, you see this everyday and in abundance all over Korea in the hot weather, even on the bright winter days. Take a look at this WELDING MASK!!!!!

This Is Just Unbelievable Talent......So Dangerous!

2008-08-03T14:31:00.002+09:00

All I can say is, oh, my god!!!!!!
One of the best acts that you could ever see.....how much time have they put into this act.....unbelievable.

Russian Bar routine

Posted using ShareThis

Good Luck Caroline!

2008-08-01T18:10:00.003+09:00

I met up with a friend of mine, Caroline who is Korean, but also speaks Spanish, which is her major in university. She is currently in the middle of interviews to become a flight attendant for Emirates Airlines. She has passed the first two interviews and she has another big one on Saturday morning.

She has gone from being one of a thousand to now one of 120. If she passes this interview on Saturday, she will have a great chance of getting a job there. She is a great girl and I wish her all the luck in the world. She really wants this opportunity to become a flight attendant more than anything she can ever remember...that's what she told me, anyway.

I practiced some of the interview questions with her for about 2 hours, yesterday. They were the usual, like; what do you deem as a success? What are your strengths and weaknesses....etc.......

I tried my best to give her some of the most common responses and told her to just keep the answers short and to the point. Not to go on and on like most Koreans do when you ask them simple questions. Of c ourse, she wants to sell her attributes, but not do it in a too wordy way! She seemed to pick things up and I think the one word that she will remember is, "I'm a team-player."

Last night, I met up with David at The Loft after I left Caroline. I met another friend of mine, Joseph from Nigeria while I was waiting for David to come. I also met his friend, Kennedy and we sat and chatted for a while. David showed up and we had a few more drinks and more of a chat.

David left and went off to a place called 'Brix.' I met him there after about half an hour and there were a group of people there from all different countries. There was a fella from Paraguay, a girl from Columbia, a girl from Mexico, a French fella and a few Koreans. A Japanese fella also showed up..... I called all of us the United Nations.

That is when it is cool to be with people from all different places on our planet.......really cool.

Went to UN Club and bumped into Richard who was out, which is a rarity for him on a Thursday night. He was on vacation for a couple of days, so he was out for a later than usual night.

Got home late again and woke up about 1pm. Had a class at 3, 4.30 and 7.30....full day without even going to my school. I am staying home tonight and going to try and really curb back on my staying out late as I don't want to spend too much more money now before I go to England on vacation on August 15th. We shall see, as they say, but I am going to at least try.

I am back to work on Monday and I will work 2 weeks, actually 7 working days, then I am off on vacation to meet up with my family. Can't wait to see them all now. Getting a little excited and starting to worry about what presents I should take and packing....blah blah blah. I am not that worried, really, just joking!

Korean Complete Extremes Of Service!

2008-07-30T15:48:00.003+09:00

Yesterday, I was talking on my phone and the screen went blank! Shit, I thought.....this is the last thing I need to do on my week off, is to have to take it and have all the nonesense of having no phone and all that....blah blah blah.

Off I went to the LG store and they proceeded to tell me to go to the LG Service Centre. I had been there before and it is quite close to my house. I asked them, "Shinyongsan, right?" They said yes and off I went.

I got there in about 10 minutes, but the place had moved. I tried to get directions from the people that had stalls beside the old place, but to no avail. Their English was non-comprehensible....the only thing I remember is....out, out and look......whatever!

I ended up about a 10 minute walk at the big, massive, LG Telecom Building. I went to reception and asked if they knew where the service centre was. Of course, no-one knew and I waited there the best of 25 mintues until finally, the girl was clever enough to get a hold of the phone number and I talked to someone from the place.

Unbelievable really when you think that this is the main headquarters and no-one has a number to link to the service centre. I understand that this is another part of the company, but you would think that each part would at least have an idea where to get all the numbers of the different LG stores and centres. T.I. K. THIS IS KOREA!!!!!!!

His English was passable, but still a bit hard to understand. Anyway, I got him to tell the girl the directions in Korean and she could write them down and then I could give them to a taxi driver. I did this and low and behold 5 minutes in a taxi.....I could have walked.....we got to Yongsan, which I know very well. I bought my ipod there. I walked across the street and the LG Service Centre was in the basement of the Kookmin Bank Building. It is actually closer to where I live now!

Got inside and the woman gave me a ticket and I filled in my name and address. I had the original contract with me from when I bought the phone. It was only 4 months ago, actually.

My number was called and I got up to the window and the man asked me what was wrong. I speak enough Korean to be able to basically explain a little.....he understood. He tested it right there and then and said there was a chip problem and if I could wait 30 minutes, he would repair it there and then. Of course! I said. Couldn't believe that they would service it there and then. They were so nice and so professional. I watched him pull my phone apart and then watched him go over to another fella and get something soldered. I sat away from the technician on a bench, listening to my ipod.

25 mintues later and true to his word, the tech came over and handed me my phone along with his business card. What great service, I must say. From one extreme to another. From being totally peeved off at the lack of knowledge of the LG staff, to extreme happiness to have my phone back and no charge at all, either.

Went to the British Embassy today and found out that all I have to do is show my birth certificate and bring my old passport that I have with me in Korea, from 1990, 2 pics and the form and money, and I will get a new British Passport. The woman at the embassy said something about in the near future, the rules are going to stiffen up a bit and most people will be dealt with on an individual basis and will have to be approved by the office in London.

My sister, Jackie, is bringing my birth certificate to England when we visit there, so I will have it when I come back to Korea and then start the ball rolling and get my British Passport.

Went to the gym, had a good workout and feel like I have had a very productive day. Got a lot done and off to teach one of my favourite students, Alex, tonight at 7.30. Off for a nice afternoon kip now.....that is what you are supposed to do on your vacation.....things that you normally can't do when you are working......oh yeahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

This Is So Funny!

2008-07-28T17:13:00.000+09:00

A Week Off!

2008-07-28T16:34:00.003+09:00

I have no school until August 4th and then 10 days later on August 14th, I leave for Liverpool for 3 weeks.

Went out with Chris last night to see a rock band in Hongdae. It was almost finished by the time we got there, but we got to see a couple of songs played. Jenny had been singing earlier, but unfortunately we didn't get to see here.

Chris was quite funny at the end of the night. He has spent the last week watching Ali-G and Borat, so he has the accent and the words memorized. He was speaking to these two girls that we met with his Borat accent and they were just believing him all the way. They were Korean like, but it was still funny. He was going on about having a cow in a field and also a t.v. and remote control.....off his head, really.......haha.

No plans as such for the week. Just gonna chill and go to the gym. Have to go to the British Embassy to check out the rules for living in England as I plan to go to Teacher's College there next year. Don't know if I have to apply for a passport or there is some special visa that I have to get, as I was born there and left there when I was 15 years old.

Starting to get a little excited about seeing Mum, Dad, our Jackie, Katie, Jamie and my son, Tyler. I am excited for him, as it will be his first time overseas from Canada. I think he will love it and it will definitely give him some more perspective about his dad's side of the family and about how people live different lives on the same planet. England really is so different in so many ways from North America. He will see all of that and I think it will make him think more about his future and hopefully make him want to start travelling more.....let's see, though!

Having been blogging much, as I have been a lazy arse. Going to try and blog a little more in the next little while before I go to England. I was laughing with my sister as she was telling me that she cleaned some 'junk' out of her house. We got talking about photo albums and then we started laughing about the new cameras and gadgets that we have nowadays, but don't use them as much as we used to.....lol.

Fact of life, I think. Still nice to have them at special moments. I will be taking lots of pics when I am in England, so stay posted.

I think this time in our lives is one of the best ever, as we have so much more ways of communication with each other. Living overseas, I never feel isolated from anyone. The only thing that I have to say to anyone that is not internet savvy is that you are losing out big time. From getting pics of birthdays or other events in my family's and friends' lives, it is awesome. Facebook is one of the best things out there right now and I would recommend it to anyone to have a go on it, even if you are skeptical. You will see that it can reconnect you with some of your old friends or help you stay in touch with your family and existing friends, so much easier. You don't need to type an email address and it so easy to send messages, never mind all the fun things that are on there. The geography game is awesome and teaches you loads of cities and countries that you wouldn't have a clue about otherwise.

I am off to the gym now to have a good workout again, then out again tonight to meet Chris who is also on vacation this week.

Youngsters Rule The Roost At Britain's Got Talent 2008

2008-07-23T00:18:00.001+09:00

Check This Out!

2008-07-07T05:36:00.002+09:00

A very interesting video about some of the origins of famous football clubs' songs!!!!

http://publish.vx.roo.com/espnstar/flashmain/?vxSiteId=1458d2e1-b8e3-4d73-8b76-e8420617f8b8&vxChannel=whats%20on%20TV&vxClipId=2168_ESSENT_anthems&vxBitrate=300

Come On Korea! Think About It!!!!!!!!!

2008-07-07T00:09:00.005+09:00

It is funny, but so very common to see. What is it, you ask? Signs and any other kinds of media in English that make absolutely no sense at all and have not been checked by simply asking a native speaker if it is okay. It really is as simple as that, but due to the stubborness of the Korean culture, it is an ongoing facet of their lives. They don't care! As quite a few Koreans said to me, " We understand what it means, so it's alright!"

So carry on then...... who cares if the world looks at you and thinks you are as thick as a plank......life is too short to get carried away about what is right and what is wrong, but with the amount of money that the Koreans sink into English education, you would think that having correct English signs and phrases in public places, would not only teach the children and the adults what is right and wrong, but would also be the sensible thing to do!

Stop making sense, Paul! Stop going on your tirades, English teacher!

T. I. K = This Is Korea!!!!!!! If Korea wants to seriously get better in all aspects of English, it might sound ridiculous, but this could be a start......eh, eh........what do you think? THINK ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!

Hope you like some of the pics of the stupid and sometimes funny English signs. It really is not that funny in essence, though. I for one, wish that there was someone that could just figure out what to do to improve it and just do it............

Absolutely What Most People Think Of Mondays.......Lol.

2008-06-30T02:34:00.001+09:00

George Carlin.......A Genius As A Comedian.....You Will Be Sadly Missed Here On Earth

2008-06-24T00:17:00.002+09:00

One of the most controversial, but brilliant comedians to ever grace the field of comedy, has sadly died before his time......read the article and with sadness in my heart, he will be missed, but never forgotten......goodbye George........thank you for all the memories......your spirit lives on through thousands of others here on earth.....lest we forget..............................

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7468681.stm

Happy Father's Day, Dad! External Drive Sorted.....Internal Drive On The Mend

2008-06-15T19:24:00.003+09:00

I can be the bearer of some optimal news; I am feeling much better and think that the sinus infection is gone, but one can never be sure can one.......

I took my external hard-drive back to Yongsan where I bought it and they found a part was crushed, fried or whatever they call it in computer lingo. It will be repaired for free and should only take about 2 days. I only live 10 minutes from Yongsan, so that suits me fine. I am happy that I won't lose all the 400G of music that I have on there.....hahaha.

Today is a special day of course. It's Father's Day. It is a day to remember your Dad for all of the special thing that a Dad is. My Dad has been such an insipiration for me. He is the straightest arrow that I know and that used to really piss me off because he was right most of the time. Doesn't bother me anymore, though...haha.

He has always had life sorted out and lives it on his own terms, which for most people including me, was very difficult to do. I have figured it out and I owe a lot of the reasons why to him and my Mum of course. He always taught me to be true to myself, to be honest about everything and to always do the right thing. I guess what I could say is that my Dad has taught me INTEGRITY in all areas of my life, both personal and professional.

It can be very difficult to live your life with complete integrity, but once you figure it out, it is the most rewarding way to live your life, ever! Another thing that sticks in my mind about what Dad used to say to me is this: Your time costs you nothing, give it freely whenever you can. That is probably the one area of my life that I am constant at. I always try to give time to all of my friends and family, even if it is difficult at times.

Anyway, Happy Father's Day, Dad, you are the best! You are also a very funny man and have given me that ability to have a good laugh at everything. Thanks, Dad!

Thanks To Stuart........Got This Video Off His Blog......Brilliant

2008-06-08T16:20:00.001+09:00

Needed A Good "Seoul" Doctor!

2008-06-06T14:48:00.004+09:00

Six month have passed and 3 doctors later, I finally found a decent doctor that I could have faith in and knew that she would help me with my ailment, which at that point I was beginning to worry about.

Anyway, I went to Seoul Medical Clinic, which is a huge hospital near Samsong Station. The people were very helpful and one woman accompanied me throughout my whole visit, interpreting for the x-ray technicians and the doctors and receptionists. The hospital is very big and I must say, run very professionally. Typical Korea at the best of times, though.

Example: Took my shirt off to get x-rayed and the door was left wide-open, so anyone could just look in and see me getting x-rayed with no shirt on.......embarassing for some people, but I couldn't have given a shite at that time. Still, typical of Korea, no etiquette when dealing with people, a behaviour that is rampant withing their culture. They treat each other the same way and everybody else, too.

After the x-ray, I was accompanied to see the doctor, who showed me my x-rays and finally diagnosed me with having a WHOPPER of a sinus infection. She asked me how long I had had symptoms and I told her about 7 months. She asked me why I waited so long and I told her that I had been to see 2 other doctors that had prescribed medecine for me. One had given me antibiotics for 3 days, the other 7 days. She told me that my infection was so bad that I would require at least 2 weeks and probably a third week!

She has put me on the strongest antibiotics that she could and I have to go back weekly to check the progress or lack of, in order to get rid of this infection once and for all. I was very happy and she explained everything very well for me with the help of the assistant, interpreting when needed.

I cannot have a drop of alcohol while I am taking the medecine, which will do me no harm at all! For the next few weeks, I am concentrating on getting well and getting rid of this awful feeling that has been around for about 7 months.

The doctor said my chest and everything else is clear and strong. She said the infection is not serious, but the symptoms are serious to how someone feels. She couldn't believe that I put up with being hot and dizzy and having a dry-mouth problem for so long. What a soldier I am.......or idiot depending on your perspective!!!!!!

Friday here is a holiday, so I had a nice sleep in today. Meeting Chris for lunch and then probably have dinner with the rest of the fellas and out for a COKE later on.....hahaha!!!!!!!!!

Stevie Does It Again For England

2008-05-30T22:54:00.002+09:00

England won quite easily against the U.S.A. on Wednesday night. Two goals. One by Terry and the other by a great move between Barry and Gerrard, with Gerrard slotting it home brilliantly.

I have been disappointed with Terry's behaviour over the last few years and think he needs to drop the arrogance and disrespectful part of his game. He is a great player and does not need to ruin his character by acting like a spoilt child. Maybe the penalty miss against Utd will calm him down in that area a little. He scored a great goal and looked a little less exuberant after the goal, going out of his way to go over and celebrate with Beckham who once again delivered a perfect free-kick.

Check out the video. I love the English commentator's voice. It always makes the game so much more exciting when the commentator is right into it and makes it known.

Mate Of Mine Sam At His Judo Tournament In Korea

2008-05-21T00:12:00.002+09:00

This is a short video of Sam in his Judo tournament in Korea earlier last month. I met him in Seoul pub about 3 months ago. Great lad, a good laugh and he loves his judo. He is from London, England, so we have the same British sense of humour. His a great fella and a good friend. I got this video off of his facebook....hope you don't mind, Sam? Too bleedin' bad if you do.....hahaha.

Dan Lafontaine's Wedding In Ulsan

2008-05-19T22:42:00.004+09:00

I flew to Ulsan on Saturday night. It took 45 minutes......great!

Met up with Rob, Dave and Chris when I got there. Then we met up with Gareth and Guy at The Wa Bar. We went to Tombstone then to Benchwarmers to see Troy, the owner, a friend of ours. Got home late and then the next morning got up to go to Dan's wedding.

It was held in a Catholic church and then after there was a small get together, about 15 people, at a korean restaurant. All in all a very simple wedding, but not a word was spoken in English throughout the whole service.....about one hour.....surprised all of us, actually......oh well, we are happy that Dan got married and then right after went to the Philippines for his honeymoon.

We met Dan Gauthier and his wife at the church and we hung out with them for a short while at the restaurant. Dan and his wife were nice enough to drop us off at the bus station. We all caught the bus back to Seoul. Dave took another bus to Bundang. It took 6 hours to get back to Seoul........ahhhhhh!!!!!

Dave left an hour after us and got home about the same time. There was bad traffic jams due to torrential rain and dozy drivers....haha.........

On here are some pics of the wedding and the best one I think, is the one of Dan in his traditional Korean costume. It is customary to wear it when you get married to a Korean in Korea and also to bow to the family of the bride. We called Dan, Super Mario.....haha.

Thanks Dad Again For Another Cracker Video

2008-05-15T22:29:00.001+09:00

This is brilliant and the email orginally said, STICK BIGOTRY UP YOUR ARSE.....watch this video and have a great laugh.

What A Dog Act This One Is!

2008-05-15T21:32:00.001+09:00

Got this email off my Dad. What an absolutely amazing animal. People shouldn't forget the trainer, though! There was no mention of what a good job that she did with the dog.......haha.

My Feelings About United Winning The Title Again!

2008-05-14T01:42:00.003+09:00

My friend, Jeff, otherwise known as Jefski who lives in Seoul and watches matches at Hollywood's with me quite often, couldn't have taken a better picture to exemplify how we Scousers feel about Utd. getting another premiership title. I hope we get the next one.

Another Holiday Monday In Korea!

2008-05-14T00:00:00.004+09:00

Monday, May 12th was the second Monday in a row that was a national holiday here in Korea. It was Buddah's Birthday. Last Monday was Children's Day. I enjoyed both of the Mondays off, but it was a little difficult to go back to work today. Although it was Tuesday, it sure did feel like a Monday.

We have a new teacher at our school. He looks Korean and has family that live here in Korea, but doesn't speak Korean very well and is a native speaker of English. He has very little experience teaching ESL (English as a Second Langugage,) but I am sure we can help him in that area. It will be nice for our Korean teacher to have a break now, as for the last month, she has done the teaching and the administration work at the same time.

Today was very frustrating at school for me. The indiscipline of the Korean children really bothers me sometimes, and today was one of those times. Many of the kids hadn't done their homework and came to class with no books or hadn't done the tasks that were asked of them before the holiday.......ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!

I spent most of the classes making the students go and see Elley and explain why they had no homework or no books. I always say to them, "How can you drive a car, if you have no key?" They laugh when they hear it, but it makes sense that if you want to study, you need a book, eh? Anyway, the Korean children in public schools are left to their own devices and have ZERO, let me say that again, ZERO discipline.

They run full out in the hallways. Scream and yell at each other while other classes are being taught. Look in the classroom windows. Jump up and down trying to look into the classrooms. Go up the wrong side or sometimes both sides as they go up and down stairs. Play in the washrooms. Wrestle with each other in the hallways. Stand on the banisters of the stairs. Shout out windows in the classrooms to other friends, even when the teacher is there. The teachers generally don't do anything to the kids and just stand by and let it happen. Lazy buggers, is what I say!

No wonder Korean people in general have no manners. It all starts at public school, the lack of discipline that is, and carries on right into adulthood. Today, I was walking towards the subway platform and the train had arrived about 30 seconds before I got there. All the people came off the subway and walked fully abreast of the yellow line that indicates which side to walk on. There was nowhere and no way to get through. Needless to say, I bowled some Koreans over. About a dozen, to tell the truth. This is a daily ocurrence on the subways and buses and it doesn't make me angry anymore, I bowl for fun..........haha.

Anyway, away from the bad-manners for now. I started back at the gym again as it was shut for 2 days due to the holidays. I am determined to get back to full workouts now and stop being as lazy as I have been the last little while. I am in the middle of a 72 hour fast and have completed 25 hours as this blog is posted. I always do this about 2 times a year, just to clean out everything. I am not doing it to lose weight, I am doing it to purge as doctors say. If you don't believe me, look up 'fasting' on the Internet. You might be very surprised about its benefits. Also, this is not the first time that I have done this, so I am a little bit of an expert about it now. I drink only fluids and try to just keep to water and the odd coffee here or there, nothing else.

I had a full workout tonight. Worked out chest and biceps and legs and forearms. I had lots of energy and don't feel tired, so it goes to show you that I have lots of calories still stored to use.

I have booked my trip to Manchester and paid in full. Now I have to buy presents and save some spending money.

I had a good weekend and met up with Guy, an English bloke from Ulsan on Saturday. He came to Seoul to pick up a motorbike and ride it back to Ulsan.

I will be in Ulsan next weekend for Dan Lafontaines wedding. I leave Saturday night at 8.50pm from Gimpo airport. I am flying down there, which takes about 45 mintes and costs 75 dollars! I will be getting the bus back with the other lads on the Sunday.

Chris, Dave and Rob are going down there, too. Not sure what days though. It will be fun to see Dan Gauthier and Troy and Guy and Gareth and a few other friends that I haven't seen for a long time.

No Trip To Canada...........Monday Holiday In Korea

2008-05-06T01:58:00.004+09:00

I went to book my trip to Canada last week and found out that it was going to cost me between 2500 and 2900 dollars, at the cheapest!!!!

The travel agent told me that the most expensive time to travel to Canada is July and August. Kind of makes sense if you think about it, just like other places due to the summer and kid's holidays and people travelling home and back.

I was not willing to pay that kind of money to spend 2 weeks in Canada, plus the double flying that I would have had to do. What I mean by that is that I would have come back from England on August 30th and then flew from there to Korea the next day on August 31st. So my decision was made up.

I will fly directly to England and will leave on August 14th and return to Korea on August 31st. That gives me 3 weekends there and also saves me a lot of money plus less time off work. I really wanted to go to Canada, but money wise, it would have been insane and I don't have that kind of money. I am a little disappointed that I won't be spending more time with my family, but we are still going to see each other.

My Mum, Dad, Sister, Nephew, Niece and Son, will all be flying together from Canada to England on August 15th, so I get to England a day before them. It will still mean that we will have about 17 days together, or thereabouts, which I think is great.

Today, Monday, was a holiday here in Korea. It is "Children's Day." Everyone has the day off and most families did something or went somewhere with their kids. I just hung out at home and went and had a sauna at the Hamilton Hotel. My gym is shut on Monday's, so I couldn't workout today.

Rob came over and did his washing at my house and we listened to some funny clips of the "Jerky Boys." If you have never heard of them, you should check them out. They used to call people up and using different character personalities, play jokes on them and have them on......so funny!!!!!

Tonight, I was supposed to go and meet Jenny, a Korean girl that I know from the UN Club. She is the bartender there and today was her birthday. I went all the way to Hongdae, but I was about 20mins late and her phone wasn't working, so I ended up not meeting her. She was with a bunch of people, so I don't know where they went. She should have called me, but probably didn't know my number due to her phone problem. Anyway, I will see her tomorrow and drop her birthday present off at the club. Hongdae is not that far from my house and only took about 10 mins in a taxi to get back home.

Not much else going on. Back to work tomorrow and next Monday is a holiday, also. It is Buddah's Birthday! Two Mondays off in a row.....kind of nice!!!!!!

All the pics of are my students, by the way!

Can You Speak Or Understand "Scouse?"

2008-05-02T00:38:00.002+09:00

A friend of mine, Jayne, from Liverpool posted this video on Facebook for me. It is a classic. See if any of yers can understand it like, la!!!!!!!!

Seoul Hard Rock Cafe And The Seoul Zoo!

2008-04-28T22:38:00.004+09:00

The Seoul Hard Rock Cafe opened up last week in Itaewon after a year's construction, so I decided to go and check it out. It was 10 dollars to get in and you got a small glass of champagne included for that price......whipdeedooda!!!!!

Then I ordered a vodka and tonic, which is my staple drink now and has been for about the last 3 months. How much, you ask? How about 11 dollars!!!!!!! What a rip-off.

The saddest thing about the whole place was the type of music they were playing. It is "The Hard Rock Cafe" you fucken morons!!!!!!! There are pictures of Buddy Holly and Johnny Cash and Jimi Hendrix and many other memorabilia from rock 'n' roll stars etc. But wait, the Korean "Hard Rock Cafe" decided to play DANCE MUSIC and RAVE MUSIC and other unappropriate shite not related to the theme of the place.......dumb ass Koreans, let me tell you.......I was so pissed.

Needless to say, I will not be going there EVER again. It was a very well decorated place, but the music lost all the class that it had built inside........phew.....don't get me started........insulting my favourite kind of music like that!!!!!!!!!

Also went to the Seoul Zoo on Saturday, which was great. It is world class and I am going there again. They had every animal imaginable and it is HUGE. It has mini-tram cars going around, like ski-lifts. It is also very cheap and a very well designed place. An all around good visit and like I said, I am going again. Took a few pics and here they are on my blog......haha.

Other than that, not much else going on. I had to mention the smell of my aparment to the landlord. It has been stinking for about 3 months, but I thought it would pass, but not!!!! There is a problem with the drains as I also hear the drains gurgling in the morning when I am sleeping and the other houses above and next to me are taking a shower or whatever. Got to be looked at, so I went tonight and saw the landlord. He is a nice fella and speaks English well. He said he will get it looked at right away. I told him that I had waited months, but now with the summer coming, it would be unbearable.

It has stunk ever since I moved in, to tell you the truth. Paying 550 a month for a one bedroom house, it should not stink like shit!!!!!!!!! Let's see what action is taken.

If nothing is done, I will keep bugging him until something is done or I will think about moving.......seriously, it has gotten that bad now. Maybe it is partly my fault for waiting so long, but I am not going to wait much longer if nothing is done.

Still no teacher at my school. They had better get their arses in gear.....haha. I have finished one year on Wednesday, April 30th. Shit, it has flown by this last year. As I said, I signed for another year as I like the school and have it running the way I want it to now. I like the kids and they are showing improvement all the time.....job satisfaction is truly intact!

Sniffing Clone Dogs In Korea..........Interesting!

2008-04-22T02:59:00.001+09:00

Read this very interesting article. Who would have thought?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7359242.stm

A Big Week Looming!

2008-04-22T02:29:00.002+09:00

Tomorrow is the big match. Liverpool vs Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. Come on Liverpool, do us proud again and get us in the final and on our way to Moscow for the final!

The last week has been one of ups and downs. Of course the down was Isaiah's mother passing away. The up was the Duran Duran concert, which was absolutely magnificent. The group were fabulous and I was so impressed with their stage presence and their overall performance. A great light show and Simon Le Bon's voice was awesome. The musicianship was great and it was well worth going to see. They played a lot of songs from the new cd and they were great. They played a lot of the old classics as well and I was thrilled with the overall song choice.

I finally finished my 7 days of medecine for my infection, but I am not quite sure if it has completely gone! I am still sniffling and after a couple of days of no colour, it seems to have come back again. Shit!!!!!!!!!

The weather here has turned for the best into Spring weather. The nights are a little cooler still, but overall, the days are very nice and quite hot at times. I have good news at school, too. They are installing an air-conditioner in the classroom.......alleluiah, alleluiah!!!!!!!!!

The school are in the thros of finding a new teacher, which is no easy task. They even asked me if I could find a teacher. The cheeky bastards though would pay you nothing even if you found a teacher. Compare that to when they use a recruiting company who they usually pay about a thousand dollars. Cheapos I call them!!!!!! Needless to say, I will not be looking for a teacher. Number one, it is not my job and number two, it goes totally unappreciated even if you do. I am sticking to teaching and concentrating on that, nothing else.

I have been seeing a Russian girl, Olga, for the last few weeks. I have hung out with her a few times. I went for a walk around a park yesterday and then had dinner and went to a coffee shop later on. She is good company and speaks English quite well, of course. She has her own small clothing business here in Seoul. She buys clothes from here and ships them back to Russia. She has a good sense of humour and I can honestly say that I have enjoyed actually hanging out with her. Quite unusual for me, I must say.....hehe. She is also 39 years old, too, so much more within my age range than usual......again, hehehe. She looks much younger than her age, though. I thought she was about 29 or so when I first met her.

Time For Reflection

2008-04-16T03:47:00.003+09:00

Death is such a part of life, but always so hard to deal with. Today, I found out that Isaiah my co-worker, lost his mother, without any warning at all. It certainly puts life into perspective and the "STUFF" that we worry about, really is secondary to the actual gift of life that we are given each and every day!

I wish Isaiah all the strength and courage at this time of need and offer him and his family my deepest condolences. I cannot begin to understand how much pain he is feeling.

I had dinner with him tonight after school and we talked briefly about his mother. She was only 54 or so, but did so much for so many people in this world. She was a foster mother to literally 100's of children, as well as adopting various children throughout stages of her life. She sounded like she was a wonderful woman and the world will miss her kindness and generosity.

Isaiah told me that her hero was Mother Theresa and she had always thought about going to India and helping the less fortunate. She never had the chance to go, but Isaiah said that he might just go and do what she never had the chance to do.

Isaiah was due to have his contract finish at the same time as me, April 30th. However, he will not be re-signing now due to the circumstances and he has no idea what he is going to do in the future, but for now just has to worry about getting home for his mother's funeral service on Monday.

Also on another sad note, I will miss Jason, a friend of mine, who just left to work in China. He was a good friend and quite a character. He will be missed here in Korea, but I have already promised him that I will visit him next year in China. I have never been to China so it will give me a chance to visit him and also to see another good friend, Ben.

I am sad in my heart for Isaiah's loss and also for my friend's abscence, but feel fortunate to be alive and will try to use these life lessons as a catalyst to enjoy each and everyday a little bit more than I have been recently.

In memory of Isaiah's mother: Give to others and give often. There is no better feeling in the world!

Duran Duran Coming To Seoul Next Week!

2008-04-11T17:15:00.004+09:00

Duran Duran are one of my favourite bands of all time.......really!

And yes, they are going to grace our presence here in Seoul next Thursday, April 17th at 8pm at the Olympic Gymnasium.

I just purchased two tickets, so I am going there. I am going to take a friend of mine, Caroline who is Korean, but speaks Spanish and that is the link between us. I get to practice my Spanish with her whenever we meet. She spent a year in Guadalajara last year. I also taught her sister, Amy, for about 6 months while she was here in Korea and even when she left for Mexico. Unfortunately, I am not teaching her sister anymore. She was too busy and going to middle-school, which is always a busy schedule for all Korean children.

I am really excited about going. I have never seen Duran Duran, but have every one of their cds and love the group. It is in a really small venue, so it should be awesome. I have started listening to Duran Duran everyday and will continue to do so until I go to the concert. I love their new album; red carpet massacre!

So much has happened since I last did a real blog. I don't know where to start really.

I have been so sick the last few months and trying to shake it off. I ended up going to the doctor on Monday in Bundang and he said I have a nasal infection, eye infection and laryngitis. I am taking medecine now for the next 7 days. I hope that the infection finally goes........ I don't feel too, too bad, but am tired of waking up with sore eyes and a sore throat. Most Fridays, I can't even speak when I first wake up. Due to the nature of my job, I am always using my voice and it has no time to rest. Never mind that I never shut up talking anyway.......hahaha.

One of my friends, Sara, nicknamed me Sir Talkalot, an apt name, I think!!!!!!

Anyway, I am hoping to feel a lot better over the next week or so. If not, then I will go back to the doctor and get more antibiotics. I will get rid of this infection, I am bound and determined, this time.

I have joined a new gym. It is closer to me and half the price of the Hamilton Hotel. It has no sauna, but I don't need the sauna now with the heat of the summer on its way.

It is on the main road close to me, so I can get off the bus and go straight there. It looks quite good and has the same as the other gym; shorts and shirt provided and towels. It has all the machines that I need as well as running machines.

Monday is the day that I get right back into the swing of things. Start going regularly again. The gym is open to 12 at night all weekdays, so I have no excuse for not going.

Liverpool made it into the semi-finals of the Champions League. This will be the third time in 4 years and we get to play Chelsea again for the 3rd time. I think the other semi with Man Utd and Barcelona will be won by Barcelona. I am hoping for a Liverpool vs Barcelona final in Moscow. That would be just dandy!!!!!!!!

Enough for now. I am off to Bundang tonight with Chris to see Dave.Then tomorrow another small city north of Seoul with Jason who is leaving for China to work on Tuesday. I met Jason on a visa run to Japan. We were sitting next to each other on the plane, going there. We have been friends since. I have been promising to go with him for 3 months and kept renegging. Not this time. We should have a blast and I am sure, a crazy weekend.........

Blog Again Real Soon

2008-04-09T16:58:00.003+09:00

To those of you that follow my blog regularly, I apologize.
I have been so busy of late that it has been really hard to blog anything as I am here there and everywhere. My computer at school cannot access any blog sites or post anything, so I can't even do things on my breaks there.

I will put a blog on soon, but until then, I hope you are all well and getting ready for a glorious summer. Liverpool made it into the semi-final of the biggest club competition in Europe for the 3rd time in 4 years.........unbelievable, really!!!!!!!

Blind Religious Thinking!

2008-04-09T16:56:00.002+09:00

Check out this story. They think she is a reborn goddess.......wow! Get a life!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/04/08/baby.heads.ap/index.html?eref=googletoolbar

Beckham Posh Ali G

2008-03-30T22:59:00.001+09:00

A Better Iraq According To An Iraqi!

2008-03-27T07:02:00.004+09:00

There is a young man, Hammar who is about 30 that plays on the same pool team as Rob here in Itaewon, Korea. He is married to an American girl and has been in Korea since about 2006.

We were talking to him tonight and Rob asked him what he thought about Iraq now and before under Saddam Hussein's rule. Rob felt a little arkward asking Hammar, but he really wanted to know.

What ensued was truly unbelievable. He told us stories of rape, murder, torture and absolute terror that happened to anybody at anytime and anyplace under Hussein's rule. It can be described only as absolutely shocking.

I had an idea that things were bad, but my god! I sat there and just listened to what Hammar was saying. He was a doctor in Iraq and is a doctor here. He was working for 2 dollars a month!!!!!!

He spent 7 days one time in jail because one of Hussein's private policemen came to the hospital drunk and was insulting everyone at the hospital while being cared for. Hammar said something to him and he ended up being in jail for 7 days. He said that he was lucky to get out and that he wasn't killed. The fact that he was a doctor, may have saved his life.

So, to all the people around the world that say Iraq was better under Hussein, you need to talk to someone like Hammar and understand the animals that Hussein and his entourage were. They controlled the country by pure terror. In Hammar's own words, " Holy fuck, Iraq today is so much better off, but we as a people have no idea what democracy or freedom is. Everything is new to us and it will take us a while to figure out what to do with these new things. Other countries don't want us to succeed and it is in their best interests to try and get us to fail."

An unbelievable night's conversation that taught me a lot and made me realize how lucky I am to be able to live free and without fear. Anyone else reading this blog should feel that way, too.

To all the people that want America out of Iraq. Shame on you!!!!!! Maybe the results are not happening as fast and as smooth as expected, but America had and has the right idea about bringing democracy and freedom to that part of the world, where there are lots of countries that rule their people by pure terror and that needs to be changed, even if it takes force at times.

Enough said. Thank you Hammar for educating me about your life and your country and restoring some faith in the American ideal, be it right or wrong in anyone's opinion.

A Promise To Blog More Often

2008-03-17T03:04:00.003+09:00

I have been so busy of late that it really has been a task to blog as often as I used to. Given the fact that I can't blog on my breaks in work as the computer there is an absolute relic, then it is quite a task to keep up with my old rating of blogging so often.

I had a good weekend. Went out with the lads on Friday night, Saturday night and met them for dinner at Marakesh, the Morrocan Buffet on Sunday afternoon. We were all pretty shattered and ended up going home about 11pm, which is early by our standards.

Rob starts a new job tomorrow and for everyone else, it is the Monday blues, as such!

Nothing much happened over the weekend. Watched some football at Hollywoods and most places were packed to the rafters due to the St. Pat's Day celebrations and the combination of 6 Nations Rugby being on. We banged up the Irish 33-10, which was great to see.......haha.

As I said, I have been working hard. We started a new semester and am getting used to new kids and new challenges. I got my visa renewed for one more year, so I am safe and happy at the same school until April 30th, 2009. Not sure what I will do then, but we shall see, shall we not!

The plan right now is to take 5 weeks off in August/September to go to Canada and then take my son to England along with all the family for our Jonathan's wedding. We found out that our David's wife, Carmel is due in September, too.Congratulations Carmel and David and with our Jonathan's soon to be wife, Sarah having had a baby boy, Willy, both lads will be Uncles and Husbands within the same year.....haha.

Great news all around and I am looking forward to seeing everyone and hanging out with family and friends in Canada and England while I am there.

Enough for now, as I am off to bed. The new queen size bed is great and although I still have my insomnia, the quality of mini-sleeping has improved!!!!!!

Not Included In Liverpool's Poster For The 2008 City Of Culture!!!!

2008-03-07T22:12:00.001+09:00

Feels A Little Bit More Like Home!

2008-03-02T15:18:00.004+09:00

I have not had a queen size bed since about 2005 when I worked in Ulsan, but it wasn't mine, it belonged to the school.

I finally bought a brand-new queen sized bed and a little 3 seat sofa on Friday. One of my student's mothers was kind enough to call a place and then take me there, where I bought the two pieces of furniture and then had them delivered the same night.

I have had 2 nights great sleep on the bed.......should have bought the thing a long time ago, but anyway, it feels more like my home now. I will be here until the end of 2009 anyway, so it was a good choice.

I have also included some pictures of the students that I tutor and also from my school. Some of the students are leaving as they are going to middle-school and others are just going to the next year up.

I have been off from school since Wednesday and don't have to go back until Tuesday. Have taken it easy and haven't been to the gym at all since then. I will go tomorrow and start back into the grind again. I have kept the weight off that I have lost, which is great considering I haven't exercised.

I am keeping to eating good food and the odd cheat here or there. All in all, it is going well and I feel good. The inches are starting to come off my waist and I feel a little more nimble on my feet.....haha......

The weather here is fantastic. Spring is in the air that is for sure. The sun is shining today and I am going out with Karina and some of her friends. 3 fellas and 3 girls, so it should be fun. We are going to have some food and just hang-out. I am looking forward to it, really......!

Went out with Dave, Rob, Chris, Richie and Ryan and played some screen golf. Cut a long story short, I was using a driver, hit the golf ball and the head of the club went flying off. I did not hit the floor, did nothing wrong other than hit the ball the way you are supposed to. Well the golf place felt that we should have paid for the club! It was 2 years old and god knows how many other people had used it over that time.

They were insisting that we pay 200 dollars for the club!!!! I told them to go climb a tree and peel some bananas, they had that much chance of me paying for the club. Anyway, I left, steamed and finally the others left, too....... Not a nice end to a fun time and anyway, we won't be back at that place anytime soon.

After that, we all went to Carne station minus Ryan. It is a place that is unbelievable; all you can eat, all you can drink including spirits for 25 dollars!!!! They had meat, seafood, pasta, soup, desserts, unbelievable really and I stuffed myself on spaghetti, rice and garlic. Chris had been trying to get us to go there for a while and we finally went and I think I will be going again.

There are bottles of whisky, vodka, rum, wine etc.... and all you do is mix your own drinks. Plus there are kegs of beer and juice and coffee. Fantastic really, and a real bargain. I only had about 3 drinks while I was there, but the array of food and the choice that was available, made it worthwhile. Gonna go there again, that is for sure.

Went to Hollywoods after Carne Station and watched the Man U and then the Arsenal game at the same time. Jammy Gunners tied the game in the 93 minute.

Went home really early by my standards. I was home by 2.30am.......sounds funny when you think that is early...........

One Of The Pics Is Just Down The Street From Me...Here In Seoul

2008-02-26T01:28:00.003+09:00

Dad just sent me an email with some funny English on signs from around Asia. One of them is right down the street from me in Itaewon, an area, which I am sure you have heard or read about on my blog.

It is about 2 minutes from my gym and actually, Dave pointed it out again to me last weekend while we were in a taxi on the way back from Kangnam.......so funny, but so ridiculous.

There was a girl at my school last Friday that had a sweater on. She is only 11 years of age and like all Korean children and their parents, pays no attention whatsoever to what the writing says on their t-shirts or shirts. The shirt said exactly this:

"Your boyfriend will be kind and sweet, but will be kinder and sweeter when you've bigger boobies!"

You may think that it is outrageous, but I have read much worse, believe me. Now you know how bad the Koreans' English skills are!!!!!!!!!!

Dirty Bags! I Have Been Saying This Ever Since I Came To Korea!

2008-02-26T01:08:00.003+09:00

This is so pertinent to what I say to my students at school! Although this article talks about 'handbags' and those of you who are not Brits, it means purses or whatever you call the bags that women carry.

I tell my students at school to get their 'dirty' bags off the desk. I am on them all the time about this and have been for the whole time I have been in Korea. I always repeat to them in English......'dirty, ooh, dirty!' Get them off the desk, right now!!!!!

Read this article that I was sent by my Dad and see if you now think that I am right for doing what I do to all my kids at my school.

Subject: Handbags and dirt a true story:

Have you ever noticed gals who sit their handbags on public toilet floors, then go directly to their dining tables and set it on the table? Happens a lot!It's not always the 'restaurant food' that causes stomach distress.

Sometimes "what you don't know will hurt you" Read on...Mom got so upset when guests came in the door and plopped their handbags down on the counter where she was cooking or setting up food. She always said that handbags are really dirty, because of where they have been. It's something just about every woman carries with them.

While we may know what's inside our handbags, do you have any idea what's on the outside? Women carry handbags everywhere; from the office to public toilets to the floor of the car. Most women won't be caught without their handbags, but did you ever stop to think about where your handbag goes during the day.

"I drive a school bus, so my handbag has been on the floor of the bus a lot," says one woman. "On the floor of my car, and in toilets. I put my handbag in grocery shopping carts and on the floor of the toilet," says another woman "and of course in my home which should be clean."

We decided to find out if handbags harbor a lot of bacteria. We learned how to test them at Nelson Laboratories in Salt Lake, and then we set out to test the average woman's handbag.

Most women told us they didn't stop to think about what was on the bottom of their handbag. Most said at home they usually set their handbags on top of kitchen tables and counters where food is prepared. Most of the ladies we talked to told us they wouldn't be surprised if their handbags were at least a little bit dirty.

It turns out handbags are so surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist who tested them was shocked. Microbiologist, Amy Karen of Nelson Labs says nearly all of the handbags tested were not only high in bacteria, but high in harmful kinds of bacteria. Pseudomonas can cause eye infections, staphylococcus aurous can cause serious skin infections, and salmonella and e-coli found on the handbags could make people very sick.

In one sampling, four of five handbags tested positive for salmonella, and that's not the worst of it. "There is fecal contamination on the handbags" says Amy. Leather or vinyl handbags tended to be cleaner than cloth handbags, and lifestyle seemed to play a role.

People with kids tended to have dirtier handbags than those without,with one exception. The handbag of one single woman who frequented nightclubs had one of the worst contaminations of all. "Some type of feces, or possibly vomit" says Amy.

So, the moral of this story is that your handbag won't kill you, but it does have the potential to make you very sick if you keep it on places where you eat.

Use hooks to hang your handbag at home and in toilets, and don't put it on your desk, a restaurant table, or on your kitchen countertop. Experts say you should think of your handbag the same way you would a pair of shoes."If you think about putting a pair of shoes on to your countertops, that's the same thing you're doing when you put your handbag on the countertops"

Your handbag has gone where individuals before you have sneezed, coughed, spat, urinated, emptied bowels, etc!Do you really want to bring that home with you?The microbiologists at Nelson also said cleaning a handbag will help. Wash cloth handbags and use leather cleaner to clean the bottom of leather handbags.

Grandiose Ideas! Bollocks!

2008-02-19T10:55:00.003+09:00

The new Korean president that is about to take office, once again astounds foreigners by deciding that English needs to be taken to the next level and that there should be classes taught only in English at least once a week.

The article in the Korean Herald states that 60 percent of Korean teachers already speak good enough English to be able to teach in only English!!!!! Bollocks!!!!! Once again, the Koreans have no idea what they are talking about!!!!!!

Most of the Korean teachers that I meet speak awful English, have the worst grammar that I have ever heard and overall are very poor in the language. Imagine Korea thinking they can speak great! Doesn't surprise me anyway, as Korea has and always will be in denial about the system of teaching here in Korea.

This plan is only in Seoul ,by the way, and is supposed to go in effect by about 2011. Also the government wants to get transcripts sent to them right from the university, which as far as I know is not allowed at the moment........just other bullshit rules like the ones they have adopted now such as criminal check, interview at an embassy, etc...

They are so naive in Korea. They are going to scare away more teachers from coming to Korea and I for one, am quite happy they are doing it. They get what they deserve. They are so arrogant that they refuse to see the problem with the system and refuse to change. Koreans have a real problem with learning English compared to many other countries that study it as a second language. Wake up and smell the roses, Mr. Myong Back Lee!!!!!!

Anyway, this is my spiel for the day; the Korean attitude really bothers me when it comes to English. They really don't have a clue and don't care about what the real English teachers think and don't care to take our advice. Just look at half the English signs around Korea. They make no sense and have spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes and 'Konglish!'

They will not change in the near future, but come up with these grandiose plans that will enable them to speak and understand English better, as they are saying. Yeh, right!!!!!!!!!!!

Time to wake up and realize that you are running a losing battle, Korea! Once you stop being so arrogant and pig-headed about the whole system, maybe then your ability can get to the next level. But not until then.

"Korean can English better do and helpful situation of being good skill and efficient, leads to wanting overall and sufficient level of today and future behind history!!!!!"

The above English is very close to what most English looks like in books and on signs and at museums and monuments.......what a joke!!!!!!!!!

A Large Chunk Of History Destroyed In A Day

2008-02-11T23:08:00.000+09:00

Read this article and realize how sad it is that this main focal point of Seoul's history is going to need re-building. It is only about 15 minutes from my house on bus. What a shame!!!!!!!

This is the before and after pictures of what it looked like and now looks like!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7238210.stm

Staying Home Watching Football All Weekend

2008-02-09T22:13:00.000+09:00

The month's sobriety was broken on Wednesday and Thursday night due to Gareth visiting from Ulsan, which is about 4 hours south of Seoul.

We hung out Wed night and went to a jazz bar on Thursday night. Dave, Rob, Richard and I all hung out that night. I didn't drink a lot, but still broke the month's plan to quit drinking. Oh well, back at it again this weekend. That is not drinking, by the way!

Couldn't go to the gym on Thur or Friday as it was shut, but had a good workout today. I started squatting again. For those of you that have never done squats. They kill!!! They are, however, one of the best overall exercises for building pure strength and work almost every muscle in your whole body. I haven't squatted for a while, but didn't realize how much they hurt!

I still did 4 sets; first set at 135 for 10 reps, second set at 155 for 8 reps, third set at 185 for 6 reps and the last set at 225 for 4 reps. I don't do any of those 'sissy' squats that only go about a quarter down, I squat right down to my ankles, so you have to really push with your legs and back. I wore a belt, so my back was fine.

I am going to do the main three again, squat, deadlift and bench. Give the other exercises a rest and stick to the main three. Run on top of that and walk also. I walked today also for 5 km and about 40 mins. I feel good right now, but am sure that my legs will be sore tomorrow. I love it, though! That kind of pain is always what I have liked. Call me mental, but that is the life of a weightlifter. No pain, no gain!!!!!!

I am looking forward to getting stronger again and back to the level of lifting I was doing a few years ago. You never really lose it, just need to start slowly and work your way back. Is that not true with anything that you give up on in your life?

Watching football at home and am back onto the non-drinking for the rest of the month. Watching Newcastle at the moment and Owen has scored again! I will watch the Everton match after this and maybe one of the other games, too.

I finished reading "The Kite Runner," which my sister had sent me. I started it the day before yesterday, but only read about 20 pages. I finished the whole thing, yesterday!

It was a very sad book, but highly entertaining and very well written. If you haven't gotten a chance already, when you do, read it. You will like it, a lot. It is set in Afghanistan and gives a little insight into what life was like there at the time of the Russian invasion and then after they left.

Liverpool play tomorrow without the services of Torres, who is injured. They play Chelsea, at Chelsea. It is a very important game and I hope we can get a win.

Also the Manchester derby is tomorrow and it is a very special occasion as it is the day to remember the "Munich Disaster" back in the 1950s when 20 plus people including reporters and some of the most famous Utd players at the time, all perished as the plane was trying to take off from Munich. There is a little controversy related to the fact of whether the fans will observe the minute's silence with respect tomorrow, before the game starts. We shall see!!!!!!!

Another Funny Mourinho

2008-02-08T17:18:00.000+09:00

Absolutely Hilarious Setanta Sports Spoof Of Mourinho

2008-02-08T17:16:00.000+09:00

Another Class Video Scouted Out By Liverpool Stuart!

2008-02-04T01:03:00.000+09:00

Some of you may need an interpreter to understand this dead Scouse accent. Gotta love it like, lah!!!!!!

Alcohol Free!

2008-02-03T19:58:00.000+09:00

For the first time that I can remember in the last year or maybe more, I have not drank at all this weekend. It was a conscious choice, as I have had enough of being out on the piss every weekend and ruining every Sunday, as I was too tired to do anything after getting home, sometimes after 5am or so.

Time for reflections, as I say. I am always looking at ways to improve myself and this is one of those times. I want to be healthier and there are 3 parts to that equation; good diet, good exercise and good sleep. Booze needs to be minimal if not non-existen at times. I am not going to become a born-again, by any means, but need to just re-adjust my lifestyle to incorporate a more healther me. I do want to live to 100, by the way and get one of those awards by the monarchy for being a centenarian!!!!!!

So, there you are. The new me feels better and what a difference this Sunday was. I went to the gym, did some washing, did my shopping and cleaned the house. Did some lesson reports, downloaded some music and generally had a great day. Got loads of energy and I slept a lot better last night.

Dave came over and we watched 3 premiership games on my pc. Liverpool won, but still looked very shaky at times, but a win is a win and we gained on all the teams except Arsenal who are now top, alone. Man U tied in the last minute after having being dominated by Tottenham and not deserving anything out of the game.

Richard is coming over tonight, at midnight and we are going to watch the quarter-final game between Ghana and Nigeria. Come on, Nigeria!!!! Richard is so passionate about Nigeria and it is fun to watch a game with him.

They don't show any of the games on t.v. here, I don't have one anyway! Online is the way to go. I have watched about 10 of the Africa Cup of Nations already. I think the best team right now looks like either Ivory Coast or Egypt, but like any tournament, that can change after just one game.

Capello has chosen his first England team and by all opinions, seems to have done a good job. Beckham was not given a run-out because of sentimentality, but I still believe that he will get his 100th cap and I think he deserves it, as he has been an ambassador for the sport and although some of his legacy is shrouded in controversy, he still has done a lot of good for the England team, past and present.

I am off to cook some curry and rice now and have a nice supper. Going to check the news and other events online and then off for a nap, as I will be getting up about 11.30 to watch the premiership games and then at 2am the Nigeria game with Richard being here.

I Have Discovered Podcasts!

2008-01-27T19:49:00.000+09:00

Well, I have finally discovered podcasts and I must say, they are awesome. For those of you who do not know what podcasts are, you are missing out on a whole slew of information if you want to listen to things while you are on the bus, subway or other forms of transportation.

I bought myself an ipod back in December and it has been one of the best purchases ever as it has given me so much contentment and believe it or not, even more education, and all while I am on the go.

I have a whole host of podcasts on my ipod from news to sport, philosophy, language instruction, documentaries, history, discussion groups, health etc.....

It is like listening to a radio except you pick what broadcast you want to listen to, anytime of the day. There are also vodcasts, which are podcasts with video, just like tv, which you can watch on the screen of your ipod.

It is absolutely amazing and to give you an idea of how diverse the things are that I am listening to, here is an example. I listened to a BBC podcast about, "How to Capture a Castle." It was question and answer podcast between an author and an interviewer about a history book, on the history of castles and how they were sieged at different times in history. From being made out of wood and then on to stone, how the attacks differed. It was a really interesting podcast and it was about 40 minutes long. I learnt a lot and I was thoroughly entertained as I went up and down escalators and on and off buses and subways.

There is a "World Soccer Daily" podcast, which was voted the top podcast last year among many listeners. Two fellas, Steve and Howard who are English, but live in America, discuss anything to do with football. People email in questions and opinions and also people phone in during the show. It is almost 2 hours long, Monday to Friday and is very funny and at times controversial. It does not have to fit the criteria for regular radio behaviour as it is a from SIRRIUS satellite radio enterprises. They are very funny as a duo and some of the callers have great questions and insights into the football world.

If you just want to listen to the show on your pc at home, here is the link to the webpage. They have had trouble since last Tuesday, so no broadcasts were available after Tuesday, but the problems should be solved by Monday.

http://www.worldsoccerdaily.com/

There are a host of other sports programs such as; 6 minutes of The Leafs Hockey Team highlights after each game, Footy World, ESPN Soccernet Podcast and on and on.

I love the podcasts and I get so much enjoyment from them. I also have a learn Italian podcast and a Greek podcast as well as vocabulary of the day and on an on.

Sorry to go on about the podcasts, but it is an area of my life that has definitely made me feel more in touch with the western world as well as giving me more enjoyment listening to history, sports and other types of entertainment. I even get the Larry King podcast and listen to some of the people that he interviews.

Anyway, enough said about podcasts, but if you have an ipod and are on the go like my job is, you should check out podcasts and learn all about them.

If you are interested about what podcasts are, here is the link from Wikipedia, which by the way is one of the best online resources to find out about pretty well anything. It is like having the world's encyclopedia at your fingers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasts

Not much else going on at the moment. I am very busy and that is why I have not been blogging so much. I watched the Nigeria vs Mali game on Saturday morning at 4.30am with my Nigerian friend, Richard at my place. Watched the Liverpool game at Hollywood's last night and hung out with Rob and Chris and Dave.

Dave, Chris and I met up in Kangnam and had a meal there before we went to watch the Liverpool game. It ended up being 85 dollars, which by Korean standards is really, really expensive. Still only about 30 dollars each though, and we did eat a lot of bbq'd pork. Usually though, the same meal anywhere else in Seoul would cost half of that. Oh well, live and learn!

I am going to watch the Man U game online at 11 tonight and then off to bed with the start of a new week upon me. I will make my customary Sunday call to my son and then ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

A Mother's Love And Care!

2008-01-22T00:16:00.000+09:00

I have to thank my Mum for the advice she has given me about my cold. She told me to go and get some nasal spray and some eye drops. I did just that and I already feel a little bit better.

Sometimes, all you need is some good, sound advice from a loved one.

I joined up at the old gym today and started having saunas again. I went today and it was awesome, I must say.

No more complaining for me. I am just going to get on with things. Looking forward to watching the Nigeria vs Ivory Coast game and then Liverpool vs Aston Villa. Gonna try and get a few hours shut-eye and then wake up and watch the lot.

January 20th Already!

2008-01-20T16:40:00.000+09:00

This month seems to be just flying by. Can't believe that there are only 11 more days left in the month. It seems like yesterday that it was New Years Day!

Not a lot has been happening. I am extremely busy these days hence the drop in volume of blogging that I am doing.

I usually am done at 9.30 most nights now and then by the time I get home, it is after 10. I have not been to the gym once this week, which is bothering me somewhat.

It has been cold as hell here in Seoul and I think that has been taking it out of me, too. I just don't feel like doing anything when it is this cold. Don't really even want to go out the door.....haha.

The Africa Cup of Nations is starting today and I am looking forward to that. They are not showing any of it on t.v, but I can get every game on line. The online site is http://www.p2p.eu/ and it is a fantastic site. Stu got me onto it and I watch all the football matches on that now.

Didn't go out on Friday night. Just stayed home and went to bed about 11, which is ridiculously early by my standards.

I am still feeling sick. Got rid of that sinus infection and know my eyes are caked every morning and my throat hurts and I have a little bit of a cough that is very dry......ah poor baby Paul, you'll be alright!!!!!!

I really am tired of being sick and hold no trust in the drugs that they give you here. It seems like the stuff never gets rid of whatever it is you have......ever. Tired of going back to the doctors and telling them to give me something stronger. They are the doctors, shouldn't they know? Dumb arses that I have no faith in.

Gonna sign of now, before I get too much more negative. Needless to say, I have the winter blues, big time! I will head out tonight and try to neutralize them.......

Identical Digits For The Fourth Time

2008-01-13T21:48:00.000+09:00

Yes, that's right. I turned 44 on Friday. That means I have done the identical digit thing four times now; 11, 22, 33 and 44. Let's hope I can get to do it 9 times....haha.

Met Dave, Rob and Dan on Thursday night, the eve before my birthday and ended up getting home about 5am. It was a good night and we all had a good time.

Woke up about 11 am on Friday morning and then finished my work at about 8.45pm. It was a bit of a long day, but it was my birthday, so it was cool.

One of my students, Alex, turned 6 the same day as me! It was so cool. I knew this a few months before, so we decided to have Domino's Pizza and a bottle of coke during the class for 'Our Birthday!'

I bought Alex a leather football from the Korean League here and he bought me a stainless steel thermos from Starbucks Coffee with a free coupon for a coffee anysize and anykind also. We had a good lesson and just hung out. He is football mad and plays also.

I also have another student, Moonhee who turned 31 the same day. I teach her by telephone, twice a week for 30 minutes each time. I only found out it was her birthday on Monday and thought she was joking at first.

My birthday itself on Friday night was great. Dan, Rob, Dave, Ryan and I played screen golf at a place close to Dan's house. We started about 10 and finished at 1.30 in the morning. Rob and I then headed back to Itaewon where we live and ended up at a bar called 'Ole Stompers.' Duane, the fella that owns it, is a great fella and we just hung out there with a bunch of other people until about 6am. The music was great and also I met two South American fellas.

I was able to practice my Spanish with them. One fella was from Ecuador and the other from Peru. The fella from Peru plays in a band that was scheduled to appear that following night at Ole Stompers, but we never made it out to see it.

On a bad note, Rob was let go by his school. They said something about numbers, but I seriously think they are having financial troubles and are just looking for an excuse to downgrade. The only problem is they told him on Thursday that they wanted him to leave the school 4 days later, the day after he got paid.

Usually ,job etiquette here states that the school will give you at least 30 days notice if they want to lay you off. It definitely works the other way if you want to quit. They insist that you give them that much time. I was pissed off royally and will wait to see what happens with a meeting that Rob has scheduled with the school on Monday.

Remember, I work for the same company, but at a different school. I told my Korean teacher that if they screw Rob over, then I will not be resigning there at the end of April like they want me to. I will not stand by and see one of my best friends treated unfairly and then just carry on working for the same company like nothing has happened.

I have too much integrity to do that and also there are tons of jobs out there, all the time. I look after my friends and anyway, that could happen to me next.

Watched the Liverpool game last night and don't even want to go there about how bad they are!!!!!!!

Gonna watch the Sunderland vs Portsmouth game in about half an hour and then off to bed. Back to the Monday grind and see what the week has to offer.

The First Weekend Of The New Year

2008-01-06T22:24:00.000+09:00

By all standards, it has been a quiet first weekend. Friday night, I met up with Rob and Dan and we played 'screen' golf. Rob kicked our butts and I totally sucked. I got almost double par on each hole, which is the maximum the game will give you!

I enjoyed it though. I want to go and do it again for my birthday on Friday. Hopefully, we'll have Rob, Dan, Dave and I there playing it. Chris doesn't like it, so he won't be coming, I think.

I met up with Caroline on Saturday in Bundang. She is a Korean girl that I became friends with about 2 years ago when I lived in Bundang. I ended up teaching her sister and her sister's friend for about 4 months or so.

She just returned from Mexico, where she lived and studied for a year. Her aunt lives there, so it was much cheaper to study there than any other places. She did her major in Spanish in Korea, so it was a good choice to improve her Spanish.

I took my Spanish phrase book with me and we talked for about 3 hours in Spanish. I was quite surprised how much I remembered and it was great to speak my favourite language of all!

Saturday night, I met up with Chris in Kangnam and then we headed to Itaewon again. We went to Geckos and stayed there for a while and ended up again at UN Club. Not much went on, but a good time was had by all.

Stayed home all day today. Did some lesson plans and prepared some questions for my classes at school. Other than that, I just lounged around all day.

I am going to call my son, Tyler, at midnight, as usual. At 1am, I am going to watch the Liverpool vs Luton FA Cup game on my computer. I might watch the Arsenal or another game that starts before the Liverpool game, too.

Not a bad weekend to start the New Year!

27 Hours Into A 48 Hour Fasting Session

2008-01-04T00:30:00.000+09:00

Yep, that's right. It is that time of the year again to purge my system completely and get all the junk out of there or at least give my body a good chance to digest some of the residue out of the tank.

I am currrently into my 28 hour and I don't feel hungry at all. I have been drinking lots of water and had some juice this afternoon and some coffee.

This is not the first time that I have tried this. I have been doing this for many years now. Don't know if it helps my system in the long run, but it just feels good to do it once in a while.

I have not done any exercising other than walking while I am fasting, for obvious reasons. I will work out tomorrow and then tell you how things went.

For now, suffice to say that I am feeling good and will continue to do so unless I start to really want to eat and then I will..........