Brain Drain In My Membrane, Oh What A Shame.

Somedays don't you just wish you could turn your brain off?

I am having one of those days. I am anlayzing everything about anything and driving myself mad in the process.

Some of the things that I am thinking about are not necessarily earth shattering, but still it is one of those days that I just wish I could flip off the brain switch.

Last night Dave and I went to Itaewon, which is about 40 minutes from Bundang. It has the US army base there, so needless to say there are shit loads of foreigners there. It is actually the largest concentration of foreigners anywhere in Korea.

It is a little seedy to tell you the truth, but there are some great places to shop and lots of western style cafes and restaurants. There are a large variation of foods such as Thai, Japanese, Filipino and Chinese plus the normal traditional Korean foods of course.

There is a lot of 'attitude' in the area and non more prevalent than the military guys. You can tell them a mile off with their short hair cuts and when you get closer, their attitudes are even more recognizable. They strutt around with an air of arrogance. It is that obvious.

The only good thing is that they have a midnight curfew and the military police are out in full force checking to see if anyone is breaking the curfew. So after midnight, the boys disappear completely. You will see an American MP and a Korean MP or MP's walking in and out of different places, checking to see if the boys are up to no good or out too late.

Back to the brain drain again. Started thinking about the whole single thing and how much I am liking it and why I did the whole relationship thing! I guess it is good to ask myself these kinds of questions because I don't want to ever do it again.

I think a lot of the time, we, meaning men and women, succumb to the hidden pressures of society's views of being single. Although most people don't ever tell you, they always think that if you are single and especially if you are single for a while, that you are either strange or gay, I suppose.

I know that sounds like a ridiculous statement, but that is how I see it more and more as I am getting older. I just think I am jaded at the moment and coming down hard on myself for being an absolute moron. When am I going to stop this ridiculous cycle of neediness? Hopefully, this will be like the alcoholic trying to quit for the 100th time. This time is it! We shall see, I suppose. Can you teach a wounded dog new tricks? Nat King Cole was a merry old soul and then he got what he wanted!

Anyway, that is one of my beefs about the whole relationship thing. I don't care, by the way. If I did then I guess I would be still married or in a serious relationship. Wait a minute, I was in one of them, again and again and again..... ahhhhhhh!!!!!! Maybe I do care!!!!! Oh, whatever man.

I am finding my blog very therapeutic most of the time now. It helps me put something out there, as such. It is kind of like talking to someone and just wanting them to listen. So, my blog readers are my psychiatrists or therapists. Thanks for listening, by the way.......

I went to the public bath today for the first time in about 3 weeks. It was so nice and relaxing. Usually when I get there, I have a routine that I follow. I go into the sauna, wash off, into the cold bath, into the sauna, wash off, into the cold bath and on and on and on.

Then I go into the steam room and wash off and into the cold bath and on and on and on. I do this for about 45 minutes non-stop and let me tell you, you actually get a good heart exercise going. After I finish, I have a shave with the one dollar razor that you can buy there and then shower and get changed.

When I come out, I feel so clean and it almost feels like my spirit is renewed. Hey, wait a minute! Maybe that is when the brain drain started because I was so relaxed. I guess there are positives and negatives in everything, aren't there?

I talked to my son, Tyler, today. He sounds so grown up now. Well, he will be 19 on September 16th.... shit I feel old now! He was talking about going to the beach and we talked about the World Cup and how his Summer was going and had a few laughs.

I hadn't spoken to him for about 3 weeks, but I finally got him today. He sounds good and he sounds like the typical teenager.

I met his mother when I was 19 and was married at 21. I sure as hell hope he doesn't get married that early. That was a bit too young to get married, looking back. Oh well, what can you do. love and learn dot com!!!!!!!!!!!

My friend Gareth who is from Manchester is coming down here tomorrow. I talked to him today and he is on the outs with his bird as well. She has her stuff packed and he wants her out asap.She is due to leave Korea really soon too. She was living with him too. The school would give her a sum of money as they didn't have to provide a house for her, so everything was squared away that way. She is a Canadian bird and French Canadian background. Seemed like a nice enough girl, but don't they all. Hey, I mean guys and girls, okay!!!!

Must be some kind of epidemic going on, relationship juncture, or is it just coincidental. I think just a part of life as such.

So we should have a good time when he comes down. We, meaning Dave, Gareth and I. I am sure we will get up to no good sometime tomorrow or the day after. It is okay as I have the 3 days off...... remember?

The brain feels much lighter now. Off to bed I go, hi-ho hi-ho hi ho hi ho.

An Email That Could Save People's Lives!

HEART ATTACK PROCEDURE" (THIS IS NOT A JOKE!)

Women should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack.

Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wakeup.

Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know, the better chance we could survive...

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this mail sends it to 10 people, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life. Read this... It could save your life!!

Let's say it's 4:15 PM and you're driving home. Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five miles from the hospital nearest your home.

Unfortunately, you don't know ifyou'll be able to make it that far. You have been trained in CPR, but the guy that taught the course did not tell you how to perform it on yourself.

"HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE"

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.

However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.

A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again.

Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital.

Tell as many other people as possible about this. It could save their lives!! "

Korean Wildlife. Where Is It?

Korea has very little domestic wildlife. I don't see many birds and there are very few other animals that I have seen. I don't know if they have squirrels or chipmunks or anything else of the sort.

I know by talking to Korean people, they have told me that when the Japanese occupied Korea, they either killed a lot of the wildlife or took it out of the country. I am going to try and do a little research again on the matter, but think that there must be some truth to what they are saying.




I have seen lots of Mappies and a few Sparrows. The Sparrows are the really small ones and other than those two types of birds, I haven't seen any other ones. I have never seen small animals in the bush or on a walking path.

It was kind of one of those things that just creep up on you and you say to yourself. "Hey, there are no animals here!"

There are also not many cats, although I have seen a few. There are lots of dogs, but that is on the account of people buying them as pets. Most of the dogs are very small and you seldom see people walking a big dog. I saw a big Newfoundland a few weeks of go, though.

It amazes me really as Korea is a country of mountains. I thought there would have been more bears and other types of wildilife. I mentioned in class to my kids that there was a Korean bear and they said no way. Some of them did not know that there was a bear native to Korea.

I got this great pic from my Dad by email. I don't know what country it is from, but isn't it an awesome mix of colours and flowers. It looks like someone painted the landscape!

Dave and I are off to Itaewon to have a look around there and maybe do some shopping. I could do with a few t-shirts and short sleeved shirts for school. We are driving in his car there and it really is not that far away. I am also looking for a new camera. Something around 150 to 200 dollars will be more than good enough for me and have everyting I want on it.

My camera is on the blink and has been that way since I bought it. I got it at the Future Shop in Canada. They are usually great for servicing things, but I got shafted on this one. I only had the camera 2 weeks and the LCD monitor on the back was on the blink. I took it back and they sent it off to be repaired. I should have insisted then on a new one, not a repaired one. Oh well, you learn by your mistakes.

The Liverpool website are looking for people to write articles from places around the world about the Reds and their supporters. I sent off an email yesterday saying that I would be thrilled to contribute. Let's see what happens. I could be somewhat famous if I write on their website!

I would love to do something like that to tell you the truth. Keep your fingers crossed for me and I will keep you all informed about what goes on or not.

I have 3 days off this week, Monday to Wednesday. I am going to go to the gym twice a day, go to the public bath, read a few books and take some nice afternoon naps. I am going to enjoy the time off to tell you the truth. It will be the first time that I have had time alone in my own place here in Bundang, now that the ex-girlfriend is gone.

Dave and I are going to just chill tonight. Maybe go for a coffee or something and just take it easy. Most people in Korea are on holidays now for a week. It should be quite quiet around town. There will be a lot of people travelling all over the place this weekend. Most of the people here are off for the same week in August, Korea wide.

Believe it or not, most Koreans get a maximum of one week off a year. That would suck, don't you think?

Annoying Mornings At Times

Well this morning I am a little grumpy! I am not usually this grumpy, but the rain is finally getting too me and I am tired of coming into work, wet!

Also, we have a guy that we work with Tony who is much too loud and much too happy in the morning. He is always 'over the top' at most times of the day, never mind in the morning. He is quite annoying to tell you the truth because the stuff he says and the way he acts, annoys the shite out of me. He is a nice fella, but it is like being in junior school again. Anyway, I told him this morning to pepper down a bit. He was too much for me.

He comes over to you and pats you on the back or the shoulders and mutters some stupid stuff or whatever. I guess he is too happy or is it just me...... haha.



Other than the rain it is Friday, so I should be happy as there is now a 3 day holiday after today. We are off Monday to Wednesday, so I shouldn't be complaining really.

I guess the blog is good for relieving my stress and also to 'get it out there.'

I feel like the dog in the picture this morning. I will give my head a shake and take on the day with a better attitude. I promise!!!!!!!!!

I am looking forward to going to the gym twice a day and just doing nothing. I am going to read a couple of books and just chill.

I am also happy that the Premiership will be starting soon. The pre-season is in full gear and Liverpool have already played 2 games. We also have a couple of new signings, so I think we can give any team a go in the league this year.

Bye for now. Don't worry my spirits are already raised up a little, just typing these words into the blank piece of paper.

Rain Rain Rain And More Rain!!!!!!

Well, it rained again all day today. There was no holding it back and it certainly poured down for long periods of time.

Most of the kids that I teach have to tell me how the weather is outside and it is good practice in the class to get them saying it is raining again.

Most of the Korean kids hate the rain as there is very little grass to play on and all the dirt playgrounds get washed out when it rains.

Dave told me today that he was getting lunch and it was raining a little. Once he came out of the shop, the rain was actually coming through the umbrella. It was that heavy!!!!!

I see on the news again that there are parts of Seoul that are badly flooded and some roads washed out and lots of property damage.

I am sick of the rain to tell you the truth and that is pretty unusual as I am an avid lover of the rain most of the time. I just feel like it cleans everything and renews the earth's spirit. But in such long doses like we have been getting, it is overkill central.

The weather forecast email that I got from my Dad, pretty well sums up what we think of our weather sometimes.

Death Is A Part Of Life...... Sadly Enough.

Two good friends of mine have lost a parent recently. My deepest condolences go out to both them and their family and friends.

Rob lost his father suddenly, with no warning at all. His father was diagnosed with cancer and they told him that he would have about 3 months or so to live. Within 2 or 3 weeks, he died. Luckily for Rob, he made it back from Korea and went to the hospital to see his dad. He told me that once he got there he sat with his dad and then left. 4 hours later his dad passed away.

I didn't know what to say at the time to him, but wished him strength and courage to get through the loss of a parent.

I once had a conversation with my Dad. He said that although his mother died around 20 odd years ago, he has never gotten over it. He thinks about her even today and said that when you lose a mother or father, the memories should always remain in your heart and mind.
Regardless, it is not easy and he said that he wished he could just talk to her once in a while.

My other friend Tony, just lost his mother two days or so ago. Tony was very very close to her and even said that he was a mommy's boy. Dave recieved an email yesterday saying that she had died and had died in his arms. He is in a very solemn state right now and I can only wish him the same as Rob; that he will find the strength and courage to get through this time also. I hope he keeps all the good memories and lessons that his mother taught him.

I count myself very lucky that both of my parents are alive and healthy and try not to think about anything negative in the future. However, the events in my friends' lives have made me realize how important it is to STILL have a great relationship with my family and take the extra time to email and call and of course see them.

I am not happy at the present moment about the amount of time that I have not seen my Sister or Mum and Dad. By the time I go back to visit Canada in February, it will have been over 30 months since I saw them.

I will make sure that this does not happen EVER again. I promised myself that I would go home and see them at the end of every one year contract. Even if it is for a couple of weeks. That is what is important to me now and I want to make sure that I heed my own advice.

My Mum lost her mother and father within a period of 6 weeks or so. I cannot imagine how difficult that must have been.

We had only just emigrated to Canada at that time and it must have been extremely difficult having to suffer on her own. She had my father of course, but it must have been a very tough time for her with no brothers or sisters around.

I now realize, being an older adult and of course more mature, how strong my Mum is and what strength of character and determination she has in her personality.

My father also lost his father very young. He was in his 20s when my grandfather Campbell died.

I have one brief memory of my grandfather. I was beside his bed and he was asking me for something. I was only 3 or 4 years old, so it is amazing that I can even remember anything from that period.

Again, my Dad had to suffer through a tough time and he has told me stories about my grandfather's life and trials and tribulations.

My Mum and Dad have always talked about death as being a part of life. Their stories and advice have always helped me put things into perspective.

My Mum told me a story about her grandmother before she died and how her grandmother told her not to be afraid of her when she was dead; meaning her body. My Mum said that she sat beside her grandmother after she had died and was not scared at all.

I guess the reason that I am writing about this kind of stuff is due to the fact that my friends are going through a tough time right now. I cannot relate to how they feel.

I was upset when my Grandad and Nanna McCarthy died and my Nanna Campbell, but I was only 14 when my Mum's parents died and 19 and at a very selfish time in my life when my Nanna Campbell died.

I do however remember my cousin Dominique who died of cancer when she was 4 or 5. I remember thinking what a strange world it was that a young baby like her had to die. How unjust it was and how strange God worked at that time.

I think that was the catalyst for me to be an atheist. I couldn't believe that God could take a young child from the grasps of life and its parents. I know it sounds obscene, but I could never keep believing in any God after the death of Dominique. She also had a sister Laura who died when she was only 1 year old. Of course, Dominique never knew Laura, but she was told stories about her by my uncle Domenic and Auntie Anne.

My Uncle and Aunt had to endure the deaths of two of their children and amazingly enough now have 2 healthy boys. Our Jonathan is in his mid-twenties now and finished university and is doing very well for himself. Our David is earlier twenties and is a Seargeant in the police force now. He is also about 6'4".

I hope that my Mum and Dad will be around for a long time to come and I know that sounds very selfish. Isn't that what every child would wish though? But if and when the time comes, I will have no regrets about the relationship that I have or had with them and I will be forever grateful to them for giving me the gift of life and love.

My parents are the root of my life and I feel blessed to have such a strong family tree that raised me into adulthood with such good qualities and strengths.

My deepest sympathies to everyone that reads this blog that has lost loved ones. I wish you the strength and courage everyday to live your life to the fullest and to cherish the time with your family and friends. Enjoy your life and make fun a big part of it everyday. Live your life thinking of something larger than your own life. I mean, give to others freely and willingly your time and of course your love.

Be the human being that you can be......... always!!!!!!!!!!

8am Wake Up Calls!!!!!!!!

The summer intensive has started. 2 days into it actually. Now I have to be in work for 10am, which by my standards is really really early.

It seems like a distant dream that I used to get up at 5am everyday to go to work, but I did when I worked for The City Of London, Ontario. I got used to that for about 15 years, so this will be a breeze. Just like riding a bike, I suppose.

The two morning classes are going fairly well and I am even teaching a debate class. It is quite challenging as I have never taught debating, especially as a second language. It is going well and Wayne the head teacher at my school is helping me get indoctrinated into the whole scheme of things.

I am still going to the gym and eating healthy. I ran for 50mins tonight, which was tough, but I did it! I am almost done the antibiotics that the doctor gave me and have noticed a marked improvement in my nasal and tonsular passages. In other words, my nose and throat feel much better!

The doctor laughed at me when he asked me how long I had had these symptoms and I said about 3 months. I don't like to go to the doctor for just anything and tried to get rid of my infection the normal way. It didn't work, hence the antibiotics.

I am too tired at the moment to post a long blog. Tuesday and Thursdays are going to be my bad days. I go in at 10 and finish at 8pm, with only 1 hour and 20 mins between my first two classes and the last four. My mouth is worn out and that is saying a lot for me!!!!!!!

Weather has been fine, warm but not overbearing. July is almost over. I had my 11 month anniversary of quitting smoking on July 20th. I am proud of that accomplishment........ don't miss that dirty habit and I am not a preacher on a box to anyone that does smoke!

Glasses Glasses Glasses Glasses!

One of the things that I have noticed in Korea since I have been here is that there are an exceptionally large amount of young children who wear glasses. I don't know if it is a genetic thing or something to do with their lifestyle, i.e. water, food etc. I am going to try and do some research and ask some questions over the next little while and see if I can figure anything out.






Cell phone manners are becoming non-existent these days, all over the world. We have this device that has become attached to us 24/7. We can't do without it and we guard it like it controls our lives.

Along with this phenomenon is the lack of manners now associated with it. Hey, I will be the first to admit that I do it sometimes too! I do however, try to control myself and think logically when I am using the cell phone. Dave told me the other day that I am sometimes really loud on the cell phone and I think that is just because I have a loud voice, but I am going to try to heed his criticism and not talk so loud when I am using it.

People talk everywhere on them. In the toilets, on the bus, on the subway and any other conceivable place that you can imagine. Lining up to pay at the bank is one. in cars and even the bus drivers here talk on them while they are driving!

Anyway, whoever reads this blog and has a cell phone, let's start today and try to regress back to the point where they are not are 'be all and end all' of life. Let's remember that we need to watch our manners when we are on them and use our logic as to when and where to use them and answer them........ enough said!

Everything is going well on the personal front. I am enjoying having my own space now, immensely. I have even rearranged the whole apartment, so now it feels like I am making a fresh start to everything. I am keeping at the gym and eating healthy still too.

Dave and I met last night for a few drinks and it ended up being a 4am night for me and even later for him. It was a good time and we met at a famous Kimchi restaurant first and then went and had coffee at Samsung Plaza, before we started to have a few drinks.

Today was just a relaxing day. I went to the gym, had some lunch. Then I came home and cleaned up the house and did some washing. Went for a nap and now I am going out with Dave. I think we are going for coffee, but no sure. Dave can bring his water bottles over to my house. I have a water machine which is very handy. I always bug him to bring his empty bottles over. Why pay for it when your friend has a water machine! Right?

I threw some more clothes out today that I don't like. They never really fitted that well and I just decided to chuck them. I donated them of course. I don't throw anything like that in the garbage. Having been a garbage man before for more than 7 years, I realized how bad some people are for throwing out good stuff. I promised myself to never be one of those, so I try to recycle everything that is reusable, such as clothes and furniture and the like.

Summer intensive starts tomorrow. I have to be at the school at 10am Monday to Friday. It ends August 18th, so it is not too bad. I will get myself into a morning routine for a month and then back to normal. There is a 3 day holiday for Avalon next Monday to Wednesday in August. That will shorten the whole thing up and I am looking forward to that.

Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick

One of the strangest things about Korea is that most of the normal toilets don't have any toilet paper in them. To start off with, you have to find one that has a normal sit down toilet, which is actually quite common now than earlier years, rather than a squatter and also find one that has paper.

What I mean by normal is not a 'squatter.' To those of you that have never experienced one of them, they are a cultural phenomenon. It is just a hole in the ground made out of a ceramic china base of course and you literally have to squat either side of it and do your business. The flush valve is level with the floor, so once you finish, you hit the flush valve with your foot.






The other quite disgusting thing is that Koreans put the toilet paper in a garbage can and not down the toilet. I am serious!!!! They even have signs in a lot of the toilets that say don't flush the paper down the toilet. Why? I have no idea! They have not realized that the new paper goes to mush when it gets wet.

Sometimes there is a smell and sometimes people put the paper in the big can beside the toilet 'shit side up!!!!' It was a bit un-nerving when I first came here, but now I have taught myself to look nowhere near the garbage can beside the toilet or the squatter!

Usually people that have lived here for a while or are 'smart,' always carry some tissue paper in their bags in case of emergencies. Most of the nice places have paper in the toilets, but loads of the restaurants and other places, don't have any. I always dump my paper in the toilet...... screw that nonesense of throwing it in a waste paper basket or garbage can.....uhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!



Again, another cultural difference that takes a bit of getting used to. Most of the businesses here do not have on premise toilets. You have to go out into the hallways, where there are toilets. There are usually toilets on every floor of every building due to the lack of toilets inside the establishment itself. I think that is kind of cool as you don't get people not buying something from the place using the toilet there. It is however very frustating when you have no tissue paper, although all the variety stores sell them dead cheap all the time.





Not much else going on at the moment. I am getting myself into a regulary rhythm now. Going to the gym religiously and starting to read a little more. I actually read a 298 page book tonight in 3 hours! I had to read it for one of my classes during the Summer intensive. It is a children's book, so it was an easy read and it was actually quite entertaining. It is called "Hoot" by Carl Hiassen.

I found out today that I will be teaching the highest level at my school. I will be having a 10am class Monday to Friday for the whole month. Ouch!!!! I haven't got up that early to teach a regular class for a long time. I have been told that I will get some overtime too, as I may be doing 5 classes a day sometimes. I don't mind to tell you the truth. I much prefer to be busy than idle. Too much time on my hands drives me nuts. I will find out my full schedule tomorrow for the intensive period starting Monday, July 24th until August 24th.

The nice thing is that after next week, we have a holiday on July 31st and August 1st and 2nd. It is a complete school shutdown. I have no plans other than go to the gym more and read a little more. Some of the teachers are organizing a trip somewhere for the weekend starting before and they will have 5 days including the 3 days off that we have.

Dave and I have decided that we are going to Thaipei in October for 4 days. There is a 5 day holiday here in Korea then called "Chusok." It is the Korean version of Thanksgiving Day. I am quite looking forward to it and it is one of the cheaper places to go for a quick visit. Everyone that I have talked to said that it was a good place, but very hot. Dave has been there before and he saw it during the 'SARS' period, so it was dirt cheap. He said it is a cool place though.





This will be the first holiday since April 2000 that we will be both travelling together and we are SINGLE! Look out Taipei!!!!!!!!! Maybe we need some tips on how to make a woman happy?



It has rained a little the last 2 days, but has cooled off significantly. However most of the building are retaining the heat, which is a little uncomfortable. The a/c units here are never central units, but free standing ones. They usually only cool one area of a room or one room. If you want the rooms to be really cool, you need to have a couple of them in the room. Most of them are stand up units or wall mounted units.

Time to get some sleep now. It is 3.22am as I am doing this blog. Time to get some beauty sleep and get ready for the gym in the morning. I am enjoying sleeping in my big bed and not having anyone in the apartment except me. It is awesome!!!!!!!!!

The Rain Has Slowed Down For A Day

Well, the rain has taken a break for a day! It has been threatening to rain all day, but it hasn't yet. The temperature has dropped about a good 10 degrees though. It is nice for sleeping now, but the buildings are still quite warm inside and are holding onto the heat a little.


This morning the lady who services my water machine.... that doesn't sound too good does it.... haha! If Ronaldo comes back to Manchester, he will have to service Rooney to make up for his insolence and bad behaviour.

Anyway, I have a water machine that costs me 30 dollars a month, which is great as I don't have to buy bottled water. It is a filtered machine without a bottle. The water is piped in from the general water to the apartment and filtered through the machine.

It is great as I have water on demand to drink whenever I want. It saves a lot of messing about buying bottled water and ends up being way cheaper having the machine. In a year the price drops to about 20 dollars a month.

There is a full service package that comes with the machine. They came for the first two months and cleaned the filters and then cleaned out the machine. Today they replaced the filter with a new one. This is all included in the price of the monthly rental. It only took the lady about 20 mins and she was completely finished.

Here are a few pics of the boys in training already. Bellamy is the new boy above who scored last Saturday on his debut. He has a bad reputation as a 'bad boy' but I don't think that will be an issue when he plays for Liverpool. He supported LFC as a little boy, so he is thrilled to be playing for them. He also idolizes Fowler who actually set up his goal last Saturday against Wrexham.

I love the British sense of humour. They always have something that will be current and of course offensive to some and hilarious to others. I can just see Rooney working on an ice-cream van, can't you?

Here is a pic of the most current substitute for mother's milk. They say the babies are all acting funny after they drink it though!!! Either that or it is a man's drink so he feels like he is getting the best of both worlds... nudge nudge wink wink.... nudger......

No breaks again today as Jason, one of the teachers is in Cambodia for a week. I can do it, but hate having 2 days without breaks. Well, there is 5 mins between three of them and 10 between the other. Still, no time to even have a snack or anything. Here I go again, winging.... .wah wah. Maybe I should suck on that can above..........

A Day Of Mixed Emotions

Today was one of mixed emotions. Kyoung Hee finally left to go back to Ulsan, her home town. I was relieved that she was gone, but at the same time, I was also a bit angry at myself for getting myself into the situation.

I feel bad that I have hurt her, but I also hurt myself in the long run. I realize now that I am nowhere near ready to share my life with anyone else. I don't like answering to anyone and I certainly love my own space and have become very selfish about it..... I guess!!!!!!

I feel sorry that I hurt another human being and will do my damnest to never do it again. I know that Kyoung Hee will have a better life with someone else and I wish her all the best in her future endeavours. We shared the last year and a half together. Some of the times were good, some others not so good, but we shared a big part of oru lives over the last little while. I hope that she finds herself. I have already done that, but just keep making the same stupid mistakes....... attachment being one of them.

I need to just be at the moment and let my life evolve the way it should. Try not to force anything and live for the moment, but be a good person doing it. I don't count hurting another person as being a good person. As you can see, it is just a part of me that dislikes doing harm to another human being.

That is why today was one of mixed emtions. I am not sorry that I have ended the relationship. I am actually thrilled. It is nice to have my own place to myself again and am even enjoying typing this blog more than I have in the past ones.

I can now get back to my original plan. That is to save a shitload of money while I am here and just have no plan at all, other than seeing my family once a year and having as much fun everyday that I can.

I am still going to the gym, so that is keeping me focused and of course still enjoying my job, although it has been a bit tiring the last couple of weeks due to the workload.

The summer schedule starts next Monday and as usual we will get a day's notice of our schedule. The first class starts at 10am and the last class finishes at 8pm.

That doesn't mean we will be working all those hours. There may be a split shift thrown in there and sometimes like 2 or 3 hours between classes. We are allowed to go home or do whatever and when our last class is done, we can leave.

Saying that, I think I will have two days where I start at 2pm and finish at 8pm, which is fine with me. I don't know about any of the other days..... we shall see.

It is my lovely Sister's birthday on Friday and I only wish I could have been in Canada to share it with her......... or do I really...... just joking. I will see her in February along with the rest of the family when I finish my one year contract in Bundang. I hope she has a great day and has her usual smile all day long.

My Sister is such a wonderful caring person, she really is quite unbelievable at times. Her personality shines like a beacon of light. Everyone that has ever met her loves her. What can I say? It runs in the family. We are all charmers..... haha.

Anyway, she is turning 44 on Friday, July 21st..... She is my older Sister..... hehe... only by 18 months though! My Dad says she was planned and I was Houdini.....get it? I just sneaked in there.

Time to go get some winks now in my BIG bed. It feels so nice to just sleep on my own....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

If I Was A Duck, I Would Be Fine

Well now I know for sure that if I was a duck in Korea at the moment, I would be very happy. It has literally rained non-stop for the last week straight. It has not give up and it doesn't look like it is going to give up any time soon.





I am sick of it now to tell you the truth. I usually love the rain, but it it getting on my nerves now. At the start of the week, the humidity was about 100 percent, really!!!! The heat was unbearable and everyone, even the Koreans, were complaining about it. Everywhere you went or stayed, turned you into a sweat machine.

The bit of good news now is that the humidity has gone, but the damn rain is still going. It rains then it stops for 5 or 10 mins and then proceeds to piss down again.

Anyone that knows me knows that I hate umbrellas. I hate carrying them, holding them and most of all LOSING them! I hate walking here in Korea when it rains because there are so many people who have umbrellas. Actually every single person has an umbrella.

I am just the right height to get poked in the side of the head quite frequently! People in Korea, as you all know if you read my blog regularly, are not aware of their personal space and don't use their peripheral vision. So I am a bulls-eye for all of them, like on a dart board or on the shirt below.

Speaking of bulls-eyes, this pic of Jessica Simpson is enough to make any normal hot blooded male cry. What a body and what a great look. If only the brain was at the same ratio as her outer appearance. I guess it is true; you can't have everything, looks and brains. I am sure she is not suffering financially from the lack of brains, but personally, I think that is what her and her hubby split up over. He was a bad tempered sod and she was just a blonde dummy.

I often get these types of funny pics and things from my Mum and Dad. They are in the same vein of thought as other people of the same age as them, I guess? They will read my comments and say, "Cheeky bastard our Paul isn't he?"

It's true though, they are a little obsessed with the getting old thing...... haha! I hope I am in as good a shape as they are now, when I am in my 60's though! I just got a few pics of them from Newfoundland where they went on a trip. They look great and look as happy as ever or should I say my Dad looks as mental as ever.

Now you know where I get the crazy personality from; both of them are to blame. All kidding aside though, I am thankful that they have given me the gift of laughter throughout my life. It has helped me through some awful personal times and gave me hope always for my future. Thanks Jimmy and Irene!

Not much else to blog about at the moment other than the rain, but I am sure there will be some more stories to come. Never a dull moment that is for sure!

The woman is leaving tomorrow morning. She is packed and ready to go. Time for another era in my life without a woman, thank you. More about that once she is gone. Keep you all tintulated about that future blog.

Speaking Test Monday And Tuesday For The Kids

This Monday and Tuesday are the days of the monthly speaking tests for the children at my school, Avalon.

Each class uses two of the units that we have already studied in class. They are given the unit numbers to study a week before the speaking tests. Each student has a question book that has 10 questions from each unit studied from each chapter of the reading book.



For example most of the classes were given unit 1 and 2 as the speaking test units. They have all the answers to each unit written in their reading books, or should I say, they should have them written. It is not always the case. 70 percent of the questions used for the speaking tests are taken directly from the questions books, so if they studied the units well, they will have no problem with the speaking test.

The children come into the classroom and it is set up much like an interview. There are usually 4 students sitting beside each other and either one or two teachers sitting in desks in front of them. The students are then asked questions in order by one teacher and the other teacher evaluates them for accuracy,comprehension,pronunciation and interaction while responding to the questions. There are also times when one teacher asks the questions and evaluates them too.

The point system starts at 10 and then goes down from there. It is a little bit nerve-racking for the students, so we try to make them feel as comfortable as possible. Either before or after the speaking test, the students also have a monthly vocabulary test with the Korean teachers and then on top of that a small essay to explain one of the two units that they were given to study for the speaking test.

The English teachers also mark these mini-summarizations for the Korean teachers. Needless to say, it is a stressful time for the students, but the parents want them to be pushed this hard and it is a good way to see what level the kids are at and how they are progressing especially their speaking skills, which are always the hardest to evaluate.

Some of the kids are really nervous whent they are sitting there for their speaking test, but it is good practice for them even for the future for an interview for a job. Some of the faces on the kids are priceless and quite funny at times.

I like the speaking test days, but don't like marking those mini-essays as we are already marking essays on an ongoing basis anyway. I think Avalon asks a bit much of us at times and expect too much for the time that we are here compared to some of the other schools that are at an equivalent level.

Things don't look good for me re-signing my contract here. That said, I am not stressed out about the school at all. I just think I need to go to another place next year where I can be a little bit more of a free spirit when teaching the classes and have some fun with some of the kids. At least a little anyway, which is not possible here other than putting some humour into teaching the lesson. The kids never have free time as we are going gangbusters right from the time the starting bell goes until the end of the class, to cover the material that we need to.

One of the things that Avalon does that I don't like is just go at a hundred mile an hour. They give the kids hardly anytime to just relax and they have tests every bloody day. If they just gave the kids a little break sometimes, it would go a long way to improving both the students attitude and for sure the teacher's attitudes.

Avalon have lost a lot of teachers lately and are going to lose more in the future. Lyndsey is not re-signing and I would say that if one teacher here and there went, maybe it is the teachers, but if there are teachers leaving left right and centre, then the problem is with the school itself and how they are treating the teachers. Anyway, enough said, I will still enjoy my 6 months more and then find another place before I leave for my month off.

Here is a pic of my Dad in Newfoundland. Mum and he just got back from a nice 2 week tour of the place. They said it was fantastic and that the people were awesome. They said that the people have the same sense of humour as the Brits. More pics to come as and when I get them off my Mum and Dad.

The World Cup Is Over! Time To Get Back To Normal Living Now

The World Cup is over and I am actually quite relieved as now I can get some sleep!
I have stayed up many early mornings to watch the games here in Korea due to the time difference.



The usual start times were 12 midnight and then 2am or as later on in the tournament, 2am and 4am. That meant that most games at 4am got finished at around 6am. I watched almost all of the games in the knockout phases, so sleep deprivation was abundant in this body for the whole month!!!!



I am going to give a very brief synopsis of what my thoughts about the the quality and entertainment value of this 2006 World Cup tournament.

The refereeing was very inconsistent and they should have named this tournament the 'Christimas tournament' because there were so many cards handed out!!!!!

Some of the games were fantastic to watch, others had more action than Mother Theresa watching a porno movie.

The golden goal should be brought back just like the last World Cup. Penalties is no way to settle any game of high calibre football especially at this type of tournament.




My opinion of FIFA now has dropped to zero after having awarded Zidane the Golden Ball after his despicable actions in the biggest final of any sport in the world and in front of billions, yes that is right, billions of people. They have disgraced themselves as an organization and governing body. Their credability before was limited, but in my opinion, it is now a big fat zero.

The World Cup final was a snore bore at best and was not a showcase for the sport at all. The only exciting part of it was the penalties, which as I said before, should be the last resort after the golden goal. It was a bad ending to what I otherwise found a very entertaining although somewhat controversial World Cup.



I will be at the next World Cup for the whole month in South Africa. I am saving for that adventure now. Dave and I have both agreed that we will be there no matter what in 2010.

I will make no more comments about England's deploring performance and only wish that for Euro 2008, we will see a completely different chemisty from both manger and players.

During the World Cup there were many places that I went to, always with Dave of course and there were a few pictures taken along the way. Some of them are included in this blog and I will let the pics speak for themselves. I am not going to explain each one. Suffice to say that they are mostly at bars or pubs, where the big screen tvs were and one the way to the places too..... subway stations and bus stations etc.



Taken at my apartment before the 4am Korea vs France game. We watched it at a Korean bar and it was a great atmosphere. We ended up being very happy when Korea snatched a victory out of the arms of defeat..... way to go Young Pyo and Ji Song!!!!!



Below is a pic of Chris, a friend of Dave's and I who is from Los Angeles. He had become a good friend of ours now and I refer to us now as the 'Three Muskuteers.' Dave met Chris first and then introduced him to me and we have hung out a lot together over the last month during the World Cup. The girl that he is with is gone now, she was his girlfriend for a short time. She actually went home that night while the game was still on!!! She didn't have to work the next day either. Very unusual as Korean spirit for their football team is unbelievable. So, Chris is single now. I am single again and so is Dave....... coooooooooool!

I love taking pictures of cultural things like phone booths and drinking machines and the sort. This one is of the biggest phone company for public telephones in Korea, KT Telecom.

This is a picture of one of the popular drinks in Korea. It is called 'Amino Up.' It is supposed to have amino acids in it to replenish your system after a good workout. Regardless, it tastes good and I have it quite often. I guess you could compare it to 'Powerade.' This is a machine that only sells Amino Up.

Another pic of a bag stand in one of the subway stations. They sell everything in the subway stations and sometimes some really good stuff. They have cd shops and jewellery shops and bakeries and any other type of stuff that is good to flog.

Shabu Shabu

shabu-shabu[SHAH-boo SHAH-boo] Absolutely one of my favourite dishes to eat nowdays. It is a little expensive, but for the health side of the meal, well worth it.

A Japanese dish consisting of raw meat (usually paper-thin slices of beef) and raw vegetables cooked by each diner at the table in a pot of hot broth.

The freshly cooked ingredients can be dipped into a variety of sauces provided for additional flavor. Once the meat and vegetables have been cooked and eaten, the broth, sometimes with noodles added, is then served.

The name is said to come from the sound that's made as the meat is gently swished through the broth.

Yesterday, Dave and I decided to have some shabu-shabu. It was buffet style and needless to say, we stuffed ourselves. It is such a healthy meal, which includes your choice of seafood as well as a hell of a lot of veggies and all cooked in a pot of broth whose flavour is second to none. We went to another area within Bundang called Yatap. There were lots of places to see and explore and we first went to a coffee shop and then off to the public bath for an hour and a half.

Once out of the public bath, we then ate some shabu shabu and then we decided to go to Samsung plaza and meet a friend of ours, Chris who is from LA. We went to a place called Posse (Western style bar as advertised.) It was an okay place and Dave ended up getting a pair of Heineken flip-flops for drinking 3 bottles. We were joking saying that his house is full of stuff attained at the 'bars!' Does he have a problem, do you think?

I don't know what is with my blog page, but I seem to be only able to post pics if I download them first and then do my writing. It is pissing me off to tell you the truth and I would love it if someone could give me advice on maybe what the problem is and how I can remedy it!

Now the World Cup is coming to an end, it will be back to regular blogging and hopefully I can post some interesting stories about Korea and its cultural nuances. We have speaking tests at the school on Monday and Tuesday, so we will be somewhat busy marking essays and doing all the other fun stuff that goes with the tests.

The weather here has been roasting hot and sweating is the norm lately. I am still hard at it going to the gym and the program is still a work in progress. I aim for about September or October to reach my goal of about 198 pounds. I am in no rush to lose the weight. I want to lose it healthily and keep it off using a good healthy diet of veggies and a little meat. It is working right now and I am not craving any sweets or the like lately.

Wish me luck and let's hope I can post pics of the new slim me in the months to come......yeahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Most Of What I Have Been Saying All World Cup!

BBC SPORT Football World Cup 2006 Teams England Is the future bright for England?

England Are Out And Deservedly So!!!!!

A disappointing weekend as far as England's football team is concerned. It was great the way the played with 10 men, but Rooney was an arsewipe for what he did and Eriksson is a complete wad of shite! Tactically he didn't have a fucken clue and what the hell was he doing bringing on Carragher for 2 minutes and then have him take a penalty. Carragher has only ever taken 3 penalties in his career (his own words by the way), maybe he offered I don't know, but come on it should have been players that have done it before.

That said ,the penalties were shite as usual. Like we never knew if it came to pens we wouldn't lose? That is funny shit! It is the fifth time, that is right 5 times that we have lost at major tournaments on pens.

I would like to make a few of my viewpoints on the whole England World Cup experience:

1. Why would you let a coach that has already be fired, carry on and coach the team in the tournament. McClaren is the new manager and has been there all along, so wouldn't it have just made sense to make him the manager for the World Cup? Stupid stupid FA!!!!!

2. Beckham was absolute shite in every game. He didn't tackle hard, he fell over all the time and yes, he did save us with one of his magic free-kicks, but is that what we want for an England team. As an overall player, he just doesn't have it anymore. Maybe that is what Ferguson saw and didn't want a playboy around the other players.

3. Frank Lampard had lots of shots straight at the goalie and really didn't stamp himself in any of the games. I would have pulled him and tried another midfielder. At least Gerrard was improving as the tournament went on, but once again he was playing in the wrong role that he just sits behind the main attacker by a Texas mile!

4. What was Eriksson thinking taking Theo Walcott and on top of that never played him, to make it an even worse choice. Even if we reached the semis, all we would have had up front was Crouch. Don't you usually take more than 3 strikers to a major tournament?

5. The only real English style of football I saw from them was the first half against Sweden. Why didn't they play like that all the time?

6. What was Rooney thinking doing all the agressive over the top shite? He needs to realize that there is a time to take a yellow or a red, not just be an over agressive baby, who needs his bottom smacked. Like my sister said, 'Naughty naughty boy!"

Well, that is my spiel for the moment. I am not sad that we didn't win and am not going to make any excuses at all for the team. They were shite, plain and simple. I don't know if we will ever be able to play as a team and the style that we watch week in and week out at an international level!!! The World Cup is virtually over for me now, but I will make a prediction. It will be Germany vs France in the final and it will be 2-0 for Germany.

Not much else going on here except I am now finally finished with the girlfriend. It just was not working out and I decided to tell her that I didn't want to play with her feelings and drag her along anymore. She will be going back to Ulsan in about 2 weeks. We had a good heart to heart talk and I think she understands that she has no future with a lunatic like me!

I am a little sad, but relieved at the same time. She had no friends up here and will be much happier back in her own town, Ulsan. Time for her and I to move on and go our different ways. I am happy for the times that we shared, but it is a new beginning for both of us now and we will both be better for the experience. I helped her with her life a little and she helped me a little too, enough said.

Played some basketball yesterday with two of the fellas that I work at Avalon with and a bunch of Korean fellas. I can't play very well, never really played the game to tell you the truth. I was happy that my elbow held up to it and I could actually slap the ball and throw a little,but still not one hundred percent. No pain today though, which is awesome. I think about another month or two and I will be back to nearly 100 percent. Went to the gym over the weekend also. I am still keeping at it and eating healthy.

I went to Itaewon as expected. Dave and I, a friend from Ulsan, Katherine and Dan Reid and his girl Lisa, as well as a girl called Laura who I met at the Canadian pub in Itaewon and is from Rochdale, all watched the game at a pub called Scrooge. Her dad is a mad Liverpool supporter, as is she. We all watched it at a pub with a good crowd of England supporters.

The week has started and I will be back at the gym flogging my guts out again. I think I will go at it pretty hard this week too. Oh another thing, on Saturday, I realized that I had the shutters shut on the a/c unit. Once they were opened to vent outside, the place was so nice and cold. The apt was reading 29 degrees on Friday afternoon.

Once the a/c was going good, it went down to like 23 degrees. It was so nice to sleep in. The guy came to the apt early Saturday morning and it took like 2 minutes to find the problem. I had taped the door up for the Winter, so I hadn't even checked the shutters. Rebecca, the girl in the same building as me and the same school, had hers looked at too, the same day. Same problem, so we are both happy campers now.

I think from now on I am going to think of beautiful girls like this one on the left! Isn't she just awesome.

I Hope To Be Cheering For England In The Semis After Tonight

The time is looming closer to the quarter-final game between England and Portugal. I hope that Eriksson puts a bit more thought into winning the game and not worry about 'not losing!'

I for one can't wait for the game to start. A bunch of us should be going into Itaewon to watch it. The game starts at midnight, our time, here in Korea.

Rooney sounds like he is raring to go and also I just read that Ronaldo will not be playing for Portugal. That means that both Deco and Ronaldo are not in the line-up, which is great news for England.

I am hoping to see England play a stormer of a game and win with pride. We all know that England have the ability and today's weather should suit them fine. I am going to say that Gerrard will be the man of the match and that Cole and Rooney will score.

The other quarter-finals last night were crap as far as the results went. Argentina gave Germany a huge game and scared the shite out of them. Winning on penalties is always crap for the fans and the game itself. The Italy game was crap and Ukraine looked like a bag of shit. How did they ever progress?

I have been going to the gym religiously and am delighted to say that I have lost 2 inches off my waist. That will keep me going for the next few weeks that is for sure. I have been eating a lot healthier and have only missed 3 days in the last 4 weeks at the gym. I feel much better and have way more energy now.

Colored my hair again, more blond, have to go and wash it out now and can't be arsed blogging anymore to tell you the truth.

Well, I just washed the shit out of my hair and its godamn bright GOLD!!!! Oh well, it isn't the first time that I have had a colour that looks retarded. I will get Dave to take a pic and send it to me so I can put it on here....... haha.

We are just getting ready to leave for Itaewon. Katherine from Ulsan is meeting up with us as well as Dan who used to play on the Wonshots with us; I think him and his lady are anyway!

It will be nice to watch the game with a few fellow countrymen too. Dan's is from just outside Manchester and his girl is English too.

Should be a great game and hopefully I will be singing the praises of England tomorrow on the blog.