Full Champions League Draw

Here is the full draw complete with all the tables for this year's Champions League. Liverpool look like they could do well and get through the group stage again, but you never know.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=457762&cc=4716

I watched them play the other night against Toulouse and they were absolutely awesome. Their movement and passing impressed me immensely. I hope they continue to play like that for the rest of the season and we just might be able to win that elusive Premiership title; something we have never done.

David And Carmela's Wedding Day Pics

Congratulations to David and Carmel who got married last Friday. I wish them both health, wealth and happiness, now and for the rest of their lives. Carmel looks stunning and David looks very handsome. Way to go, cousin!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Sad But Moving Story

A story that shows how people can unite in times of tragedy.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/NG156834070829-1203.htm

Happy Birthday Dad!

I wish my Dad a happy birthday on this his 69th!!!! He does not look that age at all and definitely does not act that age. He has tons of energy for a 69 year old and would put most 50 year olds to shame, maybe even 40 year olds.




He just came back from England with my Mum after attending my cousin's wedding. They both had a great time. We will all be going together next August to my other cousin's wedding.



Got back to the gym today after a 3 day hiatus. I ran 8kms in 42 minutes, so I was quite happy with that time. I have gone 2 nights now with no booze and am loving it. I can't believe how much better that I feel. Even on the weekend, I am going to start off drinking orange-juice and then maybe have a few beers later on, but am bound and determined to reduce the level that I drink drastically.



Liverpool play in the second leg of the qualifying round of the Champions League. We carry a 1-0 advantage into the second game, which is at Anfield. I am going to try and watch it on the computer and if not, then I will listen to it live on the liverpoolfc.tv website, which I have had a membership to for the last 3 years.

Houston, We Have A Problem!

First of all, I would like to congratulate my cousin, David Campbell and his bride Carmel, on becoming man and wife. They got married on Friday and Mum and Dad were there in Liverpool for it. Wished I could have been there, but I will be there next August for David's brother, Jonathan's wedding.

I always pride myself about not being a hypocrite and that relates to all areas of my life. That way, I can be honest with myself and always tweak my faults that pop up here and there. I am not talking about changing my personality, just improving it so there are less negatives in it and more positives, which includes my health emotionally and physically.

Now is one of those times. The amount of drinking, be it social or getting hammered, has increased to the level that I feel it is becoming a negative thing. Not only in the pocketbook, but also healthwise. Time to cut it out, nip it in the bud, slice it while it's hot, put the fire out before it fully rages.

I have been using drinking as an excuse to get out of the house. What! Is drinking the only thing you can do outside of the house? These are the type of questions that I have been asking myself over the last few weeks. But now is the time to take action.

So, with less said and more proof by actions, I am cutting out the drinking during the week and curtailing the amount I drink when I do go out on the weekends. As simple as that!

I had my second anniversary of quitting smoking on August 20th, which was a monumental decision in my life and well worth making. I am doing the same with the alcohol thing and am bound and determined to improve my health and pocketbook. All you doubters out there, 'cos I know there will be many that think that while reading this- just watch me!!!!!!!!!

Other than this big blah blah blah, not much happened over the weekend to talk of. Watched the Liverpool game and they looked great. I am back to afternoons now, starting at 1pm on Mon and Wed and 2pm on Tue and Thur. Fridays off!!!!!!!!

I love the afternoons and am now going to start going to the gym in the morning and get it out of the way, so that I can just relax when I come home. I am going to try it, as I don't know if I really like going to the gym early. I didn't before, but am going to give it another go. Even if I go once or twice in the morning and then in the afternoon or night for the rest of the workouts, it will suit me fine.

Sarah and Jonathan, parents of Charlie now, will get married next August. They put the cart before the horse.........haha.

My Dad is turning 69 on August 28th, so anyone that knows him, wish him happy birthday. Next August, the whole clan including my sister and her family and my son, will be together in England for my cousin's wedding and my Dad will be turning 70 while we are there.

Should be a great time. Tyler, my son, has never been to England, so he will love it. Also, my plan is to take Tyler to another country, maybe Greece or Italy or Spain, for a few days and we can just hang-out, Dad and son, just like old times, which has not been since he was about 13!!!!!!!!!!

Luis Garcia....What A Class Act!

Luis Garcia would have gone down as a legend regardless of what happened in the future. He single handedly helped us win key games and was a huge contributor towards our trek to winning The Champions League. He will be remembered forever in Liverpool folklore, that is for sure.

He was very inconsistent at times during the season, but his moments of brilliance were enough for most of us supporters to just love him anyway.......

Here is how much of a class act that the man is; read the letter he wrote to Liverpool Football Club, which was posted on the website.......absolutely class at its best!!!!

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N156758070821-1605.htm

Spanish Style Liverpool Anthem......Garcia, We Love You!!!!

This is a great video showing how passionate us Scousers are about our club and also that it is translated into Spanish for all our overseas admirers and supporters.....we love you Liverpool we do, oh Liverpool, we love you!!!!!!!

Roasting The Balls Off A Brass Monkey!

Saying that the weather is warm, would be the understatement of the year! It is so so hot right now and there seems to be no end in sight according to the forecast.

How unusual for me......pulling faces!!!!!!



It is hovering around the 30s most of the day and factor in about 100 percent humidity. You guessed it! Roast your balls off, that is for sure.....how eloquently put, don't you think?

Dave and his girlfriend, Haejin.



Add the fact that my school has no air-conditioning, I find it very hard to cool down during the day. Only when I get home and turn on the air, do I have some kind of relief.

Sara and I out one night in Bundang.



At the gym, it is the same. It is hard to get motivated when you are sweating before you even start. I ran 6kms last night and it felt like the top of my head was going to explode.

George, a friend of Dave and I's from Bundang. He lives in the same apartment building as Dave. He hails from Philadelphia, America.

Ben is still staying with me. He is staying with me until tomorrow, when he heads back to China. He is alone during the day as I am working as so is Rob. We went to Rob's house last night and had a few beers and watched, "Dumb and Dumber."

Ben at my place, playing with his laptop.

We are planning on doing something with Ben tonight, as it is his last night. He has been hanging around with some Korean girl that speaks Chinese, so he has been enjoying himself having some company with her. I am not sure if he is seeing her tonight, but even if he is, I think he will still be meeting up with Rob and I.

The gang of us back at Jinha beach in Ulsan about a month or so ago......good times!



Not much else to say at the moment, other than I am roasting and wish for the weather to cool down to a bearable temperature.



2 more days of morning classes and then back to my beloved afternoons. I love working afternoons and don't like the mornings anymore. Back to 1pm and 2pm starts, Monday to Thursday next week.....yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



My cousin David is getting married this Friday in England and Mum and Dad are there at the moment. They have only gone for 7 days and will be back in Canada next week, on Monday, I think. My Dad turns 69 as soon as he gets back.......Wow!!!!!



He looks great to tell you the truth. I hope I look as good as he does when I am 69. He doesn't look his age and neither does Mum, to tell you the truth. Retirement is treating them very well indeed.

Record Breaking Video.....14 Million Views Already!

This is one of the most amazing animal videos.....taken by an amateur, too!!!!!

Eye Candy For You Men!

Stretch Marks On Calves!

Being the consummate body watcher of the female species over the last few months, especially the hot weather days, I have noticed a rather glaring phenomenon.

I noticed that most of the Korean girls have stretch marks on the backs of their calves. They start from the back of the knee cap and go down to either the top of the calf or the bottom. I am talking about young girls who are in good shape too, not just overweight or older women. Women of all ages and all sizes seem to have them.

I noticed a girl today that was so skinny, but still had stretch marks on the back of her calves. I think I am on to something, to tell you the truth! I think it has a lot to do with how they sit and their overall posture. They may be as flexible as hell, but the body is not built to be that flexible all the time, hence the stretch marks.

Rob and Quinn who used to play on our football team and is from London, Ontario!

The same thing happens with a guy that weightlifts and gets big too quick, usually with the help of steroids; he gets stretch marks all over his body. The reason you don't see them on professional bodybuilders is because they are so tanned and hide them while they are under the lights performing, but up close I have seen tons of them with awful stretch marks. Again, the body can take it, but the muscles and the tendons and the ligaments have to give in some way.

Rob's birthday party was a blast. We started at Gecko's and then headed to the UN Bar and then off to a few other places. The only glitch as such was at the UN Bar, where I ended up punching some Korean fella in the side of the head. It was not my fault either!

Dave, myself and Jason. My hair is starting to grow back, but looks white in the light. It is actually a lot more blond, close up!

I was sitting talking to my friends and there was one of the bar staff sitting next to me, when all of sudden a Korean fella that was sitting one bar stool over, reached over and poked me in the side of the temple with his finger. I didn't know him from adam and the girl didn't know him either, he was just another customer in this bar.

Instinctively, I just reached around the girl and popped him in the side of the head. I had a small pinky ring on and when I hit him, he just held his head for about 5 mintues. My pinky is still hurting even now. I guess I pushed it back into my knuckle.

Richard, from Nigeria, Jason from America and Rob from Canada; the birthday boy. I met Jason on my Japan visa run and Richard is a friend of Jason's that we met through him.

He wasn't badly hurt or anything, but he got what he deserved, I think. Nothing else happened and I left the bar as I would have wanted to hit him again if he gave me the Korean look or atttitude. The bar owners were not pissed at me, as they saw everything and they told me it was okay. The guy was just a maggot, as one would say.

This happened about 1am or so and we all headed off somewhere else and had a good time. I felt a little bad afterwards, but what can you do when someone pokes you in the side of the head? I did what I did out of pure reaction, nothing else. I didn't even think about it, to be completely honest. It just happened as they say. Well, I guess he won't poke any other foreigners in the head again, if he has learnt his lesson.

Autumn and I. Rob met Autumn's friend and hit it off. I still have to work on getting that stuff under the chin, out of there.......

A few more pics of the night are included. There was quite a few of us that showed up and we ended up meeting some girls that we had met before and Rob ended up liking one of them and they hit it off right away, which I think was a great birthday present for him.

I am on a pure barren patch right now and I don't care either.....lol. I am happy to be stress free and am not looking for anything like that right now either.

Rob, Quinn, Dave and Richard partying it up and in good spirits at Gecko's.

The weekend is upon us again and my friend who is visiting from China, actually he just finished doing a Korean camp, will be staying with me until Tuesday, when he returns to China. He is from Australia and Rob, Dave and I met him in Ulsan over 7 years ago. I haven't seen him in 6 years and also Rob. We met him about 4 weeks ago for the first time since then. We should have a good night tomorrow night.

Tom, the Welshman is having his going away party, tomorrow, too. Sara from Manchester will be there as well as her good crowd of friends and Tom's too.

Ben should be at my house around 7 or so and then we will meet up with Tom and Sara and take it from there. Chris will be there, too and we will try and get Matt from Manchester out, too.

Some Pics Of Rob's Birthday

Back To The Grind...................Ouch!

The two weeks vacation is over and today it was back to reality with a big solid kick in the bollocks........haha.



It wasn't bad at all to tell you the truth. The hardest part was watching the Utd match last night and getting home at 3am and having to get up at 7am. I did it though! I still have the energy reserves to pull the odd day like today..........do you have a problem, Paul?



The classroom was so hot today. We have no air-conditioning at the school. I happen to work at a very old, old school, but most of the schools here don't have air anyway. That is the normal schools, not the private ones. The private schools or 'haegwons' as they are called here, all have air, for sure.



The weekend was eventful as always. Half the time, it is just a blurr. Watched like 4 games from the premiership. Liverpool won, which I was thrilled with and they looked really good. Looks like they have loads of potential. They seems to have much more fizz up front than last year. I hope it turns into lots of goals.



Utd drew, which I was thrilled with. Unfortunately, Rooney broke his foot "AGAIN!"



I don't care that Utd have lost him. That is actually good news for me, but it also means that England won't have him for the Euro qualifiers. The papers are saying that he will be out for about 2 months.



It begs the question again. Is there something wrong with the boots, the training etc., but whatever it is, it needs some urgent attention. This is the third time he has done this. What is going on with some of these injuries especially the metatarsal injuries!!!!!!!!!!



Dave, Rob and I went to "Hooters" in Kangnam. It was not like the Hooters in North America as compared to the size of the girls boobs.....haha. They were dressed the same way. That was about the only similarity. It was funny to see Korean men with their girlfriends there! Maybe they didn't understand that Hooters is like the bastion of chauvanism. It should say, 'Men Only!' Hahaha...........



Not much else going on. It is a holiday here on Wednesday. A statutory holiday, so everyone is off. Tomorrow is Rob's birthday, so Dave and I are going to meet up with him and have some dinner and then later some frivolities.



I have Thursday, Friday and then all next week, morning classes,from 9am to 1.35pm. Then back to normal hours, afternoon classes. I have to get up at 7am and leave the house at about 7.30 to make it to my school for about 8.30.



That is about it for now. I will hopefully have a good blog to do about Rob's birthday and will try and take my camera with me. I always forget the damn thing to tell you the truth.



Koreans are getting on my nerves, lately. They are just acting so Korean......lol.

Korean National Museum

Yesterday, I decided to go and visit the Korean National Museum. It is only about 20 minutes on the subway from my house and very, very reasonably priced; only about 2 dollars to get in.

I originally thought it was the Isu stop, but soon discovered that it was at the Ichon stop. While I got off the subway stop at Isu, I decided that since I had made a mistake, I might as well have a look around at that place.

I went into Taepkyong Dept. Store and decided to have something to eat. The staple of my diet-bibim bap. I have loads of the spicy sauce on it and even to this day, after having eaten it at all kinds of places, the Koreans can't believe that I have that much sauce on it and always say, "Spicy, spicy, too spicy, stomach hurt!" To which I always say to just give me some more of that hot stuff.

The Koreans think they are the only country on the earth that eats spicy food! They really are narrowed minded about some things at times. Like the world begins and ends in Korea. What about Mexican food, Indian food, which have some of the hottest spices to be found!!!!! Anyway, just another complaint that I have about the narrow minded Koreans.

Back to the museum, once I got back on the subway and got off at the right stop. It was massive and very impressive. I am not going to label any of the pictures, suffice to say that they are all shots of the museum, inside and out.

It was quite an overcast day, so some of the pictures show a dark sky above. There were not a lot of people there, but enough. I walked around for about an hour or so and decided to come back at a later date and see some more stuff there.

I only managed to walk around the main level. There is another floor as well as the Children's Museum and a place called Special Exhibition Hall, which I think has the Buddha display showing at the moment. At 2 dollars to get in, it is no use wearing yourself out trying to see everything in one day. It is also so close to where I live. So, I will go there again sometime soon.

I went and met Dave last night in Bundang. Met him at Dublin's and saw a few people that I used to know when I lived in Bundang. I met George from Philadelphia who I always have a great chat with and a good laugh. We were talking about having a healthy lifestyle and eating well and how it has to become part of your everyday life. None of the gimicks that are offered either by drugs or medicines, can give you the staying power to live that way for the rest of your life. Isn't the whole idea of being healthy to do it the healthy way and stay away from medicine or drugs!!!!!!!!

I stayed at Dave's house and headed back to Seoul in the afternoon, about 2pm. Dave went off to work at 10am and I just slept on his couch some more......haha.

I got some more books off of him. I am currently reading "The Da Vinci Code." It was a book that I for some reason, was not drawn to. But, I must say, it is starting really well and very well written. I have also started another book, which I will read on the subway and the bus. It is called, "The Deep End of The Ocean." It is about a missing child and has started out quite well. It was written back in 1997, so it is not a new book, but it got some good reviews and I think it was made into a movie.

Went to the gym again today and did my abs and calves as well as a 6km run. Feel good today and had a great chilled out day. It is still raining too much for my liking and wish it would just stop for a day or so. It is still very humid and even after the spot raining, it is still very, very humid. I have had the air on pretty well all night the last few days. The house was reading 30 or over without the air on.