A Day To Reflect About Life And Oneself

Often times we get so caught up in life itself that we forget how special it really is and how special everybody and everything within it is. Today is one of those days for me.

I woke up today after having the craziest dreams. I can't remember even one of them, but I know there were several. My dreams are peculiar in their own ways. I sometimes remember them right away, but then strangely I remember them at a certain point of the day. It is kind of like, "Hey now I remember what that dream was about!" Do you ever do that?

I have had the same dream about 10 times since I came here. In the dream, I am writing my final exam at university and I turn to my professor and tell him that I didn't study the correct material for the exam. I tell him in my dream that I need to pass this test to get my degree. I am really stressed out in the dream and I can feel myself having a panic attack and starting to almost cry! I wonder what that is all about? Maybe I thought I wasn't smart enough to get a university degree?

The other dream that I often have is being in all kinds of weird situations, which I can't remember, but I am butt naked!!!! I don't remember where it was or who was in the situation, but I remember knowing in my dream that I have no underpants on! It is quite funny really, but again I am stressed out in the dream. I told you that I was weird, didn't I?

Anyway, back to the original subject at hand. Try not to wander too much, okay Paul? I want to talk today about embracing life and everything that it has to offer us.

In some of my blogs or should I say a lot of my blogs, I sound a little negative towards Korea. That is really not my intention, instead I want to point out some of the major cultural differences between the East and the West. Sometimes, I cannot hold myself back from being annoyed or downright pissed off at some of the things that I encounter, but I try to look at things from a pure 'sociological' point of view.

The pure sociologist tells things or does his utmost to explain them simply, logically and with the least amount of bias possible. I hope that I do things in the same spirit, but have felt that maybe I am recounting events and situations with too much negativity. I promised myself today that I will try to just explain things the way they are, but add some positive aspects to each situational event and not just all the negative points. I will try my best, I promise!!!!

Korea is a wondeful country with so many unique and cultural aspects. As I have said before, to the foreigner from the West, some are good and some are great, some are not so good and some are offensive. One thing a 'visitor' or 'guest' should always remember is that this is Korea, developed by Koreans and built with their sweat and labour. Korea by the way, is one of the most autonomous nations in the world, with a very small percentage of foreign residents compared to many other top economic countries in the world. The last statistic that I heard was that Korea is one of the top 10 economies in the world.

With that reflection in mind, I also want to try and do the same thing when it comes to people in general. I have to accept them for who they are and not get caught up in finding their faults all the time. Don't get me wrong, I don't do this 24/7, but I sometimes find myself being too negative towards people also. People will always disappoint you, my Mum and Dad always told me. This is true, but by disappointing you, don't allow them to make you do things that will make you disappointed in youself.

Don't let a friend's bad mood or mistake ruin your friendship. Don't be a judge! You have faults too and as long as your friendship is pure and you or your friend don't do anything 'immoral' to each other, then there is no reason to 'keep score!'

I guess what I am saying is that each of us are very special and have our own unique qualities. Let's try to embrace each other for those differences, good and bad, not criticize and hate and hope that this will transfer into our own thoughts about life itself.

The age old question, 'What is the meaning of life?' This question has been asked over the centuries and now the millenniums and will continue to be asked in the same vane in the future. There is no definitive answer, but there is a way to understand its meaning with reference to our own individual life.

In my opinion, life is here to be lived. People are here to be nice to and vice-versa. You are here on this earth to make a difference to the people that you encounter daily. Your soul is within you, but you need to show and give your soul to others in order to understand the meaning of life and maybe by doing so you can help them understand it too! Always give when you can and try your best to never give to get back.

I hope that I don't sound like I am preaching? I know I am a little! I just want to express what I am thinking today and what goes through my mind from time to time. I hope that all of you take a moment to ponder and enjoy this wonderful world that we live in.

Positive things lead to negative things, negative things lead to positive things, but life is ours to live. The only alternative is death. We are going there eventually anyway, so why quicken things up!

I would like to wish Rob, one of my best friends, strength, courage and hope at this time in his life. Rob left suddenly on Wednesday from Korea, to go back to Canada, to see his father who is gravelly ill.

I hope that he remembers his life with his father and embraces the memories that his father has given him.

My thoughts and all of your friends thoughts are with you and your family, Rob.

About Bloody Time!

I know that this was announced a week or so ago, but I for one am very happy that England now has an English manager. It is Steve McClaren of course, the now ex-manager of Middlesborough. (In the pic above!) I remember when they appointed Sven as our manager, I was appalled. I thought the same thing back then as all the papers are saying nowdays- our coaches aren't good enough in England? Well, now that it has been put to rest, I for one am glad about it.

There is one thing that is totally pissing me off though. The whole way that they told Sven he could coach the team to the World Cup and then he would be done. I mean, if there was that much guff about him and the scandal thing, why didn't they sack him on the spot? McClaren was already there, so it wouldn't have been that big of a deal for them to run the team without the 'dickhead' Swede.

By the way, that describes him to a 'T.' He has about as much enthusiasm as my students studying for another exam! He hasn't done a great job while he has been in there, he has just had some damn lucky results with a bunch of worldclass players. I would rate his whole tenure as mediocre at best.

That game against Argentina in the last World Cup, drove me insane. We won 1 to 0, but we defended for the last 15 minutes while the Argentinians bombed us again and again and again. Also that game in Euro 2004 against France, has got to be classed as one of the worst cave-ins in the history of a world class team!

The whole deal about finding a manager before the World Cup had even ended ,has drove me insane. If the FA were worried about 'rocking the boat' prior to the preparations for the tournament, why didn't they just find a manager after the damn tournament?

I know that it had something to do with some of the managers that they were interested in were at clubs, but so what? Keep it under wraps and let the England players work with the coach that they have now!! Again, political bullshit by the stupid Football Association.

Anyway, enough about the coaching thing. Let's just breath a sigh of relief that we now have one of own, coaching our national team. On another note, this weekend is the FA Cup final between Liverpool and West Ham United. It should be a good game as West Ham like to attack and so do Liverpool. West Ham are a bit suspect at the back, so Liverpool should be able to exploit them. But at the kick-off both teams are 0-0, so who knows what could happen?

I just hope that Stevie Gerrard is lifting the Cup at the end of the day and makes the fans go wild in Cardiff. It is being held at The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and it will be the last Cup final played there as Wembley should be ready to go by mid-September or sometime at the end of this year. I will be glued to my television here in Korea watching the game!!!!

It starts at 11pm our time here, so not too bad. It is on a Saturday night, so even better. Dave will hopefully be watching it with me, but we are not sure where we are going to watch it yet. I don't want to go somewhere far, but would like some kind of an atmosphere.

Chants are always a fun part of watching a game live and Liverpool are known for being the most vocal of any of the English football clubs.

Here are two of the chants that I heard while I was in Tokyo for The World Club Championships last December to see Liverpool play that I hadn't heard before:

Steve Gerrard, Gerrard
He'll pass the ball 40 yards
He's big and he's fucken hard
Steve Gerrard Gerrard.

He's great he's sound
He'll twat you with a pound
Carragher Carragher



The second chant refers to when Carragher picked up a pound coin at the Arsenal game that was thrown at him and threw it back into the crowd at someone. I think he got fined for that incident, if I'm not mistaken!

There were some hilarious chants and a lot of them I can't remember. There was one point in the match, which by the way was about -3 degrees at kick-off time.... bleedin' freezin'....... when the crowd went silent. The refs had not been calling anything for us, only for Sao Paolo.(3 goals disallowed, one penalty not given.) We had 17 corners and 21 shots on net in the second half alone. Everyone was getting on their case. The refs were wearing yellow outfits by the way.

At the moment of silence, someone yelled out across from us,

"You yellow vested twaaaaats!"

It was so funny and as we turned to see who said it, we all just fell about the place. It was a fella about 60 odd years old, drunk as hell, sitting in a chair. A Liverpudlian of course !!!!!!! One of the moments I will remember forever.... haha........

Taxi Drivers Chewing Gum!

Time to relate some more cultural nuances about Korea. Yep, it is time to embark on some new educational exchanges about a certain part of the world called Korea!

Just another way of saying that some of the things here piss me off!!!!!!!!

Well, one of them is the way taxi drivers chew gum. When I first heard this sound, I had no idea what it was. I then figured out what it was. This noise was like a small piece of glass being either crushed or broken. It really is a high pitched sound and it is REALLY aggravating. I try to tune it out most of the time, but other times it just drives me batty.

I then also discovered that not only do the taxi drivers do it, but all the older men chew gum like that! When I say older men, I mean anyone above about 30 or so. Combine that chewing with the 'Korean stare,' sometimes you just want to bust a valve....... not really, but it sounds expressive enough......

Almost all of the taxis here now have the "GPS" systems. They often have dvd players in them as well. Pretty well about 99 percent of the taxi here are very clean and very well looked after. The driving however is 110 percent 'shite.' They pump the brakes all the time and hit the accelerator up and down all the time. I have often got out of taxis and believe it or not buses and had motion sickness.

The bus drivers are unbelievable here too. They don't wait for anyone to sit down after getting on the bus and gun it from stop to stop and I mean 'gun ' it! They are so hard on the breaks and I don't think they have ever heard of smooth breaking.They would be fired in an instant ,driving the way they do here, in the Western world. I saw a woman with a baby in her arms lose the baby into the seat on one of the buses that I was taking from Kyoungju. Nobody ever reports the drivers or says anything to them. Again, another cultural phenomenon.

One of the things I was told before I came to Korea was that age plays an important role with reference to respect. I found out that it is somewhat true, but more relative to Koreans dealing with Koreans and not foreigners. All of the rules that they follow with each other generally go out the window when it comes to dealing with the 'waegukeen,' which means foreigner by the way in Korean.

A young single girl is supposed to be addressed as 'agachi.' A married woman is supposed to be addressed as 'ajuma.' There is no way to address a young single man, but a married man is addressed as 'adeshee.'

I get called 'adashee' all the time by my students because I am 'old! It is quite funny as the kids consider anything over 30 as old, especially me at 42! Even when you wear something or style your hair a certain way, the kids will often say, "Teacher, adeshee style!"

One of the other things that happens a lot here usually occurs when you are walking on the street. Young kids mostly, but adults sometimes, will shout across the street to you or just talk to you as you are walking. They will yell things like, 'hello, nice to meet you and who are you, are you from America, have a good time, oh handsome, oh 'waegukeen.'

Most of the time, they are quite cute and funny, but the odd time, they are quite annoying and keep repeating the same thing over and over again. There are a lot of drunks that walk on the street after about 10pm and I mean rotten drunk sometimes. You see mostly men sleeping on benches, on the sides of buildings and etc. Just last night at Samsung Plaza, Dave and I saw two men passed out on benches inside. There was also another guy passed out on a cement flower stand. Both were completely passed out. It is part of their culture here and the police never get involved unless there is trouble starting or something.

I have seen puke on the street and side of the road, in the urinals, in the sinks and in toilets so many times, I can't begin to count! It was a little disturbing years ago when I first got here, but now it is the norm. I just hold my breathe as soon as I see one of the vomit 'pools!'

I think that is enough info for now. Don't worry, there will be more to come for sure. This is not all negative by the way. I think some of the things are quite acceptable, but not the spitting and puking everywhere!!!

Not everybody does this by the way, but it is quite normal for the working man and business men especially, as they have to drink all the time to keep harmony in the company and to be one of the boys, which is a big phenomenon here in Asia.

And The Beat Goes On!!!!

First of all, I am a little bit of a hockey fan. I do keep up with the latest goings on; somewhat!
I can't believe that Detroit lost in the first round of the playoffs. Well, that is not the first time they have had the best record overall in the league and then choked in the playoffs.

The other surprise is Ottawa. I thought for sure that with their nemesis, Toronto, out of the playoffs, they would go on to win the whole thing. It is not looking too good for them right now, as they are down 3 games to 0 to Buffalo. Let's hope they can come back and win 4 straight, but I don't hold up much hope. When I was back in Toronto in 2004, I tried to buy an Ottawa Senator's hockey shirt, but I couldn't find one that 'didn't choke!' Hahahaha.... maybe the same thing is going to happen this time around.

On another note, this week has been a little busier than usual due to one of our teachers being sick yesterday. Lyndsey had been sick since the weekend and had to drag herself into school as we don't have any spare teachers, which sucks!!! We had the speaking tests on Monday and Tuesday, so the workload was okay. Lyndsey even took 5 stacks of test essays so she could go home rather than stay here. Yesterday though, she couldn't stay, she was so sick. She went home and the rest of the teachers had to pick up her classes. So yesterday, I had to teach 4 straight one hour and 20 minute classes with a 5 minute break between each one. It is literally 5 hours straight of teaching and talking. It is ludicrous really, but what can you do?

I do this every Tuesday and Thursday in a normal week, but yesterday was an added bonus, so 3 days straight.

Scott is going on holiday on Saturday to Thailand and Avalon have not bothered to get a replacement for him, so we have to pick up his classes for the whole week. That means that next week I have 4 straight days of 4 classes and no breaks everyday. The only day that I have a break is Friday.

It sucks really and shows the lack of organization by Avalon. I am not angry, just realistic about how Korean schools work when they have to think 'outside the box!' By the way, they never do and it is internationally known that they are the most reliable workers, but do not get promoted very often when they work abroad due to this fact.

I read a few articles that were actually published in the Korean newspapers about this very fact. Written by Korean writers too!!!! So, needless to say next week will be a pain in the arse and my mouth will be worn out...... yeah right, that is not possible......

Did you hear? Jesus is going to come again someday! I know, it is fantastic news isn't it? I have just picked up a book that I think will definitely prove it and explain things very clearly for those that find it a little confusing; that whole three part thing or whatever it is; father, son and holy spirit? Well, anyway, check it out and let me know what you think about it. Not sure how much it is, but it will be money well spent and a great read!!!!!!

A Little Bored Waiting Around

As I said yesterday, we have speaking tests going on right now. Today's problem is that I came into work at 2.30pm and have no essays to mark or speaking tests until 6.55pm!!!
Oh well, I guess the break is welcome, but as usual I always get bored just sitting around. I like to be a little busy and then the time seems to pass a little quicker.

Further news on Rob, my friend whose dad is critically ill. He asked the university in Ulsan how long he could get off work to go and see his dad. They told him 'one week!' How ridiculous is that?

Anyway, needless to say he is quitting and going back to Canada next Monday. He has now said that he is going to go back to university and do a fourth year to get his honors and then maybe do a masters degree. He had mentioned about going back to school about a year or so ago, so this will work well with his returning to Canada.

He seems to be okay with everything, but how can you really tell? He is going to come down here as he is flying out of Incheon airport in Seoul. The airport is only about a one hour bus ride from Bundang. He thinks he might be coming on Saturday, if not then he will come on Sunday. He will stay at Dave's house and is more than welcome.

He now has to flog or give away his stuff that he has accumulated over the last few years. He doesn't have much really as he was always very particular about buying anything and really wasn't sure if he was going to stay here or not. He has a tv and a fish tank with fish and an old computer plus some plants. Other stuff is minimal so he might just give a bit away.

Sometimes in life 'crap' just happens and other times like what is happening to my friend right now tests us to the best of our abilities and we have to make the best of a bad or terrible situation. I think Rob is doing the right thing and things will turn out no matter what. He will get to spend some time with his dad and brother and ' do the right thing.' I would like to wish for a miracle, but being the realist that I am, I don't generally hold any hope in situations that are medically judged.

Good luck to you Rob, I hope that you have the strength and courage to go through this awful time in your life and see you in Canada when I go there in February to visit my family.

Speaking Tests At School Today And Tomorrow!

Once every 5 weeks or so, Avalon school has a speaking test for all students of all levels. It really is a good idea as we, the teachers, get to see how the students are progressing with their English speaking skills, not to mention to see if they have studied or paid attention in the class. It is a culmination of the month's work and homework and essays.

The students are given two of the units from their reading books that have been previously studied and discussed. We then do a review on the two units and ask questions in class similar to the ones that they will be asked on the speaking test.

If the students pay attention then they are really doing the review about 3 times. If they don't listen and take notes, then they are lost when it comes to the speaking test.
All in all, it is quite enjoyable to be able to ask the students questions and get the feedback we need from the test, i.e. Where we need to improve in our teaching methods and what students need areas of improvement.

The pic at the top of the blog is of the main headquarters in Jongjadong and a few pics of what the school offers in the way of apartments; usually officetel styles now. Jongja only teaches middle-school students as apposed to us here in Sunae who teach elementary school students only. I like the young ones better to tell you the truth. I feel like I can make a difference to them and maybe inspire them to want to learn English in the future and actually get to like it!!!!!!!

The students also have written tests while they are having their speaking tests too. We have to mark some of the essays that are written in the classes as well as do the speaking tests. The workload is not bad at all and the essays are usually between 100-150 words. They are a summation of one of the two units that they were told to study. The Korean teachers do all the written tests and like I said the students are told to study the same two units both for the written and speaking test.

Today went well and most of the students did fine. I hope tomorrow that the students do as well as today. The kids are generally in good spirits during the speaking and written tests, which is nice to see. They seem more 'at ease!'

Where Are The Garbage Cans!!!!!!

In general there are a lack of garbage cans in Korea. I am dead serious. Usually they have them outside of variety stores and other places that you buy 'fast food.' However, they are very difficult to find when you are walking around on the streets or even in the parks. Almost everyone that comes to Korea from the West comments about this peculiar cultural phenomenon.

In Bundang, there are a few more than they had in Ulsan or other smaller cities, but still there is a lack of them everywhere. I walk to the bus stop everyday to get the bus to my school and all the way along the path there are blue garbage bags leaning against trees to put your garbage in! That at least is an improvement, but looks ridiculous. Imagine walking down a block or two and seeing about 20 garbage bags leaning against trees?

It is quite frustrating sometimes to tell you the truth, although it sounds funny when I am writing about it. I have to put a wrapper in my bag or just hold a cup or a can until I get to school or somewhere where there is a garbage can.

Even at most of the bus stops there are no garbage cans. Even with the lack of garbage cans, Korean people really are not litter bugs. They don't throw a lot of trash on the ground. They are very clean and responsible people.

The only garbage that you tend to see is not on the ground, but in buckets and plants holders. Of course all the 'flyers' that are distributed everyday and I mean everyday are all over the place. It is part of the culture here to have flyers from clubs and businesses spread everywhere over the city. They are cleaned up everyday though, only for the same thing to happen the very next day. It gives people jobs though and I think it is cool as long as they clean it up. Hey making a mess is okay as long as you clean it up, right?

I have noticed that since I came up to Bundang there is a lot more dust up here! It must be the 'yellow dust' that I mentioned in my previous blog. There is always dust on the windows and cars no matter how the weather is.

Yesterday was Saturday and it rained all day, which was a welcome relief. We have not had any rain for quite a while. At least 3 weeks, I would say. Everything looks so green now and a lot of the dust got washed away, temporarily!

I am feeling much better now. I have more energy and don't feel as tired, but I am still a little fatigued. I think I had a bad cold and staying away from exercising was a good idea. This week I will get back to exercising and getting more physically fit.

I am going to buy some hair colour now and turn my hair more 'blond' again....... haha! Actually it is to cover the whole bunch of grey that I have on the sides. Isn't it great getting grey hair! I will take a pic and post it on my blog soon.

A Few More Names To Put Faces To!

Here are a few pics of various people that I have may have mentioned on my blog as well as a few other snapshots.

The first one is of infamous Rob who is strangling Jason at Benchwarmers, a foreign owned bar in dowtown Ulsan that is frequented by the local foreign community. The owner is Troy who is from the East Coast of Canada. The other foreign bar in Ulsan is Tombstone, owned by 5 foreigners, which has its own website that I will include at the end of this post.




The next pic is of Jeff, one of the owners of Tombstone with his Korean friend. I don't know the guy's name, but I have met him on several ocassions. It was taken at Dan's wedding of course.




This pic is of Kyoung Hee, my girlfriend and our friend Hae Sook who is going to Ottawa in 2 weeks. She is an awesome girl with a heart of gold and it is always fun when we get to hang out with her. Her boyfriend is Clement who is a dear friend of ours and is now back in Canada and going to start university in September this year. She is going to Canada for 6 months and will study English while she is there. She is currently working as a teacher at G'N'B English school in Ulsan. Hopefully, I will be attending their marriage in the near future. Clement has already asked me to be his best man!



The next pic is just a pic of some Korean food. This is probably the most common style of food in Korea; kind of like a stew. This particular dish does not have a lot of side dishes, which are always complimentary, but if they were there, there would be no room to move as usual. The side dishes are always in the same small white bowls that you can see in the pic. The orange stuff that you can see is Kimchi, which is Korean cabbage and everyone eats it. The other white stuff in the other dish are mushrooms, one of about 20 different types that they offer here. I love mushrooms, by the way!

This pic is; left to right; Dave, Matt Wurderman and Aussie Matt who are friends of ours from the Wonshot Wanderers football team. Matt looks like he always does; blitzed!! Sorry Matt, but if the shoe fits, then wear it.... haha! Aussie Matt is dead fit and runs like the Roadrunner when he is on the field. Matt played in goal and Aussie Matt played up front or in the midfield. This pic was taken at Benchwarmers just as we were leaving on Sunday morning at about 2.30am.

Another pic of Dave and I taken at a small beer place where we watched the second half of the Man U vs Chelsea game, when sadly Wayne Rooney was stretchered off with his broken foot. Chelsea of course clinched the title that day and thumped Man U 3- 0 at the same time!

This pic is of Andy and his wife, Gee Hee I think.... can't remember her Korean name, sorry! Andy is one of the part owners of Tombstone as well. Dave and I recruited Andy here back in 2000. I guess he liked the place!!!! Anyway, he just got married a few months back and the girl beside them is Jeff's wife, Hae Jin...sorry don't know her name either. I am terrible with Korean names!!!! Jeff is also one of the other part owners of Tombstone and he is in the previous pic with the Korean fella that I mentioned.

This pic is of the wedding hall at the Lotte Hotel in Ulsan. The Crystal Ballroom. This is where Dan got married last Sunday, May 30th. 2006. Just a shot of me taking a shot of the groom and bride and family.

This pic is of Kyoung Hee and I outside the wedding hall with the back drop of a tropical garden, which is actually a place where you can eat and sit. It has a very Asian theme to it with a huge tiger and palm trees to make it look authentic.

Here is the webite link to Tombstone Bar in Ulsan. Check it out, it is quite well done.

http://www.tombstonebar.net/

Friend Of Mine Stuart Sent Me This Letter From Bill Shankly

Stuart from Liverpool who I went to Tokyo with last December to see Liverpool in the World Club Championships, sent me this letter of reply that his aunt got back after having sent a letter to Liverpool Football Club. Amazing that Bill Shankly actually signed it himself ! Would that happen in today's society? I think not! A wonderful bit of history to share with all of you anyway.

Well the last 2 days are two days that I would rather forget. I felt like I was hit by a gigantic sucking vaccum that sucked the life right out of me. All I felt like doing was sleeping and my body ached like I had ran a marathon or something. By the way, the term 'marathon' means 26 miles or 42. something kms. I hate the way people are using it today to describe 5km and 10km runs.
" I am running a marathon this morning."
"Really, how long is that going to take you?"
"Oh, about 45 minutes!"
"What? Are you running a marathon?"
"No, I am doing a 10km run."

Then why not just say a 10k run then! Makes them sound special, I suppose. The 'real' marathon runners are somewhat belittled by your 'incorrect' statement about the marathon. Just my pet peeve right now, anyway.

Where was I? Oh, yeh, back to dying on my feet. I slept pretty well from 10.30pm to 12 noon everyday for the last 2 days. Did not exercise at all and just literally 'lounged around.'

I feel a little better now, say 50 percent. Also on top of that, I have started getting pain from my elbow again! I think it is getting better, but it seems to be getting the better or me lately!!!!

Not much else to speak of really other than this Friday is a national holiday; Children's Day! We have the day off work, with pay, which is cool. I am going to just laze around like the rest of this week. Nothing planned for the weekend. Just going to go for walks and eat well and rest well. This weekend will be a weekend at home for the first time since the Avalon camp and last weekend at Dan's wedding.

I have started to post some of the funny photos that I get from family and friends and also what I find on my surfing adventures. I hope you like them.

Look at this virus that the mouse picked up.... haha!!!!!

From A Whisper To A Scream

Mr. and Mrs. Dan Gauthier

The weekend started on Friday night with an air of optimism and excitement. That soon took a turn for the worst at around 11.30pm on Friday night. As we were driving on the highway heading towards Ulsan ,we recieved a phone call from a good friend of ours. He told us that he had just talked to his brother and that his brother informed him that their dad was dying. The doctors have gave their father a maximum of 6 months to live. He has stomach and liver cancer and is in pretty bad shape already. What do you say to your friend? How do you try to make him feel better? All these things went flying through my mind as we were driving along the highway. What am I going to say to him? My mind was in total chaos!

Eventually of course, my emotions settled down and I began to realize that there can be no plan or course of action when your friend needs you. All you can do is listen and let your friend bounce off of you. Our friend did not come out Friday night, but I met up with him on Saturday afternoon.

We talked about his dad a lot and I tried my best to be the best listener and friend that I could be. It was quite emotional and I had to hold back my tears on several occasions.

My friend is just so wound up that he doesn't know what to do. He was asking me about his job and what about the future and other things. I just told him that he had to go back and spend some time with his dad and brother and family.

To make matters worse he also doesn't have a valid passport as he had his stolen when he was in the Phillipines. The Consulate in Pusan is also shut until May 18th so he needs to come down to Seoul to get it. Just another problem that he has to deal with!

He will be fine if he comes down here as he can stay with Dave or I while he is getting things sorted. He seems to be handling things quite well and although it is an enormously difficult time, I know that he has the strength and courage to get throught this.

My friend has to sit down with his boss at the university and see what kind of time he can get off or try and work something out. If worst comes to worst, then he can just quit and find another job if he comes back. My friend even said to me today that he might just stay in Canada and go back to university and do his masters. I told him, why not!!!! Let things be, but do the right thing and go home as soon as you can.

This has really hit home with me, as my Mum and Dad are the same age, actually older than my friend's dad. It just made me think more about what I deem important in my life. I have always cherished my family and friends, but this event has brought home things more strongly than ever. We all get so caught up in life and become so selfish that we really do not give such important things enough of our attention. We need to stop a little and slow down. Family are the crux of our existence and we need to tell them we love them as often as we can, in our own ways. Even emails and phone calls are just as important as sending a birthday card or a gift. There are a hundred ways to show them that we love them, but we need to do it and not keep putting it off.

I have a wonderful relationship with my family, but often feel guilty about being away from them and not being able to drop round for a coffee or a 'chat.' My family understands, but it does not relieve the guilt that I feel sometimes. I think all of us that live away from our families, especially in other countries feel the same way?

Well, that was the start of the weekend, now for the wedding on Sunday afternoon. The wedding started around 11.30am and ended about 1.30pm. It was short and sweet, typically Korean style. It was a great wedding and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was mostly Korean traditional style, but a little Western style mixed in, especially with the personalities involved.

There were photographers everywhere that were both taking pictures and filming the event. There were 2 screens either side of the altar showing different images. One was even showing photos of the bride and groom that had been taken in a studio. It was a beautiful big ballroom and the lighting was very bright.

There was also a big runway covered in white lace complete with an arch at the end of it. It led from the arch right up to the red carpet stairs that led up to the altar. The altar was also decorated in a nice white lace theme and a big huge wedding cake was stood beside it next to where the altar was.


A Buddhist monk married Dan and Minjong and it was a very nice ceremony. Dan's best man, Peter Cory and his wife Mira, helped keep the English speakers up to par with what was going on at certain times during the ceremony. At one point Dan had to wave his arms up and down three times and yell something in Korean that proved his loyalty to his wife. It was really funny to watch and a very unique experience.

The food was very good and there was a wide variety of different foods starting with salad and then sea-food, rice, vegetables, deli-meats and other concoctions that I have no idea what they were! Each table also was supplied with a couple of bottles of soju, beer and pop and of course water.

If you wanted more of anything, all you had to do was ask. It was a very well catered wedding and the serving staff did a great job. They cleaned each plate off your table as soon as you were done. Like I said previously, it was about 2 hours from start to finish, so things moved fast and efficiently.

Pictures were taken with the family of both the bride and groom. Dan's mother and father had arrived in Ulsan a week before the wedding along with his aunt, his mother's sister. Also Dan's daughter Jess was there. Jess actually works in Ulsan as an English teacher and has been in Korea about a year or so now. All of Dan's friends got a picture taken with him and Minjong also.

So, the wedding ended and I met up with my friend again. Kyoung Hee spent about 2 hours in a pc room while we we hung out. Then we met up with about 5 other friends of ours including Tony who finally had time to meet up with us after his morning 10km run. We ate at a bbq pork restaurant and at about 7pm, Dave, Kyoung Hee and I left from Ulsan for the drive back to Bundang.

We arrived back in Bundang at about 12.30. We stopped twice on the way back at the rest-stops. It was quite hazy in Seoul when we arrived; the yellow dust hit again. I watched the Tottenham vs Bolton game and then went to bed about 2.30am.

Woke up this morning feeling like I had been hit by a baseball bat. Spitting some lovely stuff out of my mouth all day and feeling very weak and giddy. I have decided to quit all drinking for the next 2 weeks until the FA Cup final. I am going to take a break from the gym today and hopefully start up again tomorrow.

I had a bit of a setback with my elbow about 2 days after going to the gym. It started locking up on me and really aching, so I decided that I need to take a longer break from weight-lifting again. I am going to go to phsyio tomorrow and go everyday this week.

Bad news about Wayne Rooney. He broke his foot again! Even when he gets over it, it will be too late for him to help England in any of their World Cup games. I think England's chance of wining the World Cup have dropped by about an easy 20 percent. Even Michael Owen will not be fit enough to make a difference to the team. Let's hope some inspiration comes from some other players that get to play up front, like Crouch or Defoe or whomever else Eriksson picks as forwards.

I came home from work on Monday night and literally 'crashed.' Watched about 10 mins of tv and didn't even go near the computer, which is very unusual for me nowadays! I slept, although as usual kept waking up every 2 to 3 hours, until 12.30 Tuesday afternoon. I am on the pc now to finish this post as I don't have any breaks in work today. 4 one hour and 20 minute classes with a 5 minute break in between each one, plus 60 essays to mark starting today. Oh well, it keeps me busy and the time does fly. I am off to work now.

The weather has turned very hot and it is sure going to be a hot summer. I love the summer so I am not complaining. I have a/c in the apartment, so sleeping will be no problem. I need to sweat a few excess pounds off this beluga frame now anyway.

Arrived In Ulsan Late Last Night

I left straight from work and met my girlfriend at Samsung Plaza. I managed to get off work at 8.10pm as I don't have a late class on a Friday. The school allowed me to leave a little early, which worked out great.

Dave, Kyoung Hee and I left from Bundang, a little before 9pm and arrived in Ulsan at just about 12.40am. Kyoung Hee took a taxi to her friends bar and then stayed at her house for the night. Dave and I got a room together for the first night. We then decided to go off to tombstone, which is the foreigner bar in Ulsan that is also owned by foreigners.

The bar was not that busy, but we got to hang out with Jeff and Mark, two of the owners who we have both known since we got here. Mark and Jeff and Andrew just got back from a mini-tour of the States and ended up going to Vegas as Mark is getting married to a Korean girl that he has been dating for about 8 years, finally!!!!!! All 3 of them are Canadian and Andrew was actually recruited by Dave and I to Korea back in 2000!

Needless to say we started to talk and talk and have a few good laughs. Dave then called Gareth, the English fella from Manchester and also a good friend of ours. Gareth is the one that put The Wonshot Wanderers Football team on the map and is currently still running it although at somewhat a diluted level of ability due to all the players that have left or finished their contracts. We got out of the bar at 6.30am!!! It was daylight when we were walking back to the motel. The name of the motel is Motel Sheraton. Do you think they were trying to get people in here by the posh name?

Didn't sleep much last night. Dave kept rolling over towards me. He is a total fidget when he sleeps. The room has internet access for 5 dollars a day and of course that is how I am typing this now. Met up with Rob in the afternoon and Kyoung Hee met up with me at 4pm to come back to the motel and get ready to meet our friend Hae Sook tonight at 8pm.

I have to buy a pair of pants tonight as Kyoung Hee ironed them back in Bundang, but forgot to put them in the suitcase. Oh well! She is buying the pants for me anyway..... haha.

There is a wee map of Moogadong, which is where I used to live last September to January in Ulsan. It is the area around Ulsan University and there are tons of shops and eateries everywhere. That is where Rob works too. He is in his second year as the Continuing English Education Teacher for the department. Teachers are allowed only 3 years maximum to work in that position too.

Off to say goodbye later to John Cattigan and his girlfriend Emily who are leaving Korea for Thailand and then going back to the UK. I am not drinking tonight as the wedding is early tomorrow morning and I am tired of drinking to tell you the truth.

Back Weightlifting Again, Finally!

It has been over 5 months since I had a precious steel bar in my hands and been able to push it up and down, up and down, up and down. Let me tell you, it was an awesome feeling last night to be able to finally bench-press. Although I only did very light weights, it was nice to not have any pain while doing it.

I didn't realize how much I had missed the weight-training. It is such a different feeling from any other type of exercise. I can't wait to get going squatting and doing some 'heavy' exercises. I did quite a bit of chest and shoulder work last night and also stretched my elbow a lot at the same time.

I am happy to report this morning that I have no pain coming from the elbow or the shoulder, just a little bit of an ache from the chest and arms due to the workout. I am so happy!!!!! The arm still needs a bit of physio to get the elbow ligaments a bit looser, but I am going to start physio again next week and go everyday.

My plan is to do weights one day and then cardio the next, for a total of working out 6 days a week. I have already dropped about 2 inches in my waist and about 3 inches in the chest..... believe it or not. All the baby fat is starting to disappear, finally!

Today is a little overcast, but quite warm. I was awoken this morning by my girlfriend to the nice aroma of a ham and cheese sandwich from Issac Toast, which is a really popular snack booth here in Korea. Toast has really taken off here in the last year or so and you can see all varieties of sandwiches and a variety of companies offering them. The companies are usually small and have minimum overhead, but offer a cheap product despite the good quality.

The sandwich that I get has one slice of ham, a slice of cheese, two pieces of bread and egg and corn fried on a grill and then placed in the sandwich also. It is not the healthiest of foods if you ate it all the time, but as a treat once in a while it is great. It is also only about 1.50 for a sandwich.

Keeping my weight off has been a little difficult. I feel like Kermit falling off that building, but I have cut out the pizza and sausages and the other high fat foods. The snacks, especially the Pringles are now down to a treat once in a while.

Eating more vegetables and more Korean meals has helped me get rid of most of the excess weight that was 'floating' around me... haha.

The key to eating healthy is not dieting, but controlling your fat intake and not starving yourself. The question that anyone should ask themselves when they are on a healthy eating regime is, "Can I eat this way for the rest of my life without craving and will I always feel satisfied?" If the answer is no, then it is the wrong eating plan for you.

My blood pressure is back down to normal again and I feel way better about myself and have more energy now. Wait until I get going big-time on the weights again!

Arnold will be asking me how I look so good!!!!!!!!!! NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!