Busy as Hell!

Sorry for not updating this page in a long time, but I've ben busy as hell teaching. I honestly have had my free time cut down to nil and when I do have some, I tend to stay away from my computer.

I just wanted to throw up a video I made earlier this year in Busan. I lived in an officetel in Jangsan and directly behind it was a little park. Hidden in that park was a very strange and mysterious "farm" area. I've always found it interesting that wherever older Koreans can find any plot of bare land (and there aren't many in Korea), they'll grow something on it!



Hope I can get a chance to write something longer soon.

Cheers...

Shakin Ajumma Bootie!

Sorry I haven't posted much lately, but I've been busy as Hell. I'm doing my teaching practicum in a 3rd grade class in have been swamped with work. I realize more and more everyday how much primary school teachers earn every penny they make (and sometimes I don't think those pennies are nearly enough!) The planning, the hours of preperation, the classroom management, unhappy parents, parents that are too happy, blah, blah, blah....I could go on...but I won't. Simply put, teaching in Canada is a lot tougher than any teaching I ever did in Korea. All those times that I whined about prep in Korea...well...I was simply a huge baby....the days of 30-40 minutes of prep-time have certainly gone the way of the dinosuas. That's ok though...I'm certainly loving the new challenge.

Came across this video of some wild Korean ajummas shakin it. I didn't take the vid, but I wish I did...or maybe not...looks like it was a scary place to be!

Ajummas getting down on ferryboat cruise of Lake Chungjuho

Remembrance Day

This is the first time in six years that I will be in Canada for Remembrance Day. Not only am I back in Canada, but am in Ottawa and will be downtown early on Sunday morning for the parade and ceremony.

I'm excited to be in Ottawa this year because this day means a lot to me. Sunday, November 11th will be a day to remember our history and those who made sacrifices I can never imagine.








A touching tribute to Canadians past and present serving our nation.




I took these pictures last year at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan, Korea. 516 Canadians were killed in action during the Korean War and many are buried in this cemetery. It's a powerful place to go.

Often reffered to as "Canada's Forgotten War", Canadian troops distinguised themselves for their grit, tenacity and bravery at such places as the Battle of Kapyong.


if you are in Ottawa Sunday morning you should check out the ceremony.

Parade Route - Parade will march off at 1030 hours moving East on Queen Street in rear of the pipe band and colour party to a position facing the Memorial on the triangle forming the southern portion of the National War Memorial. Parade to be in position at the Memorial by 1040 hours You can see more infor about the official ceremony in Ottawa on Sunday morning here.

If you are abroad...in Korea...check out cbc.ca at 9:30pm (Korean time) for live streaming video of the ceremony and events surrounding it. (You'll need RealPlayer).

Wedding Hall Dancing Girls...and other weirdness

This is just too weird. This could, probably...quite possibly be the strangeast wedding scene I have ever seen!

I had trouble imbeding ths video so check it out here!


I came across this vid and just thought it was plain funny. Looks like a traffic cop getting "policeman nursery training." I especially like the crack he gets in the head for not raising his arm high enough....This may be normal police training for Korea, but from my perspective, seems a little bizarre!

American Teacher Deported for Past Crimes

Past crimes cause teacher to be deported
For the first time in Korea, an English teacher has been deported for a crime he committed before coming here, the Justice Ministry announced yesterday.
An American whose name was not released was deported, the Justice Ministry said, after a previous conviction in Los Angeles of possessing and distributing child pornography was uncovered.

The 55-year-old had been on a watch list of sex offenders in the United States. He entered Korea on Oct. 24 to teach in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, with a valid E-2 visa.

Shortly after his arrival, the ministry received information about the man’s criminal history, but it did not reveal how.

The government announced recently that starting in December, all foreign teachers applying for a teaching visa must submit their criminal and health records.
That follows the arrest of an alleged pedophile, Christopher Paul Neil, who is now in the hands of Thai authorities. Neil taught in Korea for a total of about four years and fled to Thailand after he became a suspect.

Currently, 17,020 native English speakers are working as language teachers in Korea on E-2 visas, according to data from the ministry.

Through August of this year, 100 teachers were caught on visa violations or felonies committed in Korea. Eighteen were deported, but 82 were allowed to remain here.
Joongang Daily



Japan's Chopstick Bra!!!

What more can I say? "Sugoy!" That's "green" thinking...



The joys of finger prints and mugshots...
Arriving outside Narita will be worse
Japan Times
OSAKA — As annoying as the new fingerprinting procedure will be for non-Japanese going through immigration at Narita International Airport, it is going to be much worse for foreign residents who don't live in the Tokyo area.

Unlike at Narita International Airport, those passing through regional airports will have to go through the fingerprint registration process every time they re-enter Japan.

This is because only Narita, which handled half of all non-Japanese coming into the country in 2006, will introduce a new automated system that officials hope will speed up the new rules requiring most foreigners to have their fingerprints and photographs taken upon entry.See more...


Those poor ole Nove instructors may not have to work for food anymore!
EF invites Nova instructors to teach in China for Olympics
Japan Today
TOKYO — A Switzerland-based English language institute on Wednesday invited instructors who lost jobs because of the failure of Nova Corp to teach English in China where demand for English learning is expected to shoot up ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

EF Education First Ltd, which has been chosen as an official language partner of the Olympics, is seeking about 1,000 English instructors who can teach English in such major Chinese cities as Beijing and Shanghai, Molly Fitzpatrick from the institute said at a press conference in Tokyo. She said EF Education First hopes that Nova instructors with extensive English teaching experience will seek a new opportunity in China. Read Story...


'Seoul to Go' livens up Korean airwaves
Korea Herald
One of the things foreigners living in Korea miss in the mornings while getting ready for their day is an English morning show that is light, informative and humorous.

Well, no need to go any further than your mobile phone or GPS unit because now, everyday from 8-10 a.m., TBS's "Seoul to Go" will be on the digital media broadcasting bandwidth.

Hosts Erica Lee and Shane Peterson bring to Korean radio a refreshing alternative to other English language programs.

"This is a great show for foreigners because you can wake up in the morning to a Western-style format that's funny and light," said Shane. "If you're living in Seoul and don't know what to do except to go to Itaewon and the hotels, this show lets you know about places to go and eat."

Another aspect of the show that makes it different is that it can be viewed just like a television show. DMB has brought a whole new dimension to conventional radio; the show uses this to its advantage by not only presenting the personalities behind the mic, but also providing a traffic map of Seoul and various other useful bits of information.

One of the segments -- "Seoul Chic" -- brings in experts to talk about different lifestyle options which Seoulites and visitors might want to know about. The week starts off on Monday with this journalist reporting on embassy news and activities. On Tuesdays, Kali Kim comes in to focus on the health. On Wednesdays, Janet Lee brings all the entertainment news from Hollywood and Korea. On Thursdays is Kim Jae-young with information about popular culture. Young Kim checks in on Fridays with stories about the K-pop music scene.

"Shane Ham is the master of knowledge in Seoul; he will tell you everyday what to do, where to go and what to eat," said Peterson.

Erica Lee explained that the show was the brainchild of the Seoul government; the aim is to make the city more foreigner-friendly, not only to expats, but also tourists who are looking for something different.

"Our show offers traffic information, culture, news, weather, places to visit, places to eat, things to see and do, exhibitions, anything related to Seoul," said Lee.

She added that, since the show has been such a huge success, the Seoul government is looking to expand English programming to five or six hours a day starting next year.

There will also be segments called the Streets of Seoul, Help Me, and Korean Tips, along with stock market news offered by The Korea Herald.

"Seoul to go" airs Mondays to Fridays on terrestrial DMB. Luckily, that's a free service, as TU DMB or satellite DMB requires a regular fee.

Tokyo Dance Trooper

I've been hangin around the apartment this evening nursing a swollen liver(yesterday's after class festivities took me to the Heart and Crown in Ottawa's lovely Byward Market)and surfing around YouTube. Lots of great vids about Japan/life in Japan (I'm moving to Osaka next Spring...so I'm interested in learning more about all that is Japanese-like). Some serious and some that are simply there to entertain. I love these vids...the Tokyo Dance Trooper...great stuff. Honestly, I'm not a huge Star Wars fan (sorry if that offended anyone), but seeing a guy in a stormtrooper outfit randomly dancing in city streets is damn hilarious ^^

Tokyo Dance Trooper in Shibuya

You can see more about the making of this video and everything else about the creator, Danny Choo. More at http://dannychoo.com


Tokyo Dance Trooper



Dance Vader

See all of the originals here.

These are entertinng vids and Danny Choo's blog is an entertaining read. Check it out.

Teacher Assaulted by Angry Grandmother

BEWARE THE AJUMMA...for they are strong, often lacking social graces and...well..you get the point!

Teacher Assaulted by Angry Grandmother
A student's grandmother battered a teacher as stunned students watched at an elementary school in Seoul last week.
According to the Seoul Office of Education on Tuesday, the third grade teacher, identified as Bae, was attacked while teaching class at a school in Songpa district in eastern Seoul on Thursday.

The parents and maternal grandmother of a student identified as Kim barged into the classroom while Bae was teaching and began a loud quarrel about whether the teacher has discriminated against Kim.

During the argument, the grandmother began pulling the teacher's hair and the quarrel turned into a scuffle. Alarmed students notified other teachers who subdued the attacker. Bae was taken to a nearby hospital and discharged a week later.

"Kim's family was unhappy about his teacher's allegedly negligent attitude, which they saw when Kim was absent from school and the teacher failed to call to ask why," the school said.

The parents of another student said, "It seems Kim's parents couldn't control their anger when they complained to the teacher that their son had received fewer tickets for the school bazaar held the previous day than other students."

According to the school, Kim's family visited the teacher in the hospital and reconciled with each other on Monday. Kim has transferred to another school.

The school appears to have tried to cover up the incident as it neglected to report it to the Gangdong District Education Office. The district office said it hadn't received any specific information about the incident from the school.
Chosun Ilbo



Looks like the hordes of subway groppers will be at a lose during rush hour! What's a horny salaryman supposed to do with himself now on his way to and from work??
Seoul to Reintroduce Women-Only Subway Cars in 2008

Women-only subway cars will be reintroduced in Seoul next year as part of the local transportation authority's efforts to crack down on sexual harassment of female passengers, officials said Wednesday.

The Seoul Metro and the Seoul Metropolitan Transit Corp., which operate eight subway lines in the Seoul metropolitan area, said they will designate the cars in 2008 on all of their lines. Read More...

I took this pic in Osaka earlier in the year. Seems they've had women only cars for many years...and for good reasons. Some people say i's disgraceful that in the year 2007 societies are at the point where they still need to segregate people. in this case I think it is a good thing since there are TOO many men on trains who want to feel women up as they go about their daily business.

Stories in Japanese Dailies always reinforce this point....seems like everyday....almost everyday I'm seeing storu=ies like this:
Official 'patentedly' admits molesting woman on train
or this...
TV economist Uekusa jailed for groping woman on train
or this...
Police sergeant arrested for molesting high school girl on train

Now if policemen, politicians and TV ecomonists are putting their hands where they shouldn't be on subways...what are the non-famous doing. I assume there's a lot of similar news in Korea, it's just not added to the English media.

Long story short...I think "women's only" cars will be a good idea in Seoul.



HOLY CRAP on this one. As an educator...all I can say is...and again...WOW! I hope this dude gets some prison time...or at least a chance for some tattoo-covered ganster to soap him down in the showers at the local jailhouse...

High School Beating Video Sparks Outrage
A video clip of a high school teacher beating two students with a bamboo sword has caused a stir among netizens.

In the 38-second video clip, a teacher is seen striking the hips of two students in a push-up position with the sword. When one student stands up, unable to endure the beating, the teacher follows him to strike his back.

The clip, recorded by a student with a mobile phone, has spread on the Internet. Netizens have voiced their outrage in message boards, saying the punishment was extreme.

"This is violence, not punishment," wrote a netizen. "The teacher's actions require criminal punishment."
Read More and see some pics...


You just have to love "Konglish"...or is that "Konglishy"?
Clumsy Corporate Slogans Part of `Glocalization’
Korea Times

Hyundai Motor's ``Drive Your Way,'' and KTF's ``Have a Good Time'' are examples of local corporate slogans with a Konglish (use of English words in a Korean context) feel making foreigners here raise their eyebrows. The so-called problem still exists, but companies and foreign business experts say it's part of ``globalization.''

``If a company is mainly trying to attract Korean consumers who only have a semi-English understanding, the point is not perfect English communication, but to convey the emotional feeling behind it,'' said Tom Coyner, president of business consultancy Soft Landing Korea, adding that this is not only the situation in Korea, but in most parts of Asia.

A growing number of global firms are localizing their marketing strategies to appeal to consumers of a specific region.

He said, ``Companies are not stupid and they can easily hire people to get the correct English if they want.''

Some mottos that have been pinpointed were Samsung Anycall's ``Digital Exciting,'' Seoul Milk's ``Milk Itself'' and Kookmin Bank's ``Think Star,'' which were noted as having clumsy structures.

Michael Conforme, president and CEO of managing consulting firm GCT, said, ``The grammar is clearly wrong in some cases, but if it's effective in grabbing the main consumer crowd, who are we to be so quick to criticize?'' See more...

Well....I hope we can all "Let's Milk" together!



You know things are getting bad when you need your students to feed you!
Students feed foreign teachers as Japan school fails
TOKYO, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Foreign teachers stranded by the collapse of Japan's largest language school said on Thursday they were broke and being fed by their students, as media revealed a secret bedroom and opulent offices enjoyed by the firm's founder Read More...