it's monsoon season which means, yep, you guessed it. rain. lots and lots of rain. the skies are usually overcast and if it's not actually raining, it's threatening rain. some days, i don't mind it. but on the days that i do mind it, i feel like a blob.
the other night, i didn't have the greatest attitude towards teaching. i simply didn't want to teach. i don't often feel that way, but the downpour made me feel...yep, you guessed it, like a blob. a big ball of blob. the blobster. the blob-e-rina.
still, the show must go on. and even though i didn't have much energy, gratefully my students brought it and my goodness, did they BRING it! i don't think i've ever laughed as much as i have in those two back to back classes. entertaining and hilarious as all get out! here are my highlights:
my thursday elementary school students just may be my favorite group this term. they are individually delightful and when their energies combine, it's a burst of reliable amusement and insight.
we were reviewing reading/writing terms: purpose, tone, connotative language, facts and opinions. to distinguish facts from opinions, i asked, "do you believe everything you read?"
isaac answered with an emphatic, "YES!"
"oh, really?!"
"YES!" (at this point, a few of the other students were displaying their mischievous knowing smiles.)
"okay then. if i tell you that you're foot is melting, will you believe me?"
(don't even ask me where in the hell i pulled that RANDOM one from!!! when does anyone's foot ever melt?!)
there's a confused look on isaac's face...as he says, "yes?"
"really?!?!"
"i mean, no!"
a different student, ryan (such a smart cookie!!!) points out, "teacher, you're saying that, it's not written!"
"good point, ryan. now, if you were to read that, isaac, would you believe it?"
the light bulb clicks in his brain--you can actually hear it! CLICK!--as he says, enthusiastically, "NO!"
but the best part is that that sentence, "your foot is melting" became our inside joke for the entire length of class. i should also add, that i pretended that my foot was indeed melting and got the kiddies to laugh uproariously. seriously. anything going wrong with the body is an instant winner. thank you, thank you very much.
in my second class, there are 7 middle school students. 6 girls. 1 boy. they are also great, although sometimes a bit moody. we were discussing irony and to illustrate examples, i went to each student and told them each a horrible scenario. in return, they had to respond ironically. i told ashley, "you are bald." (again, where the hell did i pull that one from?!) and the students went wild with laughter, which of course made me hoot and holler too! it was fantastic! once we got all the giggles out, ashley's ironic answer was, "wonderful!"
i don't remember what the topic was but i mentioned shakespeare's macbeth's famous quote: boil, boil, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble. and a different ashley replied, "boil, boil, toilet trouble?"
and that just about did me in! ha ha! toil and trouble, toilet trouble! i get by with laughter.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
i LOVE yoga!
last summer when i was in dc, i went ya-ya for yoga. it was (and still is) awesome! i discovered that dc has an incredible yoga network and luckily for me, each studio offered an introductory rate. while i've encountered a few yoga studios here in korea, i haven't found that sweet comfortable fit so i began exploring the online yoga community.
when i discovered hillary's yoga podcast, i was eager to explore her sessions--i had gotten a bit stale in my own--and since that initial discovery, i've been practicing yoga just about everyday. it's incredible. INCREDIBLE!!!!! here is her link, explore it for yourselves if you'd like, to learn the foundations if you're a beginner and to deepen your practice if you're more aware:
http://hillarysyogapractice.wordpress.com
namaste!
when i discovered hillary's yoga podcast, i was eager to explore her sessions--i had gotten a bit stale in my own--and since that initial discovery, i've been practicing yoga just about everyday. it's incredible. INCREDIBLE!!!!! here is her link, explore it for yourselves if you'd like, to learn the foundations if you're a beginner and to deepen your practice if you're more aware:
http://hillarysyogapractice.wordpress.com
namaste!
korea diarrhea
this might a bit t.m.i., but, i'm a gonna share it anyhoo. like my mind, my body has gone through its own share of adjustments and transitions. some minor, some major. this past week, my body's internal organs were the angriest they have ever, ever, been. ever. (heh heh, one more for more emphasis.)
i shared my woes with my friend who informed me that a week earlier, she had had suffered a bout of it as well. she also told me that when she went to the pharmacist for medicine, he informed her that many koreans are affected by the same condition. ha! korea's got diarrhea!
i'm not exactly sure what the causes were, but, it could have been a combination of humid and hot weather, eating too quickly and too large of a food intake at one time, ingesting too spicy of dishes, or just plain bad luck.
literally within 10-15 minutes after a meal, i'd hear and feel what i like to call the "rumbles in the tumbles." and well, i'm sure you can guess the rest of the story. thankfully, my tummy feels much much calmer, mostly due to a serious temporary shift in diet: plain rice, tofu, seasoned seaweed called κΉ€ (pronounced gheem), potatoes, and bananas. i've gradually been able add in more flavorful foods and would like to thank the n.i.h. website for the gentle food suggestions. be kind to your fascinating bodies and happy eating!
i shared my woes with my friend who informed me that a week earlier, she had had suffered a bout of it as well. she also told me that when she went to the pharmacist for medicine, he informed her that many koreans are affected by the same condition. ha! korea's got diarrhea!
i'm not exactly sure what the causes were, but, it could have been a combination of humid and hot weather, eating too quickly and too large of a food intake at one time, ingesting too spicy of dishes, or just plain bad luck.
literally within 10-15 minutes after a meal, i'd hear and feel what i like to call the "rumbles in the tumbles." and well, i'm sure you can guess the rest of the story. thankfully, my tummy feels much much calmer, mostly due to a serious temporary shift in diet: plain rice, tofu, seasoned seaweed called κΉ€ (pronounced gheem), potatoes, and bananas. i've gradually been able add in more flavorful foods and would like to thank the n.i.h. website for the gentle food suggestions. be kind to your fascinating bodies and happy eating!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
everyday words
exactly. don't forget the words. the cover of my vocabulary book:
over-dramatic much? painstaking?!? yes.
don't worry, forget about it...unless, they are words. (see above again.)
in case you didn't get the memo, nail polish is good for your life:
"nail" that manicure...get it!?!? GET it?! ha ha ha!
super cheese: if you want to smile say, "cheese," but when you want to smile and be really happy, say, "cheese cake."
a delicious idea, indeed!
over-dramatic much? painstaking?!? yes.
don't worry, forget about it...unless, they are words. (see above again.)
in case you didn't get the memo, nail polish is good for your life:
"nail" that manicure...get it!?!? GET it?! ha ha ha!
super cheese: if you want to smile say, "cheese," but when you want to smile and be really happy, say, "cheese cake."
a delicious idea, indeed!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
sa-wat-di-ka!
most of my images and memories from thailand are stored in my ole noggin, however, these are courtesy of nami!
on the bus from the airport to bangkok city center:
the stunning reclining buddha:
i was so excited to get to the water! i'm running!
poolside:
sunset, ko pha ngan:
our last night, on a tuk tuk ride:
on the bus from the airport to bangkok city center:
the stunning reclining buddha:
i was so excited to get to the water! i'm running!
poolside:
sunset, ko pha ngan:
our last night, on a tuk tuk ride:
dream more. work less.
i love (loooooooooooove love love LOVE!) receiving postal gifts. despite the modern day conveniences of electronic communication, nothing can replace the sight and tangibility of a handwritten letter, complete with the unmistakable penmanship, the slant of the words, the arrows directing thoughts and afterthoughts. this morning, i received a letter from my delightful, inspiring and dedicated pen-pal, beth. she finished her letter with two sentences: dream more. work less. i could not agree more.
Monday, July 7, 2008
the old and new
(fyi: the camera i used to take pictures of my new camera is my old--i like to call it my grandfather camera, it's so old and crotchety, it tells me when it wants to take pictures or not!-- canon. thankfully the new one has no strange tints and it works, everytime!)
i am a smart consumer, especially when i make big purchases. and by big, i mean anything above 50 g's. a shout out to the various websites and resources (cnet, trustedreviews and photographyblog) who have made my task of finding a camera easier by summarizing the pros and cons of the different brands and models.
i loved taking pictures with my lumix, however, one of the major drawbacks was the lack of a manual mode. nighttime photos were often flashed out from lack of aperture and shutter control. from this, i decided that there were two priorities when choosing my next camera: 1) it had to be compact enough for easy transport and 2) it had to have manual mode. ooh shiny new buttons! i wanted my new camera to be a good in between from a simple point and shoot and the momma jomma semi-professional cameras.
this morning, i went back to yongsan (think technogadget wondermall) where i browsed panasonic's and canon's offerings. it gave me a headache. deciding on one camera out of a sea of lookalikes can be very draining. so tiring in fact, that when i returned home, i took a 2 hour nap. my brain has worked hard today.
let me begin by saying that technology is impressive. not just with cameras, but with computers, cell phones, robotic limbs, dentures, (random, i know, right?! but it's true!) and cars. the greatest challenge is to find the one the best suits your needs. it's very difficult to not get hooked onto the "latest" or "newest" model since the newest is very quickly equated as the best. but if the "best" doesn't have what you want, then shoooot! it is not the best. i was enticed by the latest lumix model but since it didn't match my qualifications, it was not a contender in the chong camera conquest.
after about 2-3 hours (when i say this place is big, i am not kidding!) of tinkering and contemplation, i narrowed my choices down to 2. i am grateful to my friend chris who accompanied me and helped me remain focused. (hee hee, no pun intended!) in the face of too many options, it's extremely easy to get sidetracked. you begin to wonder, wait...do i want this? or that? and all the cameras start to blend into one indistinguishable mass. my new toy is a canon powershot, A710 IS. it's not the newest by any means, but it has what i want and i am eager to learn and utilize all of its dynamic abilities. i'm excited to share with you what i discover!
i am a smart consumer, especially when i make big purchases. and by big, i mean anything above 50 g's. a shout out to the various websites and resources (cnet, trustedreviews and photographyblog) who have made my task of finding a camera easier by summarizing the pros and cons of the different brands and models.
i loved taking pictures with my lumix, however, one of the major drawbacks was the lack of a manual mode. nighttime photos were often flashed out from lack of aperture and shutter control. from this, i decided that there were two priorities when choosing my next camera: 1) it had to be compact enough for easy transport and 2) it had to have manual mode. ooh shiny new buttons! i wanted my new camera to be a good in between from a simple point and shoot and the momma jomma semi-professional cameras.
this morning, i went back to yongsan (think technogadget wondermall) where i browsed panasonic's and canon's offerings. it gave me a headache. deciding on one camera out of a sea of lookalikes can be very draining. so tiring in fact, that when i returned home, i took a 2 hour nap. my brain has worked hard today.
let me begin by saying that technology is impressive. not just with cameras, but with computers, cell phones, robotic limbs, dentures, (random, i know, right?! but it's true!) and cars. the greatest challenge is to find the one the best suits your needs. it's very difficult to not get hooked onto the "latest" or "newest" model since the newest is very quickly equated as the best. but if the "best" doesn't have what you want, then shoooot! it is not the best. i was enticed by the latest lumix model but since it didn't match my qualifications, it was not a contender in the chong camera conquest.
after about 2-3 hours (when i say this place is big, i am not kidding!) of tinkering and contemplation, i narrowed my choices down to 2. i am grateful to my friend chris who accompanied me and helped me remain focused. (hee hee, no pun intended!) in the face of too many options, it's extremely easy to get sidetracked. you begin to wonder, wait...do i want this? or that? and all the cameras start to blend into one indistinguishable mass. my new toy is a canon powershot, A710 IS. it's not the newest by any means, but it has what i want and i am eager to learn and utilize all of its dynamic abilities. i'm excited to share with you what i discover!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
how many days does it take to change a light bulb?
i'm no rocket scientist, but i do know how to change a light bulb. or so, i thought! Q: how many days does it take for me to change a light bulb? A: more than one!
on saturday, my bathroom light decided not to work and while i don't mind doing some of my business in the dark, most tasks are best done with light. i went to the store and found myself staring at and studying the different varieties of light bulb options. i was hoping that one of them would jump out and tell me that it was the replacement i needed. that didn't happen, so i picked one that was the correct wattage and length. back home, i took out the old and put in the new...flip the switch and bah! no good. hmmm!?!
sunday: back to the store, picked another bulb, chose a different brand, got reimbursed for the first light bulb and returned home. crossing my fingers (no bathroom light was starting to get irritating!) i flipped the switch. nothing. what?!?! dude. how difficult IS IT to change a light bulb? wondering what i was doing wrong, i convinced myself that it was the light bulb. to solve matters, i walked to a different store and looked at their light bulb selection. while i was trying to match the numbers and letters from my original bulb to the ones on display, a store attendant approached me and asked if i needed help. i must've been staring at them for a long time. i showed her my piece of paper with the light bulb information and she told me that any of the 36 watt light bulbs will work. A-HA! so it wasn't my light bulb at all! it was my light fixture! and sure enough, the maintenance crew replaced the thingamajig to the doohookie and now i'm back in the light. niiiiiiiiiiice!
on saturday, my bathroom light decided not to work and while i don't mind doing some of my business in the dark, most tasks are best done with light. i went to the store and found myself staring at and studying the different varieties of light bulb options. i was hoping that one of them would jump out and tell me that it was the replacement i needed. that didn't happen, so i picked one that was the correct wattage and length. back home, i took out the old and put in the new...flip the switch and bah! no good. hmmm!?!
sunday: back to the store, picked another bulb, chose a different brand, got reimbursed for the first light bulb and returned home. crossing my fingers (no bathroom light was starting to get irritating!) i flipped the switch. nothing. what?!?! dude. how difficult IS IT to change a light bulb? wondering what i was doing wrong, i convinced myself that it was the light bulb. to solve matters, i walked to a different store and looked at their light bulb selection. while i was trying to match the numbers and letters from my original bulb to the ones on display, a store attendant approached me and asked if i needed help. i must've been staring at them for a long time. i showed her my piece of paper with the light bulb information and she told me that any of the 36 watt light bulbs will work. A-HA! so it wasn't my light bulb at all! it was my light fixture! and sure enough, the maintenance crew replaced the thingamajig to the doohookie and now i'm back in the light. niiiiiiiiiiice!
when the going gets hot, get a haircut!
korean summer air is pregnant, (PREGGERS!!!) with saturated humidity.
no joke.
so when the going gets hot, i say chop it all off!
some of my students remarked on my new short do, but most of them simply stated their observance without opinion, which i found hilarious. "you got a hair cut," "your hair is short," "your hair is different," and returned their attention to the task at hand which was either taking a seat or getting out their books. one student, however, carrie--she's darling!--saw me in the hallway and after noticing my hair, said, "you're beautiful." it was so sweet! i was complimented and touched.
no joke.
so when the going gets hot, i say chop it all off!
some of my students remarked on my new short do, but most of them simply stated their observance without opinion, which i found hilarious. "you got a hair cut," "your hair is short," "your hair is different," and returned their attention to the task at hand which was either taking a seat or getting out their books. one student, however, carrie--she's darling!--saw me in the hallway and after noticing my hair, said, "you're beautiful." it was so sweet! i was complimented and touched.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
