Something About Birthdays

The lanterns have started going up around Korea which can only mean one thing: It's Buddha's Birthday! I don't really care who's birthday it is, the fact it's a national holiday is what matters to me. The sucky part is that the big guy's birthday falls on May 15th this year, which is a Sunday. No holiday for this big guy.

Something About Japan

I try my best to discuss current events with my oldest students (ages 13 and up). The biggest event in this area of the world right now is the train crash in Japan. It is kind of scary considering I take the train at least 4 times every week and half of those times I end up standing. Not only that but my apartment is right beside busy train tracks. I told my students that so far 50 people have died because of the crash. "Oh no, teacher, 70 people are dead!" Just then the class erupted in a big cheer. Many news stories of late have revolved around anti-Japanese demonstrations in China. While local news stories tell about anti-Japanese demonstrations in Korea they don't seem to make it to the international media. Sure Korea doesn't have the numbers like you see in China but the anti-Japanese sentiment is very ripe. Last year I had a 12 year old student tell me that if a Japanese girl ever came to her school she would beat her up. Last week my students drew me a picture of a Japanese person from the 1800's. The picture showed the Japanese with huge buck teeth. I haven't met one Korean yet that has had anything good to say about the country or people of Japan. I agree totally that Japan has a long way to go to mend fences with it's Asian neighbors but I don't know how hatred of Japan is going to solve the situation. Ironically this is officially the Year of Friendship between Korea and Japan.

Something About Keyhole

It's Saturday! After finding no English movies worth watching in Daejeon I decided to head home. I wanted to test out "Keyhole," a satellite search ran by Google. I must say I was impressed. First I signed up for a free 7 day trial. My next task was to try and locate familiar houses. First up: Granny.

Her house wasn't hard to find. I typed in "Richmond Hill" and moved my way up Young Street. The above picture is of her block. Her house is below the house with the green roof. Impressed yet? The next picture is on a higher zoom. As with most things, the higher the zoom the worse the picture. I'm pretty sure I can make out her blue car in the driveway.

Next up: Doug and Carol's. I had a hard time finding it but eventually the water tower led me to the right area. You can see the shadow of the water tower in this picture.

I'm pretty sure one these houses is theirs...if it's not let me know. I tried!!!!!!

Next up: Mom and Dad's. Sorry, no success. Keyhole only has actual photo's from major cities. Pretty much the entire Toronto/Grey Bruce area is available. Peterborough and Lakefield are not. I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

Next up: Nonsan. Again, no success. The only area that has satellite pictures in Korea is Seoul. Interestingly enough you can also look at pictures from North Korea. I gave up trying to find people I know either because they didn't live in a place that offered actual photos or because I simply didn't know where they lived. That in mind I just played around.

Next up: Beijing. This is a picture of Beijing City Centre with The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square in plain view.

Below are close ups of The Forbidden City* and Tiananmen Square* respectively.

I thought Keyhole was a pretty cool tool to use. If you use it you have to be patient as the screen zooms in on the location. There's a buffer meter that will tell you the progress...a buffer level of 100 is as good as you will get. Like I said, I used a 7 day trial. A yearly subscription is $29.95.

*I've been known to be wrong (very often)...if these pictures are NOT of The Forbidden City and Tiananman Square, please tell me.

Something About Being Dirty

My "hairy" arm

Today it was 22 C so I decided it was time to wear a pair of shorts and short sleeve shirt. I had forgotten how much of a stir this causes with my students. I'm not ashamed to admit I don't have a lot of body hair. In Korea, however, my arms and legs are a forest. Korean men have little to no body hair at all which makes my small amount a sight to behold. The older students thought it was gross because people with a lot of body hair are "dirty." I challenged all of them to smell my arm but I had no takers. The younger students immediately started touching my legs and arms as soon as I walked into the classroom. Some days I truly feel like a zoo animal.

Something About Driver's Licenses

In Anchorage, Alaska, a man crashed into a wall at the Department of Motor Vehicles, walked inside and successfully renewed his license. Police were called but the man was able to pay for his renewal before they arrived. Police say he was driving while "impaired on medication." In another news story, a South Korean man passed his drivers test after his 272nd attempt. Actually, he only passed the "theoretical" part of the test...he still needs to pass the "practical" part of the test. The 69 year old Korean, Seo Sang-moon, could not read the driver's manual because he is illiterate. Each time he took the test he learned more and more until finally he passed. Way to go, bro! The sucky thing about it is that each attempt cost him 1 million won (C$1,200) in application fees. I'll do the math for you: He paid C$326,400 to pass the theoretical part of the test. Yikes.

Something About Television Networks

Now is the time for the big networks to start picking and choosing what the Fall season will look like in t.v. land. Next season is starting to look a bit strange. First, my favorite show "Committed" has been cancelled by NBC before the season has even ended. This was the most original show I have seen in a long time. Meanwhile NBC chose to renew "Joey" which, in my opinion, is crap. I read something very strange about the happenings at Fox. "That 70's Show" has been signed on for next season WITHOUT Eric and Michael. Both Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher are going to pursue movie careers. This wouldn't be a problem if they weren't the STARS of the show. To keep going next season there will have to be major story line changes. Car accident, anyone? Also on Fox, Nicole Richie is leaving "The Simple Life." Rumors persist that she is fighting with Paris Hilton however it could be the fact that she is getting married. Her replacement for "The Simple Life 4" will be Rod Stewart's daughter. There is one show that hasn't been renewed yet but I expect it will. "Lost" on ABC is in it's first season and reigns Wednesday night in terms of viewers. As you know probably know the story is about survivors of a plane crash on a deserted (?) island. I really can't see them getting off the island in a matter of 5 remaining episodes.

Something About Rules

I think it's safe to say that rules to be followed in Western High Schools are seen as understandable by most people. You can't bring a gun to school. You can't swear at your teacher. You can't cheat on a test. Beaking these rules results in punishment by the school officials. Rules in Korean schools differ greatly from those in Western countries. One of my students was upset tonight because she was yelled at by her teacher in front of friends. Her offence? Her school bag was "too square." A rule at the local High Schools stipulates that school bags need to be in the shape of a trapezoid. Square school bags are banned. Not one of my students knew why the rule existed. Some other strange rules:

-Even though classes start at 9:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. students are required to be in the school from 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.

-The length required of your hair depends on the school you go to. The private High School requires shorter hair for students than the public High School

-Middle School and High School students are required to spend the first 2 weeks of Summer and Winter Vacation studying at school. Each vacation time lasts a period of one month.

While my students admit that these rules are strange they are taught never to question authority. You do it because your told to, no questions asked.

Something About Winning A Battle

I win! I win! For what seems like eternity I have been fighting a private battle. I have told no one about this fight because frankly, I didn't think anyone would care. In mid February I developed what I thought was an innocent crusty booger in my left nostril. It was located at the back of my nose so it was really hard to get at. I tried and tried for months to get this booger with no success. Today at 10:51 a.m. I planned a sneak attack. I went for a right nostril pick but quickly changed to a left nostril pick. I knew I had success as I fought to take this thing out of my nose (it was attached to a few nostril hairs). In the end it was a good battle. What did I learn from this experience? Venus will eat ANYTHING!

Something About Textbooks

On Tuesday Japan approved a new textbook for it's middle school students that will be introduced in 2006. The textbook in question "rewrites" history to make Japan look better during WWII. One example is with "comfort women": The new textbook claims that these were widows (husbands killed by the Japanese) who went willingly with the Japanese army because they wanted to have sex. The textbook also claims that many Koreans welcomed the Japanese occupation that began in 1910 and finally ended at the end of WWII. These are just a couple of examples. Since Tuesday there have been protests in both South Korea and China. On the weekend more than 20,000 protesters took to the streets in southern China urging consumers to boycott Japanese goods. Here's where it gets interesting. During the protests the Japanese Embassy was peleted with bottles. On Sunday Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura summoned China's ambassador to Japan for a scolding: "We formally demand China's apology and compensation." Now that is interesting. Besides "rewriting history" Japan is also trying to get a seat on the UN's Security Council. South Korea and China both strongly oppose Japan's proposal based on the fact that Japan has never "apologized or given adequate compensation" to the Asian countries they invaded leading up to and during WWII. I doubt very much that Japan will receive the apology or compensation they are seeking, given that Asian countries have been demanding the same from Japan for more than half a century.

Something About Spring

I think my favorite season is Summer but Spring runs a close second. I am soooo glad that Spring is here. While we received very little snow in Nonsan I felt this was the coldest winter I've experienced while in Korea. Right now the temperature is running around 22 C in the afternoons. Monday is definitely going to be a shorts day!

Something About Coming Home

After "humming and hahhing" for a time I've decided to stay in Korea for one more year. I will be coming home but it will only be for 2 weeks. I'll be in Canada from July 23-August 7. See you all then!

Something About Adscam

Last year I returned to Korea one week before the Canadian election. I firmly believe that when I return this summer there will be yet another general election. Many of you have been unfortunate enough to hear me ramble on about the Liberals. Frankly, I don't like them. I always thought Chretien was hiding something behind that "sweet old man mask" that he wore. Well, it turns out he was. Last week Jean Brault, president of the ad agency Groupaction, gave testimony to the Gomery Commission. Although the testimony has a media ban it was leaked to an American blogger last week. Considering I don't live in Canada and have non-residency status I felt no guilt in reading about Brault's testimony. What I read was shocking:

-The Liberal government hired 5 Liberal friendly ad firms
-These ad firms were frequently paid (with YOUR tax dollars) for doing nothing at all
-When the ad firms were paid for doing nothing they in turn donated the money(YOUR tax dollars) to the Liberal Party of Canada

The testimony also links Martin and Chretien to the scandal. When the general Canadian public becomes aware of these facts I am certain the Liberal reign will come to a crushing end.

Something About Reading

I am so glad I don't have to rely on watching television to know what is happening in the world. If it weren't for my ability to read I would have no idea what was going on in the world right now. I usually watch CNN international, but lately they've been focusing on some dead guy with a funny hat. For the past three days they have reported on nothing else. My ability to read allows me to know that:

- Prince Charles is getting married this weekend
- 8 members of Al-Qaeda were killed in Saudi Arabia
- Gas prices hit $58 a barrel
- There were numerous bombings in Thailand
- Today is Arbor day
- Some guy with a funny hat died the other day

Something About Holiday Inn

Why stay at a Holiday Inn Express? For their shower heads, of course! http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ex/1/en/home?&WT.ptvanity=redirect Be sure to check out the "interactive experience" on that site.

Something About Being Better Than Yahoo!

To mark GMAIL's 1 year anniversary they are adding more storage space for every second that goes by today. Very interesting. Right now they are at 1188 MB. You can keep track of the total available space here: www.gmail.com . I have 50 GMAIL invitations to give out; if you want one just ask.

Something About The News

This past week I came across two interesting news stories. The first involves Mc Donald's paying hip-hop artists for using the words "Big Mac" in their songs. The artist would receive a fee every time the particular song is played on the radio. Here's my take:

My name's Big Mac and don't you know,

My fans follow me where 'er I go.

Jigidy jack, don't come back!

I eat Big Mac's before my show!

'Cause they cost me little dough.

Word to your mother.

How do I go about copyrighting those lyrics?

In another story, three men in North Dakota rolled a water jug full of coins into a bank to exchange it for cash (US$ 1,800). The bank was suspicious so they called the police. Turns out one of the men actually stole the water jug from someone's home. Wow, talk about your hillbillies!

Ron: Hey Cletus, rumor has it that Hank has a big 'ol tub a coins in his house!

Cletus: Huh huh, really? It would be, uh, cool if we stole them coins. I really could use some new teeth!

Ron: Hey Cletus, I know a guy that could replace them teeth of yours real cheap.

Cletus: It's a plan! Let's go get that big tub o' coins from Hank's house!

Ron: Huh huh, yup.