Something About Great Finds

Man did I luck in on a great deal this weekend. Check this out: I bought a New Kids on The Block, Duran Duran and Chicago DVD for a total of W10,000 ($12 CD). What an awesome find!

Something About My Secret Powers

Actually it's only one power. I've discovered a strange tendency over the past few weeks: Every time I listen to a Jays game on the Internet, they win, while each time I don't listen the game, they lose. As you can imagine, I haven't listened to a Jays game in a about a week. I was able to cath Monday's game and lo and behold, they won! What, oh what, am I supposed to do? I can't possibly listen to every single Jays game this season. Remember, I'm 13 hours ahead of Toronto time. Half of the time the game has started before I'm even out of bed. I'll do my best, folks. Nobody said having special powers was ever easy.

Something About Doolittle

My new pick for this season's American Idol is Melinda Doolittle. Anyone that can make country music audible is OK in my books.

Something About Availability

One of the topics my students always ask me about is gun violence in the United States. They can't seem to comprehend how someone can even gain access to a gun. In South Korea it is illegal to own a gun. The only guns that shoot actual bullets are used by soldiers, and the police issued guns only fire rubber bullets. The result? There is essentially no gun violence in South Korea. Even the Korean gangs use knives instead of guns. The only time I read about gun violence in Korea is when it involves a soldier. When news first broke about the Virginia Tech shooting, reports only listed the shooter as an "Asian man." What a shock to learn that this "Asian man" was actually a Korean national studying in the United States. Not only was this young man given the opportunity to study English in a foreign country, he was also exposed to the gun culture of The US. He would never have been able to do what he did in his home country. The American public is scratching their heads wondering just how something like this could happen. It's simple math: angry and depressed man (or woman) + availability of a gun = possible death. Take the guns off the streets and this horrific event would have never happened.

Something About Econimic Imposiblilities

In a rush to nab new cell phone clients, South Korean telecom carriers are offering drastically reduced rates on "hand phones" in an attempt to steal customers from other telecom companies. For example, my Korean teacher bought a brand new hand phone, regularly priced at over W300,000 ($300 USD), for an amazing W10,000 ($10 USD). The only thing she had to do was sign up with a different telecom carrier from her own and sign a 2 year contract. The phones are getting cheaper. One hand phone carrier is offering their phones for W1 (.o01 USD). That's where things get interesting. Not only is this ridiculously cheap for a hand phone, the Korean Won's lowest denomination is a W1o coin. How can anyone possibly pay for this phone if there is no such thing as a W1 coin? I'd really like to know how someone could possibly pay for this very inexpensive hand phone.

Something About Marriages Gone Wrong

Now that Prince William and Kate Middleton have called off their relationship, there has been a lot of speculation as to it's demise. Many people believe it was the Queen's warnings that she didn't want Willie to make the same mistake his father made and marry the wrong woman. Now, what is a bigger tragedy: Prince Charles marrying the wrong woman, or Princess Diana marrying the wrong man? Prince Charles married the wrong woman and it brought embarrassment to the Royal Family. Diana married the wrong man and she ended up dead. Which is worse? The driver of Diana's car was drunk, but had it not been for her high profile marriage and subsequent divorce, she would have never been put into the situation she was in. I think Ms. Middleton should count her blessings that her life of paparazzi and big-eared in-laws has been averted.

Something About The Hilarious House of Frightenstein

I came a cool website tonight. On it you can watch two complete episodes of The Hilarious House of Frightenstein as well as listen to some very strange Canadian dialogue from the album "Canada Observed." It's worth visiting for those over the age of 30. Anyone else might find it lame.

Something About Pink Snow

All around Korea the cherry blossom trees are in full bloom. Last Saturday I went to a festival at Chungnam University and took some pictures. Check out the last picture! I was the only native English speaker around and I can assure you the English only rule was being broken left and right. In other news, I had a dream last night that I went into premature labor. I have got to get Venus to stop sleeping on top of me at night!

Something About Jesus and The Easter Bunny

Something About YouTube

See, this is why I like YouTube. Even when a commercial is banned from TV it can still stay alive on the Internet.

Something About An Easter Wish

Dear Easter Bunny,

I don't know if you come to Korea or not, but if you do, I'd like a Maple Leafs playoff position. Please deliver this before Easter. Thanks!

Mike

Something About Educating My Mind

I'm a person of habit, so on Monday morning I followed my usual routine of eating my breakfast while watching CNN International. The problem was that CNN had been replaced by The Discovery Chanel. I clicked up and down the stations trying to find my beloved news with no success. I guess my habit will be broken.

Something About Mittens!

Wow, I was really mistyping yesterday! I should have said mittens, not kittens. Venus had mittens she was playing with. Sorry for any confusion! This next story is true:

I was in Homever on Sunday and I had to pee. I walked into the washroom and gave a strange look to a women who was in there with her son. I thought the "stage fright" would keep me from doing my business. I did kind of wonder why there was only one urinal in the place. As I was leaving a group of girls were laughing at me outside the door. It was then that I realized that I was in the wrong washroom! I was so embarrassed! This next washroom story is also true:

There's a women from Nonsan who is a janitor at Seodaejeon Station. We're usually on the same train Saturday nights, and she talks to me in Korean. She's kind of annoying, but I can handle it. On Sunday I was using the washroom (number 1) at Seodaejeon Station when I heard her voice. I turned my head a round (good thing it wasn't my entire body, or I'd have peed all over her) and there she was! She was cleaning the washroom when she saw me standing there. I'm alright with multi tasking, but I must say it was bit difficult to pee blindly into a urinal and talk to a women janitor, all the while trying figure out just what the heck she was saying. What a strange day!

Somehting About Kittens!

Venus has been acting a bit strange lately, even for her. She has been putting on some weight, but I had assumed it was because I've been feeding her more wet food. She is such a small cat! I went to Pusan on Saturday and, when I got home, there was a mess in my bedroom! Instead of one high pitched "meow", there were now 4! What the heck? Venus was spayed last year and I never let her out of the apartment. How on earth did she have kittens?????? 2 of them are orange, so I'm assuming the tom cat I usually see near the apartment's garbage area has something to do with it. Anyways, if anyone wants an illegitimate kitten just give me a shout.