Adventures in Comparatives and Superlatives...

I love teaching Chapter 10. It's the last chapter in the book, and signifies we're on the home stretch towards the end of the semester, but that's not why I love it. I love watching my students react as I use my Canadian growing-up place, and Seoul to illustrate comparative sentence structures. First, I show them the picture of Seoul. Then , I show them the picture of Brockville. After a few rounds of examples like "Brockville is cleaner than Seoul." "Seoul is more interesting than Brockville." Eventually some bright young thing hits on "Seoul is more crowded than Brockville." This is my cue to introduce a few interesting demographics. It goes something like this:

"Which is more crowded: Seoul or Brockville?" I ask, just to be sure.
"Seoul," reply my students, thinking that perhaps, since it's the last chapter, they can get away without a complete sentence.
"Seoooooul..... iiiissssss..." I prompt, flapping my arms like a duck in my best please complete the sentence mime.
"Seoul is more crowded than Brockville," comes the grudging reply, putting me and my gesticulating appendages out of our misery.
"Hmmm, " say I, in a thoughtful way. "Which is more crowded: China or Korea?"
"CHINA!" Shout my students, with confidence.
"Really? Are you sure?" I ask doubtfully.
I flash my nifty demographic chart up on the screen, and wait for the squinty-eyed looks of confusion to appear. [please note: the squinty-eyed reference is to paint a mental picture of my students squinting at the screen to make sure they're seeing the numbers correctly, and has absolutely nothing to do with Asian facial features.] If they have learned nothing else all semester, my students did learn that Korea is more crowded than China. They're shocked.

Here's the scoop:
Korea has 485 people / km2
China has 135 people / km2
Canada has 3 people / km2

I show them the pictures of Seoul and Brockville again. I show them that there are no people in the picture in Brockville. I remind them that the picture was taken right smack in the middle of downtown Brockville. They laugh. Then I give them some homework and send them on their way.

Adventures in a Country Grinding to a Halt...

I don't have a class at 9 o'clock Thursday mornings, but if I had have had, I wouldn't have had one this week. (Did you follow that?) All 9 o'clock classes, in Universities nation-wide were canceled on Thursday. The school day didn't begin until 10 o'clock. Flights were grounded until after 10 o'clock. Rush-hour was re-scheduled until 10 o'clock. Employees were told not to report for work until 10 o'clock. The stock market didn't open until 10 o'clock. Babies weren't allowed to cry until 10 o'clock. The sun was told to shine at half-strength until 10 o'clock. Ok, the bit about the babies and the sun isn't true, but the rest is. What could cause an entire nation to grind to a halt and postpone their routines? An eerie hush fell over the country as thousands of high school seniors made their way across cities, streets made silent to accommodate them. Nothing must interfere with the students as they arrived for their College Scholastic Ability Test. That's right - 12 years of education, and their entire academic future rests on one. single. test. How would that feel? Your grandmother has been going to church, or chanting in front of Buddha for weeks, praying for you to do well on this test. Your mother has given you a pre-test gift: a roll of toilet paper (so you'll be able to easily reel off your knowledge). The entire country has made way for you so you can easily catch a bus or subway. Drivers have been told not to honk outside the venue. Flights have been grounded so the noise doesn't disturb you. The invigilators have been warned not to wear high heels or perfume so as not to distract you. No pressure though. Just do your best.

My students also had a test on Thursday, but it was just a little quiz. I think I may have embarrassed myself though. One of my students arrived without a pencil (sadly, not an unusual event), and without thinking, I handed him the one in my hand. Now, the one I had in my hand is an excellent pen for a teacher to carry. It's a pencil, blue pen and red pen all in one. However, I realized too late that it's also a promotional pen for Viagra. (A friend's friend's husband is a pharmaceutical rep.) And yes, it was written in both Korean and English.

Adventures in Autumn...

One thing I enjoy about Korea is that Autumn here looks like Autumn in Canada. The sky is blue and clear, the leaves all turn yellow and red and .... well, different shades of yellow and red, really. This autumn has been no exception. The weather is wonderfully crisp and clear and lovely. At present, I have a head cold, which makes enjoying it difficult; nonetheless, I am enjoying this season immensely.

Last weekend was spent in Seoul at the KOTESOL (Korea TESOL) conference. Overall, the weekend was fantastic (when has a delicious plate of PadThai amongst friends ever failed to make a weekend great?) but the conference itself was mildly disappointing. I feel as though I almost got some useful things out of it...but not quite. To be fair, it must be difficult for a presenter to find a topic that's as relevant for teachers who have been here 18 months as it is for teachers who have been here 10 years. A difficult task, to be sure.

Anyway, the NyQuil's kicking in, so I should get myself into bed while my eyes are still open. G'night.

Adventures with Jolly Roger...

I'm always interested in how random things can often be repeated within a 24 hour period. For example, this afternoon I spent WAY too much time perusing the FOUND website. (For those of you not familiar with FOUND, it's a website where people send in random notes, pictures, scraps of paper they find lying around.) In one found photo, there was a scull and crossbones visible in the background. Someone had made a comment about the photo, and mentioned Jolly Roger. I had no idea who Jolly Roger was, and continued reading the comments until I found that Jolly Roger is actually a name for the pirate flag. "Hmm, that's interesting." I thought to myself.

I tore myself away from reading on-line snippets of discarded trash, and went to watch Jeopardy. Lo and Behold, if "What is Jolly Roger" wasn't a correct response! Sadly, my excitement at the juxtaposition of these two separate pirate flag events chased away the answer. I was left muttering at the TV "What is .... uhhhh .... Happy Bob? ... Smiling Dan? ... " Luckily, the actual contestant did know the answer.

In addition, and because I'm a dork, I found some interesting sites dealing with the etymology of the term Jolly Roger, the history of pirate flags in general, and the men (and women) who sailed under them.

Ar-r-r-r and avast!

Adventures in A Night at the Movies...

I know I should be writing about what a lovely Galbi dinner I had this evening with my friends, and how my office is STILL clean after an entire 2 weeks of frequent usage, and how my bedbugs seem to have been contained in that one blanket - not the whole bed, thankfully!

However, I'm feeling the need to tell you all about the movie I watched last night. At the outset, Nicolas Cage was an advocate for the falsely imprisoned. Shortly after he managed to get justice for an innocent inmate, he himself was convicted of a crime he didn't commit, and was sentenced to 4 years in a very nasty prison. He was desperate to get his name cleared, and to get out of jail before his pregnant wife had their baby. After what seemed like spending ages in prison, he declared "I REALLY need a hamburger." A sympathetic companion helped engineer an escape - just long enough for Nicolas to get his hamburger and return to prison - before anyone knew he was gone. Unfortunately, just as he was returning to the prison after eating his hamburger, a riot broke out. The prison was locked down, and there was no way he could sneak back in. Now a fugitive, he pulled a blanket over his head, put an oxygen mask over his face, and blended in with the residents of a local senior's home.

The blockbuster hits projected on the back of my eyelids as I sleep some nights amaze me.

Adventures in Bed Bugs...

I was a little chilly last night, so I pulled my duvet up from the foot of the bed. I woke up this morning with 7 bites on my left hand, 2 bites on my right hand, 3 bites on my leg, a bite on my stomach, and a bite on my back. GROSS!!! At present, I'm covered with a bright yellow bug-bite concoction I picked up in Thailand. I smell terrible, but I'm not itching. Of course, I hauled the duvet off the bed and changed my sheets - but now what do I do? Does anyone know if you can dryclean a down comforter? Will that get rid of the bugs? Eeeewwww, it's now nearly bedtime, and I'm almost tempted to sleep on the sofa!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated, but y'all can keep your "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite" comments to yourselves. Eww. Eww. Eww.

Adventures in Concept Cars...

Perhaps this has been all over the news in North America, but I just saw it for the 1st time tonight. It's Nissan's concept car: Pivo. The cab swivels, and each tire has its own motor: no axles! The driver never has to back into a parking space. Just spin the cab and wheels around, and go in forwards, or sideways - whichever direction is preferred. I thought it looked pretty nifty. The fact that it looks like a cartoon bubble makes it a little difficult to take seriously. You could easily make the mistake of thinking it's made by Mattel, not Nissan. I don't know how it would handle on a highway, but as a city car, it would certainly have it's benefits. (I'm envisioning the parking garage at Costco on a Saturday afternoon.) Those of you at home with sprawling parking lots are probably thinking "What's the big deal?" Those of you here, picturing crowded, screechy parking garages are thinking "Oooh, I could swivel my way into that tiny spot in the corner!" Really, think of all the great things that swivel: office chairs, giant binoculars at scenic tourist spots, Elvis' hips. I've digressed. If you want to check out some Pivo videos, you can find them on both YouTube or Yahoo videos.

Adventures in Learning New Things...

Today, I learned a few new things. I learned that the by-line on my blog has been misspelled for years. Woolly does not have an 'e' in it. I also learned that I used their instead of they're in yesterday's post, even though I truly do know the difference. After ruminating on these two things, I subsequently learned that either my readers don't notice things like that, or that they're too polite to say anything. Am I really the only person I know who occasionally feels the need to fire off an e-mail gently saying "Ahem, I'm sorry to say you've misrepresented either the lexical or grammatical norms of the English language." ?

I also learned (thanks to Melanie's blogging savvy) how to add a "What I'm Reading" section on the sidebar. If you glance to your left, you'll see it. I called it "Next to my sofa", since that's where most of my reading material ends up. (Except the Reader's Digest, but I refuse to add a sidebar detailing what's in my bathroom.)

Oh, and while I'm thanking Melanie, I should also thank her for the Apple Crisp recipe she posted. Annelie and I made it tonight, and it was delicious.

Now, I'm off to watch the end of the Rugby match. (Maybe eventually I'll learn what the rules governing that sport are.)

Adventures in smells that made me happy today...

My morning coffee aroma wafting through the apartment.

The first few drops of a rain shower. (Mind you, I had to cycle home from the nether-regions of campus as the rain continued to fall.)

Freshly mowed grass in the early evening.

It's been a slow day, but it smelled nice.

Adventures in Sleeping in on a Lovely National Holiday and Enjoying an Aromatic Cup of Coffee in Peace on My Quiet Balcony...

At least that's what this post would have been titled if the constructions workers hadn't decided to test out their shiny new jackhammer 20 feet away from my window at 6:30 this morning. It's now 8:47 and their still at it. I'm reluctant to take my coffee out to the balcony for fear of being caught making snarly faces at their noisy machinery.

Adventures in Upgrades...

You'll all be pleased to know that after my camping dream, I didn't have any further dreams about hunting for a house or home. (I did have a dream about a delicious cheese sauce though.) Enough about dreams, I can now draw your attention back to Wednesday, June 6th. As you may recall, (yes, if your world doesn't revolve around my every post, you may take a moment to scroll down and refresh your memory. I'll wait. ... ... ...) I left you, my dear reader, in the dark as to Episode 2. I've taken the liberty of condensing it, otherwise I'd be here for ages typing, and you'd be all wrinkly and aged and your muscles would have atrophied by the time you finished reading it.

Episode 2:

My computer was coughing, grinding, choking and freezing. In attempting to fix it, I managed to have 3 Windows XP operating systems running - well, installed. None of them were actually running. I took the computer to the shop and asked them to wipe the sucker clean and re-install ONE operating system. The man in the shop said, "No problem, it'll be $20 and you can pick it up in an hour." An hour later, I went back and was told "You need a new blah-blah-blah technical thingy and it'll be $70 and ready tomorrow."

Later, I returned to the shop, paid my $70, picked up my computer and a box with a video card neatly wrapped up in it, and came home. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out where/how to put the video card it. I couldn't believe they'd sold me a part that wouldn't fit. A few days later, when I had the chance, I took the whole mess back to the shop (wearing my angry face) and plopped the thing back on the counter. It turns out that the video card that was so neatly wrapped was my old one. He plugged the computer in, and showed me that the new one worked fine. Egads! Embarrassed, I returned home.

A few days later, when I was once again able to wrestle with the bucket of bolts, I plugged in all the wires, cables and other accoutrements and VOILA! There was nothing. Nothing at all. The computer was whirring and grinding, but my monitor couldn't detect a signal. I took the computer down to Annelie's house, thinking perhaps my monitor (my lovely, relatively new, flat monitor) was the culprit. Alas, it didn't work on Annelie's computer either. In a huff, I was about to go storming back to the computer shop. Luckily, I remembered my embarrassment from the last time I wore my angry face, and eventually (Not soon. Eventually.) came to discover that I had plugged the cable into the wrong spot. oops.

I was all ready to sit down and tell you that Episode 2 had been resolved satisfactorily. I turned my computer on. My monitor, now properly connected, displayed the lovely start-up screen..but that's all the computer would do! Every time I tried to open a program, it would freeze.

(Insert 3 more months of more futile efforts to fix computer here...)

Eventually, I gave up, went to the electronics market, and bought the sleek little CPU humming merrily beside me as I type.

There, now having made it to the end of the abridged version of Episode 2, you might still be well advised to go apply some Oil of Olay, and do a few deep-knee bends.

Adventures in Downgrades...

Just an addendum to last night's post. First, was a night of house-hunting in dreamland. Next, there was a search for an apartment in dreamland. Last night found me dreaming I was sleeping in a tent eating M&Ms. Will tonight be a cardboard box, or a tree limb?

Adventures in Absolutely Nothing...

After much anticipation, the 5-day Chuseok holiday is upon us. Instead of battling the teeming masses of humanity descending on every flight, train, bus and highway, I've chosen to stay home, relax and get caught up on my "I'll do that later" list. I have spent the last 2 days fluttering between the sofa (watching movies, Murder She Wrote, and an unending stream of CSI episodes on a 48+ hour CSI Marathon on one of the Korean channels), cleaning my balcony (Good heavens, how long has that plant been dead?, Eww, what kind of bug is that and how long has it been dead? What on earth is in that box, and why have I been keeping it?), reading and playing Scrabulous. As a result, there hasn't been much Bloogabler material. (Ha, I meant to write Bloggable, but Bloogabler is such a bubbly tasting word, I left it in for you to enjoy too.)

As is often the case when my days are routine, my nights are not. Two night ago I dreamed I was house-hunting. I found a delightful place with a pink kitchen, a rooftop garden with a view of the bay, and the option to either descend into the basement via the stairs, or the carpeted slide. Last night, I dreamed I was looking for an apartment. After finding a suitable place, I went to the grocery store. My purchases came to $19.06, so I paid $20 and waited for my $3.25 in change. The clerk refused to give me my change. It wasn't the $3.25 that she disputed (somehow, both of us and the cash register agreed that that was the correct amount). No, her rationale was "If I give everyone change, I won't have any money left in my till." I was furious. I was entitled to $3.25 change, and she couldn't just keep it! I wrestled her out of the way, grabbed a $3 bill and a quarter from the cash register, and was on my way.

I woke up with a strong determination to send my sub-conscious back to Math class.

Adventures in Rhythm ...

Some of you may be a bit bemused by the title of this post. Everyone know I have no rhythm. However, one of the things I really enjoy about the job I have is that every semester, the rhythm of my life changes. Every semester, I get a new schedule, and the first week or two are quite hectic: finding classrooms hidden in different buildings around campus, meeting new students, finding times to fit in things like lunch and the gym. In the midst of this semi-annual upheaval, patterns start to develop, and the rhythm of each week starts to take on a distinct beat. As I'm focusing on getting stuff done, and remembering where I'm supposed to be at what time, I start to notice certain things just seem to be happening at certain times. This autumn, I have discovered a new rhythm that I really enjoy. After I get home from my last class each day, I put the kettle on. While the water is boiling, I change into my comfy house-clothes and prepare my teapot. As the tea is steeping, I either water the plants or hang up a load of laundry. As I sip my cup of tea, I take out my school folder, and finish any residual bits of paperwork I've left floating about all day in "I'll Do It Later Land". Then I finish my tea as I shut down my work-brain and rev up my groovin' and chillin' brain. Last week, as I was discovering this new ritual which had found its way into my days, I thought to myself "What a lovely way to remember to water the plants!"

An aside: Yesterday was the first day in over a week that we saw the sun. It's been pouring rain everyday since the semester started at the end of August. That's quite something, considering July is the rainy season.

Things I Never Thought...

Yes, I know I've been quite un-post-ish for the past . I've been enjoying a fantastic trip home, but thought I'd better sit down and share with you some precious moments from my conversations with my niece and nephew. Over the past week, I've said some things I never thought I'd say. I'm particularly amazed that each utterance was actually context appropriate.

1. "Logan, watch where you're pointing that unicorn." This was spoken only seconds before the inflatable unicorn Logan won at the fair found its way into the unsuspecting crotch of a man walking by.

2. "Kaitlyn, I'm having trouble throwing a cotton-ball at the dolphin with a unicorn in my hand." What, you can't figure out the context of this one? We were playing cotton-ball baseball using the inflatable fair prizes as bats, of course.

3. (My personal favourite.) "Logan, please don't lick my cheese bag." That one's pretty straight forward, and means exactly what it says.

Adventures in Murphy and His Dumb Law...

Most of the time, my experiences with the service industry in Korea have been quite pleasant. These past couple of weeks though have sent my angry "Grrrrrr-o-Meter" soaring.

Episode 1:
I went downtown to Cell-Phone Alley with my friend HeeJin to get a new cell phone. It's a whole street lined with shops that sell cells. They all look pretty much the same, and sell exactly the same phones. The first shop we entered showed me a model with the features I wanted (English menu, Korean-English dictionary) and told me it would cost $192. The second shop we entered flatly said they wouldn't sell a phone to a foreigner. The third shop said they could terminate my contract with my current company (even though the phone was in a Korean friend's name), sign me up with a new company, and give me a new (very sweet) phone for free!

Competition between the 3 major cell phone companies is so stiff, that they're giving new phones away for free if people change carriers. Needless to say, I switched carriers, got a snazzy new phone...and discovered the next day that it didn't have a dictionary. Since that was the only feature I'd actually asked for, HeeJin called the shop to report the problem. We were told to bring it back sometime that week and exchange it, so we made the 1.5 hour trip (one-way) on Wednesday night, only to have the guy tell us the promotion was over for the month, and he couldn't do anything about it until June. Luckily, June started on Friday. We made the trip again on Saturday, only to discover that in order to get another phone, I'd have to switch carriers again...to a company that won't let a foreigner have a phone in their own name.

To make a loooooong, frustrating story short, I now have another new phone, with the company I started with, and still not in my name.

Whew, that story took longer than I thought. Episode 2 will have to wait. (Episode 2 is also not resolved yet, so I might wait until the story has an ending.)

Adventures in two completely unrelated things...

The Daegu University Student Spring Festival just wrapped up last night. On the main stage during the evening was what Tracy assured me was a 'spinning' demonstration. Since the only spinning I know involves a wooden wheel and sheep shavings, what was happening on the stage looked more like synchronized stationary bike pedaling. I can't believe people do that for fun/exercise/entertainment. Since I'm not a big fan of stationary bikes to begin with, I can't imagine combining such an activity with my complete lack of rhythm and coordination. Dancing and cycling...the worst of both worlds!!

The other thought I had was while I watched (Yes, I'm sorry to say I did watch) the season finale of The Bachelor. I was thinking, "If the Bachelor was filmed in Utah, would he really have to choose between the final two contestants?" Couldn't he just marry 'em both? Something the network might want to think about. (Or something Fox could pick up. Or is it already on Fox? I have no idea.)

It's a lovely day today, and a holiday to boot, so I'm going to pull myself away from the computer and finish my coffee on the balcony.

Adventures in Odds'n'Ends...

I guess it's high time for an update. I have a few things to share today.

1. Happy 40th Anniversary to my Mom and Dad.

2. Remember that brave plant that had the fortitude to bloom in my house? I'm afraid I repaid its bravery today by sucking up one of its robust leaves in my vacuum. I think I scared it.

3. We went for lunch at the Mexican restaurant yesterday. The food was good, and it was really nice to have some good ol' Canadian poutine with it. The unfortunate part is that we all shared and tasted each others orders, and I don't think the combination of Mole Enchiladas, Burritos, Poutine and brownies sat well afterwards. Even so, it's worth a repeat.

4. We're planning a 1980s birthday bash for Saturday. Does anyone remember what we ate at 80s parties? I can just remember hot dogs and chips from our birthday parties. Are there any grown-ups out there who ate grown-up 80s food at grown-up 80s parties?

5. Eli's little kitty, who was on deaths door this time last week, has made an amazing recovery. Catticus was down the hall sniffing enthusiastically at Eli's door and can't wait for Clio to get her shots so she can come over and play.

6. I've decided that numbered or bulleted lists, while easy to write and read, are the stylistic equivalent to being served a Twinkie for dessert at a 5-star restaurant. It's just not classy, and more than a little disappointing. I apologize. However, on the bright side, numbered lists don't taste like socks, or make you fat. I suppose that's some consolation.

That's all. I'm off to finish cleaning, and see if I can't find some legwarmers or stirrup pants.

Adventures in yet more Texas-caused headshaking...

Whilst driving to the vet tonight, my friends and I were discussing carbon offsetting as a way to reduce our carbon footprints. (For more information on carbon offsetting, check out Carbon Footprint here. I was amazed that my flight home this summer was going to produce about 2,000 kg of CO2!) During the conversation, one of my friends mentioned that some seminaries in the US now have coined the phrase "Creation protection" instead of just "Environmental Protection" like everyone else is using. I wondered why they were distancing themselves like that. Is it because some Christian groups have got it into their heads that only hippies and granolies protect the environment? Perhaps not, perhaps I'm being overly sensitive.

When I got home, I decided to google "Creation Protection". The first thing I came across was a seminar being held at a church in Texas. I realize I know nothing about this church, it's mission or it's beliefs, so the following criticism may be made in haste. Even so, one of the seminar topics started that sad ol' resigned headshaking:

The Great Moral Issues of Our Times
Should global warming be a moral issue for Christians? This discussion takes up the debate as to whether or not the focus of Christians should be solely on a core set of predefined moral issues or whether Christians should look issues such as poverty, hunger and environmental protection as moral issues as well.

Ignoring the utterly ridiculous bit about focusing "solely on a core set of predefined moral issues", I wondered how far off base is a church that actually has to ask if issues such as poverty, hunger and environmental protection should be moral issues. I am just hoping and praying that the person leading the seminar either asked it as a rhetorical question, or else stated unequivocally in the seminar that yes, indeed, poverty and hunger should be priorities for the church.

This post sounds much more vitriolic than I'd intended. In some ways, I'm grateful that at least the issues are being discussed. In other ways, I'm sad that there's an underlying assumption that if poverty, hunger and environmental protection really aren't moral issues, then the church doesn't have a responsibility to act on them.

As you can tell, I'm getting disheartened. For all my church-going readers, can you help balance my perspective by telling me things that your congregations are doing to alleviate poverty and hunger in your area? For all my non-church going readers, are you involved in any projects to help do the same?

Thanks.

Adventures in bloomers...

For those of you familiar with my horribly un-green thumb, you'll be pleased to know that a green leafy plant I bought now has TWO pretty white flowers on it. It's the first time I've bought a plant without flowers that has actually grown some. Very good sign.

In other news, I just finished reading John Stackhouse's book Timbit Nation: A Hitchhikers view of Canada. (John Stackhouse from the Globe and Mail, not from Regent College). It provided an interesting appraisal of Canadians and their country. I've met many people who have much in common with the nice (and some not-so-nice) folks who gave him a lift. It also made me a little nostalgic for the Canada of my youth...and oddly enough, the Canada of my parents' and grandparents' youth. Is it possible to be nostalgic for something you haven't experienced? [ I suppose if Soul Asylum can be homesick for a home they've never had, I can be nostalgic for a past I've never had]. I've just put it down, and am sleepy, so I don't actually have much else to say about it. As with most books, it usually takes me a day or two to process, then I likely won't bother writing about it again. (Unless it's for a course, and I have a paper due.)

I've now plucked "The Queen of the South" off the communal shelf, but I know nothing about it. I guess I'll find out tomorrow if it's worth going beyond the first chapter.