tag:WWW.HOYTY.COM,2009:/maguzblog/5 2006-09-23T06:14:30Z Movable Type Pro 4.24-en tag:WWW.HOYTY.COM,2006:/maguzblog//5.660 2006-09-22T14:25:29Z 2006-09-23T06:14:30Z

AAllow me to recount with complete truth my escape from Korea. I awoke that morning something was strange. The air smelled more of death than it normally did. Like something I would imagine from a bad zombie movie. My thoughts...

David AAllow me to recount with complete truth my escape from Korea. I awoke that morning something was strange. The air smelled more of death than it normally did. Like something I would imagine from a bad zombie movie. My thoughts immediately shot to the possibility that Mrs. Lee and her lackeys had caught onto my plan to go home. It was time for action. Like any good American I brought my guns, all of them. I loaded up and set up my beacon for my children to hone in on me and come to my aid. Immediately I heard a scratching at the bathroom door. I unloaded the first round of the day into the door at face level. I found my roommate lying dead on the other side. Whether he was a zombie or not I’ll never know, better not to risk such things. Soon the team was assembled. Leo was given command of the kindergartners with Tony as his second in command. Jenny and Joseph took leadership of the elementary students, while my three S(uper) students the oldest each armed themselves with RPG’s and a sidearm. I could hear the groaning of the dead alive shuffling beneath my balcony spilling into the stairway of my apartment building. I knew then it was too late to save the old couple that ran the restaurant across the street. I vowed revenge on the cursed witch Holly from the Gong-Seo school, her necromancy was strong and acted faster than I had expected. Mrs. Lee was not going to make this easy. I shot my zip line to the roof of club 69, taking great joy in destroying the neon sign that kept me up late at night. As my munchkin force and I made our way hand over hand to the other side of the line I could see the Canadians, hockey sticks raised high making a valiant last stand at the house. Dahee, Jin-zoo, and Sungbin at my order attached their emergency lines to the zip cord flipped over to take their RPG’s in hand and let loose clearing a path for the Canadians to the road. It was the best I could do from here for them. I dared only to hope they would find transportation easier once they got there. Like a bat out of hell the survivors turned their skates and fled the house, Andrew and Jordan raised their sticks in thanks. I knew that I had given them a fighting chance. The rest was up to them. The children and I resumed our ascent. The elementary kids made it there first. I heard the distinct sound of unsheathing blades. The doom brigade lead by Mrs. Lee’s foul nephew Edward was waiting for us. My kids had been trained well though, they fought them back from the ledge so the K’s could open up with automatic weapon fire to push them back off the roof down to the waiting teeth and grip of Holly’s hoard below on the streets. That skirmish did not leave us without a wound, we had lost Kate to the brigade and Ryan to a misfire. We all knew it wouldn’t be easy, but it still hurts. Jin-zoo called in the helicopter. Aaron and Tracy who had escaped Mrs. Lee brainwashing practices by quitting their jobs came in with the Black Hawk. Another contingent of the brigade however had set up anti air missiles on the other side of the street from the windows of Party Bar. I mourned the loss of my favorite local haunt to the forces of evil and threw out two screen grenades. Their anti-missile counter measures spread out in a web like fashion causing the missiles to veer off course randomly. One or two of them collided into the side of Club 69 causing the building to shudder under the stress of the explosions. We loaded the Black Hawk hastily and took off. We noticed a airport limo bus with a hastily raised Canadian flag heading towards Gimpo airport. I gave the order to Tracy to roll back around to Itae-won. A dangerous use of time but I needed to see for myself how far the hoard had gotten. As we flew over the city towards the once beloved foreigner district all I could see was a sea of humanity tearing each other limb from limb. Some brave souls were making stands in various buildings as we passed over, Tony from E-squad offered his help with the mini gun of the Black Hawk. The liquid fire that spewed forth tore the creatures apart but any holes were quickly filled with more and more of the monsters. It was almost serene how it looked like a normal day, if not for the blood it would just be a hoard of normal people, men dressed in pink, women dressed in skirts that would make a nun scream, and old ladies who had backs permanently fixed at a right angle. The helicopter swooped back around, and we passed over Mok-Dong, the den of evil. Ms. Lee’s sanctuary, I knew it was a long shot but I had to see if the newbi’s were still alive. I attached the safety line to my belt and swung out of the Black Hawk. I landed with a thud and the roof was clear. I didn’t have time to pick the lock so I just blew it open with a prepared c4 charge. The door shattered and the pieces slid down the stairs obviously alerting anyone inside to my presence. With all haste I made my way to the 5th floor. Still the halls were silent as I approached the glass door. The serenity of the scene was shattered however when a high pitched focus wave of sonic energy shattered the doors as I grabbed the handle. I was tossed back against the closed elevator door, leaving a large Dave shaped dent in it. I clattered to the ground unceremoniously and looked up from my daze to see Lily her once black hair now white with age imposed by what ever process allowed her to emit that wave. Dressed in some sort of outfit you’d find only on comic book villainesses she sauntered forward with uncharacteristic confidence. I knew it was all over for her, I fingered the trigger of my P90 and waited for her to get to that perfect range where all 50 rounds could never miss. Before I even got my arm halfway up the gun was knocked from my hand by another sonic wave emitted from a earth shattering scream she let out. I thought that was the end. I remembered all the things that brought me to Korea, the selfish reasons, the wanting to see new places, new things, new people, meet more women than I could ever do back home. These things had brought me to my doom at the hands of some evil old woman and her henchmen. Specifically this girl who I met and felt so bad for, never having had any experience in the sort of job she was persuaded to do and thrown head first into a pool of gossip, whining, and bossy westerners. I went for my last resort device, if I was going down I was going to take as much of Mrs.Lee precious property with me. Just before I could flick the switch on my belt though I heard a the flow of water and the growl of a bear, it was the wonder twins! Ashley and Tom had arrived just in the nick of time and no amount of banshesque screaming from Lily could stop a grizzly bear being swept along by a torrent of rushing water from the elevator! Lily went down with a scream underneath the weight of Ashley in her mighty bear form. I couldn’t believe my luck! Then came Phil with his mighty hammer having leapt from the streets to come in through the window of the hall way. With a scream of “Phildo!!� he let loose the mighty clobbering implement on the Korean helper hoard as they poured out of the class rooms. Old ladies with berserker strength to match that of Mr.Universe were nothing against Phil and the training he had received from his Cossack comrade Vlad! All those hours in the gym could not have hurt to. That answered my question about the newbi’s how ironic that they were to save me instead of I saving them. Still two were missing. Brienne and Lea. Where were they? Distracted by some other foe? It clicked then, after clearing up the Korean helpers and forcing Lily to take flight we made our way to the evil queens office. Indeed there were our last two comrades battling my replacement that Mrs.Lee had preemptively hired. Teagan, her name and the disgusted look I recalled when I first met her still etched into my vision. She had Brienne and Lea by the throats and try as they might she was just too strong. Phil opened up with a throw of his hammer smashing straight into her, but with a thud his hammer clamored to the ground. Ashley and Tom took the form of enough water to submerse her and a electric eel. With one wave of her hand she dispersed the water and sent them both flying against the wall. What good could I hope to do, a P90 and a few grenades were not going to be a match for her. Another explosion rocked the building and after the smoke cleared I saw my students all with their respective weapons pointed throw from the black hawk. Ashley and Tom set to work with cheetah like speed Ashley grabbed Brienne and Lea from the rubble and hid behind Tom who was now and ice wall with Phil and I. The next minute and a half was filled with gunfire and explosions. When finally Phil dared to look from behind our cover a good portion of the building had been blown away. Teagan was gone. Defeated or not we didn’t stick around to find out. Back to the roof we went and all boarded the Black Hawk. I dared to think that the danger was over. We arrived at Gimpo to hijack an airliner. We found the rest of the Canadians holed up in one of the terminals. Swooping by those that could jumped from the helicopter and began to ran. I heard the horrible whine of a missile fired from the east, and then saw in horror as those who didn’t make it off the black hawk in time were lost in a fire ball. No time for salutes however we pressed on, not just the teachers, Leo, Tony, Jin-soo, Da-hee, and myself. In a rather anti-climactic ending it seems that we had eluded the L bomb with not going directly to the air port. After a quick blood bath through the air port zombie staff we made it to an American airlines 747 and took off for Japan. The land of the morning calm seemed so peaceful as I watched it fade away in the background. I knew however that Lily, Holly, and Mrs.Lee were lurking somewhere. I was certain that was not the last time I would hear of…. Kid’s Kollege. tag:WWW.HOYTY.COM,2006:/maguzblog//5.672 2006-09-10T03:47:47Z 2006-09-10T03:50:35Z

For those of you that don’t know I have delayed my departure a week for a bonus from the school that was enough to entice me. As my time here draws to a close I consider all the things I...

David THE GREAT ESCAPE!!! I promise there will be zombies. Dave, out. 13 more days. 6 more work days. ]]> tag:WWW.HOYTY.COM,2006:/maguzblog//5.666 2006-08-29T23:25:23Z 2006-08-29T23:25:46Z

13...

David 13 tag:WWW.HOYTY.COM,2006:/maguzblog//5.661 2006-08-17T23:29:58Z 2006-08-17T23:37:59Z

So just to prove how forward thinking is a concept that seems like wichcraft to the owner of our school. A new teacher comes, no where in his contract did it state his first month (which he worked for the...

David So just to prove how forward thinking is a concept that seems like wichcraft to the owner of our school. A new teacher comes, no where in his contract did it state his first month (which he worked for the entire month minus a vacation that everyone else got as paid) that he will get paid hourly. So they pay him much less than he was expected. As if this was not bad enough, a medical issue which he informed them about caused the school to basicly fire him, but they asked if he would stay and teach until they found a replacement. He of course told them with a few choice words to go away and that he was leaving right away. The owner whom he told this to did not inform the staff of our school about this. So now we are down four teachers until the end of this week. On top of that the owner had treated two of the English speaking Korean staff who can sub classes so poorly that they quit, along with a good portion of the non English speaking Korean staff. So now the two english speaking managers have to sub and they have to hire a part time sub for a good chunk of money. One person is now manning the front desk, the managers do not have time to speak with the parents and they are getting pissed. It doesn't end there, oh no my friends. They also for some reason are paying an American teacher with no experience more than the other teachers. This has gotten some of the teachers really pissed off, amongst other things, I foresee and even more rocky future for this school. It's time to go, I think. This place reaches new level of stupidity every day. Dave tag:WWW.HOYTY.COM,2006:/maguzblog//5.656 2006-08-15T22:54:03Z 2006-08-15T22:58:51Z

Bannanna and Pineapple smoothies are a foul concoction which I vow to remove from this earth. In other news. I went to Everland. It's one of three amusement parks in Seoul and reportidly the best. I'm not very impressed. Here's...

David pictures. Along with some cute pics of my kids, and some more of Seoul near the embassy district. Click Here. And here. Enjoy! Dave ]]> tag:WWW.HOYTY.COM,2006:/maguzblog//5.655 2006-08-06T13:34:28Z 2006-08-06T13:36:49Z

A little sick, having troubles using the toilet. Good friends and more, are leaving, but never will be forgotten. New people are coming, and new relationships are to forged through them. That's really all to say this week. Dave...

David A little sick, having troubles using the toilet. Good friends and more, are leaving, but never will be forgotten. New people are coming, and new relationships are to forged through them. That's really all to say this week. Dave tag:WWW.HOYTY.COM,2006:/maguzblog//5.644 2006-07-28T03:52:57Z 2006-07-28T04:12:02Z

My time in Thailand has had its ups and downs. I have decided to leave a day early because I have seen and done most of what I wanted to do while I was here. First let me link to...

David Click here for the photos. This link goes to all my photos that I have on the Facebook. I don't think any are inappropriate but there are a lot of pictures of me just sitting around, and screenshots from a game I play. The Thailand pictures are under the label of Thailand ##. While in Phuket, specifically an area known as Patong. I have seen a lot of junk for sale, I even bought a pair of Foaklies (Fake Oakly sun glasses) for about $4. I've seen way to many hookers. I've been attacked by one dog while walking along the coastal cliff road. I fortunately only suffered the injury of some holes in my pants. The dog however was not so fortunate. I've gone scuba diving, parasailing, island cave canoe exploring while in Phuket. In Bangkok I experienced went to most of the large temples worth noting, saw a Buddha that was the length of 50 meters I think. Saw the largest solid gold Buddha statue. Along with other sites like the gem cutting institute of Thailand in Bangkok. I spent a good deal more money than I should have while here. I've learned that nothing is above bargaining here, if I ever come back I will never take anything at face value again. Unfortunately I got sunburned a good deal during my walk when I got attacked by the dog. I have not let it detract from my fun here however. The resort I wanted to stay in was unfortunately closed this time of year due to the beaches basically being under water. That is why I ended up staying in Patong which seems to be the sex-drugs-booze capital of the area. While these things are not my gig I have had fun here and met some really fun people, particularly from South Africa and Australia. Aussies know how to have a good time. I really don't have much more to say about my trip. It's been fun, but I think it would have been more fun if I was traveling with other people. Anyways Enjoy the photos! Dave]]> tag:WWW.HOYTY.COM,2006:/maguzblog//5.643 2006-07-21T13:23:55Z 2006-07-21T13:36:25Z

I just finished the Count of Monte Cristo. My god it's like the guy who made the movie read every 15th word of spark notes written about the book. It was confusing at times because almost everyone in the book...

David I just finished the Count of Monte Cristo. My god it's like the guy who made the movie read every 15th word of spark notes written about the book. It was confusing at times because almost everyone in the book went by like 3 different names. It jumped around a lot and the entire begining up to where he escaped from prison was less than 100 of the 525 pages. I think next I will read the Oddysey, or Sherlock Holmes Volume 1. Regardless I'll start the next book on the plain to Bangkok tommorow morning. In reality it's actually a plane to a lay over in Hong Kong... but who's counting? Armed with my new laptop, ipod, and camera I will keep everyone updated from there hopefully once a day. My roommate and I picked a rather pricey hotel but the reviews and pics make it seem worth $150 for 5 days! Once I arrive I will look into things to do after wendsday until I come back saturday. Dave tag:WWW.HOYTY.COM,2006:/maguzblog//5.642 2006-07-20T11:24:12Z 2006-07-20T11:27:33Z

Today I bought a black Ipod Video and a digital camera the Kodak V570 to be exact. Along with some extra stuff that I haggled out of the guy I figure after paying $700 I came out saving $300 over...

David Ipod Video and a digital camera the Kodak V570 to be exact. Along with some extra stuff that I haggled out of the guy I figure after paying $700 I came out saving $300 over what I would've spent in the states after taxes. So now tons more videos/pics will be coming. Dave]]> tag:WWW.HOYTY.COM,2006:/maguzblog//5.641 2006-07-17T19:38:32Z 2006-07-17T20:10:24Z

My first expense of the trip was cookies and beer for the train ride, after that we got into the train right as it was leaving. We departed Seoul on the KTX train at 8:30 pm Friday and arrived in...

David My first expense of the trip was cookies and beer for the train ride, after that we got into the train right as it was leaving. We departed Seoul on the KTX train at 8:30 pm Friday and arrived in Busan around midnight. I sat in an aisle seat next to some Korean who did not speak English and kept the window closed the whole time. So going there I did not see much. There was a lineup of cab drivers eager to serve our needs and take us to the "Load Beach" hotel. My companions and I hopped in two cabs and were on our way. We later discovered the hotel was actually called "Lord Beach". As expected from the forecast, it was raining. So the first night we slept and slept well. Immediately I recognized the clean smell of the ocean and was so far away from thoughts of dirty old Seoul that I could do nothing but be happy. Gentle sounds of waves lulled me to sleep as I thought of the next few days I would spend there with good friends. We awoke late the next day and stayed in to watch some movies before going to explore the area and eat lunch at Thai restaurant called "Thai Foods". After eating my lazy companions went back to the rooms and slept more, I stayed up and read my book (The Count of Monte Cristo) in the Sky Lounge of the Hotel. My friends woke up later and we ate dinner at TGI Fridays. Dinner was a typical TGI Friday's fare. Then we found our way to the bar area of downtown Busan. After putzing around in a circle for about half and hour we decided to go to a place called California's. I saw an arcade that struck my fancy and told my friends I would meet them in about 15 minutes at the bar. I played a few rounds of shootem up style games, some Dance Dance Revolution, and a Starcraft based space shootem up. I even played an old favorite called Virtua On, and as seems to be my karma with this game was challenged to a match. I typically believe the only safe bet in life is one that depends on yourself and your abilities so when this cocky Korean set his 10k won on the table I matched him. The language of gambling seems to be pretty universal. After a stunningly close victory in a best of possible 9 fights (3x 2 of 3 matches) I came out the winner. My opponent however was not pleased and took his money; I protested his surrounding friends made me decide to take the better part of valor for the evening. I then went to find my friends at California but was denied entry to the third floor which they were in having been told it was to full. I got a peak in but couldn't see them so I figured perhaps they moved on and couldn't find me after doing so. I played some more games then headed home. The next morning I got up and went for a run on the beach, it was a good a run. The weather although gloomy did not get me down and I even went for a swim. Life guards blew their whistles as I was determined to get to the buoys and back. The sea was rough and the waves were high, I thought perhaps I was foolish but fortunately I am a fairly good swimmer and made it back no problem. The lifeguards yelled at me, and I yelled back something about them not being able to swim. The hilarity of a language barrier never ceases to amaze me. I have discovered though that many many Korean's do not know how to swim and they fear water as much as they do the sun, affirming my belief that life giving objects are scary to them! I returned home after drying off and my friends finally woke up around noon. We went for a walk along the beach. I made it out onto some sharp pointy rocks and almost to a statue of some women built out on said rocks. If my sandals had not been wet or if I had better shoes period I would have jumped forth from rock to rock more so than I had to make it to her for a picture, I did make it fairly close and got a good picture according to Allison. Then we went to get lunch at a delicious Indian restraint which as we discovered the Thai place also did, served an APEC conference that had taken place recently. The food was expensive and seemed to be too little. My stomach said otherwise afterwards with moans of protest from being so full. Again my friends decided it was time for a nap. Not satisfied to sit on my laurels I decided to go for a walk. I made it back to the area near the statue and found a path the lead up the hill behind her this path lead me to a fun bike/walking trail that was populated by other vacationers. There was also a wooden bridge along the rocky coast below this trail which I walked on and at one point hopped off of to get a closer look from high atop the rocks. When I did so many Koreans were yelling at me and motioning for me to come back. I soon discovered why, a sign that I had not noticed before warned of loose rocks. I returned safely however and continued on my way. I eventually found another offshoot to the trail the lead up a large hill containing many pagodas. After making up the hill and back down I was returned to the beginning of the trail and went back to the hotel, my friends were still sleeping so I read more of my book. Later they woke up and we went to dinner at Outback, again standard fare for an Outback. We went for another walk on the beach, this time in the opposite direction. We then turned in for an early night. The next day it was time to go. I went for an early run one more time to the beach and came back to go to sleep. This time the rain was much harder. We all woke up around 1:00 and left for lunch at various different places. I went to TGI Fridays with Kevin and Danielle. At 3:30 we all left by cab for the station where I managed to lose everyone and just bummed around by myself for a while, playing a fascinated racing game at a pay for time internet console. 15 minutes for 50 cents wasn't too bad. The train ride back home was amazing, the site of the misty mountains the whole way, the small villages dotted along the rail road, and the larger more urbanized towns made me so badly want to get a bike and race across Korea's almost entirely flat freeway from Seoul to Busan. Just to climb up one of those mountains which looked easy to do on some and take a picture of the valleys below would make my time in Korea complete I think. Perhaps another trip, for another time. Anyways back in Seoul. 13 weeks down. Dave I will post pictures as soon as I grab them off of my friends memory sticks. tag:WWW.HOYTY.COM,2006:/maguzblog//5.640 2006-07-13T23:44:05Z 2006-07-13T23:46:00Z

I heard this on CNN this morning and was less than comforted. "North Korea says Seoul shall pay for the collapse of talks yesterday." That combined with the surprising denile of Koreans about the stiuation frightens even me. Dave I'll...

David I heard this on CNN this morning and was less than comforted. "North Korea says Seoul shall pay for the collapse of talks yesterday." That combined with the surprising denile of Koreans about the stiuation frightens even me. Dave I'll write my PoW book yet. tag:WWW.HOYTY.COM,2006:/maguzblog//5.639 2006-07-12T10:15:44Z 2006-07-12T10:33:32Z

Having seen Superman Returns last night. Which was a very good movie, much better than I ever thought it would be. I thought about the differences between him and batman Batman villain: Joker Low life underworld scum Crazy Has female...

David Having seen Superman Returns last night. Which was a very good movie, much better than I ever thought it would be. I thought about the differences between him and batman Batman villain: Joker Low life underworld scum Crazy Has female sidekick. Often broke. Known bad guy. Does his own dirty work. Superman villain: Lex Luther Rich, scucesful businessman Not crazy Has female sidekick Always rich Not known badguy Always gets others to do his dirty work. Batman alter ego: Bruce Wayne Rich Confident In the public eye Many women in his life Parents both dead via tragedy Batman considers himself Batman, not Bruce Wayne Superman alter ego: Clark Kent Not rich Not confident Mild mannered One woman in his life Mother alive, father dead of heart attack Superman considers himself Clark Kent, not Superman Batman Fights the underworld Uses questionable methods Is not a hero to all Is human and vulnerable Is driven by a need for revenge Wear's dark colors Has sidekicks Stays out of the public eye Superman Fights world threats Is an alien and invulnerable Is a hero to all Is in the public eye Is driven by a want to protect Wears bright colors Has no sidekicks tag:WWW.HOYTY.COM,2006:/maguzblog//5.634 2006-07-08T03:17:46Z 2006-07-08T03:20:29Z

So I was all excited for this monsoon that was supposed to hit us. I think it came and went and I didn't even notive. My notions of what a monsoon was were horribly overblown. I have to work today...

David So I was all excited for this monsoon that was supposed to hit us. I think it came and went and I didn't even notive. My notions of what a monsoon was were horribly overblown. I have to work today because the school has to make up for giving us a long summer vacation. It's not bad since hardly any children show up. That's about all I can say about this week. Tommorow marks 3 months, or 12 weeks. Dave tag:WWW.HOYTY.COM,2006:/maguzblog//5.633 2006-07-02T22:40:57Z 2006-07-02T22:45:04Z

Well the explosion happened but really ended in a fizzle. The western staff cornered our manager and she looked like she was about to cry. I think the reason why it ended in a fizzle is because most of the...

David Well the explosion happened but really ended in a fizzle. The western staff cornered our manager and she looked like she was about to cry. I think the reason why it ended in a fizzle is because most of the teachers are leaving and no one really gave a damn. Oh well, there's always next time I'm sure hte new batch will have some problems. The owner of the school took everyone out to drinks and kareoke. That seemed to get most everyone calmed down also. I went to a art bazaar yesterday got my name painted in cool graffiti style with a dragon and the word Phoenix written in Korean also cool graphiti style. For $3 the artist spoke pretty good english he told me it was because of his girl friend who speaks 5 different languages. I met a teacher from Malaysia Saturday and learned that I really really did pick the wrong country. Dave 11 weeks down, 41 more to go. tag:WWW.HOYTY.COM,2006:/maguzblog//5.631 2006-06-24T13:50:29Z 2006-06-24T13:51:41Z

Oh glorious chaos. Now that I’ve got that little bit of geekiness out of my system, allow me to explain why I would say such thing. My school is on the verge of a revolt. Some of the Korean staff...

David Oh glorious chaos. Now that I’ve got that little bit of geekiness out of my system, allow me to explain why I would say such thing. My school is on the verge of a revolt. Some of the Korean staff are planning on leaving the school at a very inopportune time. I say GOOD FOR THEM! These girls are treated like crap and deserve something better I hope they both find something more fulfilling and less stressful than the joke of a work environment they are in now since they are both really nice people. Our manager Lily who is really nice, and really wants to do a good job is on the verge of a mental break down because of stress that the owner of the school is placing on her to deliver a spotless open house. Nothing you do with children can be spotless. I’ve heard the owner (Mrs. Lee) yelling at her and the assistant manager (Julian) for what I can only assume to be ridiculous nonsense because that is all she can muster. Julian who seems really nice to me but follows the Korean logic of business to much for my liking also seems like she is always about to cry these days. While I feel bad for them, the ensuing chaos that could erupt from all this would be a site to see! One of the teachers, Jordan is working his last week at Kid’s College next week and is moving onto a better school hopefully. I think he just needs to get out of Korea, he doesn’t seem to be agreeable to some things that are just culturally different. There supposedly is a replacement already loaded up for when he leaves, but like anything said by a Korean in business here I will not believe it until I see it. Four other teachers are ending their contracts in August, while I’ve grown attached to all of them since they are awesome to hang around I think it is good. Just like most of the other staff they have been stressing out about open house, they’ve all been getting shit responses from the Korean staff about their flight tickets out. Although the tactic of saying “If you don’t get me my ticket in the next 30 minutes I will not be coming back after today.� Seems to have worked in their favor and achieved a ticket for each of them. Another teacher is having serious stress related health problems and if we see her in on Monday we’re all gonna be really pissed that she’d even consider coming back to work and tell her to GO HOME! The guy teacher that came in right after I did continues to amaze us with his whininess and in-ability to handle children and Korea, the prevalent theory is that he will not last the month. Then there is the head teacher who has seemed to pick up some of my ways of just taking it easy, at least easier than she has been. Which is good she seems happier and more able to joke around/talk with us. Ironically I don’t think she likes me very much, in the first week I was here she thought I was rude, and according to the other teachers she didn’t want to hire me in the first place and really wanted the whiny guy who came after me to come in first. Now she along with everyone else hates him, and the rest at least appreciate my company as far as I know. Onto me at work, I am still kicking my feet up and relaxing. I immediately recognized open house of the farce that it was and saw that no matter what I did for it I would not be able to please the owner. So I laid back and did nothing for the three weeks that everyone else prepared. Now the Korean staff has scripted all my open houses and practices with my students in between classes during our five and ten minute breaks. I consider this to mean that I am the winner of Kid’s College. I feel somewhat bad for my oldest kids though; they have a big test next week in their actual schools and are now being forced to memorize speeches/interviews. I told them that I would not be angry with them if they did not memorize it and that I would have written copies to give them hints if they slipped up. My performance has been received well by the parents. I have one or two that complain, but their children are ones that I believe really hate being in school and do not want to learn English. So I accept those complains and let them roll of my back, I will try to get the trouble kids more interested but I will not lose any sleep over it. I have taken an approach to teaching the children in such a fashion that I have become their friend and I think that motivates them to try and impress me by learning and practicing English as much as possible. As I have said before seeing them strive to succeed and the elated looks on their faces when I congratulate them is awesome. This method of teaching is not received well by some of the Korean staff because the children and their parents have seen a different way of teaching and have complimented me and not them, in a culture that is all about image showing someone up is not a good thing. While typically I am not one who revels in any sort of superiority I do find myself flashing a grin every now and then when I receive a dirty look. In other words I love it, the road of achieving this is what I live for and this is the first time I’ve really taken enjoyment in standing at the top. I may not be the best teacher when it comes to the academics and getting the children to learn. But I hope that like some of the great teachers I had in the past that these kids will never forget me and say with fondness “I remember Mr.David, he was a good teacher.� In other news! I’ve decided to go to Thailand for my vacation with my roommate Kevin. We will be arriving in Bangkok after a slight layover in Hong Kong on the Saturday of our vacation which is Jull 22. He will be coming back that Wednesday to meet his parents here in Seoul while I stay until the next Saturday. I swear I will have a camera by then to take lots of pictures. I am also going to a place called Puson the week before which is a three day weekend. It’s a nice beach area on the southern side of Korea smack dab near the middle in regards to east and west. A trip to the demilitarized zone is in the near future as well. That’s all for now. God I want GR:AW, and a new book! Dave 10 weeks down, 42 to go in the plan. But who knows, this craziness might lead to an early trip home! Only time will tell, and that's the way I like it.