Sa Dae Bu Go High School Class 11
Pretty girls!
Sa Dae Bu Go High School Class 17
Crazy boys!
Friday, May 23, 2003
Thursday, May 22, 2003
thursday | 05.22.03 | korea | year 2 overseas | day 18
Toothless, bug-eyed boy
My kindergarten portrait I believe, taken too many years ago. Specifically, that would make it 1974 or 1975. I know the flag is the common backdrop for these kinds of pictures but it also echoes the patriotic memories of my elementary school days. Good times.
Wednesday, May 21, 2003
Sunday, April 27, 2003
Wednesday, March 05, 2003
Saturday, March 01, 2003
Sunday, February 23, 2003
A brief visit to a Communist country
sunday | 02.23.03 | korea | day 345
Taken on my recent visit to Panmunjom in the DMZ between North Korea and South Korean. I am standing next to a South Korean soldier in the North Korean portion of a simple but important conference room which straddles the DMZ. The expression on my face reflects what I felt was the sobering reality of the room.
Taken on my recent visit to Panmunjom in the DMZ between North Korea and South Korean. I am standing next to a South Korean soldier in the North Korean portion of a simple but important conference room which straddles the DMZ. The expression on my face reflects what I felt was the sobering reality of the room.
sunday | 02.23.03 | korea | day 345
A brief visit to Communist North Korea
Taken on my recent visit to Panmunjom in the DMZ between North Korea and South Korean. I am standing next to a South Korean soldier in the North Korean portion of a simple but important conference room which straddles the DMZ. The expression on my face reflects what I felt was the sobering reality of the room.
Tuesday, February 18, 2003
monday | 02.18.03 | korea | day 340
An epiphany
Since making the decision ( a mere five days ago!) to return to Korea after my March - April vacation to the states, several thoughts have fallen into place alongside several events which have confirmed, for me, the wisdom of said decision. Read the full post
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
Sunday, January 26, 2003
sunday | 01.26.03 | korea | day 327
S.Korea Races to Erase Web Worm Ahead of Work Week
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean systems engineers raced on Sunday to repair Internet networks ahead of the start of the working week, after the country was hit hard during a global attack by a fast-spreading computer worm.
In what experts called the most damaging attack on the Internet in 18 months, the worm known as "SQL" ("sequel") Slammer targeted a known weakness in Microsoft Corp's software to shut down powerful server computers -- clogging the pipelines of the worldwide network.
South Korea, the world's most wired country, said its Internet companies would boost security spending to try to prevent a repeat of the outage that paralyzed broadband and mobile services on Saturday afternoon.
"It's not clear why Korea was targeted but the damage was huge -- partly because Korea has a huge Internet population and this helped the rapid spread of the worm," said an official at KT Corp, Korea's largest Internet service provider.
(By Kim Miyoung, Sunday, January 26, 2003, 02:14 AM ET )
Hence the bruises on my forehead: I spent Saturday afternoon and evening banging my head against the wall trying in vain to get online. If only my internet provider, KT, had been kind enough to call me and tell me about the problem, I might have avoided having a near-meltdown!
Saturday, January 25, 2003
Friday, January 24, 2003
friday | 01.24.03 | korea | day 325
Respect breeds respect
An brief encounter last night changed my philosophy of the role that should exist between the teachers of children and their parents. First the experience, then the epiphany.
I teach an intermediate writing class for Korean students with advanced English language skills. The class is small (four students, two girls and two boys, 11-15 years old) and they've each lived for an extended period in Canada or the United States. We meet twice a week for two hours. I learned earlier in the day that the father of a 15 year old boy in the class had expressed a desire to meet me. This particular student possesses great speaking skills and has always been eager and well-behaved in class so I was more than anxious to meet his father.
As it happened, he was waiting at the front desk to meet me after the writing class last night. Apparently he is an English teacher himeself at a high school in Chunchon so we had no trouble communicating. He did nothing more than bow courteously, shake my hand, thank me for teaching his son, and express a desire for me to join his family for dinner in the near future.
Dinner with one's family is not to be casually dismissed but it was this man's other actions that I found so deferential. This isn't the first time I've found respect as a simple teacher but it reinforced the personal satisfaction I already take in being a teacher. Upon further reflection, I recognized the wisdom of a parent taking the initiative to establish a cordial relationship with his child's teacher early, before problems can or do arise.
Without uttering the words, the parent's plea is, "Please teach my child well." And a responsible teacher will, in the course of teaching, heed that plea by focusing on that child. A student may act as if he or she doesn't care about learning but if a teacher knows the parent of such a child cares, that teacher can more easily fight the discouragement and despair even the best of us often feel.
I feel bound now to work harder to fulfill what I view as my duties as a teacher. It's a great feeling.
Saturday, January 18, 2003
Friday, January 17, 2003
friday | 01.17.03 | korea | day 318
The "famous" Haeundae Beach
From my visit to Busan in December. It may have been a cold, blustery day, fit for "neither fish nor fowl," but the crashing waves and the flocks of seagulls had a charm all their own.
Wait a minute. By their presence, it must have been fit enough for the fowls and since they're cold-blooded and aquatic, it's hard to believe the fish were all that put out. On second thought, it must have been a sunny, pleasant day.
Friday, January 03, 2003
Friday, December 27, 2002
Sunday, December 22, 2002
Monday, December 09, 2002
Unable to download
The absence of posts these past few weeks is due to two factors. One, I was spending way to much time online so I've taken a wise break from the internet. Second, when I finally went back online, the software on my computer that I use to transfer pictures from my camera to my computer had become corrupt somehow so I was unable to bring new images online. I hope to fix the problem soon and resume regular if not daily posts.
Saturday, November 23, 2002
El Diablo
Utter the words "fresh cut noodles" and "fresh flatbread" and my mouth will water uncontrollably. Spicy, savory, hot, and addictive. And SO cheap when you're eating the real thing in rural China. This particular meal ran us a total of about $2, I seem to recall.
My cousin's devlish appearance can only be attributed to his anger at being forced to wait 2 more seconds to eat. Actually I'm getting a little angry myself that I can't walk outside indulge in a little authentic Chinese cuisine. Curse this mortal body and it's inability to time travel!
Friday, November 22, 2002
Casa de Chunchon
After many requests (well, OK, ONE request - you know who you are), here is a picture of my cozy abode in South Korea. It's a three story apartment building. I live on the ground level and my lone window faces the building next door, barely 10 feet away.
A pleasant picture to gaze upon as the green leaves on the trees are long gone and the ground is now covered in snow and ice. Brrrr!
Thursday, November 21, 2002
Would you like your face filleted today sir?
After two days in the filthy, street-torn city of Datong, China, I wanted a shave. Somehow I thought it would make a memorable end to my stay to get a shave in a salon with a straight edge razor. How I rue THAT decision. 've never had a shave this way so my mind was set (the many warnings from my cousin be damned!).
The razor was sharp and the poor woman assigned to tried very hard to baby my tender face but it all failed to ease the sense that she was slowly peeling the skin from my neck! As the pain intensified and all the muscles in my body tensed in anticipation of the next slice (notice my clenched arms and hands), the departure time of our train drew near and we had to rush out before she finished. What a relief.
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
Potty humor
Many parts of China, I'm told, lack what we consider modern plumbing and what little I witnessed this summer supports this claim. Most of the public outhouses I saw were vile, some unspeakably so.
With that as background, my cousin and I spent an hour wandering the picturesque backstreets of a neighborhood in Zhangjiakou, some 4 hours northeast of Beijing. As normally happened, we attracted a following of young children, curious to know about the obvious foreigners. (I'm sure my cousin's excellent Chinese and the colorful stickers I handed out did nothing to encourage this.)
After I suggested we take a picture of this unusualy colorful community outhouse, I was initially annoyed that our entourage wouldn't take the hint to step out of view. Of couse now I'm glad they stayed as we caught them nearly doubled over with laughter.
Why are they laughing? I can't say for certain but wouldn't YOU laugh if some rich foreigner waltzed into YOUR town and decided to take a picture of such a humble, meaningless structure?
Tuesday, November 19, 2002
Chinese canine
Missing my own mutt in Utah, I couldn't resist a close-up of this one we encountered in a remote and poor village some two hours outside of Datong in China. Like the children in the community who all seemed to share ownership with him, he was energetic, carefree, and seemingly oblivious to the outside world as it raced by.
tuesday | 11.19.02 | korea | day 259
the pain, the agony
So sick, so weak, so anxious to die. OK, slight exaggeration. Grand designs to write many delightful posts over the weekend faded along with my strength and energy. What I at first thought was a severe cold has, I believe, morphed into a severe case of the flu instead. Oh, for a cold. Or for a mild case of leprosy.
Monday, November 18, 2002
Samgyopsal in Yangyang
On our way to Seoraksan, we paused in the town of Yangyang to dip our toes in the East Sea and eat lunch. We feasted on my favorite Korean dish, samgyopsal, fried slices of pork, cooked at the table and eaten wrapped in a lettuce leaf with fresh, sliced garlic and red pepper paste.
Please excuse me while I indulge in a guided culinary meditation.
Sunday, November 17, 2002
Seoraksan smiler
Little Richard, a fellow teacher, and I took an impromptu day trip to Seoraksan Mountain National Park in early October, hoping to witness the Autumn changing of the guard. Unfortunately we were a week or two too early so we had to settle for a refreshing day of vigorous hiking, beautiful greenery, and brisk mountain air. What a let-down.
At the end of the day, as we were leaving the park, I shared a private moment with this darling Korean girl and she was gracious enough to hold the pose while I scrambled for my camera.
Saturday, November 16, 2002
Happy happy Chunchon mascot
The flood-control canal behind the hagwon is lined for a few hundred yards with various murals that depict different seasonal events in Chunchon. This is a shot of one of the paintings of the official town mascot. Happy, isn't he? (Or maybe he is a she. Who knows?)
The "happy, happy" is a reference to the "Happy, Happy Girl" song a Korean teacher has been repeatedly singing with her students lately as a means of teaching English. Has anyone else heard this song? It's a teeny bopper type of song and kinda catchy.
Friday, November 15, 2002
Halloween monster
I recycled today's picture from shylock in korea where I neglected to add an explanation.
We celebrated Halloween at the hagwon and to our horror this ghoulish-looking zombie-mutant crashed our party. And then he had to ruin this lovely picture of me by flashing his awful mug in the background. Scary!
Truthfully, the hagwon Director couldn't resist sharing the limelight with this photo of me modeling my great Dracula costume. Who was I to pull rank on the boss?
Thursday, November 14, 2002
Two vagabonds
Taken back in August as my globe-trotting cousin and China tour guide and I parted ways in Incheon: I to sultry though picturesque Chunchon, he to Taiwan, San Francisco, and finally New York. If not for him, my 12-day vacation in China would not have happened but it did, thanks to his previous experience in China and his impressive Chinese and Korean language skills.
What made our travels even more memorable were our lengthy, impassioned discussions about how to advance the cause of conservatism in America. Right cousin?
Doesn't this shot look more like some third world South American village plaza rather than a subway station in a modern Asian country?
(Note about yesterday's post: It has been re-brought to my attention that I'm not as farm animal-deficient as a certain "friend" previously implied. The burden of beast in the picture IS a donkey, not a mule. Ha!)
Wednesday, November 13, 2002
wednesday | 10.13.02 | korea | day 253
Language/culture clash
While studying my beginning Korean textbook at the school this afternoon during a break between classes, the Director walked into the room. When he noticed what I was doing, he was impressed ("Oooh!" "Aaah!"). In what then must have been a desire to test my abilities, he wrote a simple question in Korean for me on the white board. I was semi-confident I knew the answer so I blurted it out.
I was wrong. Obviously I jumbled the vocabulary because he immediately laughed, heartily, at my mistake and proceeded to share my blunder with several Korean teachers standing nearby.
Let me say as I proceed that I like this Director. He is kind, thoughtful (though perpetually late in paying his employees), relaxed, and he has a great sense of humor. I can only guess he was tapping into this "sense of humor" by laughing at me because I can find no other plausible explanation.
Normally I wouldn't be put out by such a response; learning a new language is challenging at best and everyone knows the best way to accelerate the process is by practicing in real world situations. But when I consider the plethora of mistakes I hear when every Korean speaks English, especially those made by this Director and the other Koreans working at the hagwon, I'm primarily angry that they would laugh at my mistakes when I am instead kind, supportive, and more inclined to focus on their language strengths rather than their missteps.
What aggravated this event was the Director's reaction to my reaction. He launched into a speech about how we foreign teachers are too sensitive, that laughing as he did is not offensive in the Korean culture, and that by being offended I was showing my failure to adapt to the culture of the land in which I was living. (My response to THIS preposterous accusations is fodder for another blog entry.)
This is not a colossal problem (though it did degenerate into an "us vs. them" debate for 15 minutes between the Korean and foreign teachers). I am a bit discouraged though that I must now selectively choose where and with whom to practice my budding language skills.
"Oooh, a donkey! I want a picture with a donkey!"
Another quote from my farm animal-deprived Korean friend.
Our day at the Korean Folk Village was drawing to a close. We were tired and cold but satisfied at a day well-spent. Two donkeys (see next paragraph) were tethered in a half-vacant cabbage field, looking lonely and in need of a loving carress from a fellow Korean. Little Richard delivered and this picture also shows I captured the setting sun as the day drew to a close.
It has since been brought to my own farm animal-deficient attention that this is more accurately a mule, not a donkey. Boy, am I embarrassed!
Tuesday, November 12, 2002
Life as a sardine
Simply the best b/w picture I've taken on the Seoul subways. It was rush hour and SO crowded which, in fairness, is the exception rather than the rule.
Monday, November 11, 2002
Put your shoulder to the wheel
Following church and a baptism, the ladies of the Chunchon Ward served a delicious lunch of bulgogi. (:o'''' <---me, drooling.) Elders Ellis and Clarkson, noble missionaries both, rose to the task of dish duty.
It also happened to be Elder Ellis' last Sunday in Chunchon where he has served ever since I arrived 8+ months ago. Sad times indeed.
Sunday, November 10, 2002
Got milk?
OK, so the caption and subject don't quite match. Got a better idea? Then get your own blog smart guy!
Seriously though, I welcome comments, suggestions for better captions, and even ideas for changing the mind-numbing drudgery that is my life. I haven't added a 'comment' link to this page yet but you can use the guestbook for now.
Saturday, November 09, 2002
Friday, November 08, 2002
Me and my pal Kyanna
This picture is sort of fuzzy but it's also overly-bright which I think is a nice effect as it was taken in a church on a Sunday. The day was unusually sunny and cold and we posed in the Chunchon LDS Ward building with it's bright white walls and ultra-glossy floors.
And Kyanna manages to be quite the doll, taking the edge off the vacancy I feel, missing my nieces/nephews back home.
friday | 10.08.02 | korea | day 248
daily.picture.post
Try as I do, I have lately failed to submit daily posts. Between teaching at the hagwon, teaching private lessons, attending my Beginning Korean class at Kangwon University, language exchanging with Little Richard, educating my political self at Rush Limbaugh.com, and indulging my guilty pleasure of listening to The Phil Hendrie Show, the time passes too quickly. Writing, I'm ashamed to say, gets displaced by other, often lesser priorities.
So to boost my output by 1,000 words a day, I've created a daily picture post page. Visit it often and you'll have another (or at least one) reason to get out of bed each morning.
Tuesday, November 05, 2002
tuesday | 10.05.02 | korea | day 245
15 hours a week is work?
The new school schedule is hot off the presses! I've dropped precipitously from teaching 28 hours a week to a mere 15 hours a week. It's likely to skyrocket to 17 hours when the long anticipated writing class begins in a week or two, but come on!
As of this day I no longer work in Korea; I live and play in Korea with a few brief moments per week of something that other people call work. Sheesh!
English/Korean Electronic Dictionaries
Zeromarket
- AP-25 W75,000
- SHARP PA-3100H W50,000
- SHARP PA-4720H W69,500
- SHARP PA-5200H W80,000
- SHARP PA-9100H W95,500
- SHARP RD-400 W115,500
- SHARP RD-400+ W135,000
Interpark
- SHARP PA-3100H W46,000
- SHARP PA-3900H W73,000
- SHARP PA-3900H W73,000
- SHARP PA-4720H W67,000
- SHARP PA-4920H W76,000
- SHARP PA-5200H W81,000
- SHARP PA-5200H W81,000
- SHARP PA-9100H W98,000
- SHARP PW-4100S W134,000
- SHARP PW-6000 W146,000
- SHARP PW-7000 W171,200
- SHARP PW-K300 W198,000
- SHARP RD-400 W117,000
- SHARP RD-1100 W167,000
- SHARP RD-2000 W187,000
- SHARP RD-2000 W561,000
- SHARP RD-3000 W240,000
- SHARP RD-3000 W720,000
- SHARP RD-3000 W1,200,000
Monday, November 04, 2002
Sunday, November 03, 2002
Saturday, November 02, 2002
Friday, November 01, 2002
friday | 11.01.02 | korea | day 241
The end of an ice age?
To what do I owe this shocking about face? The coworker who was the target of my "b" word rant appears to have grown up a couple decades and joined the world of the mature. I think it's thanks to our raving Halloween party and the arrival of the new teachers yesterday in that it's forced her to act normal or get left out of the loop. Two of my other coworkers who had recently commented about her odd behavior also noticed the change and wondered aloud to me what could have produced this miracle.
I know enough to not expect this improvement to be permanent or long-lasting. And oh that I could make her see and feel the effects of her wildly inconsistent behavior.
Thursday, October 31, 2002
thursday | 10.31.02 | korea | day 240
Halloween
What a day! After attending my two-hour beginning Korean class at Kanwon University at 8:00 am, followed by lunch with two of my classmates from Canada, I arrrived at school at 1:00 pm. The next congested hours consisted of face painting, balloons, teaching the students about trick-or-treating and then rewarding them with candy, frequently spooking the current batch of kids with my dreadful vampire attire, entertaining the masses, and controlling the chaos. To quote a coworker, "Not a bad way to spend an afternoon."
The icing on the day was the arrival of the two new teachers from Canada after a month of waiting. They're a young husband/wife team and they seem eager and friendly. I expect I'll finally get a new teaching schedule by Monday with the long-awaited reduction in hours.
A bit more than four months left in my contract. Could the time be flying any faster?
Wednesday, October 30, 2002
wednesday | 10.30.02 | korea | day 239
Halloween Eve at the hagwon
Acting as the planner, purchaser, and organizer of Halloween celebrations at school at the behest of the school director, I've run myself ragged the past two days. I was lucky to find a party/costume store in town and with a budget of about $100, I managed to buy ghosts, jack-o-lanterns, witches, banners, paper, and a Dracula costume (rented). Most classes spent time creating jack-o-lanterns from the black and orange paper I bought and I recruited my evening advanced students to build a gigantic orange and black paper chain to help decorate the hagwon.
When was the last time I had this much fun?
Monday, October 28, 2002
monday | 10.28.02 | korea | day 237
Reagan the seer
"The Democrats may remember their lines, but how quickly they forget the lessons of the past. I have witnessed five major wars in my lifetime, and I know how swiftly storm clouds can gather on a peaceful horizon. The next time a Saddam Hussein takes over Kuwait, or North Korea brandishes a nuclear weapon, will we be ready to respond? In the end, it all comes down to leadership, and that is what this country is looking for now." --Ronald Reagan (1994)
Thursday, October 24, 2002
thursday | 10.24.02 | korea | day 233
The "b" word
I wanted to determine if the "b" word, admittedly a strong and usually offensive word, was an appropriate epithet for a certain trying coworker.
Let's see. The dictionary says a "b" word is a malicious, spiteful, and domineering woman. Sounds good. Let's dig deeper.
Malice: a desire to see another suffer that may be fixed and unreasonable or nor more than a passing mischievous impulse.
Spiteful: filled with petty ill will or hatred with the disposition to irritate, annoy, or thwart.
Domineering: exercising arbitrary or overbearing control.
Perfect! Too bad I can't use it without being accused of joining the aforementioned coworker in the gutter.
I'll admit it's unbalanced there isn't a corresponding word to describe men. The closest you get is the "b" word for men but the definition for this word is tame by comparison: an offensive or disagreeable person.
Wednesday, October 23, 2002
wednesday | 10.23.02 | korea | day 232
The days run long
It's going on two months now that I've been teaching 28 hours a week when the terms of my contract state I shouldn't work more than 25 hours a week and the other teachers are working an average of about 23 hours. It hasn't bothered me until the past few weeks when I've been sick and the burden of preparing for the classes and summoning the energy to teach a quality class has taken its toll.
My enthusiasm wanes, the days are long, and the two new teachers we expected to arrive from Canada and ease the teaching load fail to arrive week after week. I need a break.
Tuesday, October 22, 2002
tuesday | 10.22.02 | korea | day 231
The efforts of feeble minds
A bizarre conversation with a coworker tonight stumbled onto the noble topic of profanity, specifically the "f" word. In typical academic fashion, he dismissed people who are offended by vulgar words by explaining how "vulgar" or "vulgate" originally referred to the common man and his therefore "innocent" common language. Horse-hockey.
One might then conclude this coworker, whose language itself is frequently peppered with offensive language, is not himself offended by any kind of profanity. Right? Wrong. He was quick to list the many reasons why he finds the "b" word inappropriate, not the least of which is the disrespect it shows for women. Of course his objections to this word are valid but I found it both laughable and aggravating that he would arbitrarily brush off some words while declaring others taboo. Perhaps my frustration is better directed at myself for my failure to voice my objections to the profanity that surrounds me.
Coincidentally, I had several minutes previously researched the "b" word in the dictionary as I believed it was the perfect word to describe another coworker. (As I write this I'd hoped to include the definition I found but it appears I've left it at school. Check back later for a more complete blog entry.)
Spencer W. Kimball said it best: "Profanity is the effort of a feeble mind to express itself forcibly."
Monday, October 21, 2002
sunday | 10.20.02 | korea | day 229
Blog puberty cometh
Blog puberty cometh
Like a young man no longer eligible to join the Vienna Boys Choir, blog changes are impending. Excited? (Fake it, if not.)
What to expect? How about a new look to the blog, a daily photo gallery, a book report chamber, political commentary, and the long awaited, globally discussed China diaries. No timeline promised but if you'd like to hold your breath, you may start . . . . . . . . . wait . . . . . . . . NOW!
Thursday, October 17, 2002
thursday | 10.17.02 | korea | day 226
Do'h!
Do'h!
It's going on almost four months now since I ditched the TV/VCR. It remains one of the better decisions I've made in recent history.
That said, I ache for The Simpsons.
Tuesday, October 15, 2002
Monday, October 14, 2002
10.14.02 | korea | day 223 | monday
Say the Time
Say the Time
My favorite recent download: Say the Time. An alluring male or female voice periodically announces the time and an appealing digital clock replaces the standard Windows horologe in the system tray. It's free for a 30-day trial and a snap to download and install.
Sunday, October 13, 2002
10.13.02 | korea | day 222 | sunday
Heavenly chorus
Heavenly chorus
I finally succumbed to rest this afternoon as I was lulled to sleep by the soothing strains of the recent LDS General Conference. It was welcome and peaceful.
As I began to awake, the Sunday afternoon session was drawing to a close. It concluded with the choir singing that beautiful song . This group had been introduced as a family choir from the Hunter, Salt Lake City region. I was in a dream-like state, aware only of the music and overcome with the spirit. The song seemed to last forever. It had a near-healing effect upon my soul. As I fully awoke and realized the music was real, I marveled at the inspiration of those who orchestrated this amateur choir.
Saturday, October 12, 2002
10.12.02 | korea | day 221 | saturday
Body politics
Body politics
A nice little head cold has knocked me flat. How I much prefer being healthy! Unfortunately, though my body lacks energy, my mind won't stop racing down the list of things I'd rather be doing other than resting in silence: newspapers and books to read, online audio programs to digest, school lessons to prepare, housecleaning to trudge through, Korean cooking to practice, and on goes the list.
So, as the junior member of my body parliament, my mortal shell doesn't carry the necessary clout to override the threat of a brain filibuster and so the rest that might help me recover faster must wait until the next emergency session of its corporeal congress.
10.12.02 | korea | day 221 | saturday
Remembered by my family!
Remembered by my family!
Just got off the phone with Mom! We talked for 45 minutes with Dad joining in the last few minutes. This is the first time they've managed to call me and I couldn't be happier. (Well, if Mr "ex-" (hint-hint) president Clinton gets a hangnail tomorrow, that might make me a LITTLE happier. While I'm dreaming, how about TWO hangnails and a big canker sore?)
Friday, October 11, 2002
10.11.02 | korea | day 220 | friday
Missionary photos
Missionary photos
Pictures of the missionaries and church in Chunchon have been posted for you to view and in consideration of the family and friends of said missionaries. Click 'missionary.photos' in the upper-left hand corner. Happy viewing!
Tuesday, October 08, 2002
Monday, October 07, 2002
Sunday, October 06, 2002
Friday, October 04, 2002
Wednesday, October 02, 2002
Tuesday, October 01, 2002
10.01.02 | korea | day 210 | tuesday
The language barrier vanishes - briefly
The language barrier vanishes - briefly
Saturday, September 21, was Chuseok, Korea's thanksgiving harvest celebration. An invitation to join a family for the day had been postponed until Sunday so, with no other plans, I headed out, hoping my new favorite lunch spot, Subway, would be open.
On the way I sat down on a vacant bus bunch to send a text message - "Chuseok chun pahl nay say oh" - to a friend, in Hanguel, on my hand phone. A middle-age Korean man soon sat on the bus bench next to me, curious to see what I was doing. His breath smelled of alcohol, his hands where those of a laborer, and the fact that we spoke no more than a handful of words of the others' language didn't stop him from holding a lengthy, one-sided, thirty minute discussion with me. At one point, he took my hand and appeared to read my palm. He was rather animated and surprised as he pointed to this and that and told me who knows what.
I'm sure we made quite the spectacle, sitting in the shade near a busy intersection, to the Koreans driving by, dressed in their hanboks in apparent observance of the holiday. I tried to focus on his words and accent thinking, "How often, even living in the country, do I get the chance to immerse myself in pure Korean?"
Several times he appeared frustrated and almost angry that I couldn't understand him. In the end, though, he appeared to be beckoning me to follow him, to his home for Chuseok I imagine. I declined as I was very hungry by now so he walked away in mild disgust. I laughed, marveling at the unique adventure of it all, and walked away happy.
Subway was closed so I had to settle for Burger King as most everything else was closed.
09.30.02 | korea | day 209 | monday
Banned Books Week
Banned Books Week
"Every year, the American Library Association dedicates a week to highlighting works challenged as inappropriate for schools and libraries. The ALA defines a 'challenge' as a formal, written complaint filed (usually by a parent) with a library or school. 'Banned Books Week' features readings nationwide of controversial material."
So let's see. The simple fact that a book has been 'banned' [usually by a parent? the nerve!] is grounds for the ALA to shine the light on something that some people find objectionable, irrespective of the legitimacy of the objections. Hmm.
"Focus on the Family, a 'pro-family' [shocking!] group based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, released a statement saying that 'Banned Books Week' was a lie.
'Nothing is 'banned,' but every year this organization attempts to intimidate and silence any parent, teacher or librarian who expresses concern about the age-appropriateness of sexually explicit or violent material for schoolchildren,' said Tom Minnery, vice president of public policy for Focus on the Family.
'What the ALA calls 'censorship,' most Americans would call common sense,' he said."
Sunday, September 29, 2002
Saturday, September 28, 2002
09.28.02 | korea | day 207 | saturday
My New Roommate
My New Roommate
I'm happy to report that after months of being lulled to sleep by the living, breathing thing that was my noisy, less-than-effective refrigerator, I now have a functional icebox which is whisper quiet and, comically enough, only four feet tall.
Of course this means I now lie awake, staring at the ceiling all night, feeling lonely as I ponder the solitary, hopeless, brain wracking, void-of-meaning, pitiful journey that is my life.
(Yes, yes, I know. You wonder why would I exaggerate my plight by using such superfluous language. It's probably more appropriate to substitute "tortuous, death-march" for the dramatic "journey." I was weak. It won't happen again.)
Friday, September 27, 2002
Wednesday, September 25, 2002
Tuesday, September 24, 2002
Friday, September 20, 2002
Sunday, September 08, 2002
Saturday, September 07, 2002
09.07.02 | korea | day 186 | saturday
Big changes are in store at shylockorea. Soon the address will change to shylockutah.blogspot.com (you may visit the site now though it's incomplete), everything will be centralized, and I'll post my pictures in a photo gallery. Hooray!
Friday, September 06, 2002
Great Expectations Review
Great Expectations Memorable Quotes
David Copperfield Review
It's not often I've read a book of such scope and magnitude as Charles Dickens' David Copperfield. My only motivation in reading it is that it was the biggest, cheapest book I could find at Media Play before I left for Korea that was also a classic, an area I've wanted to concentrate on recently. I knew nothing about the book and I never anticipated it would take me over three months to read and become one of the most difficult books I would ever undertake. At over 800 pages and full of the language commonly used when it was published in 1850, be prepared for a challenge.
In the end, the undertaking was more than worth it. The story purports to be the autobiography of the fictional character David Copperfield. It was originally published in serial form in England and then later released in book form.
I have little worthwhile to report on the book other than how it affected me. I can't recall reading a secular book that had such a profound impact as to make me want to be a better person. Copperfield recounts the people and events of his life from birth through, I believe, his early thirties. Without preaching, he weaves a credible and vast cross-section of experiences that show the triumph of honesty and hard work, the consequences of deception, and the importance of character. The book contains, by my count, 44 significant characters, most of whom wind up reaping the consequences of their actions, good and bad. Just as Dickens expressed his fondness for Copperfield, I was sorry when the book came to an end.
In perhaps the same way I am enamored by Shakespeare, David Copperfield won me over through Dickens' insights into human nature. His observations are keen, succinct, and timeless. This book was a chore but I am a better person for reading it. I am conscious that may sound silly but it remains a statement of the truth.
Monday, September 02, 2002
David Copperfield Memorable Quotes
"Barkis is willin'." -Mr. Barkis, page 60.
"I feel as if it were not for me to record, even though this manuscript is intended for no eyes but mine, how hard I worked at that tremendous short-hand, and all improvement appertaining to it, in my sense of responsibility to Dora and her aunts. I will only add, to what I have already written on my perseverance at this time of my life, and of a patient and continuous energy which then began to be matured within me, and which I know to be the strong part of my character, if it have any strength at all that there, on looking back, I find the source of my success. I have been very fortunate in worldly matters; many men have worked much harder, and not succeeded half so well; but I never could have done what I have done, without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one object at a time, no matter how quickly its successor should come upon its heels, which I then formed. Heaven knows I write this, in no spirit of self-laudation. The man who reviews his own life, as I do mine, in going on here, from page to page, had need to have been a good man indeed, if he would be spared the sharp consciousness of many talents neglected, many opportunities wasted, many erratic and perverted feelings constantly at war within his breast, and defeating him. I do not hold one natural gift, I dare say, that I have not abused. My meaning simply is, that whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do well; that whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself to completely; that in great aims and in small, I have always been thoroughly in earnest. I have never believed it possible that any natural or improved ability can claim immunity from the companionship of the steady, plain, hard-working qualities, and hope to gain its end. There is no such things as such fulfillment on this earth. Some happy talent, and some fortunate opportunity, may form the two sides of the ladder on which some men mount, but the rounds of that ladder must be made of stuff to stand wear and tear; and there is no substitute for thorough-going, ardent, and sincere earnestness. Never to put one hand to anything, on which I could throw my whole self; and never to affect depreciation of my work, whatever it was; I find, now, to have been my golden rules." -David Copperfield, page 559
"There can be no disparity in marriage like unsuitability of mind and purpose." -Mrs. Strong, page 610
". . . I should be thankful to him for having saved me from the first mistaken impulse of my undisciplined heart." -Mrs. Strong, page 611
"It's very much to be wished that some mothers would leave their daughters alone after marriage, and not be so violently affectionate. They seem to think the only return that can be made them for bringing an unfortunate young woman into the world - God bless my soul, as if she asked to be brought, or wanted to come! - is full liberty to worry her out of it again." -Betsey Trotwood, page 613
"Of all my books I like this the best. It will be easily believed that I am a fond parent to every child of my fancy, and that no one can ever love that family as dearly as I love them. But, like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favourite child. And his name is David Copperfield." -Charles Dickens
Sunday, September 01, 2002
David Copperfield Cast of Characters
A nearly exhaustive list, probably of interest to not many but me.
- David Copperfield - title character, also called "Trot " or "Trotwood" by his Aunt Betsey, Mr. Dick and some of his friends, "Daisy" by Steerforth, and "Doady" by his wife Dora.
- Clara Copperfield - David's young unfortunate mother.
- David Copperfield Sr. - David's father who died before he was born.
- Betsey Copperfield - David's fictional sister, kept alive by his Aunt Betsey.
- Pegotty - David's "nurse" or nanny from childhood.
- Betsey Trotwood - David's aunt and guardian.
- Mr. Chillip - David's childhood doctor.
- Mr. Murdstone - David's wicked stepfather.
- Miss Murdstone - Mr. Murdstone's cruel sister.
- Mr. Barkis - the town carrier and eventual husband to Pegotty.
- Mr. Dan Pegotty - Pegotty's brother, uncle/guardian to Ham and Emily.
- Ham Pegotty - Emily's noble, betrayed fiance.
- Emily Pegotty - Ham's cousin, David's first childhood crush.
- Mrs. Gummidge - Mr. Pegotty's "lone and lorn" housekeeper.
- Mr. Omer - the town undertaker in David's hometown.
- Mr. Joram - Mr. Omer's son.
- James Steerforth - David's popular but deceptive schoolmate.
- Mrs. Steerforth - Steerforth's wealthy mother.
- Rosa Dartle - Mrs. Steerforth's tenant, victim of Steerforth's cruelty.
- Littimer - Steerforth's butler.
- Traddles - David's childhood schoolmate and adult friend.
- Sophy Traddles - Traddles' wife.
- Mr. Wilkins Micawber - David's inept but well-meaning friend.
- Mrs. Emma Micawber - Mr. Wilkins' wife.
- Mr. Wickfield - town attorney, provided room/board for David.
- Agnes Wickfield - Mr. Wickfield's daughter and David's best friend.
- Uriah Heep - Mr. Wickfield's 'umble employee/business partner.
- Mrs. Heep - Uriah's equally spineless mother.
- Mrs. Crupp - David's London landlord.
- Mr. Francis Spenlow - David's employer at court and Dora's father.
- Dora Spenlow - David's "child-wife" bride.
- Jip - Dora's annoying little dog.
- Julia Mills - Dora's bosom friend.
- Mr. Jorkins - Mr. Spenlow's silent business partner.
- Miss Clarissa Spenlow - Mr. Spenlow's sister, Dora's guardian.
- Miss Lavina Spenlow - Mr. Spenlow's sister, Dora's guardian.
- Old Creakle - Traddles' tormenting schoolmaster.
- Miss Mowcher - a wise dwarf, introduced to David by Steerforth.
- Mr. Dick - Betsey Trotwood's mentally-challenged but insightful tenant.
- Doctor Strong - David's schoolmaster, would-be author of the Dictionary.
- Mrs. Strong - Doctor Strong's young wife.
- Mrs. Markleham - Mrs. Strong's overbearing mother.
- Jack Maldon - Mrs. Strong's cousin and would-be suitor.
- Martha - a servant girl who helps Emily run away with Steerforth
Saturday, August 31, 2002
Friday, August 30, 2002
Oliver Twist Memorable Quotes
- "The fact is, that there was considerable difficulty in inducing Oliver to take upon himself the office of respiration, -- a troublesome practice, but one which custom has rendered necessary to our easy existence." -page 1
- "But, none of these taunts producing the desired effect of making Oliver cry, Noah attempted to be more facetious still; and in this attempt, did what many small wits, with far greater reputations than Noah, sometimes do to this day, when they want to be funny. He got rather personal." -page 51
- "'Oh, you know, Mr. Bumble, he [Oliver] must be mad,' said Mrs. Sowerberry. 'No boy in half his senses could venture to speak so to you.'
'It's not Madness, ma'am,' replied Mr. Bumble, after a few moments of deep meditation. 'It's Meat.'
'What?' exclaimed Mrs. Sowerberry.
'Meat, ma'am, meat,' replied Bumble, with stern emphasis. 'You've over-fed him, ma'am. You've raised a artificial soul and spirit in him, ma'am, unbecoming a person of his condition: as the board, Mrs. Sowerberry, who are practical philosophers, will tell you. What have paupers to do with soul or spirit? It's quite enough that we let 'em have live bodies. If you had kept the boy on gruel, ma'am, this would never have happened.'
'Dear, dear!' ejaculated Mrs. Sowerberry, piously raising her eyes to the kitchen ceiling: 'this comes of being liberal!'
The liberality of Mrs. Sowerberry to Oliver, had consisted in a profuse bestowal upon him of all the dirty odds and ends which nobody else would eat; so there was a great deal of meekness and self-devotion in her voluntarily remaining under Mr. Bumble's heavy accusation. Of which, to do her justice, she was wholly innocent, in thought, word, or deed." -page 58 - "There is a drowsy state, between sleeping and waking, when you dream more in five minutes with your eyes half open, and yourself half conscious of everything that is passing around you, than you would in five nights with your eyes fast closed, and your senses wrapt in perfect unconsciousness. At such times, a mortal knows just enough of what his mind is doing, to form some glimmering conception of its might powers, its bounding from earth and spurning time and space, when freed from the restraint of its corporeal associate." -page 72
- "If he [Mr. Fang, a police magistrate] were really not in the habit of drinking rather more than was exactly good for him, he might have brought an action against his countenance for libel, and have recovered heavy damages." -page 88
- "Thus, to do a great right, you may do a little wrong; and you may take any means which the end to be attained will justify; the amount of the right, or the amount of the wrong, or indeed the distinction between the two, being left entirely to the philosopher concerrned, to be settled and determined by his clear, comprehensive, and impartial view of this own particular case." -page 103, written as a sarcastic commentary on the behavior of Jack Dawkins and Charley Bates.
- "The persons on whom I [Mr. Brownlow] have bestowed my dearest love, lie deep in their graves; but, although the happiness and delight of my life lie buried there too, I have not made a coffin of my heart, and sealed it up, for ever, on my best affection. Deep affliction has but strengthened and refined them." -page 119
- "There must always be two parties to a quarrel, says the old adage. Mr. Sikes, being desappointed of the dog's participation, at once transferred his hsare in the quarrel to the new-comer [Fagin]." -page 129
- "There is something about a roused woman: especially if she add to all her other strong passions, the fierce impulses and recklessness and despair: which few men like to provoke." -page 143
- "'He's [Bull's Eye, Bill Sikes' dog] an out-and-out Christian,' said Charley [Bates].
This was merely intended as a tribute to the animal's abilities, but it was an appropriate remark in another sense, if Master Bates had only known; for there are a good many ladies and gentlemen, claiming to be out-and-out Christians, between whom, and Mr. Sikes's dog, there exist strong and singular points of resemblance." -page 162 - "In short, the wily old Jew [Fagin] had the boy [Oliver] in his toils. Having prepared his mind, by solitude and gloom, to prefer any society to the companionship of his own sad thoughts in such a dreary place, he was now slowly intilling into his soul the poison which he hoped would blacken it, and change its hue for ever." -page 167
- "'That's it!" observed Mr. Sikes, approvingly; 'women can always put things in fewest words. --Except when it's blowing up' and then they lenghtens it out.'" -page 186
- "The younger lady was in the lovely bloom and springtime of womanhood; at that age, when, if ever angels be for God's good purposes entrhoned in mortal forms, they may be, without impiety, supposed to abide in such as hers." -speaking of Rose Maylie, page 260.
- "Thus, a strain of gentle music, or the rippling of water in a silent place, or the ordour of a flower, or the mention of a familiar word, will sometimes call up sudden dim remembrances of scenes that never were, in this life; which vanish like a breath; which some brief memory of a happier existence, long gone by, would seem to have awakened; which no voluntary exertion of the mind can ever recall." -page 264
- "Oh! if when we oppress and grind our fellow-creatures, we bestowed but one thought on the dark evidences of human error, which, like dense and heavy coulds, were rising, slowly it is true, but not less surely, to Heaven, to pour their after-vengeance on our heads; if we heard but one instant in imagination, the deep testimony of dead men's voices, which no power can stifle, and no pride shut out; where would the the inujry and injustice, the suffereing, misery, curelty, and wrong, that each day's life brings with it!" -page 268
- "We need to be careful how we deal wth those about us, when every death carries to some small circle of survivors, thoughts of so much omitted, and so little done - of so many things forgotten, and so many more which might have been repaired! There is no remorse so deep as that which is unavailing; if we would be spared its tortures, let us remember this, in time." -page 303
- "But, tears were not the things to find their way to Mr. Bumble's soul; his heart was waterproof. Like washable beaver hats that improve with rain, his nerves were rendered stouter and more vigorous, by showeres of tears, which, being tokens of weakness, and so far tacit admissions of his own power, pleased and exalted him." -page 331
- "He [Mr. Bumble] had a decided propensity for bullying; derived no inconsiderable pleasure from the exercise of petty cruelty; and, consequently, was (it is needless to say) a coward. This is by no means a disparagement to his character; for many official personages, who are held in hight respect and admiration, are the victims of similar infirmities. The remark is made, indeed, rather in his favour than otherwise, and with a view of impressing the reader with a just sense of his qualifications for office." -page 333
- "Mr Sikes [lacked] the niceties of discrimination, and [was] troubled with no more subtle misgivings than those which resolve themselves into a dogged roughness of behaviour towards everybody." -page 364
- "'When ladies as young, and good, and beautiful as you are,' replied the girl [Nancy] steadily, 'give away your hearts, love will carry you all lengths - even such as you, who have home, friends, other admirers, everything, to fill them. When such as I, who have no certain roof but the coffin-lid, and no friend in sickness or death but the hospital nurse, set our rotten hearts on any man, and let him fill the place that has been a blank through all our wretched lives, who can hope to cure us? Pity us, lady - pity us for having only one feeling of the woman left, and for having that turned, by heavy judgment, from a comfort and a pride, into a new means of violence and suffering.'" -spoken to Rose Maylie, page 376.
- "'Do not heed my friend, Miss Maylie,' said Mr. Brownlow; 'he [Mr. Grimwig] does not mean what he says.'
'Yes, he does,' growled Mr. Grimwig.
'No, he does not,' said Mr. Brownlow, obviously rising in wrath as he spoke.
'He'll eat his head, if he doesn't,' growled Mr. Grimwig.
'He would deserve to have it knocked off, if he does,' said Mr. Brownlow.
'And he'd uncommonly like to see any man offer to do it,' responded Mr. Grimwig, knocking his stick upon the floor.
Having gone thus far, the two old gentlemen severally took snuff, and afterwards shook hands, according to their invariable custom." -page 382 - "'Then what the devil is to be done?' said the impetuous doctor [Mr. Losberne], when they had rejoined the two ladies. 'Are we to pass a vote of thanks to all these vagabonds, male and female, and beg them to accept a hundred pounds, or so apiece, as a trifiling mark of our esteem, and some slight acknowledgement of their kindness to Oliver?'" -please don't miss the saracasm, page 385.
- "I [Mr. Brownlow] make this request with good reason, for I might otherwise excite hopes destined never teo be realised, and only increase difficulties and disappointments already quite numerous enough." -page 388
- "The heavy bell of St. Paul's tolled for the death of another day. Midnight had come upon the crowded city. The palace, the night-cellar, the jail, the madhouse: the chambers of birth and death, of health and sickness, the rigid face of the corpse and the calm sleep of the child: midnight was upon them all." -page 427
- "The sun - the bright sun, that brings back, not light alone, but new life, and hope, and freshness to man - burst upon the crowded city in clear and radiant glory. Through costly-coloured glass and paper-mended window, through cathedral dome and rotten crevice, it shed its equal ray." -page 445
- "It is a world of disappointment; often to the hopes we most cherish, and hopes that do our nature the greatest honour." -page 496
- "How the two orphans, tried by adversity, remembered its lessons in mercy to others, and mutual love, and fervent thanks to Him who had protected and preserved them - these are all matters which need not to be told. I [the narrator] have said that they were truly happy; and without strong affection and humanity of heart, and gratitude to that Being whose code is Mercy, and whose great attribute is Benevolence to all things that breathe, happiness can never be attained." -page 511
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