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Raised on promises She couldn't help thinkin' that there Was a little more to life Somewhere else After all it was a great big world With lots of places to run to Email me: lao.ocean @ gmail.com December Photos Now Playing: Sorak-san The Windmill Salmon Festival Soccer Goal   Where do visitors come from? (Since 20-Dec-04) Fave flowesr: Plumeria Birthday: DEC 31st
Dance like no one can see Love like you've never been hurt Live like it's heaven on earth 
 Let's set it straight - Is the country Laos or Lao?Here's the answer This week... Things that make me happy
Movies I've seen this month
What they're saying about me
"She's a nut! Not too sure how else to describe an "at-first-glance" seemingly quiet girl who dances like a chicken when she thinks no one else is looking, who likes to pass off her "made up" answer for fact, until you look at her and see her hopelessly trying not to crack a smile, who WITHOUT FAIL remembers to put a line of dental floss in her purse before she goes out (and isn't afraid to use it after dinner, thankfully NOT at the table!!). I can always count on her to know the hottest hollywood gossip, and to dance till all hours of the morning with me." "My co-worker just told me that there was a premiere for Bridget Jones 2 last night, just blocks from my work, and we missed it! Hugh Grant, my beloved and the framework upon which my future husband is based, was just blocks away, breathing the same oxygen, and I missed it! If I had a friend here who was as savvy with E-news as you are, this catastrophe would never have occurred!" Guess what I heard... Oh my god!! This donut is so good! - Ras about a Krispy Kreme donut "I want to do! But what is paintball? There is no such word in dictionary." - Suwa, Japanese teacher "I am now skipping church to see if I am going to win my bids!!!" "YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYA.....I won the felt tip pens!!!!!!!! Yippeee...."who let the dogs out...arf, arf, arf, arf"...."let me hear you say Y..M..C..A"....oh yah, who's your daddy!!!" - Renee Other favorite quotes:
A gift is an offering. A selfless act that adds something to someone's life. Something that they need. Have you ever walked by something and you just had this feeling that someone you knew would absolutely love it? Faith is believing when there is no rational reason to believe. Homer: "We Americans are England's children... I know we don't call as much as we should, or aren't as well behaved as our goody two shoes brother, Canada... who I should mention has never had a girlfriend... I'm just sayin'..." Anything less than mad, passionate, extraordinary love is a waste of time. There are too many mediocre things in life, and love should not be one of them. The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it. When your heart speaks, take good notes. Travel has a way of stretching the mind. The stretch comes not from travel's immediate rewards, the inevitable myriad new sights, smells and sounds, but with experiencing firsthand how others do differently what we believed to be the right and only way. It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting. Sometimes to see the light, you have to risk the dark. |
Surfing the Net
4/9/2004
Everyone does it... browse something on the internet, then that leads you somewhere, which in turn, leads you somewhere else. Here's what I found in an hour of browsing.
Oregon
I'd like to learn more about Bit Torrent, but don't have the time to study up on it.
http://www.legaltorrents.com/  http://www.invadecanada.us/ One reason? They stole our basketball teams Since when does the "N.B.A." stand for "Canadians Can Play Too". We need to get Vancouver and Toronto annexed into America to preserve the "N". Sure, she's going to jail, but I still want to buy things from here site. Don't ask me exactly 'why' I want this. ...saw some other things that were nice too.
 $34.00Embellish papers with pretty woven ribbons, whimsical peekaboo holes, "photo strips," and even buttons. This set of five hand-held punches helps you create a host of lively borders and enhancements. Perfect for handmade cards, customized gift tags, and scrapbook pages, too. Set includes 1/16" round, 1/8" round; square, button, and ribbon punches. Exclusive. (5 1/2"L)
A quick scoot
4/8/2004
It was a beautiful, clear day today. After going to the gym and coming home to have lunch, I left an hour early for work. I wanted to scoot around my neighborhood and take in the warm spring day. I drove on the road behind my apartment, which runs parallel to the river (pic 1). There was a lot of construction by the riverbank (pic 2)... I wonder what's going on. Then I drove by Doosan factory, makers of San soju, among others. Passing the soju factory, I went up the hill to Kwandong University. Students were in-between classes, and playing some kind of game that resembled volleyball, but played with your feet (pic 4). I then went to the information office by the bus terminal to get a train schedule to Jeongdongjin. I'm planning on taking a short day trip there and on the way back, see the submarine. School went pretty well today. I started my first class, constantly rubbing my eyes because it was slightly windy, and a lot of dust was blowing into my eyes when I was scooting. In turn, this had my student Thomas asking questions... Thomas: "Teacher, sed?" Me: "What? Sed? What's sed?" Thomas: "Teacher say, 'How are you? I'm sed'" Me: "Oh!!!" (got to work on that pronunciation) "No, I'm not SAD" Thomas: "No, I think Teacher sed" ***I continue to talk to other students for a couple minutes*** Thomas: "For you, Teacher" (He hands me one of his mechanical pencils) Me: "Wow!!! Really!?!" I feign surprise and delight (I'm pretty good at that), as I hold the pencil up to my cheek, caressing it and smiling, as if it were a present from God, himself. Thomas: "See... Teacher sed. Now Teacher is happy!" **Still later on in the class, after I taught the word "KNOW"*** Me: "Do you know my mother?" Thomas: "No, I don't" Me: "Do you know my apartment" Thomas: "Yes, I do." Me: "Really?! How?" Thomas: "I'm stalker!" For my last class, we had a birthday party for John. The last two pictures are from the party. The boys brought some kind of firework and lit it in class. I was a little surprised and concerned because I wasn't expecting it, but it lasted for only a couple seconds and was nice.
Holiday next week
4/7/2004
It's official... Thursday, April 15th is a Korean National Holiday. I asked my director if our school was closed, and she replied, "Of course". All schools, hogwans, and businesses should be closed. If you have to work that day, your boss is screwing you over! I hope it's beach weather that day.
Cherry Blossoms in bloom
3/30/2004
This is the week for cherry blossoms in Kangneung. There's a small time frame to view them while they're in bloom. I believe they started blooming last weekend, and the best buds should be gone by this weekend, especially since it's been windy lately. The delicate petals can't stay on forever. It's really a beautiful site, if you haven't seen them yet in Kangneung. During last weekend, and this weekend, people from Seoul will make the trip to drive along the lake and look at the pink blossoms. Ras and I took a scooter ride out there, and made a stop at Gyeongpo-dae Pavillion. We forked over 600 won apiece and took some nice pictures on the top of the hill, which overlooked the lake. Here are some pictures... the rest can be viewed here.
The Tera Burn (aka Spaceship Cafe)
3/29/2004
Sung to the tune of Gilligan's Island: Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip. That started from this Korean port, aboard this tiny spaceship. (Tera Burn) The mate was a mighty Happy (Valley) woman, the skipper a dancing queen. Five passengers set forth that day, for (at least) a three hour tour, a three hour tour¡¦¡¦¡¦ The drinks started getting rough, the mate's cookies were almost tossed. If not for the courage of the dancin' crew, the T. Burn would be dull; the T. Burn would be dull. The Kangneungers took ground on the shore of this uncharted little spot, with Catherine, the lao-ocean too, the gay guy, and his biatch, the British bird, the snowboarder and Rachael, here at the Tera Burn! The seven of us (Me, Kate, Rachael, Misty, Giselle, Kiran, & Paul) spent Saturday night in Sockcho, livin' it up at the Tera Burn. I've heard of this bar before from others who have been there, but this was the first I went myself. It's a metallic mass of wonder, that is known as the "spaceship cafe" by Korean. We arrived at the cafe and it DID look like some sort of spaceship. I almost felt like I was entering Heaven's Gate's headquarters, and should be wearing my Nikes. The place was really cool inside - a nice atmosphere. Our Kangneung group started to dwindle as the night wore on, because some people were going to hike Sorak-san the next day. Kate and I ended up being the lone Kangneung survivors as we head to the nori-bang with four other people around 4:40 am. By the time we finished belting classic tunes like Bon Jovi's "Bed of Roses", the sun was rising over the beach. I haven't been up with the sun in a long time, and it was such a beautful, surreal sight. It was one of those moments that really makes you glad you're alive. I'm giving an open invitation for anyone from Sockcho to visit Kangneung. If nothing else, the International Folklore Festival is being held in Kangneung from June 11-27, 2004. To see more pictures from this night, click here.
Breakfast at Tiffany's
3/21/2004
For the longest time, I've been wanting to watch old classics, like "Gone with the Wind" and "Casablanca". Everybody knows about these kinds of movies, but who's actually watched them? I think this generation is used to being shocked and entertained by special effects, so I don't think old movies would hold most people's interests. I try to have an open mind about movies, but I find that black and white movies turn me off. I'm trying to get over that... taking baby steps. The other day, I rented "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (c. 1961, in Technicolor!), wanting to see what the big deal was about. I only knew this movie on name alone. I stopped my urge of wanting to read reviews before watching the movie. Of course Audrey Hepburn's in the movie - she's such a classic beauty. You know what I mean? Nothing like Pamela Anderson or Britney Spears. She's just a simply beautiful woman. In addition, I was surprised to see George Peppard in the cast. You know... John "Hannibal" Smith, from the A-Team! ("In 1972 a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team.")   www.ateamshrine.co.uk
As a young man, George Peppard was pretty handsome, in an all-American, ex-football player, kind of way. As for the story itself? Short on plot, but the characters are the real main point. Audrey Hepburn is quirky, energetic, and just simply lively on screen. It's worth a watch on a Sunday afternoon, but don't expect too much action or plot development. "Cross my heart and kiss my elbow" - Holly Golightly (played by Audrey Hepburn)
A day off?
3/18/2004
Will we actually be getting another day off in April??? Let's only hope! April 15th is a Thursday, and that's the deadline for Americans to file their taxes. I don't really want to think about how long it's been since I've filed my taxes.
The Warehouse... mentioned
3/18/2004
So I'm here at my computer at noon, procrastinating on going to the gym. I don't teach until 4:40pm, so I really have no excuse NOT to go to the gym. Instead, I was on Dave's Esl, reading a post on yellow dust. When somebody posts a message, sometimes they put their website as a signature. I happened to click on this person's link, because the site name sounded interesting - www.lostseouls.com. Once there, I check out his blog and find out he's Helen's friend (she lives here in Kangneung too). There are a couple pictures of her and mention of his trip to Kangneung during a long weekend. The thing that I took note of, was that he talked of going to "The Warehouse" under his March 2nd entry. Well, I guess I should stop saying only "he". His name is James, and he's a friend of Helen's. Actually, I do remember James coming to the bar a couple times that weekend, but didn't talk to him. This was part of his entry: "It's a good job we did get something to eat, because after "The Warehouse", (a newly opened Hip-Hop bar where the DJ was skateboarding round the pool table in between picking tracks) closed we went back to "Bumpin'" and stayed until the owner finally told us to call it a day/night/morning at 6:45am." That DJ, was Ryan, of course.
St. Paddie's Day
3/17/2004
I'm not Irish or anything, but I like to celebrate holidays. Just some info I found about St. Patrick's Day:
Saint Patrick is believed to have been born in the late fourth century, and is often confused with Palladius, a bishop who was sent by Pope Celestine in 431 to be the first bishop to the Irish believers in Christ. There are several accounts of Saint Patrick's death. One says that Patrick died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, on March 17, 460 A.D. His jawbone was preserved in a silver shrine and was often requested in times of childbirth, epileptic fits, and as a preservative against the "evil eye." Another account says that St. Patrick ended his days at Glastonbury, England and was buried there. The Chapel of St. Patrick still exists as part of Glastonbury Abbey. Today, many Catholic places of worship all around the world are named after St. Patrick, including cathedrals in New York and Dublin city Enjoy a green beer today!
The ideal age?
3/16/2004
There was a little poll in USA Today, (conducted by Harris Poll) asking people people what the ideal age was, if they could stop time and live forever in good health. The numbers ran from 27 to 59. People in the age group of 18-24 thought the best age was 27 (which is how old I am now!). And the people in my age group (25-29), thought the best age was 31!!! It was a little surprising that the lowest number was 27 years old. If I could live forever, I think the best age is 25. You're still old enough to do whatever you want, but are still a young number. Since I'm close to be 31, I definitely don't want to be it. What do you think? What's the ideal age?
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and Jasmine
