Almost Friday *^^*

Another 3 hours at the gym today - Back, Biceps and Cardio. Will go tomorrow, but only for 2 hours. Tomorrow is my last day of starting in the morning for a while, since middle school students will be going to school as of next week. Work was okay. I had 2 students missing from my TOEIC class, because they were sleeping. They're mother called, and said just that... they won't come, because they are sleeping. 2 things come into mind: One: It's 6pm, unless you work weird hours, you don't sleep at 6pm. Two: Do they really want to get a good score in their TOEIC Test?

In the 6pm TOEIC class, I normally bring a snickers bar for students (and myself to munch on. With the book we're doing this week, it has a small practice test at the end of each section. If they get all the questions right, I give them a piece. If they get one wrong, they get half a piece. If they get 2 (our of 5) or more wrong, I eat it. Works out good for everyone. If they get 5 out of 5, it means they understand, and I don't eat the chocolate (good for my diet), if they get 2 or more wrong, then they know what they need to work on, good for their diet, and I'm not as hungry :p


Tonight's Dinner: Chicken Spaghetti. It doesn't have as many vegetables as I like, but got a small salad as an entree, and get all the pickle, gimchi and radish refills as you like. Only 6,000won ($6.80 Australian)

Weights, Freebies and Photocopiers

Item 1: Gym etiquette

This is a no-brainer, really. Not only at the gym, but EVERY-f**King-WHERE! If you use it, you put it back in the same place. Why? So that the person who wants to use it after you do, doesn't get pissed off, when he/she can't find it when he/she wants to use it. A great example of this lately, is the weights at the gym. I kinda noticed before, that the guys who work out at the gym (in the afternoon and evening, since I only go in the mornings) do not put the weights back where they are meant to go, after they use them. I don't care how heavy they are, how much your arms hurt, how far away they are, or even the excuse of "I pay to use these, so it's not my job to tidy up". You use it, you put it back. The previous trainer used to tidy things up in the morning, but the new guy is hopeless. I notice is more now, because I'm using the weights every day. I don't think that I should go looking around for the weights, if I want to use them. If the people who use them are being like 5 year old when they leave their wet towel on the bathroom floor, and expect mummy to pick it... um... wait... that's what they do here. If its not their mum, it's their wife that picks up the wet towel.

Anyway, every day, before i lift weights, I go on the hunt, find them, and put them in order. Maybe I'm being slightly obsessive-compulsive. But, its annoying. My way of dealing with it, is to just do it. Lol.


Item 2: Freebies

One of the cool things about being a Foreigner/American/외국인 in Korea (and yes, I know I'm not American, but I'm white, and in Korea, White = American) is getting free stuff from shops that you go to. In Korea, it's called "service". Today's freebie, was a cupcake from the bakery in the supermarket near the gym. I bought a jam donut after I had lunch, and got the cupcake for free. So, I saved the donut (will have it with breakfast tomorrow), and had the cupcake on the way to work.


Item 3: The Photocopier

Yesterday, this wonderful piece of office machinery that so many people have become dependant on in the modern world (including me) was a complete bitch. Today, It had completely forgot about the altercation yesterday, and pretended that nothing happened. And yes, it is a girl... I know those mind games that its playing. I wasn't born yesterday.

English Notebooks... Now with mistakes built in!

Is it spring yet?

Weather wise, last week was great. Sunny days, and weather not going below zero at night.. Until this week.


Not a bad frosting indeed, and not all that cold. Not enough for it to be a pain to walk anywhere, or to be slippery. Was able to make it to the gym with no problems. Most of it was melted by lunch time anyway.


Every now and then, I'll buy something sweet after lunch. These tasty buggers, are 5 calories a gram :p


First thing I do when I get to my classroom, is open the windows, to let some natural light in. The windows here are double layered. The outside windows are covered with yellow plastic, with the Hagwon's name on it. The inside windows are normal. I find that the lights in Korea give me headaches sometimes, so the natural light helps. This is the view out of one of the windows.


Just a view of the front of my classroom.


The 똥광 on my iPod. It comes with me to the gym, for when I'm on the treadmill. Lately, House or Boston Legal is what I watch when I'm on the treadmill.


Most of my students aren't too bad. It can get a bit roudy at times, but they know the basic rules. Some of them don't really have the best behaviour, compared to the students I have taught back in Australia of the same age. But hey, different country, different everything.

Weekend in Gyeonggido/Seoul

Isn't it nice when your boss gives you the option of finishing work 100 minutes early? I got that option on friday (most likely the best day if you wanna finish early), so took it. It meant I was able to get to Jeongeup by bus, rather than my Geomdo teacher driving all the way to Sachang to get me.
 Got to Jeongeup just after 8, then I shouted dinner. One of the best Galbi places I've been to in Korea, is in Jeongeup.


Woke up nice an early on Saturday, to get the train to Suwon, which left Jeongeup station at about 8:40. On Mugunghwa trains in Korea, there is a thing called "ip-seok", roughly translated, standing room. Yep, when the train is full, you can pay less, to get a place on the train (designated by car number) and you find a place to stand. They don't care where you stand, and long as you stand. Luckily, I've only had that once, an was for an hour.


Got to Suwon on time, and took the subway to the station closest to where the kids will be having the geomdo test. The reason why they have to go to Suwn for tests, is because soms other Geomdo teachers in the area decided to change companies, and therefore can't work togethet for grading tests. Anyway, got the tests done, and then had dinner with the people in the Geomdo office. I think it was "the office", because we were able to fix my card problems (name was spent wrong, and my nationality was listed as Korean).



Weather was too cold for the kids to check out Suwon castle, so we found a New Core Outlet (pronounced "owl-let in Korean) and did some shopping. I looked around at the usual Adidas, Nike an was even tempted by some Reebok stuff, but had plans for my credit card for Sunday.


Got the subway from Sanbon station to Bucheon station (basically going from south, to west, with a transfer at Guro) and took only 40 minutes, rather than the estimated 60, so I arrived in Bucheon 30 minutes early, rather than 10. Met up with HM and BG and has some dinner. BG decided to go home, so HM and I decided to go to a quiet bar and have a chat and a few drinks. I can drink a bit with the heart medication I'm on, as long as its not a usual thing, and not a lot.


Was tired from waking up early on Saturday, so went to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. HM had some studying to do today, so I went to COEX Mall alone. The apple store there was a bit disappnting. Didn't really buy anything. Just a protective cover for my sister's Nano. Checked out the CD store, nothing special, so decided to make my way to Itaewon to buy some clothes from the usual place I go to. The place I go to is small, bit they have a good range, and the two women who ate there, have good English, and can have a good chat with them, in English and Korean.



Made my way to Yongsan, where the real retail therapy took place. New video camera. Wanna do some view stuff, for my blog, for memories, and for other reasons. Went with a Sony, of course ^^





Also, went with first class on KTX. Wanted to try it out. For an extra 16,000won, I get way more space and legroom. And the fold away table would have no problem fitting my 15" Macbook Pro. Economy KTX struggled with that.


The train's about to arrive, so better get organised, or I'll end up in Mokpo.