Korean kid verdict on Bill Gates

Me: "So, tell me about Bill Gates"
Student: "He make microwaves"

11 in 11: Simple 2010 personal goals

I've been reading a few blogs recently and seen some people have been coming up with lists of future plans (plans are what go through my mind all day long and keep me going!). I've seen a lot of lists where people have come up with 101 tasks to complete in 1001 days. I think this is a good idea for many people but not applicable to me because my future after Korea is very unsure. I'm not certain on what I'm going to be doing in one years time never mind three years. The uncertainty is exciting though.

February is almost here so I've given it a quick thought and tried to make a list for the remaining eleven months of 2010, trying to lay down some goals for the rest of the year that I want to achieve. The list is not particularly ambitious but everything there is something that needs to be done and can be done, barring procrastination or laziness. I wonder if I'll manage all of them.

In no particular order

1. Leave Korea and go home to England. This has been an ambition for a long time but I have set a deadline of December 2010 for when I want to be home. The only thing that can prevent this is lack of money, leading me onto the next one.
2. Save more money. I have a target in mind but I think I will have to readjust this and be more realistic. I plan to take a decent amount of time off after finishing work here in Korea so I will need some cash to have some kind of lifestyle back home.
3. Lose some weight. I've put on a few kilograms since Christmas and they need to come off. To do this I need to make some changes in my diet and drink more water to start with. Ideally I would like to lose 10+ kilograms. Perhaps that much is a pipe dream but at least it's a target.
   
4. Walk more. I've noticed that I don't walk anywhere near as much as I used to back home. This has caused me to put on a little more weight so walking more will help me lose it more easily. I really enjoy walking around, listening to my mp3 player and taking in life. I should get out more.
5. Get my taekwondo black belt. I'm on belt four of nine so the ball is rolling there. I'm confident I can pick this up if I practice harder and of course that will be easier if I lose weight. I think it will be pretty cool to have three black belts.
6. Travel to at least two countries that I have never been to. I love to travel so this should be easy providing I have enough money. I am thinking Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia would be good to go to.
   
7. Finish reading all the novels I have on my bookshelf right now. I have around twenty sitting there just waiting to read so before I buy more I need to finish them off, even the ones that I didn't buy or get as presents. One of the books is War and Peace though.
8. Become more familiar with my camera and be comfortable with the settings with the intention of taking more pleasing photographs
   
9. Be more positive about things in general and be more optimistic for the future. My wife is helping me with this.
10. Spend Christmas with my family at home in England. My last Christmas at home was in 2004. Such a long time ago.
11. Be a better husband for my wife.
    

Korean English notebook

Taekwondo: Green belt

Taekwondo progress continue at a great pace. I still feel like we're going to fast. The early stages aren't so difficult and we aren't actually doing 'that much' but compared to the slower pace of learning of hapkido I feel the tests are coming too early. Today's test was my third in under two months since starting. Contrast that to hapkido where I've been tested only every too months. The gap between tests there allows you time to improve and hone your technique. Eventually your mistakes will be ironed out for the test and for the long term. You have two months to be test ready. If you are not, then it's your fault and you deserve to fail.



The big difference between hapkido and taekwondo right now is that I'm doing significantly less than I would be at hapkido. Hapkido is more challenging in my opinion and is more useful in self defence. I'm sure others would disagree with me. Taekwondo is though a lot of fun. My classes feel less serious and less intense than hapkido and not as punishing on my body. I have begun to enjoy throwing my body about, even if it's just to get a "Well done" from my hapkido master.

From next month our class times change from 1:40pm to 11:10am. I think this is better as it leaves me a lot of time before work to get things done. I spend more time preparing for classes these days so I could do with the extra few hours. I also can't think of a better start to the day right now. As we speak I am at the tail end of taking a month long break from hapkido to spend more time with my wife in our new apartment. I hope to once again combine practicing the two martial arts together very soon.



Today's test went quite well. We all passed (my co-worker, the Masters wife and myself). I am now a green belt. Our next test will be for the purple belt. I presume this will not be in twelve days time like the gap was between the last test. The next one looks a good deal harder but seems like a good challenge. One difference today was that our tests were done together and in front of the other students who practice at the same time (kids aged around nine or ten I think) which is very similar to my hapkido experiences. It was fun to watch the other kids take their tests too.

A Weekend in Seoul

I'm feel refreshed from a weekend spent in Seoul. When I first lived in Korea I never really liked it's capital. It felt too crowded and the places I went to didn't feel special. Nowadays, I enjoy every time I go. Despite the freezing cold weather of Saturday we both had a fun time and can't wait to go back the next chance we have.

On Saturday my wife and I went to the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Seoul Museum of Art. I thought parts of this were good - I'm no big art fan - but there were too many people packed into too short a space. I saw some pieces that I hadn't seen before, which was good. The translated English grammar was very poor though, and there weren't enough details explanations about the paintings in English or Korean. Too many kids as well, but what can you expect on a Saturday. It would have been nice to have been able to take some pictures of the exhibit but they prohibited.

After leaving we were temporarily lost but chanced upon a procession. We followed this and it lead us to the royal ceremony of the changing of the guard at Deoksugung palace which takes places three times a day. We enjoyed this and I've been looking to watch one of these for some while. I took many photos (see below) though most were of low quality and were we were standing wasn't the best of places. I'd like to check it out again next time in Seoul.

Later on we met my wife's cousin and her husband. This was the highlight of the weekend as her husband actually spoke some English. So far most of the relatives of my wife that I've met haven't been able to communicate with me. It's a challenge that we live with but it does limit how well I've been able to get to know her family so far. We had dinner at a Thai restaurant and later went for drinks. Hopefully we can meet up in the coming months.

Sunday was pretty relaxing. We went shopping in Myeongdong as we always do. I really like that area and we both ended up buying things we can't get in Daegu. Later we went to Itaewon where I went looking for books. I picked a few up but not as many as last time. We had some beers with fish and chips and nachos before heading home. Sounds uneventful but we had fun getting out of Daegu. I'm now looking forward to my February trip off the peninsula.

Crazy laughs in the classroom

I walked into my third class today and straight away burst out laughing. I was in stitches for a long time just looking at one of my favourite students. He was wearing a cap/balaclava. He looked like a terrorist. I joked about the gun he should have. He then pulled out a replica luger. It may not sound funny but it was priceless. Perfect comic timing. I couldn't resist taking a few snaps before trying on his hat. And then class rolled on. Some Korean kids have an, at times, unhealthy obsession with guns. This I let slide because it was a joke that was poking no fun at anyone. And it was pretty funny at the time.

Sunny days in January

I am off to Seoul for the weekend. At this moment it feels like my time in Korea is drawing to a close. Though is far from the case I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It may me Winter but I am in the Autumn of my Korean adventure.

Observation result

I figured my observation went well. You usually know when you've made mistakes. I've just got my feedback and the write-up was better than I was hoping for. For feedback you get important comments and a marking system. There are eighteen categories of assessment and they are graded as Needs much improvement, Needs improvement, Good and Excellent. I got four good and fourteen excellent grades. Leaving me feeling pretty pleased with how I did. Hopefully I won't be bothered by any Korean teachers watching me for the foreseeable but I know that won't happen. My managers never seem pleased enough to mention with how my classes may be going. Five or six months from now I'll go through it all again but next time I won't be re-signing. Unless they offer me seriously big bucks.