Showing posts with label michael jackson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label michael jackson. Show all posts
Thursday, 5 November 2009
My Korean neighbour
I don't know if my neighbour has a new DVD our a CD or whatever but I wish they would stop playing Michael Jackson's Heal The World very loudly at 1am every night. Thank you Mr. Korean neighbour but I don't need your jukebox medley of 80's hits right now.
Thursday, 3 September 2009
Michael Jackson look-a-like competition next week
Developments at work.
A memo has been sent round to all branches of my company in response to the growing concern in Korea of the H1N1 virus. Whether English teachers like it or not, people in Korea are starting to get more and more worried. For what it's worth, I am not concerned myself. People get ill, people get flu and sometimes unhealthy people die from flu. I know it's more complicated than that but I look after myself and don't consider my lifestyle to be putting me at risk. However, working with kids all day changes the equation doesn't it.
A number of schools in my city, Daegu, have at some point closed for a while or have sent students and teachers home because of H1N1 worries. So far, so good with my workplace. Now though all the children are back at school after their long summer holidays and there are worries that somewhere and somehow the H1N1 virus will start to spread.
Today every student received a letter whilst in class informing them that from Monday they must come to class wearing a face mask - exactly like Michael Jackson used to wear in his later years, presumably to avoid something! And all teachers are to wear masks too - though not at all times in the classroom, mostly just in the corridors and stairwells where there are many people intermingling. I picture a scene of fifty minutes of mumbling in the classroom for 'as long as this lasts'. Indeed one of my students wisely asked me today how could the class go on if nobody could tell what anyone is saying. It won't be as bad as it sounds. At the very least it will be entertaining and something to talk about.
It could be worse. As I said some schools have has periods of closure where people don't get paid. All workers have been reassured that schools will not be closed, vacations will not be cancelled and there will be no quarantine of teachers who go abroad for the October holiday period - basically that would be everybody! I do not know for how long these measures will be taken but I am presuming for a few weeks at least. 'As long as I get paid' is the mantra that I am holding onto.
Prevention is better than a cure and I hope any changes are embraced by myself and my co-workers. So far it looks like we don't have to do much and I need to remember that this is going to protect my job. Hopefully this will make some parents feel that their children are 'safer' and hysteria will, as the seasons change be not be so manic nationwide. I'm pretty certain that if I was a parent I would be more concerned about things too. Roll on November time when the so-called vaccinations are due.
I am still not used to seeing people wear face masks, When I first came to Korea I was often surprised to see many people wearing them out and about the streets largely during the Winter months. I assumed that it was because of the polluted air but was once informed that it was the keep your face warm from the cold. In Korea face masks worn by children are often colourful. I look forward to taking some pictures of how this pans out and what colourful masks the children come up with.
A memo has been sent round to all branches of my company in response to the growing concern in Korea of the H1N1 virus. Whether English teachers like it or not, people in Korea are starting to get more and more worried. For what it's worth, I am not concerned myself. People get ill, people get flu and sometimes unhealthy people die from flu. I know it's more complicated than that but I look after myself and don't consider my lifestyle to be putting me at risk. However, working with kids all day changes the equation doesn't it.
A number of schools in my city, Daegu, have at some point closed for a while or have sent students and teachers home because of H1N1 worries. So far, so good with my workplace. Now though all the children are back at school after their long summer holidays and there are worries that somewhere and somehow the H1N1 virus will start to spread.
Today every student received a letter whilst in class informing them that from Monday they must come to class wearing a face mask - exactly like Michael Jackson used to wear in his later years, presumably to avoid something! And all teachers are to wear masks too - though not at all times in the classroom, mostly just in the corridors and stairwells where there are many people intermingling. I picture a scene of fifty minutes of mumbling in the classroom for 'as long as this lasts'. Indeed one of my students wisely asked me today how could the class go on if nobody could tell what anyone is saying. It won't be as bad as it sounds. At the very least it will be entertaining and something to talk about.
It could be worse. As I said some schools have has periods of closure where people don't get paid. All workers have been reassured that schools will not be closed, vacations will not be cancelled and there will be no quarantine of teachers who go abroad for the October holiday period - basically that would be everybody! I do not know for how long these measures will be taken but I am presuming for a few weeks at least. 'As long as I get paid' is the mantra that I am holding onto.
Prevention is better than a cure and I hope any changes are embraced by myself and my co-workers. So far it looks like we don't have to do much and I need to remember that this is going to protect my job. Hopefully this will make some parents feel that their children are 'safer' and hysteria will, as the seasons change be not be so manic nationwide. I'm pretty certain that if I was a parent I would be more concerned about things too. Roll on November time when the so-called vaccinations are due.
I am still not used to seeing people wear face masks, When I first came to Korea I was often surprised to see many people wearing them out and about the streets largely during the Winter months. I assumed that it was because of the polluted air but was once informed that it was the keep your face warm from the cold. In Korea face masks worn by children are often colourful. I look forward to taking some pictures of how this pans out and what colourful masks the children come up with.
Thursday, 2 July 2009
Michael Jackson's most surreal speech. In the UK!
If you put every word in the English dictionary and every name of a celebrity over the past fifty years into a hat and had to pull out seven words and names then the chances are that 'Michael Jackson', 'Uri Geller', 'David Blaine,' 'football', 'Exeter City' and 'AIDS' would not come out. Even if they did you may say I can't make a sentence with those words. What is clear is that you probably could not come up with a story as surreal as what happened in real life just a few years ago.
Seven years ago, Michael Jackson (the biggest name on the planet) was made a director of Exeter City (small professional English football club) in a staggering effort to give illogical credence to a potential takeover of a lower league football team - the phrase, over egging the pudding doesn't quite cover this effort!. Long time spoon bender Uri Geller was central to the story and is captured alongside fellow oddball and illusionist David Blaine standing right next to Michael Jackson. You can read more on the incredible story here. Actually that story is a really good read.
This may not translate well to people outside of the UK, but to people from the United Kingdom, Exeter City, though a fine club with many merits are one of the smallest clubs in England and to a great many people are considered irrelevant. This is Michael Jackson, THE Michael Jackson turning up NOT at Man Utd, Liverpool or Arsenal, but Exeter City. Folks this is bizarre as I can remember. I remember this happening back then but it didn't truly dawn on me how insane it actually was. an amazing publicity stunt that in hindsight didn't work out (because this is Exeter!). A further report and clip of superior quality than that at the bottom of this post can be found here.
You cannot have avoided the news of Michael Jackson's death. Anyone over the age of twenty cannot help but be in some way affected by what has happened. When someone who everyone knows about and who everyone has an opinion of passes away then it is very hard to not spend some time, be it seconds or whatever mulling over a life of someone who has touched so many. I digress, ignore the video for it is irrelevant and frankly unwatchable, just listen to the audio of this surreal peace of Michael Jackon's remarkable history.
Seven years ago, Michael Jackson (the biggest name on the planet) was made a director of Exeter City (small professional English football club) in a staggering effort to give illogical credence to a potential takeover of a lower league football team - the phrase, over egging the pudding doesn't quite cover this effort!. Long time spoon bender Uri Geller was central to the story and is captured alongside fellow oddball and illusionist David Blaine standing right next to Michael Jackson. You can read more on the incredible story here. Actually that story is a really good read.
This may not translate well to people outside of the UK, but to people from the United Kingdom, Exeter City, though a fine club with many merits are one of the smallest clubs in England and to a great many people are considered irrelevant. This is Michael Jackson, THE Michael Jackson turning up NOT at Man Utd, Liverpool or Arsenal, but Exeter City. Folks this is bizarre as I can remember. I remember this happening back then but it didn't truly dawn on me how insane it actually was. an amazing publicity stunt that in hindsight didn't work out (because this is Exeter!). A further report and clip of superior quality than that at the bottom of this post can be found here.
You cannot have avoided the news of Michael Jackson's death. Anyone over the age of twenty cannot help but be in some way affected by what has happened. When someone who everyone knows about and who everyone has an opinion of passes away then it is very hard to not spend some time, be it seconds or whatever mulling over a life of someone who has touched so many. I digress, ignore the video for it is irrelevant and frankly unwatchable, just listen to the audio of this surreal peace of Michael Jackon's remarkable history.
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