Hi everyone,
I'm back in Winnipeg! In honour of my return, I've decided to start a new blog. You can check it out by clicking on the following link:
Back in Winnipeg
Love you all.
xxx
Wednesday, September 9
Sunday, June 21
Update
Today was a lazy relaxing Sunday. Spent most of the day reading, surfing the net and watching Korean soap operas. Great way to unwind after a long week of teaching.
Yesterday I went to Hwamyeong (6 subway stops from my house) to visit some friends and watch some movies. We watched One Week with the Jackson guy from Dawson's Creek. It's about a man's quest to find himself after he discovers he has a severe case of cancer (stage 4). Rather than getting treatment he jumps on his motorcycle and rides across Canada. The movie was fairly dull but it was nice watching all of the beautiful Canadian scenery.
Last night my friend Kiara (from London, Ontario) and I were going to pull an all nighter and watch the sunrise on Haeundae Beach. Unfortunately a huge black cloud threatened to cancel our plans so instead of gambling we decided to play it safe. Good thing because it's been raining for two days now! We’ll have to do it another weekend.
June is coming to a close and July is right around the corner. I’ll be coming home soon!!! Let the countdown begin.
Yesterday I went to Hwamyeong (6 subway stops from my house) to visit some friends and watch some movies. We watched One Week with the Jackson guy from Dawson's Creek. It's about a man's quest to find himself after he discovers he has a severe case of cancer (stage 4). Rather than getting treatment he jumps on his motorcycle and rides across Canada. The movie was fairly dull but it was nice watching all of the beautiful Canadian scenery.
Last night my friend Kiara (from London, Ontario) and I were going to pull an all nighter and watch the sunrise on Haeundae Beach. Unfortunately a huge black cloud threatened to cancel our plans so instead of gambling we decided to play it safe. Good thing because it's been raining for two days now! We’ll have to do it another weekend.
June is coming to a close and July is right around the corner. I’ll be coming home soon!!! Let the countdown begin.
Thursday, June 11
Podcast
It's been a while since I heard a good podcast. Here's one from Definitely Not the Opera with Sook-Yin Lee. It's all about FOCUSING ON DISTRACTIONS. I really connected with this one because as many of you know I have trouble focusing on a single task. I think what it boils down to is that I have a fear of completion. I'm afraid of not succeeding so I lose myself in things like Facebook, YouTube, and the good ol' TV.
"We have a variety of ways to distract ourselves. So is anyone getting anything done any more, or are we victims of our own distractions? Nick Purdon tries out "uni-tasking" to see if he actually gets more done when he narrows his focus. We'll find out how distractions may not have made Lisa Schwartzman a liar, liar... but they did set her pants on fire. And author Winifred Gallagher explains why attention is vital to leading a happy life."
"We have a variety of ways to distract ourselves. So is anyone getting anything done any more, or are we victims of our own distractions? Nick Purdon tries out "uni-tasking" to see if he actually gets more done when he narrows his focus. We'll find out how distractions may not have made Lisa Schwartzman a liar, liar... but they did set her pants on fire. And author Winifred Gallagher explains why attention is vital to leading a happy life."
Tuesday, June 9
Hiking pics
As promised here are some pictures of the hike up Baekyong Mountain. I'll post more on flickr and on youtube.
Monday, June 8
Joy of Less
June 7, 2009, 10:35 pm
The Joy of Less
By Pico Iyer
“The beat of my heart has grown deeper, more active, and yet more peaceful, and it is as if I were all the time storing up inner riches…My [life] is one long sequence of inner miracles.” The young Dutchwoman Etty Hillesum wrote that in a Nazi transit camp in 1943, on her way to her death at Auschwitz two months later. Towards the end of his life, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “All I have seen teaches me to trust the creator for all I have not seen,” though by then he had already lost his father when he was 7, his first wife when she was 20 and his first son, aged 5. In Japan, the late 18th-century poet Issa is celebrated for his delighted, almost child-like celebrations of the natural world. Issa saw four children die in infancy, his wife die in childbirth, and his own body partially paralyzed.
I’m not sure I knew the details of all these lives when I was 29, but I did begin to guess that happiness lies less in our circumstances than in what we make of them, in every sense. “There is nothing either good or bad,” I had heard in high school, from Hamlet, “but thinking makes it so.” I had been lucky enough at that point to stumble into the life I might have dreamed of as a boy: a great job writing on world affairs for Time magazine, an apartment (officially at least) on Park Avenue, enough time and money to take vacations in Burma, Morocco, El Salvador. But every time I went to one of those places, I noticed that the people I met there, mired in difficulty and often warfare, seemed to have more energy and even optimism than the friends I’d grown up with in privileged, peaceful Santa Barbara, Calif., many of whom were on their fourth marriages and seeing a therapist every day. Though I knew that poverty certainly didn’t buy happiness, I wasn’t convinced that money did either.
So — as post-1960s cliché decreed — I left my comfortable job and life to live for a year in a temple on the backstreets of Kyoto. My high-minded year lasted all of a week, by which time I’d noticed that the depthless contemplation of the moon and composition of haiku I’d imagined from afar was really more a matter of cleaning, sweeping and then cleaning some more. But today, more than 21 years later, I still live in the vicinity of Kyoto, in a two-room apartment that makes my old monastic cell look almost luxurious by comparison. I have no bicycle, no car, no television I can understand, no media — and the days seem to stretch into eternities, and I can’t think of a single thing I lack.
In the corporate world, I always knew there was some higher position I could attain, which meant that, like Zeno’s arrow, I was guaranteed never to arrive and always to remain dissatisfied.
I’m no Buddhist monk, and I can’t say I’m in love with renunciation in itself, or traveling an hour or more to print out an article I’ve written, or missing out on the N.B.A. Finals. But at some point, I decided that, for me at least, happiness arose out of all I didn’t want or need, not all I did. And it seemed quite useful to take a clear, hard look at what really led to peace of mind or absorption (the closest I’ve come to understanding happiness). Not having a car gives me volumes not to think or worry about, and makes walks around the neighborhood a daily adventure. Lacking a cell phone and high-speed Internet, I have time to play ping-pong every evening, to write long letters to old friends and to go shopping for my sweetheart (or to track down old baubles for two kids who are now out in the world).
When the phone does ring — once a week — I’m thrilled, as I never was when the phone rang in my overcrowded office in Rockefeller Center. And when I return to the United States every three months or so and pick up a newspaper, I find I haven’t missed much at all. While I’ve been rereading P.G. Wodehouse, or “Walden,” the crazily accelerating roller-coaster of the 24/7 news cycle has propelled people up and down and down and up and then left them pretty much where they started. “I call that man rich,” Henry James’s Ralph Touchett observes in “Portrait of a Lady,” “who can satisfy the requirements of his imagination.” Living in the future tense never did that for me.
Perhaps happiness, like peace or passion, comes most when it isn’t pursued.
I certainly wouldn’t recommend my life to most people — and my heart goes out to those who have recently been condemned to a simplicity they never needed or wanted. But I’m not sure how much outward details or accomplishments ever really make us happy deep down. The millionaires I know seem desperate to become multimillionaires, and spend more time with their lawyers and their bankers than with their friends (whose motivations they are no longer sure of). And I remember how, in the corporate world, I always knew there was some higher position I could attain, which meant that, like Zeno’s arrow, I was guaranteed never to arrive and always to remain dissatisfied.
Being self-employed will always make for a precarious life; these days, it is more uncertain than ever, especially since my tools of choice, written words, are coming to seem like accessories to images. Like almost everyone I know, I’ve lost much of my savings in the past few months. I even went through a dress-rehearsal for our enforced austerity when my family home in Santa Barbara burned to the ground some years ago, leaving me with nothing but the toothbrush I bought from an all-night supermarket that night. And yet my two-room apartment in nowhere Japan seems more abundant than the big house that burned down. I have time to read the new John le Carre, while nibbling at sweet tangerines in the sun. When a Sigur Ros album comes out, it fills my days and nights, resplendent. The constitution of Japan, refreshingly, says nothing about the pursuit of happiness, as if to suggest that happiness, like peace or passion, comes most when it isn’t pursued.
If you’re the kind of person who prefers freedom to security, who feels more comfortable in a small room than a large one and who finds that happiness comes from matching your wants to your needs, then running to stand still isn’t where your joy lies. In New York, a part of me was always somewhere else, thinking of what a simple life in Japan might be like. Now I’m there, I find that I almost never think of Rockefeller Center or Park Avenue at all.
Source: happydays.blogs.nytimes.com
The Joy of Less
By Pico Iyer
“The beat of my heart has grown deeper, more active, and yet more peaceful, and it is as if I were all the time storing up inner riches…My [life] is one long sequence of inner miracles.” The young Dutchwoman Etty Hillesum wrote that in a Nazi transit camp in 1943, on her way to her death at Auschwitz two months later. Towards the end of his life, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “All I have seen teaches me to trust the creator for all I have not seen,” though by then he had already lost his father when he was 7, his first wife when she was 20 and his first son, aged 5. In Japan, the late 18th-century poet Issa is celebrated for his delighted, almost child-like celebrations of the natural world. Issa saw four children die in infancy, his wife die in childbirth, and his own body partially paralyzed.
I’m not sure I knew the details of all these lives when I was 29, but I did begin to guess that happiness lies less in our circumstances than in what we make of them, in every sense. “There is nothing either good or bad,” I had heard in high school, from Hamlet, “but thinking makes it so.” I had been lucky enough at that point to stumble into the life I might have dreamed of as a boy: a great job writing on world affairs for Time magazine, an apartment (officially at least) on Park Avenue, enough time and money to take vacations in Burma, Morocco, El Salvador. But every time I went to one of those places, I noticed that the people I met there, mired in difficulty and often warfare, seemed to have more energy and even optimism than the friends I’d grown up with in privileged, peaceful Santa Barbara, Calif., many of whom were on their fourth marriages and seeing a therapist every day. Though I knew that poverty certainly didn’t buy happiness, I wasn’t convinced that money did either.
So — as post-1960s cliché decreed — I left my comfortable job and life to live for a year in a temple on the backstreets of Kyoto. My high-minded year lasted all of a week, by which time I’d noticed that the depthless contemplation of the moon and composition of haiku I’d imagined from afar was really more a matter of cleaning, sweeping and then cleaning some more. But today, more than 21 years later, I still live in the vicinity of Kyoto, in a two-room apartment that makes my old monastic cell look almost luxurious by comparison. I have no bicycle, no car, no television I can understand, no media — and the days seem to stretch into eternities, and I can’t think of a single thing I lack.
In the corporate world, I always knew there was some higher position I could attain, which meant that, like Zeno’s arrow, I was guaranteed never to arrive and always to remain dissatisfied.
I’m no Buddhist monk, and I can’t say I’m in love with renunciation in itself, or traveling an hour or more to print out an article I’ve written, or missing out on the N.B.A. Finals. But at some point, I decided that, for me at least, happiness arose out of all I didn’t want or need, not all I did. And it seemed quite useful to take a clear, hard look at what really led to peace of mind or absorption (the closest I’ve come to understanding happiness). Not having a car gives me volumes not to think or worry about, and makes walks around the neighborhood a daily adventure. Lacking a cell phone and high-speed Internet, I have time to play ping-pong every evening, to write long letters to old friends and to go shopping for my sweetheart (or to track down old baubles for two kids who are now out in the world).
When the phone does ring — once a week — I’m thrilled, as I never was when the phone rang in my overcrowded office in Rockefeller Center. And when I return to the United States every three months or so and pick up a newspaper, I find I haven’t missed much at all. While I’ve been rereading P.G. Wodehouse, or “Walden,” the crazily accelerating roller-coaster of the 24/7 news cycle has propelled people up and down and down and up and then left them pretty much where they started. “I call that man rich,” Henry James’s Ralph Touchett observes in “Portrait of a Lady,” “who can satisfy the requirements of his imagination.” Living in the future tense never did that for me.
Perhaps happiness, like peace or passion, comes most when it isn’t pursued.
I certainly wouldn’t recommend my life to most people — and my heart goes out to those who have recently been condemned to a simplicity they never needed or wanted. But I’m not sure how much outward details or accomplishments ever really make us happy deep down. The millionaires I know seem desperate to become multimillionaires, and spend more time with their lawyers and their bankers than with their friends (whose motivations they are no longer sure of). And I remember how, in the corporate world, I always knew there was some higher position I could attain, which meant that, like Zeno’s arrow, I was guaranteed never to arrive and always to remain dissatisfied.
Being self-employed will always make for a precarious life; these days, it is more uncertain than ever, especially since my tools of choice, written words, are coming to seem like accessories to images. Like almost everyone I know, I’ve lost much of my savings in the past few months. I even went through a dress-rehearsal for our enforced austerity when my family home in Santa Barbara burned to the ground some years ago, leaving me with nothing but the toothbrush I bought from an all-night supermarket that night. And yet my two-room apartment in nowhere Japan seems more abundant than the big house that burned down. I have time to read the new John le Carre, while nibbling at sweet tangerines in the sun. When a Sigur Ros album comes out, it fills my days and nights, resplendent. The constitution of Japan, refreshingly, says nothing about the pursuit of happiness, as if to suggest that happiness, like peace or passion, comes most when it isn’t pursued.
If you’re the kind of person who prefers freedom to security, who feels more comfortable in a small room than a large one and who finds that happiness comes from matching your wants to your needs, then running to stand still isn’t where your joy lies. In New York, a part of me was always somewhere else, thinking of what a simple life in Japan might be like. Now I’m there, I find that I almost never think of Rockefeller Center or Park Avenue at all.
Source: happydays.blogs.nytimes.com
Update
Greetings to everyone back home! Just a quick update on what's going on across the Pacific Ocean.
After the unfortunate death of South Korean ex-president Mr. Roh, N Korea decided that it was an opportune time to flex some muscle. They engaged in an underground nuclear test the day after the ex-president's suicide, they threatened to test more long range missiles, china removed their supporting fleet from N Korean waters, a month earlier they launched what they called a "satellite" that ended up landing in the ocean, and finally after successfully getting the world's attention, it is said that Kim Jong Il announced his successor.
Surprisingly, most South Koreans that I've spoken to are not concerned at all with their neighbour to the north. Ironically, countries like America that are not adjacent to North Korea are more concerned. After 50 years of empty threats I can understand why South Koreans are not worried. Whether the relation between the countries will improve is yet to be seen, however the recent events have not been good.
The last couple of weeks have been fairly eventful. I've been going on a lot of hikes up various mountains scattered throughout Busan. There are four with hundreds of trails criss crossing up and over their peaks. It's so beautiful. The longer I live in this city the more I fall in love with it. Every week I find a new place to discover, something new around every corner. But what has truly inspired me to get out and climb mountains is a secret hobby that I have called geocaching.
Geocaching is basically a glorified treasure hunt for nerds. Guided by a gps in hand, you have to find a location marked by its coordinates. It's fairly simple really, no rocket science needed. I'll post some pics in my next entry. If you want to know more about geocacing go to geocaching.com.
After the unfortunate death of South Korean ex-president Mr. Roh, N Korea decided that it was an opportune time to flex some muscle. They engaged in an underground nuclear test the day after the ex-president's suicide, they threatened to test more long range missiles, china removed their supporting fleet from N Korean waters, a month earlier they launched what they called a "satellite" that ended up landing in the ocean, and finally after successfully getting the world's attention, it is said that Kim Jong Il announced his successor.
Surprisingly, most South Koreans that I've spoken to are not concerned at all with their neighbour to the north. Ironically, countries like America that are not adjacent to North Korea are more concerned. After 50 years of empty threats I can understand why South Koreans are not worried. Whether the relation between the countries will improve is yet to be seen, however the recent events have not been good.
The last couple of weeks have been fairly eventful. I've been going on a lot of hikes up various mountains scattered throughout Busan. There are four with hundreds of trails criss crossing up and over their peaks. It's so beautiful. The longer I live in this city the more I fall in love with it. Every week I find a new place to discover, something new around every corner. But what has truly inspired me to get out and climb mountains is a secret hobby that I have called geocaching.
Geocaching is basically a glorified treasure hunt for nerds. Guided by a gps in hand, you have to find a location marked by its coordinates. It's fairly simple really, no rocket science needed. I'll post some pics in my next entry. If you want to know more about geocacing go to geocaching.com.
Thursday, May 28
Friday, May 22
Movie Month of May
I've been pretty lazy when it comes to blogging but I'm going to try to update more often. Since my last update not much has happened. The month of May has been somewhat uneventful with an odd outing here and there. Lots of movies.
Here are some reviews from some of movies I've seen lately.
X-men Origins: Wolverine (2/10)
It was fairly drab, bad dialogue, poor narrative, predictable and just the same old crap of a movie. Lots of eye rolling. The acting was poor and the plot was lame. The X-men series has hit a new low with this one, but what can you expect from the creators of the original X-men trilogy.
State of play (6/10)
Not bad but not great. The only thing I would have changed is Russell Crowe's haircut. Not a fan of the greasy locks look. Espionage thrillers are getting old. It's been done.
Star Trek (6/10)
Liked it but didn't love it.
Angels and Demons (8/10)
I don't care what people say, I really liked this movie. Sure it was far fetched but the location, Zimmer's music, the tone and action sequences made it worth while. I was sort of disappointed that Ron Howard played it safe to appeal to the religious crowd but what can you do, they make a huge audience. Although a little better the second time around, the great Tom Hanks still couldn't save his character. What can you expect when you're being upstaged by exposition throughout the entire movie? It was good but it could have been better. These kinds of real time thrillers work best with a "24" type of structure.
Tonight I'm going to see Terminater with a few friends. I'm going with low expectations but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.
Here are some reviews from some of movies I've seen lately.
X-men Origins: Wolverine (2/10)
It was fairly drab, bad dialogue, poor narrative, predictable and just the same old crap of a movie. Lots of eye rolling. The acting was poor and the plot was lame. The X-men series has hit a new low with this one, but what can you expect from the creators of the original X-men trilogy.
State of play (6/10)
Not bad but not great. The only thing I would have changed is Russell Crowe's haircut. Not a fan of the greasy locks look. Espionage thrillers are getting old. It's been done.
Star Trek (6/10)
Liked it but didn't love it.
Angels and Demons (8/10)
I don't care what people say, I really liked this movie. Sure it was far fetched but the location, Zimmer's music, the tone and action sequences made it worth while. I was sort of disappointed that Ron Howard played it safe to appeal to the religious crowd but what can you do, they make a huge audience. Although a little better the second time around, the great Tom Hanks still couldn't save his character. What can you expect when you're being upstaged by exposition throughout the entire movie? It was good but it could have been better. These kinds of real time thrillers work best with a "24" type of structure.
Tonight I'm going to see Terminater with a few friends. I'm going with low expectations but maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.
Sunday, May 17
New pics and vids
Hi everyone. Just want to let you know that I uploaded some new pictures and videos. Check them out by clicking on a link on the side bar. ---------------------------->
This is a picture I took with my new Holga camera. Pretty cool eh? There are most posted on my flickr account. Just click on the click to check them out.
This is a picture I took with my new Holga camera. Pretty cool eh? There are most posted on my flickr account. Just click on the click to check them out.
Tuesday, May 12
Monday, May 11
Grade 5 class
Here's a clip of my grade 5 class learning all about the words on, in, under, over, above, below and beside.
Sunday, May 10
Thursday, April 30
Weekend in Yeongcheon
Hi everyone. It's been a while since I lasted updated my blog and a lot has happened in the last week.
Saturday I went to Yeongcheon with a few friends of mine, Chris and Tamara. Chris, my friend from Australia, teaches at an Elementary school in Busan. He's been in Korea for almost two years. Tamara, his girlfriend, is also an Elementary teacher in Busan. She's from Toronto and has been in Korea for a year and a half. We caught a bus Saturday morning and arrived around noon in Yeongcheon where we met Chris and Tamara's friend Thomas, a middle school teacher from England. Thomas showed us around the small city of about 100,000 people. We went for lunch then caught a taxi to the Yeongcheon dam. Korean taxi drivers are nuts and the one that we had was no exception. He got us to the dam in half the time that it should have taken all the while whipping around corners disregarding any safe road rules. We nearly ran into an oncoming car along the way. He seemed pretty confident with his driving skills, unbuckled and all but we on the other hand were not as enthusiastic and were holding on the dear life.
Anyway, after surviving the taxi ride we arrived at a small lakeside town. Tamara got distracted by a really cute puppy chained in front of a store. We got some drinks and snacks and played with the puppy for a few minutes then were on our way up the mountain. Along the way we walked through a Korean graveyard. Looking around I noticed that they burry the dead under large mounds of earth rather than burying them 6 feet under ground. I believe that the larger the mound is, the more important that person was during his or her lifetime. Each mound had a statue or some kind of marking next to it. It was so peaceful and quiet. Very relaxing.
After our hike we caught a bus back to Yeongcheon. We didn't want to risk loosing ours lives again after our taxi experience. Plus the bus is cheaper. When we arrived we went for Bulgogi (Korean marinated beef bbq) and hung out for a while. Afterward we went to a DVD Room and watched "Head in the Clouds", a world-war 2 buffet of a movie. Compared to the setting the love story felt somewhat insignificant and pointless but the production was very good. Anyway, after the movie we were still hungry so we got some Pizza at a local pizza place. We ordered Hawaiian but it wasn't quite what we expected. The pizza had little pieces of fruit on it that tasted like lychee and the ham wasn't exactly ham, it tasted more like spam. After dinner we went to a pub and had a few drinks then we went to Thomas' place and crashed for the night.
The next day we got up, had some cereal and caught a taxi to an orphanage that Thomas and his friend Mar volunteer at. It was a new experience for me because I had never been to an orphanage before. We played games and ran around with the kids for a while. Their smiles were wonderful to see and it made me happy to know that we brought a little bit of happiness into their lives even for a moment.
After visiting the children at the orphanage we had bibimbop at a local restaurant. They served everything in pottery dishes. All I could think of was my sister who would have been in pottery Heaven. Gleeee!!! After lunch we caught a train back to Busan and had dinner at a restaurant near Chris' apartment. We drank two pitchers of beer that were served in some sort of bong tower then headed home.
It was a fun filled weekend that I'll remember for a long time. If you want a visual, see pictures on my facebook and flickr accounts. Click on the link on the side bar under "Jon's Pictures".
Thanks for reading :)
Saturday I went to Yeongcheon with a few friends of mine, Chris and Tamara. Chris, my friend from Australia, teaches at an Elementary school in Busan. He's been in Korea for almost two years. Tamara, his girlfriend, is also an Elementary teacher in Busan. She's from Toronto and has been in Korea for a year and a half. We caught a bus Saturday morning and arrived around noon in Yeongcheon where we met Chris and Tamara's friend Thomas, a middle school teacher from England. Thomas showed us around the small city of about 100,000 people. We went for lunch then caught a taxi to the Yeongcheon dam. Korean taxi drivers are nuts and the one that we had was no exception. He got us to the dam in half the time that it should have taken all the while whipping around corners disregarding any safe road rules. We nearly ran into an oncoming car along the way. He seemed pretty confident with his driving skills, unbuckled and all but we on the other hand were not as enthusiastic and were holding on the dear life.
Anyway, after surviving the taxi ride we arrived at a small lakeside town. Tamara got distracted by a really cute puppy chained in front of a store. We got some drinks and snacks and played with the puppy for a few minutes then were on our way up the mountain. Along the way we walked through a Korean graveyard. Looking around I noticed that they burry the dead under large mounds of earth rather than burying them 6 feet under ground. I believe that the larger the mound is, the more important that person was during his or her lifetime. Each mound had a statue or some kind of marking next to it. It was so peaceful and quiet. Very relaxing.
After our hike we caught a bus back to Yeongcheon. We didn't want to risk loosing ours lives again after our taxi experience. Plus the bus is cheaper. When we arrived we went for Bulgogi (Korean marinated beef bbq) and hung out for a while. Afterward we went to a DVD Room and watched "Head in the Clouds", a world-war 2 buffet of a movie. Compared to the setting the love story felt somewhat insignificant and pointless but the production was very good. Anyway, after the movie we were still hungry so we got some Pizza at a local pizza place. We ordered Hawaiian but it wasn't quite what we expected. The pizza had little pieces of fruit on it that tasted like lychee and the ham wasn't exactly ham, it tasted more like spam. After dinner we went to a pub and had a few drinks then we went to Thomas' place and crashed for the night.
The next day we got up, had some cereal and caught a taxi to an orphanage that Thomas and his friend Mar volunteer at. It was a new experience for me because I had never been to an orphanage before. We played games and ran around with the kids for a while. Their smiles were wonderful to see and it made me happy to know that we brought a little bit of happiness into their lives even for a moment.
After visiting the children at the orphanage we had bibimbop at a local restaurant. They served everything in pottery dishes. All I could think of was my sister who would have been in pottery Heaven. Gleeee!!! After lunch we caught a train back to Busan and had dinner at a restaurant near Chris' apartment. We drank two pitchers of beer that were served in some sort of bong tower then headed home.
It was a fun filled weekend that I'll remember for a long time. If you want a visual, see pictures on my facebook and flickr accounts. Click on the link on the side bar under "Jon's Pictures".
Thanks for reading :)
Thursday, April 23
Best TV Edit EVER!!!!
Plus I uploaded some new pics and vids on my flickr and youtube accounts. The pics are from my trip to the Children's Park with my grade 4s. Click on one of the links on the sidebar to check them out.
Tuesday, April 21
Values and standards
Yesterday I arrived at my school expecting another typical busy Monday but yesterday was anything but a typical Monday. When I walked onto the school yard I saw a van with three people standing in front of the school holding video cameras. People with cameras? This could only mean one thing... the MEDIA! Slightly caught off guard I thought, great my school once again failed to inform me of another important event. (This happens quite often) It turns out that a local broadcasting station was filming some sort of program for the local news at my school.
Anyway, a few hours later I was teaching my grade 6 class some expressions to describe the four different seasons. In the middle of class the camera crew walked in and started filming. I was going to continue with my lesson plan but my co-teacher encouraged me to get the guitar. I assume that he wanted me to put on a little show for the cameras. So reluctantly I went into the office and got the music and put on my performance face. It was difficult to ignore the cameras but I think we managed pretty well and on the plus side the kids were very well behaved! They're all such great actors. Normally they're bouncing off the walls but in front of a camera they're different people...
different people... different people...
It's interesting that when the camera is in front of us we like to fabricate things and become "different people". Many of us are subjected to sensationalism everyday without even realizing. I guess being exceptional rather than ordinary is better but distorting the truth is dishonest. I'm no Robin Williams and my class is definitely not the Dead Poets Society, but I refuse to pull a Susan Boyle just to look good. Does that make any sense????
Anyway, I'm sure most of us are familiar with the Susan Boyle sensation. Last week she wowed the world with her rendition of "I dreamed a dream" from Les Mis. But was it her voice that captured our attention or was it the ovations of the audience and the expressions of the judges? It's easy to get caught up in a show like that, especially if Simon Cowell is on it. He's built a reputation and now we trust every word he says. But the truth is we all fell for the production, not the singer; the packaging and not the content. Susan Boyle seems like a wonderful person but unfortunately she was subjected to media bias.
We see this in so many shapes and forms everyday. How many times have you told someone that you are feeling fine when you really aren't? How many times have you untagged yourself from a picture on facebook that is not satisfactory? Have you ever posted a bad profile picture before? We try to create an ideal image of ourselves in order to be appreciated and accepted by others. The hardest part is facing people's reaction when they see the truth. None of us like to hear the truth, we prefer to hide it and forget about it. Society and "the media" has played a huge role in this dilemma. We see celebrities everyday on TV and magazines. They look "perfect" and we all strive for this perfection. We are forced to compare ourselves and our friends to these "perfect" images. When celebrities are not at their best, i.e. Britney Spears, we love to tear them down. As a result we are afraid to expose our vulnerable side. We are afraid to show our true colours. But here's where I get confused.
Why are we slaves to a standard set by a greedy corporation? It doesn't make sense. They're values are completely out of whack.
What if the world didn't have these standards? Would we be less judgemental? Would there be less competition? Would we become lazy? Would humanity regress back to the stone age? We definitely need standards because they encourage us to better ourselves, however we must look at the values behind the standards before we cast any judgement. We can either choose to follow "the media" who value greed, narcissism and indulgence or we can choose to follow the values of kindness, respect, humility and compassion.
I hope that people start realizing what's going on here because I'm getting tired of having to put with all this nonsense. Things have to start changing soon or else I'm going to start complaining!!!! (See post below)
Anyway, a few hours later I was teaching my grade 6 class some expressions to describe the four different seasons. In the middle of class the camera crew walked in and started filming. I was going to continue with my lesson plan but my co-teacher encouraged me to get the guitar. I assume that he wanted me to put on a little show for the cameras. So reluctantly I went into the office and got the music and put on my performance face. It was difficult to ignore the cameras but I think we managed pretty well and on the plus side the kids were very well behaved! They're all such great actors. Normally they're bouncing off the walls but in front of a camera they're different people...
different people... different people...
It's interesting that when the camera is in front of us we like to fabricate things and become "different people". Many of us are subjected to sensationalism everyday without even realizing. I guess being exceptional rather than ordinary is better but distorting the truth is dishonest. I'm no Robin Williams and my class is definitely not the Dead Poets Society, but I refuse to pull a Susan Boyle just to look good. Does that make any sense????
Anyway, I'm sure most of us are familiar with the Susan Boyle sensation. Last week she wowed the world with her rendition of "I dreamed a dream" from Les Mis. But was it her voice that captured our attention or was it the ovations of the audience and the expressions of the judges? It's easy to get caught up in a show like that, especially if Simon Cowell is on it. He's built a reputation and now we trust every word he says. But the truth is we all fell for the production, not the singer; the packaging and not the content. Susan Boyle seems like a wonderful person but unfortunately she was subjected to media bias.
We see this in so many shapes and forms everyday. How many times have you told someone that you are feeling fine when you really aren't? How many times have you untagged yourself from a picture on facebook that is not satisfactory? Have you ever posted a bad profile picture before? We try to create an ideal image of ourselves in order to be appreciated and accepted by others. The hardest part is facing people's reaction when they see the truth. None of us like to hear the truth, we prefer to hide it and forget about it. Society and "the media" has played a huge role in this dilemma. We see celebrities everyday on TV and magazines. They look "perfect" and we all strive for this perfection. We are forced to compare ourselves and our friends to these "perfect" images. When celebrities are not at their best, i.e. Britney Spears, we love to tear them down. As a result we are afraid to expose our vulnerable side. We are afraid to show our true colours. But here's where I get confused.
Why are we slaves to a standard set by a greedy corporation? It doesn't make sense. They're values are completely out of whack.
What if the world didn't have these standards? Would we be less judgemental? Would there be less competition? Would we become lazy? Would humanity regress back to the stone age? We definitely need standards because they encourage us to better ourselves, however we must look at the values behind the standards before we cast any judgement. We can either choose to follow "the media" who value greed, narcissism and indulgence or we can choose to follow the values of kindness, respect, humility and compassion.
I hope that people start realizing what's going on here because I'm getting tired of having to put with all this nonsense. Things have to start changing soon or else I'm going to start complaining!!!! (See post below)
Monday, April 20
All about complaining
Definitely Not The Opera's PODCAST has got me thinking again. This week it was all about complaining. I usually like to bite my tongue before voicing a complaint because I don't like to bother people. But I now realize that isn't always the best idea. After listening to the podcast I'm now reconsidering on where I stand.
It is fine to tell people how you feel. It's good to express your feelings. The last thing that you should do is bottle everything up. But I believe that complaints are only ok if they are focused on a positive resolution and not just solely on a negative problem.
Listen to the podcast and let me know what you think.
**Right click on the link if you want to save the podcast**
It is fine to tell people how you feel. It's good to express your feelings. The last thing that you should do is bottle everything up. But I believe that complaints are only ok if they are focused on a positive resolution and not just solely on a negative problem.
Listen to the podcast and let me know what you think.
**Right click on the link if you want to save the podcast**
Sunday, April 19
Flickr
Hi everyone. Just thought that I would let you know that I opened a flickr account so that I can organize my photos a little better. Some of you don't have facebook so this will allow you to browse through my recently posted pics. Flickr's the best online photo program around.
To access my account and pictures all you have to do is click here. You can also look at my photos as a slideshow. Make sure you bookmark the site.
To access my account and pictures all you have to do is click here. You can also look at my photos as a slideshow. Make sure you bookmark the site.
Saturday, April 18
Hiking and Noraebang
So once again my co-teachers dragged me along another round of hiking and noraebanging. Lunch time, Friday, April 17th, I found myself scraping my lunch and being herded onto a small van bound for Geumjeong mountain. Having hiked this mountain before I knew that I was in for another back breaking afternoon followed by some dinner and some noraebanging. I love noraebanging but the novelty wears of pretty quickly. I sang my token song, usually an Abba song, then I quickly sang and dashed hoping that no one noticed. My co-teachers say that I have a nice voice, but I think that they were just being nice. After two bottles of soju, I don't think anyone would have a nice voice.
Anyway, noraebang was good. Sorry about the nonchalant blog. I know it was pretty random but two bottles of soju will do that to you.
Anyway, noraebang was good. Sorry about the nonchalant blog. I know it was pretty random but two bottles of soju will do that to you.
Thursday, April 16
Sanctuary, a podcast
What is your sanctuary? Could it be a cabin in the woods? Could it be your favourite chair in your house? Could it be found in the company of your friends? What do you think, is sanctuary an actual place or can we find it within ourselves?
"Cindy Bisaillon ruminates on the idea of SANCTUARY (55 mins) in her off-the-grid cabin in the woods, interweaving her thoughts with tales from a naturalist, a refugee and a monk. She discovers clues to our future survival."
- CBC, IDEAS
For me sanctuary is camping in the woods or listening to a choir rehearse in a church or taking a long walk on a sunny day. Sanctuary for a moment was this podcast, particularly while Cindy was in her cabin. Listening to the sounds of the snow under her boots and the tinning of the can and the crackling of the fire. (25:30) One summer my cousin Jess and I spent an entire weekend recording sounds of a campground when we were kids. I think I still have the recording somewhere.
“The value of solitude depends upon one's self; it may be a sanctuary or a prison, as we ourselves make it.”
- John Lubbock
****Right click the link if you want to save the podcast****
"Cindy Bisaillon ruminates on the idea of SANCTUARY (55 mins) in her off-the-grid cabin in the woods, interweaving her thoughts with tales from a naturalist, a refugee and a monk. She discovers clues to our future survival."
- CBC, IDEAS
For me sanctuary is camping in the woods or listening to a choir rehearse in a church or taking a long walk on a sunny day. Sanctuary for a moment was this podcast, particularly while Cindy was in her cabin. Listening to the sounds of the snow under her boots and the tinning of the can and the crackling of the fire. (25:30) One summer my cousin Jess and I spent an entire weekend recording sounds of a campground when we were kids. I think I still have the recording somewhere.
“The value of solitude depends upon one's self; it may be a sanctuary or a prison, as we ourselves make it.”
- John Lubbock
****Right click the link if you want to save the podcast****
Wednesday, April 15
On the road to fitness
So the other day I did the unthinkable. The absolute unimaginable. The unspeakably unspeakable. The incredibly incomprehensible!!! I... decided... to... buy...a... GYM PASS!!!
I know what you're thinking. How could Jonny and his celery stick legs even think about going to the gym? They would completely snap off if applied to any kind of force or pressure. Here's to hoping that won't happen because I quite enjoy having two sets of arms and legs.
Scrawniness be gone, I'm now on the road to fitness.
I know what you're thinking. How could Jonny and his celery stick legs even think about going to the gym? They would completely snap off if applied to any kind of force or pressure. Here's to hoping that won't happen because I quite enjoy having two sets of arms and legs.
Scrawniness be gone, I'm now on the road to fitness.
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