Keira Brigit Pauline

Yesterday I went to teach for 2 pm. I went to my classroom on time and saw that it was locked. No students were nearby. They should have been hanging around. I had told them there was class today. Anyways, I unlocked it and nobody showed up. I called my supervisor, who then called students, who all said they heard there was no class on Friday. I don't understand that because I told them the day before that there was class. My supervisor called me back and said that I should just lock the door again and go home. I was upset at that. What a waste of my time.

(Orla Fallon of "Celtic Woman"). When I was an undergraduate student of English Literature, I took a class called "Seminar in the Lyric" which was about the poets Emily Dickinson and William Butler Yeats. The part on Yeats was taught by a professor emeritus that was nearly eighty years old and had taught at the college for more than fifty years. We studied the poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree", describing an island that the narrator calls home. She told us that the original Isle of Innisfree is actually a very tiny island, with very little room on it. Yeats' idea of it being the perfect place is that it is a place of peace. I believe we all need our "Isle of Innisfree", or Shangri-la. It's the place where we feel the most comfortable. We find peace and rest. In Connecticut, USA it was Victoria's Station cafe with its couches, fireplace, bookshelves, and butterscotch lattes (with soy!) for autumn's special flavours. When I

I sometimes watch Def Poetry on Youtube. I like some of those slam poets because they are very creative. It's both poetry and performance. I have been to some poetry readings where the poets just read their poems clearly and it was nice. This type gives more feeling to it. This one about "Dandelions" is something I can relate to.

Today teaching got a lot better. I had nine students in my first class. We still talked about The Little Prince . The second class had five students. I had a student in there that I remembered from Honours English. She is a nice student that always says hello to me. She made keeping the conversation going quite easy. I had a good time with them. We had some free talking about various things. The students asked me about what sports I like (swimming, hiking, taekwondo) and what channels I watch on TV (Discovery, Science, National Geographic), etc. Here I only get Discovery out of those. I miss the Sci-Q Sundays with Dr. Michio Kaku that I used to watch religiously. I left the school happy today.

This sketch has been around for many decades. This is a newer version with Alan Rickman, Eddie Izzard, Vic Reeves, and Harry Enfield. I love British comedy. In this one Eddie Izzard can barely keep a straight face. I love how Harry Enfield does his "T"s.

I went to the school to teach my first day of summer classes. I tried to print out some worksheets from my memory stick. The programme wouldn't work. Apparently my computer and the computers at school have different Microsoft Word programmes. I had to go to class and after trying a few computers, nothing worked. I knew I had to make photocopies so I went to the copier. That wouldn't work either. That copier is odd, it makes lots of noise sometimes, and I often want to put a sledgehammer to it. I started making copies, and then some of them were coming out torn, smeared, and then the machine was totally jammed. I found another copier. I started printing on larger sheets of paper. Soon I ran out of paper. I looked around and saw none. I then asked a Korean man to help me. He left and got some paper. By then my class had already started. My Korean co-worker went to the class for me to take attendance. The man finally arrived with the paper. I was already freaking out

I received a textbook from one of my fellow teachers to use for my summer honours classes. I was pleased to find a lesson on The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. I have had that book on my mind lately because I saw a statue of the Little Prince recently. I have also read a blog about the Fox on a fellow blogger's site. I think the book is one of those great works that teach us about life like The Prophet by Khalil Gibran, The Alchemist by Paul Coelho, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse and The Pearl by John Steinbeck. I think what makes The Little Prince so good is that it is told through the eyes of a child. The Little Prince's points of view are innocent that they bring out a simple truth in the things he experiences. The book has the excerpt when the Prince meets the Fox. I think it's the best part. The Prince and the Fox met each other. The Little Prince He had a special rose at home that he cared for. He watered her and killed caterpillars for her (except

I am sweet, like Sugar . I am all sweetness and light; fluffy bunnies and dancing fairies; happiness and joy. Too much of me will make you sick. What Flavour Are You?

Look to this day: For it is life, the very life of life. In its brief course Lie all the verities and realities of your existence. The bliss of growth, The glory of action, The splendour of achievement Are but experiences of time. For yesterday is but a dream And tomorrow is only a vision; And today well-lived, makes Yesterday a dream of happiness And every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well therefore to this day; Such is the salutation to the ever-new dawn! - Kalidasa

I am His Highness' dog at Kew. Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you?--Alexander Pope

Intellectual giftedness is having above-average intellectual ability. IQ testing has been used to show intelligence scales in the population. Roughly half of the population has a score between 90 and 110. A quarter of the population has scores higher than 110 and a quarter has scores lower than 90. About two percent have scores lower than 70, which would mean they have mental retardation. Another roughly two percent have scores of 130 or higher, and they are often called "gifted". The scores bring about the famous bell curve of the I.Q. charts. (source) I.Q. scoring isn't a exact science because I.Q. tests have a margin of error. The Weschler scale has an error margin of 15 points. Giftedness can also be described as having high creativity. What does having high intelligence mean? What does having higher intelligence than most of the population mean? This is something I have pondered. On the good side it means few limitations on academic pursuits and being pro

1. The fragrance of the air after a thunderstorm. 2. The ends of a loaf of bread. 3. A pet cat kneading its paws on you (even though it sometimes hurts). 4. Fireworks. 5. Museums and art galleries. 6. The great outdoors. 7. Hearing from an old friend you haven't heard from in a while. 8. Contacting an old friend and realising he or she is happy to hear from you. 9. Candles and incence. 10. The sounds of songbirds in the morning. 11. Church bells. 12. Rainbows, sunsets. 13. A night at the symphony. 14. The smell of cut grass. 15. Rose gardens. 16. On a dreary day: A cup of tea, a good book, and a cat. 17. Lilacs in spring. 18. Watching ocean waves. The beach at night. 19. German, Swiss, or Belgian chocolate. 20. Sitting around a campfire with friends and swapping silly stories and jokes and singing stupid songs.

I moved into my basement apartment on June 28. I didn't start to live there until July 1. Last week I noticed some water on my floor and wasn't sure where it came from. This week it was terrible, water all over the place. It was seeping from the floor. The walls were all wet on the bottom and there was some black mould in a few places. Today I decided that I wasn't going to put up with it. I talked to someone at work and told him my situation. The owners of the building and some people from the high school, including the vice principal came to the apartment. They were amazed at the amount of water on the floor. The owners began sopping up the water with rags and putting it in basins and throwing it in the toilet. There were a few small ponds there. The people from the high school were amazed. Someone from the city office was called to take pictures of the damage. I was asked if I wanted to move to the second floor, even though it was smaller. I said "it may b

It is pouring hard. Very hard. I am glad to be inside the office now. I know I will be soaked when I go to class. Many of my students wear pleather sandals to class, the same that they usually wear to use the restroom in their homes. My apartment is a mess. I am mostly finished with settling in. I still need a drying rack and ironing board. The rain has seeped into my basement apartment, making the walls wet and puddles form on the floor. I didn't expect puddles to grow from the ground. The floor is muddy because I can't vacuum it. As soon as the floor dries I am going to have to clean it well. Last night I was planning on going to taekwondo. I had previously washed my dobok and put it on the couch to dry. It was still damp, so I ironed it to get it drier. I then put it in my backpack and went downtown to catch the train. I then had the nagging feeling that I forgot to unplug the iron. I went home. As I was going there, some fire engines were roaring past the bus.

This afternoon I was at Singil station in Seoul. I had planned on going to the Egypt exhibit at the National Museum at Ichon station. I stopped at Singil because my sandal strap was breaking and I got off the train and bought a new pair on sandals. I went to get back on the train again. I noticed that one of the trains wasn't going anywhere, and the train I was waiting for wasn't coming. I wondered what was going on. I soon saw some men in orange suits walking on the tracks. They had a metal stretcher with them and other medical paraphernalia. They weren't running and I was sure I knew what happened. I asked a man beside me what was going on. He said "a person is under the train". I looked and saw a crumpled form there. A crowd watched as the crew held up the tarp as the body was lifted from under the train. I saw the person's legs, all muddy with dirty white shoes. The tarp was then laid over the body and some rocks placed on it to keep it from blowin

I love Catbert. He is so evil and that makes him funny. It is the dark humour that makes Catbert a great character.

This morning I made it to Sabbath School at 9:00 am sharp. I knew where to go, I made it just in time. I saw my friend Wendy there. It was nice to see her. She gave a presentation about the Prodigal Son in a sort of Australian version. There was a "top bloke" who worked at a cattle station. The son left and wasted all his money. He returned and they killed a cow and had a barbecue. I thought the story was funny. I later sat outside and read my Bible for a while. There were a few people in the church and there was no translation. Last week another teacher translated for me while I was sitting there. I didn't get anything out of that. The teachers then all get together for lesson study after the service. I had some help last week. Today I just sat there, reading my Bible while someone talked in Korean. It was nice to read some 1 Corinthians, but I wanted something more. Last week I was told by the vice principal that I am supposed to sit through their church se

This was the first video ever aired on MTV in 1981. Now internet has killed regular video as it was back then.

I found this excerpt in a physics blog that I read. Scientists have been trying to explain the difference between non-living matter and living things. When does something become "alive"? What makes it alive? Quantum mechanics has been used for half a century to explain that. So far the attempts have been futile. Here is a quote from the article by Paul Davies : [Half a century later, the dream that quantum mechanics would somehow explain life “at a stroke” — as it had explained other states of matter so distinctively and comprehensively — has not been fulfilled. Undoubtedly, quantum mechanics is needed to explain the sizes and shapes of molecules and the details of their chemical bonding, but no clear-cut “life principle” has emerged from the quantum realm that would single out the living state as in any way special. Furthermore, classical ball-and-stick models seem adequate for most explanations in molecular biology.] I think science is wonderful, yet so much of it i

Yesterday was the first day I taught at the high school. Many of the classes are being taught in temporary classrooms because the newer school is still being built. It's OK, it doesn't bother me. It was a good day. I had two higher level honours classes that had 13 students each. I am sure I will have a good time with them. The only problem is that most Korean students are very shy. I had a lower-level class with about 40 students in it that was more difficult, and one mid-level class that went well. After classes I went to taekwondo for the first time at that dojang. I am still new at the sport. I went there because I know there are many other foreigners there, so I can get some help in English. I also already have some friends there. an International Taekwondo Federation dojang. It is a type of taekwondo that is popular in North Korea. My first lesson went well for the most part. I think I did well for a beginner. I am glad I did stretching exercises on the roof

This morning I woke up at 4:30 am and left the apartment at 5:00 am. I made it to Guri station at 5:15. I was hoping to catch the earliest train to Seoul. I planned on going river rafting today. I was appalled that I didn't see a train until 5:40. I was hoping to get to Juyeop station in Ilsan by 6:45. In the station I met a man from Uzbekistan. He said he had been there at 5:00 and there was no train. I was glad that I didn't miss anything. He said he was going hiking with his coworkers and he invited me to go. I said that was nice, but I had already made plans. I wouldn't have gone anyways because he is a stranger. I did make it to Ilsan, yet I was a few minutes late. They were waiting for two other people. I didn't feel so silly then. After changing trains at Hoegi and Jongno-3, I hopped into a taxi at Anguk station. I had some time to get to the ATM to get some more money to pay for the trip and get some snacks. The river was beautiful. It had cliffs on bot

I haven't begun formal work at the high school yet. I will start that on Monday. Today I knew that I would have to be at English Sabbath School at the school at 9:00 am. I didn't think anything bad of that. I knew already that I would be expected to help out there. I arrived a little bit early so I could find where the place was. It was in a classroom. Harry, a man from England, conducted the lesson. He said he had met me before, but I couldn't remember him. We had met a few years when I worked in Korea the first time. I then had to go to the chapel for the sermon held by the campus chaplain. Everything was in Korean, and my co-worker did some loose translating for me. Afterwards, I went to the staff room for a Bible lesson that was conducted entirely in Korean. He also did some translating. I felt perturbed. I knew about having to go to English sabbath school and that didn't bother me. I agreed to it. I was thinking of going to the English church at Sahm

This looks interesting. I went to visit the Ilsan International Church recently and I found a pamphlet for a graduate programme in "International Social Sciences" at Friedensau University near Berlin, Germany. The programme looks very interesting. It is offered in English. It is about social management, humanitarian aid, and disaster response. It incorporates gender issues, comparative religions, tropical medicines, and many other things. It is something to think about. Yet a requirement is having a degree in a social science or an equivalent. My degree is in English. I think a social science would be something like social work, public health, or sociology/anthropology. I did get accepted into graduate school for religion. I do find religion to be very interesting. I have always wanted to learn more about that subject. I was also interested in public health as well. I have felt that public health offers more job opportunities and I could also help other people. A few

I am still trying to get settled in Guri-si. My apartment is still in disarray. I need to straighten it out for a little while tonight and tomorrow. I like my new apartment a lot. I get to live alone, which is great because I don't have to deal with a roommate. I have't had a lot of roommate troubles, except for a few instances, yet it's great to not have that issue. I do want to invite friends over when I get the place more in shape. I am pleased to find out there is a Lotte Mart, GS Supermarket, VIPS, movie theatre, Dunkin Donuts, and many cafes nearby. There is also a small mart at the end of the alley that I live in. My new job hasn't really started yet. I will start formal teaching on Monday. I will have some time off at the end of the month. I will get about two weeks just to relax. I should do some of that and also do some sightseeing.