Keira Brigit Pauline

I went to a Thanksgiving dinner at a nearby church last night. I had some corn, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, macaroni, and pumpkin pie. I also tried some sweet potato casserole for the first time. It's a Southern specialty. I liked it. I do think I have a lot to be thankful for. I got the idea to write a list of things to be thankful for from another blogger friend . I am thankful for: loved ones the opportunity to travel rainbows, prisms, crystals my cats the smell of the ocean Christmas lights snowflakes Crocheting, knitting and other handicrafts bookstores and libraries incense art museums and galleries vintage films vintage photography sandy beaches sunsets and sunrises (I want someday to see the aurora borealis or aurora australis) making new friends learning martial arts playing musical instruments being accepted into graduate school walking, talking, seeing, hearing, touch, taste, smell Music: nearly any kind Having a support system here in Korea that is like family...

I love this man's art. I love all the pinks and reds in it. "The Crossing" "Temptation" "Sonata" "Two Dimensions"

This is from a series of videos called "The Arrivals" on Youtube. This is about mind control in the media. Explicit language.

Max Perutz won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1962 for discovering the third-dimensional structure of hemoglobin. He still didn't understand how hemoglobin carried oxygen throughout the body. He still pondered that thought. At the prize ceremony he stated: "Please forgive me for presenting, on such a great occasion, results which are still in the making. But the glaring sunlight of certain knowledge is dull, and one feels most exhilarated by the twilight and expectancy of dawn". Perutz lived to be 87 years old and worked long after he could have fully retired. He was always looking to discover new things. That's what I want to do, never stop exploring and pondering.

1. Stop worrying about what others think. 2. Do things because you want to. 3. Give up the image. 4. Know what makes you unique. 5. Be clear about what makes you happy. 6. Know your emotional triggers. 7. Act on what you know is right. 8. Have an opinion and express it. 9. Let others see you. 10. Never apologise for being you.

When I was a kid I used to come home from school and watch Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures. I still remember a lot of the episodes I saw. I don't think the cartoons they make now are as good. Yu-gi-oh and Pokemon don't cut it. Pinky and the Brain were my favourite characters from Animaniacs. The two lovable mice that want to take over the world were funny. I loved how Brain would often say "Are you pondering what I'm pondering?" Of course Pinky, the dimwit, would always say something irrelevant like "yes, sure, how would we get pink tutus for both of us?" Those were the days. Here's Pinky and the Brain singing "Brainstem" which is about brain anatomy. Here is Plucky Duck singing about arcade games to Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy" and "Russian Dance".

Contrabass saxophone blues Contrabass flute Sub-contrabass flute!! OH MY!!! There is supposedly only one in the world. Contrabassoon "Everything Went Numb" on contralto clarinet Contrabass Sarrusophone I think this is so funky. Contrabass French Horn:

I used an essay topic for my higher level students this week. It was a discussion on what makes a successful life. It used cooking as a metaphor for a recipe for a successful life. As people like different cuisines, they also enjoy different lifestyles. What would be an interesting life for one person would be boring for someone else. We all have an idea of what is a recipe for success, and we have different proportions of things we want in life. Some of us want more education, others more travel, etc. I asked the students what was most important to them for success. Most of them said "Money". There were many girls who said "Family". It shows the different values of the sexes here. We agreed that education is important to reach goals. Education is highly valued in this culture. I thought about what I have deemed success. I must be honest with myself. 1. Travel. Ever since I was a young child I have wanted to travel the globe. 2. Education. I would lik...

I got my yellow belt today.

Today I heard from an old classmate from middle school. My former classmate dropped out of high school because she got pregnant. Thankfully, she later got a job with an ambulance crew. She is a single mother with three daughters. Her oldest child has leukemia. She is going through lots of chemotherapy. Shame. The father has nothing to do with his children and never sends any money. This is the message as was typed: "i found him, and talked for a little. i asked him flat out if she ever need bonemarow would he ever help. his answer was pretty much if i don't have to pay child support." "ive realized as a single parent that sometimes its better not to have the other one around. I just have to find a way to tell destine when she gets older that her dad knew that she was going through cemo. and could care less." How cold. It disgusts me how someone could be so uncaring. Not sending any money is despicable, yet showing little care to see if he can help wit...

Yesterday I went to the doctor at Hoegi between classes and had my stitches removed. I had a biopsy done the week before to see what my skin condition was. The doctor said it's psoriasis. I still have some of it on my upper arms and legs, trunk, and face. I have been wearing cover-up on my face and wearing enough other makeup to sort of detract attention from the marks on my cheeks. I went back to taekwondo after being gone for nearly two weeks. I went to the second class. I felt a bit out of step because I was very tired. I am still a white belt, so it will still take some time to get very skilled at everything. I found that two people are leaving the dojang. One young man is going to the military. I recalled that he told me that before. Also, an American woman is leaving too. I was surprised to find that out. She decided to test for her black belt that day. We all stayed later for her to test. She did get her black belt. I could tell she was nervous. She tried again and...

This is an arrangement by the Japanese composer Isao Tomita. This video has pictures from The Little Prince . It is one of the best children's stories of all time.

There are some things I want to do when I visit the USA for two weeks over December/January. First, I want to go through my things. I want to get rid of some clothes and books that I won't use. I want to see if I can sell some of the books at the largest bookstore in the world--The Yantic Book Barn. It has 300,000 new and used books. I am sure it's like going into the world's largest candy store. I also want to go to Victoria's Station Cafe, my old haunt. I know I want to sit by their fireplace and pick up random things from their bookshelves, most likely a Harvard Classic or a National Geographic. I do want to go to my home church and see the church members that I have known for most of my life. I will be happy to see them. They have been like my real family. I do know I will go to Boston with my sister and my friend Michelle. I want to go see her. I am not sure what we will do, probably eat at Uno's or Bertucci's (Boston has great Italian food) and mayb...