My 4th-graders were on their writing period of Lesson 13~ How Much Is It?, so we played Sleeping Elephants before doing a shopping survey activity. They were surprisingly well-behaved for Sleeping Elephants, much more than any other grade, and were also enthusiastic about the other activity. My three classes for the day are over, and I'm ready to plan out winter camp this afternoon.
Tomorrow's Plan
Broadcast: Last week for the broadcast, I gave the students a tongue twister challenge - a list of eight from which they chose one to read aloud to me.
And we're choosing five random students who are brave enough to read one over the air.
They get a wreath for their courage.
Grade 6 - Speaking Test: Do You Know Anything About ____________?
Grade 5-3 - Speaking Time and Activity for Lesson 13~ How Much Are The Pants?
Hit the gym
Side note: It went pretty well two weeks ago, it'll either be a fun thing or the worst thing I ever did in my life. We'll see.
Today is T-1 to tomorrow. It's been an excellent week so far, and it's going to be either a weekend filled with satisfaction or regretful disappointment. I'm not saying what I want to say. An update is needed. I need to work out today. I need to run a lot, do ab exercises, and do squats. I need to finish the milk in my fridge before it goes bad. I need to clean and vacuum. I need to put my clothes into the washing machine. I need to work on myself. I need to repaint my nails. I need to put stuff away. I need to take stuff out, and put things in my bathroom shelf. I need to braid my hair tomorrow. I need to clean my contacts really well. I need to stretch. I need to check the lighting. I need to check.
For the 6th-graders today, I prepared mini-games to break the monotony of doing pages from the textbook and then an activity disguised as a game. The students played strength and speed games while filling out a worksheet with sentences comparing themselves to their group members.
I am taller/shorter than________.
I am older/younger than ________.
I am faster/slower than________.
I am stronger/weaker than________.
I stamped their papers after twelve error-free sentences were written.
It was a satisfying way to end Chapter 12: I'm Faster Than You.
This week, I felt super motivated when it came to hitting the gym and after school. I hate it when other people are being super negative and say discouraging things like "Oh, it's not like it'll make any difference in a week", but I love that they're wrong.
It's easier for me to measure with my eyes, hands, and clothes. I look and feel less bloated, I sleep super well after running 4 km, my skin looks better after sweating, I don't feel guilty eating dinner, and I'm making much better use of my time after school instead of going home to binge-watch Youtube videos, binge-eat, and feel alone and sad.
To be fair, I'm nowhere near my goal weight. By my own standards, I need to lose 5 kg. By K-pop idol standards, I need to lose 12 kg. Maybe after I'm cremated, I'll finally reach that feather-light weight.
Strong dedication this week, and great plans all weekend and next week. The weather here is freezing, but life is gouda.
Sitcom homes have always held their appeal for me. Whether it's the quaint and nostalgic charm of Monica Geller's apartment in its plum location in the heart of New York from Friends,
or the bright and modern comfiness of Penny's apartment from The Big Bang Theory (I preferred her smaller space over Sheldon and Leonard's loftier apartment across the hall),
I've always wanted to remodel my future home (or homes) to something with a similar vibe. My all-time favourite television apartment, however, would have to be Frasier Crane's Seattle loft #1901 from Frasier.
The open living space and dining area, the grand piano, Daphne's bedroom decor, Frasier's master bedroom complete with an ensuite bathroom and sauna, and an obstructed view of the entire city of Seattle - the fictional Elliot Bay Towers are to die for.
It's especially charming when decked in festive Christmas decor by the overzealous Martin Crane.
If I ever have kids in the future, I would go all out for Christmas too. Christmas is a time for warmth, magic, and childlike wonder. I would deck out the entire home with lit-up villages, trains, wreaths, trees, and lights until it looks like a mix between Whoville and a toy store.
I miss spending Christmas back home. Next year, I'm going to be all over these festivities.
Sunday, 20 November 2016
"With one hand the past moves us forward and with the other it pulls us back" - Lilith Sternin (Frasier)
One year and two months later, I finally told him off. It's my fault I never stood up for myself, and never insisted on self-respect. I was desperate and stupid, holding onto the fleeting hope that he would come back to me and shower me with affection again. I will always keep hoping for a reconciliation unless there's absolutely nothing for me to go back to - and now there isn't. Closure, good friend, nice to see you, finally.
I'm being ridiculous. I went to Korean class on Wednesday night, and talked to him. Now I'm grumpy and pissed off at every guy I know, which is absolutely ridiculous. It's as though everything being said by any guy puts me in an even fouler mood these few days.
Ask me nicely. Say please. You need to learn to read more carefully. Are you still there. It was a summer fling. I'm not into museums. I'll go if I have nothing else to do. She's very beautiful. And this is the second girl. I would never call you. What was the point of me going? Childish. Nope. No. No you don't.
Foul mood, I tell you. Foul. If this weekend turns out shite, I'm regressing into a hermit.
2am on Sunday morning found me at home talking to Judy on the phone, and fiddling around on my phone. I ended up downloading Instagram, and making a bogus account. Unbeknownst to me, it automatically sends an alert to my Facebook friends, and now they follow my extremely uncool account @stellabelladellafella, which has no posts as of yet.
Instagram feels like a new life project; it emanates a strong go hard or go home vibe, and I feel extremely pressured. As a sub-par photographer who only has two main albums on Facebook, entitled "Food-Related Stuff In Korea", and "Non-Food Related Stuff In Korea", I am utterly perplexed as to what else I can take photos of.
I'm looking forward seeing my fourth-graders tomorrow. This year, they are a lot better well-behaved, thanks to my new co teacher's awesome organization and discipline. The students who spent the entire last year being disruptive or spacing out during English class actually show some interest in activities and songs this year. They fight less, and lower-level students try to mouth along to songs and fill in the blanks in their textbooks.
Tomorrow, we are starting Lesson 11: I'm Making Bubbles; its a lesson covering basic -ing verbs.
Target Expressions
What are you doing?
I'm making bubbles/ cooking/ singing/ dancing/sleeping.
Tomorrow, we're playing an action telepathy game, and doing a lyrics fill-in for "Lemon Tree".
Students will fill in this worksheet using the word prompts on the board.
Then, hopefully, everybody will sing along.
This is my favorite version on YouTube despite the spelling mistakes, because of the doodles and line by line Korean translation.
Two years ago, if someone asked me where I live, I would have told them the exact location without hesitation. Living at home gave me an impenetrable sense of safety and security; I could not be touched when I was surrounded by a protective network of friends and family. Now that I live alone in Korea, I value my privacy a lot more, and put my safety first. I've learned to answer questions about where I live with a vague "Oh, around here...". I no longer have a problem saying "no" to strangers, or standing up for myself. It's all about self-preservation.
I've learned that diplomacy comes before ego.
This is my first full-time job working with co-workers who are above me in the social hierarchy in every conceivable way. I have to remind myself to be diplomatic at all times. You're under contract. If you argue or look pissed off, it'll be awkward for everybody afterwards. Don't roll your eyes, don't let your annoyance show, don't give attitude. I'm not in control all the time yet, but I'm definitely learning how to behave like a grown-up in the workplace.
I really love being around children; I never knew that about myself.
I'm not going to run off and start having babies, mind you. But they bring an inexpressible, bubble of happiness with them wherever they go. My students remind me everyday how fun it is to be excited for lunchtime, to laugh loudly at a funny picture, and to win at races and games.
I've become less spoiled and materialistic, and that goes together with learning to be more grateful.
Twelve years ago, my mom took me to Disneyland Sea in Tokyo, Japan, and I sulked for the whole day, because she got me the wrong ice-cream flavor. I used to be the master of passive aggressiveness, and I still hate myself for it. Going on vacation used to mean shopping and acquiring materialistic possessions in different cities, so that I could return home and be complimented by friends on my new stuff.
Going on vacation now means planning itineraries and being excited at the prospect of vacation. It means being accommodating and working together with travel buddies. It means doing things and collecting experiences rather than shopping and accumulating things. Now, I would rather go for a walk or hike with friends instead of spending the day at the mall, looking at bags and getting manicures. Good coffee, good company, and great conversation - these are all things that I would have considered a total waste of time when I was younger - but now, they are my fondest memories.
Last year, we had a cooking day at C's place. This year, the hostess honour fell on me. Hawaiian Poke 101 with C, J, M, R, and yours truly last Sunday afternoon. It was an intense morning of cleaning, followed by an afternoon of craziness and an evening of sub-par Chinese food and Thursday Party in Nampo.
I never understood how people could live like pigs. Even if you could stand stewing in your own filth alone, when you know that you're going to have people over shouldn't cleaning be the first thing on your to-do list? Oh and hide potentially embarrassing awkward things, lace thongs, sticker photos with a guy you really like, you know, that sort of stuff.
M mocking C's "non cubed" tuna chunks
by comparing them to his more superior ones.
His look of disbelief
at C sneaking bites of tuna sans sauce or condiments.
Ugly mixture in the process
of becoming this beautiful swan.
The cooking crew bids thee farewell, until next time.
We tried cooking again last night for M's video, but failed spectacularly and went out for dinner afterwards. It didn't help that our only ingredients were hot cheetos, sliced cheese, eggs, carrot sticks, shrimp, and bread crumbs. We coated stuff in a messy mixture of egg, hot cheetos, and bread crumbs before deep frying them.
In ascending order of my favorite grades to teach is as follows:
Grades 3 or 4 (both wonderful this year thanks to my co teacher's excellent guidance)
Grade 5
Grade 6
Last week, I didn't see my sixth graders either due to holiday and the typhoon. This week, they're visiting Seoul from Monday to Wednesday, and my other co teacher is going along with them for supervision. My fifth grade classes with her are also cancelled, and so is the Wednesday broadcast.
Today will be spent lesson planning well until next week, reading The Cursed Child, and making an itinerary for Tokyo and Singapore.
My mood of the week summarized in one word: Hallelujah!
To Do List Of The Day
Toilet paper shopping
Buy salad for tomorrow
Jog
Workout
I am very aware of the fact that as I'm typing this I cannot hear any noises from the classrooms across the hall.
My slogan is much better sounding than the real one, "Colorful Daegu", in my humble opinion. We had a long weekend with Monday being National Foundation Day, a holiday celebrating the myth of the creation of Korean people. I think it's interesting that a nation can be so firmly rooted in traditional folklore while identifying with religions that are historically speaking, non-Korean, such as Buddhism, Christianity, and Catholicism to name a few. It's a paradoxical balance that I don't fully understand, as an outsider on both religion and nationality.
To me, it was simply a great weekend, one of the best I've had since the school year started again in September. But I'm getting ahead myself.
Friday, September 30th, 2016
We skipped ball to have fun like high-school students. Jon, Julez, Michael, and I had dinner at a tiny homestyle restaurant at PNU, before we went bowling at a nearby space-themed alley. I lost both times unsurprisingly, but my score did improve in the second game. Thank Buddha we weren't placing bets.
After Jade joined us, we went to 노래방. Donghoon came, and then Joyce came, and then Jade left, and then Jon left, but the entire music sesh was super fun.
Good crowd, awesome music.
Saturday, Oct 1st, 2016
I went to a wedding without an invitation. Alex's friends from Ultimate, whom I didn't know, were tying the knot. The groom is American, and the bride is Korean, and the wedding was outdoors under a white tent tucked in an alcove between a very traditional Korean hanok house, and a very modern glass building, surrounded by trees and stone steps.
I'm a little embarrassed about crashing the wedding of, and posting a photo of a couple I never met and probably will never meet again. However, I'm not so embarrassed that I wouldn't do it.
We had a family-style traditional Korean meal afterwards, and the whole experience was super surreal. But in a neat way.
That night, we celebrated Julez's b-day even though it's a day early. Dinner was at 유가네, and here is a clip of the birthday girl eating a banana GyeongMin gave to her (unabashedly as a present).
Wow, the freeze screen looks super dirty.
We had a quick game of bowling while more birthday guests came, and we realized afterwards that nowhere could accommodate such a large group of buffoons except for Prix, so we went there.
I did not buy it like this. Sora knocked it to the floor at the bowling alley. An accident, so she says...
B-day girl got cake smeared on her face by Eddie
Weird moment at Prix
It started out innocently enough. Eddie thought that someone should smear cake on the birthday girl's face, so he did the honours.
After we had a good laugh, and washed it off, Julianne decided to take revenge, on both Eddie and GyeongMin. Then Joyce got cake on her face.
I don't know how it happened, but I heard girls screaming and saw running, and suddenly it was a cake fight between the 4 of them.
Joyce tried to get GyeongMin back, missed, and got Jade and me instead - hair, dress, coat, and all.
And my bitch mode was activated.
Jade stayed cool, and ate cake calmly while Julianne wiped the cake off the back of her shirt. To be fair, she didn't see the damage. I however, turned to Joyce in a fit of murderous rage, and could only enunciate, "PAPER TOWELS. NOW."
When I saw her come back, still giggling, with dry paper towels, I stomped off to the washroom with an expression that Michael took one look at and said, "Woah, that's scary". After chucking the soiled paper towels onto the floor, and taking out my phone to glare at it furiously, Eddie sat beside me.
"Are you okay"?
"Yep."
"You seem really mad".
"I am".
Joyce came back, put her jacket back on, and sat meekly in her chair at the end of the table in silence, because she knew I was pissed. Man, I tell you, kids these days. I don't even feel bad about it; I was really pissed off.
But, I got over it and everyone danced together at Yaman afterwards, and we're okay.
Went home early though, I had to pack for an overnight trip to Daegu for next day.
Sunday October 2nd, 2016
My mom's birthday. She's having a great time though. She's currently on a cruise in Europe with my dad and a dozen other good friends, and they all celebrated with her, and she sent me sweet photos.
Happy 40th birthday mom! (For the 14th time lol)
Meanwhile, I was taking a 40-min KTX ride to Daegu to meet Jayden, trying desperately not to fall asleep and miss my stop.
Pikachu donuts, nature's sleeping pill.
Daegu is a really charming city. The pace of life is less rushed than Busan; older people don't shove past you for a seat on the subway. Located in a valley surrounded by mountains makes Daegu a beautiful, lush, green city, but also a humid, hot AF one. While the rest of Korea is in autumn mode, Daegu was still in mosquito season. They gave me plenty of action, those tiny mofos.
On Monday, we went to E-Land, which has way less people than Lotte World on any given day, so we didn't have to wait in line at all. It rained a bit in the afternoon, but it wasn't too bad.
It's undeniable that Korea has brilliant marketing techniques for their beauty brands. They've always used fresh-faced idols to appeal to consumers who usually start purchasing skincare and makeup products around middle school. I recently discovered a few Korean mini-dramas completely sponsored by brands such as Innisfree, to help promote their products. They're utterly addictive, even though I usually view Korean dramas with dismissive contempt and scorn.
There's one drama whose name I didn't care to learn that features Innisfree product application tips at the end of each episode. I usually skip the video until the last minute, just to catch that part.
Here are some I want to try:
1. Add 1-2 drops of face oil to foundation
2. For matte lipstick, use finger to blend for a natural gradiation effect on the lip lines
3. Use sebum powder on wet matte lipstick to keep lips moist
4. The pink tinted canola honey lip balm can be used on eyelids and cheeks when there's no makeup products
5. Apply mist to air cushion before applying and press to dry patches of face for five seconds
6. Mix cream eyeshadow and lip balm for a highlighter
7. Shade brown eyeshadow on eyelids and under the bottom lashline to look younger
8. Retouch smudged eyeliner with a q-tip coated in foundation
9. Apply clear lip balm to dry parts of face before retouching makeup
10. Broken q-tip can be used to spread mascara-coated eyelashes
And now, I want to go shopping at Innisfree. Drats.
I enjoy making lists. I always plan out everything, and write it down before I do something. There's something comforting about written word. Whether it be lecture notes, 5000-word essays, shopping lists, weekly schedules, diary entries, or travel itineraries, I have always preferred pencil on paper. For me personally, muscle memory facilitates neurological memory.
Starting around my preteens, I read the Abby Hayes series, and decided that calendars were the answer in organizing my busy, sheltered life. I painstakingly decorated almost all of the boxed days, using up all my precious glittery Hello Kitty stickers. Then fate struck. With one rip, my dad tore off all the pages and recycled them.
Ah, to be young and throwing a crying tantrum again...
So I gave up doing that.
As a throwback to my Claire's and Ardene-obsessed preteen self, I did a September month schedule with my students for Wednesday broadcast. As usual, five winners are selected, and lo and behold, I only got five submissions.
Thus,
I didn't get half-assed submissions though. They were beautifully coloured works of art.
