New Year Morning ................Party???

 

Despite ringing in the new on the beach, to the tune of Adele of all people, we levered ourselves  out of bed to great the first sunrise of the new year with drummers in animal onesies pajamas.

 

 

 

They were pretty good actually. Rhythm and style.



 



 

 

 

At sunrise they released a ton of balloons with wishes tied to them. I just hope marine animals don't eat them. That would kind of sour the wish.

 

 

 

After that, the sunrise.

 

 

 

I got up before dawn to greet the new year in 2013. It almost makes up for my horrible habit of sleeping ridiculously late of Saturdays.





That Most Hated Of Seasonal Duties

I thought I'd be safe enough from being roped into it this year but, nay.

We were provided with company cards and I had to write them for my homerooms.

I'd like to point out that we only get Christmas Day off from work so this card thing seems just cruel.

Sake

So, we went to a Japanese bar to try some Sake (Japanese rice wine). Unfortunately, it was not the famous variety that comes hot but a type that was best chilled.

Either way, colour me unimpressed. It's far, far too sweet for my liking.

I did, however, like the decanter. Fancy stuff there.

Thank You Gifts

These were distributed by Alex as thank yous and what-nots for attending her wedding.
I'll admit that I (and some others) had a fearful moment where we weren't sure if it was a yet un-encountered variety of rice cake.

It's a soap. Thank you very much indeed. :)

I think I'll pass...

It could be artificial. It could be genuine. All I know is I don't want a smoothie.

Let the Lawyers out of the kennels...

Welcome to Lotte World!! The happiest place on, on...................oh dear.

This seems like something that won't end well.

Buena Vista's gonna sue somebody.

Lotte World. Where copyright goes to die..................and be flogged afterwards.

Unhallowed book of summoning...

Beneath a glass case in the depths of the unhallowed castle of copyright theft there lies a book of mysterious powers.

The mysterious satanic powers can only be sought by those who can interpret the language of the sixth circle and can enunciate it in the most peculiar piercing accent.....oh wait, this is why the others had me stop reading it.

Yes, it's accurate sizing.

I think this is a Japanese brand. Either way, the English is hilarious.

An Unexpected Invitation

I had the opportunity to attend the wedding of a co-worker. It was..... an experience, to say the least.  Mostly, a slightly confusing one.

It was, definitely, the shortest wedding I'd ever known of. It was interesting to see how different it was from 'western style' ceremonies. Alex did wear a white dress (later exchanged for another flashy ballgown) and her husband a full tux (gloves and all.)
Their Fathers wore suits but their Mothers wore traditional hanboks (and looked great.)

There was no priest, but there was an announcer. We were surprised when a friend of theirs got up to sing a Whitney Houston-style number during the ceremony. He could certainly sing but we were slightly bemused. We had no idea what was going and since it seems that it was a mixture of traditional and non-denominational with four tenors in the balcony in Korean.  

Look, everyone looked fabulous and the music was great. The ceremony was short, the photos were longer and the reception was brief.  

Very brief indeed for the newly-weds. They had time for a costume change, a visit to every table and then they were gone. (Not even a dance, shame that. Wait, there was absolutely no dancing whatsoever.)

The meal is the end of the wedding, for us at least. 

The only problem was that this took less than four hours to go and come back. All dressed up and no where to go. what a shame. 

Everland

For the uninitated Everland is a theme park in South Korea.

It has a certain Disney-esque feel what with their ugly mascots and seasonal themes. Naturally these affairs are best enjoyed in a stress-free environment when you can relax and stroll about the different zones at your ease.

So, basically we spent a day herding small children from point to point. I had  sore throat from the end: "Let's stay together now", "Stay with your partner." "oh god I've lost one Where is XX? Let's catch up now." "That's not a giant hornet."

Giant hornet? Where did they even hear that term? They were just bees. -_-

Anyway, after getting everyone their badges we shuffled them onto the bus where it felt like 'mom-time' as I went around making sure seatbelts were buckled, bags were placed and we hadn't lost anyone. (I spent the rest of the day doing the same and helping everyone with their cardigans as well.)

After a bus trip where (miraculously) no one threw up (not even me) we were shuffled off the bus with no clue what to do next. Seriously, that was my biggest problem and it added an awful lot of unnecessary stress. We had no itinerary and were told nothing. I could write one now of course, but that's a bit late isn't it?

 

Nevertheless, I'll summarise. First we had lunch, then we took all the children to a safari ride and a seashow. Photo ops were interspersed along with a train ride before some 'free time' where we took the *children on a few rides. (*So, no rollercoasters for Aoife.)

Lunch was an unnecessarily stressful experience, I ended up not sitting down or eating  much of my kimbap. There were bees, lots of bees so I think there must have been a nest in the vicinity, and I had to keep shooing them away from the children because y'know.

Then we took the kids to this. It was actually quite fun. (Sad too, in a way looking at those animals.) But the kids loved it, and the tiger bus we rode. XD

They had a liger, which was pretty damn cool, but he was sleeping in a rock crevasse that shielded him from us. (Clever Beast)

They also had trained some of the bears. A couple came and walked on their hindlegs next to the bus which was admittedly freaky to see.

They had other animals too, trying to remember here, beaver, chameleon, goose etc.

After that we took them all to the sea show which I must admit to enjoying. Even though it was in korean I could understand how ridiculous the 'story' was but the animals were well-trained and it was impressive to see. I have absolutely no idea why there were randomly chickens though...

The best part of that was probably the little otter though. It skittered out, rode a swing and sailed a little boat and everyone there went asdfg!!

There were official pictures, *buries face in hands*, toilet trips, rehydrating of the kidlets and much much herding. Cats would have been easier. Them  I could have packed in a box and continued on my merry way.

We took our groups on a few rides in the latter half of the day. Let me wrack my elderly memory for it now. The Peter Pan, (Good fun actually. C:) The Magic Swing (Also, quite a good one, especially for the kids), Kingdom of Cars (Just for little kids), The Royal Jubilee Carousel (Completely with terrrifying impressively sneering steeds), The Festival Train (Lots of garden to see and who doesn't like trains?) and The Global Village.

In the Global Village I sat with two of the girls and we identified all of the countries. What I cannot possibly explain is how horrifically nightmarish I found the whole thing. A part of me wanted to leap out of the boat and wade to the exit. Not too bad you say?

Oh, the things I suffer. (Note my perfect seriousness)
After we got all the feral kittens children hoarded back onto the bus we headed back whereupon I discovered that all travel medication has the same effect on me when I fell asleep and hit my head against the window....multiple times.

Even more gifts...

 

After the misadventures  in Everland we returned to the school and collected our Chuseok gifts from the company.

 

You know what? I ahev no problems with this at all. I mean, I'm actually going to use this now! These were things on my shopping list that I was intending to buy and I can hardly fault practicality. :D Now I shall have cleaner and shinier teeth.

 

 

I will say this though. A part of my soul deeply feared we would have gotten the spam giftset instead.

 

 

For Science

So, the bottle rocket. (No, not that kind)

 

I made this with Brown class and they loved it. I drew a big taget on the board and they aimed for that with MUCH enthusiasm. This way, no 'rockets' were lost down the back of the lockers or outside the window.

 

It was a lot like the water gun fiasco which I, of course, failed to take pictures of before I had to cannibalize it for parts.  >:3

 

These things got some surprising height. I wonder how many of thing were fired into irretrievable positions...............................probably all in the end.



 

 

Practical Education

Part of the curriculum at Ivy Kids involves Science!

The kids love it and it is a lot of fun but there is a large level of dubious content which shall no doubt show up here soon enough.

I have two science classes at the moment so I get both Brown and U.C. Berkeley for sciency fun.

I receive a giant pack per school session. A big plastic bag of  'experiments' for the kids and a teacher bag with one so I can demonstrate the process(/cannibalise it for spare parts.)

With Berkely recently we did this:

I'll be honest, when it comes to creating a refreshing breeze, it's kind of useless. However, the kids loved it. The plier- things were quite hard to operate though. Slippy and stiff.

Naturally, some of the motors didn't work so we had to tear up some of the spares. No on off button but the connected/not connected settings..

Still, although I doubt they actuallylearned anything it had a certain *Eeeeeeee* appeal to the kids. (and the teachers who have one sitting on their desks.)

Dubai To Incheon

I hated this flight and not because I had an aisle seat in the centre aisle. It’s because I was up so bloody long at that stage and couldn’t sleep in the seat. I reckon I got a few hours there dozing because I lost a few hours without noticing (or feeling more relaxed.)

I was glad of the change of clothes and chance to brush my teeth beforehand. I was even gladder to get out of that seat because I had such a crick in my ass…

Anyway, I dozed and alternated between too hot and too cold for a while and picked at all the food I was given. I think I had chicken and a bit of John Dory on each occasion (or at least something resembling said substances.) 16 hours inflight left me simply desperate to get there and be done with it all.

After taking the train –where I seemed to be the only one not falling arse over kettle once it moved –  to immigration (yes, it was that sort of airport) and being legally admitted into the country (I did indeed stop somewhere along the line to gush at my stamp – quite sad really.) I rang to let them know I’d arrived and took the Limo bus which looks like an ordinary bus on the outside, swanky chairs on the inside. I mean, seriously, these were the most comfortable chairs I’d sat on in a long time. Bus Eireann could stand to learn a thing.

I had to fight with the public phone though. You’re not dialling fast enough huh? I call B. S.

My flat is on the 16^th floor. (Building C!!) The obscene height is comforting seeing as I have no blinds but enormous windows that don’t really open. The bed is rock hard but surprisingly comfortable, good for the back I reckon. I can see though how there wouldn’t be quite enough space for two people. The bathroom is really the only other room, everything else is open plan. So my ‘bedroom’ looks out the siitting/living/kitchen window. I really wish there were blinds, if only for a bit more shade. (privacy is dubious too but as long as there’s no creeper with a high powered scope I should be fine.)

I wave a card over a sensor to get in and out and have a techy door entrance that Sean would simply love.  Slide up the panel, punch in the code, slide it down, entry granted. Ta-dah! Hours of fun once you lock yourself out.

There’s lots of cupboard space for me and a walk-in wardrobe. Yes, that’s right Mother. A walk-in wardrobe.  (Ohohohohohoho) Well, now that I have all that wardrobe space perhaps I should start by hanging up the things I forgot. Extra white shirts for one - I seriously need to get a hold of an iron soon.

They had it cleaned before I came – apparently. Wednesday is a national holiday so I’ll have that off and unless otherwise told I know how I’m going to be spending my morning. It’s not messy or filthy by any means but it’s simply not up to standards I’ve been raised to. Especially with kitchen surfaces which are just eeugh. The bathrooms going to be a mess whatever I do anyway. There’s a shower hose and a drain in the floor – work it out.

I do have a washing machine but no drying facility – boo- but I’m working on that.

One thing you must realise is how bloody hot it is to me. It’s just a persistent, unpleasant dead heat. Probably not significant for others but I find it easier to warm up than cool down.  Of course, seeing as it’s really hot (by my truly sad standards): I can’t really stomach anything, I keep waking up at odd hours, I’m constantly sweating and none of my clothes feel like they fit right. Bitch, whine moan.  I also got these weird hives on my arms in Dubai (still there, and itchy.) Either Dad slipped some bees into my luggage as punishment for getting a bee caught in my hair (and having a subsequent shrieking fit) or it’s heat related.  Lovely.

I’m still jet lagged despite getting some extra time to recuperate. Let’s talk Wednesday and see how I am then. XD

Apparently, I went light on the luggage. It was immediately commented upon that I brought a lot less baggage than most female teachers do.  There’s a lot more I would have liked to bring with me (like another 15 white shirts) but I had trouble handling what I had as it is. More bags and I wouldn’t have been able to carry or manoeuvre them. I was stumbling enough with what I had.

It doesn’t matter because one way or another I’d still have to buy essentials while I’m here. First, tea, then toilet paper. >:3

Dublin to Dubai

As I write this I am sitting in the squeakiest (albeit funkiest) chair in Haagen-Dazs.  Despite my perfectly legitimate fears that everywhere would be closed/closing at 12:00am (9:00pm GMT) the duty-free and food court is hopping. Silly me, basing my logic on tiny little airports.  I’m having ice-cream and (stocking up on a large bottle of) water precisely because it is about 30C and this large air conditioned building feels like a sauna. I couldn’t have a shower but I did change my shirt and clean up a bit. The toothbrush was an excellent idea.

So, after making my way through the gates I realised a rather large problem with my fabulous new bag (gaze and weep mortals) and airport security. Namely that it is impossible to get my laptop back in without taking everything else out first. But seeing as the first thing I do after getting through security is put myself back in order it makes little difference. I just thought I’d bring it up because everyone male and female (heteronormative and effeminate) covets this piece of leatherwork….no, you can’t have it.

It’s one thing to know, another to experience….which is why I never want to set foot on Ryanair again. I know they’re dirt cheap (providing you only bring your wallet) but I had my own television in front of me to play with, I didn’t pay an arm and a leg for a cup of orange juice and no one tried to sell me scratch cards. (The bus from Cavan to Dublin is nicer than Ryanair)

Aside from that, it was a long flight like any other. I got uncomfortable, the food was horrible and I had a window seat. Those sitting beside me were civil and I wound up watching two movies (Muppets and Tintin) being unable to sleep.

Although Herge drew him like a 15 year old it was fun to remember how much time Tintin spent punching people, shooting guns, having high speed chases and generally being GAR in a manner Indiana Jones would be proud of.  Actually, the movie was pretty damn awesome all around. You’d think the animation would be off-putting but it was fantastic, it segues far better than in The Polar Express. You should see it as soon as possible. Even the fight scenes were brilliant!

I bought The Hunger Games and already have no plans to buy read the rest. They go on about how young the author is and well, her age is really, really obvious. It reads like something written by a teenage girl, not that’s necessarily a bad thing, and the first person (Oh, first person perspective how I hate how society abuses you) simply makes it more-so. Personally, I thought the perspective weakened the opening. It was a bit too busy kicking down boxes to scream “Sue! Sue!”  An outsider perspective would have made Katniss more likeable I think, or rather more forgivable plus adding a juicy ambiguity to everything, not simply the minor inferred.   Collins compensates nicely in the latter half though. I don’t think it deserves the flailing hype surrounding it but then again, few things do.

Now, I know you wanted a lot of photos of Dubai but:

·         I am in the airport

·         It’s 12:00am at night

·         It’s very, very dark

·         They have a real duty-free

The last one seems irrelevant but I just couldn’t fail to notice.

Flying over Dubai I couldn’t help but notice the ships. It got dark fairly early in the flight so all I could really see for the latter half would be lights. Occasionally I would catch a glimpse of a cruise liner, all lit up. But reaching Dubai it was strange. The sea was pitch black and the only light was from boats but there was just so many. There were enormous liners, lit up like an inner city but then there were ones only identifiable by the light on the stern and prow. They were laid out in the ocean on invisible byways which could be the only reason for such mathematical precision on the waters.

But it was still dark, so take it all with salt. Better you go to Dubai yourself. (Note: It’s hot.)

So now, I have nothing to do but sweat unproductively until the flight starts loading.  Hopefully, I’ll get some sleep on this flight now.