Pretty in pink..

This article found in the business section of BBC World News. It's pretty funny... check it out.

Clothing stores in Thailand have seen a rush to buy pink shirts, thanks to a fashion craze sparked by the country's King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Thais have been queuing in their hundreds to buy the shirts ever since the King left hospital last month wearing both a pink shirt and blazer. The Phufa fashion chain said it had sold 40,000 pink shirts this month.
"Our factory is making these shirts every day, every minute day and night," said a spokeswoman for the company.

"We had no idea they would be this popular."

Other colours

King Bhumibol spent three weeks in hospital last month having treatment for heart problems and other ailments.

Wearing pink brings the king luck. I don't want him to be sick Rose Tarin, civil servant

Thai commentators said pink first became an important colour for him earlier this year, when royal astrologers determined it was a good colour for his health.

On that recommendation, a pink royal crest was designed for his 80th birthday on 5 December.

Civil servant Rose Tarin, 56, recently camped outside a clothing store from 4am to ensure she was able to buy one of the latest shipments of pink shirts.

"Wearing pink brings the king luck. I don't want him to be sick," she said.

The King, who has traditionally always worn dark suits in public, has now also taken to wearing a range of other brightly coloured items.

This has led to Thai newspapers predicting runs on green and blue shirts.

The world's longest serving monarch, King Bhumibol is regarded by some as semi-divine and his picture hangs in most Thai homes.

Although he has no official political role, he is seen as the country's moral authority.

Last year he helped to restore calm following the military coup.

The rush for pink shirts is not the first fashion craze he has started.

Since King Bhumibol's 60th anniversary on the throne in 2006, many Thais have worn bright yellow shirts every Monday, because that was the day of the week on which he was born.

money - the wedge that divides us all

Should it be this way?
Many people are born into their place in the social status hierarchy. They are born into families with money, or they begin life in countries that can educate them, or at least feed them. Although some people are able to work hard and move out of their income bracket and climb that ladder, most people seem to stay within the financial bracket they were born into. Probably because they are unable to better themselves; the lack the financial backing to do so.
I was reading an article in the JoongAng Daily newspaper here in Korea, and there was one story that particularly stood out, relating to this very topic. The title of the article was "Gaining entry to elite high schools means cramming at a tender age". By cramming they are not talking about studying really hard five minutes before the test. They are talking about attending special "cram schools", like the kind that I teach at. These are schools that the kids would attend after a day of regular school in hopes that they would be prepared when the time came to apply to an elite high school, or even college. These kids spend their childhood setting up their future, and then spend their future teaching their child how to be successful like them.
The problem that I see with this is not that the kids are sleeping four hours a night studying for their exams. That's how the culture has been for the past few decades, ever since they took so strongly to Western philosophy. It's hard work imitating another's culture while leaving your own to rot in the history books. This is not the problem I see (at least, not the problem for this post!). Because these admission tests are so challenging, almost no one with the standard public school education will be able to even apply. The only ones with a shot at getting into these schools are the kids who's parents can afford the private tutor or cram schools. The Korea Teachers and Workers Union state two other problems. They state that "schools are making students overly dependent on private cram schools, while hurting the quality of education at regular schools and causing a gap between the wealthier students who can afford steep cram-school fees and those who cannot".
I suppose the point of this blog is to discuss how this "gap" between the rich and poor continues to widen. I know that these two groups have existed for a long time, but I always thought the perks of being rich seemed to end with their level of education and quality of life. As time moves forward, how much further will the distance become between the two groups?
Colin Beavan's blog No Impact Man is always inspiring to me. Recently, while catching up on his entries, I came across something that connects with this discussion. He highlighted the battle between public water systems and bottled water corporations. The main issue is this: with the growing demand for bottled water over tap water, what will the future hold? There is a pledge that is being passed around that states that one is to drink tap water instead of bottled water. Apparently of the seventy four Americans that drink bottled water, one in five drink ONLY bottled water... For more facts go here.
Currently, there is over one billion people who do not have enough clean water to fulfill their daily needs. By 2025 it is predicted that 2/3 of the worlds population will be in this category. What will happen if only the wealthy(and I say "the wealthy" knowing that I'm in this category) can afford clean water?
This is a longer post than I intended to make it, but I wanted to raise the point that I know has already been raised time and time again. I think that it's important to be conscious of the outcome of our actions. This includes buying bottled water over drinking tap water, driving a car over taking public transportation, leaving the lights or air conditioner on while no one is home, etc. With so much talk on climate change and how we are to shape the future I'm realizing more and more that how we live our individual lives does have an effect on what life will be like down the road. Individuals doing their own thing may only satisfy their personal goals, but a community of individuals holding each other accountable for their actions, this can have a much bigger impact. To sign the tap water pledge click here. For Colin Bevan's blog on this pledge, click here.

wanted: thrifty people

"Thrifty" is the word my friend John uses to describe people who take the used furniture from the street corners. I am "thrifty".
Every Monday is 'big stuff' garbage day. This means that people who are sick of their furniture or appliances are able to put them out on the curb and have them picked up by the garbageman. I'm not sure if I'm the only one who feels this way, but it seems like people get sick of their furniture fairly often. I've already written a blog about this called trash and treasure, but I wanted to throw a picture or two on here to commemorate the future destruction of these awesome closets.


Every Monday, on my one minute walk to my school, I see a pile of awesome furniture, or antique stuff lying out on the street. Last Monday, from my second story classroom where I teach, I got to see the men come in the pickup truck with their crowbars and hammers. I got to see them smash all the tables, chairs and drawers to pieces and load up their trucks. It's not that I'm a huge antique fan or anything, but I just feel like there should be something else that can be done besides smashing these items to bits. To me that seems wasteful and... just sad.
I know that this is the way of the world - we trade off our old stuff when we can afford the newer, shiner stuff- does this cycle end? This closet, with it's hand made, mother-of-pearl inlay door might have been labored over for a long time. Or it might be just like hundreds of thousands of others - out of date and obsolete. Either way, when I walk by that corner tomorrow, and see slivers of mother-of-pearl on the ground, I'll feel slightly upset at our consuming culture. Am I being silly with this, my "thrifty" nature getting the best of me? or am I right to question the amount we consume?

teaching with integrity or... just putting in the time

I'm out here in South Korea trying to make money, because the government of Canada demands that I pay back my loans. The goal of this year long excursion is to save money enough to end my debt and perhaps return with some money to boot. Of course there is the minor goals of traveling, and experiencing life and culture, but I suppose that these are second to the main goal of saving some cash.
So... how does this fit in with what I actually do here? I teach five days a week; I am the reason the school attracts it's students (the promise of a foreigner's native tongue). But these kids are anywhere from five to fifteen years old. The children want to be children and run around (so they should) and the older ones want to be anywhere else rather than the English Hagwon (academy). I'm realizing as I spend more time at the front of the room that these kids are... just kids! It should have been obvious, but... no it wasn't. I entered the English teaching field with the high hopes of teaching kids how to communicate, but I feel like that goal was set a bit high.
These are just regular kids. At five years old how many different languages did you know? How many different schools did you attend? These kids are worked hard! Trust me, I'm an optimistic person but they will not (most of them) be able to pick up a new language, even if they are pushed as hard as they are. So all this was to say that I have come to a conclusion (or, perhaps a more realistic goal). I will just be there. I will teach what I can, but also play the games. I will run through the curriculum, feeding the kids only what they can handle.
Sounds like the right answer? Maybe, but I feel like I'm taking the easy way out. And it WOULD be the easy way out. It's ridiculous trying to get them to follow any type of structure, or respect. Especially the little kids: back home these kids would be having a nap time, where here, they are learning how to chat about the weather in a foreign language. Have your break kids. Let's play a game.
But my other problem... The older kids, who have the potential to learn and to develop in their English. I can think of one class especially where the balance between teaching them and tolerating them is like walking a tightrope. On one hand there are some people in the class who are picking it up and want to learn. On the other, there are a few who don't want to be there, and swear at you in Korean because you tell them that they can't listen to mp3's in the class. Do I just let things slide to make it easier on me and them, while sacrificing their English lesson? or do I stand my ground and have fifty minutes of hell telling the few of them to behave? I was once told that I should just "do my time" and then come home. I'll get paid either way, but I feel that I can't just let the class run itself. There's much potential for knowledge there that I feel that it is my responsibility to run a good class. The other teacher that has this one particular class just lets them have their way: if the kids don't like the seating plan, then this teacher will cater to the kids. How can I contend with this and go against the other teacher that teaches 80% of the class? I feel like if I stop trying it would be so easy to just play games with them every class - but I'd get NO respect, everyday... I'm not sure if you follow what I'm writing, but it is a bit of an issue that I've been dealing with the last few weeks. How much effort should I put in? What difference is it making? The battle between having integrity, and having an easy year is war, a balance. I'm not sure which side will win...

when i grow up i want to be..

Disclaimer: this blog is a thought process. From beginning to end, I am writing and working things through. Agree or disagree, these are just my rambling thoughts.

As of recently I've been feeling the pressure of that sentence, and have been disparately wanting to finish it. A friend reminded me a little while ago that applications for universities will be due in February, if I plan to attend in 2008. I'm not sure if this is just for the programs in September or if that application includes the winter term too, but regardless of that, the clock keeps ticking and brings me that much closer to my homecoming.
I'd like to return to school when I get back to Canada but first I am needing to decide what I'm truly interested in. How do people do this I wonder? For those of you who are striving toward a particular vocation, how did you get started? Did you always want to do a particular line of work? or did a friend suggest it to you? Did you study for years with this one goal? or did you stumble upon it out of the blue? How does one choose?
Maybe it's been the influence of TV and movies that has romanticized my idea of what working life will be like. Of course my optimistic mind would filter out the shows that depict a rotten job life, leaving me with a rosy outlook that demands that I 'make a difference in the world'. The influence of the media along with cheery elementary school teachers who ingrain on us the words "you can do anything you put your mind to" have left me with a pristine picture of what life should be, and could be like (as long as I put my mind to it). And who wouldn't want to make a difference in the world if given the opportunity? The problem is that it is very easy to type away at my keyboard talking about it, and much more challenging to actually go out and find that job that satisfies your goals.
Of course, all these options would not even have existed a generation ago. Every new age seems to bring different problems along with (hopefully) different solutions. I am fortunate to have grown up in a middle to upper class family, without experiencing the true meaning of poverty, or even 'struggle' for that matter. But have these circumstances helped or hindered my quest? I wonder if living without wondering where our next meal is coming from has given me a tainted view on what it is to 'have a job'. There are some who work because they need to survive. Working = food and shelter, and food = one more day. Where as people in that situation are forced to work ANY job out of necessity, here I am debating over which job I would like and which job I would not like.
In writing this, I am finding more and more that I am among the fortunate people who have the option to choose a particular type education, or job while rejecting another type. My original comment about what I am going to be when I grow up seems almost selfish in light of my families social status. Yet, the choice of how one should choose to live lies before us all, rich or poor. I guess it would be pretty selfish to blog a whiny tale about how I have so many opportunities and can't quite choose one (that's not what the blog was supposed to be about). Perhaps it would be more appropriate for the discussion to be about the topic of how to live, instead of how to get a job that you like. This general inquiry would then include the choice of vocation along with many other choices that we all seem to face. Of course, our lives are always shaped by our own particular circumstance, but I'm sure that there is an overarching theme to each choice we make. Could it be the theme of 'what makes us happy'?
My friend and I are one day going to put together a photography exhibit that expresses the message that, even the poor people can feel happiness. The goal of this project was to show that happiness exists in all circumstances, and more importantly, that wealth is not the source of ones happiness. But that is a discussion for another blog.
So, how to wrap this rambling session up... It seems that it's not so much important to choose the right career for oneself, but the importance lies in the way life is conducted. If one is able to 'live well' according to their own standards, then this will probably equate to that person's overall happiness with their life. So maybe my search isn't so much with what I want to do as a particular job, but rather who do I want to be as a person.
If you've made it through this random session of ramblings and understood it all, congratulations. I barely made it through myself...