YES! I DECLARE VICTORY OVER THE DEVIL THAT IS POOR ENGLISH SPEAKING IN KOREA. After two years of relentless conversation practice and torturous Scattergories, I declare that Korea now knows English! Maybe a few kids still say "shitty" instead of "city", and "bitches" instead of "beaches", but that's just minor detail, we won! Yer welcome.

*****

i have one more class, which is going to be a popcorn party, and i don't think that really counts. i've turned in my masters' application forms, with great sympathy and thanks to my family for putting up with me and doing everything they can to help me out. finished up my english camps (which were a joke) and thanks again to Theresa, Jaye, Andy, and Kat for helping me out with that too.

after three weeks of constant moving, now i am sitting at my desk every day wondering how the hell i'm gonna waste the next 50 hours or so. i've already packed up my desk and supplies, organized my notes for the next poor soul to teach at my school, and watched over 10 hours of Buffy the Vampire Slayer back to back. i could argue with my school to let me go home early, but then i'd do even less, perhaps getting lost in the Sims 3 or Unreal Tournament (i'm pretty much over my LOTRO addiction...for now). so i trudge to school every day to keep my image squeaky clean, and waste the day away.

vacation begins at the end of next week for me, and truly is the launching point for 2 months of travel and transition. but i've posted enough about my vacations in the previous posts to keep rambling on about it. really, i need to figure out what to do when i get back home. creatively and career-wise.

weyburn or regina...or toronto...maybe vancouver? if it turns out i get accepted to university, then there won't be any settling. just six months of floating and roaming until i end up wherever i end up. it sounds like regina is dead for movies right now, so there's a good chance we might end up sticking around weyburn for most of that time. i kinda envy mark bauche when he returned from the UK and essentially walked off of the airplane into his new apartment. i don't have the luxury of security when i return. this is to me a greater worry than from when we came over to korea, because the future was clear, for a year or two anyhow.

i fantasize about the idea of not working, just living out at nickel lake, spending the day writing/planning/working on film/music projects. in the evenings, fishing in a boat watching the sun go down and sleeping in a tent with no fly cover so i can watch the stars. just for a summer. kat is trying to convince me of this plan as we speak. i do, after all, have several major projects that need to be finished. the two biggest ones being the Kat has the Key record and my Reunion feature-length script. if it turns out i don't get in to film school, i'd like to produce the Blossoms script as well (one that's been in the works for over 5 years now). i've already had some new project offers, and i haven't even left korea yet. guy kurtz's band "kriticos" needs a promo video and music video. lots of work for little money, however, i need to get back on the wagon, so it could be a worthwhile experience.



although, the most important thing in my not-so-distant future that i hold above all else is a canoe trip. at least 2 weeks away from people. the idea of being the only soul for miles in any direction is more exciting than thailand, china, or any asian destination.

but right now, my only destination is bed. found some pics on kat's cell phone of one of our favourite 막걸리 (Rice wine) joints. It was called 주막걸리 or Ju Makgeoli and we spent many quiet evenings there before the rest of the Taebaek crowd arrived. unfortunately, it is now closed.

or just attract it? even though i'm pretty much finished teaching (3 hours and two weekends left), i still feel quite stretched thin. part of it is finishing up my grad studies applications (which are pretty much finished aside from a few straggling loose ends to tie up), part of it is the prospect of an uncertain future upon returning to canada, part of it from spending thousands of dollars on plane tickets for vacations. However, the reality is that the bulk of it is English Camp. so much work for so little gain.

but i can be somewhat optimistic, i bought a new digital compact camera, and the gaining of material possessions is always a little bit of a serotonin burst. with one hurdle in the way and two weekends of monotony yet hopefully minimal stress, i can also look forward to an exciting adventure through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. we have a pseudo-itinerary going, about 8 days in Thailand 5 days in Cambodia and 8 days in Vietnam. several days in the first part of the trip will be spent on a beach on an island called Ko Samet. i am so very excited for this, as it will be four or five days to unwind the intensity of Korea. we've been in wind-down mode for some time even though were busy, but to sit on a beach next to the ocean for four or five days will be beyond relaxing. nowhere to go, nothing needing to be done, no cares, no worries. four or five days of that can feel like a month.

i will post again next week, i promise, i just need to jump this hurdle and i can spend some time doing more social things without guilt, but until then, i bid you a brief adieu.

peace