The Pilates Kid

"A fight is not won by one punch or kick. Either learn to endure or hire a bodyguard."
- Bruce Lee -

Every time I do or say something mature, I usually give myself a mental pat on the back. Being an adult is about doing and saying the right and proper thing.The grown up part of me always whispers "Nice" or "Good one" or "You sexy beast" in such instances for self reassurance. For example, a few days ago one of my students had correctly answered a review question, and, in turn, asked for a reward. "Teacher, please give me candy," he said. Korean sweets, I find, are great incentives for students to be motivated in class. However, I didn't realize how enabling it is to my students. After all, these candies are cheap and delicious (for them, at least). Anyway, the student's request caught me off guard, because it was as if I was mandated to hand out goodies for good behavior. Do I look like Willy Wonka?

It was due time for a quick reality check.

"Listen, kid, if I give you candy it is because I want to give you candy. Not because I'm forced to. Candy is a privilege, not a right."

Nice.

I pressed on. "As your teacher, I get to decide when I give out candy. Not you. If I give you a slap in the face, you will take it and you will enjoy it."

Good one.

Now, I'm just worried I made the kid a future Patrick Henry for junk food. Give me licorice or give me death!

These pictures are from the Flower Festival in Masan, South Korea. A festival of chrysanthemums, tulips, roses, and killers bees made this event quite exciting. Just look at how excited I look to be there. But, seriously, it was really neat to see all the colors. I got to smell all the flowers, eat amazing barbecue, and got stung a few times. Quick, how do you say epinephrine in Korean?

One mustn't provoke a fight without the intention of winning. And, per usual......
...victory is mine.

In other exciting news, I went to a jimjilbang, one of those public saunas that's a fixture of Korean R & R. There are several types of jacuzzi-like pools that vary in temperature, and you sit there with a bunch of naked people. My friend Simeon and I decided the jimjilbang would be a nice end to a nice, cold weekend. Except the nice part. A bunch of old Korean men stared at our willies and kids were jumping into the pools, which consequently sent water into my mouth. Of course, for a germaphobic maniac like myself, swallowing public pool water is like licking a colostomy bag.

The sauna's are a great escape from the cold Korean weather that we've been having for the past month. I was stupid enough to dress lightly a few days ago, which, unfortunately, was one of the coldest days we had. I was shaking harder than a shitting dog's legs. Now I've got a stupid cold. Well, my cold medicine is kicking in, so I'll be headed for bed. Until next time.