Hello, I'm Deathnote

This article about the popularity of English names among the English-speaking Chinese was interesting, I thought.

Basically English names persist because a) non-Chinese speakers find most Chinese names impossible to pronounce and b) they're viewed as "cool" for a variety of complex cultural reasons.

I've never liked the whole English name trend, and I prefer to address my students and anyone else I meet by their real name, whether I butcher its pronunciation or not. Fortunately Korean names, for me at least, are a lot easier to pronounce than their Chinese counterparts.

The author briefly touched on how so many Asians with English names make bizarre choices and stick with them even after being counseled that their appellation of choice sounds ridiculous to the native ear. That's certainly true. When I was in China, I taught a moon faced girl named "Ocean" and a shifty eyed boy named "Flea." The strangest name a student ever had, tho, was "Deathnote," pronounced "Deasuh-nosuh" by Koreans. I just can't see anyone with that sort of English name rising to be a CEO or Senator someday.

I am so totally not a racist, but...

...is there anything that strikes you as funny about this video?

"Don't worry, I am rich!"

My boss is a nice and decent guy, which by hagwon standards makes him a frikkin saint. I have absolutely no (serious) complaints so far which is pretty amazing. Appraising a hagwon as such is similar to saying the same about an airport - to have no complaints is about the highest praise which can be given.

His English is also pretty good, and if we were again to apply typical hagwon standards that would make him a savant amongst his peers. He has a meeting with S (the other waegukin teacher) and I every week in which he lays out the upcoming schedule and we go over any problems or issues. This meeting always happens on Monday, which was today.

Today's meeting was like a good, new song: familiar but also different. He again reiterated that we were both doing a good job and that there have been no real complaints from mothers of late (which astonishes me every time I hear it, knowing as I do how prickly Korean mothers can be and how susceptible they are to the exaggerations of their delinquent offspring). He also reemphasized that the Korean economy continues to suffer and because of that many parents are pulling their kids out of hagwons to help make ends meet. He even provided a worrisome factoid to drive home that point - our school currently has an "enrollment" of about 150 students, the lowest level since its founding 6 years ago.

This detail provided, he segued into a lengthy digression during which he tried to reassure the quiescient S, and the similarly demeanored I, that our jobs and the position of the school were secure. Naturally this automatically caused me to wonder if the school is indeed solvent or if I am soon to have something else in common with those throngs of recently-laid off Wall Street bankers other than the fact that women find us irresistible. Visions of the 100,000 word Newsweek article I read this weekend about Bernie Madoff insisting up until the very end that all was well flashed through my head. But Mr. Kim was persistent, and quite long winded, and there's something to be said for numbing the minds of your inferiors with near-endless blather, after all it worked for Hitler. And he even at one point blurted out a hearty "don't worry, I'm rich!" which was both reassuring and amusing, kinda like a holiday Far Side cartoon.

Not that I'm worried, I'd land another job easily here. But to quote Marge Simpson: "I've dug myself into a nice little rut here." And I like it.

VenomFangX and Inevitability

I stumbled on this guy's videos on youtube via a long ago "debate" he had with a vlogger I've watched a few times, the subtly named "Amazing Atheist." I thought he was a smarmy idiot and I wrote him an email telling him so, but I have to admit I also clicked "subscribe" at the same time. I wanted to see what else he'd get up to.

The answer hasn't surprised me, and really, considering the fact that he's youtube's version of a televangelist, it was inevitable. Feel free to waste time watching this video in which he, shock!, talks about all the money he's making:



Notice how he cleverly defends stealing from a bunch of idiotic well-wishers to fund his bullshit ministry. "Oh, I only asked for $1, but...ok, if you WANT to give me $500, well, God bless you" etc etc. If this guy had only been born a coupla thousand years earlier he'd probably have churches built in his honor today.

A typical VenomFangX fan:


I love what she does with her arms!

Rice Tards

I feel I must link to this post.

Rice Tard. Ha.

The Story of My Life

Holy Shit, There's Another Dylan Album Coming Out

Why didn't anyone tell me? This came as a shock to me.


Of course I'm excited to hear new Dylan stuff, but I have to admit I'm a little ambivalent about this. Modern Times, his last record, was a frikkin masterpiece, as were the two that preceded it, Love & Theft and Time Out of Mind. Eternal skeptic that I am, I'm a little worried about whether or not the master can keep this going. Will this new album be another "Slow Train Coming" or another "Under the Red Sky?" (To non Dylanologists, that means, will this be a unique but successful album or a uniquely terrible one?)

Anyway I'm looking forward to finding out for myself.

Update: well I've listened to the pre-release single, which you can hear here, and I love it. Hope springs eternal. Love the accordion.

The Force Is Strong With This One

I saw this guy's videos on youtube and thought I'd share. He pretty much sums up my feelings on Star Wars better than anyone else I've ever heard. Enjoy:

Korean Students Are Some of the Best in the World at Math

Here's why:

Facebook and Birthdays

It was my birthday last week. Don't worry, I didn't care either.

I'm still young, but I'm getting to the point where birthdays are no longer a cause for celebration.

"Has it been ANOTHER year already?" I've asked myself on the birthday eves of recent years during which the impact of the day is considered.

And nowadays, not only do you have to deal with the real life stresses of the anniversary of your birth, but you also have to deal with all the goddamn facebook well-wishers.

I deliberately removed my birthday from my account several months ago, in the hopes that the day would pass unnoticed, and there were still a dozen of so people who were compelled to wish me a happy day. Here's a message to facebook birthday whores: fuck off.

I don't want to hear from you. I'm not going to wish you a happy birthday on your page when your day rolls around. I don't care about your birthday and I'll thank you to return the favor. If I see you in real life, and it's your birthday, I'm happy to wish you the best. But via facebook? Nope.

And now comes the worst part. I have to write insipid little thank you notes to all of these goons. Every fucking one of 'em. If I skip over ONE PERSON, then I guarandamntee you that person will be super offended.

"Why did he thank janie and not me?" judie will ask herself. And then she'll cry her fat little face to sleep.

It's times like these that make me want to abandon it all and get a shack in the woods, Kacyznski-style.