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日志


11月29日

I've got mail

I got two pieces of real mail this morning.  One was my ticket to Hanoi from my travel agent, and the other a letter from one of my kindy students - Jenny.  My name was spelled incorrectly on one of the envelopes; can you guess which one?!
 
As excited as I am about finally get the ticket to 'Nam, the letter from Jenny cheered me up even more.  Here is what she wrote:
 
Brendan 'Today your
hansome, I Love you
somuch      Goodmoring
How are you Today?
11月28日

It's raining again

 She's Gone Oh I,
 
I'd better learn how to face it

She's Gone Oh I,
 
I'd pay the devil to replace her

She's Gone
 
11月24日

Friday Feast 119

I'm rushing my dinner this weekend for two reasons. 1) I've forgotten my glasses today, and this is hurting my eyes. 2) We're heading to the RMT this evening for food, beer and live music. Good enough? I think so.

Appetizer
Have you ever changed a flat tire by yourself?
Yes, a number of times. I've also done it with other people, and for other people.

Soup
Do you have an "innie" or an "outie" belly button?
An "innie". Kyle, from Kyle XY, doesn't have a belly button.

Salad
Name a new paint color and describe it.
Brendan Green - it's a slightly deeper version of Islamic Green, my favourite colour.

Main Course
What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Midnight Mass at Clonard on Christmas Eve.

Dessert
If you were a cookie, what kind of cookie would you be, and why?
I'd be a cinnamon cookie, because I cinnamon.

11月23日

Laughter is the best medicine

These are for Jodi:

Did you hear about the magic tractor?

It was driving down the road and turned into a field.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

A polar bear walked into a bar: Can I have a Bacardi and

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coke, please?

The bartender says: What's with the big pause?

The polar bear says: I don't know, I've always had them.

Dirtydart

This just in from Dirtydart:

Looks like we're going to live long healthy lives Bren..


11月22日

D'oh!

Someone over at the Secret Service is about to get their ass kicked!

US agents 'fail Bush's daughter'
Barbara (L) and Jenna Bush in Wisconsin in 2005
Twins Barbara (L) and Jenna Bush are holidaying in the country
One of the twin daughters of President George W Bush has been robbed of her handbag in Argentina despite protection by US Secret Service agents.

Barbara Bush, 24, lost her mobile phone and credit cards in the robbery in a restaurant in the capital, Buenos Aires - but she was not hurt.

She was dining with her twin sister Jenna at the time.

ABC News in the US says the robbery went unnoticed by the heavy secret service force protecting the family.

US officials in Buenos Aires and Washington have declined to comment on the incident.

The BBC's Daniel Schweimler in Buenos Aires says it is highly embarrassing for the protection force.

The Bush daughters have been on holiday in the city for the past three weeks.

Our correspondent says that although Buenos Aires, a popular tourist destination, remains one of the safest cities in Latin America, petty crime is on the increase - whether you are protected by the US Secret Service or not.


11月20日

The way things are going I don't know...

The ways things are going in work lately has had me thinking a lot about what I'll do when I leave. I was just looking up cheap flights from Thailand to Singapore when I found this marvellous description of Air Asia's cabin crew. I think I'll definitely have to fly with them at some stage:

No frills but full of thrills

The ladies dress in chili red AirAsia suits. Perfectly applied makeup. Walk in confidence in fine court shoes. Smell like a garden of roses.

The guys are smartly clad. Hair in perfect place. Shoes well-polished and shining. Winning smiles that promise impeccable service.

AirAsia's cabin crew are not just good looks. Superior quality comes with the aesthetics, and every crew demonstrates skill and talent in carrying out his/her tasks efficiently.

AirAsia's cabin crew are thinkers too. How else can one conduct games and activities, then joke and laugh about it, and serve with a smile throughout, all onboard a soaring plane?

Asia's first and only low fare, no frills airline boasts these good-looking, plenty of thrills and thinking cabin crew!


Wish my kids were as funny as this...

1. A kindergarten pupil told his teacher he'd found a cat, but it was dead.  

"How do you know that the cat was dead?" she asked her pupil.

"Because I pissed in its ear and it didn't move," answered the child innocently.

"You did WHAT?!?" the teacher exclaimed in surprise.

"You know," explained the boy, "I leaned over and went 'Pssst!' and it didn't move."



2. A small boy is sent to bed by his father.

Five minutes later....."Da-ad...."

"What?"

"I'm thirsty. Can you bring drink of water?"

"No, You had your chance. Lights out."

... Five minutes later: "Da-aaaad....."

"WHAT?"

"I'm THIRSTY Can I have a drink of water??"

I told you NO! If you ask again, I'll have to spank you!!"

...Five minutes later......"Daaaa-aaaad....."

"WHAT!"

"When you come in to spank me, can you bring a drink of water?"



3. An exasperated mother, whose son was always getting into mischief, finally asked
 him "How do you expect to get into Heaven?"  
The boy thought it over and said, "Well, I'll run in and out and in and out and keep 
slamming the door until St. Peter says, 'For Heaven's sake, Dylan, come in or stay out!'"  



4. One summer evening during a violent thunderstorm a mother was tucking her son into
bed. She was about to turn off the light when he asked with a tremor in his voice, "Mommy, 
will you sleep with me tonight?" The mother smiled and gave him a reassuring hug. "I can't dear,"
she said. "I have to sleep in Daddy's room." 

A long silence was broken at last by his shaky little voice: "The big sissy."



5. It was that time, during the Sunday morning service, for the children's sermon. All the children
 were invited to come forward. One little girl was wearing a particularly pretty dress and,  as she 
sat down, the pastor leaned over and said, "That is a very pretty dress. Is it your Easter Dress?" 

The little girl replied, directly into the pastor's clip-on microphone,
"Yes, and my Mom says it's a bitch to iron." 



6 When I was six months pregnant with my third child, my three year old came into the room
when I was just getting ready to get into the shower. She said, "Mommy, you are getting fat!" 

I replied, "Yes, honey, remember Mommy has a baby growing in her tummy."

"I know," she replied, but what's growing in your butt?"



7 A little boy was doing his math homework.
He said to himself, "Two plus five, that son of a bitch is seven. Three plus six, that son of a bitch is nine." 

His mother heard what he was saying and gasped, "What are you doing?"

The little boy answered, "I'm doing my math homework, Mom."

"And this is how your teacher taught you to do it?" the mother asked.

"Yes," he answered.

Infuriated, the mother asked the teacher the next day,"What are you teaching my son in math?"

The teacher replied, "Right now, we are learning addition."

The mother asked, "And are you teaching them to say two plus two, that son of a bitch is four?"

After the teacher stopped laughing, she answered,"What I taught them was, two plus two,
THE SUM OF WHICH, is four."  



8. One day the first grade teacher was reading the story of Chicken Little to her class.
She came to the part of the story where Chicken Little tried to warn the farmer. She read,
 ".... and so Chicken Little went up to the farmer and said, "The sky is falling, the sky is falling!"  

The teacher paused then asked the class, "And what do you think that farmer said?"

One little girl raised her hand and said, "I think he said: 'Holy Shit! A talking chicken!'"



9. A certain little girl, when asked her name, would reply, "I'm Mr. Sugarbrown's daughter."

Her mother told her this was wrong, she must say, "I'm Jane Sugarbrown."

The Vicar spoke to her in Sunday School, and said, "Aren't you Mr. Sugarbrown's daughter?"

She replied, "I thought I was, but mother says I'm not."



10 A little girl asked her mother, "Can I go outside and play with the boys?"
Her mother replied, "No, you can't play with the boys, they're too rough." 

The little girl thought about it for a few moments and asked,
"If I can find a smooth one, can I play with him?" 

City Love

I never liked this apple much
It always seemed too big to touch
I can't remember how I found
My way before she came around

I tell everyone
I smile just because
I've got a city love
I found it in Lydia
And I can't remember life before her name

She keeps a toothbrush at my place
As if I had the extra space
She steals my clothes to wear to work
I know - her hairs are on my shirts

I tell everyone
I smile just because
I've got a city love
I found it in Lydia
And I can't remember life before
The day
She called up and came to me
Covered in rain
And dinnertime shadowing
And as her clothes spun, we spooned
And I knew I was through
When I said "I love you"

Friday evening, we've been drinking
2 AM, I swear I might propose
but we close the tab
split a cab
and call each other up when we get home
falling asleep to the sound
of sirens

I've got a city love
I found it in Lydia

From the battery
To the gallery
It's the kind of thing you only see
In scented, glossy magazines

And I can't remember life before her name
11月17日

They can talk

Last night I was watching CNN when it was reported that British man Mirza Tahir Hussain, who has been sitting on death row in Pakistan since 1988, had been released.  He was charged with the murder of a taxi driver (which he claims was in self-defense), and acquitted by the court.  However, he was convicted and sentenced to death under Sharia law.  For the last 18 years, there have been appeals and calls from all and sundry to have him freed.  Lately, both the Prince of Wales and PM Tony Blair have called for his release. 
 
Since the news broke, I have heard so many British lawyers and MPs talking about injustice, miscarriages of justice, and the mistreatment of this young man.  I couldn't help thinking about the fact that, in 1988, when Hussain was convicted, there were a number of Irish and English people rotting in British jails, for crimes they didn't commit.  The Guildford Four, the Birmingham Six, the Maguire Seven, were all convicted of acts of terrorism under the British system of "justice."  In the case of the Guildford Four, the presiding judge lamented the fact that they hadn't been charged with treason, under which they would have been executed. 
 
And just so that I don't sound like the mad Belfast-child that so many of my friends from Dublin think I am, I should mention the story of Derek Bentley (told in the film Let Him Have It and the Elvis Costello song Let Him Dangle) who was only pardoned 45 years after his execution.  Furthermore, it was the case of Timothy Evans, wrongly convicted and executed for murdering his wife and daughter, that led to the abolition of the death penalty in Britain.
 
Of course I think it's a good thing that this person has been spared the death penalty, and God only knows the kind of treatment he's suffered over the last two decades.  But I think it would serve those talking heads well to remember that it's not only in far-off places like Pakistan where miscarriages of justice occur, and there were plenty of people who weren't as lucky as Mirza Tahir Hussain.

Friday Feast

Finally, dinner is served.
Appetizer
Do you believe there is intelligent life on other planets?
Yes, and with any luck they'll all be like E.T.

Soup
What is one thing you said you'd never do, but you eventually did?
I never say never.

Salad
Who is the teacher that influenced you the most in school?
Hmmm. Influenced in what way? Certainly Mrs Finnegan, who had the face of a witch and personality to match, taught me, at the tender age of 5, that you might not remember half of what a teacher tries to teach you in class, but you'll certainly remember the way they treated you. In her case, I was treated badly. She was an awful person, who at the very least should've retired a good 10 years before I ever entered her class. I really hope that none of my kids ever feel about me the way I felt about her.
Otherwise, I could mention Spangles, who was so much fun to be around. Again, I couldn't do now any of the stuff he had once tried to teach me, but I can remember his classes vividly. He was like a cross between the Rain Man (and yes, I know that in The Rain Man it was Tom Cruise who was the Rain Man (his name was Raymond), but you know I'm talking about Dustin Hoffman's character) and Mr Fargus from Family Guy.

Main Course
If you could trade places with anyone for one day, who would it be and why?
I wonder how many people will answer this with "George Bush"?! I'd choose to be either Bart Simpson or Stewie Griffin. They're two of my favourite characters from television, they make me laugh so much. I'd like to see the world from their eyes. And no, I don't care that they're fictional; if Jodi can sleep with Jack Bauer, I can be the Bartman.

Dessert
What is your favorite dish to prepare?
Right now I'd give anything for a proper kitchen and some ingredients to prepare to anything! Lately, Aoife made a comment on an earlier post regarding my famous stuffed peppers, which I prepared for our Christmas dinner in Valencia. I haven't made those since I lived in Ireland. They're easy to make, and they're delicious, and they'll be one of the first things I'll eat whenever I make it back to Belfast.

We didn't start the fire...

This is probably the sort of stuff I'd get upto is I had a) a laptop b) the energy c) the ability:

We didn't start the fire

And then there's this, which probably means these guys have too much of the above:

TGIF

I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too
Thursday I don't care about you
It's Friday, I'm in love

Monday you can fall apart
Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart
Thursday doesn't even start
It's Friday I'm in love

Saturday, wait
And Sunday always comes too late
But Friday, never hesitate...

I don't care if Mondays black
Tuesday, Wednesday - heart attack
Thursday, never looking back
It's Friday, I'm in love

Monday, you can hold your head
Tuesday, Wednesday stay in bed
Or Thursday - watch the walls instead
It's Friday, I'm in love

Saturday, wait
And Sunday always comes too late
But Friday, never hesitate...

Dressed up to the eyes
It's a wonderful surprise
To see your shoes and your spirits rise
Throwing out your frown
And just smiling at the sound
And as sleek as a shriek
Spinning round and round
Always take a big bite
It's such a gorgeous sight
To see you eat in the middle of the night
You can never get enough
Enough of this stuff
It's Friday, I'm in love

I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too
Thursday I don't care about you
It's Friday, I'm in love

Monday you can fall apart
Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart
Thursday doesn't even start
It's Friday I'm in love
11月16日

Golden Autumn Day

Well I heard the bells ringing, I was thinking about winning
In this God forsaken place
When my confidence was well, then I tripped and I feltl
Right flat on my face
Now I'm standing erect, and I feel like coming back
And the sun is shining gold
Put a smile on my face, get back in the human race
And get on with the show

And I'm taking in the Indian Summer
And I'm soaking it up in my mind
And I'm pretending that it's paradise
On a golden autumn day, on a golden autumn day
On a golden autumn day, an a golden autumn day

In the wee midnight hour I was parking my car
In this dimly lit town,
I was attacked by two thugs, who took me for a mug
And shoved me down on the ground
And they pulled out a knife, and I fought my way up
As they scarpered from the scene
Well this is no New York street, and there's no Bobby on the beat
And things ain't just what they seem

And I'm taking in the Indian Summer
And I'm soaking it up in my mind
And I'm pretending that it's paradise
On a golden autumn day, on a golden autumn day
On a golden autumn day, an a golden autumn day

Who would think this could happen in a city like this
Among Blake's green and pleasant hills,
And we must remember as we go through September
Among these dark satanic mills
If there's such a thing as justice I could take them out and flog them
In the nearest green field
And it might be a lesson to the bleeders of the system
In this whole society

And I'm taking in the Indian Summer
And I'm soaking it up in my mind
And I'm pretending like it's paradise
On a golden autumn day, on a golden autumn day

King Konglish no. 407

I think I may have posted this one before, but when one of my kids proudly read it out to me this morning, I thought had to re-post:

Peterfan
Finding Shadow come in again wendy home peterfan
bradish hook always, want get peterfan captain hook.

11月15日

That's good advice Marty.

I just got this from Stef's MySpace, it was posted there by Brittany:

"If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears."

Glenn Clark

Hit the Hut? No thanks.

One of my parents sent in two large supremes from Pizza Hut today, for the teachers to eat at lunch.  It was very generous of her, and it's fun to force the kids to eat kimchi and rice while you munch away on pizza-goodness.  But I'd love to tell the parents not to bother.  You see, I don't like Pizza Hut pizza, and it's got nothing to do with my short-lived career as a Pizza Hut employee.  For one thing, they put sweet potato and cheese into the crust.  While I'm a fan of sweet potato, and I love cheese, I don't want them both together, and certainly not in my pizza crust.  However, as that is considered the top option for pizzas from the Hut here, the parents always choose it. 

Also, those two pizzas probably cost her about 70,000 Won, or 35 pounds.  That's a lot of money for pizza, especially considering Pizza Croissant, our local pizzeria, does better pizzas for a third of the cost. 

But, I guess you can't look a gift Hut in the mouth.

And couldn't get up in the morning

Today was like a day in Ireland.  It's raining - heavy, cold rain that gets in everywhere.  I didn't want to get out of bed, I didn't want to leave the apartment, I certainly didn't want to come into work.  Then I listened to this song by Supertramp and was immediately cheered up.

Oh, it's raining again
Oh no, my love's at an end.
Oh no, it's raining again
and you know it's hard to pretend.
Oh no, it's raining again
Too bad I'm losing a friend.
Oh no, it's raining again
Oh, will my heart never mend.

You're old enough some people say
To read the signs and walk away.
It's only time that heals the pain
And makes the sun come out again.
It's raining again
Oh no, my love's at an end.
Oh no, it's raining again
Too bad I'm losing a friend.

La, la, la, ...

C'mon you little fighter
No need to get uptighter
C'mon you little fighter
And get back up again.

It's raining again
Oh no, my love's at an end.
Oh no, it's raining again
Too bad I'm losing a friend.
Oh!Oh!

La, la, la, ...

C'mon you little fighter
No need to get uptighter
C'mon you little fighter
And get back up again
Oh, get back up again
Oh, fill your heart again ...

(It's raining, it's pouring)
(The old man is snoring)
(He went to bed and bumped his head)
(And he couldn't get up in the morning)
11月13日

Lucky there's a Family Guy

Yesterday at Yongsan I bought, what I was told, was Season 5 of Family Guy.  When I put the DVD on at home, there were only 8 episodes on the disks.  When I checked online, not only has Season 5 not finished airing yet, but none of the episodes I have are from Season 5 - they're all from Season 4.  Now, Family Guy is damned funny regardless of the season, but I'm pissed off that my guy sold me the wrong, incomplete DVD.  Sake.  There'll be words had this weekend.