Busy Busy Busy

It's all go this week since our Duksung Dynamic English (DDE) intensive classes started. My teaching schedule is usually pretty light but, a few times a year, we have these intensive sessions during which time we are pretty much under pressure all day everyday with class, prep, marking, conferences and lesson planning. On top of that I'm still trying to apply to as many schools as I can for August (Cameroon, Honduras and Sri Lanka today), keep finding research subjects for my MA dissertation, sort out my tax return documents for Friday, learn songs for an upcoming Muse cover gig with Cheon, keep on top of my other classes, and trying to grab a few moments for myself here and there too.

The classes themselves are going very well. We are preparing our homeroom for the TOEIC Speaking test, which is fine because I have taught it before. The students don't have a textbook for that class, which is a challenge, but they are an eager bunch. This is actually their first experience out of High School (they are freshmen due to start Uni in March), so it must be a daunting experience for them all. They're doing well. It's interesting to note how much more submissive they are than the older students I taught last term. They have clearly had all their creativity drummed out of them at school and it'll take a while for some of them to claim it back, it seems. The other classes are using a new textbook created by Tom, one of the teachers here. We have only been using it since Monday, but I can already say that it's a brilliantly useful book, rich in resources, varied, cleverly linked together, and perfectly suited to it's purpose. Tom leaves in late-February, but he will certainly have left his mark here.

Last weekend was, quite simply, the best of the year so far. Eleven of us made the trip to Gwangju, in total, and it ended up being two days filled with laughter, music and card games! The gig at Speakeasy was packed and the crowd, as usual, were amazing. Cheon had a bit of a blow when his bass took a tumble and picked up a scratch. The result was that he ended up getting more hammered than I have ever seen him, and it's a credit to him that he made it through the gig, let alone pulled off some stunning solos. I'd say Jeff also had his best 'Dead End Friends' gig so far. There was a period towards the end when he just closed his eyes, tilted back his head, and was very clearly right in the zone. We don't have anything as a band until late February, but this gig was just what we needed to give us the confidence to add a bit of swagger to our step.

That's that for me tonight. Looking forward to relaxing a bit on Saturday night with a few beers and Korea V Iran in the AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals. Korea were as frustrating as ever in their 4-1 win over India last night, although Son Heung Min, Ku Ja Cheol and Ji Dong Won all impressed aside from their goalscoring contributions. Not taking more of their chances resulted in ceding top spot in the group to Australia and facing a tougher quarter-final opponent than they might have otherwise expected. I hope it isn't something they live to regret...

How Predictable

Poor old South Korea. Having displayed superior skill and tactics tonight against Australia in the Asian Cup in Qatar, they only came away with a 1-1 draw, and were probably lightly lucky to do so. The result will probably result in both teams qualifying for the knock-out stages, but it's these types of performances that really frustrate Korean soccer fans - not that many will be watching until (and if) the Red Devils make it to the latter stages. They are definitely unlucky in that Park Ju Young picked up an injury prior to the tournament, but their tendency to overplay the ball in midfield means that it's unlikely his presence would have altered the outcome of this one. It's not as though he's the greatest finisher anyhow...

It was great to see a good number of K-League players involved, and showing their quality. Ku Ja Cheol is now the tournament's top scorer having nabbed his third. However, it was provider Ji Dong Won (or Don Juan as the commentator kept calling him) who really caught my eye. At only 19, the Chunnam Dragons (Cheongnyang Dragons to the expert on the mic) striker looks assured and confident on the ball, although his finishing could do with some fine-tuning. I was delighted to see Yoo Byeong Soo come on as a sub, as I think we need him at FC Seoul. As it turned out, he was a largely anonymous figure before being replaced by Yoon Bit Garam after ten minutes. That must have hurt...

It would be great for Korean football if they could go on and win this tournament having not done so since 1960! On the evidence of the first two matches, they have a lot of ability and potential, but need to be more ruthless in front of goal. Lee Young Pyo and Cha Du Ri have impressed me so far along with Park Ji Sung, which almost goes without saying. I'd love to see a bit more from Lee Chung Young and we need one of the young strikers to start banging them in. Will it be Ji Dong Won or Son Heung Min who steps up to make his name in mainstream Korea. It doesn't look as though it'll be Yoo Byeong Soo; I'd be surprised if we see him again at all in Qatar.

Not much FC Seoul representation on show, unless you include the MANY players in the team who used to ply their trade with us (most notably Lee Chung Young and Ki Seung Young, the double dragons). I did notice that our goalkeeper, Kim Yong Dae, was sat on the bench. I'm an admirer of Jung Seung Ryeong, but he is definitely prone to the odd howler, as we saw tonight. He's still young and his judgement must be in question (it looks as though he's moving to Suwon, for instance!). If he continues to err, I'm sure Kim can step in and do us proud. It's hard to believe that the best team in the K-League aren't represented among their national team.

Enough football already, I hear you say! Especially K-League/Korean football... Well, a few more applications went out to International Schools in China, Spain, Bahrain and the Lebanon. Bite please, or even nibble. I also got in touch with a number of potential research subjects for my dissertation and am delighted to say that I already have three kind educators on board. Got back into my Korean class today too - really need to take that next step. This website continues to aid, but it's going to take more work on a more consistent basis if I'm ever going to move beyond Level 2. Later in the day we had band practice in Hongdae, and it was sounding good even if I do say so myself. Judging by the facebook page, it looks as though it's going to be a busy night tomorrow at Speakeasy and a real test of our set. I actually really can't wait. I think it's going to be the most fun Dead End Friends gig yet. My intensive classes start on Monday and I'm sure that's going to be a long, tough day. Not going to think of that right now though. Have a great weekend everyone.