Warmer - Ice Breakers using Cellphones

After a tweet from @ShellTerrell ("@TheConsultantsE: Ice Breakers Using Mobile Devices http://zite.to/zZJBUk #edtech via @inov8ed @SNewco"), I decided to try it out with my Intermediate & Pre-Intermediate classes the following day.

My students know the "No Phone" policy in the classroom, so they were a bit confused when I asked them to take their cellphones out.  I asked each student to please find a photograph, video or song on their phones which best represented them. For those who couldn't find anything like that, I asked them to locate something that was special to them. Then, in about 20seconds each student shared their photograph, video or song with the rest of the class.


Phones were passed around, there were "Ooohs & Aaahs" about beautiful locales and before long, we realized that our class actually had more in common than we thought.


It was a great ice-breaker to the first class of new students and it is something I will definitely be doing again. We often forget that for many people, the one thing people enjoy talking about the most, is themselves...and when one has an audience, let's face it - they love it!


Teacher's who are willing to spend the first 15-20 minutes at the beginning of a lesson just to get students into "lesson-mode" should try this out!

13-year-old girl demands free iPhone repairs

From Korea Times

An iPhone user Tuesday filed with the Seoul Central District Court a lawsuit against Apple Inc., demanding that the U.S. handset maker pay repair costs for her damaged phone.

The 13-year-old girl lodged the suit against Apple's Korean unit, calling for 300,000 won (about $270) in compensation. It marks the country's first civil action against the global handset manufacturer's after-sales service policy.

She bought an iPhone 3G last February that broke months later,and brought her smartphone to an authorized repair shop earlier this month, a court official said.

However, the company reportedly rejected her free repair request, saying that she dropped the smartphone in water. 

Seinfeld on Blackberry / iPhone

Thanks to Jason for this :-)

Filing today away in the "Fcuk my life" folder

Today I ran on about 3 hours worth of sleep. I was fine because I was busy all day, and was told I needed to submit 15 lesson plans by tomorrow. While I was working frantically, Mr Kim came to my office. I spoke about Mr Kim, my IT guy on Friday.

He wanted to show me the names of the files that was recovered from my hard drive.

ONLY 8 GB COULD BE RECOVERED

I apologize if this sounds morbid, but what the hell. I can only liken my experience and feelings to death. As I scrolled down the list of things that were recovered, it was like I was being asked to "identify a body" (which I've never done before)

I recognized some folder names, namely: London /Jeju Island/ South Africa-Durban/ At home and some others.

I have to pay about $300 (US) for this. After Mr Kim left, I felt my shoulders and arms feel very tight. I was tired of sitting at my desk clicking my mouse and typing frantically, but I had to meet a deadline. And now the loss of my data on my hard drive.

I feel like putting this day away in the "Fcuk my life" folder. Those who know me will know that it takes A LOT for me to say THAT. So ummm... yeah, I guess that's the way I'm wrapping up November 2009...

TED x Seoul

I'm on my way to TED x Seoul right now...

Here's some info on what it's all about from the TED site.

"TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design."

I can't seem to catch a break

I can't seem to catch a break

I feel like I need a good cry. I think it'll make me feel better. But I can't seem to. It's not easy to cry on demand!

After my panic attack on Friday, I've been fairly Okaaaay. It happened after many months, and I've been confused as to what brought it on. And then there's the thought of, "When will it happen again?" I've been kept busy with work and have spent my evenings writing / blogging. It has become like therapy for me, and the other day I was up at 6am writing!

My family & close friends will know what absolute hell I went through at the beginning of last month with my hard drive drama. I blogged about it a lot (more therapy) - Crash Boom Bang.

Basically, my hard drive fell on the floor. (I get shivers just thinking back to it) I told my IT guy (Mr Kim) that I'd pay ANYTHING to have my data recovered. In fact, I didn't care about anything else on it, except for the one folder titled PHOTOS.

...and before you go on telling me that I should have had a back-up, I'd already asked Mr Kim for another hard drive to back up my data. And it was going to happen within a few days. (My best photos are saved online, but the quality has been lost due to images being reduced)

Only those close to me know how I value my camera and everything it has seen with me on my travels. So I was really feeling devastated.


I've been waiting patiently to hear from Mr Kim. He keeps telling me that the "company more time need" I've kept my hopes high. If they're keeping it for so long, surely I'll get good news? It was going to cost me a lot ($500 US) but I was told that about 90% of my data may be recovered.

So... about two and a half hours ago:

A few minutes before leaving work, my co-teacher tells me about lesson plans she needs by early next week. I leave work at 5pm and the sky is grey - which I hate. I'm walking quickly, but am happy to see Mr Kim pull in. He rolls down the window on the passenger side of his car. He rambles something to me in Korean with a sympathetic look on his face. He pulls over and gets out...talking more.

"My data... no?"
In my mind, I'm praying: "Please, I've had a crap week. Do NOT give me bad news. Please."

He says something I can't understand. But doesn't sound good. He's very expressive with his eys and I catch on quickly.

When I tell him that ALL I want is just my photos in my PHOTOS FOLDER, he looks at me with an expression that gives me a bit of hope. I want to cry right there in the car parking lot. But it's not easy for me to cry in front of people. He tells me he'll come and see me tomorrow to show me what has been saved. I thank him profusely. I know he's tried his best and so far, has always come through for me with any tech issues I've had.

I start walking out the school gates and Yong-un is leaving school as well. He's with another teacher. We still haven't spoken. In all fairness, the teachers have been very busy at school this week, but then again - I always seem to make excuses for him. So I'm feeling a bit distant from him...again.

On my way home, my eyes feel hot with tears welling up, but the cold air stops the tears from falling. I stop to buy something at the grocery store, but feel like I'm out of my body. I drag myself to my apartment. Going to gym is the farthest thing from my mind. I imagine Seo-gyun is waiting for me!

I can't seem to catch a break this week.

I can't vent or cry to anyone here, and the one person I used to be able to do that with has gone off the radar since she got married (very suddenly) a month ago.

So I turn to my humble little abode in cyberspace - my blog, which is basically my public journal. At least this is my space where I can vent and scream as much as I want to.

I can't imagine living in Korea without the internet. I'm so grateful to my friends all over the world - America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, India and ...of course, South Africa. On nights that I'm at home, I'm kept company by my cyber friends - some of whom I've never even met before.

Thank you...

On the red carpet for 'This Is It' World Premiere on live stream

Image taken from Google Images

This morning for about 30 minutes before my first class, I was on the red carpet at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles for the World Premiere of Michael Jackson's "This Is It"

Of course - I was just at my desk in my office watching the premiere via live stream...oh! how I love this digital age :-) As stars arrived and were interviewed, the buzz and excitement intensified.

Meanwhile, in South Africa...around 2am, some of my South African friends were at the premiere at the Fourways Mall Ster Kinekor Theater. Judging by their messages and regular updates, the concert documentary was a definite not-to-be-missed. I'll be seeing it tomorrow evening. Will write more about it then. Anyone else seen it yet?

UPDATE: Hard Drive Drama

Crash Boom Bang (Part 1)

Crash Boom Bang (Part 2)

I couldn't have been happier to see Mr Kim (my IT guy) in my office on Thursday morning. He had news for me re: my external hard drive. Apparently, they needed more time to work on it. And if I want everything recovered - it's going to cost me. Of course, I didn't hesitate.

I can't recall every single folder that I had on there, but two of the most important are those name "Photos" and "Work" which has everything I've collected over the past 2+ years.

I figured I'd just have to live a slightly less-extravagant lifestyle for a couple of weeks. After all, just a few weeks ago, I'd been to Jeju Island and spent a bit more than I planned. With winter setting in, it's easier to save money because it's more convenient to stay at home. So now, all I do is wait.

Poor Mr Kim is such an angel. I told him that he's my No.1 Guy in all of Korea. He's never disappointed me and has always - ALWAYS - delivered. Whether I wanted a new notebook, netbook or camcorder, he's helped me ...and always with a smile on his face. I've said it before, if I were him, I'd probably have blocked my number by now!

Friday night... 2 days later

My mum e-mailed me after she read my blog about my hard drive on Wednesday. Her kind, loving and consoling words were probably what I needed to get me crying. Before that, I hadn't cried. I just said I wanted to and that I felt I could. But I really cried a lot after the e-mail.

And thinking back, I don't know why I cried. Was it because my hard drive is in a critical condition and I will only get word on it next week? Did I cry because no one understands my grief and pain? Or did I cry because no one really gives a f**k?

The past 2 days have been very painful for me. I haven't been to gym. I've just been to work, taught my classes with a forced smile, came home... climbed into bed and watch TV. Even though my mum's been trying to call me, I can't talk to her because I will probably break into tears.

Of course, measured against other problems on such a larger scale (globally etc...) my little dilemma is microscopic. But what I've POSSIBLY lost is what makes me ME. It's my THING. It's EVIDENCE of things I've seen, done and experienced.

I have friends who are professional photographers, and I can almost say that I beat them hands down when it comes to snapping away.

The last thing I need to hear from anyone is that I should have had a back up. I KNOW. I had already told my IT guy that I wanted him to get me another hard drive as a back up. On the other hand, I have over 300 albums uploaded on Facebook. So there are digital back-ups. I was going to get the new HD by next week.

My hard drive is currently in Yong-san. If they recover 90% of my data, I will have to pay $500(US). That's a lot of money. But I don't care. I will pay.

I have so many other gadgets that are SO much more expensive than my hard drive. Laptop, netbook, DSLR camera, digital camera, iPod Touch. I wouldn't have felt this way if any of these things FELL to the ground. But .... damn, it was such a freak accident. Where is the Rewind button when I need it?

I've only been chatting to my brother online, and mostly about other things to try and divert my thoughts. Yesterday morning, I called a friend in SA. I didn't even know where to begin whatever I wanted to say. But all I know was that I was feeling very crap. I felt a bit better after talking. I didn't even have to say much and my friend just listened. I guess that's all I really needed.

After getting dressed and putting on my makeup, I had to also put on my "poker face" although I don't think I can really pull it off. If someone here asks me what's the matter, I have two options:

1) Lie and tell them I'm fine ... maybe just tired
2) Explain my situation very slowly. And too much of the story gets lost in translation or misunderstandings. It ends up becoming very frustrating - for my Korean friends, and for me.

All I really want to say is: I'M SO F*CKING IRRITATED WITH THE WORLD AND EVERYONE.

I'm really a good person. I'm the kind of person who will make the phone call the following day to see if you're OK after being down the previous day. I'll buy you a present for buying your first car. I'll think of buying you breakfast knowing that you probably rushed to work this morning. And everything I do, I do without expectations of getting anything in return.

That's why that day I walked home from work, I couldn't help but think what I'd done to suddenly get this feeling so sickening in my body.

Even when I eat, it hurts when I swallow. Mostly also because I just don't have the energy to chew.

If anyone reading this can't understand how I'm feeling, then I just don't have the energy to explain myself. And I don't really care either. The only person I can tell things to is my mother, but I can't speak to right now. And I feel blessed to be able to express myself through my writing, and that is what I'm doing through my blog.

I have so much to blog about, so that's what I intend doing for the next couple of hours.

Crash Boom Bang (Part 2)

Crash Boom Bang (Part 1)

I walked home in a complete zombie state. Thought my music would calm me as it ALWAYS does, but the bloody MP3 player wouldn't turn on. I stuffed the thing into my handbag.

I even looked up into the sky thinking, "What did I do?"

I skipped gym. Got home. Ate. Watched TV. Fell asleep. It must have been around 9pm.

I woke up after a couple of hazy dreams. Thank goodness it's morning! As always, I reached for my phone to see the time. WTF???!!!! It was 11:55pm.

I watched TV, went downstairs for a drink and tried sleeping again. I think I slept for about 2 hours when I woke up again (properly)

I felt numb. To others I'm probably overreacting, but I know for sure that only people who have experienced what I have will truly understand. I called my IT guy 3 times. Honestly, if I were him I'd probably have blocked my number by now.

Anyways, the latest is that my HD is being sent to Yong-san (Tech Capital of Seoul). 90% of my data may be recovered. And I may have to kiss $500(US) away. As I said on Twitter, I am willing to kiss that money away. Hell, I'll kiss anyone or anything as long as I can get my things back.

I was sleep-deprived and very worried today. A combination of those two ain't good. Screaming 3rd graders could have had me in tears!

Walking home, I thought - what can I do?

Cry? But then what's that going to solve? I just needed / wanted? someone to tell me everything would be OK.

Of course, to another person this is just trivial and so so meaningless, but to me - it's the past 2 years of my life.

And today I really wished that I had someone who would empathize with me just as I know I would with them. One who always does is my mother, but mums fall into a special category altogether.

I have so much to blog about and say - on various topics, but I can't seem to get the will to type. I will try, though.

UPDATE: Hard Drive Drama

Crash Boom Bang (Part 1)

After a good and enjoyable Chuseok week-end, I was back at work yesterday (Tuesday October 6) I was happy to be back at work and was generally my jolly self. Until 2pm.

My last class of the day on a Tuesday are 6th graders (6-4). They are my nightmare and I spent the last lesson with them dishing out punishment. Yesterday we weren't having a regular class so my co-teacher and I agreed to show them a movie.

I had the movie, "School of Rock" on my external hard drive, and was going to put it on for them to watch. As usual they were being raucous and acting like hooligans. When the movie started, I heard, "Teacher! Volume!"

I rolled the chair back to turn up the volume on the sound system, not knowing that a cord from my hard drive was caught on my chair.

It fell to the ground. Under my breath I said, "Oh sh*t"

The movie stopped playing and the computer wasn't reading my hard drive. Right. Focus. Breath. Don't Panic. First things first - I lined up a few clips of Mr Bean from YouTube for the class to watch.

I darted off to the office to see what was happening to my treasure chest that is my hard drive. I started breaking out into a sweat. I called my IT guy, Mr Kim.

"Ahhh Sheetal!"
"Mr Kim! How are you?"
"I'm fine thank you"

I had to get right to it.

"Mr Kim, my hard drive...broken"
"Hard drive no access?"
"No access"
"OK don't worry, I come"
"When?"
"4pm, ok?"
"OK! See you later"
"Don't worry"

My stomach was in knots.

I called Mr Kim again at 4pm.

"Mr Kim... (and then I asked in Korean if I must wait for him at school)
"Ok"
"What time coming?"
"30 minutes or 1 hour"

FINE! I just sat tight. Home time is at 4:40pm. Mr Kim came at 5pm and took my hard drive with him. We left the English classroom together and in the elevator he kept saying, "Don't worry, believe me!" and then he said, "I have hand of God!"

True. The man has never disappointed me before. He's pulled through for me one too many times and has put up with my frantic calls... MY calls to him even though he promised to call me back. But when I want something, I want it yesterday and I can't wait.

...and yet, he's SO sweet and kind. Goes out of his way to help me AND gives me tons of gifts. I can say that I love this man.

He told me to go home and not think about it.
But that was impossible because it was ALL I was thinking of ...

Crash Boom Bang (Part 2)

Size does matter :)

LOVE my netbook (on the right) It looks so tiny next to my bro's Mac!

Asus Eee PC 1008Ha

I'm getting back into my writing, and very often I am inspired to write when I'm out and about or while traveling. My iPod Touch is too small to type long entries, and of course my laptop is far too bulky too lug around anywhere. So I decided to invest in a little netbook. Y'all know how I love gadgets, and when I asked around about this, and spoke to a friend in the US (Vish - who has one), I was convinced that it was just what I needed.

I decided on an Asus model, who were the first to actually come up with the concept of netbooks. The 1008Ha is the latest model and comes in black, white and pink. Every single review complained that the glossy black was prone to fingerprint stains. I couldn't think of having a pink cover, so I settle for the white - which makes it look like a Mac, right?

The design is said to be inspired by nature, and so the 1008Ha is also known as the Seashell as the machine's shape is similar to it. It is said to have a 6+hour battery life - which is perfect for me. It arrived on Friday, and I was so excited! I love getting new electronics :-)

I really like the design and feel of it. It's lightweight and fairly easy to type on. I'm currently using Windows XP (Korean) on it, but am going to have my IT guy install the English version for me tomorrow, along with MS Office and an Anti-virus program as it's not included.

As you can see, the keys are pretty flat looking, and one has to get used to the Pg Up/Pg Dn key on the bottom right of the keyboard. If working on a surface, it's best to use a mouse (included in the package), as browsing and using the mousepad can be a bit trickey. Web pages can be enlarged or shrunk by either 'stretching' or 'pinching' the mousepad (as seen in the pic below).

In the left corner, there's also a button to turn on / off WiFi. The power button is simply in the top right hand corner. There are two USB Ports (external hard-drive/mouse)? One of the common features of this model is that it has a power-saving mode. Also included in the box is a micro-fibre cleaning cloth.

I'm ever so thankful that I have a reliable IT guy in my life over here. Trust me, if I were him, I'd block all calls from ME~! But he never fails to deliver and helps me out with virtually anything I need. He's just awesome!

Twitter down

Twitter.com is down for maintenance at the moment.
Cute pic on the homepage: (twitter.com)

Facebook Username Countdown

In 7 minutes (and counting), Facebook will allow users to create a username for their FB profile. Been amazed by the media coverage of this 'event'~! What will yours be?

Yong-Jae, teacher is waiting for you!

I was taking register for my after school class. One boy (Yong-Jae) wasn't there. I asked the others, "Where's Yong-Jae?" and within a few seconds, Seong-Bin (boy in the middle) whipped out his cellphone and called Yong-Jae... "Where are you? Teacher is waiting for you..."

These kids are in 5th grade ... and they have snazzier phones than me!

Password Frustration

A few days ago I accidently signed out of my flickr account... and now I can't remember my password :( So I have created another account ....

(not sure how to get the other one deleted since I can't access my account settings)

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Word of advice to everyone:
WRITE DOWN YOUR PASSWORDS!!!!!!!

aaaaaaah!!!!

Can technology PLEASE just be on my side for a few more hours?!

My laptop is as slow as a snail these days. If I click on something, I have to wait for half a minute before the damn menu gives me options to choose from....and I have been wrecking my brain looking for just the right music to go with my documentary. I never want to have to go through this again - what a bloody pain!

I have finally settled on something - it's a piano piece. It's not wonderful, but at this point I actually just don't care. For all I care, I am willing to put down "Twinkle twinkle little star" while my subject talks about receiving an honourary doctorate.

I'm pulling an all nighter tonight... I'm editing from 8pm right through to Sunday at 4am.

The only thing keeping me sane is knowing I'll be home next week this time.