Job Discussion Forums

leeroy · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 777 Location: London UK

An anecdote...

A while ago, in a school in Asia, there lived some "office boys" - who (despite the name) worked and lived in an English Language School. Their duties included changing the toilet roll, switching on AC, photocopying, and going to buy fried rice from across the road for the lazy westerners who couldn't be bothered to go and get it for themselves.

They didn't have a bedroom, just slept on mattresses in the classrooms once the school had closed. As dingy as it may sound, they seemed happy enough.

These boys, from time to time, would use the school's VCD player to view 'love-making' films. Although technically illegal, this brand of cinematography was very popular in this part of the world... (Understandable, perhaps, when you consider this particular society's traditional views towards open pre-marital sex.)

Although the boys were usually diligent about removing the VCD's once they had 'finished' with them and replacing them with what had been in there before - on one occasion they didn't, out of sheer forgetfulness (I assume).

The following morning, an unsuspecting English Teacher hit 'play' on what she had assumed would be "Mulan" (an appropiate film, after all, for a class of 8-year olds), and went downstairs to get a cup of tea.

Let's fast forward now...

The (traumatised) children had evidently reported back the ordeal to their parents. Said parents marched into the school and demanded to see the VCD in question ("Brazilian boy-chicks", or something similar). They did, and the next day, 2 office boys were out of a job. The lure of "western teachers" stayed strong though, and the school remained as prosperous as ever.

---

Alas, I actually arrived after this happened - that's just the story as I heard it. Smile

Shonai Ben · Joined: 15 Feb 2003 Posts: 617

Back to the peace sign thing.I did ask my students why they do that when they take a picture and they said it meant that they were happy or having a good time.
They were totally amazed that people in Canada don't do that."What do you do?",they asked in astonishment.
I said we smile.

chinasyndrome · Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2003 7:52 am Post subject:

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

J-pop, I've just popped up the booze shop to stock up. If you're in the area then feel free to pop in for a beer.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

dmb !

I have two suggestions :

1. Find an old Saudi hand who will teach you how to make sidiki. Ingredients are water, sugar and yeast. You need a still.

2. Quit. I did and, although no one who reads my cranky posts will think so, I am a better person as a result.

And you should be on holiday in Ramadan anyway.

I did not know that alcohol was legally available where you are. It just proves what a bunch of wimps the Qataris are !

Ramadan Kareem to you

nomadder · Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2003 5:29 pm Post subject:

Thanks Chinasyndrome. I think I'd rather be polished than mossy.

Maybe a rolling esl teacher gathers no culture(not to be confused with -is not cultured Laughing

).

Dmb keep us up to date on your will power.

99 bottles of beer on the wall......

This could be a chance to see how much you really drink in month.

Canuck2112 · Joined: 13 Jun 2003 Posts: 239

Despite the title of this thread, I'm seeing posts that actually resemble "something". That won't do.

Something has been bothering me lately. Cereal ads in Canada, in particular cereal ads aimed at the younger generation, are beginning to test my patience. When I was a kid back in the mid to late 80's, you plunked your cereal in a bowl, added some milk and chowed down. End of story. Sure, you'd get the novelty cereals like Frankenberry where "Red Dye #45" preceded "flour" on the ingredients list, but by and large cereals were marketed as something you eat at breakfast. The bowl of cereal would always be pictured with some toast, some OJ and perhaps a couple eggs. "Part of this complete breakfast" was the mantra.

These days, you see "extreme" ads with skateboarders and downhill mountain bikers scarfing cereal down right out of the box like hungry pumas. Seldom do you see milk pictured, or anything that would indicate breakfast. Instead, it's some skateboarder trying to hoard "his pops" while his friends stick their grubby paws in the box like D1ckensian urchins. Segments of the cereal being eaten are always surrounded by scenes of skateboarding stunts and loud punk music.

In no way is cereal "extreme". Never in my life have I seen a group of kids engaged in their daily activities while eating dry corn pops out of the box.

Is this trend going to continue to other cereals? Are we eventually going to see nursing home patients fighting over handfuls of All Bran?

</moronic rant>

Seth · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 575 Location: in exile

I always like the sunny delight commercials.

*cue two kids wearing skate gear and 'extreme' music*

"Dude, your mom buys sunny d! Your mom's the coolest!"

There's also 'squeeze' peanut butter. Looks like a tube of toothpaste. And, of course, features crazy music with kids dancing and squirting peanut butter on random things. "the most extreme way to eat peanut butter!"

Where do people come up with these things?

Wolf · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 1245 Location: Middle Earth

The only good commercials in the PRC are the infamous "shampoo girl commecials." They're better than the tv shows.

By the way, did the Energizer die the slow, horrible death it deserved yet?

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

I kinda miss that little Energizer bunny! One of the most clever ad campaigns I can think of, it was.

One of the things that I miss when I leave the States is the commercials. A few years back, there was that whole "waaaaaaassssssssssuuuuupppp" craze, but I was away at the time. Sigh.

Maybe I should just fly back home and park my a$$ in front of the TV. Give up this life of teaching.

d

nomadder · Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2003 1:08 am Post subject:

How about those Juicy Fruit ads? THink they've been pulled. They did downright nasty things to nice clean cut types who were just singing the gum song. Basically meanness and criminality were promoted. It hurt to watch them. And then there's squeezing hot tomato sauce on your friend from a pizza pop. In Japan they did mean things to people on TV too-like the pie in the face times 50. Childish with a mean streak.

Wolf · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 1245 Location: Middle Earth

gerard · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 581 Location: Internet Cafe

They say that eating the box is better for you than eating Count Chocula.

Did green ketchup get popular???

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

I think there's also purple ketchup, too.

That's just scary--taking a perfectly good vegetable like ketchup and adding all those nasty chemicals to it!

d