Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Keepongoing]

besides language, which is obvious, what have you memorized in your life that still inspires, motivates and comforts you?

Please be specific. If poetry; what poem. What quote? etc

a note to Christians: i already know about memorizing Bible verses. so you don't need to mention that. Thank you

[dogshed]

I wish I could determine pi.
Eureka cried the great inventor.
Christmas pudding, Christmas pie,
Is the problem's very center.

Count the letters in each word and you have the digits of pi after the 3.

I found this cool song:
http://pi.ytmnd.com/

[Grimalkin]

[Rock]

Hymns will stand out a lot for me. In other words, religious songs.

These often give me the strongest boost. Consider this one:

"Jehovah Jira, my provider
His grace is sufficient for me. . ."
Or
"God is so Good
God is so good,
God is so good,
He's so good, to me."

I mean these are just the simple ones. Others get quite deep, are personally applicable to specific situations in your life(like living in Korea,) and may be Divinely inspired.

So to this extent, songs help me memorize the most.

But memorizing is almost always 'short-term' if it's to be dredged up for use, the long-term memorized material seldom useful.

[VanIslander]

you don't have to be religious to see the value of the serenity prayer:
(especially while in Korea!)

[faster]

Phone numbers.

[oneofthesarahs]

This quote from "Of Human Bondage" has always stuck with me.

"When I read a book I seem to read it with my eyes only, but now and then I come across a passage, perhaps only a phrase, which has a meaning for me, and it becomes part of me."

[cosmo]

I am a pheasant plucker, and a pheasant plucker's son.

I'll keep on plucking pheasants 'til the pheasant plucking is done.

[cangel]

Multiplication Table

[Richard Krainium]

K. I. S. S.
keep it simple, stupid

[xtchr]

This too shall pass.

Except for when it reminds me of Lord of the Rings 'You shall not pass!'

[sojourner1]

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

[jajdude]

Lt. Col. Frank Slade:

Out of order, I show you out of order. You don't know what out of order is, Mr. Trask. I'd show you, but I'm too old, I'm too tired, I'm too fckin' blind. If I were the man I was five years ago, I'd take a FLAMETHROWER to this place! Out of order? Who the hell do you think you're talkin' to? I've been around, you know? There was a time I could see. And I have seen. Boys like these, younger than these, their arms torn out, their legs ripped off. But there isn't nothin' like the sight of an amputated spirit. There is no prosthetic for that. You think you're merely sending this splendid foot soldier back home to Oregon with his tail between his legs, but I say you are... executin' his soul! And why? Because he's not a Bairdman. Bairdmen. You hurt this boy, you're gonna be Baird bums, the lot of ya. And Harry, Jimmy, Trent, wherever you are out there, FCK YOU TOO!

[storysinger81]

For inspiration/mantra purposes: Edna St. Vincent Millay (A Few Figs from Thistles):

Safe upon the solid rock, the ugly houses stand.
Come and see my shining palace built upon the sand...

And:

My candle burns at both ends and will not last the night
But ah my foe and oh my friends it gives a lovely light!

I have other poems of hers memorized. Other than that--bits from Prufrock (Eliot), Shakespeare, Sidney, Keats, Shelley, Lewis Carroll, Shel Silverstein, Poe, etc. I don't really count songs/movie quotes and such since I make no effort to memorize them, but I definitely have a lot of that crap stored up there.

I love memorizing things--often just for the delightful way they sound. I used to act a lot, so it's pretty natural for me at this point. Then I read a summary article of neurological research about how memorizing passages of great works of lit actually creates certain cool brain paths that allow for greater dexterity with language and I felt validated (silly, but fun).

AND THE PI POEM IS AWESOME--let no one tell you otherwise. I used to memorize certain proofs that I admired for their aesthetics when I was a math major back in college... but then, I am a HUGE dork.

[excitinghead]

"Do one thing everyday that scares you"

This is from the 1997 song "Everyone's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" by Baz Luhrmann. Actually its more like a narration than a song, and there's lots more good advice on it, but remembering that one sentence really did change my life (and continues to).

If we have something about our personality that we want to change, then according to novels and movies some big momentous event will happen and give us a big push in the right direction. But in reality, you can be waiting a loong time for something to come along, and even doing something huge instead of waiting, like coming to Korea, can be disappointing. Young and naive, I was shocked and disappointed to realised that arriving in Korea didn't automatically mean I no longer had my same personality problems and flaws. Helped a bit sure, but not as much as I expected.

So, do something everyday that scares you. Sure, somedays you can do something very scary like bungy-jumping or giving a speech to 100 people, but again opportunties like that are few and far between. So the trick is to do something 'scary' everyday, no matter how trivial or mundane, even something like asking someone to turn down their cellphone on the subway, or smiling at a girl. You can say that neither are scary, but if you want to but don't, and make excuses like your station is only 3 stops away, who cares, or the girl will just think I'm a typical perveted sex-mad foreigner, then no, you're still scared. So do it, and the phone owner will probably apologise and turn his phone TV off, and the girl might smile back, and you'll wonder what you were ever scared of.

Most recently, a few months ago, to get Korean practice I was on the verge of following my friends advice of going into a bar by myself on a Thursday night and talk to the bargirls, was thinking screw this, I'm tired and want to go home but was really just too nervous (I'm not as attractive or single as my friend), but remembered this, so went in even though instinctively I didn't want to, and, jeez...within 5 mins I was chatting to 3 gorgeous 20 year-old bargirls, so bored that they were very happy to see me, and I was in Korean language learning heaven. What the hell was I worried about? Should have done this years ago, especially before I met my wife!

Constantly push the boundaries of what you are not scared off doing this way, usually in small steps, take big ones when you can, and you'll be amazed at how confident you will become. It's difficult to convey over the internet how much of a sad scared w_a_n_k_e_r I was 10 years ago and, well, how normal I am now.

Sure, some of you may still think I am one for spending 40 mins tonight typing all that up, but what the hell, that one sentance changed my life. Let me have my moment!

P.S. Can post up the rest of the song if anyone wants.