a day in the life of piano monkey

a few thoughts during the days at the university as non-student and non-teacher.  it's a weird place to be a simple worker. as far as i am concerned, as skilled my work may be, for the social ranking, a casual employee falls somewhere between the regular employee (like the caretakers and office admins) and graduate assistants (as they are never in an objective position. thorny cushion really).  so you may be curious, how does monkey see the school social structure?  well, before i put it out there, i have to clarify that unlike the universities of the medieval period, the post-modern institution is... well, an institution. what is a university?  well, the word comes from the latin word universitas.  along with growth of towns, which made congregation of specialists and wanna-be-specialists possible, associations of various natures, much like guilds for tradesmen, came to existence.  the difference between the pre-medieval and medieval universities? one ma...

i am very lucky to have good friends. yep. here in yyz. and all over the place.  and nope, i dont tend to spend much time with them in person or on the phone, bizarre enough (though i do love doing things with them once im in the same physical space).  i think of them very often and though i dont actually make contact, i wonder if my thoughts ever make it to their heads.  often it seems as if i am trying to save a bit of myself so when i actually meet them, it would be awesome.  yep. i also hold the urge till i have to run to the bathroom to pee once in awhile.  or try to save that last piece of candy until the very last moment. or perhaps im just really lazy. may be the excuses i just put on there are for- well, justifying myself.  why? i have no clue. however, it's often funny when thoughts do cross path in the air, much like radiowave, simultaneously. as if it's been scheduled.  and though one try to tell self that: oh no, it's impossible, who a...

i recent met up with the little kiddies i love so much in yyz (and i still am so lucky to catch up with some more to go!) and these particular kiddies all have something in common: we are all koreans and ended up being more of transplants than anything else, and yeah, we all studied music. re: transplant, it's a bizarre thing to grow up in foreign soil sometimes.  for instance, i came over to canada when i was twelve and somehow i have became what we call a 'twinkie,' yellow on the outside and white for inside.  the opposite of a twinkie would be a f.o.b, for fresh-off-the-boat.  as ridiculous to use the stereotype, it is somewhat true.  ask any immigrant family, especially the ones who comes from tighter-structured and traditional world to freer-world (and it does not get much freer than north america or austrailia, trust me).  i know lots of kids who came at my age to canada and they look as if they just got off the plane, however long they have been living ...

(pet peeve tag by graphic designer brittany harriman, florida) just like everyone else, i have some pet peeves. though highly insignificant and dumb mostly, it is weird to be effected so fundamentally by such small things. i am sure i also have habitual failings that disturb others and i would like to not to do it, if i can help, at all!  so what are monkey's peeves?  well, there are too many to list, unfortunately, but i will put on some today here, as it makes me laugh at the same time. gah. 1. wrong contractions/nu-spelling: i understand lots of kids, especially with farcebook and texting culture, they like to make up stuff because it's convenient or it's funny (or retarded!!).  the biggest and most dumb one is 'your' vs 'youre'.  just because they look similar... or referring to things without checking the standard spelling.  i understand if you alternate between 'color' and 'colour,' though as a stickler canadian, i prefer the extra ...

it is that time of the year again. yep, the sales pitch for christmas is hung everywhere with no shame (well except in the states, they will still be waving thanksgiving sales flags till 26 november 2010, the infamous black friday where people run others over to point of death for their once-in-lifetime chance to get cheap stuff) and all sorts of relationship thoughts are creeping up. possibly for everyone (!) the singles are starting to feel the pressure of RSVP parties, the doomed check-box for single attendee vs. double.  the newly attached people are starting to re-examine their partners with microscope: can i bring him/her home? is he/she fit for my contextual surrounding? am i fit for his/her surrounding? what of people returning to home- especially college kids, the new fragile affection vs. the homey historical artifact gf/bf? the list goes on and on. couple days ago, i ran into an article by one of my favorite journalist, david mccandless.  his mash up of datase...

last night was the infamous halloween, where unexpected things happen and disguised people and spirits roam free during the night.  it was a nice one, considering that the sky of yyz was crystal clear with a near a quarter moon, shining down into the city street.  with leaves rustling under small and big feet, doors were knocked and candy bags were filled.  it was a rather special one for me, as i had a close friend from lincoln days visiting me for a wknd trip.  and yes, she loves to dress up as well. in conjunction to the usual north american fancy dress parties at clubs and such (the three former nebraskan girls went out to the little italy, only to get their poor ears blown off through the euro-trash beats of the basement clubs. oops), yoshi's visit was a nice opportunity to walk around the town and enjoy the last downward curve of the autumn, before the mad christmas fever infects the city.  funny, in canada, after the summer, the shop windows change from...