Jack Parrow, Katie, Mmê Emily and The Help

In a recent post about Afrikaans rap and Hip-Hop music I mentioned how I'm not a big fan of the Afrikaans rapper Jack Parrow. But let me not be a spoil sport for others that enjoy him. Someone just now showed me the video below of a help (maid) in South Afrika, most likely working for a white family, and listening to the Afrikaans rapper on television. Watching her do her work with that amount of enjoyment she derives from Afrikaans rap will bring a smile to anyone's face and is possibly the best marketing for popular alternative Afrikaans music I can imagine.



It also made me think of Koos Kombuis' Afrikaans song "Katie", in memory of the maid that worked for his family and helped raise him. In the lyrics of the song he proclaims that their maid "was not merely a maid / but also a mother" [my translation] to him. In the video below Christo Wolfaardt does a rendition of the song "Katie".



This song by Kombuis is one of his most famous, probably because it resonates with so many white South Africans that grew up with an "Ousie" (Afrikaans word derived from "ou suster", meaning older sister, and used to describe a maid or house help). For many white South Africans of around my generation "the maid" was more than just another worker; for many of us, our Ousie was a second mother.

Me and my "mother" Emily.

Mine, was definitely a second mother. She worked for our family for 27 years. Her name is Emily but I often called her "Mmê Emily". Mmê is Sesotho for mother. She is actually ethnically Zulu, but the area we lived in was predominately Sotho, so she spoke Sesotho to me. The name I use and which all my family and friends use is a Sesotho name and was actually given to me by Mmê Emily.

She is retired now and currently lives in the Sebokeng-area, Vaal Triangle. The last time I visited her was in 2008. I hope to go visit her again next month, God-willing, when I visit South Africa.

Recently I watched the film The Help (2011), based on the 2009 début novel by Kathryn Stockett. The Internet Movie Database gives the following synopsis: "An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960's decides to write a book detailing the African-American maid's point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis," and gives it a rating of 8 out of 10. The American Film Institute listed the film as one of the ten films of the year. For people like myself, coming from a white family, who grew up with a nanny who is a person-of-colour, the film was particularly touching. Although the set-up in America and in South Africa worked differently, the similarities are enough for South Africans to also appreciate The Help, and appreciate our helps, as I appreciate my Mmê Emily.

Vyf dinge wat ek by my ma geleer het

'n Mens is nie aldag bewus van die waardevolle lesse wat jy deur die jare by jou ouers geleer het nie. En om eerlik te wees, die trauma-geïnduseerde amnesia wat met my ouers gepaard gaan maak dat ek nie juis veel van my ma kan onthou nie. Gevolglik is ek opgewonde wanneer ek wel 'n paar positiewe herinneringe kan onthou. In elk geval, hier volg vyf dinge waarin my ma geglo het en wat ek as waardevolle lesse by my ma geleer het:

“Vra is vry, en wyer daarby”

Dit was een van my ma se gunsteling spraakwendings. Ek is seker dat die idioom “vra is vry, en wyer daarby” selfverduidelikend is: Daar is geen skade om te vra vir, oor, omtrent, of na iets nie. Die ergste wat die ander party kan doen is om jou versoek te wyer, so daar is nie veel te verloor deur te vra nie, maar daar is altyd die potensiaal om iets te win. Selfs die Bybel por ons aan om te vra (Markus 11:24).

Veg gravitasie

Wanneer jy gesigroom aanwend, vryf dit op, nie af nie. Gravitasie trek die heeldag alles af, moet jy nie nou ook dinge begin afwaarts vryf nie. Soos ek ouer word kom ek agter dag dinge begin sak en het ek nou besluit om die beginsel ook in my daaglikse afdroog roetine toe te pas na ek gestort of bad het. In plaas daarvan dat ek “afdroog”, met ander woorde die handoek afwaarts oor my liggaam vryf, maak ek nou gebruik van “opdroog”—ek vryf die handdoek opwaarts oor my lyf.

Iets anders wat my ma ook vir my genoem het en waaruit ek as 'n man nou nie juis persoonlik veel baat vind nie, maar dalk van my vrouelesers wel kan, is dat “borste moet ondersteun word”. My ma het sterk geglo in bras wat die borste behoorlik ondersteun en die effek van gravitasie teenwerk. Klink sinvol.

Worry nie oor wat ander van jou dink nie en wees proaktief

My ma was nie 'n skaam mens nie en het glad nie omgegee om uit te staan of in die kollig te wees nie. Sy het kanse gevat, haar stem laat hoor, en was nooit bang vir verkeerd wees nie. Om aksie te neem is beter as om te kwyn voor die vrees van wat ander mense van jou mag dink. Sy was proaktief. Uit die krygskunste kan ek die beginsel beaam: aksie is inherent vinniger as reaksie. Wees 'n aksie mens, nie 'n reaksie mens nie.

Musiek het voedingswaarde

My pa hou nie van musiek nie. Ek vind dit uitermatig weird dat 'n mens nie van musiek kan hou nie. My ma, aan die anderkant, was 'n groot musiekliefhebber. Om haar was daar nooit nie musiek nie. My ma het van alle musiek gehou: Country musiek, rock-en-roll, klassieke musiek, boeremusiek, koortjies en lofliedere, popmusiek, selfs die metal-goth waarna ek as laattiener geluister het, het sy saam met my geluister. Sy't gesing, klavier en orrelgespeel en ons kinders aangemoedig om ook musiek deel van ons lewens te maak, want musiek is so nodig soos kos. En nes kos, het sekere kos meer voedingswaarde as ander. So luister na 'n gesonde verskeidenheid!

Waarde word nie net in geld gemeet nie

My ma het waarde gesien in enige iets wat handgemaak is, waaraan iemand tyd spandeer het. Massageproduseerde, masjien gekoekiedrukte produkte het min waarde in haar estimasie gehad. Iets wat die produk is van iemand se persoonlike swoeg-en-sweet, se bloed-en-trane, was outomaties meer werd vir haar. 'n Kranklike houtgekerfde stoeltjie was vir haar van meer waarde as iets wat dubbeld soveel werd is in geldelike terme. Daar's baie waarde in die “personal touch.” Tyd voeg ook waarde by tot iets. Natuurlik was enige oudhede en antieke dinge van hoë waarde vir haar.

Goeie lesse, dink jy nie?

What's in a Name?

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One of the first Korean friends I made was a student of mine that I taught English at a language institute in 2006. His name, Jun Hyun-Jin. Recently Jun Hyun-Jin suddenly became Jun I-Sum. Why? Well apparently the Korean Sound Wave Name Institute convinced him that his name Jun Hyun-Jin is full of bad luck. If he kept his name, they told him something to the effect that he will suffer from serious ill health later in life, he'll get a terrible wife, have weakly children, and never advance his career. They suggested he change his name to avert these travesties and proposed the name Jun I-Sum, which he did. I don't know how much he paid for their services, but he paid over $1000 to have his name officially changed.

Personally I think it is all hogwash and suspect that it is not much different from numerology or other such superstitions.

Then again, there is much to be said for a name. Would Oprah have been the success she is today were her name Mary-Sue? Would Madonna have been equally iconic if she was known by her middle Louise instead? Or if she hused her family name and was known as Madonna Ciccone?

In the Bible, names often carry meaning, usually describing the character of the person. Bible characters would sometimes undergo a name change. Abram became Abraham. Jacob became Isaac. Simon became Peter. Saul became Paul. The name change often signalled a character change.

I once had a friend who were verbally and physically abused by her father. As an adult she decided that the negative associations with her name--her father always shouting her name--disturbed her, so she took up another name. She wanted a unisex name so we decided on Toni. With her new name, signifying a new start and a strong character, Toni was able to commence her journey of recovery after years of abuse.

Similarly, my younger brother who has a four syllable first name that people always mispronounce decided to shorten his name to a two syllable name. Later still, his friends adopted a one syllable nickname, Nate, which most people now use. While I liked the two syllable name, Nethan, I also like the name Nate. These days I see that he use different versions of his name, the original four syllable one, the two syllable one, and the one syllable one, in different situations, to good effect.

I'm sure that my own name also had an influence on who I am today. My real names are proper English names. However, our nanny gave me a Sesotho / Tswana name, which ended up becoming the name my family used. I grew up with an African name, which always made me stand out within white contexts. I'm sure this must have had an influence on how people treated me, and how I interacted with people. (If you want to know my name, you can see it on my poetry blog: Ingelegde Lywe.) In Korea my name is very similar to a common Korean name 상국, so that Koreans always ask me after I introduced myself to them if it is my Korean name, then I always have to explain to them, no, it is an African name, I am from South Africa. It has become such a trite routine, that I am shocked when it doesn't happen. Since my name sounds Korean I have opted to use 이상구 Lee Sang-Goo as my Korean name.

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While I still think that the Korean Sound Name Wave Institute is a sham, I agree, that there is much to be said for a name.

My kar is gevind!

Wie sou dit nou kon raai?

Ek het verlede week gerapporteer oor my kar in Suid-Afrika wat gesteel is. In die skrywe het ek genoem dat "if it is found I doubt will be worth more than its value in scrap, for the robbers will strip it down to its frame." Ek was verkeerd. Die kar is vandag gevind en die skelms het sowaar waarde toegevoeg tot my motor!

Hier is die kort e-posboodskap wat ek van my broer se lewensmaat ontvang het. (Haar seun is 'n polisieman.)

Ek hoop ek bring baie goeie nuus. My seun het vandag in Orange Farms gewerk en soos hul ry, sien hy 'n blou golf van voor af aankom en besluit om hom af te trek en doen die nodige ''chassis'' en enjin nr toetse oor polisie radio. Daarna bel hy my en vra vir kenmerke en ek noem 'n hele spul goed en hy antw...mamma ek't die golfie gekry. Hy't 2 gearresteer. [Jou broer] gaan mre oggend voertuigtak toe in Vereeniging. Die kar is oorgespray, volgens [my seun] lyk die kar mooi en daar is 2 nuwe mags agter op, maar daars nou 'n ander injin in, 'n passat enjin. So ja, sal jou weer na more op hoogte hou. Prys ons Hemelse Pappa...dankie Jesus.

Hoop my boodskap bring 'n glimlag op jou gesig.

Ek was in die versoeking gebring om te dink dat die rede hoekom ek my rugsak, wat nou die dag verlore geraak het, weer kon opsoor te make het met die veilige hawe wat Suid-Korea is; en dat ek nooit weer my kar sou sien nie omdat Suid-Afrika so 'n kriminele plek is. Die onwaarskynlikheid om my kar weer terug te kry is 'n wonderwerk en dit herinner my dat my rugsak, met al die waardevolle items wat daarin was, wat ek terug gekry het ook 'n wonderwerk is en nie eenvoudig met Suid-Korea se veiligheid te make het nie. Ek het allermins gebid! Alhoewel ek al baie dinge hier verloor het en weer terug gekry het, het ek ook al duur dinge hier verloor en nooit weer terug gekry nie.

Gedagtes omtrent Ma

Dit was onlangs my ma se verjaarsdag. Sy sou 68 gewees het. Ek dink dis nou al seker twaalf jaar sedert haar vernederde afsterwe. Ek dink selde aan my ma, maar elke jaar rondom hierdie tyd van haar verjaarsdag (dis ook die tyd van my ouers se huweliksherdenking) kan ek nie help om aan haar te dink nie. Ek onderdruk gewoonlik my gedagtes omdat die herinneringe van die laaste paar jaar van haar lewe so pynlik is. Haar siekte het 'n eens dinamiese vrou in 'n verknogte, ou, totaal afhanklike, bondeltjie verander.

Hoe ouer 'n mens word en hoe meer jy jouself leer ken, hoe duideliker raak 'n mens se bewustheid van die genetiese invloede van jou ouers. Met die ouderdom saam herken 'n mens eienskappe van jou ouers in jouself. My ma het byvoorbeeld 'n paar klein kersiehemangiomas gehad. 'n Kersiehemangioma is basies 'n bondeltjie kapilêre aartjies wat vlak onder die vel lê en dus soos 'n kersierooi sproetjie lyk. Dis hoe my ma dit aan my verduidelik het. Dit was die eerste keer wat ek die woord "kapilêre" gehoor het, so sy moes dit ook aan my verduidelik. Kersiehemangiomas is heeltemal onskadelik en indien dit nie oor 'n groot oppervlakte versprei is nie, is dit nie estetiesonaangenaam nie. Verbaas let ek onlangs dat ek ook 'n paar sulke bloedrooi sproeitjies op my liggaam het, net soos wat my ma gehad het, en op relatief dieselfde plekke. Ek neem ook redelik gereeld my bloeddruk en polsslag en dit is heel duidelik dat ek net soos my ma 'n inherente lae bloeddruk het. Op die oogaf is dit ook natuurlik ontwykbaar dat my bos dik rooi hare hoofsaaklik van my moederskant af is. My ma het rooi gehad en baie van haar broers en susters het ook rooi hare. Vroeër vanjaar toe ek in Pretoria vir familie gaan kuier het, het van my tannies vir my gesê, die oomblik toe hulle my sien, "Ja, jy is Rita se kind." My gesig, veral my mond en glimlag, verklap dit. Ek is Rita se kind.

Maar ek is dooie Rita se kind. Ek is Rita se weeskind.

Ek is nie die enigste van die kroos wat in die buiteland lewe nie. Tog wonder ek hoe my ma sou gevoel het oor my lewe vêr oor die waters in 'n vreemde land. Ek wonder of dit my ma sou gepla het dat ek nou grootliks in Engels, grootliks in die taal van my Skotse oupa aan vaderskant funksioneer, eerder as die Afrikaanse (Frans-Nederlandse) afstammeling waaraan sy behoort het. Ek wonder wat sy sou gesê het omtrent die feit dat ek 'n lewe daarvan maak om Engelse poësie te onderrig, eerder as Afrikaanse poësie wat ek so graag skryf; of sy sou dink dat ek 'n moedertaalverraaier is omdat ek 'n so verengels het. Dit was altyd duidelik dat ek nie 'n Afrikaner in murg-en-been is nie, maar ook was ek nie 'n Engelsman nie (ondanks my doopsname en van uitsluitelik Engels is). Tot vandag toe nog pas ek nie gemaklik in een van die twee wit Suid-Afrikanerposhokkies nie. I'm neither English enough, nog Afrikaans genoeg.

Dit sou verlede Vrydag haar verjaarsdag gewees het en as sy nog gelewe het sou ek haar ge-Skype het. Teen die tyd sou sy hopenlik al geleer het hoe om die basiese funksies van 'n rekenaar te kan gebruik. Toe sy nog gelewe het, was ek te kort-van-draad om haar touwys te maak. Ek kan nou probeer skuldig voel omdat ek toe nie meer geduld gehad het nie, maar dis 'n nuttelose breinoefening. "Toe ek 'n kind was, het ek gepraat soos 'n kind, gedink soos 'n kind, geredeneer soos 'n kind; maar nou dat ek 'n man is, het ek die dinge van 'n kind afgelê," (I Korintiërs 13:11). Spyt is nie die emosie wat my beetkry nie; eerder jammerte wanneer ek oor my moeder dink. Jammerte oor hoe gru ons huisgesin se lot uitgedraai het. Die noodlot het ons familie 'n slegte stel kaarte gegee. Soms wonder ek steeds hoe anders dit sou gewees het as ten minste een van ons ouers nog gesond en lewendig was. Ook hierdie breinoefeninge is nutteloos. "Wat as dinge anders was . . ." Ek laat myself nie toe om daardie depressiewekkende speletjie te speel nie. Ook vermy ek om te vra "Hoekom moes dit met ons gebeur het?"  of "Hoekom het ander soveel geluk en ons soveel ongeluk?" Niks nuttigs kom uit hierdie tipe vrae nie.

Nogtans is dit vir my hartseer dat my gedagtes omtrent my ma so geklad is met negatiewe lewensherinneringe. Sodra ek aan haar dink, dink ek aan haar aftakelende siekte en al die ander familietragedies: my pa wat in die kop geskiet is tydens 'n roofaanval, die gevolglike bankrotskap, my jonger broer wat feitlik wees moes grootword. Ek wens dat ek aan my ma kan dink en net die goed kan onthou. Die wonderlike, opbouende, talentvolle, suksesvolle, selfversekerde, smaakvolle, gelowige, opregte, mooi vrou wat sy was. "Rita was die mooiste een van ons," sê Tannie Rina, my ma se jonger suster, toe ek daar gekuier het. "Ons almal dink so. Sy was die mooiste."

"and don't have any kids yourself"

People are often surprised when I tell them that I do not want children. There are many reasons. Here is one:

Moeder/taal

Vanoggend het ek 'n slegte droom gehad. Ek het gedroom dat ek en my ma 'n rusie het. Ek kan onthou waaroor ons 'n uitval gehad het nie, maar onthou hoedat ek wakker geword het met baie negatiewe emosies. My ma is nou al 10 jaar lank oorlede. Ek kan nie dink hoekom ek juis oor haar sou droom, en veral sou droom dat ons oor iets vassit nie.

Later vandag het ek kortliks 'n ander Suid-Afrikaner ontmoet en so bietjie in Afrikaans gesels. Dit was vir my skokkend om na myself te luister. My Afrikaans het duidelik 'n verengelsde aksent. Boonop kon ek myself op verskeie kere nie behoorlik uitdruk nie en moes ek terugslaan Engels toe. Ek wou byvoorbeeld sê: "God doesn't believe in coercion," maar het nie geweet wat "coerce" in Afrikaans is nie. 'n Vinnig draai by Google Translate, nou net, vertel my dat "coerce" is "dwing": "God glo nie in dwang nie." Hoe is dit dat ek 'n eenvoudige Afrikaanse woord soos dwing/dwang eens meer kan onthou nie?! Aai, ek wil darem nie so agteruitboer in Afrikaans nie. 

Die tandarts en my ma

(Die titel klink na 'n oulike kortverhaal, doen dit nie?)

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Ek's tans in Potch en het gister en vanoggend my tandarts besoek. Gister se besoek wat net 'n vlugtige ondersoek, maar vanoggend het ons bietjie werk gedoen. 'n Kleingatjie was aan die ontwikkel in een kiestand en mos skoongemaak en gevul word. Daarvoor was dit nodig om die senuwee in die area te verdoof.

Elke keer wat so deel van my mond verdoof word kan ek nie help om aan my ma te dink nie. My ma was die slagoffer van beroerte aanvalle wat haar mondsenuwee gestrem het. Sy het gevoel in dele van haar mond verloor. Dit het beide haar smaak en haar vermoe om te eet aangetas. Baie gesteld op haar voorkoms het my ma altyd 'n servet voor haar mond gehou wanneer sy geeet het, uit vrees dat kos uit haar mond mag val en dit enige aanskouers mag verontrus.

Ek sit tans in a restaurant om onggendete te eet en doen dieselfde. Omdat ek nie gevoel aan die regterkant van my mond het nie, weet ek nie of daar stukkies kos of spoeg aan daardie kant van my mond wys nie, en hou maar die servet voor my mond, vee gedurig af, en dink aan my arme ma.

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Eat, Pray, Family

My visit at the Taekwon-Do school in Pretoria went well. I spend some quality hours with my Taekwon-Do friends in Pretoria, before setting off in the afternoon to visit with my cousin Gavin and his wife Es.

We had the most wonderful dinner: Fresh bread with sundried tomatoes; feta and parmesan; olives; a mixed lentel salad, a fresh herb salad that included rocket, basil, dill, and freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest; big baked mushrooms topped with butter, garlic, chedder and parmasan -- a feast!

As is always the case when Gavin and I get together, we talk about religion. The two of us are both spiritual "seekers" of sorts. It is not that we do not know what we believe in, it is rather that we actively contemplate our worldviews and "share notes" when we get together. Es and I also have much in common, so it was nice for us, too, to "share notes".

I also got to spend some moments with Gavin's parents. I haven't seen them in many years, so it was a pleasant surprise to catch up with them. Gavin's mom gave me some photos of my parents from the 60's. My dad looked handsome and my mom was beautiful. "She was the most beautiful of the sisters;" said Gavin's mom, "we always said so."

Another aunt also came by, so they could see me. It was quite pleasant. Apparently they will have a family reunion next Saturday. I will probably still be in KwaZulu Natal then and will miss out on it, which is tragically disappointing as many of my uncles, aunts and cousins whom I haven't seen in many years will be there.

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Christianity vs Secularism and I

My brother informed me that the episode of Consider This in which I was a guest speaker and spoke about Christianity vs Secularism has aired and that it is available on the counter.act media YouTube channel. The thought of me sharing ideas—particularly religious ideas—on television is somewhat troubling. When speaking about God and "oughts" and "naughts," one has to be very careful. As I mentioned elsewhere, I hope my views are sound.

At first I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to see myself on television. I felt a little like Johnny Depp who refuses to watch his own movies. Eventually I did gather up the courage and looked at the episode to see how I applied my 15 minutes . . . uhm, 8 minutes . . . of fame.

The three videos below are the three segments of the episode. I feature in the middle segment.







Consider This is a counter.act media production and was produced by my brother, Nethan.

My Brother's Work

I've mentioned in a previous post that I am jealous of my younger brother. He was in high school when he set his mind on becoming a video editor. Ever since then he has resolutely followed this dream and is working towards that goal. Unlike him, I'm still not sure what I want to be -- or to put it more accurately, there are too many things I want to do and be, causing me to be the proverbial Jack.

The video below is a reel that my brother recently made, showcasing some of the projects he was involved with over the last two years, including the work he did while interning at LifeStyleTV in Sweden and SID Media in South Africa.  My brother is establishing himself in the television industry, with special focus on Christian lifestyle programming, but he hopes to expand into film eventually.




He has set up a website for his freelance work that you can check out here: SilverSpark.

Please Help My Family / Help my familie asseblief

I have never used my blog for something of this sort, but the situation is so terrible that I'm now even turning to the Internet.

Ek het nog nooit my blog gebruik vir enige iets van die aard nie, maar die situasie is so derglik dat ek myself nou selfs tot die Internet wend.

My older brother is likely to be evicted from his home; a small holding worth around R800 000. If he does not get a buyer soon, he will be forced out on the streets and with him his love, her child, and our 75 year old disabled father. My father was shot in the head during an armed robbery (just another violent crime statistic in South Africa), leaving him partially paralysed. He has function over one leg and arm and can thankfully move himself around in a wheelchair, but the bullet destroyed an eye, and left him without the ability to speak. He is therefore completely dependent on my elder brother for care.

My ouer broer gaan moontlik uit die huis gesit word waarin hy bly; 'n plot wat sowat R800 000 werd is. Indien hy nie binnekort 'n koper kry nie, sit hy op straat en saam met hom sy geliefde, haar kind, en ons 75 jaar oue gestremde pa. My pa was tydens 'n rooftog in die kop geskiet (net nog 'n geweldmisdaadstatistiek in Suid-Afrika) wat hom gedeeltelik verlam gelaat het. Hy het beheer oor een been en arm en kan hom gelukkig self in 'n rolstoel rond beweeg, maar die koeël het 'n oog geëis, asook sy vermoeë om te praat. Hy is dus heeltemal afhanklik van my ouer broer vir versorging.

If my brother does not find a buyer, then the small holding will be sold at a lower value price that will just cover the money owed, and leave no profit. This means that my brother will not have any money to relocate elsewhere.

Indien my broer nie self 'n koper kry nie, gaan die plot teen 'n laer prys verkoop word wat slegs die uitstaande skuld gaan dek, maar geen wins sal oorlaat nie. Dit beteken dat my broer geen geld sal hê om 'n ander heenkome te vind nie.

So what is it that I'm asking? Truthfully, I do not know what I'm asking. Maybe there is a reader whom is interested to buy a small holding? Maybe someone knows of a solution to this situation? Maybe someone feels inspired to help in some other way?

So wat vra ek? Om eerlik te wees, ek weet nie waarvoor ek vra nie. Miskien is daar 'n leser wat sou belangstel om 'n plot te koop? Dalk het iemand 'n oplossing vir die situasie? Miskien voel iemand geïnspireer om op 'n ander manier te help?

If you can help in any way, please contact me at skryfblok at blogspot dot com.

Indien jy op enige wyse kan help, kontak my asseblief by skryfblok by blogspot dot com.

Prayer will also be appreciated.

Gebed sal ook waardeur word.

Father of the Bride

Sunday I acted as "father of the bride" and walked a beautiful bride down the aisle to her smiling groom. I met her mother a couple of years ago as we worked at the same language school. She adopted me as her son and I've felt quite blessed by her care and friendship. Her children also accepted me into the family, so while I was a little surprised when they asked me if I will walk the bride down the aisle I was not completely shocked. I felt quite honoured to act as her older brother and take my seat next to "our mother."

I doubt that I will ever have children of my own. I therefore do not expect to have a daughter to one day walk down the aisle. For this reason I'm happy to have had the privilege to do so once in my life. It is not something I ever imagined doing.

The wedding was a wonderful mix of Western and Korean traditions, with a touching sermon, great food and beautiful music. It was indeed a lovely celebration of two people coming together and family and friends united in their love. (I can't believe how terribly soppy and sentimental that last sentence sounded! Goodness, I didn't know I had it in me to come up with such floral clichés!)

I didn't take any pictures, but will try to get hold of some from other people and post one or two.

Consider This

The first season of my brother's youth related unscripted talk show is nearly finished. He sent me the links to the following three segments of their pilot episode. The show will be aired on the Hope Channel and on other interested networks. My brother acted as director / producer for the show; he is also the chief post-production editor.







At the beginning of the year while they filmed the show I was invited to sit in on one of the discussion panels, discussing Christianity versus Secularism.

My Brother's Work

This is another open my younger brother made for a 13-part series that will be featuring on a Christian television channel. I think he mentioned that it will start showing in October. The title of the show, "The Everlasting Gospel," comes from Revelation 14:6: "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people..."

Important Thoughts I Wish to Share with My Loved Ones

I try to avoid serious political and religious posts on this blog. I have another blog for that. However, since more of my family and friends read this blog than the other one I thought I’d share these thoughts here as I believe them important. So to all my loved-ones, this more serious post is for you.

In personal letters to friends and family I have commented that I wouldn’t mind to go to Greece or Portugal as a future career stationing. We all know what happened to Greece. Portugal and Spain will probably be next and from there move all over Europe, especially the East Bloc countries. The United Kingdom has also started to show symptoms. As I mentioned to friends and family before, the global economic breakdown is far from over. The worse is yet to come. The stimulus money merely helped with some of the symptoms; it did not cure the problem. It is like prescribing a pain pill for a rotten tooth. Europe will probably see much more protests and rioting than we saw in the United States thus far. Most Americans believed that bailing out the Too-Big-To-Fails will solve the problem. Unlike the Americans, the Europeans now have a case study and we are likely to see more people actively voicing and demonstrating their disagreement with bailouts and similar strategies. The protests we’ve already seen in Greece, Ireland, Romania and elsewhere are likely to be repeated in other European countries once their economies weaken. (By the way, when market prices come down in Europe, do not buy into them. The media will probably hype it as a great time to buy into the European markets. Do not believe them.)

My dream of going to work in Europe will have to wait. (The same goes for my plans to visit Europe during the coming Summer Break.) I am therefore happy to announce that I will probably continue to work at my current job. Two weeks after my department chair was supposed to let me know if they intend to renew my contract or not, I could not wait any longer. So one morning I just got up the nerve and went to his office to ask him directly what the department’s intention is. I was happy to hear that their intent is to renew my contract. As I told my brother the other day, while Korea is not where I want to settle, it is still good to me. I’m still gaining valuable teaching experience, and it does allow me to pursue some of my other passions, like the martial arts.

I’m not saying that South Korea will stay unaffected—far from it. The global economic depression means less export for Asia. As more and more Western countries become affected, they will import less from abroad. China will be severely affected. I don’t know exactly how China and South Korea are related economically, but I’m sure it will have a negative effect. What is disconcerting is that any weakening in China may cause their baby brother, North Korea, to become more restless, which will undoubtedly influence the Far East, South Korea in particular, negatively. Furthermore, the United States continual economic insecurity and global political unrest is sure to affect South Korea, which is, in my opinion, for many practical purposes, an American colony. Japan is already experiencing serious economic concerns. In short, it is very feasible that South Korea will not escape an economic crisis and we are feeling some of it already. Young graduates are finding it increasingly difficult to find jobs. The competition is fiercer than before. There also seems to be an increase in violent crimes in Korea. While these are still exponentially fewer than in South Africa, this upward turn in violence does seem to be a symptom of underlying stress. South Korea is also one of the many countries that dumped stimulus money into their economy. Like with America, stimulus money does not solve the problem, it merely hides it for a while.

The really disconcerting thing is America’s Pakistani War. This is something that is neglected by the mainstream media, but is probably one of the most volatile things happening on the planet as it can easily spread to India, which is ranked the fourth largest military in the world. The bi-weekly drone attacks on Pakistan by the United States are alarming. America’s drone attacks started a year ago. Since then the number of innocent civilians to have perished have been nonsensical. It is not farfetched to image some of the surviving family members of these “collateral damage” to want revenge. Do not be surprised by terrorist attacks on America and its allies this year. And then we ought not to forget about Israel. While hard headed Israel continues to aggravate those around it (Gaza / Iran?) the United States is continuously affirming its intimate ties with it. In practical terms this means that Israel’s enemies are also America’s enemies. All of these just contribute to possible terrorist attacks and in so doing America will merely do what it did the previous time—retaliate with war. Add to this the trend for many countries that go into serious economic decline; they turn to war. War is a way for getting a country focused on an external “enemy.” If things continue like this, more wars around the world are inevitable. A possible third world war is not farfetched? All we can do is pray that that is not our immediate future.

So what are we to do? Well, wealth preservation is an important consideration. Don’t gamble with your money (avoid the crazy stock market) and invest instead in things with intrinsic value like gold. Save by buying products in bulk like at Costco or Metro. By perishables at your local community, rather than at the big supermarkets like Wallmart and Spar. By supporting the small stores, the Portuguese Fruit & Veg on the corner, for instance, you are strengthening your own community and in the difficult times it would be your small community working together that will help you through the tight times. Build a network of service trading in your community. Entrepreneurs should consider quality and the personal touch paramount. These are the qualities that will make the difference between successful and failing small businesses. Lastly, in the past I have advised my friends and family to change their jobs if they are not feeling fulfilled, as I strongly believe that job satisfaction is absolutely crucial to ones wellbeing. For the time being, however, I would advise people to stick it out in their dreary jobs. Now is not the time to gamble with a secure income. Rather, save money and try to get your fulfilment on the sideline. Maybe, with time and planning, you can build your hobby into an income. But until then, do not quit your day job.

Finally, get informed by staying abreast with the real news, not mainstream news. Look at alternative news options like Democracy Now. Look at my suggestions in the sidebar under “Now in the (Alternative) Media” for some suggestions. Be careful, however, as focussing on the negatives can easily sabotage you. It does me. I often get disheartened at the state of the world. The only way to survive is to augment your information intake with the advice of Paul to the Philippians: “. . . whatsoever things are honest, just, pure, lovely, good, of good report, has virtue and praise, think on these . . .” In these times of uncertainty we need to strive for higher things. Focus on the arts and literature that will enrich your life, rather than pollute and clutter it. Nurture your spirituality. Faith, Hope, Trust have been the sources of power that helped people overcome the difficulties of the past. And Love. Real Love, not Hollywood inspired infatuations.God's Love.

Watchmen

My brother made the following opening sequence for a program called “Watchmen.” It is a religious talk program focusing on current politics. I do not know on which TV-channel or broadcaster it will be showing, but it does sound interesting.

I like the word-cloud effect my brother used. He said it took him about two to three days to complete the sequence on Apple’s Motion 3. It looks like hard work.