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Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Happy Thanksgiving!
11.11.11
This year, however, November 11th is extra special in Korea as children born will have identity numbers that start with "111111". To ensure that their children have a sestet of ones in their identity numbers many pregnant mothers have gone out of their way to get c-section surgeries scheduled for today. According to Reuters, c-sections scheduled for 11 November 2011 is up by 20% from usual. (I'm obliged to a South African friend for sending me the link to the news article.)
In Flanders Fields -- John McCrae
In Flanders fields, the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place;wait and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead, short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields!
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands, we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields!
The red poppie became the symbolic flower of remembrance.
In South Africa Poppy Day remembrance ceremonies are held on the Saturday nearest 11 November and some services are also held on the adjacent Sunday. It is not a national holiday, so I'm not sure how many people actually observe it, but it's function is similar to Remembrance Day or Armistice Day celebrated by countries of the Common Wealth and Veterans Day in the United States which is also celebrated on November 11th. South African's typically use Poppy Day to remember South African soldiers who died in WWI, WWII, the Korean War and Border War, as well as surviving veterans of war. Ceremonies are typically held in Cape Town and Pretoria.
11 November 2011 is also a day on which New Agers celebrate "Interconnectedness Day", with heavy focus on the Green Agenda. Previous such Interconnectedness Days were celebrated on 10 October 2010 and 9 September 2009. I guess next year on 12 December 2012 will be the last year Interconnectedness Day will be celebrated in a very very long time.
On a personal note, my first best friend, Matthys du Preez, and I used to celebrate 11 November as our friendship day. I can't remember exactly what the reason was that we chose this day as our friendship day, but we celebrated it as a birthday. Matthys was literally my first friend. I cannot recall any friend before him. Our parents were friends and because we were of the same age we naturally became friends. We also went to the same elementary school (a "plaasskool") together. We grew up on farms in the same farming community and there was only one elementary school where all the children in the community went -- a little school with hardly 300 pupils. We were so close in personality that many people mistook us as twins, to our delight -- I guess the fact that we often dressed alike contributed to it. We often finished each other's sentences and my mother told me that we seemed to communicate telepathically as we would sometimes just look at each other and seem to know what the other was thinking. Unfortunately my first best friend moved away when we were about 11 years old and due to the distance our friendship waned until we completely lost contact. In recent years I've started to increasingly think about my old friend. I was able to look him up and sent him an email with the hopes of meeting with him at the beginning of this year while I was in South Africa, but he didn't respond to my email. I guess he's not as sentimental as I am about those early years. In our late teens, early twenties, we both lost our mothers to illness. I think we could have been a great comfort to each other had we stayed in contact. I sometimes wish I could have been there for him during that time of loss and during other trials he may have experienced as a child. I have fond memories of our friendship and I remember quite distinctly the good and caring friend he was. I am very blessed with some great friends in my life. I have, in part, Matthys to thank for that. Because my first friendship had been such a very close one, that has become my expectation of a real friendship. Matthys' care and loyalty as a young boyhood friend inspired me to become the same type of friend later in my life.
Happy 11 November, for whatever reason you decide to celebrate it.
Atheists and Christians
On Friday night I visited a friend and his partner. He's an atheist. (She is also, kinda.) I often find it quite peculiar how well I get along with many atheists. Granted, I do not know that many self-professed atheists. There are far more people that don't seem to care either way -- agnostics by default, since they don't have much of an opinion on the matter. But back to atheists . . . I know a number of them, and have a couple of friends who accept the title. The more militant type of atheist (like the more militant Christian) I tend to avoid at all cost. However, the few atheist whom I call friends are truly people I appreciate and whose company I quite enjoy. For one, my atheist friends are quite intelligent. They're persuasion is an intellectual one, not one based one merely inherited by culture and tradition. Secondly, they are respectful of my conviction as I am of theirs. Thirdly, we share some common beliefs. The reason they do not believe in God is exactly the reason I do not associate myself with mainstream Christianity. If the God held up by mainstream Christianity -- the one that would keep people alive eternally so that He could torture them in hell through all ages -- was the only option, I would have chosen to cop-out of believing in God too. Luckily, I believe, there is an alternative. There is a God that does not command worship at the threat of torture. A God to whom freedom of choice is of utmost importance.
Yesterday I came to Potchefstroom to spend some time with a community of Christians here that I have come to care for deeply. A number of them share my idea of God. To some of them the Gospel is truly Good News. The message that God is not a vindictive, megalomaniac that doesn't say "love Me or go to hell." An alternative message: One that says that God is really on our side and that God actually do love us, no strings attached. A God that respects our freedom of choice so much that he would not force us into hell or heaven. Those that want to spend eternity with this God will. Those that do not, won't. God won't force you either way.
Yesterday I came to Potchefstroom to spend some time with a community of Christians here that I have come to care for deeply. A number of them share my idea of God. To some of them the Gospel is truly Good News. The message that God is not a vindictive, megalomaniac that doesn't say "love Me or go to hell." An alternative message: One that says that God is really on our side and that God actually do love us, no strings attached. A God that respects our freedom of choice so much that he would not force us into hell or heaven. Those that want to spend eternity with this God will. Those that do not, won't. God won't force you either way.
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An Atypical Christmas
I got up late this morning, but thought if I make haste I could get to the closest Sabbath keeping church on time, for they will surely have good food prepared for afterwards, seeing that it's Christmas and all. And then I got this impression: “So you just wanna go to church so you can get free food?” With my less than admirable motivation thus pointed out I decided not to go to church, but rather to listen to some sermons online. I like how the Holy Spirit convicts us — in a soft whisper.
Soon afterwards a friend of mine came over. He had had a terrible Christmas Eve. I guess his Korean wife doesn't get the Christmas thing or something for they had a fight and what not, and she gave him the silent treatment even after he gave her her Christmas gift—I'm not even sure if she gave him something in return. Be that as it may, he came over this morning in a bad mood. I kinda tried to tell him that I don't celebrate Christmas much, so I had a pretty normal Friday night. Being Sabbath evening I listened to some sermons (like this one) and watched an animal documentary called Eternal Enemies, about lions and hyenas.
That was my Christmas. A friend of mine is DJing at Lounge Purple Z in Itaewon tonight. The way she promoted it made it sound like quite a swell event. It goes by the name of 아싸! Assa!, which is the Korean equivalent of cool! Unfortunately the freez-your-butt-off-weather, with temperatures around -15° Celcius, is keeping me inside like a hermit with agoraphobia. No thank you. While I'm sure it will be an assa! event, I'd much rather stay inside where it's nice and warm. I'm planning to watch a nice movie like Crazy Heart or Detective Dee instead.
Well, to keep with the spirit of things, here is a Christmas song by Sheryl Crow:
Soon afterwards a friend of mine came over. He had had a terrible Christmas Eve. I guess his Korean wife doesn't get the Christmas thing or something for they had a fight and what not, and she gave him the silent treatment even after he gave her her Christmas gift—I'm not even sure if she gave him something in return. Be that as it may, he came over this morning in a bad mood. I kinda tried to tell him that I don't celebrate Christmas much, so I had a pretty normal Friday night. Being Sabbath evening I listened to some sermons (like this one) and watched an animal documentary called Eternal Enemies, about lions and hyenas.
That was my Christmas. A friend of mine is DJing at Lounge Purple Z in Itaewon tonight. The way she promoted it made it sound like quite a swell event. It goes by the name of 아싸! Assa!, which is the Korean equivalent of cool! Unfortunately the freez-your-butt-off-weather, with temperatures around -15° Celcius, is keeping me inside like a hermit with agoraphobia. No thank you. While I'm sure it will be an assa! event, I'd much rather stay inside where it's nice and warm. I'm planning to watch a nice movie like Crazy Heart or Detective Dee instead.
Well, to keep with the spirit of things, here is a Christmas song by Sheryl Crow:
The Eb and Flow of Friends
Over the last few weeks I've seen many old friends and had many farewells.
About three weeks ago I went to the farewell party of Leo. He worked as a director of sorts (I forgot what his actual title was) for the big nationwide language institute for which I worked the first time I came to Korea. He was one of the people responsible for my training during the first two weeks I was in Korea. Leo is a South Africa and after about ten years of living in Korea is now returning to South Africa to resume his position as a school teacher.
Another South African I saw at Leo's farewell was Mimie. I met Mimie at Kangnam Institute where I worked that first round in Korea. She took me under her wing and showed me the ropes. Mimie has been told that her contract will not be renewed. At around 70 years old she is still fit as a fiddle and put many younger teachers to shame. Unfortunately the retirement age in Korea is 65. She really enjoys her mission in Korea and is sad to leave, but I know she will be a blessing wherever she goes. She told me that she may take up tutoring mathematics again when she returns. She's not the type of person to sit around doing nothing.
At the party I also saw another South African friend with whom I worked at Kangnam Institute and who has also left Korea for the time being. She doesn't like to be talked about, so I won't say much more.
Patricia is yet another South African I know from my first time in Korea. We started together as part of the same batch of teachers and went through orientation together. We also worked together for a short time at the same language institute (in Kangnam). Patricia and I were instant friends. Both of us had come and gone and come back again to Korea – Korea does that to a person. Patricia's contract is finishing this coming week. The two of us had lunch today – decadent grilled mackerel. She is a fish lover from the Cape and when I visit South Africa I hope to meet up with her and her family, while I visit my one brother living in the Cape.
Laura is a mutual friend of Patricia and I. Laura also worked at the headquarters of the language institute with Leo and was one of the instructors during my orientation in Korea. With time, we too, became friends. She has finished her time in Korea around three years ago but still visit Korea annually, at which time we usually meet-up, enjoy good food and hang out together. We did so recently as well.
Two Saturdays ago Patricia, Laura and I went to the Kangnam Institute where we worked together for a while, there to meet up with many of our old colleagues. It was wonderful to see so many of them and was quite nostalgic to be back there. Although the language school had had a facelift since I've been there the previous time, it still smells the same and feels the same. Many happy memories of my time in Kangnam flushed back. I had lots of fun there, although I can undoubtedly say that my current job as a university lecturer is much better. That afternoon we went to a choir festival – a number of churches in the Kangnam area came together with each performing one or two items. A close acquaintance happened to be the conductor for one of the choirs. It was nice to see him and his wife again too.
Laura and I have a favourite restaurant in Daehangro that serves traditional Korean food with lots of side dishes at a very reasonable price where we always go. This past Saturday night, Laura, a friend of hers named Susan, Patricia and I went there. Afterwards we went to a Starbucks. Students of mine gave me a Starbucks voucher so I treated the lot of us to some drinks and deserts.
There after we decided to go to Tteoksam Resort, there to find a street food vendor that Laura always fafs about. It's been three years since the last time Laura's been there, resulting in us getting completely lost both on our way there and back.
Nonetheless, it was one of the most fun evenings I had in a long time. Getting lost in Seoul is always an interesting experience. For instance we stumbled into the street where every store has in front of it a sofa or two.
Getting lost resulted in us missing the last subway train. It took us quite some time before we could get a bus – probably the last bus too – on which to worm ourselves in as it was so overcrowded. The bus only took us so far and we had to eventually take a taxi to get all the way home. Laura has returned home, to America, in the meantime.
Yet another friend, Christine (from Bookish-Bohemian aka Korea Has Seoul), finished her contract in Korea at a public school and decided to return to America. She's considering taking up a master's degree. We never worked together, but did work for the same company and moved in some of the same circles. Christine left me with two and half suitcases of books that I'll keep for her in case she returns. If she doesn't return, we'll work something out. Having some extra books around will help me stave of the temptation to buy more books.
On Monday I went for lunch with a colleague of mine. Chonghee and I became friends after her first semester work in our department and it has been a joy. Our offices were next to each other (basically one room partitioned in two) but luckily we have similar taste in music so we didn't bother each other too much. Chonghee and I often went to concerts together. For instance we went to see Rent, Jamie Cullum and Mika together. Her contract finished and she decided to go back to America. I will surely miss her, but completely understand why she decided not to extend her contract. While she worked here for the last two years her husband has been in America, visiting every couple of months.They need to be together and since they recently bought a home in Pittsburg, that is where they will live for now.
A week back I saw my friend Chanyang who recently went to America to study. While there he decided that that particular major is not for him, not to mention the exuberant study fees in America. He returned a couple of weeks back. I saw him last week at the Taekwon-dojang and was surprised at how happy I felt to see him again. I've really grown fond of him and am happy that he is back.
Another Korean friend who studies in America is also currently in Korea. Unfortunately Young is only here for a visit and will return to America within two weeks or so. Young and I also worked together at the Kangnam Institute where we both taught English. His fun-loving character was a great compliment to my moments of seriousness. He enjoys my creative side and when we are together we usually have lots of “silly” fun. Young and his wife, and their baby daughter came to Korea to attend Young's brother's wedding, to which I also went last week. It brought back memories of Young's wedding during which I functioned as an MC and other best-man activities like the Han-ceremony. I'm really happy to catch up with Young again, but am also quite sad that he will be leaving soon again.
But then again, so am I. I'll be visiting South Africa for a couple of weeks coming January during which time I will get to see many of my loved ones. I'm very much looking forward to it, even though I know I'll be quite exhausted from all the travelling. Nonetheless, it's worth every kilometre of dreaded public transport. A year is a long time not to see your loved ones and I'm eager to see them again.
About three weeks ago I went to the farewell party of Leo. He worked as a director of sorts (I forgot what his actual title was) for the big nationwide language institute for which I worked the first time I came to Korea. He was one of the people responsible for my training during the first two weeks I was in Korea. Leo is a South Africa and after about ten years of living in Korea is now returning to South Africa to resume his position as a school teacher.
Another South African I saw at Leo's farewell was Mimie. I met Mimie at Kangnam Institute where I worked that first round in Korea. She took me under her wing and showed me the ropes. Mimie has been told that her contract will not be renewed. At around 70 years old she is still fit as a fiddle and put many younger teachers to shame. Unfortunately the retirement age in Korea is 65. She really enjoys her mission in Korea and is sad to leave, but I know she will be a blessing wherever she goes. She told me that she may take up tutoring mathematics again when she returns. She's not the type of person to sit around doing nothing.
At the party I also saw another South African friend with whom I worked at Kangnam Institute and who has also left Korea for the time being. She doesn't like to be talked about, so I won't say much more.
Laura is a mutual friend of Patricia and I. Laura also worked at the headquarters of the language institute with Leo and was one of the instructors during my orientation in Korea. With time, we too, became friends. She has finished her time in Korea around three years ago but still visit Korea annually, at which time we usually meet-up, enjoy good food and hang out together. We did so recently as well.
Two Saturdays ago Patricia, Laura and I went to the Kangnam Institute where we worked together for a while, there to meet up with many of our old colleagues. It was wonderful to see so many of them and was quite nostalgic to be back there. Although the language school had had a facelift since I've been there the previous time, it still smells the same and feels the same. Many happy memories of my time in Kangnam flushed back. I had lots of fun there, although I can undoubtedly say that my current job as a university lecturer is much better. That afternoon we went to a choir festival – a number of churches in the Kangnam area came together with each performing one or two items. A close acquaintance happened to be the conductor for one of the choirs. It was nice to see him and his wife again too.
Yet another friend, Christine (from Bookish-Bohemian aka Korea Has Seoul), finished her contract in Korea at a public school and decided to return to America. She's considering taking up a master's degree. We never worked together, but did work for the same company and moved in some of the same circles. Christine left me with two and half suitcases of books that I'll keep for her in case she returns. If she doesn't return, we'll work something out. Having some extra books around will help me stave of the temptation to buy more books.
On Monday I went for lunch with a colleague of mine. Chonghee and I became friends after her first semester work in our department and it has been a joy. Our offices were next to each other (basically one room partitioned in two) but luckily we have similar taste in music so we didn't bother each other too much. Chonghee and I often went to concerts together. For instance we went to see Rent, Jamie Cullum and Mika together. Her contract finished and she decided to go back to America. I will surely miss her, but completely understand why she decided not to extend her contract. While she worked here for the last two years her husband has been in America, visiting every couple of months.They need to be together and since they recently bought a home in Pittsburg, that is where they will live for now.
A week back I saw my friend Chanyang who recently went to America to study. While there he decided that that particular major is not for him, not to mention the exuberant study fees in America. He returned a couple of weeks back. I saw him last week at the Taekwon-dojang and was surprised at how happy I felt to see him again. I've really grown fond of him and am happy that he is back.
But then again, so am I. I'll be visiting South Africa for a couple of weeks coming January during which time I will get to see many of my loved ones. I'm very much looking forward to it, even though I know I'll be quite exhausted from all the travelling. Nonetheless, it's worth every kilometre of dreaded public transport. A year is a long time not to see your loved ones and I'm eager to see them again.
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.
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.
Gisteraand: 'n Verjaarsdagpartyjie en 'n singkamer
Een van my oefenmaats by die yusul-klub (die grondwerkklas by The Way Martial Arts Academy of Seoul) het Donderdagverjaar en besluit om gisteraand sy partytjie te hê en gevolglik was byna die hele The Way se volwassenes daar. Omdat dit Sabbat was en omdat ek ook eers per telefoon met 'n ander vriend van Suid-Afrika gekuier het, het ek eers bietjie later daar aan gekom -- teen daardie tyd het die helfde van die groep al heelwat drankies agter die blad gehad. Ek het 'n groot bak kwaliteit roomys gebring en self heerlik daaraan gesmul, saam met koek en pizza en bitterlemoensap.
Na die joligheid by sy huis is ons hele groep na 'n noraebang. Direk vertaal, 'n "singkamer" of beter bekend in die Weste as 'n Karaoke. Ek het "Wonderwall" van Oasis, "Under the Sea" van Little Mermaid en "Bohemian Rhapsody" van Queen gesing. Noraebangs is nogals groot in Korea en selfs die uitlanders geniet dit baie. As jy vir my kom kuier kan ons gaan na 'n noraebang toe.
Ek het probeer om nie te laat uit te bly nie en was omtrent middernag weer by die huis. Die rede was 'n ander avontuur waarvoor ek vroeg vanoggend moes opstaan -- ek het gaan foefieslide!
Na die joligheid by sy huis is ons hele groep na 'n noraebang. Direk vertaal, 'n "singkamer" of beter bekend in die Weste as 'n Karaoke. Ek het "Wonderwall" van Oasis, "Under the Sea" van Little Mermaid en "Bohemian Rhapsody" van Queen gesing. Noraebangs is nogals groot in Korea en selfs die uitlanders geniet dit baie. As jy vir my kom kuier kan ons gaan na 'n noraebang toe.
Ek het probeer om nie te laat uit te bly nie en was omtrent middernag weer by die huis. Die rede was 'n ander avontuur waarvoor ek vroeg vanoggend moes opstaan -- ek het gaan foefieslide!
FC Seoul & Vuvuzellas
So what is soccer in Korea like? Well, while Taekwon-Do is officially the national sport in Korea, the sports with the greatest fan bases are baseball and soccer. If I remember correctly, I was told that the Seoul World Cup Stadium can seat
Chanyang was actually the reason for my soccer outing. He is leaving for the United States tomorrow (Tuesday) to continue his graduate studies. As a last farewell he invited his friends to enjoy with him one of his other (non-martial arts) passions, namely soccer.
An alarming thing about Saturday night’s soccer outing was the number of vuvuzellas! These South African blow horns were practically given away and now even I own one. Of all the cultural assets to have come out of South Africa and permeate the world, how regrettable that it should be vuvuzellas. It was nonetheless ironically satisfying to see something South African so widely accepted in my host country. Before the World Cup very few Koreans knew anything about South Africa apart from Nelson Mandela; some didn’t even know who Mandela is. The World Cup has changed that and even exported some cultural heritage – unfortunately vuvuzellas are not the most culturally rich of an export item, nor does South Africa benefit much from it apart from its iconic association. The real – financial – beneficiary is China, whom is the main producer of these plastic instruments of cacophonic pollution.
Kat Parsons
Photo by Dan Busta
I'm back from my trip to Thailand. It went by much to fast. In the days to follow I will relate some of my experiences there. But before I can do so, I have to share a nice experience that preluded it. I departed to Thailand the morning of the Sunday before last. The Saturday evening before my departure I went to the Hyatt Hotel in Seoul to say farewell to Kat Parsons and also hear her perform.
Kat and I corresponded by email a couple of months before this Saturday night. She was in Seoul and wanted to take up Taekwon-Do so I gave her the details for our dojang. She attended the morning classes. Since I work in the mornings, I never actually met her in person before that evening and now I'm quite disappointed that I didn't.
That Saturday night I went with our Taekwon-Do instructor and other students from our gym that used to train with Kat to the Hyatt where Kat worked as a musician -- singing and playing the piano. This was her last Saturday night performance before her return to the United States the following week (while I was in Thailand), and so ending her work-and-tour time in Asia.
I'm disappointed that this was our only time to meet as I felt an immediate connection with her. It might just be my wrongful interpretation of her "stage personality". With "connection" I'm not necessarily suggesting a romantic connection; rather a friendship connection that under other circumstances might have evolved in something more, or not. Who is to say what could or could not have happened? Whichever way it could have gone, it would still have been an enriching experience. Kat just has one of those "enriching" personalities. Our instructor told me that whenever Kat attended the classes the whole atmosphere became lighter and more energetic.
I realise, of course, that the fact that she is a singer attracts me to her. In my list of Most Kissable People I revealed my definite attraction to singers. It might have something to do with my earliest romantic experience. The first girl I kissed was a girl named Jackie. We were in Grade 1 or Grade 2. Jackie had a most wonderful singing voice and I think I was in love with her from the first moment I heard her sing. We both lived far from school and took the same bus home. Once we climbed underneath a bus seat and gave each other a kiss. Although the kiss was nothing more than a peck -- what does seven-years-olds know about kissing? -- it was a sweet experience. I often asked Jackie to sing to me. Maybe Kat with her beautiful dark flowing her, bright character and lovely voice reminded me of Jackie. Did I mention that she has a sexy mouth ... uhm ... voice?
Kat sang me one of my favourite songs -- Wonderwall by Oasis. I listed it once under ten of my favourite love songs.
Kat Parson's album "No Will Power" can be downloaded at iTunes.
A Dead Owl, a Red Haired Korean, Bomb Shock and an Exhibition Decision
The owlet I picked up in front of my apartment yesterday did not make it through the night. By the time I picked it up it was already in the afternoon. Someone told me that they saw it there in the morning already. I was planning to take it to a vet today, but unfortunately when I went to check on it after I got up it was dead. I'm guessing that having sat outside in the sun may have taken its toll, not having fed for so long. Since I don't keep meat in my home I had nothing to feed it. I tried to give it some egg on a spoon but it wasn't interested. Since I have little knowledge of caring for raptors I just hoped it would survive the night so that I could take it somewhere professional. So it goes . . .
At the Taekkyeon class tonight I saw something quite interesting. There was a bearded Korean man He had a read beard. I asked him about it and he assured me that it is indeed his natural beard colour. This is the first time for me to see a Korean with naturally red hair -- or at least a read beard. I told him I want to bring my camera next time so that I can take a picture of his red beared. He didn't seem to pleased with the idea. I've seen a number of Koreans with a slight red tint in their hair, but since many Koreans dye their hair all kinds of brown and auburn shades, it is quite difficult to judge if the red tint is natural or not. I've been thinking about writing a blog post about physical (genetic) differences between Koreans and Cocasions. I hope to do it soon.
After the Taekkyeon training I spent a little time getting to know some of my fellow practitioners. One Korean man and I struck up a conversation and since we live in the general same direction we took the same subway line and continued talking for another half an hour or so. His name is Beomseok -- it sounds a little like "Bomb Shock," so that's how I'm going to remember it. He is studing Oriental Medicine. It sounds quite interesting. I would probably have enjoyed it, but life don't always present you with opportunities for all your likes, and neither am I so passionate about Oriental Medicine that I'd quite my job and enroll myself as a freshmen again. To be honest, the idea of starting my academic career from scratch again just sounds to daunting. Now if I had the opportunity to get a degree in Taekwon-Do I would seriously consider it. Korea has a number of universities with Taekwon-Do as major; acutally, it is a major in Sport Science or Physical Education, while specialising in Taekwon-Do. There are about three universities that offers the course in English. It would even be better if I could work at a university teaching martial arts -- now that would be wonderful. Combining the job I like with my passion for the martial arts.
I'm planning to go to an art exhibit tomorrow. Either Greek sculptures or Rodin's sculptures. Maybe I should do it in historic sequence -- Classical idealism before naturalistic expressionism. Greek sculpture tomorrow and Rodin on Wednesday.
At the Taekkyeon class tonight I saw something quite interesting. There was a bearded Korean man He had a read beard. I asked him about it and he assured me that it is indeed his natural beard colour. This is the first time for me to see a Korean with naturally red hair -- or at least a read beard. I told him I want to bring my camera next time so that I can take a picture of his red beared. He didn't seem to pleased with the idea. I've seen a number of Koreans with a slight red tint in their hair, but since many Koreans dye their hair all kinds of brown and auburn shades, it is quite difficult to judge if the red tint is natural or not. I've been thinking about writing a blog post about physical (genetic) differences between Koreans and Cocasions. I hope to do it soon.
After the Taekkyeon training I spent a little time getting to know some of my fellow practitioners. One Korean man and I struck up a conversation and since we live in the general same direction we took the same subway line and continued talking for another half an hour or so. His name is Beomseok -- it sounds a little like "Bomb Shock," so that's how I'm going to remember it. He is studing Oriental Medicine. It sounds quite interesting. I would probably have enjoyed it, but life don't always present you with opportunities for all your likes, and neither am I so passionate about Oriental Medicine that I'd quite my job and enroll myself as a freshmen again. To be honest, the idea of starting my academic career from scratch again just sounds to daunting. Now if I had the opportunity to get a degree in Taekwon-Do I would seriously consider it. Korea has a number of universities with Taekwon-Do as major; acutally, it is a major in Sport Science or Physical Education, while specialising in Taekwon-Do. There are about three universities that offers the course in English. It would even be better if I could work at a university teaching martial arts -- now that would be wonderful. Combining the job I like with my passion for the martial arts.
I'm planning to go to an art exhibit tomorrow. Either Greek sculptures or Rodin's sculptures. Maybe I should do it in historic sequence -- Classical idealism before naturalistic expressionism. Greek sculpture tomorrow and Rodin on Wednesday.
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.
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.
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