진해 벚꽃축제 Jinhae Cherry Blossoms & Friends

Once again across Asia, Cherry Blossoms pop out on trees and hearken the arrival of Spring. Which provides a perfect excuse for getting together with friends and enjoying laughter, merriment, and a day outdoors with no jacket on!I went to Masan, and picked up several friends, including Rachel, Jiyeon, Yoon-young, and Jihee. We proceeded to head to the other nearby city of Jinhae. Despite the overcast weather, I think these pictures speak for themselves. I had a great time, ate some Galbi-jjim (new favorite food) and enjoyed meeting new friends and catching up with old ones. A good time was had by all. Me, Jayeon from my Korean class, and Derek from my OTHER Korean class in Masan. Here's some other pictures of some new people. It was a pretty good day.

Johnny Cash

Driving around in Carlos' truck, I hear a lot of Johnny Cash on his ipod. Johnny Cash is one of those artists I'd heard when I was young and immediately dismissed due to his age and association with older generations. I wanted NEW music, from the 90's or when I was alive.

But, like brussels sprouts, spinach, or salad, I've now come to appreciate Johnny Cash, particularly his later stuff. Simple, unadulterated folk songs accompanied by a guitar. Like Cat Stevens (in his day) or Bob Dylan, the formula is profoundly simple, yet impossible to emulate.

Here is one of my new favorite songs: Hurt.

Johnny Cash - Hurt from kakofoni on Vimeo.

A new car :P

I have ineptly stumbled into car ownership (or stewardship, I should say more accurately). After my friend Carlos decided he didn't want to re-contract, he offered to let me borrow his Ssangyong Musso SUV. I've been contemplating getting a vehicle for awhile now, and now one has fallen into my lap.

The arrangement is great, and everybody wins. As Carlos plans on returning to Korea in a few months, he doesn't have to go through the headache of selling his car, and buying a new one (and all the annoying things that entails). With this, he can just add me as a driver on his insurance, and I get to use a car for a few months on my Intl. licence. (just long enough to go some places and do some things I've been meaning to do for awhile now.

Trouble is: Korea is not a great place to drive. On those few moments when traffic actually moves forward, people cut you off and invade your space to the point that your blood boils. (city buses, taxis, and motor scooter delivery-persons are the worst offenders). I've often beaten traffic on my bicycle in this city (but that isn't usually the norm).

Any small amount of time you do save over the bus or bicycle is negated by the time it takes to hunt for and pay for parking (which negates any savings as well). Its almost useless when I travel within a 6 kilometer radius of my home and I really only use it on weekends for day trips and stuff.

I'm not a huge fan of the Ssangyong Musso either. When I first arrived in Korea, I saw Ssangyong cars everywhere. Then someone told me they were going through the process of bankruptcy (apparently having only built SUVs and luxury town cars, the fuel crisis in the summer of 2008 pretty much destroyed them). I could never figure out why they didn't export them to the US. Carlos had raved about how great his truck was and how much he liked it. It was a diesel and sipped gas, and was super reliable. Why wouldn't they sell in the US?

Now I know why they don't sell them in the US. Ssangyong SUVs look alright, but they drive and handle like a 30 foot flatbed! I seriously feel like I'm driving an aircraft carrier on steroids down these obscenely narrow roads.

Korean Language Practice.

As I currently can't exercise my shoulder (doctor's orders), I've lately been doing a language exchange with a friend of mine, Ha Suyeon. We met at the Changwon Korean Class (,창원한글학당). As I'm incapacitated at the moment, I spend Friday evening's at her Piano Hagwon helping her perfect her English and cobbling together sentences in Korean under her tutelage while high school student pound away at Chopin and Beethoven.

Anyways, I'm supposed to practice these verb conjugations and some of the words. I hope they're right.

소설은읽줄알아요. 하지만 한국에는 소설 없어요. 그래서, 소설을 읽을수없어요.

다음주에 벚꽃을봐고십어요.하지만 그래서,아마도 다음주에 벚꽃을봐고없어요.

Are these right?

Quote for Chahārshanbe-Sūri چارشنبه‌سور

This Wednesday, millions in Iran will mark Chahārshanbe-Sūri, the Wednesday Feast. This ancient festival marking the last Wednesday of the year (on their calendar), dates to 1700 BCE, in ancient Persia's Zoroastrian Era. People build bonfires in the streets and dance over them. The fires are meant to struggle against the darkness and bring the sun's return in the early morning.

"کوروش کبیر گفت برای
جنگیدن با تاریکی آتش روشن میکنیم و با شادی و نور به سراغ دشمن میروی"

"To defeat the darkness we set the fire and face the enemy down with light and joy." -Cyrus the Great

My friend in Iran mentions this in the context of their struggles against their current government and their desired democratic reforms. Pray that those brave souls standing up to injustice can keep the fire burning until a new and better day arrives.

Better Teachers

An interesting article in the New York Times Magainze. Problems I suspect many educators and school administrators face.

Building A Better Teacher, Elizabeth Green

Inspiration & Writers in Changwon

Having neglected this blog for nearly a year, I return again, this time with new found inspiration and motivation for elevating my prose. Encounters and exchanges with two recent friends over the preceding months bring me back here.

Yesterday (Saturday) I spent the better part of the evening with my new friend, who goes by the pseudonym Thomas Tye. While currently teaching English at a Hagwon here in Korea, Thomas is a true "Renaissance" man in every sense of the word. Sporting a burly black mustache and long, curly hair, he also manages to pull off a thick soul patch beneath his lips. Writer, film-maker, martial artist, musician, teacher and traveler, Thomas, his Kiwi friend and I spent the evening exchanging tales of our travels and adventures.

Thomas told me a wild tale of gallivanting around Asia and Europe on credit cards to finance a film project, that ended abruptly and tragically with a crazy story about an unreliable colleague embroiled in gang violence in Spain.

What really inspires me though, is Thomas' industriousness. I first met him last summer, as he promoted his self-published science fiction novel at one of the local expat watering holes. And so this evening, I finally opened to the first page of Finding Jack and began reading. The book is interesting, (to say the least), and I've only just started it, but already the possibilities of what I could possibly accomplish are there.

Thomas is also currently working on film projects for a Film Based ESL website. We both had a great time hanging out.

My other friend, Jack Cobb, is also looking to publish a book soon - a comprehensive guide for Westerners moving to Asia (and Korea specifically) to teach English. I've only read and offered feedback on his introduction so far, but he promises it to be a comprehensive guide to culture, customs, food, work habits and all other aspects of living in an Asian society.

His other project he's discussing is a screenplay drama/sitcom pilot. The basic concept of the sitcom is a foreigner/expat bar in Korea. He succinctly described it as, "basically Cheers meets MASH." It sounds almost crazy to me, but then Hawkeye once said, "Insanity is just a state of mind." Hopefully I can find the time to hang with Jack before too long. As I'm now single again, perhaps that will be more manageable.

MovieESL.com

http://findingjack.com/

True Love and Paranoia in the Hermit Kingdom

Nieces & Nephews

Finally visited my sister in Tuscon Arizona. As you can see, we visited the Airplane "Boneyards" surrounding Tuscon. My sister mentioned this Aircraft Museum in the Desert, so she and I took my nephew around to see all the airplanes. He had a great time for awhile. But being 2 and half years old, he grew tired quickly. But I had a great time looking at the B-52's!

I had a great time visiting with Noelle, Seth, and bonding with my nephew and niece.

In Prescott. With Grandad and Evorine.

Here I am, on the plane again. This time to Phoenix, Arizona, where I will see nearly everyone!
I arrive first in Prescott, to visit my grandparents. My Grandad has moved his computer upstairs. It looks as though he's in better shape than I thought. So we all go out to dinner.

Bonus: there's nearly 2 feet of snow on the ground in Prescott. Spectacular.

Baaaack in the U.S.... A ?

Things move quickly for me again, as I neglect this blog a little longer!

I've just arrived a couple days ago, back in the United States after another marathon jump over Pacific ocean. What I've done so far:

1. Met my parents and took them out for dinner at Ted's Montana Grill. 24 oz. of medium Bison Ribeye Steak. Enough said.

2. Become engrossed in the new Krakauer opus I found at the airport. One of my all time favorite writers has tackled the story of Pat Tillman, the NFL safety with the Arizona Cardinals who quit his million dollar career to join the Army after 9/11. After his death (at the hands of his comrades) the Bush administration tried to cover up its details and use him to promote their foreign policy. But in his best biography to date, master biographer Krakauer paints a portrait of a fantastic, exceptional man who was far more complex and IMHO, more heroic, than most people realize.

Bonus Moral Lesson: DON'T work for the US Army.

3. Enjoyed Skiing at Copper mountain for a few days. Snow was somewhat lacking, but they got some on my last day. Still, snow or no snow, its hard to complain about a few days of skiing in Colorado. I bought a new pair of skis as well. I'm really liking them. Pics coming soon.

4. Meeting my Aunt Dee tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing her and spending time with family.

Links for a New Year

I am here presenting a new set of links that may be of interest to some people.

mnmlist.com This blog, by Leo Babauta of Zen Habits, shows radical means to escape

"the excesses of consumerism, material possessions, clutter, having too much to do, too much debt, too many distractions, too much noise. But too little meaning. Minimalism is a way of eschewing the non-essential in order to focus on what's truly important, what gives our lives meaning, what gives us joy and value."

ZenHabits.net Same guy with slightly less radical advice for focusing yourself on what's important.

まなてぃ～／シドニーへ行く (The Manatee Goes to Sydney) This blog chronicles my friend and longtime Japanese teacher, Kyoko Nagashima as she spends a year teaching Japanese in Australia.

Ask A Korean Insightful blog about Korean culture, history, and society written by a Korean American. Very poignant and sharp perceptions about race, immigration, and culture.

Caricature of Me

A student of mine at Daebang Middle School drew this great caricature of me. Definite win.

I'm always flattered by this sort of thing from my students. Wondering if I ever have any impression on kids, these sorts of things always remind me that I do have a positive effect on kids.

This picture I find particularly interesting, as it exaggerates my features and lets me see how other people see me (which isn't so bad as I always imagine it to be).

Rendition of the Universe

A mindblowing rendition of the known universe, rendered by astronomers at the American Museum of Natural History according to the best astronomical research to date. Definitely puts things in perspective.

Carolyn Hax on Words & Deeds

"Feel free to write off anyone whose words and deeds don't line up." - Carolyn Hax

From Northern Arizona, 2000-2001

Carolyn Hax on Honesty

"When honesty results in punishment, the truth tends to linger in the eaves, hoping to go unnoticed." - Carolyn hax

From Colorado Highlights

Charles Gonzalez on Bad Policy

“The only reason you ever pursue bad policy is when you think there’s some sort of political advantage.” - Charles Gonzalez

Emily Yoffe on Horrible Behavior

"People get away with horrible behavior by taking advantage of others' natural instincts not to cause a scene." - Emily Yoffe

On Thoughtlessness

"Who decides what's immature? Is there a manual that says, "Other people can act abysmally, but the Mature Person will suffer their thoughtlessness and insensitivity without complaint"?" - Carolyn Hax

From Colorado Highlights

Robert Strange McNamara 1916-2009

Until recently, I hadn't heard that Robert Strange McNamara had passed away this last year. An interesting biography on this "Strange" and often contradictory figure in American foreign policy.

McNamara gained fame and acclaim originally as defense secretary for John F Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson and his notable accomplishments included engineering the war in Vietnam, and developing US defense doctrine for nuclear war that exist to this day. He was known for ruthlessly applying the cold, calculating precision of mathematical statistics to decision making.

Despite being the architect for America's invasion and conflict in South-West Asia, he later became a tireless advocate against war and America's militaristic and agressive foreign policies. In his later years, he became a tireless activist for nuclear disarmament and the ever present danger that nuclear weapons pose.

Ironically, McNamara later became an outspoken critic of his own war, saying,

"None of our allies supported us. Not Japan, not Germany, not Britain or France. If we can't persuade nations with comparable values of the merit of our cause, we'd better reexamine our reasoning."

Death of the Whiz Kid: Robert Strange McNamara 1916-2009

On Poverty

"Poverty is not created by the poor but by the institutions and policies that we, the better off, have established. We can solve the problem not by means of the old concepts but by adopting radically new ones." ~ Muhammad Yunus, Founder of Grameen Bank for Micro-credit

Grameen Bank