The Raise

For Maarten

2009-12-06T08:25:00.003+09:00

Maarten said I should post on the ol' blog more often. So here is one just for him.

Today the Boyer's return from their trip to India.
It snowed a whole crap load in the last couple days. That has been kind of cool. Snow. I used to pray and pray for it. Now... I am almost indifferent. Maybe that will change once I get my ski gear back from Saskatoon.

School... I am still ultra busy. But also still committed and enjoying it.

I have started to take swimming lessons. I feel improvement slowly coming, and I think that in a couple weeks 100 meters non-stop should be pretty easy. It is fun to have something to learn and improve at.

I am currently reading 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin' it is destined to be in the top ten for the year.

Take care.

Nobel

2009-10-20T13:14:00.004+09:00

Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize? WHAT?! BARF! Vomit with big chunks of irony and globs of what look like a half digested big mac.

I dont follow who wins these prizes very closely, and I have heard of some dubious choices (and almost choices) in the past. But generally I assumed that those Nobel people had there heads on straight and were making an honest effort. Maybe I am just too trusting of Europeans...

When I heard the news it made me creep that much further into my protective cave of cynicism.

Until I saw this cartoon during my nightly stumble...

School and the Arts

2009-10-12T10:47:00.004+09:00

These days I am ultra busy with school. I probably have been averaging about 60 hours a week between classes, labs, and studying. In university I probably did half of that in a busy week. But its alright... I am enjoying it. I feel really motivated and committed.

Having said that, I am really missing my life in Korea. While I would like to finish my program in Calgary, the option of finishing it online while I am back in Korea is appealing. I definitely feel that I could spend one more year there at least. More, if I had a job other than teaching English.

So... maybe ill go back to Korea in the winter. maybe not. I would guess there is a 25% chance of that happening. It depends a lot on where I will be able to live in the winter. If I can get away with little of no rent I will probably stay in Calgary.

I can apparently start the practicum part of my program after my first semester. So I might try to look for a job briefly before the winter semester starts. There is talk of there being a practicum placement in Central America. That would be amazing, and I am definitely going to apply for it, if its true. In general I think I will try to get my practicum in another country.

As for the winter... I will probably be keeping it low key. Probably not much skiing because of my super low budget. I am going to try to take in a lot more shows than I normally do. Gwynne Dyer is going to be speaking at Mac Hall on October 20 (I think), and the night before Harry Manx is playing. It would be pretty sweet to see both of those guys. I want to see see more theater too... any suggestions? Any partners in crime?

CD Exchange 2009 - My CD

2009-10-06T14:25:00.004+09:00

An explanation on my CD…

I have spent an enormous amount of time working on this cd… 3 years in the thinking. I picked songs based on what I thought represented my musical tastes over the last few years, while trying somewhat to stay away from things that I thought other people might already be listening to.

Cover Art: a ripped off Bansky image.

1. The Books – An Animated Description of Mr. Maps

This is without a doubt one of the most memorable and most played songs of the last 3 years for me. I hope that it didn’t throw people off. Even if this song doesn’t do it for you, The Books are well worth a look. They are folktronica (is that a real genre?) experimental etc… and truly amazing in my opinion. I recommend The Lemon of Pink album if you do take my advice and investigate further – You really, really should.

2. 언니네 이발관 - 가장 보통의 존재 (I am not even sure how to translate this... the band I have no clue what it means. The song title is something like ‘the most usual existence’). In Korean it is pronounced On Ne Nae – Kajong botong we jonjae.

This is almost the sole representation of good rock/indie Korean music that I heard while I was in Seoul. It was played non-stop at any half way hip café in Seoul. I probably have heard it over 100 times in various cafes.

3. The Antlers - Kettering

Folk, post rock, indie rock… something like that. A last minute addition. Hospice is probably destined to be one of my favorite albums of the year.

4. Burial – Etched Headplate

This is from the Untrue album, which is probably one of my top 10 albums ever. It is dark but always compelling. I have it playing in the background often. I think Untrue was nominated for the Mercury Prize a couple years ago.

5. Portishead – The Rip

Apparently it was on someone’s cd last year? An amazing song. It gives me chills. The entire album is sweet and was probably one of my most played last year.

6. Cold War Kids – The Soloist in the Living Room

One of my more played songs last year. When I decided to keep the cd to 10 songs, this one probably would have gotten cut except that I felt like I needed some sort of ‘rock’ on the cd. It was almost solely on there for Spleen’s sake. Nonetheless, I love it… its got 300 plays (exactly) on my itunes.

7. Born Ruffians – Red, Yellow, and Blue

The opening song and namesake of their debut album. This is a shit hot album and definitely worth a look. Indie Rock I guess is the genre. Definitely one of last years best for me.

8. Martha Wainwright – Lolita

Another one where it was tough to choose what song to put on. I really, really love Martha Wainwright. Consistently amazing. My favorite female singer.

9. Mulatu Astake - Nostalgia

This is probably my favorite song on my cd. It is beautiful. It is kind of melancholy but still upbeat. Few songs can absorb me like this one does.

10. Daniel Johnston & Yo La Tengo – Speeding Motorcycle

Daniel Johnston on the phone doing Speeding Motorcycle with Yo La Tengo in a radio studio? I think it is god damn genius. DJ is fucking amazing, and I don’t think there is anybody else that I listen to that can make me empathize and feel emotion through their music like DJ. It is a shame that I don’t have more of his music. If you don’t know the story of Daniel Johnston, do yourself a favor and check him out.

Other notables that didn’t make it for one reason or another:

The Dodos, Camera Obscura, Volcano Choir, Bibio, Bowerbirds, Shugo Takumaru, Blind Pilot, etc…

A good Bellamy Salute to you all

2009-08-20T14:14:00.002+09:00

Just a ultra quick note to say hello. I am alive and concocting a friggin' sweet plan. A plan for what? For stuff. You'll see.

mainly it involves me starting a business with my dad, quitting my job fixing windshields, going to school in September enrolling in some sort of GIS course.

peace out.

book reviews coming post haste.

District 9 is a pretty sweet movie. I recommend not looking anything up about it before you go see it.

Free Documentaries

2009-07-13T13:51:00.003+09:00

freedocumentaries.org is a pretty sweet site that links to streaming full length documentaries.

I would recommend these (which I am sure that I have already mentioned previously):

The Fog of War - Former secretary of Defense for the USA looks back on his career and some of the high level decisions he was involved in. It is definitely one of the best documentaries I have seen. I highly recommend it.

Why We Fight - Takes a look at the American military industrial complex. It shows how politicians and military companies often have a vested interest in fighting wars. It frequently makes reference to the prescient farewell speech of President Eisenhower in 1961.

This is an excerpt from the speech;
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.

This is another excerpt;
Another factor in maintaining balance involves the element of time. As we peer into society's future, we -- you and I, and our government -- must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for our own ease and convenience the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without risking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.

Il pleut des cordes

2009-07-07T05:43:00.000+09:00

It is absolutely pouring outside right now and I feel kind of trapped in the house. I am using the forced time inside to organize some of the files on my computer. I am finally getting around to loading some of the music I have sitting on my hard drive into itunes. Some of this stuff was downloaded so long ago that I don’t remember what it is. Some gems of the forgotten files include, Arkells, and Elbow. But the guy/band I have been listening to the most recently is Patrick Watson. PW is destined to be one of the year’s best.

I have been thinking that I don’t really think enough about most of the books I read. Almost immediately afterwards I just put the book down and move on to the next one. I often think about the ideas of the book while I am reading, but not usually after the book is done. I get into a situation a month or year later and the book will come up, but most of my thoughts from the book have seeped from my porous mind. So… I think I will start to write little critiques or reviews on what I read. Hopefully that will serve to coalesce my thoughts.

Robert McNarmara died today. He was the Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam War and held a lot of other high level positions throughout his career. There is an outstanding documentary on his experiences called Fog of War. You can watch it here.

Maarten has apparently got his blog up and rolling again. A fine source of music reviews and tips on how to pick up the fraulein.

Happy Canada Day

2009-07-02T10:28:00.002+09:00

Most famous for being 3 days before the 4th of July.

These days find me getting up late and half assedly looking for a job. I am staying at Mer’s parents house – house sitting. I think I am doing a pretty good job – you know… mowing the lawn and not destroying the house.

Jobs…For a little while there I was looking for jobs quite intensly and sending out resumes to everything I saw advertised. However, I really have been getting very little response and my enthusiasm is waning. Lately I have only been sending out resumes to things that look half-way interesting.

I had kind of been resting all my hopes on getting hired back on at the tree nursery I worked at before I left Calgary. They had been chronically short on employees for years. That is until this year. They were full up when I sent in an inquiry. Nuts.

I actually worked a single day at a landscaping company last week. However, I promptly quit that nonsense. With hours that go from Monday to Saturday 9am-8pm, I could see my summer of fun quickly going down the drain.

So what is a boy like me to do? Well, very recently I have been renewed with a sense of optimism and a ‘I don’t really want to work anyway’ attitude. Even though my money is essentially completely gone, I figure I can survive on nothing for quite a while. If I can somehow manage to not drink my bank account out of its remaining few pesos, Ill survive. Dad seems to have caught on to a good business idea and wants some help organizing it. That may provide some income eventually. Check out this website I made for him: www.fiberglassrepairs.ca

Right now I would have to say that teaching English in the fall is a real possibility. Lately I have somehow even been fooling myself into thinking that the act of teaching ESL isn’t really that bad. I almost miss it. Certainly I could put up with it for a few months and try to ride out the horribleness of the Canadian winter somewhere warm. I am also considering going ‘North’ and getting some crap job that pays a ton. The exact opposite of the previous idea… on par for my average range of ideas.

As for how I am filling the hours of my days I am keeping somewhat busy. I have recently started to study French again. It is tough to start. I have been watching some old movies. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre is a gooder. It is supposedly Paul Thomas Anderson’s favorite. I have also been trying to download some classical music. I have been finding though that it is a somewhat difficult genre to get in to.

On that note, I will leave you with a quote from one of my favorite books… A Clockwork Organge.

"Come with uncle," I said, "and hear all proper. Hear angel trumpets and devil trombones. You are invited."

The delivery of that line in the movie is real horrorshow.

atheism quotes

2009-07-02T10:26:00.002+09:00

some amusing quotes I found while stumbling...

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful. - Seneca the Younger

Since the Bible and the church are obviously mistaken in telling us where we came from, how can we trust them to tell us where we are going? - Anonymous

Two hands working can do more than a thousand clasped in prayer. - Anonymous

Blind faith is an ironic gift to return to the Creator of human intelligence. - Anonymous

What can be asserted without proof can be dismissed without proof. - Christopher Hitchens

On the first day, man created God. - Anonymous

I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours. - Stephen Roberts

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime; give a man religion and he will die praying for a fish. - Anonymous

pictures from Sasquatch

2009-06-01T15:31:00.003+09:00

Spleen's ankle. wow. dumbass.

buying your own groceries sucks

2009-06-01T15:27:00.002+09:00

Unfortunately I feel that my holiday is coming to an end. Not of my own free will, but because my bank account is malnourished and dying. It used to be like an agile growing young man… steadily getting bigger, stronger – capable of increasingly wonderful feats. But now it is more like a sick little homeless child, slowly shrinking in on itself, constantly on the look out for its next meal. Sorry little guy – you gotta hold out a little longer.

So now the job hunt shall start in earnest. The smart money is on me being employed as some hired muscle to move that thing over there, and then some more things back here. Baaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh… I don’t wanna work!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just wanna… I don’t know. But it aint work. Or at least the kind of work that people are probably gonna hire me for.

Oh well.

Actually, Im not really that sad to start work. I think I will probably enjoy mixing it up a bit. I will be happy to not be in a classroom, and manual labor sometimes provides a satisfying immediate sense of accomplishment.

I also feel that if I stay dedicated to looking for ‘real’ jobs that eventually one will come my way. The bigger challenge will be to stay in Canada until such an opportunity presents itself.

Whatever happens I am stoked for the summer. It is gonna be really great. I have a real sense of optimism for the next few months. I am in almost exactly in the situation I was planning during the winter.

LOST

2009-05-05T03:41:00.002+09:00

I just finished watching the second season and I am left feeling frustrated and a little angry. How can people keep watching that show? It just goes on and on. While the second season provided some satisfying answers, it has created a situation that I find now almost unwatchable. I care about how the series ends, but only enough that I will read about it on wikipedia rather than invest another 120 or so hours watching it. I can’t believe I even finished the second season. It is a testament to my boredom over the last couple of days.

The broad strokes of the story are compelling enough. There are some interesting mysteries and coincidences to ponder. However the minute to minute interactions of the characters are enough to make me smash the tv on the ground and slit my wrists with the broken glass. Why are the main characters so fractious and easy to anger? It seems completely unrealistic the way they treat each other so antagonistically. The way alliances are formed and broken episode to episode. The Ana Lucia character made me want to vomit every time she opened her mouth. Jack is a petulant tool bag. Michael is a fucking psychopath (in an annoying stupid way). Their plan to get Walt back from ‘the others’ at the end of season 2 is ridiculous. I cannot think of any part of it that real people would partake in. The classic, ‘even though we know it’s a trap, lets not tell anybody about it, and then when we walk right into this trap, we’ll be in a prime position to surprise the trap setters’… oh my god.

Blackstrap

2009-04-28T03:09:00.003+09:00

Currently I am living out at Blackstrap Lake with Mom and Paul. Most weekdays I come in with my mom and spend most of my day at the U of S library poaching their internet. I have been looking for jobs in Calgary. But really I mostly I watch youtube videos and look at facebook photos.

I am starting to feel how being in Canada is different. When I first got back, it didn’t feel that strange. I think it was more like a holiday. I was expecting to return to something ‘normal’. However, I haven’t returned, and the facts of my new reality are starting to sink in. The routine that I had developed over the last year (and really enjoyed) is now gone. I am starting to realize how convenient life was, how close to everything I was, and in contrast how far I am from everything now. I am sure living out at Blackstrap doesn’t help. One of the biggest things I notice missing is easy access to cheap quality meals. Korea has these little restaurants on every corner where you can get a good meal for 3-5 dollars. I am getting sick of the few options that offer anything close to being both cheap and healthy in Saskatoon.

I am not doing a very good job of studying French. I have a made a stack of French cards... but haven't really looked at them. Starting is the hardest thing. I wish I could just start off with the same enthusiasm I had while I was studying Korean. It was rarely a struggle for me to want to study Korean. I think it was hard to start studying Korean too, but once I did and could see some progress, it was really easy to build on that momentum and stay motivated. I just need to start, and go hard for a couple of weeks. I should be good after that. I also need a good book to study from… I liked the format of my Korean books, and would like to have something like that again. There are not as many resources available as I thought there would be. I am probably just not looking in the right places.

Anyway, I am looking forward to getting to Calgary. Hopefully the weather starts to pick up, the leaves come back, and the grass turns green soon.

Pubes in China

2009-04-22T02:05:00.003+09:00

Adam and Kelly have been China for a while... is this the first time I have posted their blog? My bad.

http://adamandkellyinchina.blogspot.com/

Back in the land of the free and home of the...

2009-04-18T02:30:00.003+09:00

wait a second... I'm not. whatever...

anyway, IM BACK!! in Saskatoon. OR Blackstrap, to be more exact. Whatever, it's Canada.

and it feels like I never left. WTF! Honestly it just feels like I was gone for a couple months, and in that time children have grown 3 feet, babies have been made, marriages arranged, and houses bought. But seriously, it feels like I was gone for one month, not thirty.

Ill be moving to Calgary sometime in the next 3-5 weeks.

I am looking for a job. Any job. Painting fences - swell! Hook me up!

Plans for the summer are to look into schools (to be a student), study French, get a job, arrange for possible travel in the fall, k;jahsdfj;khsadfw I am all jacked up on coffee.

anyway, anyway... Burial. The best music EVER. Listen to the shit. I have mentioned him before, but maybe you didn't look him up. So maybe you should do it now.

also, did I post this before? I think not. I was going to. I meant to. I should have... but true to form I didn't. Watch it... its sweet. Its worth the time investment. http://www.chrismartenson.com/crashcourse

crazy look into the future of digital images

2009-03-13T21:01:00.001+09:00

Podcasts

2009-03-06T21:55:00.008+09:00

Lately I have been listening to a lot of podcasts. These are the best of what I have found.

Democracy Now! is a daily current events/news show. It is almost always the first thing I listen to on my ipod as I make my commute or run errands. The program has amazing guests on the show everyday that provide a different look at current events than you normally get from main stream media. If you are looking for a quality source of news without the usual spin, then you have to check this podcast/show out.

Every Wednesday this podcast is updated with a new gem. Each episode is an award winning radio show from the CBC. I have listened to about 10 shows so far and really enjoyed them all. So far I have heard a great 6 part series on spin in the media, a panel speaking about their personal experiences with poet William Blake, and currently I am listening to a biography on a really interesting guy named Wade Davis (think voodoo and psychotropic plants).

Business Daily is not your typical business report. Past editions have looked at how credit rating agencies have helped create our current economic situation, and how a North Korean refugee coped with life in her former country. The topics are wide ranging and always interesting.

A to send you on your merry way, here are a couple gooders from William Blake:

"Prisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of Religion."

"As the caterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys."

funny vid

2009-03-02T22:50:00.001+09:00

Lately...

2009-02-15T22:38:00.010+09:00

Time for another round of what Justin recommends? Maybe these aren't even recommendations as such. Perhaps better classified simply as what I have enjoyed lately... but since I have great taste you should heed my sayings.

Books

I am still reading really slowly these days. So I dont have a lot of material, but these books were worth my time.

The Remains of the Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro - At first glance this book appears to be a guaranteed snoozer. How can a book describing the life of a work obsessed butler be entertaining? I dont know exactly, but it was one of the most enjoyable books I read in 2008.

The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter, by Peter Singer and Jim Mason - I am about 1 year into being a flexitarian. This book has served to substantially reinforce my decision to eat a diet containing almost no meat. This book presents both sides of arguements very well. In a lot of cases the book draws conclusions that you might find at odds with traditional views on how unconditionally wonderful organic and locally grown foods are.

As a side note, after reading the book I started to look into Peter Singer a little more. He is one the worlds most famous and controversial philosiphers. He has some interesting ideas. Look into it.

Music

Despite my best efforts to expand into different forms electronica and hip-hop, most of my listening continues to revolve around mellowish folky music.

Born Ruffians - fun upbeat indie rock with a unique sound.
Martha Wainwright - probably my favorite female singer after Fiest.
Panda Bear - one of the main members of Animal Collective. The music is 'freak folk' or something. It is pretty good meandering noise.
Bowerbirds - I have only been listening to these guys for a couple of days, but they are really great. It is some kind of alternative folk. Certainly one of the bands I will pay attention to in the future.

Movies

Lately, if I like a director I have been chasing down everything they have made. That has led me back to watching some oldies.

The Good:

Paths of Glory (1957), directed by Stanley Kubrick. Paths of glory has a young(er) Kirk Douglas is an army officer questioning his superiors in WWI.

The Wrestler (2008), directed by Darren Aronofsky. Mickey Rourke is looking good. A once famous wrestler struggles to maintain the only life he has ever known.

Badlands (1973), directed by Terrence Mallick. It stars Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek. Set in the 50's, a young teenage girl accompanies a sociopathic greaser as he goes on a killing spree.

Overrated:

Slumdog Millionaire (2008), directed by Danny Boyle. The movie has some strong points, but on the whole it didn't feel like anything special to me. I certainly dont understand why this movie is getting so much attention. The ending made me want to puke. Maybe I just hate happy endings. Real life isn't full of beautiful people struggling through some tough times only to come out on the other side rich and in love.

March 23. Mark it down.

2009-02-15T22:28:00.004+09:00

I have a plane ticket!

I arrive in Saskatoon on March 23. Hoorah! Hoorah!

and this clip is pretty sweet:

Happy New Year...

2009-02-14T21:10:00.003+09:00

I mean Valentines Day.

Crazy I have posted anything in thing yet in 2009. Not too worry, I am honestly going to be more up to date on this thing. I think I will aim for weekly posts in 2009. That will be my New Years resolution (in February).

So here is you valentines day card:

comment

2008-12-17T00:45:00.002+09:00

my comment on an earlier post...

I just dont think we have a lot to be optimistic about when it comes to humans acting together on a global scale towards a common goal. I think human nature prevents us. We are all concerned about our own needs and wants in the here and now. I think this is an almost insurmountable aspect of human nature.

I think it is wrong to be optimistic just for its own sake. There should be a reason for it. Society needs to slap itself in the face and wake up.

As for me personally, I am not miserable. I think I am pretty happy. Probably the happiest person I know. Perhaps I dont project that very well... but I am.

However, I am confused about what is going on in the world and unsure of what path I should select for my life. I am no longer sure about concepts of 'right' and 'wrong'. My message may be depressing, my life is not. I am filled with tremendous personal optimism and tremendous fear for the fate of the world.

Anyway, to discuss this properly requires so much more space and time. A conversation would be so much more efficient. I am sure we are at cross purposes, and having slight misunderstandings.

The National

2008-12-16T01:17:00.002+09:00

This is the best album I have listened to in a long time: Boxer by The National

listen to this... dont watch it though (video kinda sucks).

ㄴ뮤ㅐㅅㅁㅎㄷ

2008-12-16T00:58:00.004+09:00

ㄴ뮤ㅐㅅㅁㅎㄷ is Korean for sabotage.

Actually it is what happens when you type 'sabotage' in English but leave the Korean type setting on.

Anyway, I swear that I routinely subconsciously sabotage myself. I have just completed one such act...

I was writing a fairly serious letter to a friend, when, just as I am hitting the 'send' button, I realize that I have misspelled their name 3 separate times in the email. My attempt to abort was unsuccessful. DAMN IT... really that is going to be embarrassing. And it is not like I misspelled Steven when I should have used a 'ph' - as in Stephen. This person has a Korean name, and it is more like I called them Stan, when actually their name is Dan.

Another instance of self sabotage: On my way to meet the principle of my new school, I got on the subway going the wrong way and fell asleep for 7 stops. I was half an hour late for the interview. To get on the subway going the wrong way is a pretty stupid thing to do... and unforgivable when on your way to an interview. But I still got the job.

I can be obscenely stupid.

meet the meat

2008-12-15T01:04:00.002+09:00

meat.org

gross.

Seriously. Stop eating meat. It's better for the environment and definitely better for the animals.

Or... be like me, and do flexitarianism

I eat meat about once every two weeks. My favorite Korean food is Bul-dalk, or literally fire chicken. It is coated in peppers and hot sauce a bunch and then seared. Goodness gracious it is tasty.

Affogato

2008-12-15T00:46:00.005+09:00

This delicious looking thing is called an 'affogato'. Have you ever had one of these little babies? They are outrageously scrumptious. It is simply an espresso poured over a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

So... to recap my life lately:

-I am still going to cafes on an almost daily basis. This continues to serve me well, keeping me away from the evil time killing properties of the internet.
-I have enrolled in a Korean language class at a university. I go for ~1.5 hours 3 times a week. I was pretty happy with myself because I was able to skip the first level. I feel like that is some proof that I was studying effectively on my own for the past 3 months. The class is completely in Korean, and I think I am doing fairly well so far.
-I bought a gym membership. These must truly be strange days if I have found the motivation to pump iron. Squats, dips, calf raises, so many fun things to do at the gym.
-I have other things to say... but will write on them shortly. One thing in particular certainly deserves its own post.
-all I have to say is... go get an affogato.

Christmas

2008-12-15T00:39:00.003+09:00

I cannot believe that this will be my third Christmas away from home. Good god where has the last year gone?

Anyway, here are two songs that are classics for me at this time of year:

Boney M. getting down with 'Little Drummer Boy'

John Lennon making you feel bad. What have you done?

Response to Mer...

2008-12-14T23:26:00.004+09:00

I was going to write a response to Mer's comment on a previous post I made about Obama, but I cant distill my thoughts very well. I sat for about 2 hours straight writing a horrible monstrous meandering essay.

But I will say something very brief on Mer's comment.

To start, here is what she said:
"Well Mr. Negative-pants your blog is a bit of a downer. I think you are being a bit too defeatist about the whole thing. Positive and lasting change almost always occurs in baby steps. Especially in stable democracies...that's sort of why they are stable. I would tend to say that electing Mr. Obama is a step in the right direction. By all accounts he is an intelligent person who understands the impact of the decisions that are made by the executive branch. I think hoping for quick change is a bit naive. If you look through history change like that has almost always come through violence and has resulted in an extended period of instability...neither of which would help the situation." -Mer

My response:
-Electing Obama was a step in the right direction.
-However, my intention was to be negative. I believe that there are flaws so deeply buried in our way of life that it makes almost no difference who the president is. We are still running blindly off the same cliff as before... perhaps now a little slower.
-The change I am talking about is not violent. It simply involves people making personal lifestyle choices in a more conscientious manner. They way we live in 'rich' countries is unsustainable. We need to redefine 'progress'. This is not something we need to wait for the government to do. The effect of one person is small, but the cumulative impact of many people is large. Of course it is humanity's great shame that we seldom think or act in this way.

They Rule

2008-11-23T20:30:00.000+09:00

http://www.theyrule.net/theyrule.html

2008-11-08T01:25:00.003+09:00

To expand on that last post a little... I am very happy that Obama won. I truly think that he was the better choice for president. I would have lost all hope if McCain and the 'hockey mom' had won.

However, after reading the news a listening to people talk in the last couple days I am a little mystified at why people are so excited. It seems like people all over the world are simply giddy over Obama. It cant truly be Obama that is making them happy, can it? I mean why?

The only thing I can think, is that people are just RELIEVED. Relieved that while America is still America, the people have at least chosen a less extreme version for the next 4 years.

If there is real hope for Obama, I think it is misplaced. America has had despicable leadership for the past 8 years. Obama as the leader for the only other political option in the States cannot help but look like a savior. I feel like Obama is the lesser of two evils. America's politcal system is a sham... really.

I feel like my opinions on the topic are too hard to explain here. Essentially I am happy that Obama won, yet disparage that true change is almost impossible.

Blahhh...

As a side note, last night I sat next to and talked to a Floridian that voted for Bush in 2004.

Hooray for Osama!

2008-11-06T00:47:00.003+09:00

Hello comrades!

Well, I have aged a year since last I wrote. 27... damn. I gotta start doing something.

Obama won. I guess that is good. Better than McCain certainly. Yet I dont think that any tremendous change will come from this result. Obama is merely a cog in a massive machine that is the United States of America. That machine is broken, and replacing the Bush cog with the Obama cog cant fix the problem. The entire machine needs to be disassembled and reconstructed with a new purpose.

I think you could say the same thing about western society in general... there is a shift required in our way of life so massive and fundamental to our daily existence that I think most of us cannot believe it. Those of us that do believe it are afraid to act. I think that unfortunately, something catastrophic on a global scale will have to happen before we change the way we live.

In personal news: I am staying Korea until March. I decided not to quit my job. I will finish my contract in March. Expect to see me then.

I am going to take an evening course in Korean. Should be good.

I bought a new bike. It is pretty sweet. road tires.

I busted up my ankle. A bad sprain. No ultimate for a couple months. Shitty. Sucks.

Life is good. I am happy. I hope you are too. Take care!

also... Canada elected Harper again. I dont know what I think about that to be honest. I think I feel like it doesn't matter. But, Im not that apathetic. But really, I haven't been paying too much attention to Canadian politics. Or politics anywhere. Or anything. God...

oh yeah, I've been listening to a lot of Sam Harris on youtube. Atheism. Do it. Your god doesn't exist. Not that I am necessarily an atheist...

Goodreads

2008-10-19T18:19:00.003+09:00

Goodreads is a pretty cool site. You can keep track of books you have read, and link to friends profiles to see what they have read. It is really well designed and it is easily to quickly find books and authors.

I signed up with my hotmail account... ginnjustin@hotmail.com

find me on there. sign up.

new links

2008-10-10T01:06:00.003+09:00

For those who know Karina, this is a blog that she writes with her partner Rolf. They are currently living one of the more interesting and unique lives I know of.
http://www.rolfandkarina.com/Rolf_+_Karina/Blog/Blog.html

some interesting talks on wide ranging topics:
http://www.ted.com/

pictures - because they're more fun than words

2008-10-01T01:13:00.002+09:00

Awake Nights - Awake Now

2008-10-01T01:07:00.001+09:00

Alright. This is it - the start of a feverish flurry of posts and ACTION by your faithful (although often unresponsive) friend.

Since my last substantial post, life here has continued on in the same, mostly uneventful manner of the previous 20 odd months (minus the 3 I was traveling). And since that is probably the 10th time in a row I have said ‘life is pretty much the same’ – I am definitely feeling a need for change. So…

The change is gonna come by way of me finally getting out of this god awful racket called ‘teaching English’. 4 hours a day is sweet to be sure, yet I cannot continue. Let me quickly list a few of the reasons:
1. Children in small numbers are cute and charming. In numbers bigger than, say, 4, they are monsters. Truly horrible. Needless to say I am losing my patience.
2. While 4 hours a day of anything is pretty manageable, my job gives me very little satisfaction other than a paycheck. I hope that my life isn’t going to be filled with one meaningless job after another.
3. My sleeping patterns are ridiculous, I go to sleep between 2-4am and get up between 10-11am, the sleep is not restful, and I long for the days of sleeping from 1-8am, or something like that… going to bed at 4am is killing me, yet I am completely unable to stop myself.
4. I miss Canada. I miss my family and friends. I miss being able to communicate effortlessly, I miss driving, I miss so much about home. While I will almost defiantly leave Canada again for extended travel, it is time I put an end to this trip soon.
5. My life style here is obscene. 20 hours of work a week. A fine situation for someone with good self control and a lot of motivation. Obviously horrible for me. I get nothing done. I watch a lot of movies, drink a lot of beer, and occasionally read a book or learn a new guitar riff.

So… how am I going to implement the big change? Well this is gonna go one of a few ways…
1. I quit my job. I enroll in a Korean language school. While I am a useless sack most of the time, I have actually been spending a lot of my free time studying Korean (perhaps about 10-14 hours a week). This means I get home in February or March, with no money and in need of a job almost immediately.
2. I quit my job, travel somewhere cool for a few weeks, then go home. I get home in December with a few grand to blow before I need a job.
3. I quit my job. Bum around here or China for a month. Work a lucrative English camp, head home in January or February. I’ll have a little bit of money but once again will likely need to get a job fairly soon.

My preferred option is #1… I would like to get some real proficiency in the language before I leave. It has almost become an obsession for me in these last few months. I will immediately start studying French when I get home. Hopefully I get into it the same way I have with Korean. I am sure the payoffs would be much more dramatic with French over Korean.

I guess a common thread through all of these options is my lack of money upon returning home. What is up with that you ask? Well I ask myself the same damn question every time I go to the bank and see no money. I am just not a very frugal person I suppose. Not that I haven’t taken a few trips this year (Shanghai, Tokyo, Jeju, Busan, etc), but I feel like I should have more in the bank. Also, the exchange rate is quite shit right now for sending money home… also I refuse to work more than 20 hours a week. I would rather sleep, or stare at a blank wall then work.

Kiss me. You’re beautiful. These truly are the last days.

2008-10-01T00:57:00.002+09:00

The Road. Cormac McCarthy. Blood Meridian. This is the end and now we will se how vicious we really are. How the niceties of modern society only barely cover up the truer side of man. Get ready to eat your neighbor.

Don’t get me wrong… Im not saying the world is ending or anything. Just that humans, more than anything else, are selfish and and narrow minded and damn it, I think I am gonna give up, move to Comfort Cove, eat cod, and shoot seagulls for the rest of my life.

I guess I still feel pretty much the same as I always have politically and morally. Maybe I am less optimistic. I feel like maybe right and wrong are not as clear cut as I once thought. I can say that my apathy has never been greater. I also think I may just be coming up with justifications for my inaction.

This guy I know...

2008-10-01T00:36:00.003+09:00

is traveling now. You can read about him here if you wish.

We also started this other blog 'Greenline to Hongdae'. Quite the work in progress, it is a list of write ups on some of the cool spots to in Hongdae. Hongdae is an artsy fartsy area in Seoul that is really quite awesome. I ride my bike there almost everyday to drink coffee, study Korean, and look at all the hotties.

Despite my complaining, I love my life here. I live in an awesome location, and could see myself living here a lot longer.

CAN’T YOU HEAR ME CALLING OUT YOUR NAME?

2008-10-01T00:12:00.003+09:00

A few recommendations on books, movies, music, and other things that matter

To say I do NOTHING with my free time, you know, is technically not true. I mean I breathe. I take dumps. I sleep. Sometimes I watch movies or tv shows. Lately I have been downloading music at a rather preposterous pace. I have been trying to crack into the ‘ambient’ ‘sample’ ‘folk’ ‘rap/hip-hop’ ‘dub step’ bubble gubble combination and get to know the best of things in blah lost my train of thought but haven’t stopped typing….

Anyway, this is good stuff (if you don’t like, well… you need to listen to it again)
1. Burial – The Untrue album is probably my favorite of the year. And one of my favorites ever?
2. Radiohead – The new Rainbow album is sweet. But I have been listening to thir older stuff again too. Seriously good.
3. Guided by Voices – Bee Thousand. I have always suspected that I was a fan of lo-fi, this album confirms it. The song ‘Yours to Keep”… makes me cry.
4. Neutral Milk Hotel – “King of Carrot Flowers” is maybe my favorite song in… my life! Its sweet.

Also been listening to; Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, The Mountain Goats, Nick Drake, Okkervil River, The Rosenburg Trio, Jacques Lussier, Kings of Leon, Weezer, The Walkmen, TV on the Radio, Belle and Sebastian, Built to Spill, God Speed you Black Emperor, and more.

I have wathced these television shows and they recieve my approval.
The Wire
ROME
Deadwood

Second rate approval goes to:
Carnivale
Its always Sunny in Philadelphia

Good books (I've become semi illiterate, so I haven't read too many books lately):
The Road - Cormac McCarthy
The Stranger - Albert Camus
Great Expectations -Charles Dickens

Ridiculous

2008-10-01T00:08:00.002+09:00

Sarah Palin is a disaster.

I think I might have posted this already. But damn it, I think it is the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life.

huh? yeah... sure.

2008-09-25T00:51:00.002+09:00

s. l....o.....w...l..y

coming

back to

life.

stay tuned friends. Big things are on the way!

saw this clip a few months ago. sick.

stumble

2008-07-16T01:21:00.002+09:00

Is Justin going to quit his job and enroll in a Korean language class?

While you ponder that...

2008-06-30T16:33:00.002+09:00

My dear friends! Where have I been? What have I been doing?

Alas... I can not say exactly. Foggy memories of an empty wallet, empty beer bottles, broken hearts, and a broken fridge.

I just went to Shanghai... that was dumb. Now I definitely don't have any money. Well... I kind of do. I just decided to send my pre-determined amount home and live off of Kimchi and rice for the next month. Bills shall have to go unpaid for another month. I'm joking... or am I? I am not sure myself...

I just finished watching Deadwood, another HBO series. Obscene amounts of profanity and anachronistically sweet dialog make it one of my favorite shows ever.

I bought a bicycle. It is possibly one of the most sane decisions I have made in a the last two years. Within about 6 kilometers of my house are about 95% of the places I go.

Pㅌaㄷe_

Shanghai recap

2008-06-30T16:14:00.003+09:00

A recruiting company sponsored our traveling team for the Shanghai tournament. This is a write up I did for them:

On the weekend of June 21/22 The Korea Ultimate Players Association sent an ultimate frisbee team to compete an international tournament in Shanghai. This year Korea sent a team that hoped to be a contender for the Championship. Last year we beat out Shanghai HUWA in an epic semi final match, only to lose in the final to the evil Ringers of Fire (a pick up team that pulls players from all over Asia and beyond). Preparation started months in advance with training schedules that included suicide sprints and 3 pint beer chugging challenges. The goal being to be athletically competitive while maintaining ridiculously awesome party skills.

The Korea team is an interesting crew from a variety of backgrounds. Canadians, Americans, Koreans, and Australians all banded together by a love of ultimate while living abroad in Korea. Nearly every player on the team is an English teacher, with time spent in Korea varying from a few months to over 9 years. The Korean team is unique at most tournaments in that nearly all our players have pretty much the same job… teaching English!

With two full rosters, we boarded our plane to Shanghai in high hopes. Upon arrival at the airport, we pile into taxis and make out way to the Friday night party. The Friday night party is always a blast as you rekindle old friendships from tournaments past and speculate on whose team is looking hot this year.

Saturday morning comes too early and we awake to unfathomable humidity and air thicker than the previous night’s hot and sour soup. We huddle up, pass out our sweet new uniforms from Footprints, and prepare to battle for Asian ultimate glory. Korea plays decently but below expectations. We end the day 2-2 with hurtful losses to Beijing Big Brother and arch rivals the Ringers of Fire.

The Saturday night party is a good time as always. Things go down at a swanky night club serving up some tasty finger food and a sweet DJ. Korea represents at the party, and many a head is pounding come Sunday.

Sunday is what we all had trained so hard during the previous months for. We start off with an easy game in the pre-quarters against Hong Kong’s second team. The quarters are the match we have been anticipating, but were hoping would come later in the tournament, Shanghai HUWA. At one point we are up 9-8 and feeling strong. Then… DISASTER! Nobody can even recall the last 3 points… but HUWA gets 3 in a row to win the game. They beat the Ringers of Fire in the Semis, and take down the Philippines in the Finals. Korea loses early, but is heartened by the fact that they can start drinking beer and heckle for the rest of the day.

Despite going out earlier than we would have liked, Korea walked away from the weekend with positive attitudes and some great memories. After the tournament some players stick around to enjoy the city or travel China for a few weeks. While others hop on late night flights to make it back to Seoul to teach classes early Monday morning.

For those unaware of the ultimate scene in Asia, there is an extensive scene for tournaments with most major Asian cities hosting an event at least once during the year. This creates an informal ‘circuit’ that traveling teams from each city partake. Korea has a thriving ultimate scene that usually sends two full teams of 15 players to 3 or 4 tournaments a year. Past locations for tournaments are Hong Kong, Singapore, Fuji City, Manila, Singapore, and Jeju Island. International tournaments are a mix of competitive ultimate, and full bore partying in some of the most amazing cities in the world.

coffee shops and other diversions

2008-05-19T18:39:00.002+09:00

Pretty much the same routine going on over here in the good old Republic of Korea.

Kimchi and rice, teaching, sleeping, frisbee, kimchi and rice, sleeping, ad nauseam.

At this very moment I am eating an old classic with a new twist though... got a can of beans and dumped in half a can of green peas, and half a can of corn. It's alright.

I've read a couple pretty good books recently... Mother Night, and Cat's Cradle, both by Kurt Vonnegut. I can get down with that guy. Currently reading what I am sure will be one of the best books of the year for me, Cormac McCarty's Blood Meridian.

I also just watched Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love the Bomb. That is a rad movie, and you should watch it.

I have been hanging out at coffee shops a lot lately. Liking 'em. Liking 'em because they get me out of my house and away from this time suck machine called a computer.

Adios muchochos

youtube

2008-05-01T16:13:00.003+09:00

I just made a link to the youtube videos I make. Mostly inane in nature and only really interesting if they directly involve you... but sometimes they will directly involve you... so yeah.

This is the latest one from a fundraiser I was at where a few friends performed. It probably doesn't involve you, but its still funny.

back at it

2008-05-01T16:07:00.001+09:00

A recap of what is new these days…

I have started working at my new job. So far it is going alright. I work at an afternoon program in a public school. The setting is quite a bit different then the small private academy I was in last year. Everyday as I walk across the playground to get to the school I have about 300 kids stopping to gawk at me… hopefully they get used to the sight of me. I work from 12:30-5:30 Monday to Friday, with about 4.5 hours of teaching. While that doesn’t seem like very much, I find it rather tiring. I am beginning to not like teaching at all. I think it is a self feeding cycle too… the more I think about how much I don’t like it the more I am unable to enjoy it, which causes me to think about how much I cant stand it…

Not to say that life in Korea has been bad lately. I rather enjoy my life and set up here. 5 hours of work leaves a lot of time to do other things. I feel like I have been pretty busy of late too. Although I am not exactly sure what I have been doing.

I am starting to try to think of other ways that I can stay in Korea without making teaching my reason for being here. The most likely possibility would be to return at some point as a student. There are several good internationally accredited programs available that might be interesting. It’s all hearsay at this point, but I am just thinking about other things to do here besides teaching. And in reality no matter what I end up doing I would likely end up teaching at least a little bit. The money is just too outrageously high for part time work not to.

I am considering several different timelines for the next year or so. The first is that I stay in Korea until my current contract ends in March, and then travel by land across Asia, Europe and possibly North America until I am home. Work for the summer then maybe go live in France for a few months. The second plan is that I may come home early, say around the end of the summer, and look for a job back in Calgary or Saskatoon… so if you hear of anything good, let me know. It is also highly probable I will do something else I haven’t thought of yet.

Right now I am mostly thinking about what I am doing with my life, not really getting anywhere in anyway along that line of thought, and pretty much doing what I always do. So things are mostly good… and Im a little confused, and mostly happy.

I feel like the last few months have flown by. It is a disconcerting feeling, because I haven’t really done shit in the last few months. I gotta start doing stuff.

I am also ultra broke right now. So the main thing I need to do is save some money so I can do whatever I am going to do next.

Dream Cup

2008-03-19T22:21:00.003+09:00

During my trip to Japan last week I got to participate in Japan's biggest ultimate tournament (maybe the world's??), Dream Cup. The tournament is held at Fuji city about 180 kms outside of Tokyo near Mt. Fuji. I played with a men's team that Korea sent to compete in the open division. There were 80 teams in our division, with another 45 women's teams, and 15 coed. The tournament covered traveling costs for the top mens team (Sockeye, from Seattle) and the top womens team (Fury, from San Francisco). The organizers were essentailly trying to create a final that would pair Japans top teams against the Worlds best teams.

The ultimate scene in Japan is huge. Almost every team in the tournament was Japanese. Most of the teams were colleges or clubs. Our team was one of only half a dozen foriegn teams in the tourney. Yet Dream Cup's international reputation is substantial.

This refers to the open division: The format for the tournament was RIDICULOUS! But I am not sure how many feasible options you have for 80 teams. Essentially it was one huge bracket, with Sockeye on one side and Buzz Bullets (Japans top mens team) on the other. After those two seedings, the rest were apparently done randomly. A few good teams were knocked out in the first round because of bad first round matchups. We watched Buzz Bullets first game against a skilled collegiate team... and felt sorry for them because by losing they could not finish higher than 45th, even though they were obviously a much better team than that.

We faired well in our matchup for the first round and easily beat a young college team. After that we played another college team, but faster and with better throws... we won on universe point. The next game was the key game of the tournament for us. A win would mean playing against Sockeye in the quater finals... an awesome achievment for our team. This game was against Japan's world Champion masters team... and we really shit the bed. They were better than us, but certainly not not unbeatable. We ended that game humbled by men a decade older then us, but wiser for the experience.

However, by winning our first two games we securred a spot in the top 16. Sunday comes around and we are all pumped to get as high in the standings as we can. Two games won on universe point and we have it, 9th place.

Besides playing some really great ulti, I got to watch the best games I ever ever seen. The final between Buzz Bullets and Sockeye was amazing. I have never seen ultimate like that before. The final was an epic battle, with Buzz pulling it out 14-13. I also found a new appreciation for womens ultimate. The top Japanese teams were incrediably skilled... I never knew women could be that good at ultimate. The womens final was a bit of a blowout with Fury losing out to the Japanese National team 15-9, and only that close because Fury went on a 5 point run right at the very end of the game.

Ian, Justin, James

My team: Gold Scar

Japan's National women's team

Japan

2008-03-19T21:38:00.002+09:00

I just got back from a 6 day trip to Japan. I can confirm the rumors... Japan is EXPENSIVE. But awesome.

I had to go there in order to get a new working visa for Korea. Since it was required for me to work in Korea, my employer paid for the trip... or at least most of it. Yet I still managed to spend about $100 per day. Where did that money go? well... sushi, subway rides, Belgian beer, Japanese beer, sushi, noodles, and $30 a night hostels. I spent most of my time in Tokyo, and a couple nights out in Fuji city.

Also fitting extremely conveniently into the mix was one of the worlds biggest and most exclusive ultimate tournaments, Dream Cup. Dream Cup was probably one of my best tournament experiences ever... which I will write a little more about in a separate post.

I was surprised at how different I found the people and atmosphere of the streets in Japan versus in Korea. A little list:
- Japanese people seem to be extremely quiet in public. Koreans are very loud in comparison.
- The streets of Tokyo were near spotless. The streets of Seoul, while not filthy are not exactly garbage free.
- Impossible to find any garbage in Tokyo, but equally impossible to find a trash bin. In Seoul, there is always a garbage 'pile' close at hand.
- Tokyo seemed to be slightly more polished than Seoul. Looking at Korean workmanship in buildings and roads there always seems to be a sense of rush... like a job done quickly.
- The subway systems in both Seoul and Tokyo are awesome. However, I feel like the Seoul system is far more intuitive and easier to understand. I feel like anyone could ride the subway in Seoul with confidence on their first day... that is not necessarily so in Tokyo.
- Korean taxis are about 1/3 as expensive.
- Tokyo's citizens seemed to wear surgical face masks more frequently then Seoulites.

March 9th

2008-03-09T21:32:00.004+09:00

Whough.... wowe.... woe... how do you spell that?... you know like... "wo there horse"

I was just looking at the last time I posted and thinking it was 'waooooe' a long time ago.

Anyway, my eyes are getting sticky and glazed over from looking at this computer monitor for so long. Im sitting in one of Korea's ubiquitous PC bangs making use of the cheap ridiculously fast Internet. Also inhaling a years worth of second hand smoke in one sitting. Smoking is a disgusting habit.

So whats new.... moved into my new place. Its really small, but nice. The immediate surroundings are not that attractive, but there are some really great things a short bus or subway ride away.

I am still not eating the flesh of land animals. Feeling good about it.

Im gonna get myself a language exchange partner. Try and learn a little more of this gobldy gook. Watching my friends get good at it is making me feel inferior. Also, I feel like a tool when I cant express simple ideas to Koreans.

I am going to Tokyo this week. I am stoked about that. I have to leave the country in order to get a new work visa stamped into my passport. It just so happens though that there is a MASSIVE frisbee tournament while I am there called the Dream Cup. Korea is sending a mens team, to compete in the open division that has 80 teams. The quality of play in the tournament is supposed to be quite high. I am stoked about it. Should be awesome. Also, it takes place at the base of Mt. Fuji - sweet.

Would like to write more, and tell you all about how awesome things are. but I cant take this smoke (and I am even sitting in the non-smoking section!!). But things ARE awesome. Once I get an Internet connection in my pad, I will be writing and posting up a storm. Or at least posting more then once a month.

peace in the middle east.

friend's blog

2008-02-22T00:04:00.003+09:00

This is the blog of my buddy Adam Walsh... aspiring journalist and general word smith. He was my co-worker when I first got to Korea last year. Possibly of interest is that he is from Newfoundland.

http://theadamwalshworld.blogspot.com/

some stuff

2008-02-21T23:45:00.002+09:00

Yeah... I dont know what's up with skype. I cant make it work. I guess just wait until I move into my new place. I will have speedy internet then. FYI if you want to add me on skype my id is justinkorea81

I have finally decided to become a vegetarian for reals! well not for reals reals... but I have stopped eating the flesh from land animals (unless it is from a good source - say like a wild deer or something similarly free-ish). I have a lot of reasons... first is I think it is a more environmentally sound practice. Second, killing things isn't nice. Third, I think not eating meat forces me to think more about what I am putting into my body.

I have seen a few good movies lately...
3:10 to Yuma was awesome (I think that my Dad will especially like. Being a western and all)
No Country for Old Men was Bad ass... some things you really just don't expect)
Superbad best teenage type comedy I have seen in a loooooooong time
Juno another gooder with the same kind of 'Arrested Development' humor as Superbad

Im going to a mens ultimate tournament in Japan in March. Should be awesome. Played at the base of Mt. Fuji with over 80 open division teams. Supposedly the tournament sponsored the current Open and Womens Championship teams from the USA to come over.

Survival in Auschwitz

2008-02-21T22:24:00.004+09:00

I just finished reading Primo Levi's "Survival in Auschwitz" also known as "If This is a Man". Its about Levi's time in the infamous Nazi concentration camp. It is Harsh stuff. It disturbed me on many levels. Mostly I think I think I found it uncomfortable to think about how horrible humans can be, and how this horribleness is probably in all of us. I feel like modern generations of Canadians are so removed from anything so terrible. I think it would be the worst thing we could do to forget what is in us - what we are capable of.

This is the opening to the book:

You who live safe
In your warm houses,
You who find, returning in the evening,
Hot food and friendly faces:
Consider if this is a man
Who works in the mud
Who does not know peace
Who fights for a scrap of bread
Who dies because of a yes or a no.
Consider if this is a woman,
Without hair and without name
With no more strength to remember,
Her eyes empty and her womb cold
Like a frog in winter
Meditate that this came about:
I commend these words to you.
Carve them into your hearts
At home, in the street,
Going to bed, rising:
Repeat them to your children,
Or may your house fall apart,
May illness impede you,
May your children turn their faces from you.

another excerpt:

Just as our hunger is not that feeling of missing a meal, so our way of being cold has need of a new word. We say 'hunger', we say 'tiredness', 'fear', 'pain', we say 'winter' and they are different things. They are free words, created and used by free men who lived in comfort and suffering in their homes. If the Lagers had lasted longer a new, harsh language would have been born; and only this language could express what it means to toil the whole day in the wind, with the temperature below freezing, wearing only a shirt, underpants, cloth jacket, and trousers, and in one's body nothing but weakness, hunger and knowledge of the end drawing nearer.

a couple of quotes from books I read on my trip

2008-02-14T13:00:00.004+09:00

"...and I hoped that both were, each at its proper time, because from either one I would watch the other moving away with the heartrending sighs of two ships passing at sea."
-Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Memories of My Melancholy Whores

"We have no scar to show for happiness. We learn so little from peace."
-Chuck Palahniuk - Diary

trip

2008-02-14T12:57:00.000+09:00

I wanted to write about my trip right after I got back, but for whatever reasons I just never did. So here I am a month and a half removed trying to think back on what I felt and what I did. Its kind of hard to remember the really specific details. But I still have the overall impression fresh in my mind. This trip had a big affect on my in a lot of ways. It changed my thoughts on why and how a person should travel. It challenged how I look at poverty and economic disparity. And it affected how I generally look at the human race. Everything that I had thought about philosophically in the year before was really well book ended by this trip. It shook me up and really challenged me in a lot of good ways. I am sure I will talk about it more in the future.

back at it

2008-02-14T12:53:00.000+09:00

Its been a while. I don’t know why I haven’t written anything in so long. I guess it fits in pretty well with what I have been doing since I got back in Korea… which is nuthin.

Not literally nuthin… I just mean life here has settled quickly into the style of last year. I work a little bit, and have lots of free time. Before and after work I struggle to fill my time with meaningful projects. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I give into a 6 hour video game binge.

I thought that I was going to be able to go home for month… but it looks like that wont be happening now. When I first came to this conclusion (about 2-3 weeks ago) I was pretty upset about it. I had begun to really look forward to a trip home. I started to think about everybody I would see and all the food I would eat. I think I realized how much I missed home for the first time since I had been gone. In the end I just didn’t have enough money, and the timing was bad for getting a new job here. For about a week I was not happy at all about the situation, and considered blowing off Korea all together. I even fully rejected a good job offer because I wasn’t sure about whether I was ready to commit to another year in Korea.

I am passed those feelings now. I still wish I could have come home, but I am excited for another year here. I am going to have a sweet new apartment close to my favorite area of the city, and a sweet minimum work type job. But after this year… I will for sure be coming home.

october 4th, 2007

2008-02-14T12:48:00.002+09:00

I keep a journal on my computer. The stuff I post here is usually from that. This was the last entry before I started my trip (I dont know why it wasn't posted before):

I lie in bed waiting. The only muscles I move are the ones connected to my eyeballs. I am scanning the poorly plastered white wallpaper on the walls of my Seoul apartment. I am looking for those little blood stealing, itchy bump giving bastards called mogi, or mosquitoes if you from English. I spot one… I move stealthily and observe my victim briefly. To my dismay, this particular mogi is huge and fat with a meal already consumed. I know I don’t have to move fast anymore to kill this one… so full of MY blood he wont be able to escape. I grab my book (American Psycho fittingly) and leave a 2 inch smear of crimson on the otherwise plain wall. He will be my last kill in this apartment. After one year ineffectively teaching English in Korea, tomorrow I am catching a ferry to Tianjin China and beginning a 4 month journey around Asia.

video of my travels

2008-01-09T22:29:00.000+09:00

a compilation video of all the little clips I took on my trip.

back in Korea

2008-01-09T22:11:00.000+09:00

I have been poaching internet off an open wireless network, but the signal is pretty weak, and disconnections frequent. So, Ill make this sweet and quick.

I am back in Seoul after a 3 month tour of Asia. The trip was pretty dang good times. Im sure a top 10 list or something will follow shortly, but if I had to choose my favorite place of trip right now, I would say Yangshuo, China. That place really blew me away for any number of reasons.

As for life in the today and now, I am currently trying to sort out some sort of long term employment plan. It is touch and go with this one school... if it goes through I probably wont be home for another year. If it doesn't go through Ill probably be home in March for a month.

Other then that I am doing well and enjoying life. I hope you all are as well. Just because I am not around, doesn't mean I don't miss and love you all. I wish you peace and prosperity in the new year.

Christmas On the Mekong

2007-12-28T19:55:00.000+09:00

I am in Vietnam now. Things have been pretty good here so far, although the ever present heat and humidity are starting to wear me down. I am definitely not cut out for 30C everyday. I am looking forward to having to wear a sweater and pants again once I get back to Korea - I have a ticket booked now for January 2nd.

Anyway me old droogs, back to the Nam... what can I tell you. I'm sitting here drinking out of a fresh coconut. Thats kind of cool, although most of the other countries had coconuts too. I dont even really like fresh coconuts, they're a bit bland dont you think?

But yeah. Well Saigon is a crazy city. I think thats a pretty common trait amongst these emerging Asian countries - they're all non stop action. Saigon is proving to have its own brand of crazy though, and it comes in the form of lawless reckless roads dominated by scooters and motorcycles. They probably outnumber cars by about 10/1. There are few street lights, and no one seems to obey the ones that are around. Crossing the street here has proved to be one of the most interesting experiences yet - walk slowly, but confidently into the ceaseless wave of scooters, try to make eye contact, and they'll go around you (by inches).

I took a motorbike out myself yesterday. I was a little shaky at first, but I think I got 'er down alright by the end. I am considering making that the first purchase once I get reestablished back in Seoul.

As for Christmas, I spent it on the Mekong river in a town south of Saigon called Can tho. I had my own boat, and a lady to drive me around to see the different sights. I think it was probably one of the nicest days of my whole trip. It was pretty amazing to see how the people along the river have adapted to make use of it. If I hadn't just written a whole bunch, I would have more to say on the experience.

I hope you all had a good Christmas, and that you will have a good new year.

A Clockwork Orange

2007-12-28T19:04:00.000+09:00

"What's it going to be then, eh?"

I think this turned out to be one of my favorite books that I have read in the last little while. An interesting book about free will and morality, it asks the question of whether it is better for a person to be able to choose to do 'bad' things, then for them to be forced (or conditioned) into doing the 'right' thing. However, I think I found it most compelling because of Burgess' unique writing style. Set in a not too distant future, Burgess created his own slang for the book called Nadsat. Primarily used by the younger people in the book, Nadsat adds an interesting twist to the reading experience. A combination of Russian, English, and made up words, Nadsat is a little disorientating at first, but it eventually starts to feel like a natural part of the story. Defo's one of the best reading experiences I have ever had.

As a side note, the story surrounding the writing of 'A Clockwork Orange' and the life of Anthony Burgess is as interesting as the book itself.

Here are some quotes form the story I pulled from wikiquote:
"There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, Dim being really dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar making up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening."

"Well, well, well, well. If it isn't fat, stinking billygoat Billy-Boy in poison. How art thou, thy globby bottle of cheap, stinking chip-oil? Come and get one in the yarbles, if you have any yarbles, you eunuch jelly thou."

Cambodia thoughts

2007-12-20T21:25:00.000+09:00

I the words of the immortal Wonil - "WOW"

Cambodia was sweet, but short. I pretty much just saw the main sites and skedaddled. Which is too bad, because when I was originally planing this trip I kind of had Cambodia marked for closer to a month... but alas it wasn't meant to be. However, despite only being there a short time, I think Cambodia had a real impact on me in many ways.

I found the history and the people to be remarkable. Once the dominant force in South East Asia, modern day Cambodia and the Khmer people have been through an agonizing second half to the 20th century. The worst of which occurred during the rule of Khmer Rouge which tried to create an ideal socialist state, based on an agrarian society. Under the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979) an estimated 1.5 million people died through starvation, overwork, or murder. A visit to Angkor Wat and you see the height of preindustrial human achievement... and a visit to the killing fields shows the depths of human darkness.

For me, I think I found it most interesting to be in a country where so many horrible things have happened within such recent history. To interact with people that have seen terrible things, that maybe did terrible things. How quickly things can appear normal, as if nothing had ever been wrong. How these same people driving cabs and planting rice, could 30 years ago been killing each other so arbitrarily and cruelly. What is it in us that makes us able to do these things to each other? How can one person ever be so vicious? It must be in all of us... or at least most of us. Because it seems to happen all over the world, and in all cultures... and for what reason?

To think if I was in a situation where I had to kill a dozen farmers or die myself, what would I choose? What would you choose? I dont think we can answer those questions until we are faced with the situation... but I think it comes down to self preservation, and the dominating controlling influence of a few strong personalties. The will of the strong and their ability to control the weak. The darkness that exists in humans, and the question of whether or not we can overcome it? Or whether there is even darkness... after all what is good and evil?..........

Cambodia

2007-12-16T19:45:00.000+09:00

I just re-read my last post on Thailand... and I was thinking that it was written in a weird way. Didn't make so much sense in places. grammatically stylistically speaking. maybe its just cuz I just finished reading Huckleberry Finn or something... I also think I just may be losing my mind. I think that all the H2S I breathed working for Core Lab is taking affect on my memory and overall brain power... worrisome. Or maybe something else, or something. whatever.

Anyway, currently................... I am in:

Siem Reap, the jumping off point for another 'must see' site on the SE Asia traveling circuit - Angkor Wat. It did not disappoint. In fact it was Awesome. I am no temple/UNESCO connoisseur or anything, but Angkor Wat was one of the most amazing human feats I have ever seen. Those stairs were crazy steep... how did they get bricks and equipment up there to build that stuff? Like... really that was a good experience. Probably even worth getting up at 5 am for.

Other noteworthy things about Cambodia (I guess mostly Siem Reap) thus far have been:
- The ridiculous road from the Thai border, which is probably the worst highwayish road I have ever seen. Red dust, cow sized pot holes, ludicrously sized mounds that looked like huge speedbumps but probably weren't, and other crazy things too.
- The sweetness that is our hotel. $3 each gets us a marblesque floor, TV, private bathroom, table and chairs... luxury like I haven't had since.... ever on this trip.
- Nice restaurants around town that while they obviously cater to the tourist crowd are not without charm or tasty food.
- Really friendly people. Nicest people I have met on the trip yet.
- Cheap. Thailand was expensive. Cambodia has been cheap... and that is soooooo good for me right now.
- Wonil, a Korean traveler Les and I met up with. Amusing fellow unlike any Korean I have met before.

Heading off for Phnom Penh tomorrow and expecting things to get a lot grittier from here on... although apparently the road is paved.

a few pics from cambodia

2007-12-16T19:06:00.000+09:00

sunset

Tuk tuk. Paid $10 dollars to use one of these things all day while touring around Angkor Wat.

inside Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

sunrise at Angkor Wat... had to get up at 5:00 am for this shot.

some local kids cooling off from the oppressive heat.

One of the most amazing things I have seen in my life was the way these trees were taking over the ruins. Truly mind blowing.

What's the capital of Thailand?? BANGKOK

2007-12-07T15:42:00.000+09:00

I've been in Thailand for about a week so far, and just arrived in Bangkok from Koh Pha Ngan. Ko Pha Ngan is a mythical backpacker destination - probably the most famous in SE Asia . Well known for cheap bungalows and monstrous parties just down the road from quiet empty beaches. I split my time equally between those two scenes. Koh Pha Nagn offered up almost exactly as advertised and I had a really great time there. One of the highlights of my entire trip so far was going to a local muay thai kick boxing match. If my time was not running so short I definitely would have stayed longer on the island. However, having been there once, I am not so sure that I would return. The next island adventure I have in Thailand will probably seek something a lot further off the beaten path...

If I have been on a 'travellers path' since I left Korea, then Thailand has proved to be a 'super highway'. Everywhere I have traveled so far outside of Thailand has felt like I am still mostly involved in the local scene. I sleep at hotels, and often eat at western style restaurants, and see tourist attractions, but I have always felt relatively close to the heart of the local life, energy, and flavor. I feel like so far in Thailand I have been swept along in some enormous wave of backpackers and tourists all traveling the same route. Whatever real Thais do, I have yet to see it. Of course heading straight to Koh Pha Ngan then to Ko San Road in Bangkok, I am sure it is too be expected. Its just the enormous number of westerners here dwarfs anything I have seen on my travels thus far.

I now have to make a tough choice about how to spend my remaining few weeks... I'm going to spend a few days in Bangkok sorting some visas out, and then will head off... to where I dont yet know. I feel like if I was to leave Thailand right now, I would not have seen much of any cultural note... and that would be a shame. One thing I have noticed is the constant image of the Thai King EVERYWHERE. I had heard that the Thai king was revered and respected here, but seeing his picture on nearly every street corner, and in every restaurant is eye opening.

Out of Malaysia onto Thailand

2007-11-29T23:04:00.000+09:00

Les and I are currently on the island of Penang on the north west coast of Malaysia. We are catching a bus at 5:00 tomorrow morning to the border with Thailand. From there Les is heading to Krabi and I am heading to the island of Koh Pha Ngan. And so the great traveling duo part ways.

I feel like I have misplanned (as in, completely not planned) my trip and now face some tough choices. Time and money are running out.

Also.... If you supply me with an address I'll send you a postcard...

Singapore

2007-11-27T16:17:00.000+09:00

I am currently in the ultra modern city state of Singapore. I am probably leaving here tomorrow for a few days in Malaysia, and then onto the rest of SE Asia. Right now it looks like I will be heading back to Korea around the start of January to do a 3-4 week winter camp. After that I will be looking for another year long contract there..... HOWEVER there is a chance (and apparently a good one) that I will have to return to Canada before I can start a new job in Korea. There are new visa regulations in place that may make it a requirement to have some beuocratic things sorted out in your home country before working in Korea... so, dont hold your breath, but I may be home for a month or so come February.

The Boat Quay in Singapore

Les enjoying some pain killers at a theme bar called 'the clinic' where drinks can be delivered in IV drip bags if you want.

The Philippines

2007-11-27T16:02:00.000+09:00

The Philippines was an amazing couple of weeks. Les and I arrived in Manila on the night of November 13th and we were immediately struck by the humid temperature and the edgy atmosphere. We spent the first few days exploring our Hostel's neighborhood a little bit, and checking out a few touristy sites. The weekend brought the frisbee tournament and the usual good times that follow a group of people that travel hundreds of miles to hang out for a weekend. I was playing on a team called 'The Ringers of Fire' and we managed to finish in second place. I had played against them many times while traveling with the Korean team, so it was fun to play with them for a change. Pictures of the tourney can be found here.

After the tourney a group of about 15 ultimate players headed to Boracay, one of the picture perfect islands that the Philippines is so well known for. Boracay is perhaps the most famous. We were there purely for hedonistic pursuits, and I think most of the group fulfilled their debauchery destinies. The group was filled with locals, good friends of locals, and Filipino celebrities.... I have never received VIP treatment like my time on that island before (that goes for my time in the Philippines in general). Several times over the course of the weekend bar tabs, and dinner bills would simply 'be taken care of'. It was a pretty cool experience, and I am thankful to the Filipinos that took such good care of us during our stay.

There was a girl with us named Anne Curtis, who is a well known Filipino actress and model. It was interesting to be sitting around on the beach as a group and having random passersby on the beach stop and ask to have their picture taken with Anne.

Getting around the Philippines proved to be very easy, as almost everyone speaks passable (if not completely fluent) English. Tagalog is still the most common household language, but English is used more frequently for business and in official matters.

However, despite a very pleasurable time in the Philippines, there were definitely a few eye opening experiences. Everywhere you go you see men with guns. Walk into a 7-11 for a soda, and there is a guard with a gun. Walk into a bank and there is a guard with a shotgun. Walk down a street in a nice part of town, and there are a dozen men with a dozen different types of guns. Walk into a mall and they search your bag for bombs. I never really felt that I was in danger, but the constant presence of security definitely made me feel that tension was high in the country.

I also feel that of all the places I have been, the Philippines showed the greatest disparity between the rich and poor (although my own experience is likely skewing this significantly). The only first hand poverty that I say really up close were street kids - which I saw everywhere. They would swarm cars at stopped intersections looking for handouts, or come up to you on the street and follow you for blocks asking for money. In stark contrast are the beautifully manicured palm tree lined sidewalks of the gated communities. With armed guards at each entrance and thick walls, these 'villages' promise to keep the bad things of Manila out. For the frisbee tournament I stayed at a friends family's house. It was probably the most beautiful home I have ever been in. It was a huge place that comfortably slept about 20 guests for the tourney, had a swimming pool, and a staff that took care of our food and laundry. Not to mention that it was walking distance to the polo fields where we played the games.

I dont think I have ever felt my relative worldly wealth like I did for these past two weeks in the Philippines. The life I lead is one of such extreme wealth and luxury compared with most people, and I dont think I ever realized it exactly until I was confronted with the two extremes placed side by side like they were in the Philippines... and I find it funny and sad that I am sure I still do not understand true poverty or my luck at being born Canadian. I think I will have more to say on this in a little while... but for now I am pooped.

The Philippines - pictures

2007-11-27T12:44:00.000+09:00

A local working on our snorkel boat in Boracay

Judd from Shanghai goes snorkeling

The most beautiful beach I have ever seen - Boracay

Drew getting buried

Yangshuo Departing

2007-11-11T17:56:00.000+09:00

I have been in Yangshuo now for almost two weeks. It is with out a doubt one of the most interesting and beautiful landscapes I have ever seen. The only downer as far as the amazing vistas are concerned is the ever present grey sky which is caused by pollution. My time here has really flown by and it seems like I am leaving a little too quickly.

I have filled my days mostly by posing as a rock climber. Les and a local contingent usually head out to a nearby crag (climbing area) and I tag along. One of the reasons I came to Yangshuo was to put my rock climbing desires to the test. The result of that 'test' is that I am still a chicken shit that is not too fond of heights. I spent most days belaying others, lounging around enjoying the scenery, or occasionally completing a climb.

I doubt that I have experienced the last rock climbing of the trip though. It provides a convenient way to see an area in a way that few people do. The crags usually take some interesting navigation and route finding skills. In Yangshuo that could mean taking a local bus crammed beyond reason, or a many wrong-turned bike ride through orange and wheat fields. I am particularly excited to check out a place in Vietnam called Ha Long Bay, which is supposed to be similar in landscape to Yangshuo except the cliffs are often over water. This creates a situation where you can climb without ropes or safety gear... if/when you bail you do it into the ocean. I predict my chicken shitness will prevent anything too outrageous... but it should none the less be pretty spectacular.

Biking home from some of the crags has produced some epic night time rides. They typically begin with a late finish to the climbing day in the dim light of dusk. At this point it is a mad dash to get out of the bush/farms and onto a main street before the real darkness comes. Once on a main road the real trip begins. Trucks, cows, cars, motorcycles, buses, and bicycles all vie for the same patch of pavement. Although there are painted divisions for a two lane road, nobody pays attention. The roads outside of town are seldom lit, and visibility is reduced to what the headlights of the approaching vehicles provide. Out of everything I bring away from my time in China, I think I will remember most the cool nights pedaling along a flat Yangshuo road with a hundred Chinese around me charging full on into the dark.

Anyway, tomorrow Les and I are leaving Yangshuo. We are taking off for the sandy beaches of the Philippines. First we have an overnight bus ride to Shenzhen, then we have to get into Hong Kong, and from there find a plane ticket to Manila... hopefully that all goes smoothly and we are in the Philippines by Wednesday. I have a frisbee tourney next weekend, and after that a whack of people are going to the resort island of Borocay... which promises to be low on culture but high on sun, booze, and good times.

Pictures

2007-11-11T16:55:00.000+09:00

The KUNT Hong Kong team. Finished tied for third.

Macao's developing casino skyline

Portuguese influenced architecture in Macao

The biggest Buddha in the world cut into a cliff near Leshan China

Les biking towards a crag near Yangshuo China

View from the top of a route near Yangshuo

Les waling towards the crag

One of Yangshuo's most famous views at Moon Hill

Some old men fishing not with rod and line but with birds. Some sort of beast cooling themselves in the background.

Me enjoying a pretty sunset at a crag near Yangshuo

Les climbing

Jose, a local American expat in Yangshuo, puts on a show.

The butterflies around seem to be as big as birds.

An awesome sign. I wonder if any person used to using a squatter their whole life has ever tried to do this with a western toilet?

Typical Yangshuo scenary

the next day............ he thinks again

2007-11-04T17:17:00.000+09:00

As I write this I am in a Internet cafe sitting at the computer closest to the toilet (a rather dirty standard China squatter job)... and I can smell it and that is gross. Every now and then I get a big whiff and then its even grosser. I am almost enjoying the blanket of cigarette smoke since it covers up the smell a bit.......

In that last post I said something about traveling through somewhere isn't really enough to get a deep understanding of what that particular place has to offer. I think I was a little jaded with some of the experiences I have had in Chinese tourist towns (Lijiang, Yangshuo, etc). Without going too deep into what I mean (cuz it stinks here), I think traveling for a short time is definitely beneficial and can allow you to pick up a great deal. However, once a location, be it a town or natural wonder, starts to alter its inherent character to adjust to your (the tourist's) presence then there is a dangerous process started. I guess I just mean that staying in some of these touristy towns can give you a pretty skewed image of what a typical town is. I am sure that seems like an obvious idea.... stay in a touristy area and you will see touristy things. Anyway.............. It takes awareness and effort to make sure you are seeing/experiencing something 'authentic' or something 'set-up'. Even if the thing is 'set-up' it still has value because it is a local interpretation of what they think is good for the area/themselves. As for living in a an area... sure, the longer you stay somewhere the more you can soak in. But, a quick visit can be extremely enlightening as well. I think a 10 minute walk though a small Chinese village, or a ride with the insane cabbies of Shanghai would blow the socks off most westerners.

a few quick thoughts

2007-11-02T21:52:00.000+09:00

I feel like I have a lot too write about... but I lack the Internet availability and raging desire to get it out there.

Essentially...... I have been feeling pretty good about my travels so far. I am starting to realize exactly what it is I am doing traveling and what this opportunity means. I am trying to soak the experiences in and really wrap my mind around my time here. I think it was the dramatic setting of Yangshuo that did that for me, or maybe the glittery nights in Hong Kong (interesting opposites). Physically sitting in the middle of the sights I have been looking at through my computer screen for months is hitting home. The last month is gone and so are those experiences. Kunming, Beijing, Hong Kong... these are places that I probably wont be visiting for a while.

I think essentially I am trying to understand why a person travels anywhere in the first place. I think my most important discovery is that passing through somewhere is not enough to truly experience what that place has to offer. That requires living there, and becoming part of the ebb and flow of the everyday energy of that place. Being a tourist for a day or a week is only scraping the surface and what you walk away with is somewhat superficial (although certainly not meaningless). I think that living in Korea for a year has defantely given some interesting perspective on that... especially since I feel like after a year there, I still dont understand Korea or Koreans.

From Yangshuo, China

2007-10-31T17:19:00.000+09:00

I am in Yangshuo China right now, which is in the south western province of Guangxi. This is without a doubt one of the most dramatic landscapes and beautiful places I have ever encountered. Towering karst hills create a setting that is completely unique. When looking into the horizon in any direction, all you can see are these odd shaped mounds hundreds of meters tall fading into the ever present fog (unfortunately smog). It is really quite indescribable. I am here with Les to do some rock climbing, exploring, and general good time having. I have only been here a couple days but I am quite sure that this will be one of the highlights of my entire trip.

Before I got to Yangshuo I was in Macao and Hong Kong.

Macao was a pretty interesting couple of days. The entire place appears to be under construction and the only thing more impressive and glittery then the newest casino, is the one they are building next to it. Apparently this place is going to be (or may already be) the 'new' Las Vegas. Already there are several Las Vegas style casinos established, and I walked by signs showing where construction had begun on an MGM Grand, and a Bellagio. Once you get away from the main 'strip' of glitz, and into the older part of Macao there is some interesting Portuguese influenced architecture. Also while in Macao I stayed at what is probably the scuzziest place I have yet slept. It was called the San Va Hospederia (or something like that). Cockroaches, prostitutes, pretty much dirty everything.

Hong Kong was AWESOME. I was only here for a few days and didn't really do a whole lot of sight seeing, but this city definitely made an impression on me. I dont really have a lot of experience with mega-sized urban areas but HK was probably the coolest one I have seen. The city is spread over an intense landscape of islands and hills that creates a pretty incredible setting for the many unique skyscrapers. I was truly impressed by the technology and glitzy man made beauty of the city. However, the main reason I was there was for the frisbee tourney, which was a lot of fun. Korea sent a decent team and we finished tied for third. An interesting side note about Hong Kong; the place is damn expensive! In China I have been living off of less then $20 a day, but a dorm bed alone (sharing a room with 7 strangers) cost me $25 - ouch.

A&A depart

2007-10-18T21:15:00.001+09:00

I said goodbye to Andrew and Ali today. They are heading back towards Beijing, while I am staying on in Chengdu for a couple more days. Over the last couple of weeks together we have dined on some spicy and questionable food, cuddled on sleeper buses, trudged through rain and fog to see yaks, saved drowning bunny rabbits, shoved old ladies out of the way to take pictures of pandas, discussed squatter technique, played chess and cards, and mountain biked on the Tibetan Plateau (or close to it). It was great to see some friends from back home... hopefully I can see the rest of you soon too.

I am waiting in Chengdu for my banking cards to arrive (lost my wallet in Korea a week before I left). Once I get those I will be heading for the bright lights of Hong Kong and Macao. I plan to throw down large at the frisbee tourney in HK, and the casinos of Macao, and walk away a winner at both.

Some pictures

2007-10-18T20:09:00.000+09:00

I finally got a computer that will upload my pictures and load the 'blogger' page. These are some random pics from the last couple weeks.

Lijiang

Yak Meadow... and rain.

The ferry I took from Korea to China.

Tienanmen Square, Beijing.

Panda chow time

Baby Panda play time.

Biking near Lijiang

Mountains near Lijiang

Me near the rock forest of Shilin

The infamous Chinese sleeper bus.

Words from Lijiang, China

2007-10-13T18:46:00.000+09:00

My travels are now well under way. I arrived in Tianjin safe and sound after the 25 hour ferry from Incheon, Korea on October 6th. From there I took a night bus to Beijing, and discovered that I had perhaps ill prepared for a night time arrival in Beijing. I was dropped off in the middle of no where and had nothing but a telephone number for some random hostel I looked up on the Internet. The 15 or so people on the bus were quickly disappearing into taxis for places unknown. I managed to hop in a cab with a similar looking lost young lad as myself, only he was prepared with some Chinese addresses and I tagged along. We arrived at a nice hostel and were soon asleep in cozy dorm beds.

Once in Beijing I met up with Andrew and Ali who had already been in town for a couple of days. the original plan was to take a plane out to the far west of China, near Kashgar and then work back towards Beijing to meet up with Lester the molester. However, those crazy cats, Andrew and Ali, made a last minute change to their plans and bought tickets to Kunming in the Yunnan province, which is in the south. So I followed suit, and we left for Kunming the next day. That unfortunately means I missed out on some of Beijings best attractions (cough, cough, like the great wall)... sorry Paul, no picture.

From Kunming we travelled to Shilin's Stone Forest. This was a pretty cool park/nature reserve kind of area. It was essentially a maze of pathways meandering through some impressive pillars of stone. Wind and water have eroded the limestone in the area into some pretty dramatic positions. It definitely watered my apatite for Yangshuo where Les and I have planned to spend some time rock climbing later in October.

Next we hopped on a night bus to Lijiang, which is where I currently am. The night bus itself was a pretty cool experience. Instead of chairs, each passenger gets a 'bunk' to lie down in. The bus travels all through the night, and you have a fitful sleep crammed into your tight little cubby hole.

Lijiang is a neat little town nestled right against the Eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau. There have been some great glimpses of the mountains (the Himalayas are just beyond these) that lie just to the west of us, but near constant cloud cover has spoiled our attempts to get a really great view. Regardless the scenery has been impressive, and we have had some great day trips into the surrounding area. I think my favorite day so far was a bike ride through a nearby village, then up to a special scenic park, and the cruisy ride downhill and back to Lijiang.

We have spent almost our entire time in Lijiang in the touristy part called 'old town'. At first glimpse old town is a quaint area with little restaurants and shops set up to service the burgeoning tourism of the area. On further inspection Lijiang is a well planned, well oiled, well choreographed tourist attraction. Most of the shops seem to sell the same goods, and most restaurants have pretty similar menus. However, that being said it is still unlike any other town I have ever been to. The pathways are for pedestrians only, and meander randomly through several streams. The streams create a really interesting setting, as it is hard to find a street that doesn't run parallel with one, or cross one with a stone or wooden bridge. Neat to watch old ladies use the streams to wash clothes, and cooking utensils.

Tomorrow we are off to Kunming again to catch a train to Chengdu, and see some Pandas. From here I may change routes with Andrew and Ali to get a little further west, while they head back to Beijing to meet Les, see the Great Wall, and fly home to Calgary. I may also head back to Beijing to meet Les or I may not.

I doubt I will right another entry quite this descriptive of my specific travels... probably keep it to itinerary outlines, and focus more on my thoughts and impressions.

Ill post some pictures when I come across a computer that makes it easy to get them off my camera and onto the blog.

new widget

2007-10-01T19:53:00.000+09:00

I just added what should be a nifty little widget to help track my travels. You just have to scroll down a little and its on the right side of the blog. Find the google map thingy, and thats it.

Deok Jeok Do

2007-09-30T22:49:00.000+09:00

Last week I spent the Korean 'Thanksgiving' Holiday, Chuseok, with some friends on an island not too far from Seoul. One year ago, at this same island, is where I met many of those people for the first time. Going back was a fitting end to my time here. Unfortunately I lost my wallet, and destroyed my camera...

The most beautiful sunset, and the nicest view I have seen in my year in Korea.

Zero celebrating my victory (and almost shooting me in the head with a roman candle) as I become the new cups champion.

cockroaches

2007-09-28T22:25:00.000+09:00

This is a video I made from some of the cockroaches that were creeping around my house over the last year.

Some Good Reads

2007-09-16T23:21:00.000+09:00

One of my goals while I was in Korea was to read more and to read more influential books then I typically have. I think I used to select books based mainly on past experiences with authors and by simply randomly choosing historical (or non historical) fictional adventure books from the shelves of whatever bookstore. Lately I have been trying to read a lot more mainstream novels that have achieved critical and popular acclaim. So anything considered a classic or winner of a major literary award usually qualifies. The reason is that those books are good bets, they are probably going to be quality reads if they are so well regarded. Also, truly great stories seem to percolate out into the social conscience in meaningful ways and will simply wash over unnoticed if you aren’t familiar with the source (I think '1984' and 'Brave New World', which I only read last year, were my first experiences with realizing how much I have been missing).

Here is a list of some of the best books I have read in the last year:

Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck - I have really enjoyed everything I have read by Steinbeck. I think he is one of my favorite authors, and this is a great book about trying to survive during the Great Depression.

The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck - Probably my favorite book of the last year. The focus is on man's connection to the land and the cyclical nature of life, layed out against a backdrop of China as a Confucian society in the midst of political and social upheaval.

Catch 22, by Joesph Heller - The book that coined the term. Yossarian, the main character, tries to survive the war, but the bureaucratic powers that be seem to have him trapped. The text is repetitive and circular in nature. After a while I found this a little annoying. However, the book has so many great parts, some funny, some dark, and it has a cool ending.

Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand - Ayn Rand is a cold bitch. No doubt. She doesn't have any time for the weak. And... maybe there shouldn't be. I certainly do not agree with a lot of Ayn Rand's ideas, but this book challenged me in a lot of good ways. I think it is a good read for any die hard left winger. I say that in the sense that we should always be challenging ourselves and what our opinions are with an open mind.

Lord of the Flies, By William Golding - A book that I somehow missed out reading in high school. The themes in this book are things that I find myself dwelling on a lot when thinking on human societies, our self destructive tendencies, and our inability to work towards a common good. I am sure this is one the best books I will ever read.

An honorable mention goes to Joseph Conrad (I read Lord Jim, and Heart of Darkness). At times I found his work a little hard to follow. However, I think his writing ability, for pure artistic talent, is second to no one that I have read yet. He writes with a certain irony, and biting wit. From ‘Heart of Darkness,

“In a few days the Eldorado Expedition went into the patient wilderness, that closed upon it as the sea closes over a diver. Long afterwards the news came that all the donkeys were dead. I know nothing as to the fate of the less valuable animals. They, no doubt, like the rest of us, found what they deserved…”

“Going up the river was like traveling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings.”

Two notable works that I did not really enjoy that much were Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s ‘100 years of Solitude, and Salomon Rushdie’s ‘Midnight’s Children’. Both books are of a style called magical realism that maybe I just can’t get down with. It is a shame because they are both widely regarded as masterpieces. I have also read other books by both authors, and enjoyed them.

an update or something

2007-09-16T23:20:00.000+09:00

I haven’t posted in forever, and tonight I come out with three monsters… lucky you.

5 more days of teaching. Ohhhhhh unemployment I can taste that sweet fruit already. Yesterday was one year in Korea for me. In one week I will be chilling on a beach with friends over the Korean thanksgiving holiday. In three weeks I will be in China starting my travels. I am pretty excited about it all.

I just cranked out two decent sized posts, so I am feeling a little less ambitious with this one. Not too sure what to mention. Maybe I should say sorry for not being in contact much… I don’t mean to be that way. I do love and miss you all.

I shaved my head last weekend. Looks alright, but not as good as the mullet-ish thing I rocked for the weekend.

I spent this weekend in Daejeon (city 2 hours south) practicing as a team for an ultimate tournament that I will be going to in Hong Kong in October. It was kind of disappointing to see that the team is lacking enthusiasm and commitment. The weather was shite, and many people pulled up lame. They are lame. Lameos.

While I was in Daejeon I had TWO people in separate incidences try and look into my urinal stall while I was taking a piss. Supposedly this is a common occurrence for foreigners in Korea, but these were my first experiences with such blatant disregard for the urinal divider. The first guy was an old dude of about 60 years fully leaning from his stall over into mine to catch a gander at my gander. Why does he feel the need to do that? The second incident was this boy about 13 years old that tried to shake my hand while I was letting rip. I had to move my body to prevent him from getting right in the little urinal partition area with me. Time revealed later that he was probably not quite right in the head. But still…. while I am using a urinal? This is a good time to introduce yourself?

At school there is a new foreign teacher. His name is Eric, and he is from Arizona. Seems like a nice enough fella. He is the replacement for Olga… or maybe Olga AND me. As far as I know they haven’t made a move to get anyone else. However, with as much information as my boss gives me, there could be someone starting tomorrow.

Finally, I had a CAT scan on Friday. It’s the first test or scan I have had since my surgery. I am pretty sure everything is fine (results in a couple weeks). The hole from the surgery is coming along nicely, and I rarely notice it anymore.

Me and the new dew

Train ride back to Seoul

Teaching

2007-09-16T23:18:00.000+09:00

I think it is probably best for everyone that I will be taking a break from teaching for a while. I think my lack of desire to be in the classroom is only matched by my students. Lately I have been reflecting on my teaching and what it has meant to me and my students. I walk away from that conversation of self with mixed feelings. On the negative side I feel that my elementary students have learned almost nothing from me. I have been merely one more teacher, in a string of teachers, in a string of hakwons (after school academies) they would rather not attend. They are pounded relentlessly by an ineffective education system to give the appearance of competence. A lack of substance and any real learning is the invariable and unavoidable result. I, as an untrained poorly motivated teacher, am part of the problem. I don’t think I care enough to go the extra mile, and get the students genuinely interested (which leads me to believe that teaching wouldn’t be a wise career choice back in Canada).

However, I have come away with some truly rewarding experiences and feelings from teaching. These have come largely from my Kindergarten students. They are about 5 years old when they come to the hakwon, it is usually their first real experience in a classroom, and they don’t know any English. There are a couple reasons why I feel better about my experience with the kindergartens; first they have not been dredged through the education system where 12 hours of studying 6 days a week is the norm. They are unaware that school isn’t supposed to fun, and they think that learning English is just another game. They come in with such a high energy level and natural enthusiasm. It can be a lot of fun. The young kids are so easy to please, everything I do is hilarious, and the simplest magic tricks absolutely blow their minds. The second reason the kindergartens have been more rewarding to teach is that I can see their progress much easier. They come to us with no English, and after a few months are speaking English in simple ways, and communicating. I think this yardstick is something I really lack with the elementary students. They came to me with some English, it is hard to now how far they have come. The smart kindergarten students are truly impressive with their ability to absorb new information.

So in the end, while I doubt teaching is a career for me I think I have some energy for a little more. However, I will be pretty selective with what type of job I take, and I cannot see myself being a part of the hakwon system again (or at least not with elementary students). My next job will be fewer hours, more pay, and hopefully more rewarding.

painted wall link

2007-09-12T20:06:00.000+09:00

http://www.frogview.com/show2.php?file=2450

Cheney on Iraq - 1994

2007-08-30T02:41:00.000+09:00

Clayborneo

2007-08-30T00:36:00.000+09:00

A buddy of mine is on his way back to the States. I seem to have a relatively large collection of 'Clay' pictures, so I made a quick compilation video that draws on some sweet original guitar and a handsome mug. Clay is also for sure one of the best ultimate players I have ever played with or against.

Miss Teen America - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

2007-08-30T00:35:00.000+09:00

Democracy

2007-08-21T22:29:00.000+09:00

Thomas D'Aquino, president of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, recently said what I think are some disturbing comments. Quoted from an article done by the CBC about the Security and Prosperity Partnership meetings in Quebec, Mr. D'Aquino said,

"I do not say to myself, 'If I don't get an hour with the prime minister in the next six months, I'm going to go out and protest and reject the system outright... I don't do that because civilized human beings — those who believe in democracy — don't do that."

He was referring to the potential for protesters to show up and possibly get out of hand at the Farimount resort where the meetings are taking place in Montbello Quebec. Considering the secrecy of the meetings and the corporate nature of the participants, the event certainly makes me raise an eyebrow.

D'Anquino's comment struck me as completely ass backwards. I would say that those people that truly believe in democracy, and are civilized autonomous human beings should make a ruckus when they think their government is not making good decisions. Does he think that simply casting a vote every four years is what 'civilized' human beings do? I think our country would be a much better place if we all cared enough about the issues to travel hundreds or thousands of kilometers to let our voices be heard.

a simple game

2007-08-19T23:20:00.000+09:00

More Flash Games Cartoons Videos at Razoric.com

Endings are Beginnings

2007-08-17T13:33:00.000+09:00

Well I guess I am do for some sort of update, these youtube clips are lame substitutes. The last few months have passed by mostly as one routine day after another. However, this last week has been really refreshing. I have not had to teach a full day for almost two weeks, and have just finished a five day weekend. I spent my time not really doing too much, but have really enjoyed myself. I feel as relaxed as I have ever. Mainly I have been sleeping and eating, and watching TV, reading, and actually practicing guitar.

Despite not really doing much I feel like I have been productive in a lot of good ways. First, I have been making some really simple yet awesome food. I have rediscovered the thrill of a good omelet. Better then that is a good omelet sandwich, which includes four eggs, cheese, mushrooms, peppers, bread, and the key that I have overlooked for too long with so many foods; hot sauce. I have been destroying these sandwiches and perfecting my style all weekend.

I started watching a HBO television series called ‘The Wire’. If you don’t know about it I would definitely recommend it. It’s about cops, and drugs, and flaws in the ‘system’, and how it all ties together. It has won a bunch of awards, but has failed to find a mainstream following. It is worth your time to download.

I am feeling recommitted to my guitar lately. I have been trying to hammer down some bar chords with mixed success. My latest project, ‘Norwegian Wood’ by The Beatles, has been coming along… but I struggle to make it sound right. I don’t think I have any sense of rhythm or melody.

I am getting super pumped to go traveling and see more of Asia. I will probably be leaving Korea in late September or early October. I feel like I am on the verge of what will be one of my life’s biggest adventures. Latest itinerary ideas see me leaving Seoul and heading to Beijing, then possibly Mongolia for a week, then to Xian, then to Hong Kong for an ultimate tournament, and Yangshuo for some rock climbing. After that I will explore Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. Depending on how my money is doing I am considering spending some time in the Philippines, possibly Indonesia, or if I get ambitious I may try and squeeze India into the trip. Essentially I am not going to make any plans, I am just going to see where the wind blows me (although I am doing a lot of research right now, to help guide my future decisions. I am doing lots of reading on Wikitravel.org)

couple clips...

2007-08-11T14:09:00.000+09:00

a bull jumps into the stands...

Pajarito, The Flying Bull - The top video clips of the week are here

Interviewer cracks up while talking to a guy that supposedly had his testicles accidentally removed...

Craig's movies

2007-08-03T14:44:00.000+09:00

Craig just made these two short clips. The first one is from his travels in Cambodia, the second has some motorcycle riding in Korea.

Cambodia

Southern CAMBODIA Montage - The most amazing videos are a click away

Riding in Korea

Motorbiking Madness -Seoul Korea - Click here for the funniest movie of the week

some movies...

2007-08-03T14:32:00.000+09:00

I have a few movie recommendations for you…

Bobby – about Robert Kennedy and his assisination. Directed by none other then the Mighty Duck himself Emilo Estevez… however, unbeknownst to me Estevez is legit, and this is a quality film.

The Fog of War – a documentary revolving around Robert McNamera and some of his ‘lessons’. Robert McNamera was the Secretary of Defense from 1961-1968, as well as holding many high level positions before and after. He was involved in some pretty amazing parts of the history of the United States. You can watch a good quality streaming video here.

Layer Cake – standard gangster flick starring the new James Bond (I assume it’s the role that made his case for becoming the new 007). Worth your time if you enjoy that genre.

Honorable mentions… Mr Brooks, Rear Window

These movies SUCK:

Not since The Core have a couple of movies been such horrible pieces of disgusting wastes of time. Completely formulaic and non original… why do studios waste there time on these types of movies? The worst part is that unlike other horrible movies I have downloaded in the past and skimmed through… I actually watched all of these train wrecks, unable to look away.

The Astronaut Farmer – I read one line of a good review, and that was enough for me to hit the download button. I don’t want to say it was the biggest mistake I ever made… but damn this is a bad movie. It is one of those uber feel good, live your dreams, you can do anything, kind of flicks. It tries to do absolutely nothing original and is completely cookie cutter… you have seen this movie 15 times already, I promise you.

The Contract – I wanted to stab myself in the eye with chopsticks every time a bad guy has someone in his ‘sights’ and a gust of wind, a flash of light, ‘in the nick of time’ nudge, causes the bullet to fly off course. This is a horrible movie.

Other pieces of turd… Number 23, Ghost Rider, Breach, Pathfinder

a couple a links

2007-07-27T00:58:00.000+09:00

This is probably the best funny/gross/awesome compilation I have seen on the interweb...
http://funhouse.bubble.ro/992/Best_of_the_Internet_in_12_minutes/

I dont know...
http://fearthegaychicken.com/
similar to this... http://www.zombo.com/

I haven't spent much time on this, but it looks kinda neat...
http://www.musicovery.com/

Jacob's Video

2007-07-09T02:07:00.000+09:00

This here is a video that my buddy Jacob made of the goings on of the frisbee crew that I often roll with. Its about 18 minutes long, has some good tunes, a lot of frisbone stuff, but also some non frisbee shite.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Sanakji - round 2

2007-07-08T22:55:00.000+09:00

This is a scene from a popular Korean movie called 'Old Boy'. Last night I had sanakji (live octopus) in the cut up and far more common form...

Travellin On

2007-07-02T00:24:00.000+09:00

As the end of my contract appears on the horizon (mid September) I am starting to think about solidifying some traveling plans. Right now all I know for sure is that I am going to spend some time in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and a place in SE China called Yangshuo. I am considering trying to adjust my trip so that my time in certain countries coincides with a couple ultimate tournaments… I think I could feasibly hit up tourneys in Thailand, Vietnam, China, and possibly the Philippines, and Indonesia. Climbing is a new activity that I am slowly getting into, and may also be further impacting my travels (Yangshuo). I am pretty sure I wont be making any long range plans, and will be playing it as it unfolds in front of me.

I am now certain that a trip along the Trans Siberian Railway is going to happen sometime in the not too distant future (probably near the end of this round of traveling in Asia). I would ideally like to start in Beijing, travel through Mongolia, and end up in Moscow. From Moscow I would then take trains through Europe and end up at some port city that has ships going to the east coast of North America, where I would then go visit family in Newfoundland, before finally heading back to Western Canada. However the further West I go in that scenario the less likely it is to happen merely due to financial constraints. However I have been considering ways that I could make money along the way (probably teaching English) to finance that trip. Regardless of how far west I can make it, the Trans Siberian trip is almost for sure going to happen sometime in 2008.

Also, I have almost made up my mind that I will be coming back to Korea for at least one more stay.

Shanghai

2007-07-01T23:57:00.001+09:00

Two weeks ago I went to an ultimate tournament in Shanghai… it was a blast. It is pretty crazy to think that I went to China for a weekend just to play frisbee. However, my weekend completely revolved around the tournament, and while that was fun, I didn’t really see anything of Shanghai except out the window of a taxi. The entire time I was in ‘China’ I didn’t even eat any real Chinese food. In fact my entire experience in Shanghai was pretty far from anything that I have pictured of China.

The tournament went down in a wealthy part of Shanghai infested with what seemed to be quite well of foreigners. The roads surrounding the fields were beautifully divided boulevards, with landscaped sidewalks and gardens. The roadways were divided with a main road for cars, and side roads for the slower moving (but very numerous) bikes, scooters, and mopeds. Someone mentioned that they thought the area reminded them of Palm Springs, which seemed to fit my view of the area.

As for the tournament, it was well organized and quite competitive. There were about 16 teams, with teams from all over Asia including Singapore, the Philippines, and Korea. We finished 2^nd, and were satisfied I think. I have never played on a team that was so intense, and focused on winning. It was an unusual experience for me, as the teams I have usually played on have generally been quite layed back. None the less everything went pretty well, and I look forward to winning the next tournament I go to with that team.

A side note on a random observation from the tourney: for our prize we got about 4 pitchers of free beer. We drank that pretty quick, and then were all completely wasted for about an hour, before we all fell asleep. I have never seen people get so drunk so fast (body physically depleted + booze = fast intoxication). As a result I jumped into a wading pool holding my new digital camera, not realizing what I was holding, and ruined it... bummer.

The Team... KUNT (Korea Ultimate National Team)

NA getting his flip on

The theme for the party was 1950's. So our team went with a M*A*S*H theme... probably the best team costume idea ever.

Guy with a whole lot of wood on his little cart.

hmmm... what to say about this...?

Out the window of our plane as we are about to leave the airport in Seoul (Incheon)

This was definitely one of my favorite parts of the trip. I had two of these massages... super cheap and sooooo good.

Good Songs

2007-07-01T23:49:00.000+09:00

Months ago I posted something about my ‘favorite songs ever’… that wasn’t exactly what I meant to write about. I wanted to talk about my favorite songs that I have been listening to lately. I just got carried away by the title, which was written before the actual content of the post… so anyway, here is a list of some of the music I have been listening to a lot recently (last few months).

Absentminded Melody – by Joel PLaskett: has been the most played song on my itunes ever since I left Calgary

Blue Mind – by Alexi Murdoch

Hand On Your Heart – by Jose Gonzalez

Storm Returns – by Prefuse 73

Souvenirs – by Architecture in Helsinki

Blame it on the Tetons – by Josh Ritter

The Soloist in the Living Room – by The Cold War Kids

Rootless – by Damien Rice

Easier – by Grizzly Bear

Trees Lounge – by Hayden

Dry Your Eyes Mate –by The Streets

Melanoma

2007-06-25T23:45:00.001+09:00

I think many of you will know this already. Some of you probably do not. About three months ago I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. Here is a little recap of my experience...

Before I was diagnosed with melanoma, I had never really thought too much about skin cancer. I had kind of assumed that for the most part it wasn't that big a deal. Now I know how wrong I was. I write this so that you know what happened with me, but also in the hope that you may become more aware of how dangerous the sun can be.

Before you continue, know that I am now completely fine and that everything worked out just about as well as I could have hoped.

The Physical/Medical Story

Just before I left Calgary to come to Korea in early September 2006, I noticed a weird mole on my lower back. The only thing strange was that it was a little darker then my other moles, and was raised a little bit. Since I was leaving in a matter of days I decided to not do anything about it, and just keep an eye on it. After Christmas or a little later it started to itch a little bit...

Around the middle of March I went to a skin clinic in Seoul to have the mole looked at. After a biopsy, the doctor from a local clinic told me that they thought the mole was malignant melanoma. A few days later I was at Seoul National University Hospital (Korea’s #1 hospital) where they told me that the mole was indeed melanoma, the tumor was 2mm deep, and that I would need more tests to determine exactly what my status was.

Malignant melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. Similar to other skin cancers, melanoma is highly treatable if caught early. It is unlike other skin cancers in that melanoma will quickly spread to other parts of the body if left unchecked. The longer it is left untreated the worse the patients prognosis becomes as the cancer spreads throughout the body.

I was given a CT scan and a PET scan to see if the cancer had spread beyond the original site a couple weeks after my original inspection. The results came back negative, meaning that no cancerous cells had shown up in either scan. This was very good news and meant I would be able to remove the cancerous region with a fairly simple surgery.

A couple weeks later I was in the hospital again for the operation. This included a general anesthetic, as they removed a 3 cm diameter area around the mole. They also took a skin graft to cover that area from the back of my thigh. They also took out four moles on my back to do biopsies that all came back negative. I was in the hospital for about 8 days. It was quite an uncomfortable first few days as my mobility was really limited. I couldn’t get out of my bed except to use the bathroom, and even rolling around on bed was pretty unpleasant. However, the last few days I was little more comfortable, not really able to get out of bed, but at least able to lie down in relative ease. I spent a few more days recovering at home, and was back at work about 11 days after the surgery (although nowhere near fully mobile). It was probably six or seven weeks before I was really back to normal physically. Even now I can still feel the surgery site if I bend to quickly.

So essentially, they removed the mole and the cancerous area. They gave me many scans and tests and as far as anybody can tell I am cancer free, pretty much 100% normal, except for the chunk missing from my back.

Emotional/Mental Experience

The toughest parts of the experience were the periods when I wasn’t sure just how bad my situation was. At first when I only knew I had melanoma and knew nothing of the seriousness, my mind ran all over the place with how bad it might be. I didn’t know if they could pluck it out with tweezers or if I had an incurable case. I had about 4 days of not knowing anything about what my particular situation was.

When I found out that it was 2mm deep, I was only slightly relieved. 2mm is an odd depth to have… it puts you in between stages I and II, which is also where things start to get a little scary for treatment options. 2mm is generally a depth where once it goes deeper, you have to be concerned about it spreading to other parts of your body. For me, unaware of anything other then the depth of the tumor, my mind ran wild with the possibilities. I do not mean to make the scene so dramatic, but the life expectancy for certain stage II melanomas is really something to scare the shit out of you. I have never confronted thoughts of my own death so intimately before.

In Conclusion…

I am very lucky; lucky to have caught it early, and lucky to have the means to treat it. I am also very thankful to everyone that helped me out when I was going through this. The medical system here moved very quickly and efficiently for me. There was an English speaking nurse that was very helpful, and organized my trips to all the different departments in the hospital. The quality of the treatment I got was at least as good as I would have received in Canada (some say better, because I moved through the system so fast.).

I was also fortunate to have Mom and Paul come to visit while I was in the hospital. They both flew up on almost no notice to spend almost two weeks here. One thing about the Korean medical system is that there seems to be a heavier reliance on family to help care for patients while they are in the hospital. The friends I have made here were also really great. They brought me books, magazines, flowers, and food to keep me busy.

So there you have it. I am alright now, pretty much the same as I was before any of this happened. I didn’t want to make it all dramatic, or anything… just wanted to let you know what happened and that I am alright now. Also I hope that maybe you will be a little more careful in the sun.

I hope you all are doing well.
Take care.
Wear sunscreen.

Some Pictures

The mole before I left Calgary in early September 2006... so I obviously new something was suspicious about it for a while before I actually got it checked out... STUPID!

The patient

After the surgery all bandaged up (small bandages are for other moles that they took out to run biopsies on just to be safe... they were fine)

My hospital ID chart above my bed... The Korean characters in the top white bar are my name in Hangul (Korean)

about two weeks after surgery, when they finally took the bandages off

This is from about a month ago (late May)

Mom and Paul sit down for some Korean food

This is from the tournament in Shanghai that I was at over the past weekend... obviously the hole is healed up enough for me to be back playing ultimate, and to put dirty Chinese dirt in there.

One should always remember proper golfing etiquette and replace those divots.

geosense.net

2007-06-08T00:13:00.000+09:00

Ran into this link (http://www.geosense.net/)a few days ago... pretty cool way to kill some time. It also made me realize what my knowledge of world human geography is like... pretty good for Canada, USA, Europe. Mediocre for South America, and Asia... the really startling thing was my knowledge of African geography. Africa is essentially a black hole for me... I dont know where squat is on that continent. It definately got me thinking.