nope, i'm not dead...

i've just moved over to... *shhh* wordpress..

here's the link: chrisseto.ca/blog/

go check it out.

microscopic beauty

ever wondered what a piece of dust might look like under a microscope?  how bout a grain of sand? .. no eh?  me neither.  and if you did look at such objects up close, guess what?  you'll find that they are exactly as you imagine them to be - dull, unimportant, meaningless...

however, there is an artist out there by the name of willard wigam who is able to see beyond the norm.  when he looks at a speck of dirt, he can see the statue of liberty.  when he views a grain of sugar, he sees a boxing ring with two fighters duking it out.  many would call him 'crazy', or perhaps, 'delusional' if not for his amazing ability to produce the very things he sees potential for.  by slowing down his pulse and working inbetween heartbeats, wigam is able to create masterpieces out of miniscule objects that most might just inhale without even realizing it.

many of his pieces are framed inside the eye of a needle 

i almost didn't really believe it when i saw it, but they validated his work on snopes - he seems to be the real deal.  i'll never look at a speck of dust the same way again..

the blog is back!

so...  anyone still following this blog?  after the last few months of silence i don't blame you if you bailed.  however, things are happening, wheels are in motion, and the view from here is now going to be a glimpse of different surroundings..

recap time:  becky and i came back from south korea on october 31, a mere 2.5 months ago.  it was a pretty odd experience reintegrating back into canadian culture.  they call it reverse culture shock, and it's often worse than the original one (so they say; I thought it was a myth..).  it was weird enough leaving asia and arriving back in toronto just two hours after we left (...with the time difference of course.. you know..), but as soon as we landed, i knew... we'd just left the island, and i don't think we're going to find our way back ('lost' reference).  we were slammed back into canadian culture, like a puck flying into a snowbank - and it was sooo good. standing in line at customs we followed instructions from a guy who gave them in english, and french, and pointed to a sign with other languages all over it - I was home.  no more mono-culture.  becky and i continued through the airport checks (where they took away my so-ju! man! i'll never be able to share the experience with the people back home!), and it just so happened that the hockey game was playing.. mmmm.

and so it went on like this, at least for me, for a week or so.  the jet lag was pretty brutal, but it was expected.  what i didn't expect was the weirdness i felt while i walked through our mall, and tried to have a conversation with the bank teller.  "and how can i help you today?"     "...uhhh...무엇?"   it was so weird!  and i know that all my friends that they feel the same way when they come back home for the holiday's, saying "yeah, milton is so different now, eh?".  yes it has been through a pretty crazy growth spurt, even been called "canada's fastest growing municipality", but it wasn't that kind of culture shock.  this was a "whoa! i can communicate with over 90% of the population now!" kind of shock.

but that is old news.  

presently, i'm beginning to feel a bit more like a normal canadian again.  i'm even applying for schools for next year here in canada.  the year abroad had good points and bad (i'll do more of a korea wrap-up in a later blog), but, at least for the moment, i'm looking to stick around this country for a while.

for now i'll end here - i really hope to write in this blog more, and maybe with more of a purpose.  some blogs are all about something you know; about the environment, or about beer, or.. something.  this is the year of being decisive.  no more writing about nothing. i'm going to make decisions and ... write about ... something..

..til then here's a great video of this guys who dances in europe. his name is davey, and he's dancin! 

DaveyDanceBlog -59- Heidelberg from Pheasant Plucker on Vimeo.

almost done..

It's been 15 months since I first arrived on the land of the morning calm and my time here is just about up. Becky and I have been trying to figure out all the things we want to do and see before we leave here - but I think we've pretty much check all the "to do's" off the list. Now all that seems to be left is selling some stuff off, and packing up.
There's been some highlights and lowlights in the Korean experience, and in this blog I want to share those with you. In the spirit of "Top Five's", here it is.
The top five's about my Korean experience (in no particular order). The good news, or the bad news first? .. lets start with the bad (save the best for last).

The Top Five Negatives About My Korean Experience
1. Turns out that Korean food is... well it's not what I expected it to be. I thought "yeah, Thai food is awesome, so is Malaysian food, and Chinese food, and Japanese food..." My mom might say, "when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me." .. i like that one.

2. Living 10 minutes from the beach isn't what I first thought it would be like. I imagined morning runs on the beach (in slow motion), and surfing lots on weekends. Turns out that even though Korea is surrounded by ocean, the waves suck! The surfing contest turned into a paddling contest this year.

(I would have put that my apartment was a negative, but... I moved to a much sweeter place, so it heads for the positive)

3. The distance between us all. Busan isn't a big city, but it is a thick city. I imagined all of us 'former ssuers' living in a kind of community (I don't mean living in a big yellow building, but you know..), or at least close to each other where we could see each other often. We were at opposite corners of the city, and Jessie and Justin were not even in town! Those potluck weekends, or those night's out just didn't happen as much as I had wanted, or hoped.

4. My goal about learning Korea has come to a crashing disappointment. I studied for the first month or two - even had a language exchange with a Korean friend - but I gave up soon after I realized that I would probably never use it again after I leave Korea.

5. Just as I'm about to cash in my last two paychecks, and my bonus month paycheck, the Korean won has fallen the lowest it has in 10 years against the dollar. This means that I'm making thousands of dollars less than I would have if it had stayed constant from the time I arrived here. I don't want to add it all up because it is just too painful.

Top Five Positives About My Korean Experience
1. I survived a year in a culture that I couldn't communicate with. Not only was I able to get by, but I made some good Korean friends along the way (the English speaking ones). I feel accomplished in being able to navigate my way around the city with only using a tourist map - unable to ask people questions about direction, food or drink (it might sound like a lame accomplishment, but it makes me feel like I find my way around here, I'll never feel lost anywhere else.)

2. The tickets for professional sports events are super cheap! I got to see a basketball game, soccer game, and like, 5 baseball games, all for what it would cost to get half a ticket back home. And although the soccer and basketball might not be the caliber as back home, the baseball has got to be - these guys won the Olympics.

3. I was able to save; the expenses are minimal. I got a free apartment, and free flights here. The food is just as cheap to eat out, as it is to cook for myself. The stuff I bought, I can sell to another foreigner for almost the same price. I moved out of a small dump with one window that faced a brick wall, to a two room apartment with a view of the harbor (sure, it's the ship building harbor, but so what? I can see water..). The living conditions are pretty sweet in terms of my expenses toward them.

4. The travel. I was able to buy a motorcycle and travel around a bunch of South Korea. Camping on beautiful islands and driving through paddy fields surrounded by mountains - it was awesome! I got to check out Japan, and spend some time in Vietnam. The experience alone would be worth it even if I hadn't saved money. (well... then again... all that debt?...)

5. The experience with the magazine The Korea Sun. I was invited to be a staff writer for the magazine several months back, and that gave me a bunch of experience with what it's like to be an actual journalist. I don't know what I want to do career-wise, but photo-journalism is an option. With the writer/photographer job I also got a media pass- this was the coolest part. With this pass I got to go backstage at nearly every event, and sit with the press. I got to go ring side for the muay thai competition, and on top of the halfpipe at the TreX-Games. I got to sit with the other photographers (who have lenses about 50x bigger than mine), and watch the baseball game on the field (in 'high-fiving range' of the ball players). Also, writing the Korean history column every month has really helped me get to know, and respect Korea's history and culture. I first suggested this article because I felt that foreigners were living here with no idea about the cool past that this country has. I wanted to share it with them - and it's great that it all seemed to work out.

These are the top fives of both the positive and the negative aspects of my Korean experience. Funny, it's all about expectations. I suppose that if I had none coming into Korea I might have less to call negative in the end... But I think, even if I expected the Won to fall so much, I would still feel gypped.

happy birthday

Happy Birthday Andy!!

soon we'll be living in cities called "Wal-martville" or "McDonald'ston"

Since when did the brand become bigger than the place? Naomi Klein would break down and cry if she came to Korea..
I tell the children I teach that I'm going to see a baseball game between the Giants and the Tigers. The look at me with blank faces. "I'm going to see the Busan Giants, you know, the baseball team?" Still with the blank faces. One of the kids quietly says "Lotte?", and then the others catch on what I was trying to say to them. "Ohhh, LO-tte!"
The sports teams out here are named after their sponsors - they are known ONLY by their sponsors. The basketball team is the "KTF (cell phone company) Magicwings", the soccer team is know as "Ipark" (I think it's a similar company to green park, or some other building company), and then the "Lotte Giants".

Should I be bothered by this?... mm yes. I think so. Over here, this is normal - no one would question it, or even think of it being weird. But i cant help but think of this brand worshiping crossing over the pacific, and reaching Canadian shores. Has it already happened? We go to watch hockey games at the "Air Canada Center", and while we cheer on the Leafs, we still watch them skate around the advertisement haven, skating over the Reebok owned blue lines.

Pretty soon will we be cheering on the Tim Horton's Leafs? Will we be rooting for the Microsoft Jays, and the Nike Raptors? Little kids will be screaming "GOO NIKEEE!!" and chanting the brand (just like here).

We should know better. We are losing our teams, our buildings, and all of our sacred space to the corporate names. We need to get back to the good old days where these giants are still thought of the heartless corporations that run local business under, rather than these iconic sports teams that portray superhero-like attributes.

Some things i dont get..

Just outside my school, about once a week, the community center fogs the streets to help contain the outbreak of mosquitoes. I'm not sure why, but whenever mosquitoes are around, the Korean people are instantly aware of their presence. There seems to be a fear of them, like others might fear killer bees. There are tons of different methods to get rid of the pests, my favorite being the 'electric tennis racket'. This device is exactly as it sounds: a tennis racket sized frame with an electric mesh that shocks its prey with 1.5 volts of power (it feels like more though..).
Anyways, It always amazes me how the parents just stand by and watch their kids running through the insecticides when they fog here. The sprayers move from doorway to alley way, even to food stalls, spraying their killer gas. I've asked my co-teachers and they swear it's safe, and even endorse the school kids going out to play in it. Being kind of new to this tactic of getting rid of mosquitoes, I'm a little shocked. Do they do this in Canada or the States? And if they do, do kids treat the insecticide like a sprinkler?

I guess it's just another one of those things that I don't get, and probably wont get.

a wake up call.

I'm disgusted. I woke up this morning, turned on the tv to watch BBC world news and the first story I heard was .. surprise.. about how the cost of oil has been shaping our standard of living. Ford Motor Company announced an $8.7 billion loss in the second quarter of this year, so they have decided to make 'smaller' cars. Yes, instead of investing in research that might keep their company afloat 10 -20 years from now, they've decided to take the easy route and make cars that drain the worlds resources in a slower manner - still completely unsustainable. The company is striving to once again be amongst the leaders in the car world, but they are going about it with the 'now or never attitude'. They know that there is a problem with the culture's practice of oil consumption, but instead of stepping up and being leaders in their field, they continue on that same path, giving them a bit of time before they are forced to change. The consumers are equally responsible, for it is our way of living that drives these giant companies to do what they do. There needs to be a leader out there in the automobile industry who has balls to turn towards something sustainable and move away from the dead end road of petrol.

So they've found oil and natural gas in the Arctic - apparently it's enough to meet the world's demand for the next three years. THREE years. "According to the survey, the Arctic holds about 13% of the world's undiscovered oil, 30% of the undiscovered natural gas, and 20% of the undiscovered natural gas liquids." It's great that we found some back up to aid us in our change over from fossil fuels, but there is a worry about how the drilling will effect the permanent sea ice, or even the habitat of endangered species. "Exploration companies believe the recent rapid ice melt in the Arctic may make it easier to get reserves out of the region." It seems to me that we are so quick to move in, pillage what we can, and then move on to the next place. Glaciers are receding at an unprecedented rate. Yet, this will only aid us in the exploitation of the area? This whole issue should be a wake up call for us to move away from our addiction to oil, but I fear that it will only be the next step in our quest to drain the world of it's resources, and leave nothing in our path.

Some shots from the beef protests

For more pictures, click here.

What's the beef?

The following is an article I wrote for the Korea Sun magazine. I've written a few this past while but none have been as contraversial as this one. There are over a million people who have been protesting this issue every week for the last few months, so i wanted to make sure i gave an objective analysis. But it's interesting about how this country is handling this issue. The Koreans are so different than Westerners..

Korea’s Beef with the American Cow

On June 10 2008, an estimated 500,000 people took to the streets of downtown Seoul, armed with candles and slogans. With barricades and riot police to keep the angry masses in check, they were united with one common goal: the ousting of Korean president Lee Myung-bak.

To anyone who hasn’t been keeping up with these demonstrations, or to someone who may have just arrived in Korea, these protests must seem fairly alarming. Although they are often referred to as the “mad cow protests”, there is more to this issue than meets the eye. As it turns out, the import of American cow is only one of many aspects to the Korean people’s beef with the government. To give a better understanding of what’s been going on, here is a timeline of events leading up to the present.

2003 – The Korean government suspends imports of American beef after an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly referred to as mad cow disease. Prior to this ban, Korea was the third largest importer of American beef, with 80% of its beef imports coming from the US.

April 2007 – Seoul and Washington reach a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Experts estimate that this agreement could increase the countries’ two-way annual trade by $20 billion. However, the FTA will only pass if Seoul once again allows the import of American beef.

May 2007 – The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) classified the US as a “controlled risk country” for mad cow disease. This classification states that the US beef and beef products, from cattle of any age, can be safely traded in accordance with international guidelines¹.

December 2007 – Lee Myung-bak wins a landslide victory and becomes the president of South Korea. While his predecessor, Roh Moo-hyun, was criticized over his ‘leftist, anti-US’ sentiment, Mr. Lee was voted in to strengthen the US relationship and to revitalize the economy.

April 18 2008 – Mr. Lee travels to the US to meet with Mr. Bush. While in Washington he announced the lifting of the ban on American beef imports, showing his eagerness to rebuild ties with the US.

April 29 2008 – MBC’s PD Diary (a Korean news program) aired with a special presentation on American beef and mad cow disease. In this report, it is claimed that Koreans are three times more susceptible to contracting the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD – the human strain of BSE). It also highlighted the death of a 20 year old American woman who was said to have died from vCJD. These two key points stated on the show were found to be untrue, and PD Diary was forced to retract their statements. However, even if the program apologized for its yellow journalism (which it hasn’t yet), the damage was already done. An editorial in The Chosun Ilbo puts it nicely; “It’s as if MBC had virtually set the entire country on fire and was trying to hide the matches.”²

May 2 2008 – The protests began, and they have yet to cease.

The fear of a mad cow outbreak continued to grow throughout May and June as the internet only amplified the shoddy journalism. But the import of American beef is not the only thing that brought people onto the streets; it served as the initial spark that brought many other issues to flame. The privatization of state-run companies and the construction of the controversial cross-country canal are among these issues. Yet the main concern runs deeper than any of these. Many of the protesters will tell you that the main issue is not so much about the beef; it’s about Korea selling out its national pride to a bigger power.

Mr. Lee has been accused of paying tribute to Washington, as the kings of the past paid tribute to Chinese emperors. Many Korean people have suppressed feelings of resentment over the sway the US has on their country. They have fought so hard for independence, the last thing they want is to be taken advantage of by another nation. The American beef deal was seen as just that, with Mr. Lee bowing to the US demands.

On top of that, citizens are angry at their CEO President, who treats them as if they were his employees. By making quick decisions without acknowledging the wishes of the people, Mr. Lee was viewed as dictatorial. These street protests have been compared to the massive demonstrations made in 1987, where the people actually brought down the military dictatorship. The BBC writes that “some protesters see the conservative President Lee as representing a return to South Korea's authoritarian past - and the beef protests as vital in resisting this.”³

The US beef is expected to hit the shelves by the beginning of July, but no one can predict when the protests will end. Even if the street demonstrations come to a stop, the online protests are sure to continue. How will the FTA affect the Korean economy? Will Mr. Lee be able to recover from this political nightmare? Will the fears of BSE entering Korea ever die down? Obviously there are more questions than answers. The only thing one can be sure of is the price of American beef: it’s going to be cheap.

Taekkyon: The base of all hand to hand combat in Korea

I wrote this for the August issue of the Korea Sun (www.thekoreasun.com) .

The Life, Death and Ressurection of Korea's Oldest Martial Art.

The music begins to play. A circle is formed surrounding the two in the middle as they sway side to side. Their movements are smooth, fluid, and rhythmic… Although this may sound like a romantic dance between two lovers, I’m actually describing one of Korea’s oldest martial arts: taekkyon.

This traditional art form, though far from romantic, has been said to hold the origins of all the bare-hand martial arts currently practiced in Korea. The creation of this art has not been accredited to a sole individual; its origins stem from the basic evolution of hand to hand combat. Although there is no definite date as to when it came into practice, a painting found in a grave from the Goguryo dynasty suggests that taekkyon has been around since the 5th or 6th century AD.

Originally, taekkyon was practiced by the nobility for self defence and personal well being. In the Silla dynasty (7th to 10th centuries) an elite society of youths known as the Hwarang, were also trained in this deadly art form. The popularity of taekkyon peaked between the 9th and 12th century with both the ruling class and the common people practicing the art. From the king to the farmers, taekkyon was a well-liked pastime. However in the 13th century, with the gradual movement of society towards literature, and the military opting for the sword over bare-hand combat, taekkyon became more favoured as a folk custom.

Up until the Japanese occupation (1910 – 1945), taekkyon was still considered an important piece of Korean heritage. However, during the occupation the practice of taekkyon was banned and forced underground. Only a handful of masters continued to train secretly under the cover of night. By the time Korea won its independence, this ancient martial art was nearly extinct. The Korea Taekkyon Association attributes the sole survival of taekkyon to one person: grandmaster Song Duk Ki. With his diligent effort he was able to train a select few who would in turn, insure the survival of this ancient art form in the years to come.

Presently, taekkyon is still not very popular. But this sport has been gaining ground in recent years. In 1983 it was designated “Important Intangible Cultural Asset No. 76”. Also, in 2001 taekkyon was officially approved as specialty athletics by the Korea Sports Council. One of the main reasons it has a hard time gaining popularity is that, while it is the predecessor of taekwondo, it lives in the shadow of its younger brother. There are few who know the difference between these two sports.

Similar to taekwondo, taekkyon uses kicks as its primary method of attack. There is very little defence used in taekkyon; attacks are often answered with another attack. In a match, two fighters will square off close to each other and continually change their stance in a rhythmic movement. The main objective is not to injure the opponent but bring them down unharmed. The whole battle looks like an ancient dance until the kicks start flying. Youtube “taekkyon” (also spelled “taekyun” and “taekkyeon”) and you’ll see what I mean.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of training facilities and knowledgeable instructors, this ancient sport will most likely continue to be a dying martial art. Yet in my eyes, this is its major draw; how cool is it to be among the few people with knowledge of this 1500 year old fighting style? Though the passing of time is its biggest adversary, I have a feeling that this historical dance will not soon be forgotten. Its unique blend of power and grace will be survived, if only through a handful of students.

back from nam..

Becky and I had our week's holiday last week. We get one week off in our year's contract so we decided to check out Vietnam. For an illustrated update, click here and here to see the photo albums I put up on facebook.

We arrived in Hanoi (the capital) on a Saturday, and then we waited around for our flight to Da Nang. At this time we could have exchanged the heaps of Korean Won that we had with us, but we just wanted to catch our flight and get there. Big mistake. We got to Da Nang, and found out that ONLY at Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh airports would they accept Korean Won. We were stuck with no money, and I forgot my four digit pin on my credit card.. So I used the good ol' Bank of Montreal card, and it got us through (with a few costly service charges).

The taxi driver who found us our hotel assured us that the hotel could loan us the money until the banks opened on Monday, and they did. We got 1,000,000 dong (their currency is called 'dong' .. i found this funny..), which was about $58 Canadian. This trip was almost completely unplanned out (this kind of adventure is new for me), and Becky and I didn't really know what we wanted to do for the week, or where we wanted to go. All we knew was that we wanted our open water diver's license.

This could end up being a super long post if I go through the week, so i'll summarize it like this: The first 3 days Becky and I went diving; one dive in the pool and then 5 dives in the ocean. We had our license by Wednesday. Thursday and Friday were shopping days, where we perused the market and bought some Christmas gifts (we'll be back home for Christmas this year). Saturday we took a scooter to Marble Mountain and packed up and caught a flight back to Busan. The pictures illustrate the journey better than I'm going to write, but I will mention my favorite highlight.

On Friday afternoon I went to meet up with this Vietnamese family I met a few days before. I met a guy named Sang, a fisherman in Hoi An (the city we were in). He showed us "the real Vietnam life" by taking us on a boat tour with his father, and even showing us how they catch fish. It was incredible to see this side of the country.

This is Sang, a 17 year old fisherman. His English is excellent, but he has yet to complete school. He had to take two years off to save money before he can finish his last two years. He told Becky and I that a year of school costs about $100 - this gives a picture of the situation out there.

Here's Sang's father, celebrating his catch.


Bringing home the bacon, or... fish.

king sejong the great

the following is an article i wrote for the korea sun magazine. i really liked researching this guy; his life story has so much more that can be squeezed into 500 words or less (this one is way over the limit!), but i hope i did it justice.

King Sejong ‘the Great’

They Don’t Give This Title Out to Just Anyone

The history of Korea dates back thousands of years and has been shaped by a host of influential characters. Among the most significant of these is King Sejong, the only ruler to have ever been given the title ‘Great’ by the people of Korea. Thanks to the Sillok, or ‘Annals of the Choson Dynasty’, there is a lot of historical data written on the king, allowing a clear window in which through view his life, character and spirit. What relevance does a king from six hundred years ago have in today’s modern Korea? You might be surprised.

The life of King Sejong is like a beacon from the past, still visible in today’s progressive culture. One of the ways he is viewed today is through his achievements and innovations. Sejong began his reign with many ambitions. Being a well educated man he could see that there was much to be improved on in his newly acquired kingdom. In order to make his objectives come to pass, he established a royal institute of research called the Chiphyonjon, or ‘Jade Hall’. This building housed up to thirty-two scholars who served as the king’s research team, helping his projects come to fruition.

With this team of academics, Sejong was able to complete many of these undertakings, although nothing happened quickly. The reorganization of the taxation system took twenty-six years to complete, and it was thirty years before the national ceremonies were standardized. However long it took, the king was determined to meet the challenging targets he had set for himself.

What sets him apart from other rulers of this time is his true concern for his people, and his actions and achievements confirm this. Some of his accomplishments include contributions to medical science, advances in agriculture, astronomy, and the development of standard musical notes. Understanding the importance of literacy, Sejong improved the standard of printing technology, even creating larger fonts to aid the elderly in reading. All these triumphs greatly benefited the culture and the nation, but surprisingly these are not what he is remembered by.

The Korean alphabet or Hangul is widely considered the greatest legacy of King Sejong the Great. Ten years in the making, the new Korean written language was published in 1446, in the 28^th year of Sejong’s reign. At this time Chinese characters were the only form of a written language. The king was greatly distressed because amongst the uneducated people there were many who were unable to read or write. The creation of a basic 28 letters was to level out the class differences, allowing the commoner to be just as literate as the nobleman.

Hangul is the only alphabet created by an individual for which the motives behind its creation were clearly set out and explained. Each consonant symbol resembles the shape of the mouth or throat while pronouncing that particular sound, while the vowels were formed after the fundamental characters of heaven, earth and man. Compared to Chinese characters, the written language prior to Hangul, these few symbols are incredibly easy to learn and understand. Unlike any other writing system in the world, scholars have called Hangul one of the greatest achievements in the field of linguistics. To King Sejong, it was so much more. Hangul is the embodiment of the king; it is the response to, and the atonement for injustices and inequalities within the Korean kingdom.

King Sejong the Great undoubtedly deserves his title. With thirty-two years in power, he was able to inspire a nation, remove class barriers, and set down examples of how a population should be governed and cared for. By ruling with understanding and compassion, Sejong clearly sets a precedent as to how any kingdom should be run; the love for people comes before the love of self.

an update

the last little while has been a mess of activity: from traveling to planning other trips, to getting new jobs to buying cool things; this last month has been awesome.

first: geoje-do. this is the name of one of the largest islands in korea, second only to jeju. i got to travel there a couple of times this past month, both times being incredible and refreshing. the first time was a weekend spent with jessie's parents, and the second was a camping trip in which kevin, meaghan, jessie, justin, becky and i went camping on the edge of this amazing pebble beach. (for pictures see here)

second: vietnam. throughout our one year contract becky and i get a week of vacation, and that time off has already begun. tomorrow is the korean 'memorial day', in which the country pays tribute to its fallen soldiers. on saturday becky and i will board a plane traveling to da nang, vietnam. we'll stay 8 days there, with the theme of the trip being scuba diving. i like having themes to things - they are like having 'goals', but they are easier to obtain (probably because they are not called goals).

third: magazine writer. so a little while back i responded to an ad that spoke of a magazine looking to expand throughout all of korea. after sending in a few articles, the publisher emailed me back and asked if i wanted to become a staff writer/photographer! i was, and still am stoked. it's a monthly magazine called the korea sun (check it out!), and my trash or treasure article is actually the 'feature' for june! i actually suggested that each issue have some sort of history article (cause the history of korea needs to be shared - it's really interesting), and so, among other articles that i could send in, i get to write the history section! gregg finley would be so proud...

fourth: motorcycle. i am now the proud owner of a 1997 daelim 125cc motorcycle. i'm sure i'll have a picture soon. it was a bit of a hassle to get it, but all in all, i'm pleased with my purchase. this bike will do many a trips to geoje, and hopefully to festivals and events at which i can take some sweet pictures, or write an article. busan drivers suck by the way (just in case you were wondering). i feel like they receive their license free when they buy a cell phone and a satellite tv for their car (why wouldn't you want to watch your favorite tv show while you talk on the phone and drive?).

yup... it's been busy - but it's been fun. oh! and i moved to a bigger apartment too!! the new apartment news deserves to be more than just a sidenote, but i'm done with the update. all you need to know is that this apartment gets natural sunlight (a giant step up from the last one).

if you are into history at all, check out the history of korea - i'll post the history article i wrote for the magazine soon, if any are interested - it's on one of the hero's of 'the land of the morning calm', king sejong the great.

tips from no impact man

about a week ago i arrived at my new apartment - and it is awesome! It's about twice the size of my old one and the windows actually let natural light in! amazing!
as i was packing and unpacking i was analyzing all the stuff i have and... i have a lot of stuff. not only that, but i have a lot of stuff i don't even use! I kept extra blankets in the winter in case people wanted to crash at my house, i save my plastic bags (in hopes that i'll never take another one again from the market, but that collection somehow keeps growing), and i have a ton of stuff that i need to get rid of. i've noticed that the products in korean stores are packaged to protect them in case of nuclear attacks (not seriously- i just mean there's a lot of plastic). if i were to buy some sushi at homeplus (the tesco owned mega store), it would have an outside layer, individually wrapped sushi pieces, and the plastic from the sauce packets and garnishings; most of the product's weight isn't edible. all this said, i've also been reading the no impact man blog and discovered a list of things that would greatly cut down on the waste that we produce. for those who've read that blog in the past are probably familiar with some stuff on this list, but for those who haven't... check it out. apparently the average american produces 4.5 pounds of trash per day. if even a few of these tips are taken to heart i think this average would drop immensely.

*for the actual blog by no impact man click here*

1. No soda in cans (which means we’re probably less likely to get cancer from aspartame).
2. No water in plastic bottles (which means we get to keep our endocrines undisrupted).
3. No coffee in disposable cups (which means we don’t suffer from the morning sluggishness that comes from overnight caffeine withdrawal).
4. No throwaway plastic razors and blade cartridges (I’m staging the straightedge razor comeback).
5. Using non-disposable feminine-hygiene products that aren’t bad for women and are good for the planet.
6. No Indian food in throwaway takeout tubs.
7. No Italian food in plastic throwaway tubs.
8. No Chinese food in plastic throwaway tubs.
9. Taking our own reusable containers to takeout joints (except that now we’re eating local so this tip is out for us).
10. Admitting that we sometimes miss Indian, Italian and Chinese takeout.
11. Hopping on the scale and celebrating the loss of my 20-pound spare tire since I stopped eating bucketsful of Indian, Italian and Chinese takeout.
12. Buying milk in returnable, reusable glass bottles.
13. Shopping for honey and pickled veggies and other goods in jars only from merchants who will take back the jars and reuse them.
14. Returning egg and berry cartons to the vendors at the farmers’ market for reuse.
15. Using neither paper nor plastic bags and bringing our own reusable bags when grocery shopping.
16. Canceling our magazine and newspaper subscriptions and reading online.
17. Putting an end to the junk mail tree killing.
18. Carrying my ultra-cool reusable cup and water bottle (which is a glass jar I diverted from the landfill and got for free).
19. Carrying reusable cloths for everything from blowing my nose to drying my hands to wrapping up a purchased bagel.
20. Wiping my hands on my pants instead of using a paper towel when I forget my cloth.
21. Politely asking restaurant servers to take away paper and plastic napkins, placemats, straws, cups and single-serving containers.
22. Explaining to servers with a big smile that I am on a make-no-garbage kick.
23. Leaving servers a big tip for dealing with my obsessive-compulsive, make-no-garbage nonsense, since they can’t take the big smile to the bank.
24. Pretending McDonalds and Burger King and all their paper and plastic wrappers just don’t exist.
25. Buying no candy bars, gum, lollypops or ice cream (not even Ben and Jerry’s peanut butter cup) that is individually packaged.
26. Making my own household cleaners to avoid all the throwaway plastic bottles.
27. Using baking soda from a recyclable container to brush my teeth.
28. Using baking soda for a deodorant to avoid the plastic containers that deodorant typically comes in (cheap and works well).
29. Using baking soda for shampoo to avoid plastic shampoo bottles.
30. Using the plastic bags that other people’s newspapers are delivered in to pick up Frankie the dog’s poop.
31. Keeping a worm bin to compost our food scraps into nourishment that can be returned to the earth instead of toxins that seep from the landfills.
32. Switching to real—meaning cloth—diapers which Isabella, before she was potty-trained, liked much better.
33. Not buying anything disposable.
34. Not buying anything in packaging (and count the money we save because that means pretty much buy nothing unless it’s second hand).
35. Shopping for food only from the bulk bins and from the local farmer’s market where food is unpackaged and fresh.
36. Forgetting about prepackaged, processed food of any description.
37. Being happy that the result is that we get to eat food instead of chemicals.
38. Giving our second-hand clothes away to Housing Works or other charities.
39. Offering products we no longer need on Freecycle instead of throwing them away.
40. Collecting used paper from other people's trash and using the other side.
41. Using old clothes for rags around the apartment instead of paper towels.
42. Talking with humor about what we’re doing because making a little less trash is a concrete first step everyone can take that leads to more and more environmental consciousness.

the father of korea

here is an article that i wrote for the korea sun magazine. it's about one of my favorite korean folk tales...

If one looks just beyond the first appearance of this modern industrialized country they would find a wealth of cultural treasure. The stories of Korean heritage date back thousands of years and are greatly contribute to the contemporary culture of today. Arguably the most famous of these tales is the story of Tan-gun, the legendary founder of Korea. Although it can be told in a number of ways, here’s my rendition of the story.

Legend has it that Hwan-in (who was the god and ruler of all) sent his son Hwan-ung to earth to build a new country in the east. He was given three divine assistants: the clouds, the winds, and the rains. Hwan-in also gave his son the souls of 3,000 others, an entire race, to help him in his task. They descended to Mount Taebaeksan (now called Baekdusan), and Hwan-ung named this place Shinshi, “City of God”.

Not far from Shinshi was a cave that housed a tiger and a bear. Both animals witnessed the happiness of the humans under Hwan-ung’s rule and prayed to become human themselves. Moved by the animal’s prayers, Hwan-ung gave them instructions to follow in order for their request to be granted. He told them that becoming human requires great patience and perseverance. He said “you must stay secluded in your cave for 100 days without sunlight, and eat nothing but these 20 garlic cloves and this bundle of mugwort. If you can persevere through this, then you will become human.”

The tiger and bear agreed and followed Hwan-ung’s instructions. After a number of days living in these conditions, the tiger gave up and left the cave. However, the bear persisted and stuck to the challenge. As the dawn broke on the hundred-and-first day, a beautiful young woman emerged from the cave. The bear-woman was so stunning in fact, that Hwan-ung proposed to her. Soon after their marriage the bear-woman gave birth to a son and named him Tan-gun, meaning “high priest” or “founder”.

When Hwan-ung departed from Earth in 2333 BC, Tangun became the first great ruler of Korea. He called the land Choson, which means “Land of the Morning Calm”, and here taught his people about government, agriculture, worship of God, and other important matters.

This story has been passed down through generations for thousands of years, and occupies a special place in the heart of Korean culture. Although there are some who take the story as a literal truth, and some who make their own interpretations. Personally, I see the story as a narrative describing the character and struggle of the Korean people. The bear and tiger were representations of the different tribes. It was the perseverance of the bear tribe, as opposed to the strength of the tiger tribe that, led to survival through these very harsh conditions. Also, the name Tan-gun might just be a title, as this label had been given to kings of old, expressing how their rule was divinely blessed.

However this story is interpreted, one thing is for certain; the history of the Korean people is rich with beauty and sorrow, successes and failures, victories and defeats: it all depends on how you view it.

a scary weekend..

this past weekend was planned to be sweet gathering at jessie and justin's place, enjoying the cultural festival in their city. However instead of going and hanging out with friends, I stayed at home and worried about my health..

you see, about four months ago my neck became stiff and sore - and it's been the same ever since then. i figured it was stress, or a bad mattress or pillow, or a cold draft in my apartment, or some other non-serious thing. but after two months of the annoying neck issue i went to see a doctor. he said (in "konglish", 'korean+english') that my muscles were just sore and tired. he prescribed three different pills to be taken three times a day; one pill for the pain, one for the swelling, and one more for the side affects of the first two. i decided that i would be worse off if i took them, so i let time carry on.

then a few weeks ago, after complaining to my boss, he got his father (a traditional oriental doctor) to give me acupuncture. it was weird having someone put little needles in your face and arms and legs, but it did relax my muscles. yet, my neck was still sore.

finally i decided to go back to search around and find a doctor who speaks english and who would take my complaints seriously. this past weekend i headed to an international clinic at 'dong eui medical center' and had a doctor there check me out. after being unable to find the problem he suggested an x-ray. my medical insurance deductible is at about $100, so it didn't quite cover the $50 x-ray (though i was surprised at how cheap it was!)

about 20 minutes later i was up in the doctor's office looking at an x-ray of my neck (it's pretty humbling to see an x-ray of your body- proof of our mortal bodies). it looked normal at first glance, but then he pointed out this 'jellybean shaped' mass in between my cervical and thoracic vertebrae. "i worry about that", he says. i didn't know what to say.

he calmly told me that "it was probably just arthritis or degeneration of the joint, but that there was maybe a 20% chance that it was a tumor". shit. he booked an mri for me on monday, which would be two days from then (who knows how long i would wait in canada).

so i left the hospital, only about an hour and a half after i had arrived. i came looking for a solution to my neck stiffness and left with a one in five chance that i had a tumor on my spine. it was mid saturday and i didn't know what to do. i felt more alone than i've ever been, and i was (of course) over analyzing that 20%.

time ticked by.. and monday came around.
monday was mri day. i took a sick day at work and went to the hospital with becky. i really feel for those people who have to get mri's on a regular basis.. because it sucks. anyone with even the slightest claustrophobic tendencies would have to be sedated.

for those of you who don't know what an mri.. uh.. machine looks like, here's a picture. the worst part about it is that, before they put me in there they explained in very broken english about when, and when i couldn't swallow. while taking an mri of my neck, i couldn't be swallowing spit and blurring the picture.

anyways, with that finished, then began the waiting game. i was told that i would have the results on wednesday (yesterday), at 9am. tuesday night was one of the worst sleeps of my life, anxiously awaiting the phone call at 9:00. the doctor hadn't called by 9:02 so i called her.
... talking on the phone with someone who speaks broken english is a tricky thing to do, especially when the subject is of dire importance. the message that i took from the phone call was that 'there was no problem', but had to go to the hospital to talk about it.

the doctor told me that the mass-like picture on the x-ray was actually bone that was made denser by the arthritis. apparently i have arthritis in that part of my neck, and it might have been caused by some trauma that i had recently, or up to ten years ago.

anyways, the important thing that i took from the experience is that the mri came back clean - no abnormal 'tumor-like' stuff in my spine. WOO! i was so relieved.

even though i was told that it was a relatively small percentage, i spent from saturday until yesterday thinking about how it was all going to go down - in the most negative light. i thought about deciding where to have the surgery, here in korea or back home in canada -if i would have to wait a long time there, or if i would even be covered under health insurance... it was a horrible experience, but extremely relieving in the end. all this went down in a span of just a few days. life is short.

this experience gave me great respect for life... and time... and how important each moment is.

crazy..

free hugs

if you haven't heard of the "free hugs campaign", it's time you have. check out freehugscampaign.org and see why there are almost 900 videos on youtube promoting this campaign. here's quote from the website.

Free hugs is a real life controversial story of Juan Mann, A man whos sole mission was to reach out and hug a stranger to brighten up their lives.

In this age of social disconnectivity and lack of human contact, the effects of the Free Hugs campaign became phenomenal.

As this symbol of human hope spread accross the city, police and officials ordered the Free Hugs campaign BANNED. What we then witness is the true spirit of humanity come together in what can only be described as awe inspiring.

the potential to be heard..

i've recently been handed an opportunity to write in a magazine that will be circulated korean wide, and read mostly by foreigners. it's called The Korean Sun, and next month will be its first real debut in korea. i really don't know much about writing magazine articles, but i do feel like this kind of chance doesn't come along everyday, so i'm going to jump on it. i just finished and sent off an article to the editor, along with several ideas for other possible stories. here is my first article entitled "trash or treasure - you make the call".

Does the old cliché ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ mean anything to you? Well, to a bunch of foreigners in Busan, this phrase carries a lot of weight – literally.

As I wander the streets near my apartment I’m constantly amazed by the amount of furniture that I see on the side of the road. I don’t mean the old comfortable looking chairs in front of the side street coffee shops. I’m referring to the upside down couches with bags of garbage strewn beside them; the antique coffee tables that are placed next to the bins. It’s too bad the locals aren’t interested in the historical furnishings of past generations; my neighbourhood could be a haven for antique collectors. The most common items I come across include couches that are creased from use, desks that are faded from age, or shelves that are simply out of date.

Of course finding these pieces did not surprise me much as you can find such discarded furnishings in nearly any culture that is rich enough to afford new stuff. It’s amazing to me how cheap you can find brand new furniture these days. But what happens to the old stuff? These items are just left out until someone thrifty comes along and finds use for them, right? Wrong. I had the unfortunate chance to witness a whole living room set that was smashed to pieces, just so it would fit into the back of the truck to be brought to the dump. It seems to be an unjust end for these beautiful pieces of furniture. That is, unless someone comes along and saves them…

After seeing all those chairs and closets turned into firewood, I decided that I would try and rescue other items left stranded, awaiting a similar fate. It didn’t take long for my little studio apartment to fill up with couches, chairs, tables, you name it. Yet, as fast as these items come in, they can be shipped out thanks to websites like Pusanweb and Koreabridge Classifieds. It’s funny how many responses you’ll get if you post an ad titled “Free Couch”; apparently there are lots of foreigners in Busan who are sick of sitting on the floor.

After turning my place into a little furniture warehouse and talking to others about it, I’ve realized that I’m not the only one who does this. There are some who deal in used furniture so much that it makes their teaching position look like a job on the side. I’m glad too, because in this age of consumption it feels good to reuse these previously loved pieces. So now, as I wander the streets and come across a hand carved cabinet, or an uber comfortable couch, I know that sooner or later, someone else will be enjoying this in their house. Trash is transformed into treasure, as life in Korea just becomes more comfortable.

the distribution of knowledge

i was browsing the stingy scholar blog and came across this video that really highlights the incredible change over the past few years in how we distribute information. what does the distribution of knowledge look like today? it's no longer exclusive to the higher learning institutions, but has been handed down (or stolen) by us.. the people. the wealth of knowledge (and garbage) online is infinite, and access to all of this requires only a connection (guidance could also be useful too).
it seems that because so much knowledge is so readily available (for those who can get online), i feel overwhelmed with it all. you could read books or order books, or have them read to you; you could watch others videos or upload your own videos to share; you can call up someone in another country for free on skype or take a virtual tour of that country; you can watch a lecture online, or even teach English to a class online; there seems to be so many options that you really only have to know where to look. i wonder if the traditional ideas of credible sources will change/have changed? can a blog be cited as a reliable source of knowledge? or wikipedia or other open source projects?..
enjoy the video.