When I born, I Black

Got this from a friend online. I don't know the original author, so I can't credit him/her, but if anyone does know, please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to include the credit here.

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When I born, I Black,
When I grow up, I Black,
When I go in Sun, I Black,
When I scared, I Black,
When I sick, I Black,
And when I die,
I still black..

And you White fella,
When you born, you Pink,
When you grow up, you White,
When you go in Sun, you Red,
When you cold, you Blue,
When you scared, you Yellow,
When you sick, you Green,
And when you die, you Gray..
And you calling me Colored ??

How many times would you be willing to get hurt before you start quitting on a dream?

How many times would you be willing to get hurt before you start quitting on a dream?

If you keep hoping for something good to happen, and you keep on giving yourself up, and opening yourself up to hurt, and you never seem to get what you want... is it time to stop wanting it?

All my life I've been taught the value of perseverance, but my experiences have also taught me the prudence of pragmatism. When is something so impractical it becomes harmful to keep wanting it? And when is something just another dream away from happening, in spite of all the hardships and difficulties you've already had to go through to continue dreaming it?

I guess this is what will ultimately determine how much you really want something. If you keep on bleeding for it, no matter how many times you've been disappointed, then I guess you must REALLY want it. Whether you're ever going to get it, though, is another matter entirely.

But I supposed there are worse things in life than dying with unfulfilled dreams. After all, if we always got what we wished for, were we ever wishing hard enough in the first place?

Points to ponder, surely...

Is happiness a reaction or a choice?

Is happiness a reaction to the things we experience in life, or a choice we make internally to deal with what we find in life?

Something to ponder on a cold spring day...

Cool time in class today ;)

I did something interesting in class today. :)

I was explaining the concept of "facial expressions" and why they were so important in public speaking, and on the spur-of-the-moment I decided to try a new thing. I asked my class to give me 5 different emotions (they gave, in order, "happy, angry, frustrated, sad and confused"), and then I asked them to give me a topic (they gave "Iraq").

I then immediately launched into a speech on Iraq, using all of the emotions IN ORDER, and even using George W. Bush's voice. ;) It was way cool. I had so much fun doing it, and the class loved it. They were clapping by the end of class. =)

I love these random moments in teaching. They give me a feeling of purpose. You get to discover these small moments of joy each day if you really just look hard enough. ;)

The scale is tilted only one way

I can't wait to get to Thailand. I intend to get at least two massages a day... I kid you not. :)

I just wonder whether, when I get back, I'm going to regret leaving it in the first place. My life is so different now... I work much harder, earn much more, but get to do fewer things for myself. It's the classic dilemma of having to choose between earning more money or having a more relaxing life. I realize that striking a healthy balance is probably what I should be striving for, but right now the scale is most definitely tilted only one way...

Who is the dumbest person you know?

Just felt like asking a random question today. :)

Relativity

It's interesting to note just how expensive things in Korea can be, and yet how oblivious people in Korea are to just HOW expensive they are relative to the rest of the world. For instance, the first time I bought rice at the grocery, I went for a nice-looking 3 kilogram bag... only to find out later that it cost US$18! Are you kidding me? I paid 18 bucks for 3 kilos of rice?

Just to put that in perspective, in Philippine pesos that would be over 900 pesos for 3 kilos. Wow. I'm not exactly sure how much rice in Manila is now, but I'm pretty sure it hasn't yet hit 100 pesos per kilo. Not even close. After all, the minimum wage is only slightly above 200 pesos per day.

This is why people from rich, developed nations often consider products/prices in developing nations to be so cheap.

But if you think a bit deeper, you may also realize just how little effort has to be expended to make the world a better place. After all, if you throw away 500 Korean won (20 Thai baht) on a small ice cream snack one day, then why not help feed a poor kid in a developing nation? 20 baht can buy you quite a meal in Thailand, especially in the countryside (where I once had a good meal for 10 baht). Think about it. Half an ice cream bar = one full meal for a hungry child.

I don't know if it's my Catholic upbringing (with the whole "guilt" factor and this uber-emphasis on charity), but I guess a part of me always wants to give back something to someone else who is more in need. And the fortunate thing about my current circumstances is I can now afford to be even more helpful. When I visit the Philippines again this year, I think I shall find a nice little charity to help out. All I have to do is give up eating ice cream for a year, and assuming I would have eaten one ice cream bar a week, I would have as much as 1,300 pesos (500 Korean won = 25 pesos). When I get back, however, I will have much more to give.

Just these little sacrifices can go a long, long way for a poor child in need. My father was a scholar when he was young, and if it wasn't for the kind-heartedness of donors, he would never have had the opportunity to go to school and make a good life for himself and his family. Now he's doing very, very well, which is why he always finds the time to give back. He was once really poor, and now he's really successful. That's why he can afford to give, and that's why he does. I'm just trying to follow in his footsteps.

It's all relative, after all. No pun intended.

Visas and vistas

I am finally getting all my visa/work issues sorted out, and should leave Korea sometime next week (we need to pick up work visas outside the country). I am thinking of heading to Bangkok to see some old friends and pick up some stuff that I'd left behind.

It should be interesting seeing Thailand from a different perspective. The last time I was there, I was so immersed in everything (daily life, work in Thammasat, etc.) that I didn't really get to "see" the country and appreciate the natural beauty Thailand had to offer. I am intending to maybe visit a beach this time, or at least get to see some sights I never really had the gumption to visit while I was living there.

I guess that's how all of us act sometimes: it's easier to appreciate culture when you're not really immersed in it... otherwise it's not really a separate entity ("culture") but rather a basic part of everyday life.

Nothing to crow about. We see it everyday. Why would we need to visit that place?

The trip should be interesting. :)

How long can a body go on before breaking down?

Just wondering. :)

I'm just a bit tired. I already talked about how much work I'm doing in my previous post. That's a lot of work to worry about, and I'm not exactly as fit as I used to be.

I can't really complain, though, as I'm doing something I love. I just worry about those times when I may get sick. But I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

I knew I would miss Thailand... but now that my body is truly aching for a massage (Healthland... where art thou?), I REALLY miss Thailand. :) Cheapest and best massages on earth.

Sigh. :)

I'll be visiting again soon... to get my Korean work visa (I have to get it outside Korea). I swear I will get as many massages as my body can legitimately handle. :) Maybe 3 a day?

Hmmmmm....

Settling in...

I'm feeling like I'm finally settled in here in Seoul. I have a nice apartment, two good jobs, a nice bunch of kids to train for the national team, and I even got measured for two new, nice suits today. :) Life isn't bad.

My only disappointment of the day came when I went to this university to help train the debate team. Only 4 people showed up, and while I appreciate their dedication, I felt a bit let down that the others didn't bother to turn up. Oh, well. It's always hard to motivate people to give up time for debate, but considering I was going all the way to their university, I thought that perhaps some of them might at least find it convenient to come. :)

In any event, I still had a good time today. Thanks to Ah Young, Ji, Reela and Youna for being around. :) The Thai dinner we (minus Youna) all had may not have been authentic Thai food, but the friendship and friendly times definitely were.

It also snowed a bit on the way home. Just some drifting snowflakes slowly wafting towards the earth. I felt kinda cool walking home in all of that. :)

Like I said. Life is good.